As the dust settles on another twelve months, at least one thing, if nothing else, is blindingly clear: 1984 was not the year of Frank Tovey.

Back in early summer, I nailed my colours to the mast and proclaimed in print that Frank tovey would have a three or four month residency on Top Of The Pops, win the American presidential elections and take over from Eoin Hand as Irish team manager but I’m afraid subsequent events have shown that I was not entirely wrong and even now vast numbers of readers are scratching their heads, gazing vacantly out windows and muttering, ‘Frank Tovey – who he?’

Well let me put your tortured cerebelli at east and tell you that Frank Tovey is A.K.A. Fad Gadget and since I was responsible for raising all those expectations way back then, I feel I owe it to ‘ol Frank to do the honourable thing and confirm that his modest and enjoyable album ‘Gag’ – while, it maybe didn’t, ah, set the world on fire – remains one of life’s minor pleasures. As for world domination – maybe next year Frank.

Anyway, here’s my top ten albums for 1984: Bruce Springsteen: ‘Born In The USA’; Tom Verlaine: ‘Cover’; U2: ‘The Unforgettable Fire’; The Blue Nile: ‘A Walk Across The Rooftops’; Bob Dylan: ‘Infidels’; Christy Moore: ‘Ride On’; Womack And Womack: ‘Love Wars’; Fad Gadget: ‘Gag’; REM: ‘Reckoning’ and The Waterboys: ‘A Pagan Place’.

Other vinyl highlights: Special AKA: ‘Nelson Mandela’, The Weather Girls: ‘It’s Raining Men’, the two Working Week singles and ‘The Linguaphone Guide To Exotic Language’ compiled by Charlie Haughey. Finally the most indispensable album of the year was actually a compilation spanning a decade – ‘The Best Of Gil Scott Heron’, a brilliant selection of music and wisdom from the sanest man alive.

I’ll be revealing my tip for 1985 next December.