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This single became the band's 12th British Top 40 single when it raced into the charts on 22nd October 1985 more than 7 years after their first hit 'Hong Kong Garden' back in September 1978.As I'm sure I've mentioned before, there's a common feature of these earlier Now! albums, with already well-established acts showing up well into their careers. Technically speaking, we're less than half-way through their run of hits, which started with the aforementioned 'Hong Kong Garden' (actually released in August 1978, entering the charts 34 years ago this week) and ended with 'O Baby' in January 1995. But for good or ill, it's arguable that most of the songs that made them famous had already been released by this point, so there's a certain sense that they were preaching to the converted. Certainly, 'Cities In Dust' is not an obvious pop smash and although it might have been expected to climb further at the time of going to press it feels a bit out of place here without much crossover appeal. As gothic post-punk songs about the destruction of Pompeii go, it's not bad but it's hard to imagine it being that interesting to the people who bought this album for UB40 and Tina Turner.
Available on: The Best Of...
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