Care - My Boyish Days (Drink To Me) (Arista)

Care are a combination of the talents of Paul Simpson (once of The Wild Swans) and Ian Broudie (formerly of the Original Mirrors and producer of Echo and The Bunnymen). Their name comes a little too close to The Cure for comfort and is perhaps a trifle precious. Mind you, calling a duo Tears For Fears seems to have worked and I suppose that 'Care' will do. This ditty tinkles along prettily but doesn't give the voice or the lyrics the assurance they deserve. Promising but too close to forgettable. (Mark Cooper, No 1, July 16, 1983)

The Liverpool mafia strikes again. Ex-Original Mirror person and Bunnymen and Wah! producer Ian Broudie knocks out a sultry number that goes down nicely with the lazy, hazy days of summer and a cool glass of Pimms No 1. (Mike Gardner, Record Mirror, July 16, 1983)

Good grief, is there anyone from Liverpool who's not in a band these days? Formed by ex-Wild Swan and Teardrop Explodes founder-member Paul Simpson and ex-Original Mirror Ian Broudie, they ought to have come up with a better name than Care. Mind you, it's as vapid and forgettable as this record. Disappointing. (Deborah Steels, Smash Hits, July 21, 1983)

XTC - Wonderland (Virgin)

The Swindon popsters - now down to a three piece - have lost a lot of ground through Andy Partridge's illness last year but this dreamy track from their forthcoming album might do the trick - if the weather holds up. (Mike Gardner, Record Mirror, July 16, 1983)

So sloppily romantic and sentimental it's got to be tongue-in-cheek. An electro-ballad which pops rather than fizzles behind a lazy but beautiful melody. Extra award for Sleeve of the Week. (Deborah Steels, Smash Hits, July 21, 1983)

The Creatures - Right Now (Polydor)

Another slice of sassy swing and a far cry from their usually unlistenable rubbish. Of course they couldn't write anything as good as this but the performance and arrangement of this forgotten gem (written by jazz veteran, Herbie Mann) is little short of terrific. And the video is simply amaaaaaaaaazing! (Deborah Steels, Smash Hits, July 21, 1983)

The Police - Wrapped Around Your Finger (A&M)

Follow The Police and learn about places like Scylla and Charybdis. As my dictionary explains, these traps are Greek mythology for the Devil and the deep blue sea. Life is no bowl of cherries as Sting has often pointed out, never better than here. Almost as mean, moody and magnifique as 'Every Breath', Sting's latest piece of bleating has me worried about the boy. If he's not watching his lover threateningly, he's trying to wrap her around his finger. Someone should tell him there are simpler forms of romance. (Mark Cooper, No 1, July 16, 1983)

Sting's mystical edge gets an airing on a track that's probably in the top 10 as we speak. It's impossible not to take your hat off to a band who, while sneered at by the press, can produce the most insidious melodies around. (Mike Gardner, Record Mirror, July 16, 1983)

Gorgeous, light and the perfect music to have playing as someone massages that coconut sun oil between the shoulder blades. What you doing on Sunday afternoon, Sting? Andy? Stewart? (Deborah Steels, Smash Hits, July 21, 1983)

Robert Plant - Big Log (WEA)

Even more moody and magnificent than The Police [with "Wrapped Around Your Finger"], Robert Plant's return to centre stage is something of a shocker. I was quite unable to appreciate it on first hearing as I was hiding in the corner, expecting a battery of drums to come crashing in at any moment. They never do and, once my nerves had recovered, I was able to soothe myself back into shape with this folky lament. Mr. Plant returns, a model of restraint, and he's welcome at my house for the first time in a decade. (Mark Cooper, No 1, July 16, 1983)

For the man whose voice could shatter windows in New York whilst Led Zeppelin were playing in London, this is quite a pleasant surprise. Robert's vocal is majestic and warm, the guitar work (liberally sprinkled with what sounds like bum notes) refreshing and kind of Latin, and there's a great bassline. Not trendy but highly classy. (Deborah Steels, Smash Hits, July 21, 1983)

Trevor Herion - Kiss Of No Return (Island)

Absolutely gorgeous. On a wafer-thin flan of electronics comes a haunting melody on the world's most romantic instrument - the accordion. Trevor croons away, mentions Paris and wins my heart. (Deborah Steels, Smash Hits, November 25, 1982)

Claire Hamill - 24 Hours From Tulsa (Beggars Banquet)

Powerful treatment of the old Gene Pitney warhorse by a lady who seems to have nearly but not quite made it ever since I started listening to music. Maybe I'm just sentimental but I'd love it to be a hit. (Deborah Steels, Smash Hits, April 28, 1983)

The Piranhas - Easy Come, Easy Go (Dakota)

Now if Chas 'n' Dave had gone to the Caribbean rather than Margate, the resulting ditty would have sounded like this. Mad and pathetic but utterly charming. (Deborah Steels, Smash Hits, April 28, 1983)