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From this point on, the Festive Fifty charts became wholly yearly only, with just one more All-Time chart in 1999 (but not broadcast until January 2000).
Few tears were shed for the all-time chart as listeners voted in a memorable listening in a year when there was so much of quality to choose from. As punk and new wave now faded decently into happy and inspirational memories, their influence thankfully didn't wane and the mid-eighties "indie" scene was now being born with apparently innumerable creative pathways opening up. Indicative of this are the first stirrings of the Smiths and Billy Bragg, the emergence of the Cocteau Twins as a genuinely musical force and generally a great year for Ivo Watt-Russell's 4AD label. While Factory had listed eleven tracks in the 1982 all-time charts, these had all been Joy Division/New Order recordings. 4AD placed ten spread spread across four different acts...Xmal Deutschland became the first band from a non-English speaking nation ever to feature in the Festive Fifty. (Whitby, M., The Festive Fifty, Nevin Publishing, 2005, p. 17.)
This was the first chart in which session tracks had been voted for in sufficient numbers to be placed.
During the final programme, John mentions that another Cocteau Twins track from 'Head Over Heels' made number 51 in the chart, but neglects to say what it was.
Ken Garner's The Peel Sessions states that the final programme featuring the chart was on 02 January 1984. However, Peel's final comments on the recordings below state: "...ending this year's programmes. Rather wonderful to be able to say that, actually. Hope you'll join me in 1984. On Monday night, we're going to be having, not sort of like, reasons to be, unreasonable optimism in 1984, I think. It was going to be fave raves of 1983, but I'm not sure that I shall do that. Anyway, thanks very much for listening tonight...have a good New Year, incidentally."
The tracks on torrent 2 of the 17-DVD Torrent Compilation are from sources other than the original broadcast and in some cases are different from those aired.
