JOHN FOXX
(UK, four Top 40 hits, three Top 40 albums)

No inkling about this guy at all, but his album success suggests a decent fanbase. Any ideas?

Biggest Hit: "Underpass", No.31, 1980
Defining Moment: Crap surname spelling, at this stage.

FPI PROJECT
(Italy, one Top 40 hit, no Top 40 albums)

In the death throes of the decade, this Italian group of backers arsed up "Going Back To My Roots" and double-sided it with "Rich In Paradise" to eventually peak at No.9. The Odyssey cover had two available vocal versions, one a hairy Italian crooner called Paolo Dini, the other an unknown Brit gal called Sharon D Clarke. Heard of either since? Or indeed, heard of the FPI Project since? Exactly.

Biggest Hit: "Going Back To My Roots"/"Rich In Paradise", No.9, 1989
Defining Moment: Nope.

FRAGGLES
(UK/US, one Top 40 hit, one Top 40 albums)

Furry second cousins to the Muppets from the famed Jim Henson stable, whose TV adventures were based on some island with Fulton Mackay as lighthouse keeper. Anyway, this lot were far inferior to the Muppets but did have a catchy signature tune on telly, which was released as a single and made No.33. "Fraggle Rock Theme" ("let the music play, down at Fraggle Rock") was joined by lots of other sentimental kiddies claptrap on a pocket-money enticing album, but thankfully, they were all put back in the drawer soon afterwards.

Biggest Hit: "Fraggle Rock Theme", No.33, 1984
Defining Moment: Nearly ruining Fulton Mackay's star from "Porridge".

RODNEY FRANKLIN
(US, one Top 40 hit, no Top 40 albums)

Yank pianist without vocal help who hit the Top 20 in 1980 with something called "The Groove". No more as yet, but we'd like any Franklin fanatics out there to tell us all they know, so click on that e-mail address.

Biggest Hit: "The Groove", No.7, 1980
Defining Moment: None so far.

FREEEZ
(UK, five Top 40 hits, one Top 40 album)

Not exactly globe-rocking, enthusiastically-vowelled Freeez were essentially a duo comprising of gonads-in-vice vocalist John Rocca and his pal Peter Maas, who did lots of twiddly bits on a collection of nothing songs with only "I.O.U." ("I sometimes try") making any inroads, reaching No.2 in '83, held off for three whole weeks by Paul Young. Two more things stick out in the reluctant mind - the abysmal remix of that same tune getting back to No.16 in '87, and releasing a Greatest Hits album which, if trades description regulations had been more heavily enforced, should only have contained one song. Still, that song would have been a great theme tune for Countdown.

Biggest Hit: "I.O.U.", No.2, 1983
Defining Moment: "Ay, Eee, Ay Eee I Ohh Youuu..."

FREIHEIT
(Germany, one Top 40 hit, no Top 40 albums)

Massive in their own country throughout the decade, Aryan combo Freiheit did their bit for the mélange of dumbness that was '88 by taking the partly-festive and pleasantly harmonious "Keeping The Dream Alive" into the Top 20, and never darkening our doors again. PRS royalties have flooded in every Christmas since, as BBC local radio stations put it on their playlist to remind the blue rinse brigade what the date roughly is.

Biggest Hit: "Keeping The Dream Alive", No.14, 1988
Defining Moment: Being German and popular.

DOUG E FRESH AND THE GET FRESH CREW
(US, one Top 40 hit, no Top 40 albums)

Fathers of hip hop, this little lot made millions of radio listeners look quizzically at their transistors when the groundbreaking "The Show" punctured the Top 10 towards the end of '85. A totally new phenomenon which they probably introduced to Blighty a little too early, as full scale rap and scratching wasn't fully taken in as a genre for another four years.

Biggest Hit: "The Show", No.7, 1985
Defining Moment: Being ahead of their time.

FRESH 4 FEATURING LIZZ E
(UK, one Top 40 hit, no Top 40 albums)

By the latter half of '89, hip hop and dance producers combining with lassie singers was becoming a regular habit, but while Coldcut and D-Mob went totally commercial with their self-penned offerings, Fresh 4 recruited an underground female troupe and had the nerve to try their hand at reworking a classic. This they did with some vigour, as Rose Royce's sublime "Wishing On A Star" ("follow where you are") got totally redesigned with sultrier vocals and a pounding beat slumped beneath it. Crucially, it didn't steal from the original (S-Express, anyone?) and although it turned out to be a one-hit wonder, it was a song which showed great skill and bravery, and beat the pants off the previous Rose Royce cover to make the Top 10 four years earlier from Jimmy Nail.

Biggest Hit: "Wishing On A Star", No.10, 1989
Defining Moment: Phil Oakey of the Human League said it was his favourite record of the year.

GLENN FREY
(US, two Top 40 hits, one Top 40 album)

Ex-Eagle tightened his jeans and recruited an elasticated saxophonist for some memorable TOTP performances which took his debut solo hit "The Heat Is On" ("caught up in the action, I'll be looking out for you") to No.12 in '85, not exactly hindered by its prominent placing on Beverly Hills Cop. With trendy-for-the-time soft-rock overtones, a ridiculous guitar solo from Frey and THAT sax riff (not to mention the ridiculous dancing from the TOTP studio audience), it was as quintessentially 80s as you could get. The rockalong follow-up "Smuggler's Blues" ("here's a little money now") made No.22, was released by Auntie and was used on "Miami Vice". Though until '85, Frey's solo venture had been less than authoritative, essentially he was just biding his time (and having a healthy ex-Eagle solo competition with Don Henley, who also did his first major lone stuff in '85) before the inevitable comeback tour reunion of the band, which wasn't far away.

Biggest Hit: "The Heat Is On", No.12, 1985
Defining Moment: "The heat is (drum drum drum drum) on!"

FULL FORCE
(US, one Top 40 hit, no Top 40 albums)

Collaborators and producers mainly, but these American coolsters had one Top 10 hit under their own name alone, which was "Alice I Want You Just For Me". Dim, dim memory of it (though we recall their stuff with Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam crystally clear) but was it the song that started "Testing, testing, one two, in the place to be?" Perhaps. If it was, we rather liked it. Failure on our part otherwise though, so if you can help...

Biggest Hit: "Alice I Want You Just For Me", No.9, 1985
Defining Moment: Making Alice a cool name again, post-Smokie.