JOE FAGIN
(UK, one Top 40 hit, no Top 40 albums)

Curly-topped, moustachioed pub singer who got temporary fame as throatman on the  theme to the TV hit of '83, buildercomdram "Auf Wiedersehen Pet". The song was "That's Livin' Alright"  ("working all day for a pittance of pay, then blow it all on Saturday night") which got to No.3 before Fagin, naturally enough, went back to pubs and sessions. Last heard back in the world of TV soundtracks, adding the frivolous signature tune to deadwood BBC sitcom "As Time Goes By".

Biggest Hit: "That's Livin' Alright", No.3, 1984
Defining Moment: "Moxxxxxy!"

FAIRGROUND ATTRACTION
(UK, two Top 40 hits, one Top 40 album)

Archetypal combo in which female lead vocal rendered male backers anonymous. Beret-clad, bespectacled twee warbler Eddi Reader instantly hit No.1 in '88 with the overtly-hummable "Perfect"  ("too many people take second best, but I won't take anything less"), guaranteeing a place on the set of bad working men's club turns and the soundtrack to cheap adverts for an eternity. Follow up "Find My Love" was less spectacular and the novelty quickly wore off. Reader had a critically-acclaimed but low-profile solo career in the 90s, including the joyous "Patience Of Angels".

Biggest Hit: "Perfect", No.1, 1988
Defining Moment: "It's got to be, yeah, per-er-er-er-er-fect!"

FALCO

(Austria, two Top 40 hits, no Top 40 albums)

THE MAN WHO solely made the unwelcoming German language both singable and commercially accepted. A happy-go-lucky mid-European rapper of sorts who did deservedly huge things with "Rock Me Amadeus" ("Ooh! Rock me Amadeus!") telling a story of Mozart as a 20th century musician. It hit No.1 everywhere in '86, possibly due to fascination value and finally gave language teachers a way of drumming basic German into their bored, inkblot-chucking classes. Nothing like a record which helps the British education system. European integration was forgotten when duller second single "Vienna Calling" did less well (though still made No.10) and he breezed through a succession of further albums which the British record buying public ignored. Unique, intriguing and a breath of fresh air, he was tragically killed in a car crash near his Guatemala holiday home in the late 90s. Mystery still surrounds the circumstances of the accident, as no other vehicles were involved.

Biggest Hit: "Rock Me Amadeus", No.1, 1986
Defining Moment: Single-handedly increasing the average O-level German grade.

(Thanks to RENKON for further information)

FALL
(UK, two Top 10 hits, two Top 40 albums)

Manacled on to John Peel's playlist for 20 years now, this troupe never got any commercial status on a big scale, mainly due to lead singer Mark E Smith being, by his own admission, one of the ugliest people ever to enter the music industry. We have little knowledge of their music, but as Peelie will worship them for as long as he has a hole in his arse, we'll say they were great.

Biggest Hit: "There's A Ghost In My House", No.30, 1987
Defining Moment: Cool status assured forever.

HAROLD FALTERMEYER
(US, one Top 40 hit, no Top 40 albums)

Electro-production and keyboard wizard who provided the awesome instrumental backing to unscripted scenes in Eddie Murphy's 1985 cliche-flick "Beverley Hills Cop". The theme was called "Axel F", it hit No.2, and remains in the public psyche to this day owing to eternal Christmas repeats of the film and a million Ericsson mobile ringtones.

Biggest Hit: "Axel F", No.2, 1985
Defining Moment: The bleep-ridden Christmas afternoon showing of the movie.

AGNETHA FALTSKOG
(Sweden, one Top 40 hit, two Top 40 albums)

Now a total recluse, Abba's fit blonde one had a brief solo voyage into the charts in the immediate post-supergroup '83 which allowed one forgettable single "The Heat Is On" to sneak up to No.35. Two flops followed in the same year, but she continued to release and sell albums a good five years after the last single charted. Now, as the world pleads for more Abba tributes and documentaries, she is the only one who refuses to answer the door or phone. Shame.

Biggest Hit: "The Heat Is On", No.35, 1983
Defining Moment: Thanking her for the music. And the fantasies.

FAR CORPORATION
(UK/US/Germany/Switzerland, one Top 40 hit, no Top 40 albums)

It really shouldn't have been as good as it was. When a multi-national gang of unknowns release "Stairway To Heaven" ("there's a lady who shows all that glitters is gold") as a single, it is tantamount to an offence punishable by death in the most harrowing and violent form. But they did, and what's more, it was actually extremely good. Led Zeppelin fans bought it in droves, seeing as the timeless original was never issued as a single, and it made No.8 in '85. The band remained faceless, and could never expect to have a hit with anything else following this, but their performance showed a good deal of respect and musical skill. Then along came Rolf Harris...

Biggest Hit: "Stairway To Heaven", No.8, 1985
Defining Moment: Not being brutally slaughtered by Zep fanatics.

JOHN FARNHAM
(Australia, one Top 40 hit, one Top 40 albums)

Mulleted, rasping convict-descendent canonised by his home nation but only ever destined to be a one-hit wonder here. The song in question was the optimistic, flag-waving "You're The Voice" ("make a noise and make it clear") which hit No.6 in '87. Memories are easily altered though - his appearance on "Home And Away" a year later made a million teenage ITV viewers shout "who?"

Biggest Hit: "You're The Voice", No.6, 1987
Defining Moment: "Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-woah, woah-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-woah..."