The 1980s threw up few more interesting 12″ singles than Steve ‘Silk’ Hurley’s Jack Your Body.

Listening to this now, almost 30 years after its release, it’s difficult to appreciate just how unique a sound this was back in 1986.

When Jack Your Body started its ascent to the top of the UK singles chart, Pump Up The Volume was still a year away, and Voodoo Ray two years away.

It hit number one on 24 January 1986, knocking Jackie Wilson’s ‘Reet Petite’ off top spot, and beating off further competition from Alison Moyet, Elkie Brooks and Swing Out Sister.

Jack Your Body was the UK’s first house music number one, but rather than being the start of a revolution, it was more a trailer for something that would follow far later.

The single was released on 7″ and 12″, but it is the 12″ version that is interesting.

First, this was the first number one single to sell more copies on 12″ than on 7″.

But secondly, the 12″ sales should not have counted towards the chart position.

The four tracks on the 12″ clocked in at more than the permitted 25 minutes, so the 12″ was not actually chart eligible.

But Jack Your Body spent two weeks at number one before anybody noticed.

In actual fact, Jackie Wilson’s ‘Reet Petite’ should have enjoyed a further week at number one, and George Michael and Aretha Franklin’s ‘I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)’ should have entered top spot a week earlier.

So perhaps this is one oversight we should be grateful for, and aside from the quality of the tune itself, this is a nice piece of 12″ vinyl history and trivia too.

Label: London Records
Cat No: LONX117
Year: 1986