Charity bonanzas and rocket-fuelled chart rises – it’s This Week In Rock, including the Final Countdown!

#OnThisDay December 2, 2007
Dropping his guise as the Prince of Darkness, Ozzy Osbourne and his wife, Sharon, raise more than $800,000 for charity after selling possessions from their former US home. Items included Ozzy’s famed round glasses ($5,250) and his skull-adorned trainers ($2,625).

#OnThisDay December 3, 1972
The sensational David Cassidy climbs seven places to reach No. 11 in the UK singles chart with his third single of the year, ‘Rock Me Baby’.

#OnThisDay December 4, 1977
Rising two places to No. 9, Jonathan Richman And The Modern Lovers enter the UK Top 10 singles chart with idiosyncratic and insanely catchy instrumental ‘Egyptian Reggae’, which later peaks at No. 5.

#OnThisDay December 5, 1960
Elvis Presley begins a – count ‘em! – 10-week residency at the top of the US album charts with ‘GI Blues’, his third soundtrack album. Check out The King in uniform as he performs the classic title track!

#OnThisDay December 6, 1986
Europe rocket to the top of the UK charts with the evergreen classic, ‘The Final Countdown’. In fact, the single is such a sensation that it goes to No. 1 in 24 other countries. Did you know that, at this point, Europe were only the second Swedish act nab pole position in the UK singles charts?

#OnThisDay December 7, 1985
Mr Mister go to No. 1 for two weeks in the US charts with ‘Broken Wings’, the lead single from their second album, ‘Welcome To The Real World’. A chart topper in Canada, it goes Top 5 in dear old Blighty.

#OnThisDay December 8, 1980
Rockabilly revivalists Stray Cats ram-raid the UK singles chart Top 10 for the first time when their debut single, ‘Runaway Boys’ moves up 13 places from No. 23. And even after all this time, frontman Brian Setzer’s quiff is a gravity-defying thing of wonder!