Top of the Pops 13-9-79: Presenter: Dave Lee Travis
(17) SISTER SLEDGE – Lost In Music (and charts)
(26) NICK LOWE – Cruel To Be Kind
(24) THE COMMODORES – Sail On (video)
(23) FRANTIQUE – Strut Your Funky Stuff (danced to by Legs & Co)
(2) GARY NUMAN – Cars ®
(27) SECRET AFFAIR – Time For Action
(30) GERRY RAFFERTY – Get It Right Next Time (video)
(9) DOLLAR – Love’s Gotta Hold On Me
(32) SQUEEZE – Slap And Tickle
(21) JOHNNY MATHIS – Gone Gone Gone (with Gill from Legs & Co) ®
(28) U.K. SUBS – Tomorrow’s Girls
(1) CLIFF RICHARD – We Don’t Talk Anymore ®
(14) THE STRANGLERS – Duchess (and credits)
Here Here Here
It's great that Neil B also has this show, given that it has never been repeated - presumably this must have come from a video recording of the original transmission? Interesting that, as with the last (also unrepeated) DLT show, this recording is missing the chart rundown and no. 1, though I notice we do get a sneak preview of the next show at the end!
ReplyDeleteOverall, an enjoyable edition, though I was intrigued by DLT's "eat your heart out, Juke Box Jury" comment while introducing Dollar. I assume that JBJ (which was enjoying a brief revival in 1979), had voted it a "miss" - a forgivable error, given how weak the vocals are!
Thankfully Legs had a much better (and more colourful) routine this time, and I liked the Squeeze number, which is one of their less familiar tracks. Speaking of Juke Box Jury, Jools Holland would host a later short-lived revival of that show around 1989.
Zero marks to Gerry Rafferty for originality when it comes to his video, but another very classy song. UK Subs were rather more lively in performance terms, but their singer looked alarmingly like Fred West in his close-ups! Amusing to see both the Subs and Secret Affair put on the graffiti strewn "punk stage" - clearly the designer was trying hard to get down with the kids...
Shouldn't the Commodores have put footage of a windsurfer in their clip instead of a hang glider? A really nice song until you notice the lyrics.
ReplyDeleteVery elbow-y routine from Legs & Co, but they were in their element with the disco tunes and this still sounds great. Will we see Frantique in these repeats?
All the punk stage needs now is a urinal to set it off with a flourish. Either that or actual swearing in the graffiti.
Were all Gerry Rafferty's videos basically him recording the song in the studio? Good tune, anyway, especially if you like "musicianship".
Don't even recognise this Squeeze song, but it's not too bad, not convinced by the wacky synth playing mind you.
U.K. Subs sounding more like Status Quo than punk, I thought.
First of all, cheers, Neil B! Brilliant! Much appreciated.
ReplyDeleteI thought I’d review this show before the 6th September edition in case the control police got there before me.
I see Dave Edmunds got moved up into midfield this time for Nick Lowe’s return. Two showings for this song thus far, yet Nick’s top 10 hit “I Love The Sound Of Breaking Glass” never got shown during its top 30 ascent. Ridiculous. Stll, a fine close-up of the bridge riff.
Did they have windsurfers back in the 70’s? I agree about The Commodores’ song’s lyrics – this is a soulful upmarket version of “D-I-V-O-R-C-E”, complete with those country vowels for the words “wishful thinking”.
A real floor filler from Frantique but, I'm sorry, I can’t look at Patti now without (wishful) thinking….
Hasn’t Lulu’s and Pauline’s hair grown bushy in the last two months?
Now I know why I’ve been missing the show. Ian Page‘s pout and the soon-to-be-Dexy’s drummer’s kit powered by chewing.
Gerry Rafferty – riveting video. A video about riveting would have been more exciting.
I think “Juke Box Jury” may have had a point, but I thought Thereze looked top dollar (geddit?).
A bit of an unfortunate Squeeze title for DLT to announce given last week’s proceedings, and a case of ‘third single off the album syndrome’which stalled at number 24 but, yet again, Glenn and Chris (no, not the couple who did “Diamond Lights”!) mastered the art, for at least half the song, of couplets that didn’t quite rhyme.
Only TOTP could follow Johnny Mathis with UK Subs. I loved this, their best in my opinion. The single’s sleeve had some punky looking girl doing a surly “Harry Worth”-style impression by a window.
Okay, I’m ready to suffer Cliff…wait! Starjets! Brilliant! A much better end to the programme than I anticipated. A fantastic storming tune which only made number 51. Yes, folks, fifty places lower than Cliff. Be ashamed, be very ashamed.
I fear I've ruined Patti for you, Arthur! Shouldn't have mentioned it...
DeleteTHANKS Neil B but just asking does anybody have the chart rundown and end credits they could share also which version of Cliff did this ep. use?
ReplyDeletetop blog - thank god someone had the inclination to keep these recorded UK gold repeats - I'm forever in your debt Neil b and all who help here
ReplyDeleteMuch of this seems familiar, as if it was on TOTP a fortnight ago... oh hang on.... We must be eternally grateful, though, for whoever it was who recorded 'worthless ephemera' like TOTP onto expensive tape in an expensive machine back in 1979 - was it Neil B, his family or somebody we'll never know?
ReplyDeleteI can remember opening my hospital radio show with this Gerry Rafferty number during the week he died, since everybody else was giving Baker Street a rather excessive hammering and I thought Night Owl was a too obvious alternative! Just three weeks later our little radio station followed him into quality music heaven. Once again, he's in his dimly-lit studio but it was interesting to see how things used to be, with smoking allowed in the control room and an ashtray on the mixing desk!
Squeeze with dual keyboards - there's a live version of this on the OGWT DVDs. Yes, Glenn Tilbrook really can play keyboard, albeit somewhat ham-fistedly.
Top single from the UK Subs, anyone else notice the drummer trying to prove his punk credentials by kicking over a cymbal stand right at the end?
Nothing much to add here, though it was nice to see the Gerry Rafferty (even though the video itself was nothing to write home about) and Squeeze songs in what I presume will be their only airings.
ReplyDeleteYes and no.
DeleteInteresting that DLT introduces the Squeeze song Slap and Tickle, considering his current situation.
ReplyDelete