Can I get a hit, Howie?
10/07/86 (Simon Bates & Bruno Brookes)
Midnight Star – “Headlines” (16)
Getting the show off to a five star performance but the breaking news is that the song got no higher in the charts.
Rod Stewart – “Every Beat Of My Heart” (17) (video)
Became Rod's 18th solo top ten hit when it peaked at number 2.
Real Roxanne with Hitman Howie Tee – “(Bang Zoom) Let’s Go Go” (12)
Her only top 40 hit, and it peaked at number 11.
Furniture – “Brilliant Mind” (26) (breaker)
Their only hit, peaking at number 21.
Haywoode – “Roses” (25) (breaker)
It had made it to number 65 a year earlier, this re-issue now became her only top 40 hit, peaking at number 11.
Steve Winwood – “Higher Love” (24) (breaker)
His biggest solo hit, peaking at number 13.
UB40 – “Sing Our Own Song” (22) (breaker)
Peaked at number 5.
Owen Paul – “My Favourite Waste Of Time” (3)
In the studio again but the song got no higher.
Madonna – “Papa Don’t Preach” (1) (video)
First of three weeks at number one.
Bananarama – “Venus” (8) (video/credits)
At its peak.
July 17th is next, but it's another Mike Smith edition.
Bates and Brookes who always reminded me of Cheggars. A real mixed bag this show..
ReplyDeleteMidnight Star – Headlines – Strictly back pages for me. FF
Rod Stewart – Every beat of my Heart – Wow! I haven’t heard this one from Rod for ages. You never hear in on the radio these days. A massive no2 hit with a video full of sweeping landscapes, a touch of the ‘Mull of Kintyre’ and a no19 bus advertising ‘Les Mis’. I really enjoyed this production from Bob Ezrin.
Real Roxanne etc. – (Bang zoom) Let’s go go – With a profound parenthesised title like that I feared the worst and managed about 10 seconds before FF.
Breakers – I’m gonna skip comments on the breakers as I think they’re all on again except maybe Furniture which I hadn’t heard before and sounded OK.
Owen Paul – My favourite waste of time – Over exposure kicks in and I’m actually fed up with this now, so I didn’t linger.
Madonna – Papa don’t preach – Yet again started about 30 secs in missing the superb intro and views of NYC. Bruno obviously was watching closely (I think the scene he referred to was in the dancing sequences). Great no1.
Bananarama – Venus – I never liked this video really. Preferred their studio ToTP outing.
I hope everyone noticed what was at no40? Next week it rockets up to no10. I spotted an advert in the paper today where CdB has announced a tour next year where he’s playing the entire ‘Into the Light’ album and I’m quite tempted. Not for this famous song, but for the other tracks. Some superb stuff on that album, none more so than the first (flop) single ‘Fire on the Water’.
We have had some good shows recently, but this one was a bit of a dud. Matters weren't helped by Master Bates coming over as quite patronising towards BB on the height issue, while also seeming to give him a proverbial pat on the head for successfully introducing the breakers section. I thought Bruno was the better of the two overall, though he was still some way off becoming a regular host at this point, with just one further appearance to come in '86.
ReplyDeleteMidnight Star up first, with a profusion of keytars and some lively footwork to try to disguise the fact that the song is very dull indeed, with some unwelcome hints of rap in the verses. Roderick next, with an overly-sentimental tune clearly designed to tug at the heartstrings but which just feels far too calculated to have the desired impact. Rod's desperation to be regarded as a Scot, despite never having lived there, is all too clear in the video as well, though at least he does also acknowledge his London roots. I actually went to Scotland on a family holiday a couple of weeks after this show was broadcast, and vaguely remember playing this on a jukebox in a pub in Strachur.
Roxanne and Howie's appearance is an ominous sign of how rap was now starting to gain a real, permanent foothold in the charts. This is a textbook example of why I loathe the genre; incessant, shouty, in-yer-face rapping and equally annoying scratching, with only the Loony Tunes samples providing any interest. I suppose it is a confident performance from Roxanne, who is I think the first female rapper to appear on TOTP. A bumper selection of breakers follows, perhaps to make up for the lack of any the previous week but with the consequence that the number of full songs this time is strictly limited. Anyway, we will see all these again other than Furniture, whose low-key effort (matched by the video) sounded pretty good, and a welcome contrast to the glossy productions elsewhere in the charts.
Owen Paul's 5 minutes of fame draw to a close, his career doubtless fatally sunk by the headmaster's confident prediction that his first hit would not be his last. Presumably he wore that vest top to show off his arms, but we see rather too much of his pits for my liking. Good to see that we get the Madge video pretty much to the end (though the start is cut) and the Nanas close proceedings with their devilish promo for Venus - it looks a bit cheap and cheerful, but it's good fun.
Surely Debbie Harry was the first female rapper seen on TOTP?
DeleteDoh! You are of course correct THX - my excuse is that I was thinking in terms of "proper" rap artistes rather than moonlighting ones!
DeleteTHX, you're referring to the brilliant Rapture in early 1981 by Blondie, her last hit of any note from the first phase of her career, where she raps about eating cars and eating bars.
DeleteHopeful of a Johnny Walker countdown top five placing this time!
ReplyDeleteOh dear, Trevor’s back, and paired with Slimes to become the Boycott and Tavare of the presenting world.
Midnight Star (on at 7.35 so they must be Evening Star) with a plethora of keytars but I could only hear one sound-wise before giving this unmemorable cold off the press effort the FF.
Slimes is getting worryingly tactile these days. Gaz got the slimy arm last time, now Trev. I bet if he tried that move on Janice or Peelie he’d need the dentist pronto.
Plastic Scot Rod’s effort sounded like a rip-off of another tune which I couldn’t place – possibly “Sailing” at the start of the verses? 30 seconds of this sub-haggis tripe was enough.
Oh Christ, (C)rap with decks and samples next. FFF. Probably the worst opening threesome for a re-run show thus far in my opinion.
A-Ha-Ha in the rundown, eh, Trev? Was that meant to be an Elvis impersonation?
FOUR breakers this week? Obviously not enough artists available to man the studio. If only Showaddywaddy were still having hits.
Ah, now, Furniture. I used to play solo gigs with a cassette for backup, and many of my turns were supporting a brilliant pop / rockabilly band from the Feltham and Hounslow area who had a large and raucous following, with at least four gorgeous fans (Caroline, Dawn, Lisa and Louisa) regularly turning up in basques and suspenders. Happy days. Anyway, they and I played the penultimate night at The Hammersmith Clarendon (a venue directly on the opposite side of the roundabout to the Odeon), and artistes and fans wanted souvenirs of the place and vultured it. Not much furniture left for Furniture the next night! I still own that piece of stage carpet I tore up.
Sid Haywoode, finally making it after Princess did a brilliant job on a tune meant for her. Eat more, woman! What with the collarbone and shoulder blades, I’ve seen more meat on a butcher’s pencil!
Decent AOR from Steve Winwood which, like John Parr, sounded perfect for a coffee advert to these ears.
One of UB40’s better tracks before they caught cash-in cover disease. Yet another keytar there!
That boy Owen. One handclap’s all it takes to get the crowd roused! He liked vest tops, didn’t he? Were the guitarist and bassist called The Mullet Brothers? Great forecast, Slimes!
Poor Mike Nolan - only half his fizzog in the mugshots going up, and now no pic at all along with Bobby “Big Deal” G.
Naughty Trev! Watching too intently, methinks.
The ‘Nanas end procedings with what is actually a good karaoke take on the song and a fun vid. At least the show got better after those three strikes and out early doors.
Right, brace yourselves, it’s the weekly Shitty show next...
I think the fact that there were four breakers this week, was making up for no breakers at all the previous week. I was thinking the same as you about Haywoode regarding her anorexic look, but hey, she seems to have had an impressive CV up to this point.
DeleteFor starters, according to wikipaedia, she was one of the gorgeous Hills Angels on The Benny Hill Show, and prior to that, appeared on the first Superman movie in 1978 with Christopher Reeve. More recent to this 1986 showing, she was one of Flick Colby's regular dancers on Zoo between 1981-1983. Good Lord, you wold never have thought all this, judging by the Breakers clip this week. I would think she is around 60 years old now. Now I must find the whole video of Roses to watch this weekend!
Don't forget she was also the female vocalist on The Limits Say When and made an appearance on TOTP in January 1985. Peter Powell referred to the fact she was a TOTP regular.
DeleteOf course, KC! I forgot. I meant to say she'd made it now as a solo artist.
DeleteFor some reason I remember watching this edition quite vividly, not sure why. Seeing Midnight Star brought it all back, maybe it was all those afro-mullets? Don't see many of them anymore. Anyway, like the tune, bouncy little number and indeed bouncy little singer (good miming on the talky bit).
ReplyDeleteThen a crunching gear change for Londoner Rod to try and convince us he's really, really Scottish for the umpteenth time. Dreadful is the word for it, the main giveaways this was never recorded north of Watford including "Auld Lang Zyne" instead of "Syne", and mention of the "Swirl of the pipes" instead of the "Skirl". Attend all the Celtic matches you want, Rod, you still have a Lahndahn accent. I've seen more authentic shortbread tins.
Next, the one I was looking forward to, the Real Roxanne (there was another Roxanne she was a rival to, hence "Real"), I absolutely LOVED this at the time, and still think it sounds fantastically exciting. So much fun packed into four minutes, doesn't take itself seriously (but does really), Roxanne's a real firecracker and her personality is in every line. One of the hits of the year for me. Still chuckle at "The Wabbit kicked the bucket!"
Only Breaker we don't see again is Furniture, for aforementioned reasons, such a pity, it was a great, doomladen song, video's a bit boring but the atmospheric pop makes up for it. Didn't sound like anything else, and they never got to capitalise on what was shaping up to be a major success.
Keep forgetting how nippit Owen Paul looks, should have gone on a dinner date with Haywoode to bulk up a bit. Anyway, well done on at least one big hit, but you can go away now.
Madonna makes the top with Pop-Out Don't Preach, probably heard this too often, certainly heard it too much at the time, but it is a very decent pop record on an unusual subject for the medium, better suited to country maybe. Danny Aiello almost thin in the video. Totally recall Bruno's comment at the end!
Then the 'Nanas to end on, we get to see more, but not all, of the video this time with lots of dressing up for the girls. They were probably having more fun than I was, mind you.
Anyone got the 17th July edition hosted by Mike Smith on his own? One of the Breakers at least, Cock Robin, is one of the best singles of the 80s in my opinion, despite it not doing well in the charts.
ReplyDeleteAnyone see Synth and Beyond with Stephen and Gillian from New Order? They seem like such nice people it's surprising the band has fallen out bitterly recently. Anyway, very much "Beyond", but the clip of Can on Whistle Test was brilliant.
ReplyDeleteThat ring pull waistcoat on Can's Shaw Taylor lookalike was brilliant!
Deletei suspect that much of new order's infighting is because (unlike them) barney is such a miserable fucker! of course when steve and gillian did their own thing, as the other two in a band that was dominated by the fractious personalaties of barney and hooky they called themselves "the other two" ho ho
Deletemidnight star: a new name to joe public in blighty, but they'd been around for a decade and busy releasing albums throughout the 80's up to this point. however although familiar with them i have no recollection of this top 20 hit at all. it's okay, but the constant scratching noises throughout put me off it a bit. "midas touch" and "operator" are much better examples of their work in my opinion
ReplyDeleterod: blimey, i can't remember this one either despite it somehow almost managing to get to number one. it's no surprise though as it's utterly nondescript, with the only thing memorable about being probably the only time the word "jacobite" was ever used in a pop song. well done thx for rubbishing him as a pseudo sweat - i've walked past the terraced house on the archway road where he was born and raised many a time over the years
real roxanne: the "other" roxanne was called roxanne shante to my (ashamed to admit) recollection. hmm, i'm wondering if by the time we get to the end of 1986 they'll be enough (c)rap records featured on the show to fill up my top 10 turkeys list?
furniture: despite not cracking the top 20, i seem to remember this getting a lot of radio play at the time. it's decent-enough vaguely-rememberable synth pop-meets-indie. for some reason i always get this lot mixed up with those guys (whose name i've already forgotten!) who did "driving away from home"
The 'other' Roxanne to my mind was a great song by the Police...who will appear quite soon at the (Smithy) rate we're going with their quite dreadful 'Don't stand so close to me '86'. The phrase "If it ain't broken...." comes to mind here!
Deletethe irony with regard to the utterly pointless re-recording of "don't stand so close to me" was that something was broken - either stewart copeland's arm or leg the night before they were scheduled to record it! hence a drum machine being used instead...
DeleteIt wasn't Sting who broke the precious limb, was it?!
Deleteha ha john - if he had it wouldn't have surprised me! i've already questioned the point of their reunion below, but the fact that sting and copeland were renowned for their anitpathy towards each other makes the decision to get back together when they didn't need to even more bemusing
Deleteou think DSSCTM 86 is bad you should listen to De Do Do Do De Da Da Da '86. Recorded at the same sessions, but not released until 1995 as part of the SACD Every Breath The Classics Collection.
ReplyDeletehttps://youtu.be/QlesUq8U7KM
Thanks KC, I haven't heard this version before. Don't think me unkind, but I really don't like this remake at all. The Police were strange - some of their B Sides were so bad (e.g. 'Flexible Strategies')and these two 1986 remakes converted excellent songs and recordings into the mediocre.
Deletenot surprisingly "flexible strategies" was credited to all three police members rather than sting alone, and was probably something knocked-out in 5 minutes so the other two could get their hands on some royalties. that's fair enough in my opinion as nobody ever used to buy singles for the b-sides, so a good excuse to let the less-prolific/talented songwriting members of the band get their noses in the mcps trough. however (probably because he was the junior member of the band) sting made the fatal error of being coerced by and/or agreeing to the others contributing at least one (filler) song of their own to each police album, thereby ensuring that none of them could ever be called a classic!
Deleteand as for the reunion, what exactly was the point of that? sting was well into promoting himself at that point, plus the other two were hardly selling big issues - copeland was doing film and tv scores, whilst summers was indulging himself in experimental/ambient music with the likes of robert fripp
...now I always thought that 'Darkness' was the best track on 'Ghost in the Machine'. Certainly Robin Smith's review in 'Record Mirror' at the time enthused about it.
DeleteGhost In The Machine was my fav Police album, for me Omegaman was the best track which A&M execs wanted in to be the first single, but Sting vetoed it as it was written by Summers and instead we got the bland Invisible Sun which stalled at number 2.
DeletePretty sure it would have taken the Police's No.1 tally to 6.
Yep, Summers and Copeland certainly upped their game for 'Ghost in the Machine'.
DeleteI still think Stewart Copeland's soundtrack to Rumble Fish is pretty darn good.
Deletetotp 17th July 1986 (this not Neil B. version) is here:https://we.tl/t-93qLVyb70g
ReplyDeleteThanks as ever, gia!
DeleteNice one :-)
DeleteA pretty dreadful line-up for this show, although it was interesting to see how Bruno seemed much more confident onscreen for this one. Pretty sure he did end up standing on a box later on, though I doubt if that was directly down to Bates taking the piss.
ReplyDeleteMidnight Star - No thanks. Irritating rubbish.
Rod Stewart - Bland in the extreme.
The Real Roxanne - I'm not a fan of this at all, but I did watch it all the way through as I thought it was interesting that they were doing most of it live.
Breakers - As I've said before, the Furniture song is excellent. I don't think I'd seen the video before, shame it was rather dull.
The rest we've seen before and none of it was particularly stunning either.
Studio 6 at TVC...those were the days...
ReplyDeleteCan rely on Slimes for the little details.
Midnight Star "headline" this week with their forgettable number. No recollection of this at all from the time, don't think I've heard it since.
Five Star with instruments, less musicality and no fashion sense.
Why are they signing "headlice"??? Go on, have another listen.
Hey little Bruno is here..he works in Newbury now running a company that provides the music stations in retails shops. One my ex staff now works for him but had no idea who he was so had to "google" him.
Rod - I remember this one but not one of his best in my opinion. I think it's the music that lets this down, never more than a karaoke backing track, Rod on fine form as always. Video is Ok, nice travel theme. I remember those old British Rail trains into London.
A proper mixing DJ on TOTP has Slimes all excited. Shame the song is crap. That is never her singing!!! God this is awful, into the bottom 10 you go... bye...
Noo..Lady in Red is coming....earplugs required.
Breakers:
Furniture: This is a quality tune. So atmospheric. Fairly basic video but b+w works well with the song.
Haywoode: Fairly basic pop song but always find myself singing along.
Steve Winwood - All things 60s again in 86. This is good though.
UB40: I like this one as well. Nice live video as it has a live soundtrack as well.
Owen Paul - back again. still missing half his t-shirt and in need of a decent haircut. Singalong time..
Oh it will be his last hit Slimes..
How did Amazulu not get a second outing.
Madonna. One of her best tunes. Well deserved number one.
Banana's play us out - a better show (with one very bad exception).
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