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| All you need is glove |
28/08/86 (Janice Long & John Peel)
Jermaine Stewart – “We Don’t Have To Take Our Clothes Off” (6)
Getting tonight's show underway with his first of two top ten hits, this one being his biggest when it peaked at number 2.
Peter Cetera – “Glory Of Love” (9) (video)
On its way to number 3.
Jaki Graham – “Breaking Away” (16)
Performing in the studio but the song got no higher.
The Stranglers – “Nice In Nice” (32) (breaker)
Went up two more places.
Daryl Hall – “Dreamtime” (28) (breaker)
His first and biggest solo hit, but it got no higher.
Cutting Crew – “(I Just) Died In Your Arms” (26) (breaker)
Their only top ten hit, peaking at number 4.
Bon Jovi – “You Give Love A Bad Name” (25) (breaker)
Their breakthrough hit, it peaked at number 14.
The Human League – “Human” (10)
Phil if anything looking younger than he did five years earlier when he used to have his trademark long hair, and this song went up two more places.
Boris Gardiner – “I Want To Wake Up With You” (1) (video)
Second of three weeks at number one.
Janet Jackson – “When I Think Of You” (15) (video/credits)
Peaked at number 10.
4th September is next.
Brilliant, they’re back!
ReplyDeleteAn unusual corset-draw jacket for Jermaine Stewart. Great synchro routine ruined at the start by the camera ploughing through the audience, picked back up by the ‘clothes off’ mime but lessened by no drinking action for the cherry wine or, as it was called when I was growing up, Babycham’s nemesis Cherry B.
Peter Cetera’s backing band should have been called Et Cetera. Peter’s unusual singing style is due to his jaw being wired up for months after a Marine smashed it.
Jakie(?) Graham not wearing her pink lurex thighs-choker. She never did churlish or broody, did she? Always happy to be there.
Was the chap in The The drowning in that mugshot? Surely Daryl Hall’s more ginger than a blond bombshell, Janice.
The Stranglers dressed as wasp prisoners for a dull song which simply made me question how you pronounce those Nice biscuits. Still better than Rich Tea, the Devil's biscuit.
Ginger bombshell Daryl Hall with some AOR which sounded more like BOR to me. I wonder how John Oates is doing with that voodoo doll?
Cutting Crew with a song using the Shakespearean slang for dying, that is, ejaculating. Ahem.
Bon Jovi with pouting poodle karaoake rock at its premium.
The Human League girls, poured into their outfits. Look at that jewellery! A lush and wonderful return to form.
Janet had to be fit for that vibrant one-take video, though why did she say to the girls at one stage “Come on, guys, let’s go”?
Cetera was already 42 at the time of this video and had cleared away from Chicago a year earlier on a high point in his career. It's funny how this first solo effort got all the way up to No.3, and fared better than his recent singles with Chicago in the early 80s.
DeleteHard to believe The Stranglers were still going at this point, considering there were having top twenty hits as far back as 1977. They were one of the few bands that transitioned successfully from the 70s to the 80s.
Cetera's next release was the wonderful duet with Amy Grant 'The next time I fall'. This went all the way to the top.....in the US. Here it bombed completely. Travesty. Well I bought it anyway.
DeleteYeah, I remember that duet with Amy Grant, when it was played here every week on Paul Gambaccini's American charts on Radio 1 on Saturday afternoon in the late 80s. Amazing lyrics, " The Next Time I Fall In Love It Will Be With You" - ahh, it brings a tear to the eye. I mean it's as good as the Michael McDonald song title in 1982, "I Keep Forgettin' I'm Not In Love Anymore". The Americans were always more romantic than the Brits you know.
Deletejermaine stewart: i seem to remember not particularly liking this, even though listening now it comes over as pretty decent dance music that's catchy tunewise too. i suspect it was probably because a: i didn't care for him very much, and b: the lyrics seemed rather silly. nice brillo pad haircut, mr backing singer. by the way, does anyone happen to know any white guys called jermaine?
ReplyDeletepeter cetera: i normally hate this glutinous power ballad stuff with a passion, but at least this is listenable by-and-large. apparently mr cetera took a serious beating in his youth that required major surgery on his face, but if i could look like he does in this video then i'd certainly be happy to have mine smashed in and re-arranged again
stranglers: i'm a bit surprised this stalled at the bottom end of the top 30 as it's definitely a return to form. the reason they're dressed as convicts in the video is probably a reference to when they caused a riot at a gig in nice a few years earlier tgot themselves banged up in the chokey as a result. i suspected it was jj burnel strutting about in seamed stockings and heels long before the reveal at the end, as he had form for that kind of thing
daryl hall: the second beautiful blond on the show tonight. he finally gets rid of the albatross hanging around his neck that was john oates, and what happens? complete flopperoo land! but like the stranglers this was deserving of having done a lot better chartwise. perhaps either of them didn't sound quite 1986 enough? i note it's another pop tune that lifts the chord changes from "pachelbel's cannon" at the the end
human league: phil may not be a blond, but he's the third pretty boy (fourth if you include jj burnel!) on the show tonight - even without the slap. if you like the jam and lewis sound, then you can't really fail to like this too. but it seems a bit odd seeing this lot fronting it rather than the likes of alexander o'neal or cherrelle. and whoever decided to give joanne a speaking section in her flat northern tones seriously needed their head examining
janet jackson: it's jam & lewis time again, but this time something with a bit more bite. although not as much bite as her previous two singles, thus making it infinitely superior to them in my view and even a possible contender for my top 10 crackers of the year (despite now hating her!). the video was notable for its continuous tracking shot, a technique i believe was first employed by orson welles in the title sequence of his film "touch of evil" nearly 30 years earlier
It does seem as if The Stranglers had had their day as far as the record-buying public was concerned. Their next single was Always the Sun, one of their best efforts in my view, but it got no higher than 30 and didn't even get an airing on TOTP.
DeleteJanice and John are in typically outspoken form here, although happily the wit quotient is higher than on their last joint outing. I particularly enjoyed the playful dissing of Peter Cetera, and I think it was pretty clear that neither of them were Bon Jovi fans either. In truth I don't think it's any great surprise that Peel was nearing the end of his tenure on TOTP, given his lack of enthusiasm for much of what was in the charts at this time.
ReplyDeleteJermaine Stewart first, with a song title designed to stir up outrage among self-appointed moral guardians. Happily it is also a very melodic, danceable effort, sold well here by Jermaine and his two well-drilled backing singers - no surprise, I think, that lace-up suit jackets never caught on! Jermaine sadly died from AIDS in 1997. We hired The Karate Kid 2 from the local video shop not long after this, and I remember enjoying it at the time, though I've never seen it again since. It certainly didn't deserve to be lumbered with this saccharine, boring ballad, featuring Cetera's vocals at their whining worst. Dull video too, as Pete mimes a bit and then watches the next film clip, over and over.
"Jakie" Graham returns to the studio, but this time has some trousers on. A good performance of an average song, though she might have done better to do a Jermaine Stewart and have a couple of backing singers with her, as it looked a bit weird when her mouth remained closed during the multiple vocal parts. The Stranglers and Daryl Hall may not have much in common musically, but they succeed here in coming up with a couple of bright and breezy records, though Daryl's is let down a bit by an insipid chorus. I liked the convict outfits in the Nice in Nice video - a reference to a riot at a concert The Stranglers did in Nice which resulted in the whole band being chucked in jail, accused of inciting violence. We'll soon hear more of the other breakers.
The League might be back in the Top 10, but they don't appear to be having much fun. Indeed, it seems that the recording sessions for Human and the Crash album in general were tense, with the band resenting Jam and Lewis' insistence on creative control and eventually walking out of the sessions early, leaving the producers to finish the album with session musicians. So humiliated did Adrian Wright feel about being sidelined during the recording, that he quit the band immediately afterwards. Human is nevertheless a good song, lushly produced and put across by Phil with some feeling, though shorn of the League's rough, experimental edges it does feel less essential than their earlier work; the girls should have cut back on the make up too. Another Jam and Lewis production to finish, though the promo is hardly that original - there had been no shortage of urban dance videos, not least from Janet's own brother. Still, I suppose this has a decent enough tune, even if it sounds a bit overproduced, and the scene in the video with the fighting sailors is amusingly bizarre.
i don't know what prompted phil oakey & co to go and work with jam & lewis (other than desperation to keep in the public eye perhaps?), as it was quite clear by this time that the latter were an autonomous and fully hands-on creative unit with puppet singers fronting their productions a la stock aitken & waterman once they started to dominate the charts. i'd love to know what they thought abput having to work with oakey's female colleagues whose talents were negligable at best, although i suspect they were pretty much sidelined alongside mr wright?
DeleteIt was actually Virgin Records who paired the League with Jam & Lewis, hoping it would revitalise them. It seems J&L were distinctly unimpressed by Wright and the girls and their lack of musical know-how, and also rejected many of the band's own compositions in favour of their own (Human being one of those). J&L apparently took the gig in the first place because they thought working with the League was a good way of crossing into the pop mainstream, which is a bit ironic when you consider the band's avant-garde origins.
DeleteJermaine Stewart to begin, with a bright as a button pop gem, a paean to safe sex which was horribly ironic in light of how the poor guy ended up. This was regarded as a little saucy at the time, despite being a plea for the opposite of sauciness, but the AIDS crisis was really hitting the gay community which makes this bit of crisply-produced fun quite poignant.
ReplyDeletePity Gary Davies didn't introduce Pete Cetera, as he had a joke on his lunchtime show that Pete was singing "Willie for ever!", referring to Gary's producer who he called Willie and had a feature where he would play hits on the piano called Willie on the Plonker. The wit and wisdom of Mr Davies, there. Anyway, this song is insipid gruel for a film that was a sequel to what the West was watching when it should have been enjoying the proper martial arts of Jackie Chan. Oh well, we caught up eventually. Apparently the new Karate Kid TV series on YouTube is really good. Haven't tried it myself.
Jaki Graham, properly betrousered, a little ray of sunshine with a tune that sounds better when divorced from her offputting video. Hair's a bit unruly, but that aside, a thoroughly professional performance.
Two Breakers to mention, haven't heard this Stranglers track since '86 and could still recall how the chorus went which must count for something, but it's not very impressive otherwise. As John G says, the follow-up was much better, and unlike this you do hear it on the radio occasionally. Then Daryl Hall, looking more like Daryl Hannah, with a ditty I loved way back when, everything but the kitchen sink pop rock production and catchy as heck melody and all. I seem to remember this being flogged on No Limits a lot (Jenny Powell is on Pointless Celebrities tomorrow too!).
Human League go all sensitive and romantic in a curiously regretful way, maybe because they were on tense relations when they made this, but it's a refreshing change of pace they pull off with some success (and I like Joanne's talky bit!). Good on them for sticking with this, recognising its quality despite their misgivings.
Boris with a reminder to props buyers: check the headline of the newspaper you give the performer to hold. The one in this video seems to say "MURDER: WAS IT REVENGE?" which prompts all sorts of unpalatable questions for the rest of the video.
Back with Jam and Lewis for a breezy little number comparable to Jermaine's at the start, a rather wonderful example of Janet's way with romantic innocence that she ditched eventually, and that production is incredibly addictive to listen to.
There was very little for the girls to do on Human League on this performance. I do like Joanne, with that fresh blonde look, and oh those lips in her talky bit. Yum!
DeleteJoanne's the brunette, Susanne's the blonde.
DeleteErm yeah, whatever, I meant the blonde one
Deletethe blonde one didn't do the talky bit
DeleteThe dream double act but this time some of Peelie’s comments got right up my nose.
ReplyDeleteJermaine Stewart – We don’t have to… - One of those records I‘d be happy to never hear again, so my wish was granted on this occasion by FF.
Peter Cetera – Glory of Love – In complete contrast, a record I could go on listening to time after time (and that one too…). Not much love for it from contributions already posted here but I feel that Peel’s digs at Chicago are quite unnecessary as well as the bit afterwards about having so much fun (when he clearly wasn’t). For the record, Cetera was fired from Chicago because he wanted to do a solo album when the band’s management wanted a tour to promote the resurgent success of the excellent Chicago 17. Such a shame. Anyway this topped the US charts and compared to some of our 1986 chart toppers (Hi there ‘Spitting Image’), should have topped ours too in my opinion!
Jaki Graham – Breaking away – Gave this one a miss.
Breakers - Stranglers – Nice in Nice – A far cry from their other single with the word ‘Nice’ in the title, but none the worse for it. Btw….detour a little….those of you familiar with the excellent track ‘Goodbye Toulouse’ from the debut album ‘Rattus Norvegicus’ will know it abruptly ends with a strange repeated noise. This noise is now featured as a reverse warning sound on most Lorries. I wonder if the band got royalties?! Daryl Hall – Dream time – nope, no recollection, but would love to know what that beautiful Stately Home is. Cutting Crew – (I just) died in your arms tonight – I’ll comment more another time. Bon Jovi – You give love a bad name – more sarcasm from Peel but this one has stood the test of time as have Bon Jovi and topped the US charts later in 1986 after….
….Human League – Human – Peel is spot on here as to what a good song this is. A very sombre looking League compared to say the cheery faces on ‘Fascination’ and don’t the girls look ethereal in those tight white dresses? Hard to believe that this was written by the same songwriters as Janet Jackson’s ‘When I think of you’. Nine years to go until their next top 10 hit and by then I’m sure we’ll all have stopped watching!
Boris Gardner – I want to wake up with you – Just had to watch this video again….that girl is playing hard to get surely?
Janet Jackson – When I think of you – Written by the same writers as ‘Human’…ah I’ve already said that….and it also topped the US charts.
RIP Hugh McDowell this week aged 65. One of the actual orchestral (cello) members of the ELO.
I'm with you on the glory of Peter Cetera, and I'm just as big a fan of his. It was a nice touch from TOTP to give us 4 minutes of the video, and right to the fadeout of the video. Big thumbs up from me!
DeleteI did like The Human League coming back with such a great single, and if I am correct, they topped the US charts with this one, or did you mean Janet Jackson did?
Sad to hear about Hugh McDowell of the original ELO way back when. I think he was on their very first video and single called 10538 Overture in 1972 when videos were new and novel. anyway, we already lost Kelly Groucutt around 10 years ago and before his time, and who was Jeff Lynne's right hand man on vocals. I think the rest of the original ELO are still with us, so let's savour what a great group they were.
Both the League and Janet topped the US charts Dory.
DeleteNot much to say about this one. Probably the most dreadful of the entire 86 run, Janice & John's links - amusing though they were - not preventing a swift deletion based upon the tunes featured.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I'm ever gonna catch up... Just gonna leave these comments and run...😀
ReplyDeleteJP is back... Happy days... JP and Janice always get trusted with the Live shows..
The rather odd Jermaine kicks us off with a white glove, shoe and hat ensemble. Its a great pop song. Could do with a few more dancers on the bigger stage. Another well rehearsed and slick routine. Mid 80s pop was so much more polished.
Peter Cetera, never heard of Chicago at this point in my life (I was only 12). Bit of a slow start, dull chorus, really not a fan of this one.. Sure the Americans loved it. Never seen the Karate Kid films either. Having about as much fun as JP watching this.
Jaki up next. Not a bad little number. Doesn't leave a lasting impression which is probably why I don't remember it. Pleasant enough I suppose. She could at least have found a blouse to match the set!
Breakers :
The Stranglers. And the fall from grace is complete. Bloody awful. Next.
Daryl Hall. Another US MOR hit. Again nothing special here.
Cutting Crew. Finally a decent tune. Quality record this. Beautiful. Richard Marx early watching.
Confession time. I love Bon Jovi. Cool tune. Their greatest hits one of my most played CDs in the 90s.
Speaking of faces. Wifeys most played CD last year was Human League double CD release. This is a nice tune. Probably the last of their hits not to be over produced pop. Interesting it's really just the 3 of them by 86.
Boris still at the top. Mum loves this one.. 😀 Hope he's not going to keep leaving all those paper planes in the river..
Janet video to play us out. Very nice..
Jermaine, Jovi and Human League best of a rum bunch this week. Good job JP and Janice were on top form.
morgie i'm amazed to learn that you haven't seen any of the karate kid films, as they were basically aimed at your generation. being at least 10 years older they originally passed me by, and it wasn't until many years later when i attended one of those life motivation courses that i watched the famous "wax on, wax off" segment where the underlying message is don't question your teacher, even when things don't make sense
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PycZtfns_U
Also spawned the joke, "What does Mr Miyagi do to relax? Wax off".
Delete