It is also available to stream here at YouTube.
Sister of hairspray
01/10/87 (Gary Davies & Mike Smith)
The Sisters Of Mercy – “This Corrosion” (13)
Became their first of two top ten hits when it peaked at number 7.
Michael Jackson – “Bad” (3) (video)
At its peak.
The Bee Gees – “You Win Again” (22)
Performing in the studio for the first time since 1972, this became their fifth and final number one hit.
Gary Numan – “Cars (E Reg Model)” (16)
At its peak.
Steve Winwood – “Valerie” (36)
Originally peaked at number 51 in 1982, this remix did better and made it to number 19.
Shakin’ Stevens – “Come See About Me” (27)
Peaked aat number 24.
M/A/R/R/S – “Pump Up The Volume” (1) (video/credits)
First of two weeks at number one.
8th October is next.
https://we.tl/t-Og6Iczu1R5?src=dnl
ReplyDeleteSame episode but with 20 minutes of links being recorded for the US version
I love the repeats no end, but this is the stuff I find REALLY fascinating! Thankyou SO much for the opportunity to see this that might otherwise have been hidden away forever!
DeleteThanks from me as well. Great stuff
DeleteThis show went out on my eighth birthday, and I definitely remember watching it as my party had finished shortly before the start time. In a line-up dominated by chart veterans, The Sisters of Mercy stand out as the only "new" act on the show, and even they had been around for a few years. Their performance is very gothic, and they all seem to be taking it very seriously, but it is leaden, repetitive stuff and the singer's voice is awful. Little did we know at the time just how "bad" Jacko was, or at least seems to have been, but by this stage his face was starting to look pretty terrible! Both song and video feel like retreads from the Thriller era, and it's perhaps not surprising that after this album Jacko's partnership with Quincy Jones came to an end, as it had probably run its course by this point. Although the dancing in the video is naturally impressive, you might have thought that they might have picked a more glamorous location than what appears to be a multi-storey car park...
ReplyDeleteBest song of the night yet, with The Bee Gees back performing in their own right after some years behind the scenes, and moving firmly on from their disco phase with this classy, well-deserved chart topper, which made them the first group to have UK number 1s in three separate decades. I think Barry is on record as saying that the distinctive percussion that drives the whole song came to him in a dream, and it certainly makes for a memorable intro. Looking at his brothers here with their obviously thinning thatches, I can't help feeling they must have been jealous of Bazza's still magnificent head of hair! It's slightly surprising that the Numanoid felt the need to turn up to promote this remix of a song that was originally a hit at the time I was born, but perhaps he was just grateful to be back in the charts - I see his uncle is still behind the drums as well here. Anyway, this was the first time I ever heard Cars, and the remix doesn't harm this classic too much, it just makes the synths sound a bit more strident. I like the "e reg model" tag, as that was the then-current car registration.
Steve Winwood is yet another veteran in the studio, and this is definitely one of his better solo records, with its fizzing synths and soaring chorus. Unlike the last time he was on the show, Steve also gets to mime a bit of keyboard himself on this occasion. After that, Shaky's career continues to take a bizarre turn as for no obvious reason he tackles one of the lesser Supremes hits. Not only is this in too high a key for him to sing it comfortably, in its arrangement this version sounds like a facsimile of the original, so what really was the point? Amusing to see Shaky dancing along with two "Supremes" of his own, but he is hardly a match for Miss Ross in the looks stakes.
MARRS play us out having finally got to the top, but before that Smitty and Gazza introduce us to that likeable chap Nicky Campbell, who will be hosting the show himself before too much longer. Mention is made of the fact that the new chart was now being announced on Sundays instead of Tuesdays, which arguably had a negative impact on TOTP because it meant that the contents of the chart were already old news by the time the show went on air each week. Smitty also treats us to another funny voice when introducing MARRS, this time channelling the equally irritating American DJ Wolfman Jack...
During the era when the chart was released on Tuesdays, the convention was that TOTP would be rehearsed and recorded on Wednesday evening and the programme then air the following week. On Bank Holiday weeks, however, the chart was released a day later (on Wednesdays) which meant that all shows which fell during Bank Holiday weeks were always broadcast live.
DeleteI'm aware that at least one further 1987 show from November aired live (which won't be shown on BBC4 as Mike Smith was host) plus a handful of editions in 1988 and 1989, and the New Year's Day programme in 1990, however this change removed the necessity for any show to go out live.
*then air the following day (not week)
DeleteMichael Hurll seems to have had a particular thing for live shows, so I guess once he left, which was not long after the point we have now reached, the impetus to have them probably fizzled out.
Deleteto my recollection it was the original tubeway army drummer jess lidyard that was the numanoid's uncle, who was then replaced by cedric sharpley around the time he decided to go solo. although it was hard to tell as he was shrouded in shadow, i'm fairly sure that chris payne was still also there - thus making both him and cedric old faithfuls in numan's backing band for nigh on a decade now
DeleteYou are right Wilberforce, the drummer here is Cedric Sharpley. I always assumed he was Jess Lidyard because he appeared with the Numanoid on TOTP performing Are "Friends" Electric in 1979, but a bit of online research reveals that he replaced Lidyard just before AFE became a hit. You learn something new every day...
DeleteI seem to recall that when R1 went full stereo in 19888/89 that TOTP was "simulcast" on both BBC1 and R1 and I am sure some of these were "live". Maybe the memory cheats and they weren't
Deletesisters of mercy: the song title sounds like the sort of nonsense that gary numan used to come up with for most of his tracks. head honcho andrew eldritch (i always assumed that was his real surname, only later discovering it was it was inspired by aleister crowley-style demonic references i think) has ditched his original all-male crew in favour of american import patricia morrison to add some vampira/mrs addams/mrs munster-style glamour (am i right in that she complained much later on about being kept on a pitifully-low retainer whilst involved?) and air-bass playing. i'm actually surprised that mr aldritch deigned to appear on the show given his reputation for being precious and intense, but i suppose even goths have to eat sometime? actually i do remember the chorus now i've listened again, and this is certainly better than what his/their rivals the misson had come up with thus far
ReplyDeletewacko: after a false start with the lead-off single from his new album, he's now out of the blocks properly with an infectious groover that is really quite good if you put the thought of him and his creepyness aside (what a shame weird al yankovic didn't do a parody called "weird"). with regard to the video, couldn't he have come up with something a bit more original than "west side story" gang-style co-ordinated dancing yet again?
bee gees: more disco superstars on the show, although whilst wacko was selling zillions of copies of "thriller" they had decided to take a back seat writing and producing for the likes of dolly parton. although tuneful enough, for me it's not in the same league as their late 70's output. and the odd on-the-beat drum pattern remains slightly unsettling. plus what the hell is that thing that maurice is "playing"?
gary numan: the original of this vies for the best thing he ever did in my book, but what was the point of re-releasing it with a few silly synth noises stuck on top?
steve winwood: like "higher love" this a well-produced dance-rock hybrid. bit also like that this doesn't do that much for me other than being pleasant enough whenever heard on the radio. steve is still looking good for a pop veteran though
shakin' stevens: talking of pop vets, what's this now-40-something doing still hanging around? still, at least he's replaced the embarrassing troupe of musclemen with a couple of attractive female backing singers. there's more than a hint of motown about this one, although i have to admit that i'm actually finding it preferable to the genuine article. so credit where credit's due i suppose?
Shaky's song is an old Motown tune - it was an American chart-topper for The Supremes.
DeleteWeird Al's Bad parody was called Fat, and featured him as a fat Jacko (in a fat suit).
DeleteI remember Lenny Henry doing an apt "I'm mad" parody...
Deletethanks guys for the above - i wasn't aware of any of that!
DeleteFirst timer commentator. First of all can I thank everyone who uploads all the missing episodes. It really is a pleasure to watch these again after so long.
ReplyDeleteAlso all the comments on here are great, all incisive and all relevant to your musical tastes and memories. I'm 52 this year so 1987/8 was the last two years that I was interested in the charts wholesale, the house/acid house dance stuff put me off from then on to be honest.
Finally - I'm just putting it out there but This Corrosion is one of my all time favourites, from the album Floodland, and it's also my karaoke song ��. Love it, even though I'm really a New Romantic at heart.
Anyway, thanks again everyone. I'll keep reading until the music gets less appealing.
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thanks for the compliments - i'm a new romantic at heart too, and boy am i missing those giddy heights of the early 80's!
DeleteI don't have great recollection of "this corrosion" in 1987, but thought it was fantastic watching in again now. A highlight of the year
DeleteDidn't know Nicole Kidman was in The Sisters of Mercy
ReplyDeleteHere's the one I have on shiny disc, possibly courtesy of 'Unknown' above since it also contains the links at the end!
ReplyDeleteSisters Of Mercy - This is probably as mainstream as they ever got given that it has a catchy chorus. It's certainly one of the few songs they made that I like.
Michael Jackson - I never really saw the fuss over this song, ironically one of the weakest tracks for me from the album that bears its name.
The Bee Gees - Featuring Maurice on what I'm calling CheapCasiotar, this is a terrific pop song and rightly returned them to the upper reaches of the chart.
Gary Numan - A sympathetic remix that hasn't aged badly! (unlike those never-ending Real Thing remixes from 86 for example) and it got a reissue in the 90s too, though it was renamed 'The Premier Mix' after the brand of lager it was advertising.
Steve Winwood - Pleasant enough, I suppose. I've played it too much on the radio in my lifetime to want to hear it again though.
Shakin' Stevens - Oh dear. What a bizarre choice of song to cover. Tepid.
I could have done without yet another 'hilarious' impression from Shitty before the No.1. Nicky Campbell looks more confident than most new R1 presenters being introduced on the show, and he was always very professional though not a particulr favourite of mine either on radio or TV.
There must have been a Bank Holiday Monday the week this went out, because I remember being driven back from visiting relatives that night and insisting Janice Long be on the radio. She said The Sisters of Mercy would be the highest new entry tomorrow (Tuesday) and I was surprised because I'd never heard of them or This Corrosion. Then she played it and I thought it was fantastic! One of may favourites from this year, it powers along in bombastic style, the 12" mix is even better. I also recall Andrew picking his favourite records on Janice's show, and he chose a bunch of classical tunes! Pretentious, moi?
ReplyDeleteWhackson, having taken a few trips to the plastic surgeon since we last saw him to create that horrorface we all got to know and fear, serves up his title track. He nicks the percussive beat from Tour de France by Kraftwerk, but that's about as interesting as it gets. As with Thriller, the Lenny Henry parody was more entertaining. Video directed by Martin Scorsese! Glamorous subway location, there, Marty.
Now the comeback of the year, and another of my favourite tunes of 1987, a superb pop song with a wonderful, almost religious melody to contrast the resigned lyrics, and that clanging beat. Never got sick of this, though I had plenty of opportunities to.
Gaz Numan with an OK remix since it doesn't mess with the original too much, but he had been releasing new material that was doing fairly well, so why this? Other than the chance to give it a punning title, of course.
Steve Winwood, blowing away any unpleasant memories of Eric Prydz, and obviously a fan of the film Jazz On a Summer's Day, judging by the words (worth tracking down because it's one of the most relaxing movies ever). Nice enough, inoffensive, but a little watery. Good to see Herman Munster on the right, did he show up in the same car as Patricia from The Sisters of Mercy?
Shaky comes over all unnecessary, in that this Supremes cover brings new meaning to the word "unnecessary". No wonder no one remembers this, it's beyond perfunctory. I suppose his faux Mary and Cindy are better than the male strippers.
M/A/R/R/S rightfully take their place at number one, that's three of my fave 87 songs in one show, not bad going. Note the SAW Roadblock sample is missing! Didn't take long, did it?
Is there a Scotland-only Bank Holiday in September, THX? There definitely wouldn't have been one south of the border. I'd no idea Scorsese directed the Bad video.
DeleteI think the Scots have different Bank Holiday dates to the English, so I wouldn't be surprised if one falls into September.
DeleteThere might well be, John, I'm not very up on my Bank Holiday dates. There's certainly the September Weekend up here, not sure if you get that Down South.
Deletedifferent bank holidays, different money, different legal system, different academic system... and yet we're supposed to be the same country!
DeleteDon't let's get into politics, I'm sick enough of it all as it is!
DeleteThis corrosion was actually produced by Jim Steinman, more famous for his work with Meatloaf/Bonnie Tyler, hence the bombastic style. At the time I was buying anything with a Steinman connection so bought the album it was on, Floodland, but was disappointed as only corrosion was produced by him.definately the highlight of this Totp edition and has encouraged me to relisten to Floodland again, which is better than I remembered it being.
DeleteIt looks as if the last Monday in September is a public holiday for Glasgow and the surrounding area (that is your part of the world, isn't it THX?), thanks to the ability of Scottish local authorities to set such holidays.
DeleteJust going back to Wilberforce's point about Scotland's legal and education systems, that was the spoonful of sugar that helped the Act of Union go down with the Scots in 1707. They were pretty much forced to agree to the Union, as the Kingdom had effectively been bankrupted by a failed colonial venture in what is now Panama not long before. The Union wasn't that popular in England either at the time, but the government in London wanted it to stop a Catholic Stuart monarch taking the Scottish throne and then inviting the French in to mount an invasion across the border...
Good Lord, now I'm totally confused
DeleteIt's complicated Dory, it's complicated...
Deleteafter i submitted the post above, i surmised that allowing the scots to have/keep their own rules and customs to some degree was a form of hegemony used by the sassanachs to help keep them quiet. i had a scottish friend who when he visited me i used to advise to make sure he had english banknotes before he came over the "border", otherwise he'd find it difficult to actually use them down here as most businesses are reluctant to accept what they see as some form of foreign currency!
DeleteYes, that's my part of the world, John. Seems like everyone in Scotland has an indignant "Scottish banknotes in England" story too!
DeleteShow of massive contrasts. Thanks to those who made it available. I wonder if Paul ‘The Wizard’ Hardcastle remixed his track?
ReplyDeleteSisters of Mercy – This Corrosion – This went top10? All I can think about is the Thompson Twins.
Michael Jackson – Bad – Terrible actually. FF
Bee Gees – You win again – Ah, Clive Anderson’s favourite group. This was indeed a surprise and welcome hit at this point in time. I am writing this the day before the first of May btw.
Gary Numan - Cars – Wow! This remix does sound good. Really liked Gary added some vocal touches during the long instrumental outro. Sounds great.
Steve Winwood – Valerie – Yes this version was from the ‘Chronicles’ compilation album but the original un-remixed single release (reached no51) was from the album ‘Talking back to the Night’ which contains, for me Steve’s best single ‘Still in the Game’, featuring additional vocals from his then wife, the late Nicole. As noted above, it’s hard not to think of the thonged work out video now thanks to Mr Prydz.
Shakin’ Stevens – Come and see about me – I don’t recall this, but it’s actually quite good and much preferable to that boogie woogie thing. As mentioned, a hit for the Supremes – a minor hit in the UK, but no1 in the States, as part of a run of five consecutive no1 hits in 1964/5. Almost Beatlesque.
Mars – Pump up the Volume – Looks like BBC4 will be spared this tosh thanks to Smitty and, being last on the show, its jolly easy to hang up!
Firstly a big thanks for the show this week and the extra nuggets at the end. Gary loved his hair didn't he!
ReplyDeleteNew look for R1 and a new DJ, pre "wheel of fortune" Nicky Campbell. Also a mention of the new chart on Sunday so this must be where the chart moved from Tue-Sun so hopefully I'm right in thinking this is the chart that never got a Sunday R1 play due to the change of dates.
Kicking things off are Sis0ters of Mercy. This is OK but a bit heavy going for me. I seem to recall there was a SOM song in the early 90s that I liked but I can't recall what it was called. If we get that far with these repeats I will look out for it.
MJ well and truly Bad. It's a great video for a very catchy song although it's not one of his best. The Bad album was my first real introduction to MJ and is still my favourite of his albums. Remember playing the cassette on my Walkman in the back of my Dad's car.
Bee Gees back and fully recovered from their disco fever. This is their best song IMO. Absolutely perfect pop song and I am still a huge fan of it. Nice to see them joining in with the links with Gary at the end. Such talented guys. Shame that Robin and Maurice are no longer with us.
2 re-releases next. Gary Numan with Cars. I started watching these repeats in 1979 and Cars was one of the stand out tracks for me. Still sounding great. Love this.
Then Steve Winwood with Valerie. Heard it too many times on the radio to get excited about it now but I was happy to sing along.
Shaky back with a Supremes cover and he's ditched the men and is pretending to be in the Supremes. I suppose we should be grateful he didn't "black up". Song is a straight cover and adds nothing to the original. Not his best by a long shot, but not"boogie woogie"so that's a good thing
MARRS at the top - Classic. 13 year old me dancing round the living room. 44 year old me, dancing around the ironing board!
Great show this. Throughly enjoyed it.