Top of the Hot Stuff
19/11/87 (Simon Mayo & Steve Wright)
Maxi Priest – “Some Guys Have All The Luck” (18)
Tonight's starter is a live vocal with a song that had already been a top 20 hit for both Robert Palmer and Rod Stewart, but Maxi's version was the biggest hit of the three peaking at number 12.
Whitney Houston – “So Emotional” (9) (video)
Peaked at number 5.
The Proclaimers – “Letter From America” (25)
The main course begins with Charlie and Craig making their debut on the show to perform what would be their first of three top ten hits - it wasn't to be the Christmas number one but it did make it to number 3. But the big question of the night is - was it a sock?
Barry White – “Sho’ You Right” (20)
Still hungry? Perfoming in the studio with his first top 40 hit for nine years, it's 'the hippopotamus of love' and the song peaked at number 14.
Boy George – “To Be Reborn” (26) (breaker)
Peaked at number 13.
The Smiths – “I Started Something I Couldn’t Finish” (23) (breaker)
Went up no further.
Donna Summer – “Dinner With Gershwin” (17)
And for a mouthwatering dessert, the legendary queen of disco Finally makes it into the studio, and the song went up one more place.
T’Pau – “China In Your Hand” (1) (video)
Second of five full weeks at number one.
Whitesnake – “Here I Go Again” (11) (video/credits)
It's a second chart helping for this song and it went up two more places.
November 26th is next.
Maxi Priest with, oh, this song again. Shorn of its Robert Palmer eccentricities, it's very ordinary, and the plodding reggae beat doesn't really catch a fire - sorry, catch fire. The lady backing singer reminds me of someone, or maybe she just has one of those faces.
ReplyDeleteWhitney Houston, don't mind her uptempo numbers half as much as her ballads, so this is fine. But every time I see her now, knowing what we know, all I can think of is how bloody miserable she was all the time she was acting cheery.
The Proclaimers with a beefed up version of one of the tracks off their debut album, and still maybe the best single they ever recorded, wistful but political, interesting combination. Mind you, if I ever hear 500 Miles again it'll be too soon. Reminded me: Charlie Brown, Craig Black (their glasses). Alas, they didn't stick by this code and are now indistinguishable.
Barry White was the Walrus of Love, surely, Simon? Are you getting mixed up with The Steve Miller Band's The Joker? Anyway, I think this was Baz's final hit, solo at least, and what a corker, should have been Top Ten. Thought this was great at the time, and it still grooves along superbly thanks to the big guy's expert production. Always point out that while he had a very deep speaking voice, he didn't have a very deep singing voice.
Breakers, presumably Boy George will be on again, no great loss if not, but after seeing Bumblebee I was surprised how heavily The Smiths featured. It is set in 1987, though. Anyway, this is one of their last hurrahs, with chattering drums and top brass section, a highlight from their last album, not all of which stands up too well. I don't think we get to hear their final single on TOTP. Moz in the video, but nobody else from the band - lots of Moz looky-likeys though. And to think we thought he had an ego back then!
Donna Summer with a cheery little namechecking item, bops along sweetly and it's a good vocal. Also like her dance moves when she finds herself with nothing to sing. Bit lightweight compared to what she's capable of, though.
T'Pau, oh, we get the video, which has precisely nothing to do with the lyrics, no wonder people were confused. 80s teenage girls seeking "quality pop" rejoice across the land at this staying power.
Then Whitesnake with their redo of a bit from their back catalogue, Dave still parading his missus in front of us like she was his new car or something. And that might be his new car in the video too. This was my favourite of the Whitesnake singles, but that's not saying very much. Bit pose-y bombastic, that's the territory I guess.
The boy Mayo, despite his dodgy hairstyle, proves conclusively that he has now mastered this TV presenting lark, and we will be seeing him much more frequently come 1988. His co-host, however, seems as much at sea as usual, and appears to want to be somewhere else for much of the show. We have some shiny new neon-lit sets this week, which give the studio a slicker, more uniform look than previously.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure why Some Guys Have All the Luck was such a popular choice of cover, as I don't think it's that great a song. However, Maxi Priest's version is a cut above either the Palmer or Stewart takes, Maxi's gentle vocal complementing the laid back reggae groove. This performance is notable for the return to TOTP of Claudia Fontaine, a semi-permanent fixture in the studio circa 1983/84, but someone we haven't seen now for quite a long while. Whitney's on video with perhaps her rockiest song, underlined by the fact that she plays some air guitar during the instrumental break. The video is a bog-standard "in concert" affair, but music-wise I think this is one of her best efforts, and far preferable to the overemotional, oversung balladry that would increasingly come to define her in subsequent years.
Here come the Reid twins, on the face of it the most unlikely of pop stars with voices that are the definition of "acquired taste", but armed with considerable songwriting talent, passion and a compelling presence as live performers. They were also refreshingly different at the time, and you could argue that their success heralded a mini-revival of more folk-based, acoustic music that would continue into the following year. The soaring melody of this fine debut - co-produced by Gerry Rafferty, no less - partly disguises the intensely political nature of the song, which compares the Thatcher Government's economic impact in Scotland to the Highland Clearances. The subject matter is more apparent in the parts where they start name checking places that had suffered economically in the 80s, and the song does flag a bit at those points, before rallying for a rousing conclusion.
Barry White makes for quite a contrast after that. I've never heard him described as the "hippopotamus of love" before, but maybe that pre-dated "walrus". Anyway, I have always thought Bazza was a bit of a one-trick pony, and the contemporary production of this song can't disguise the fact that it is essentially the same old same old from him, while his sweaty, chunky physical appearance continues to belie the image of him as a ladies' man. This performance was evidently pre-recorded, as they are still using the old main stage set here. The breakers see The Smiths with another posthumous release, which has already vanished from my memory, so lacking in distinction was it. The video full of Mozza lookalikes was more memorable, and I wonder if it was recorded after the split, given the absence of the rest of the band. It was apparently recorded for Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before, but the release of that song as a single in the UK was cancelled because of the Hungerford massacre (the lyrics were deemed insensitive), and the promo got recycled for this record instead.
You were cut off in your prime with the Proclaimers comment, there! Care to elaborate?
DeleteUm, I think everything I intended to say about them is there, or maybe some of my comments are obscured on the device you are using?
Delete...or am I detecting a bit of sarcasm here? Admittedly, I did end up having quite a lot to say about them!
DeleteHey, that's really weird - when I looked at your comment this morning that Proclaimers paragraph ended after two lines! Wonder if there was a glitch? Seems to be OK now.
DeleteAh, sounds like you must have had a technical glitch - I haven't noticed anything amiss on my devices.
DeleteMicrosoft have been putting my computer through about a billion updates in recent weeks, maybe it's a side effect of those.
Deletethe late claudia fontaine (as i've just discovered as a result of looking her up on discogs) may have been absent of late as a backing singer on the show (like her "rival" tessa niles, one wonders on how many of the numerous recordings she mimed to on totp did she actually sing on for real?), but perhaps her highest-profile moment is yet to come as an add-on member of soul ii soul in a couple of years time or so?
DeleteSad to hear that Claudia is no longer with us - she can't have been that old. As you say, Soul II Soul would probably provide her with her most notable moment in the spotlight.
DeletePart 2: Donna Summer makes a welcome return to the charts and finally performs in the studio, moving well to the music. This isn't one of her best songs, but it's likeable enough dance pop and her voice sounds good on it; however, I prefer the work she did with SAW a couple of years later. T'Pau's melodramatic and rather depressing video gets a spin, dominated by close ups of Carol's big gob and her questionable attempts at acting anger and devastation. More big hair to close, with Whitesnake's new, slicker and considerably improved version of a song that had already been a hit for them five years earlier. Video-wise Mr Cobverdale had evidently found a formula he liked and was determined to stick to, as we get plenty more shots of pretty girls and fancy cars. However, after this the law of diminishing returns would set in, and there would only be one further Top 20 hit for the band.
ReplyDeleteDonna Summer was certainly dressed perfectly for dinner with Gershwin, but where was Gershwin, and who was he? Angelo, I don't know about dessert, but Donna would be my starters, main course, AND dessert.
DeleteIt is very sad that she left us in 2012 at only 63 years old, as she was undoubtedly THE disco queen. I first got into pop music in the late 70s from disco sounds like hers, and we will never see her like again.
Yes, and although it was a fairly close-run contest, I thought her hairdo this week on the show just pipped David Coverdale's hair on the Whitesnake video.
You've never heard of George Gershwin? Composer of Rhapsody in Blue, Summertime, I Got Rhythm, and many other jazz standards? Died tragically young?
DeleteDo you know who Marie Curie and Amelia Earhart were, or is the song a complete mystery to you? Not being sarky, but with Doris Day's death last week there's been some musing online about how megastars can fade from the current popular memory, and I guess yours is an example.
if someone is ignorant of who george gershwin was (if i had a pound every time i've heard "summertime"... as done on this very show by the fun boy three a while back! also bronski beat had a go at another gershwin standard "it ain't necessarily so"), then it's unlikely they've heard of amelia earhart or marie curie either. although of course some might conclude the latter was famous for having a chain of charity shops!
Deleteps - i have to admit that until i looked at wiki just now, i had no idea that those yellow daffodil badges that a lot of women seem wear these days are associated with the charidee named after madame curie!
also on this subject: i have a friend who insists that only the king and the beatles from the golden era of mid-to-late 20th century popular music will still be remembered a hundred years on from now, and that everyone else will have been washed away on the tides of time. i countered that by saying that a century on from now everyone will still know and sing "Y.M.C.A." ha ha
I might have said people would remember Madonna, but after Eurovision last night it seems most people would rather forget her from now on.
Deletemaxi priest: the rod stewart version of this was chorus apart in effect a totally different song from robert palmer's somewhat quirky interpretation (and presumably far more faithful to how it was originally penned?), so no surprise maxi chose the rod-model to do a reggae-lite-on-autopilot job on. actually, i have to admit that this is probably the best reggae effort on the show for several years now. but that's not saying much when it has the likes of judy boucher for competition
ReplyDeletewhitney: i have very little recollection of this one at all - maybe it was because i was still in hiding having metaphorically run to the hills to try and escape from the omnipresent "i wanna dance with somebody"? this starts off okay, but i had to stop listening once she reached the chorus as her shrillness was doing my ears in
proclaimers: the second act to feature a pair of scottish brothers with the surname reid on the show in the last year or so. neither appealed to me whatsoever, but if you put a gun to my head then i suppose i would have to choose their earnest folkiness over the racket made by the jesus and mary chain
barry white: i've long-thought of the walrus of love as the poor man's isaac hayes, and yet he had much more success than ike in this country throughout the seventies. i have no idea why he's suddenly back in the charts after being absent throughout the 80's, although i'm guessing what is an okay effort by his standards with its rocky guitar wailings was inspired by the recent success of fellow 70's relics cameo?
smiths: strangely enough i couldn't find the video for this on yt, which i am guessing with the morrissey-clones is more interesting than the music. well lyrically mozzer has hit the nail on the head anyway, as he's still doing his ever-more-xeroxed one-trick-pony schtick for an easily-satisfied audience over 30 years on from when this recorded
donna summer: how odd that not one but two 70's disco icons make an appearance on the show having been nowhere near the uk charts for several years? my dim memory had it that this revival was aided by saw, but apparently that comes later. a fairly decent and radio-friendly track that probably also got regular play early on in clubs when punters were getting their first drinks in, but like whitney her singing starts getting a bit shrill to my ears once she hits the chorus
whitesnake: their last single was in serious danger of making my top 10 crackers list, so paltry were the contenders earlier in this year (fortunately a few old favourites and at least one unexpected surprise have now come to the rescue in more recent times). this one would never make it, regardless of how many times mr coverdale recorded it
I Started Something is far more preferable to the ghastly murdering of Wedding Bell Blues that Moz has out at the moment. I know "karaoke" is an overused insult, but my goodness it applies there.
DeleteRichard Perry and Brenda Russell (who wrote the song) were the producers of Dinner with Gershwin.
DeleteIt was indeed somewhat iconic that this TOTP show in late 1987 had the first ever visit to the TOTP studio by both Donna Summer and Barry White. Considering they were huge 70s disco icons which never made it to the TOTP studio in the 1970s in their prime, but only sent their videos, it was somewhat sad that they left it this late in their careers to debut in the TOTP studio.
DeleteNevertheless, Donna Summer looked absolutely dishy in the studio, elegantly dressed by clothing and fabulous hair. The highlight of the show for me, and never too late for Donna to come onto the show! I guess she would have needed the performance fee, as the 70s disco era was well behind us by then and the royalties must have been in less abundance by 1987.
A bit of a 'meh' line-up on this edition, though Simon Mayo has become much more confident as a presenter since we lsst saw him. The less said about the pointy fingered nodding dog the better, though I did find Mayo's description of him as 'svelte' amusing given how he looks these days (Google him if you dare)
ReplyDeleteMaxi Priest - The least interesting of the 3 hit versions.
Whitney Houston - I don't mind this one actually, at least it's one you don't hear too often these days.
The Proclaimers - A good little tune that my Dad unfortunately used to sing the wrong words to repeatedly.
Barry White - Who wanted a comeback from him? Dated production makes this pretty awful. By the way, THX, he would have a further couple of hits in the mid 90s.
Breakers - The Boy George song I don't know but sounds quite nicely mellow, the Smiths one is OK but not one of their best.
Donna Summer - A good, quirky single and a bit surprising really that after she finally turned up on the show it wasn't propelled into the Top 10.
Whitesnake - Surely this isn't the remix version? I say that as the intro goes on forever and I remember them doing the original version in the studio and tapping my watch waiting for the song to actually start!
Just checked the Book of Hit Singles and Barry troubled the charts a handful more times, but only once getting into the Top 20, and even then just at 20.
DeleteIt did inspire me to see if his Tina Turner collaboration Wildest Dreams was on YouTube, specifically the video, because it was directed by Nick Park (and features Wallace and Gromit!) and Barry hated it, so when it was shown on UK TV there was a big black square over the plasticine puppet of him! It's on YT uncensored I'm happy to say (he's in no state to object now), and it's a really excellent track in its moody, lush way. Don't know if it suits the Nick Park treatment, mind you.
Noax, I think this was indeed the remix version of Here I Go Again characteristically with the longer intro than the original, an it was this remix version that topped the American charts, and I think due to its success over there, it was quickly released here in the UK to follow up the top 10 hit Is This Love, with the same oo-er-missus that is his new red-haired wife that featured in both videos. Very nice too!
DeleteThat's odd then as all versions I've heard of the remixed version don't have a long intro. Perhaps it's just the video?
DeleteAngelo, Do you know if Anonymous will be returning on this blog as he hasn't posted anything for a month now, including none of the Smith shows? I'm wondering if the BBC police have been out again!
ReplyDeleteI'm still here have posted a few Smithy eps, not all were avalible, good news i have 10/12/87 25/12/87 and the four 1988 skipped eps all ready.
DeleteHi Anonymous, Glad to hear you are still about. I posted a list in 06/08/87 of old 70s shows, which you said you would check out and get back to me. Here is the list again.
DeleteHave you got BBC Archive versions of the following 29/01/70, 05/02/70, 26/02/70, 14/01/71, 25/02/71, 29/04/71, 17/06/71, 18/11/71, 02/12/71, 23/12/71, 22/06/72, 16/11/72, 28/12/72 Thanks
Heres what i have theres 8 episodes here.https://we.tl/t-csTw38lFsu
DeleteThanks Anonymous
DeleteHere is full version of 19/11/87 whitesnake playout was trimmed by BBC4. https://we.tl/t-xjKmsZ466t
ReplyDeleteThanks Anon, that is considerably more than what BBC4 showed last week. Brilliant stuff!
DeleteHi Anonymous. It's great to have you back again.
ReplyDeleteThis is a list of pre 1976 shows, most of which you have previously uploaded. Have you any of them either in higher res or without the logo?
6/6/68, 27/2/69, 6/3/69, 15/10/70, 1/7/71, 25/1/73, 11/10/73, 22/11/73, 20/12/73, 25/12/73(2 Copies), 15/8/74, 7/11/74, 27/12/74, 28/8/75 & 4/9/75. I know it's a lot but I think it covers everything & hopefully will cut down on duplicate requests and fewer posts on the blog. Thank you so much for all the shows to date.
Hi Anonymous, Great to hear from you again! I thought you'd been taken down like the Vimeo lads were! I posted the full list of missing higher res shows between 1976 and 1980 on the blog for 6/08/87. Do you want me to put them up again on here? There are 23 shows altogether.
DeleteXrayfour here are first batch https://we.tl/t-ui7dBeIo7d
Delete2nd lot
Deletehttps://we.tl/t-74OvaBOWRv
brie sorry overlooked orig post, now found it and uploading them links will appear here 3 of them soon.
DeleteFirst batch brie
Deletehttps://we.tl/t-O9Nk4fMhGf
2nd batch brie
Deletehttps://we.tl/t-VNZkZIjvyF
Last lot brie
Deletehttps://we.tl/t-aTHB6pLHlI
Last file https://we.tl/t-XuX8idnj8L
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely sensational Anonymous! Thank you again.
DeleteBrilliant stuff Anonymous! It was worth the wait. Many thanks!
DeleteGreat to see you back, Anon! Just to say again, it's very much appreciated the time and effort you put into sharing these files with the community and thank you especially for these upgrades and extended versions!
ReplyDeleteLate late late again….
ReplyDeleteWell this little lot weren’t very good were they? I am struggling for positive comment.
Maxi Priest – Some Guys – Why?? Some guys have ALL the luck. Totally wrong lyrical emphasis and not a reggae tune at all. Why not record ‘You win again’ reggae style? Perhaps not.
Whitney Houston – So Emotional – Dreadful.
Proclaimers – Letter from America – Made no impression on me then and now. Were they meant to be singing with Scottish accents? Sort of northern Chas and Dave.
Barry White – Sho’ you right – Nothing could match ‘You see the trouble with me’ from Barry for me and this doesn’t really hit the heights at all despite the studio showing.
Breakers – Nothing good to say about these two, so I won’t.
Donna Summer – Dinner with Gershwin – Well now. All those weeks in the ‘summertime’ of 1977 at the top with ‘I feel love’ and no sign of a flippin’ video let alone a studio appearance. We had to make do with Legs and Co. and some photos. Here she shows up for a much less memorable tune.
T’Pau – China in your Hand – The highlight of this show for me. At last we see a saxophonist, but why was this chopped so soon at the climax?
Whitesnake – Here I go again – I’m gonna be controversial here and state that I prefer Twiggy’s ‘Here I go again’ from 1976. A pretty little waltz time tune with a nice bit of guitar in the background. As for Dave and co., well it’s Ok having topped the US charts a month or so earlier.
Ps did anyone notice in the chart rundown that ‘Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes’ were actually Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey?
sct - letting you know that at least one person has managed to notice your contribution amongst all the bilge around you!
DeleteGee thanks Anonymous! Beginning to wonder why I bothered writing it!!
DeleteA great big thank you Anonymous! For the files and all your hard work.
ReplyDeleteWith Anonymous back with us I don't suppose he (or she?) has any of the 4 Mike Smith editions that BBC Four receently skipped?
ReplyDeleteThey were very kindly uploaded by off air recordings/youtube versions but the BBC Archive versions sometimes have a little extra here or there and are wonderful to see.
The editions were 17/9/87..24/9/87..1/10/87..and 8/10/87.
That last one (8/10/87) would be fantastic to get an archive version of as the original upload did have a few issues from the source recording. Either way appreciate any or all of those that can be obtained. Good love to you all!
Only one i have is 17.09.87
ReplyDeleteTHANKS a lot Anonymous for all the TOTP shows you share with this community. Is possible to get in hi res these ones?
Delete22/01/76, 05/02/76, 13/05/76, 10/06/76, 25/12/76, 26/01/78, 09/03/78, 01/02/79, 15/02/79 and 05/04/79....thanks in advances
here are 8 of them cant find 22/1/76 and think 5/2/76 dont exist.
ReplyDeletehttps://we.tl/t-rBwwG4jsS1
Thank you again.
DeleteMaxi Priest with laid back version of Some Guys and an impressive live vocal. Think I still prefer the Rod Stewart version but this isn't bad.
ReplyDeleteWhitney next with quite dull video for a very odd version of So Emotional. Was this an album version? Sounds very different to the single version I'm used to hearing.
Proclaimers join the party. Totally uncool. Totally Scottish. Totally brilliant. They have produced some great records and this is very very good. Wasn't a fan as a kid but can really appreciate them now. Sunshine On Leith being the best of the lot.
Such a shame the mic shadow is in such an inappropriate place. 😀 😀 😀
Bazza White drowning in 80s production which does the song no favours. Good to have him in the studio but this is forgettable stuff.
Breakers:2 great videos here, both clever ideas.
Boy George with his photo album and a song I have not heard before and I quite liked it.
The Smiths. Morrisey and the lookalikes on bikes to an OK tune. Not their worst by a long shot but I'm never gonna be a fan.
Next up the highlight of the evening. Donna Summer in the studio and what a great tune this is. Unusual structure in that the memorable part comes before the chorus which is much weaker. Easily a top ten tune of the year.
Nice to see a bit of the Carol Decker (sorry T'Pau) video. I do remember the video and it goes with the song very well.
Whitesnake play us out and I really like this song. Builds really nicely and less disposable than a lot of the rock genre. Quality stuff.
Another top show.
Late to the show and, Hmm... Not the best of shows.
ReplyDeleteDull statt with Maxi, and then Whitney wiggling her lips in that way that she did.
Proclaimers waken things up, before Barry sends it crashing to the floor - it was no 'Can't get enough of your love', was it?
FF George, then a Smiths song I do not recall one jot.
FF, FF.
Whitesnake repeat the same video for the third song in a row - I hope they weren't paying anyone as scriptwriter.