I'm Alright, Jack!
12/11/87 (Gary Davies & Peter Powell)
The Communards – “Never Can Say Goodbye” (6)
Getting tonight's show off to a vibrant start and the song went up two more places.
Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes – “(I’ve Had) The Time Of My Life” (10) (US TOTP clip)
Singing live in the LA studio, this famous song from Dirty Dancing was number one in America, and it peaked at number 6 over here.
Mirage – “Jack Mix IV” (13)
Performing what would soon become their second of two top ten hits when this bouncy medley of new and old hits peaked at number 8.
Donna Summer – “Dinner With Gershwin” (23) (breaker)
Peaked at number 13.
Marillion – “Warm Wet Circles” (22) (breaker)
Went up no higher.
Whitney Houston – “So Emotional” (20) (breaker)
Peaked at number 5.
Alexander O’Neal – “Criticize” (28)
In the studio tonight to perform his biggest hit, becoming his second of two top tenners when it peaked at number 4.
T’Pau – “China In Your Hand” (1) (rpt from 05/11/87)
First of five weeks at number one.
Nina Simone – “My Baby Just Cares For Me” (11) (video/credits)
Another old song propelled into the charts on the back of a tv advert, this became Nina's third of three top ten hits when it peaked at number 5 - which was very apt, because the tv advert was for Channel No.5!
November 19th is next.
Mirage - oh look, the cutie from Mirage is back. Thanks Angelo for featuring her in the caption this week. I must admit I missed this chick the last couple of months since Jack Mix II. We seemed to skip Jack Mix III for some reason, and went straight from II to IV. When is she next back on TOTP?
ReplyDeleteDonna Summer - pretty lady. I do like Donna's dresses, she always has style and panache in her videos, and hey, the music is not bad either.
Alexander O'Neal - I think this must have been the first and last time that a lead singer relegated his female backing singer off the stage and onto the audience steps. A very miserly and egotistic Alexander to do such a thing. I didn't think she did anything wrong to deserve that. I mean she stayed on those audience steps all the way through the song, and it was a bit like a schoolgirl being told to stand in the corner for being out of line. Good Lord!
I thought you might appreciate the Mirage lady, Dory!
DeleteAnd I think Jack Mix iii was the b-side of Jack Mix ii, so that's why we're up to jack mix iv now :-)
Yep, she's definitely right up there!
DeleteA very excitable and cardigan-clad PP accompanies Gazza this week, his manner recalling his early days on the show, particularly when he gushes at embarrassing length about how great T'Pau are. Gazza is more restrained, but does seem to be enjoying his co-host's enthusiasm.
ReplyDeletePerhaps sensing that the wheels were beginning to come off their career, The Communards put out another cover of a disco-era classic, though without the same level of success as they had enjoyed with Don't Leave Me This Way. I have mentioned before that Gloria Gaynor's version of this is perhaps my favourite ever disco record, but this attempt has plenty of energy and works pretty well. Not sure what the shaven-headed backing singer was bringing to the party, though, as she hardly had a Sarah Jane Morris-type role in proceedings and was barely audible on the record. Over to TOTP USA for a song - and film - much beloved by women of a certain age, my sister being one of them. I guess the thinking behind this was to repeat the success of Up Where We Belong by pairing Jennifer Warnes with another gravelly-voiced 60s veteran, and it works pretty well. Despite only being 47 at the time of this performance, Bill looks considerably older, and when he has his arm round Jennifer's shoulders she looks a bit like a carer helping an OAP to walk - I'm not sure that she was altogether happy with that close proximity, and it's notable how she tactfully disengages towards the end. Good live vocals, though.
Just what we need, another of Nigel Wright's wretched Jack Mixes. I suppose this one is marginally more interesting than the other one we heard, being less reliant on Mel & Kim and featuring a greater variety of songs, but it's still lazy, opportunistic stuff. Interesting hair on the singer there, rising out of her hat like a plant out of a pot! The breakers see Marillion enjoying their penultimate hit single with Fish, who is wearing a bizarre outfit in this live clip that looks as if required the deaths of many birds to make. The song sounds very typical of the band, very wordy and lacking much of a tune.
The staging of this Alexander O'Neal performance is curious, with the backing singer banished to the balcony, but perhaps it was felt it would look weird if she was the only other person on stage with the main man. In any case, this is a great song, one of the best soul tunes of the year, an excellent vocal married to a cutting-edge production. Alex looks quite suave in his suit too, if not exactly svelte. An even classier song to finish, with this reissue of one of the scary Miss Simone's earliest recordings, from 1957. Simone herself came to despise the song (which itself dates from 1930), and didn't make any money from this reissue as she had long since sold her rights to any royalty for a paltry sum. It is a superbly executed piece of light jazz, however, and one of the rare examples of that genre that I like. As seems to have been compulsory for old songs given new life in 1987, this has its own Claymation video, and it is very nicely done, fitting well with the mood of the music. In real life, though, I think the love-struck cat would have been trying to get as far away from Nina as possible, rather than trying to fall into her arms...
The mainly of the waywards in repeat runs we'd get to see the 600th UK number one on a non-Mike Smith episode, we did get the 500th UK number one when Nicole's 'A Little Peace' reached its second week in the 20/05/82 episode back in 2016 however the first week was hosted by Hairy Scapegoat DLT from 13/05/82...
ReplyDeleteUnluckily we did not to get to see the 400th UK number one by Julie Covington as it only stayed for one week at the top on the 10/02/77 episode as it was in an appearance wiped but we'd did get to see it in the 13/01/77 and 27/01/77 episodes before it reached number one and as in the 2012's 1977 repeats over ten months before Yewtree happened.
At least we'd did get to see the historic 500th and 600th number ones in TOTP repeat runs over on BBC Four in 2016 and most recently in 2019, the next one will be happening around 2024 for the 700th number one in the repeat run as it nears the Nineties, as we'll be getting a nearing post-MS/JS/DLT archive at this point...
Speaking that we may be getting more TOTP USA clips as they're becoming the new Montreux/Soul Train/Top Pop on these repeats, as it's not going to last as the US version of this show ended broadcasts in March 1988, as many Americanised acts continued to perform on the main long-running British music show.
The Communards with a respectable, gay-themed (i.e. they didn't change the lyrics for Jimmy to sing) cover, though it may have had the unintentional effect of making them seem as if they were out of ideas. You can imagine Rev Richard seething that his keyboard solo wasn't even captured by the camera. Amusing turning around actions.
ReplyDeleteBill and Jen with what became one of the most overplayed records known to mankind, thanks to its appeal to the ladies. Dirty Dancing is of course a science fiction movie, because even though it's set in the early sixties, the characters dance to music from 1987. Divorced from the film it's perfectly fine, and nice to see two old pros get another chance in the limelight, but there's no way it would still be played now if it wasn't for its celluloid origins.
That bunch of chancers Mirage are back, now the bouncy lady may be singing her part (or miming to her singing), but it's highly doubtful her stooges are doing the same for theirs. That really is a skirt no bigger than a belt, isn't it? Anyway, Stars on 45 wasn't so long ago, was it?
I've told the Marillion vagina story, so won't return to it here, though it's more interesting than this mournful, tune-free effort.
Alexander O'Neal, maybe not sweating so much because it was November, but giving a commanding mime of his minor classic tune. "And your bum's tickly, right?" Obviously the songwriter was somewhat aggrieved, but that fits with Mr O'Neal's big soul man pipes, so what could have been a whinge is more substantial.
T'Pau begin their reign of terror with this episode's other overplayed ditty, it's about Frankenstein, we now know.
Then Nina Simone to end on, with a song that became a weight on her shoulders but one she had to perform live over and over at her concerts to try and claw back her lost fortune (it's what audiences wanted to hear). I'd like to have seen a stop motion video for Mississippi Goddamn. Go immediately to YouTube and type in "Nina Simone sit down" to see how she would actually have dealt with that unruly cat. Incidentally, did the animators run out of ideas at the instrumental break?
I think the Mirage girl was quite small, so she needed a very short skirt/belt to show anything of her, so I guess she had good reason THX.
DeleteLooks like we're cooling off a bit next week, as we are down to only one show on Friday. Looking at the guestlist on the show, the highlight for me will be Donna Summer in the TOTP studio, and the brilliant Whitesnake on playout with Here I Go Again, edging slowly towards the top ten.
ReplyDeletecommunards: your last self-written effort was a flop? well, time to get back to your 70's record collection and copy another disco classic karoake-style to shore up the old bank balance
ReplyDeletebill medley/jennifer warnes: i really do despise these power ballad duets recorded for films that i never watched at the time, nor ever will. sadly though it's not irritating enough to get into an already over-subscribed top 10 turkeys list for this year
mirage: what happened to volume iii? not that i would have been having sleepness nights over its chart absence (in fact i'd prefer that the ones either side had met the same fate). is it me, or does volume iv have covers of exactly the same stuff as volume ii? and no, i'm not going to listen to them both again to find out!
marillion: never mind warm wet circles, this is a case of going around in circles. no wonder it got no higher
alexander o'neal: the album this came from was a game of two halves, with side 1 being indifferent uptempo numbers and side 2 much more interesting laid back grooves. unfortunately all the singles came from side 1
nina simone: i used to go to an alternative club in the early 80's where for reasons that escaped me this previously obscure relic was really popular and got played to death. not sure if that was a factor in it getting used in a tv ad a few years on and becoming a hit as a consequence or not though. these days i think a bit more highly of it than i did back then, but there are loads of tin pan alley standards and showtunes that are better than this one
In agreement with this comment about The Communards. They probably figured that with the enormous No.1 they had for four weeks in 1986 with the disco copy of Don't Leave Me This Way, that it was their best formula, rather than their own songs which did not do anywhere near as well.
DeleteWith regard to Jack Mix IV, Angelo answered the question at the top of this blog with the whereabouts of Jack Mix III.
The Communards - A decent enough version of a disco classic, but my favourite is the Harold Melvin & The Bluenotes version.
ReplyDeleteMedley & Warnes - Altogether now....HOUSEWIFE CLASSIC! Possibly the biggest of the whole lot, certainly from the biggest housewife classic film of all time.
Mirage - Entertainingly dreadful, especially as they haven't learnt the words to 'Le Freak' properly. I think you'll find it's "C'est Chic" and not "So Chic" guys....
No great loss that we only got the Marillion song in the Breakers section.
Alexander O'Neal - I do feel sorry for the lady given that she sings the entire chorus, not just that she's shoved offstage but also that she doesn't get a joint credit on the song!
Incidentally, I always thought the twisted lyric was "Your bum stinking ain't right" although the more famous one is of course "Don't criticise my frizz, don't criticise my high heels.."
Nina Simone - Not Nina's best song albeit her most famous. My black cat is cooler than the one in the video though!
In the words of Queen “It’s late it’s late but not too late”..
ReplyDeleteA few highlights and some lows….
Communards – Never can say goodbye – Gloria Gaynor took this to no2 in 1974/5 but I really like this version too. Not sure what the string quartet were doing there as I can’t hear them on the track.
Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes – (I’ve had) the time of my life – Probably not one of my particular favourites as I have heard it so often .Not sure why they said it was the US no1 as that was Tiffany with ‘I think we’re alone now’. A couple of weeks later Bill and Jen reached the top.
Mirage – Jack mix IV – I heard the word ‘Jack’ and I raced to FF.
Breakers – Donna Summer – hope we see more of this, looked and sounded good. Marillion – If I am not mistaken this is the album mix rather than the single mix, and who is the female singer? Whitney Houston – Shrieky awfulness.
Alexander O’Neal – Criticize – FF
T’Pau – China in your Hand – Wonderful record so deserved of the top spot. Still miss that second verse though and nobody available to mime the saxophone.
Nina Simone – My Baby just cares for me – Best of the plasticine videos for me. I just love the way the cats tails are given a slow wag.
RIP Doris Day. Died at the grand old age of 97. No1 for 9 weeks in 1964 with ‘Secret Love’.
Duh! 1954 not 1964!!
DeleteAlthough we didn't see it here as it hadn't cracked the Top 40, Doris saw her song Move Over, Darling back in the UK charts in 1987 thanks to its use in an ad for tights. What a voice! And she had a number one album a couple of years ago, too. RIP.
Deletewhat is frightening about doris day dying at 97 is that not that long ago i watched s dvd of her in a 60's film with rod taylor and thought she looked pretty good - despite being in her 40's at the time!
Deletei also feel compelled to say: regardless of one's age, how does one die of pneumonia when one is rich and resides in california?
DeletePneumonia doesn't strike you because it's cold, necessarily, it's a lung disease picked up by infection. My mum had it a few years back, and she hadn't suffered a chill beforehand.
DeleteWas the film The Glass Bottom Boat, by any chance? I thought that was hilarious as a kid! And yes, Doris may not have been a classic beauty, but she was cute, and had a singing voice that could be surprisingly sensual.
Deletethanks for enlightening me on pneumonia thx - i always assumed the cause of such deaths among the elderly was because they couldn't afford to have the heating on in chilly weather conditions!
Deletealso yes, that was the film concerned. despite being a swinging 60's spy movie, the only good thing about it (other than robert vaughn making a brief cameo appearance as "the man from u.n.c.l.e) was a bossa nova instrumental (presumably penned by the film's music composer frank de vol?) that was played in the background of a romance scene. quite amazingly though given as far as i can tell the soundtrack was never commercially released, there is a high-quality dialogue-free version of that piece on yt:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1jedNErS9k
On the pneumonia topic, according to Wikipaedia, Hal Roach who managed Laurel & Hardy in the 1920s & 1930s, died in his home in Los Angeles from pneumonia in 1992 at the age of 100. I found this American chat show interview with him at the age of 100:
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ap-eBNB0ieM
Stereo TOTP continues and Gary is back with PP in tow.
ReplyDeleteReverend Cole and Tintin back with a great pop song. The band seem to have grown somewhat since we last saw them. This got a lot of Radio play at the time I recall and rightly so. We must be near the end for the band as I am sure Jimmy was solo by 89.
Dirty Dancing. What a film. And a great song as well. Wouldn't have got this performance without the US shows so well done TOTP. And they are singing live. Very good vocals too. 😀
No 1 in the US. And we got cut off.
Jack Mix back again. I apologise again for buying these.. 😀 😀 😀 Do you think its actually them on the record. 😀 😀 😀 😀
Alexander ONeal. What a fabulous tune this is. Proper floor filler this one. Doesn't sound dated at all. Quality.
Why can't the lady come on stage Alex? Poor woman. Hope they've done a risk assemsment... Heels, steps.. Could have ended very badly.
Breakers :
Donna Summer. Like this. Video a bit naff but who cares when the songs this good.
Marillion. Nope still don't get the appeal of this lot. What is he wearing?
Whitney getting all emotional and back to her pop side. Not a bad tune this. Not her next but perfectly listenable.
Quickly to the top ten this week. Tpau got the top. Happy 600th Carol. Doesn't look a day over 30. 😀
Advert time. Take it away Nina and her plasticine pals.
Very good show.
Fine performance by the Communards - another song we cover. Think us oldies in the band remember the originals, and the younger members were TOTP viewers on 1987 :-)
ReplyDeleteSoon went downhill though...
Jack Mix *4*!! Talk about scraping the barrel... and I thought Jive Bunny were terrible.
Again the breakers rescue the show. Marillion became more Gabriel Genesis with every release though.
T’Pau 600th number one eh? Pop trivia question filed away to bring out at a boring party