Cross my heart
17/03/88 (Gary Davies & Mike Read)
Bros – “Drop The Boy” (17)
Getting the show underway with what became their second of eight top ten hits, and their second of four number twos, when it peaked at number 2.
Heart – “These Dreams” (12) (video)
Peaked at number 8.
Erasure – “Ship Of Fools” (6) (rpt from 03/03/88)
Went up no higher.
Sinitta – “Cross My Broken Heart” (30) (breaker)
Became her third of four top ten hits when it peaked at number 6
Simon Harris – “Bass (How Low Can You Go)” (29) (breaker)
Peaked at number 12.
Keith Sweat – “I Want Her” (31) (breaker)
Peaked at number 26.
David Lee Roth – “Just Like Paradise” (27) (breaker)
The Van Halen frontman's biggest solo hit, but it got no higher.
Eighth Wonder – “I’m Not Scared” (20)
It's Patsy Kensit in the studio performing what became Eighth Wonder's only top ten hit and it peaked at number 7.
Aswad – “Don’t Turn Around” (4)
Will be number one next week.
Kylie Minogue – “I Should Be So Lucky” (1) (video)
Fifth and final week at number one.
Eric B & Rakim – “I Know You Got Soul” (13) (video/credits)
Their biggest hit, but it got no higher.
Next up is 24th March.
Mike Read and Gazza are both in stripy t-shirts, and also both in decent form, Mike's unfortunate stumble while introducing Bros at the start excepted. Is it me, or does his voice seem to have got a bit deeper since his return to the show? From this point on, with the demise of TOTP USA, we will start seeing a bit less of Gazza.
ReplyDeleteBros are back, dressed exactly like they were for their previous appearances but with Craig now positioned on the other side of the stage and jiggling around a lot more, perhaps to get some more camera time? This was my sister's favourite Bros song, and I quite liked it back then as well, but time has not been kind and it also suffers from an excess of Matt's vocal affectations - he sounds like he's throwing up in the chorus! Something much more smooth from Heart to follow, though for me the chorus never quite lifts off as much as I would have liked, and the song always leaves me a bit underwhelmed in consequence. On the evidence of their barnets in this video, the Wilson sisters may have been single-handedly responsible for the hole in the ozone layer...
We won't be getting any more of this track by the unfortunately-named Keith Sweat - presumably his management couldn't persuade him to adopt a different monicker! Gazza was enthusing about it, but it did nothing for me. David Lee Roth's effort is a bit more to my liking, as it's a respectable bit of tuneful radio-friendly rock. Some impressive shots of that severe rock face in the video too, though DLR himself has a very unappealing visual presence.
Where were the rest of Eighth Wonder, then? Maybe they realised the camera would just be focused on Patsy anyway, so there was no point in them turning up. In any case, Miss Kensit is looking good in her little black dress, though I don't find her thin singing voice any more convincing than her acting. Still, with imperial phase PSB writing and producing your song that doesn't really matter, and this is a lush, haunting slice of pop music. Aswad, on their way to number 1 (as rightly predicted by Gazza), turn up to the studio in an excess of brown leather, and to end we get Eric B & Rakim, who manage to chuck another "pump up the volume" into a record that is solely memorable thanks to the extensive Jackson 5 sample, though the video also contains some nice archive clippage, notably of Peter Wyngarde. Clearly rappers couldn't get enough of The Jacksons at this point, as we have already had Derek B sampling them a few shows back. I Want You Back would also soon return to the charts itself, albeit in a remixed version.
Are you sure Mike's voice didn't sound deeper because he kept lapsing into his Bates impression every bloody link?
DeleteThat may be part of it! His piss-taking of Bates in this show reinforces my view that they did not get on. However, his voice has definitely seemed a little different across his last few appearances.
DeleteNot a bad show tonight, I really liked 'I'm Not Scared' at the time. Thankfully I'd forgotten about 'Drop The Boy' up to now.
ReplyDeleteMike Read was on good form and even got a little dig at Bates in ('darlings!') at the end.
1988 was a year in which high-quality songwriting returned to the hit parade in a big way. Even Sinitta's effort was one of Stock-Aitken-Waterman's more accomplished compositions, as was Mel & Kim's 'That's The Way It Is' (by that time on its way down the chart).
ReplyDeleteHeart's 'These Dreams', penned by the mighty Bernie Taupin with the prolific British songwriter Martin Page, remains one of my favourite power ballads of all time. I still love Heart's early work, though - and this live version of 'Dreamboat Annie', with Ann Wilson playing flute, showcases the band at its best:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvqB_go0ZIk
Eighth Wonder's collaboration with Pet Shop Boys always reminds me somewhat of Abba's later work - and the D3 Patsy Kensit reaches in the verse would not be out of Anni-Frid Lyngstad's range. The actress's band was mired in personnel shuffles at that time, which explains why she flew solo on TOTP (and 'Pebble Mill At One') to promote the single. Despite all that, and even with a grammatical error that would have irked Inspector Morse ('If I WAS you'), 'I'm Not Scared' is an excellent recording. The melodic follow-up 'Cross My Heart' would see Eighth Wonder restored to full band status on TOTP a few months later.
At the time of Patsy's chart success, my then boyfriend - who followed Primitives and Transvision Vamp - informed me that he preferred Eighth Wonder's earlier, rockier singles, such as the Japanese No.1 'When The Phone Stops Ringing'. That song was written by Holly Knight with...Bernie Taupin! The lyrical marvel from Lincolnshire had also co-written Animotion's European smash 'I Engineer' a couple of years earlier - as if to prove he could make an impact independently of Sir Elton!
Aswad would achieve a deserved No.1 with 'Don't Turn Around', which had previously been recorded by Tina Turner as the B-side to 'Typical Male'. The song would give writers Diane Warren and Albert Hammond OBE a second collaborative British chart-topper, following the success of Starship's 'Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now' the previous year.
Finally, Bros - notwithstanding their status as a boy band - made some very fine singles. I particularly admired 'I Quit' and the ballad 'Cat Among The Pigeons'. With more effective management, Matt Goss - a most underrated singer - could have progressed to a dazzling solo chart career. He has been thrilling audiences in Las Vegas for many years, but I am convinced he could have achieved much more.
The video for These Dreams by Heart was made in 1985, got to No.1 in America in 1986, and only arrived in the UK as a top ten hit as late as 1988, which I guess was released on the back of the enormous success of Alone in the summer of 1987. A very nice tune, and I agree, one of the 80s finest power ballads if not of all time, and just got to love Nancy Wilson on that video!
DeleteI always thought Matt Goss was doing a Michael Jackson impersonation on his Bros singles, but on Drop the Boy he was a lot closer to Louis Armstrong, and every bit as ridiculous as that sounds. At times he even gives us his Fozzie Bear. Anyway, a step down in quality from their previous hit, but it kept them in the limelight. Calm down, Ken!
ReplyDeleteHeart with a successful but lesser-recalled hit, and it's not as memorable as their biggie, if anything it's a lightweight affair that could do with Nancy's rawk guitar actually being heard on the record. Video is prime 80s pretentiousness. Who has ever seen a stained glass wall, anyway?
Erasure is a repeat, so onto the two Breakers we won't see again. Keith Sweat is chiefly memorable for his perspiration-based surname, but I Want Her was a fair bit of pop soul saddled with some rather too forceful lyrics that put you off him a bit. Did David Lee Roth inspire that Free Solo guy? What do you mean, that guy's too young to know who he is? Mr Roth struggled after leaving his biggest success behind, and this was strictly by the numbers big hair rock. His cover of Just a Gigolo was more typical of his naff appeal.
Patsy looking very modern here, I think her brother was the only band member other than she who stuck with them, and he's conspicuous by his absence. You can tell it was a PSB effort in all but name, as they had boosted Dusty and would boost Liza, and it sounds rather great with top pretentio-lyrics and Miss Kensit a charismatic presence. As mentioned above - if I WERE you, surely? The next year she was Mel Gibson's doomed girlfriend in Lethal Weapon 2, but neither Hollywood stardom nor the singing career lasted.
Aswad in matching leather car coats and one is even sporting driving gloves. Get used to this one.
Kylie completes her reign of terror, then we get a fraction of another Eric B. and Rakim remix from the UK - presumably they didn't like this one either, as they're nowhere to be seen, but Peter Wyngarde is. If you've never heard Peter's album When Sex Rears Its Inquisitive Head, erm, well don't seek it out unless you have a strong musical constitution.
i really never understood why patsy kensit with her pinched and sourpuss features was considered some kind of pin-up? still at least she's very slim here - unlike 10 years earlier, when she appeared in a drama anthology series called "armchair thriller" that i watched on dvd a while back. to say she was chubby would perhaps be a bit kind!
DeleteI'm not the biggest flagwaver for Patsy, but she had a baby faced look about her that many men go for - many rock stars anyway, she married four of them before giving up that particular hobby.
DeleteTotally agree THX, I quite like that look that most men go for, and I'm sure that other performers would like to look as good as her in a minidress as she did in the TOTP studio, but it does help when you are a cute 20 years old, and at No.20 in the charts.
DeleteA girl of my generation and same age as me, so even more delightful at the time. However, the PSB lyrics on the record, ie, "take these dogs away from me" I felt did not suit her loveliness, especially for a debut single, and was better left for the Pet Shop boys to wail!
I've seen the Bros film now, and it is hilarious for much of it, but surprisingly sad occasionally. Felt a bit sorry for them after seeing it, their fans dropped the boys, they were so young after all, and it's obviously left them extremely touchy. But how come Luke is bald and Matt has a full head of hair?
ReplyDeleteGood combination anchoring the show this week, but some of the material not so…
ReplyDeleteBros – Drop the Boy – It’s really not that good. Just riding on the current Bros fad. Much prefer the big no1 that followed later in the year.
Heart – These Dreams – Well deserved belated success. No comment made about the age of the record, but hey, it’s timeless. I don’t think ‘Never’ was played much (just like say ‘The Dreams of Children’), so it’s not in ‘Penny Lane / Strawberry Fields Forever’ territory, but a damn fine coupling all the same. Yeah, enjoyed the video as well….in fact the highlight of the show.
Erasure – Ship of Fools – Good old repeat! Not their best effort….that would come later in 1988.
Breakers – Sinitta – speechless! Simon Harris & Keith Sweat – speechless for quite different reasons! David Lee Roth – from Van Halen? Heeeavvvy. This just sounds corny. Covered ‘California Girls’ before this three years earlier and got into the 60s….
Eighth Wonder – I’m not scared - …..also got into the 60s three years earlier (with ‘Stay with me’) is Faye from ‘Holby City’. This is quite good really, and much preferable to anything put out at this time from the other ‘Wonder’ – Stevie. Undoubted PSB vibe to the record, and love the LBD too – second show in a row we’ve seen one of those.
Aswad – Don’t turn around – Sorry, this is not for me. Not terrible, just not great…and one of those I thought “how did that make no1?”.
Kylie Minogue – I should be so lucky – This however, is infuriatingly catchy after all those years.
Eric B and Rakim – I know you got soul – FF to the end.
Gazza Davies and Mike Bates on reasonably good form but making more than the odd gaff here and there.
ReplyDeleteBros with “Drop The Boy Off A Cliff”(I wish) and even more annoying vocals than usual. Go Ken go!
Heart give us an attempt at a Bonnie Tyler epic video, poodle rock hair and drivetime AOR. No matter how hard that Flying V gets thwacked, you can barely hear guitar on the song.
Ha-ha-hilarious intro to Erasure there, Mike. Ahem.
Interesting, the breakers aren’t shown in descending chart order for a change.
Was that a swimsuit style ‘underneath’ part or matching green knickers for Sinitta? Sorry, was there a song going on?
A crap video and a waste of vinyl next. Base rather than bass.
No, Gaz, sweat isn’t a bodily organ! It turns out to be an overly boomy and unremarkable disco song with less soul than it pretends to have.
Rothers with an awful jarring video and an awful jarring tune, though I loved both the scenery and the drummer’s vocal mic.
They, Gary? Who and where are this ‘they’ in Eighth Wonder? Instead we get Chrissie Hynde’s main rival for the Pop Star Shagging Premiership title, miming a duck on a treadmill early doors.
Mugshot time – Mel and Kim are a ‘they’, Mike, not a ‘her’. Tsk!
Aswad providing the inspiration for Mister Hankie the Christmas Poo from “South Park” with their fashion. The tune also reminded me of something brown and undesirable.
I bet Slimes and PeTER PoWELL loved Mike’s impressions at the end. They left more of an impression on me than that dirge we finished with.
Do you get the feeling I didn’t enjoy that edition much?
Still catching up and almost there...
ReplyDeleteBros - Easily the worst of their big hits, they did make some good tunes but this has aged really badly.
Heart - A decent rock ballad, though my favourite of their singles is still to come..
Breakers - Keith Sweat sports one of the least appealing monikers in music history, down at the bottom with the likes of Dumpy's Rusty Nuts and Crispy Ambulance (though they at least had the good grace not to have any hits) and his song is drivel too. Surprisingly given that it's not my usual kind of thing I really like the Dave Lee Roth tune though both he and the video are very silly indeed.
Eighth Wonder - A good song, though after its 3rd release (I think) and a PSB mix the record company couldn't be accused of not trying hard to make them a success. Clearly, given that the band weren't present, Ms. Kensit was obviously the main attraction. Goodness knows why, I don't think she' particularly attractive, her acting skills aren't great either, and she seemed to collect husbands as if they were going out of fashion.
No wonder Aswad made No.1 given that they were on either side of the chart topper 2 weeks in a row, someone at TOTP liked them!
Eric B & Rakim - Norman Cook did the remix for this one I think, after their previous experience no wonder they didn't turn up this time. We'll be hearing more of 'I Want You Back' soon...
I saw Dumpy's Rusty Nuts once, at Guildford Live Aid. The only name artist rumoured to be on the bill, Bruce Foxton, never showed up!
DeleteWhen Prince announced he was going to be called The Artist Formerly Known as Prince in the 1990s, Dumpy's Rusty Nuts announced they would now be known as "Prince".
DeleteSome good stuff this week (but still a fair deal of FF)
ReplyDeleteBros - I don’t remember this... thankfully
Heart - I recently bought a box set of their albums. the albums were very variable but they picked their singles well, as in this case. Weird video though...
..as opposed to Sinnita video, which is very literal (ah, brings back memories of Pan’s People)
Ms Kensitt - PSB were really on a roll for a couple of years...
And my interest fades...
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ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteMyself and Wifey hiding from the rain and wind with a coffee a Choccy biccie and 17th March 1988.
ReplyDeleteBros now suitably famous. Red jacket and jeans look for what is probably my favourite of their hits. Don't hear it so much either which means it's not so tired. Craig dancing like a Giraffe with his guitar. Still not sure which twin is singing. Anyone know any Brosettes. 😀
We like Heart in this house. Wifey admiring the hair. Not sure the rocky guitar bit in the video matches the song. I wonder if Heart and The Bangles ever faced off? Very similar bands and These Dreams is the Eternal Flame moment for Heart.
Read tries to convince us he's dressed for the Ship of Fools song but the directors cut to the Erasure performance from 2 weeks ago is a complete giveaway. Two weeks in a row the cuts have been a bit jumpy. Think Ciani needs a new vision mixer.
Breakers:
Sinitta is back with more SAW. "Wheres her skirt, she doesn't really do clothes does she" says Wifey. Nice distraction from the bloody awful record. Worst thing she ever did.
Simon Harris. Both myself and wifey bought this as kids. Sorry.
Bobby Brown... Sorry Keith Sweat up next. Nice slice of R&B. Quite like this.
David Lee Rock by numbers. Forgettable stuff really.
Eighth Wonder. Love love love this. Beautifully written produced and sung. But of a looker was our Patsy as well which helped. Can't see what 13 year old me liked about this. 😀 😀 😀
Still a favourite today and into the crackers list. Does she actually have a band?
Gary rather surplus to requirement this week as it's the Mike Read show all the way.
Aswad. Next week's number one as Brinsley and Co make it to the studio. They really struck gold with this song. A real fresh summer sound. Still sounding good today. Thumbs up chez Morgie.
Kylie video number 1 and she's top down under as well.. 😀
Eric B and Rakim to play out. Where is Whitney? Surely she should get a look in..