Wet a little help from my friends
26/05/88 (Mark Goodier & Steve Wright)
Debbie Gibson – “Out Of The Blue” (19)
Girl next door Debbie gets tonight's show underway but the song got no higher.
LA Mix – “Check This Out” (13) (video)
With some nice touches of humour this was their only top ten hit and it peaked at number 6.
Ofra Haza – “Im Nin’Alu” (15)
Bringing some eastern promise (and a stack load of tellies) into the studio but like Debbie before her the song got no higher.
Climie Fisher – “This Is Me” (22) (breaker)
Got no higher.
Aswad – “Give A Little Love” (25) (breaker)
Peaked at number 11.
The Style Council – “Life At A Top People’s Health Farm” (28) (breaker)
Got no higher.
Hothouse Flowers – “Don’t Go” (11)
Making their studio debut but this was another song already at its peak.
Mica Paris – “My One Temptation” (17)
Another studio debutante and this song became her only top ten hit when it peaked at number 7.
Scritti Politti – “Oh Patti (Don’t Feel Sorry For Loverboy)” (18)
This understated little number peaked at number 13.
Wet Wet Wet – “With A Little Help From My Friends” (1) (rpt from 12/05/88)
Second of four weeks at number one.
Heart – “What About Love” (14) (video/credits)
And another song at its peak.
Next up is June 2nd.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWashing up gloves at the ready…and I watched “live” tonight as I managed to secure the remote between Emmerdale’s.
ReplyDeleteThe American teenage dream, blonde hair, blue eyed, denim wearing Ms Gibson – live from a branch of Rumbelows with her worst song to date. Glad she ditched the oldies though, much better performance.
La Mix. Check this out – it’s how to put a load of samples together and make a racket! Video a bit cheap…oh hang on…it’s KIM TATE FROM EMMERDALE!
Foreign language songs are the in thing this year. Ms Paradis gives way to Ofra who will give way to Desireless very shortly. I must admit I do like this. Not sure Israel were in Eurovision back then but this would have been a safe bet for the title. “Im Nin Alu” not the weirdest song title of the week amazingly
Breakers:
Climie Fisher back again for the third time this year. I don’t remember this one but it sounds quite upbeat and I’m going to check it out.
Aswad. At the time this appeared I instantly recognised this song…it’s a Bucks Fizz cover (from the b- side of their almost 1986 Xmas hit “Keep Each Other Warm”). This is a Diane Warren track I believe and a much more reggae version than the BF pop version. Very summery.
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=bucks+fizz+give+a+little+love+you+tube&view=detail&mid=88DE9267F4C1A175EADE88DE9267F4C1A175EADE&FORM=VIRE
Style Council – Still going and with only the second oddest song title of the week “Life At A Top People’s Health Farm” Very much a 1984 tune struggling to make a mark in 1988, even with Wellers Blonde hair and a summery video.
Hothouse Flowers. Flower Power 88 style. Large flowery shirts, long hair, sideburns. Takes a while to get going but excellent when it gets there.
Mica Paris. So the best song on the show. Sweet and soulful “One Temptation”. Great voice, classy look, quality stuff.
Scritti Polliti get oddest song title of the night award “Oh Patti (Don’t Feel Sorry For Loverboy)”. What? A very slow and serious song that requires EIGHT people on stage (still lagging behind the 10 from Billy). Always find this one a bit dull. Nice long jacket and Green is clearly pleased to be there judging by the bulge in his trousers!
Thankfully we get WWW for the Number One (and I never thought I’d say that).
A very short Heart playout that did nothing except annoy Wifey as it was so short and she likes Heart.. any longer and you’d have missed the start of Emmerdale…
Good to see you getting in your comment first for a change, Morgie! Israel had been competing in Eurovision for some time by now, and had won back-to-back contests in 1978 and '79. As was mentioned on the comments for the previous show, Ofra Haza herself came second in the 1983 contest, with a song called Chai (which means "alive").
DeleteCheers John. The first Eurovision I remember watching was in 1988 but wasn't sure who joined when. I assumed it was only about 15 counties back then but it grew quite quickly, ,
DeleteI almost commented that I remembered the aswad song as ‘less reggae’ - it was obviously the Fizz track I remembered. Label shows Albert Hammond as cowriter, of ‘free electric band’ and Albert hammond jr fame..
DeleteTo elaborate on John G's observation, the 1970s had more regular music from Israel in the British charts, as it was the decade of Uri Geller who seemed to be a regular (no anagram intended) on ITV (London Weekend Television I seem to remember with his magic.
DeleteWith regard to Israeli music in the British Charts, there was of course a plethora in the late 70s, most notably Aba Ni Bi by the Yitzar Cohen Orchestra, and then the top 5 hit Halleluyah by Milk & Honey which won Eurovision in 1979, and I think is still the highest charting position for an Israeli act in the British pop charts.
There then seemed to be nothing at all from Israel during the 1980s after Milk & Honey, until the arrival of Ofra Haza in 1988, who had the voice of an angel, and where she is now singing in that heaven in the sky, as she sadly departed our dear world of some AIDS-related pneumonia in 2000 when she was only 42. A sad loss to good music connoisseurs.
Dory, Israeli couple Esther and Abi Ofarim made number 1 in 1968 with "Cinderella Rockafella". One of those records I remember vividly from when I was six.
Deleteone could argue that gene simmons of kiss counts? as chaim witz he was born in israel and spent the first 7 or 8 years of his childhood there before moving to the states
DeleteHad Wrighty developed a phobia about germs before this show? Whatever his motivation for wearing those gloves, they just made him look a bigger berk than usual, and he still has no real idea of how to address a camera. Mark Goodier looks the more seasoned of the two, despite having much less experience, and his chart rundown is predictably good. However, he is still a bit too smiley and eager to please, giving off a bit of a Mike Smash vibe, and his copious praise for the featured acts sounds insincere. Incidentally, I see Paul Ciani decided on a gimmicky opening link this week with the two hosts on either side of the studio - it will be interesting to see how long that one lasted...
ReplyDeleteThe staging of Debbie Gibson's performance has a Big Brother feel to it, with all those screens behind her filled with her face. Still, it's a perky turn and she's wearing a nice denim jacket, even if the song itself is one to file in the "nice but bland" category. The LA Mix video felt a bit like an offcut from a Mr Bean episode, though it was most memorable for Kim Tate miming to Lauren Bacall. Sadly the track was mostly forgettable dance fare, though at least they were self aware enough to stick in a "not again" before becoming the latest act to have a bit of Pump Up the Volume in their record.
Ofra Haza next, with Ciani making the silly decision to have two consecutive studio acts on the same Big Brother stage. We also get some bits of the video, which is good because it must have been shot in Israel and has that epic, biblical feel in consequence. However, the song doesn't do much for me and feels like a bit of throwaway background music with ideas above its station. Climie Fisher were already past the peak of their career, and this anonymous effort (another reissue) didn't deserve to climb any higher. Quite a raunchy video, mind you, with leather jackets everywhere you look. A blond Weller is in satirical mode, but it's obvious from this lame offering that the Style Council had run out of steam, and the end was not far away now.
Fresh from getting their big break as an interval act at that year's Eurovision in Dublin, which I suppose means that in a sense they paved the way for Riverdance, Hothouse Flowers invade the studio with this jaunty, summery tune. It perhaps suffers a bit from Paul Simon syndrome, with too many words being crammed into the verses, but overall it is catchy and likeable, and is a refreshingly different kind of sound for that era. I agree with Mark that Mica Paris' effort does give the American soul ballads of the time a run for their money with its sleek, slinky and sophisticated sound, though her Homepride hat and boxy jacket were unfortunate fashion choices for her big TOTP debut.
Scritti Politti return, and Green's hat suits him rather better than Mica's did her. This is a very pretty and well-constructed ballad, though it would also prove to be Green's penultimate Top 40 entry as he failed to recapture his 1984-85 chart momentum. More big hair and gothic fashion from Heart to finish, with Ann looking a bit menacing wielding that mallet. Not a bad song, if not quite in their top league, but it is notable how much Roxette's Listen to Your Heart would later rip this off.
Climie Fisher were very appropriately named for this week's show, ie, 'climbing' up the charts as one of the Breakers. Good Lord, TOTP seems to be persisting with this Breakers section on each show.
DeleteWhen does it finally get the chop, so that instead we get one extra full play performance instead of 3-4 part-play clips taking up the 3-4 minutes or so of a single full play tune? Had enough of the Breakers concept by now, as it has been going strong for around two years since 1986 when it was introduced on the show!
It looks as if the breakers section continues right up until 1994, so a long way to go yet!
DeleteGood Lord, that is a fair old stint, like 8 years. Surprised it ran that long on the show, so we're in for the long haul then!
DeleteDreadful! Ofra (and Heart) was the highlight...
ReplyDeleteDebbie Gibson... zzzzz
LA Mix - first of these ‘mix’ that has managed to get to the end without a FF (although even this had a lot of recycling)...
Dreadful breakers (even the Style Council!)
FFFFFFF...
Heart, What there was if it, and good night!
Finally... what’s with the gloves?
I recall Wrighty telling us to watch this TOTP on his show that afternoon because he was trying out a fashion statement. Turned out to be his idea of a joke, wearing marigolds. As long as he was happy (and it was his birthday this week - he's a pensioner now!).
ReplyDeleteAnyway, Deb to start, eager to please but terminally unexciting in her poppery. Looks very egotistical in front of loads of images of herself in this performance. Can barely remember how this one goes now.
LA Mix, this guy obviously had a sense of humour because (as I read on TV Cream) LA didn't stand for Los Angeles, it stood for Les Adams, which was his name (!). Showing some self-awareness of sampling culture, at least, and not so bad as these things go, but you can imagine it would get tiresome after a few listens.
Then the best thing on the show, the late Ofra Haza with a groovy, expansive slice of Middle Eastern pop. She puts in a professional performance that silences the whoopers for a change, and the epic atmosphere of the production mixed with her vocals should have guaranteed Top Ten, but alas it was seen as a bit of a novelty record.
Vague memories of the Climie Fisher tune, but nothing engaging. The Style Council's effort I liked at the time, despite (or maybe because of) its lack of a conventional tune. Or lyrics. Mick enjoying dressing up a tad too much in the video.
Hothouse Flowers - I'd forgotten Chris in the Morning from Northern Exposure had a hit record. But no, these were Irish lads with a mean line in piano and sax, written about the lead singer's friend who was dying at the time, which makes it quite poignant. I liked this so much I bought the album, but haven't listened to it since 1988!
Mica Paris with her sophisticated soul, nicely done but she never did anything very much for me, not funky enough nor swoony enough. I seem to remember thinking she didn't really have a neck, but she looked OK here, so memory plays tricks.
Scritti Politti back with Green's produced to within an inch of its life dream pop, not sure if this was the best single to release first for the album, but it did OK I suppose. The appeal had worn off a little for me with these guys by that stage, but they had a distinctive sound, I'll give them that.
Wet Wet Wet with a little help from their heroin, then to end half the Heart video, all very emphatic and overproduced to very little effect. Basically Alone but not as good. At least we hear Nancy's guitar this time, not sure about Ann's Timmy Mallet impersonation.
as he's still doing daily shows on radio 2 as far as i know (despite being an OAP), does wrighty ever alert his listeners when his old totp shows are shown on bbc4?
Deleteregarding the lack of neck of mica paris: was she related to gladstone small?
DeleteAnyone not familiar with Gladstone Small, check out the Melbourne Ashes Test of 1986 for his finest bowling hour (along with Ian Botham's long hops) to serve up a Boxing Day treat for England fans!
DeleteI never listen to Wrighty, I listen to Shaun Keaveny on 6 Music, so have no idea if he plugs his TOTP appearances. I doubt it, though he must be happy with the repeats fees!
DeleteI remember watching Warwickshire's Gladstone Small as an England regular in the late 80s Test match team while the likes of Botham, Gower and Gooch were still in the England side, and thinking how well Small did to get into the Test side with a short neck as a fast bowler, but he was very effective, and from the Bob Willis Warwickshire stable that seemed to bring out a conveyer belt of England players in the 80s, including Nick Knight at the top of the batting order to name yet another!
DeleteUm, actually Nick Knight was a product of the Essex Cricket Academy, making his Essex first team debut in 1991 and moving to Warwickshire in 1995. Our loss I would say (as a current Essex CC Member).
Deleteyes the episodes are cut now, luckily i grabbed all Mr. Goodier's episodes, when BBC4 mistakenly thought it was smithy, i am still still in a position to supply some episodes, but alas no bbc archive no more, here is 26/05/88, with extended playout, not a great episode overall.
ReplyDeletehttps://we.tl/t-2kN9HNs9b3
It seems that BBC4 in the last few weeks have done well to annoy viewers with destroying the playout video as soon the credits are done, and surely this is not how the shows were originally broadcast in 1988?
DeleteFirst Kylie, then Liverpool FC, and now Heart probably the most cruelly cut, just as I was getting into the song's romantic lyrics. And all these chops just in May 1988 alone!
I mean what is it with BBC4 in the last few weeks, and who is directing such a chop at the end of the show? I would suggest that we get a Neil B or Anonymous upload of the original 1988 airings, and every week from now on, on top of the BBC4 one, so that we can see for ourselves, as I am sure the original shows could not have been chopped this badly at the end of these May 1988 shows!
mica paris: i actually remember the very first time i heard this on the radio. i had no idea who it was (i probably assumed she was american at the time too), but i was instantly hooked by the quality of the singing, the song, the flugelhorn playing, and in general the sheer class of it all compared to the chart dross generally being pumped out over the airwaves at the time. later on i managed to get hold of her debut album - that was a curates egg of three or four more excellent soulful grooves, but also several duffers. unfortunately all her follow-up singles were of the latter variety, and so she struggled to build on an explosive start accordingly. and to make matters worse: after that mica decided that she could do without people writing and producing for her, and proceeded to destroy whatever credibility she had built up with her own tuneless rubbish - eventually having to "do a toyah" (despite unlike ms wilcox having a fabulous voice) and become an all-purpose media whore in order to keep herself in the public eye
ReplyDeleteRight old load of tosh in the main tonight; agree with Anonymous on this! Love the stage with all the TVs though!...as for Wrighty’s rubber gloves….brings to mind the Rah Band.
ReplyDeleteAfter noting last week that Debbie Gibson’s ‘Out of the Blue’ made me think of the ELO’s ‘Out of the Blue’ album, I have to say another ‘Out of the Blue’ song wins hands down on Debbie in my view (and it’s not Roxy!). Yes, it’s another Australian ‘Neighbours’ Soap Star Delta Goodrem aka Nina Tucker. Written in 2004 as a tribute to tennis star Mark Philippoussis who supported her through a cancer battle, only for him to cheat on her, resulting in her turning to Brian (sigh!). What a song though! Lovely video with Delta preening and pouting on beaches and pianos until suddenly, at 03:00 it all turns a bit disturbing and surreal.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkTfHRAn408
LA Mix – Check this out – Simply dreadful.
Ofra Haza – Im non Alu – Weird. Reminds me of Monsoon’s ‘Ever so lonely’ but not in a good way.
Breakers – No comment. Didn’t whet my appetite whatsoever.
Hothouse Flowers – Don’t go- Yazoo this ain’t.
Mica Paris – My one temptation – Prefer Ryan, or even just ‘Paris’ (with the original of ‘Have you ever been in love’). Having said that, this is one of the better songs on tonight’s show – that ‘brassy’ bit (bah-ba-ba-bah) reminds of another song that eludes me.
Scritti Politti – Oh Patti – Understated indeed…
Wet wet wet – With a little help for my friends – With a little help from the record buying public at the time Kylie could have displaced this travesty at no1.
Heart – What about love – Saving the best for last (“Hi Vanessa!”) this is cruelly chopped as people above have noted. The only bit I don’t like about this song is the fade bit at the end where it goes all frantic, but of course we don’t get that far here.
It was a little disappointing that they didn't put Heart on as second slot, ie, the customary video slot second up on the roster, as this was only one place below LA Mix, and normally TOTP sidelined the house/Jack tunes to the playout, thanks to their meaningless lyrics, and 'check this out' being no different, so why oh why did they have these two tunes the wrong way round in the show line up?
DeleteI mean Heart by means of the Wilson sisters is quality/romantic sound (Nancy being my favourite crush of the decade), and LA Mix have no meaning to their lyrics. I mean I would have preferred to 'check out' Heart with a full play second up on the show!
I noticed that Samantha Fox entered this week at No.33, and alas will not get a showing on TOTP for this one, not even as a Breaker or playout, as it peaked the following week at No.31, and so missed out on the Breakers also. This tune was the start of her stint living in the US, with American band Full Force accompanying her from here on in on her singles, and Good Lord she seemed to take the States by storm, going huge with this one getting to No.3 over there.
ReplyDeleteI did not recall it in the British charts peaking at only No.31, but I certainly remember hearing it every week on Paul Gambaccani's American charts on Radio 1 every week on Saturdays, and in 1988 we were also getting Kasey Kasem's American Top Ten on late night ITV, and seeing the video on there. Suffice to say that the video was very good, albeit only the edited video seems to be available on UTube and worth a watch at this juncture before it slides out of our charts:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXEN57rFnIM
In fact, all three singles released in 1988 failed to trouble the top 30 in Britain, but all made top 10 in America, which seemed to take a huge liking to her, helped on board no doubt by Full Force who appeared on all the singles, which no doubt gave her the zip on the singles to perform so well in America, but did not seem make an impact over here.
Well I have to say that this effort from Sam Fox is really quite a departure from the likes of 'Touch me (I want your Body)'...and not in a good way! At 04:25 this is an edited version?! Not keen on this at all and as I didn't listen to Gambaccini, have not heard it before.
DeleteOh dear, that gorblimey guvnor Cockney knees-up rapping! That's very embarrassing. Hasn't aged well, but I vaguely recall it, though mostly as the soundtrack to the donkey sex scene in the comedy Clerks 2! How to ruin a song, by Kevin Smith...
DeleteI would concur with others that, overall, not the best of shows.
ReplyDeleteSteve Wright, donning a pair of marigolds, looked hideous; perhaps he was seeking to detract from his receding hairline. Mark Goodier, who would become a likeable presenter, was also still showing the nerves on this, only his second outing as host.
Highlight of the programme for me was the perky opening number from Debbie Gibson which I'm surprised stalled at 19, however I didn't warm to the stage design, replete with television sets. It perhaps felt akin at the time to performing in the shop window of Rumbelows!
Random question to the Archivists; is the 11th November 1976 show available at all please?
ReplyDeleteIt's been wiped by those ruthless people at the BBC. Here's all that's left of it:
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoBJ5F5qZVI
Ah shame!! Thanks for the link. I was interested in this show as it featured Eddie and the Hot Rods with 'Teenage Depression'. I am pretty sure that lead singer Barrie Masters performed this with no shirt on. Everyone at school was talking about this appearance the next day as it was probably the first punk act to appear on the show. Can't believe that they were wiping shows as late as 1976.
DeleteI think it was in 1978 that the BBC finally put a proper archiving policy in place for old programmes, hence why there are no editions of TOTP missing after '77. Even then, they continued wiping some kids' shows well into the 80s - I know quite a few early editions of Saturday Superstore were not kept, for example.
DeleteDon't forget Cheggers Plays Pop!
DeleteIf you want an excuse to clear your internet search history sooner rather than later, I note both Debbie Gibson and Tiffany did nude photo shoots, for Playboy I think, though not, I stress, when they were teenage stars (and not together). Typical "need a lot of money now the royalties are drying up" faded star behaviour, but I guess their fans from the 80s appreciated this. Or at least felt the pressure of curiosity.
ReplyDeleteIt did seem that in 1988 the music industry was looking to rush in certain performers at a very early age, and perhaps too early. I mean Vanessa Paradis at 15, Tiffany at 16, and Debbie Gibson at 17, all in 1988.
DeleteAt the same juncture, Kylie Minogue and Patsy Kensit arrived on the scene in 1988 at the age of 20 and much more appealing as new performers, as they clearly had more appeal for pop music fans by doing their time before being given their first opportunity.
I enjoyed this edition very much, May 88 for me is when the music starts getting really good, before a Summer lull, and then it picks up again later in the year. Shame about Paul Ciani insisting on everything being chopped to 3 minutes, or about 2 minutes if you're in the 'coveted' first video slot.
ReplyDeleteDebbie Gibson - Very bland indeed.
LA Mix - I really like this one, it brings a bit of humour to the genre, though Les Adams got into trouble for using an 'Addams Family' sample at the end of the track so you won't find that version anywhere noe.
Ofra Haza - Simply brilliant, a truly enchanting song if an unlikely hit and boy is she stunning. Such a shame how things turned out for her.
Breakers - I think the Climie Fisher one is good, strange how they didn't get an appearance in the studio for it, that might be why it stalled after making a big jump in this week. On the other hand, the Style Council are back with another risible song with a dreadful title. Was it about Thatcher? Probably.
The Hothouse Flowers - Another good song, though they never managed to build on this early promise.
Mica Paris - She's a good singer, it's a perfectly fine song and yet I've never been that taken by it.
Scritti Politti - Another magnificent song, I love the production and the trumpet solo which is by Miles Davis on the record but clearly not here.
Heart - For me, their finest song but a shame that for the 2nd week in a row we didn't get to see much of it....
Welcome to the “Got No Higher Show”, with tonight’s main set sponsored by early Channel 4 favourites OTV from Hackney.
ReplyDelete“I’m not standing near that prick wearing gloves!” “Okay, Mark, start the show from the other balcony and we’ll go from there.”
Debbie’s sweet inoffensive opener ruined by those sodding flying screen effects. Take the toy box away from that idiot!
Ha-ha-happy house from LA Mix. “Bom bom, poppadom”, Les? Really? I did like the “Not again” mickeytake, mind you.
Look at the bling on Ofra Haza! I can see why people loved this but it did nothing for me.
Another nondescript effort from Clime Fisher. Looked like Yazz in their video.
Aswad’s pop-reggae karaoke effort was thin and inconsequential.
“Mick, you do all the comedy stuff in our video, I’ll do ll the serious pouting to try and sell this rubbish”.
Hothouse Flowers adopting the Steely Dan “Reeling In The Years” / occasional Thin Lizzy motif of cramming 40 words into one line. Still, respect due for writing about a song for a friend who was fading away.
I loved Mica Paris’s tune despite the awful pretend trumpet keyboard setting. For some reason though, I found her unsettling.
Green was way too energetic for Scritti Politti’s lilting cobweb of a song.
Wot, no clip of Billy Bragg this week? I wonder why?
Heartless of BBC4 to cut Heart’s tune way too soon, before we found out which auction she was going to with that oversize gavel.
I have just read that Taylor Swift's new album 'Lover' has topped both the UK and US charts and is the biggest selling album in its first week. I don't think I could hum a single Taylor Swift song. Am I missing something?
ReplyDeleteI know one of her songs, "I Knew You Were Trouble". Apparently, Taylor Swift is considering re-recording much of her early work, after the rights to her early albums / singles were sold by the record company to someone else without her consent, meaning she loses out on royalties.
DeleteTaylor Swift was a country artist who moved into pop, kind of like Leann Rimes or Shania Twain, except somehow she's become one of the most powerful women in the music industry in the process. Has a habit of dissing her exes in her lyrics, which I can do without, but she knows her way around a catchy tune. I'd recommend Shake It Off as a decent ditty, if you're curious.
DeleteI would say that Swift is a modern-day Patsy Kensit with regard to stunning blonde looks, and although I don't follow the current music scene, I do get mesmerised by Swift's amazing pretty-girl looks, whether combined with her music or not!
DeleteI'm more of a Katy Perry man, or at least I was until she was accused of sexual harassment recently.
DeleteSad news ... Les Adams, the man behind LA Mix, has died of a heart attack. He was a presenter on United DJs Radio. Full story at https://radiotoday.co.uk/2019/09/tributes-paid-to-radio-presenter-and-dj-les-adams/
ReplyDeleteGeez, are we still talking about the curse of the repeats? Because that one was fast. RIP Les, we hardly knew ye.
DeleteI've just seen that online, that's a real shock. Talk about cruel timing with his biggest hit getting some exposure for the first time in years.
DeleteHas anyone mentioned that Terrance Dicks also passed away this week? Dr Who writer/producer - prolific writer of Target Books.
ReplyDeleteHe must have constituted about 50% of my reading when I was a kid, him and Nicolas Fisk. RIP.
DeleteLooks like no TOTP next week...
ReplyDeleteNo but two eps week after.
ReplyDelete