So it was Kate who started the fire!
28/09/89 (Jenny Powell & Sybil Ruscoe)
Sydney Youngblood – “If Only I Could” (4)
Getting the show underway tonight and the song went up one more place.
Kate Bush – “The Sensual World” (12) (video)
The titletrack from her number 2 album, but it got no higher.
The Beautiful South – “You Keep It All In” (9)
In the studio with their new female singer and the song went up one more place.
Technotronic featuring Felly – “Pump Up The Jam” (3) (video)
Also went up one more place.
Wet Wet Wet – “Sweet Surrender” (14)
Lots of screaming girls and the song peaked at number 6.
Billy Joel – “We Didn’t Start The Fire” (29) (breaker)
This rather frantic tune became Billy's fourth of five top ten hits when it peaked at number 7.
Curiosity Killed The Cat – “Name & Number” (27) (breaker)
Peaked at number 14.
Erasure – “Drama!” (6) (video)
This dramatic first single from their number one album Wild! peaked at number 4.
Gloria Estefan – “Oye Mi Canto (Hear My Voice)” (23)
A lively and colourful studio performance and the song peaked at number 16.
Black Box – “Ride On Time” (1) (rpt)
Fourth of six weeks at number one.
Karyn White – “Secret Rendezvous” (34) (video/credits)
Peaked at number 22.
5th October is next.
Jenny and Sybil (or was that Tony the Tiger?) seem very chuffed that they are the first all-female hosting duo for TOTP, but ironically this was Sybil's last show and Jenny had just one more to go. The latter is mercifully more on the ball than in her last outing, but her laid back style makes a stark contrast to the much more earnest Empress Ruscoe, who despite her best efforts never really convinced as a suitable host for this show during her year on the roster.
ReplyDeleteA new performance from Mr Youngblood to start us off, wowing the laydeez after leaving his shirt at home. Kate Bush is back after a lengthy absence, dressed as a medieval damsel lost in the woods, but the song is a little pedestrian by her standards, even if the slightly discordant Celtic pipes do their best to liven it up a bit. Next up, a Beautiful South tune that epitomises everything I dislike about them - arch, twee and thoroughly pleased with itself. The air of smugness is heightened by Paul's silly glasses and the equally stupid little dance the front three do. Brianna Corrigan, making her studio debut with the group, looks strikingly like a female Mick Hucknall...
We get some of the Technotronic video this week, predictably featuring plenty of Felly and some bloke I would guess is probably another model rather than one of Technotronic's own personnel. Back in the studio, the Wets return with increasingly long hair on several of the members, and one of their less soporific ballads which it was actually quite pleasant to hear again after a long time. Happily, Marti was on less slappable form here than on previous outings. Erasure certainly had a thing about putting exclamation marks after their song titles around this time, didn't they? This may have got to number 4, but I don't remember it at all. In truth, it sounds like pretty standard fare from the boys, though I wouldn't be inclined to chuck the record into the rubbish dump that they perilously inhabit in the eccentric video, as it is decent enough. I assume Glo is accompanied by an uncredited Miami Sound Machine on that rather small stage, but by now she had completely overshadowed them. This isn't one of her best songs, but it is still listenable Latino dance-pop with a good performance thrown in. Karyn White gets the playout spot with a vaguely Janet Jackson-flavoured number which, while better than her last single, is hardly top drawer. Forgettable video, too.
I actually find Jenny Powell's style laid back, playful style very refreshing and welcome, amidst the animated charged up shouting female presenters, and she seems the only natural one out there, and the only one that is just as relaxed as the male presenters. I'm not sure why she only had a handful of shows in total, but I have a lot of time for her, and she's my ideal presenter, host, and above all female, and being the same age also helps. I don't know about her crush on the Wet Wet Wet lead singer. Well, his smile anyway!
DeleteI like Jenny, though on the show she hosted before this she was a bit too laid back for her own good! Not sure if it was her presenting style that got her dropped, but in any case by the end of '89 the roster was slimmed down to just Mayo, Campbell, Brookes, Davies, Goodier, Turner and Brambles.
DeleteYes, I guess she probably didn't fit in with the rest, having her own inimitable style, and I suppose that now that Steve Wright has done his last show, i.e. the next show after this, it means that Gary Davies is now the longest standing TOTP presenter at this point, with no presenters before 1983 remaining on the roster.
DeleteThe brief highlights of this episode so far
ReplyDeleteSydney Youngblood - Great song, the same beat samples Raze's 'Break 4 Luv' over ten months previous... Still yet again, the video has him bouncing a globe and a clip of him walking in the beach, the video didn't get its showing on TOTP, got shown twice on The ITV Chart Show and despite only appeared as background music at a pub in a Coronation Street episode in December 1989.
Kate Bush - Not one of her great songs though. I've seen better songs like Running Up That Hill, this song was a bit strange to me.
The Beautiful South - Second track taken from their Welcome to the Beautiful South, this was the first of their tracks to feature the blonde Briana Corrigan despite in single release form, despite we got a snippet of the video over the previous episode where Briana was pretending to be a Fifties housewife.
Technotronic - Finally the video makes its appearance on Top of the Pops (two weeks after The Chart Show showed it) with its model girl Felly and despite she wasn't singing on the vocals it was Ya Kid K (uncredited).
Wet Wet Wet - Ok-ish song of theirs, as the Wets do try a ballad, as its their upcoming third studio album coming up.
Erasure - Didn't make it to the studio, as they won't be appearing until 'Blue Savannah' in March '90 next year, as we will believe to see it this coming September on BBC Four, this was the first of their tracks from the 'Wild!' album. This song eventually appeared as incidential music at the start of a Hollyoaks episode last year.
Gloria Estefan - Her second studio appearance of the year and her second single from the 'Cuts Both Ways' album, it has a great latin feel as i'd believe the uncredited MSO make their appearance on the song.
Black Box - Yet again... The Kwikfitter outfit of Katherine Quinol performs 'Ride on Time' as the song was now in its fourth consecutive week at the summit.
The play-out was Karyn White, this was a way better track than 'Superwoman' as i'd do agree..
The songs that didn't make it to the episode were Jesus & The Mary Chain's 'Blues from a Gun' (now dropped out) and we would've had another chance to see Tina Turner's 'The Best' yet again as a repeat performance from two weeks ago, as she was still a non-mover at number five.
Sydney Youngblood using Raze's Brake 4 Love background sound so blatantly and getting up to No.3 with it the following week is quite astonishing, considering Raze only got to No.28 with it earlier in the year. I bought the Raze 7" vinyl record, but not Youngblood, as I remember not being happy with his sampling of Raze, but he must have been better marketed and invited onto TV shows being British I presume, whereas Raze I think were American and didn't come over to these shores?
DeleteJesus & Mary Chain were the feature of The Ronnie Wood Show last night on the Sky TV channel called London Live, where Ronnie interviews a lead singer of a different band every week in their studio and let's them explain the sounds on each of their records.
Sydney Youngblood's from Texas. It was mentioned in the intro to his last TOTP outing that he joined Elvis presley and Terence Trent D'Arby as being a former GI making the UK chart.
Delete'Break 4 Love' by Raze may have been ignored but they were in the studio not that long ago for 'Jack The Groove'!
DeleteMy, Sydney's changed his image since the Tetley Tea Bags adverts. Here he is wowing the crowd with a shirt-free performance that's trying even harder than last time, i.e. a bit too hard.
ReplyDeleteKate Bush makes a comeback with a vaguely Celtic-flavoured tune, as if she had been listening to Clannad in her time away. The reason I remember this one is because she mentions her breasts in it, which is a line that always stands out whenever I hear it on the radio. We didn't get that bit here, though. Maybe Shakira heard it and was inspired years later?
The Beautiful South with a ditty that sounds like it belongs in a kids' TV show, until you notice the lyrics are pretty twisted. But they were always a bit smug about what they were getting away with, weren't they?
The headache-inducing video for Technotronic featuring Felly and Felly's belly, I suppose it was cheap. An aesthetic of sorts!
Preferable to Wet Wet Wet, Marty giving the B. South a masterclass in how really to be smug about your music. Undemanding ballad at best, and the mysterious fifth member gets a closeup.
We see the Breakers next, so off to Erasure Land and a song that always makes me think of its great line "It's just one psychological trauma after another!" which has me chuckling. Drama, indeed. They'd settled into a groove by now, and it was a good one.
Gloria's back with what sounds like The Buena Vista Social Club on backing, but that brass instrumental break ends with a flourish that always came across like "Let's meet The Muppets!" in my mind. It fits the melody, anyway.
Black Box still there, annoyingly, and those Loleatta samples just remind me that she was directed to wear out her voice to make it scratchy on the original record, so that's why I find either version tough to listen to. It sounds like pain.
Karyn White with a Jam and Lewis production, no wonder as she was married to one of them, and a more lively effort than Superwoman, with Kaz showing off rubber-legged dance moves in the video. Not so bad, but overshadowed by Janet Jackson in the long run.
Still no sign of Technotronic, even on the video, as Felly continues to be the only face on the video, and in the TOTP studio. It will be interesting to see if they show up on their next few singles releases in the 1989/90 season, as they do have a few more hits to come.
DeleteThis Gloria Estefan salsa sound is what probably started the salsa craze in Britain which emerged in the early 90s, with salsa clubs coming out like Bar Salsa, Bar Rumba in London, for example, and prior to this you would only have the likes of modern Romance representing the salsa sound in 1981 with Everybody Salsa, until Gloria Estefan shook things up over here with several TOTP appearances in the late 80s, and being a true Latina.
THX, regarding The Beautiful South, they sometimes managed to get some risque stuff on heavy radio rotation. Exhibit A - "Perfect Ten", where Paul sings about his preference of prospective conquests' dress sizes and Jacqueline Abbott appears to be singing about the sizes of blokes' weiners.
Delete@Arthur: Don't forget their most notorious example, Don't Marry Her, Be Nice to Me. Or words to that effect.
DeletePoor old Stewpot played the wrong version of Don't Marry Her... on his Radio 2 afternoon show once.
DeleteAs I said previously Dory, Technotronic were basically a studio act fronted by different people for different songs (though predominantly Ya Kid K for the first album) so you're unlikely to see anyone other than rappers or dancers.
DeleteKate Bush - nit her finest song, but pleasant enough. A dirty mind could work overtime on a few of the lyrics
ReplyDeleteBeautiful South - I still like this. I was thinking vocalist 3 was a bit redundant and then up he popped with a couple of lines...
Wet wet wet - dull dull dull. Sounded like a reject culture club track.
Breakers:
Billy Joel - like this. Great ‘list’ song...
Curiosity Killed The Cat - next...
Oh, no next
Erasure - nice little upbeat number.
Gloria Estefan - dies nothing for me..
And finally Janet Jackson - oh hang on it’s not, but Ms White still gets the EJECT...
The Beautiful South now deploying three co-lead vocals by introducing female vocals was a surprising move at the time, as all the way through from the Housemartins to The Beautiful South, it was always an all-male outfit. Unsurprisingly, after the last single where the male vocals got all slushy with "I love you from the bottom of my pencil case" singing like a female, it must have triggered the idea of bringing in a female co-lead vocalist to soften up the band a bit further.
DeleteThe B South weren't slushy with the pencil case line in Song for Whoever, they were being sarcastic.
DeleteOr it could be that Dave Hemingway took the limelight away from Paul Heaton as co-lead vocals on Song For Whoever, that they had to dilute it with bringing in a female as third co-lead. I wonder what the thinking was at this stage.
DeleteSeptember comes to an end with Ladies night and the lovely Jenny and Shouty Sybil, and a more laid back, unexciting start to the show you could not imagine...
ReplyDeleteSydney Youngblood back for more pelvic thrusting and hip moves. “If Only I Could” unsee this...great tune though.
Kate Bush on video dressed as an old Tudor Queen. Nice video. Not sure about the tune.
Here's the charts Sybil..it's not a chat at the kitchen table ladies, you're meant to be presenting a TV show.
The Beautiful South now with added female vocals.“You Keep It All In” Always forget they had a 3 way vocal split at the start.. lovely tune this. Maybe lay off the dance moves though.
Felly on video this week. Crikey this a rather stomach churning video isn't it.. I've gone blind as well...
Screeeeeeeeeemm it's Wet Wet Wet with Marti's “Sweet Surrender” of a smile...shame the song is just so dull..
Breakers:
Billy Joel – “We Didn’t Start The Fire”
Fabulous. I used to know ALL the words to this. Brilliant record all about Billy's youth up to the present day. Very clever, fun video as well.
Curiosity Killed The Cat – go a bit funky.“Name & Number” is a Wifey endorsed smash. Like this one.
Erasure aren't available but no “Drama!" as we have a rather odd video for you. Not a clue...decent tune though.. Vince looks better without hair..bit like myself.
Gloria Estefan – “Oye Mi Canto (Hear My Voice)” Popping across from Wembley (wonder if they caught the tube?) with the stomping Latin number. Great performance, highlight of the show..
Black Box – “Ride On Time” (1) (rpt)
Fourth of six weeks at number one and back to the original version...is that allowed?
Karyn White goes all Paula Abdul with her “Secret Rendezvous” video. It's ok but nothing memorable.
All female presenting due for the first time. Not my favourite pairing I have to say, but not too annoying on this show.
ReplyDeleteSydney Youngblood – If only I could – See the tree how big it’s grown….nope not that, so FF
Kate Bush – The Sensual World – This was the kind of stuff that Kate performed on that record breaking comeback run a few years ago (which I didn’t go to). All a bit mystical and nondescript for me and I still prefer the debut hit with its soaring Ian Bairnson guitar solo at the end.
The Beautiful South – You keep it all in – Very pleasant sound indeed. Just a nice ‘easy on the ears’ record from the band that would test the sensors patience in a few years.
Technotronic – Pump up the Jam – FF as usual. Can’t believe that this was still going up and then reached no2 for two weeks. Most puzzling.
Wet Wet Wet – Sweet Surrender – Ah-ha! David Gates and Bread….no, not that after all. But for me, one of the Wets more palatable efforts. Wonder why the lead singer doesn’t mime to a microphone when the other band members do?
Breakers; Billy Joel – never felt that this was ‘classic Joel’, can’t put my finger on why… Curiosity killed the Cat – Surprised they were still going actually, but this is not in the ‘Misfit’ class.
Erasure – Drama – That was the yes album featuring the Buggles….this, well not sure what to make of it. Erasure seemed to enter the chart high then peter out.
Gloria Estefan - Oye mi canto – Not the best song ever put out by Gloria, but on this appearance, who cares!
Black Box – Ride on Time – FF
Karyn White – Secret Rendezvous – Wow! Quite slinky! After the syrup of ‘Superwoman’ this really packs a punch. Pleasantly surprised by this and a nice way to end the show.
One record we didn’t see penetrate the top40 was the very popular Christian songwriter / artist Graham Kendrick whose only chart entry ‘Let the flame burn brighter’ had just peaked at no55. I guess that kind of record didn’t appeal to the masses who were buying stuff like ‘Pump up the jam’ and ‘Ride on time’. It’s quite a powerful song actually, not unlike some hits we’ve seen in the recent past on ToTP.
Kate Bush - Such a pleasant sound for what is basically utter filth. I really love it though, and although the parent album isn't particularly great, the first 2 singles from it certainly are.
ReplyDeleteThe Beautiful South - Not much love for this. I really like it though, even if it is one of their slighter numbers.
Wet Wet Wet - Mrs Noax is, as I may have said previously, a Wets fan, and she knows the shouty fan who all but drowned out one of Sybil Ruscoe's links and didn't give a favourable report. The song isn't one of her favourites either, and neither of us were sure why Graeme Clark was acting as a 2nd keyboard player.
All About Eve ignored for the breakers section again I see.....
Erasure - A real shame that they were touring at this time as I would've loved to have seen a performance of this with Andy Bell having to mime the long notes! One of my absolute favourites of there's, this is - very under-rated.
Gloria Estefan - Thank goodness, it's an upbeat one. Which means that I rather like it.
Karyn White - We already have Jody Watley being shop's own Janet Jackson so we don't need another one, thanks.
He-hay! Two for the price of one as we get Tigress Sybil and Mellow Jenny, and all the better for that. Sybil’s finally got this hosting lark right. When’s she on again? Ah.
ReplyDeleteNever mind the lack of shirt, how long was Sydney Youngblood’s jacket? Another smooth performance from a lad who knew how to present himself.
A big eyed intro by Sybil into Kate Bush’s attempt at a Celtic James Bond theme (Seamus Bond?), though not quite as memorable as “Goldfinger”. Interesting video, though, and I checked the lyrics out on that there web thing and they're a bit fruity. Easy, Kate!
Early mugshots: gold star to Sybil for being the first TOTP host to give us the entire artist and song titles for that Aretha and Whitney effort.
T’Beautiful South with a Radio 2 sounding effort involving some sinister lyrics which sneak under the radar, more instrumentation than we hear from that trio at the back, and Paul in daft specs.
Ah, yes, Felly in that alluring turquoise and black one-piece. I remember that. Not exactly a BBC1 testcard in the background.
Jenny must have been pre-occupied. She forgot to give WWW’s number in the mid-mugshots and announced them as Wet Wet. Marty was on to a good thing there, if only he knew. As it was, five seconds of his whole cucumber devouring grin was enough.
Now, much better. Billy Joel with a frenetic and catchy history lesson there.
Oh Christ. The prick in the beret’s back. FF.
Erasure with a load of balls or a load of rubbish? No fishermen here, as they forgot the hook.
Give Gloria her due, she’d turn up in the studio if asked. An enjoyable number (and yes, I do like Buena Vista Social Club) and nice to see Glo smiling and enjoying herself, unlike in the video. Big up to the lad on both guitar and trumpet.
Right, Katrin’s back to her nicest outfit tonight.
Karyn White decides there’s a place left on the dance video podium next to Janet and Paula. Points lost for dancing on your own, though, love.