I'm back from holiday tomorrow to catch up with the last four shows including this 16th of May 1991 edition of Top of the Pops!
Take that!
16-5-91: Presenter: Bruno Brookes
(20) NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK – Call It What You Want
Finally making their studio debut to get tonight's show underway with a live vocal no less and the song peaked at number 12.
(10) SOFT CELL – Tainted Love ’91 (video)
Number one in 1981 of course, this time around it made it to number 5.
(5) CATHY DENNIS – Touch Me (All Night Long)
In the studio for a second time but the song went up no further.
(21) DANNII MINOGUE – Success
Also in the studio and on her way to number 11.
(35) REM – Shiny Happy People (video) (Breakers)
Became their first of eleven top ten hits when it peaked at number 6.
(34) FLOWERED UP – Take It (video) (Breakers)
Got no higher.
(31) T’PAU – Whenever You Need Me (video) (Breakers)
Their final top 40 hit and it peaked at number 16.
(29) WILSON PHILLIPS – You’re In Love (video) (Breakers)
Got no higher.
(3) CRYSTAL WATERS – Gypsy Woman
In the studio with her only top ten hit and it peaked at number 2.
(26) AMY GRANT – Baby Baby (video)
Also her only top ten hit and it also peaked at number 2.
(25) JASON DONOVAN – R.S.V.P.
On his way to number 17.
(1) CHER – The Shoop Shoop Song (It’s In His Kiss) (video)
Third of five weeks at number one.
(27) COLOR ME BADD – I Wanna Sex You Up (video) (and credits)
On their way to number one.
Nice "Take That" caption there, Angelo!
ReplyDeleteREM with the big hit Michael Stipe refused to perform live as it was against the grain of the rest of the band's output. What a killjoy. The single's B-side was called "Forty Second Song" and it lasted twice as long as forty seconds!
Soft Cell - I remember this being a new video for 1991, as there was no video first time round in 1981, and this only video is now THE video for Tainted Love. Not sure why the song was reissued 10 years after its first outing in 1981, but considering that Say Hello Wave Goodbye was also released just before this one, and also with a new video for 1991 following its original video in 1982, there seems to be a theme here.....some sort of deliberate renaissance for the group?
ReplyDeleteCathy Dennis - the type of perfect girlfriend look, sexy, great figure, nice voice, great hair, and now Top 5 achievement. What else could you want?
Danni Minogue - check out the sexy minidress, she seemed determined to keep the straps down, as though the dress was about to fall off at drop of a hat. Oh and the song.....yes indeed, that was good, and just what was needed straight after Cathy Dennis to keep the juices flowing. Good Lord!
The Breakers - Wilson Phillips
Big leap of 10 places to No.29, and another superb video about love, with some colour thrown in this time for good measure.
Top 10 rundown - consider The KLF unlucky and probably gobsmacked not to get on the show for a second time with Last Train To Transcentral. Two weeks at No.2, and not played since being a new entry at No.3. What a shocker....I would have put them at least on playout to show their brilliant video, after the studio performance a couple of weeks beforehand to open the show. Man, what's going on TOTP? They could have put Colour Me Bad on The Breakers instead of REM at No.35 who could have waited another week to get on the show!
There is a video for the original release of Tainted Love, but I’ve only ever seen it in recent years on the Now 80s channel. I don’t know why it isn’t widely known.
DeleteAlso, the reason for the re-release was a Best Of Soft Cell/Marc Almond compilation.
Good Lord, I just noticed on the TV schedules for next Friday that BBC4 will be showing 23rd May & 6th June TOTP editions, but skipping the 30th May show with Anthea Turner hosting her last ever show, and we will not get to see it. Anyone know why BBC4 are going to be skipping this show?
ReplyDeleteIt's The Doors on play-out credits that are the problem. They are not covered by the BBC/PRS agreement.
ReplyDeleteExpect them to be edited out of the 13/6/91 edition as well.
But skipping the whole show is a bit harsh, isn't it?
DeleteI guess because they can't show the credits they've decided to skip it
DeleteI agree, but I guess BBC4 wants to credit those who made the programme, and short of a Bruno Brookes "Nigel Lawson resigns newsflash" end of show style chop it would be impossible. Shame, though, as there are six songs whose only TOTP appearance (including "Shocked" by Kylie) was on the ditched edition.
DeleteNot to worry, I'm sure that Angelo can get still put up the show and the blog for that show, as Anonymous should have it on Top Of The Uploads that I occasionally tap into for past shows uploaded on WeTransfer, so go to it Angelo for next Friday!
DeleteYes, no problem ~ the 30th of May show will be up here :-)
DeleteIt's a shame the BBC couldn't show The Doors especially as the movie and attendant best of album was such a major part of that summer. Look forward to seeing it here. I don't have any recollection of 'Light My Fire' appearing but I do recall it being on 'The Chart Show' and I'm sure it was The Ed Sullivan appearance from Sept '67 that was shown so I presume that accompanies the end credits. Would make a pretty exciting finish. It's also Anthea Turner's final show, taking her bow a few months before everyone else.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWhat the hell does Bruno look like..that jacket is way too big 😂😂😂
ReplyDeleteNEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK – Call It What You Want
So two live vocals in 2 shows. Beverly wins I think 😂. Lots of energy, even of it takes over a minute to get to the song. DI Danny Reagan on the rap!
And they got more than 3 minutes! Fair play.
SOFT CELL – Tainted Love ’91
Remixed for no apparent reason. The original was on the B-side so I this was the first time I owned this song. I say first as I've lost count of how many of my 80s compilation CDs it appears on.
I do like the 12" version that mixes this and Where Did Our Love Go.
CATHY DENNIS – Touch Me (All Night Long)
Big state-side and well deserved. Great pop tune, glad to see it again.. looking rather hot as well.
DANNII MINOGUE – Success
This is probably the best of her early nineties tunes and closest to the dance style she changed to later. 2 rather revealing outifits in a row.
Breakers:
REM – Shiny Happy People and Michael Stipe. Hippy Chick included. Fun.
FLOWERED UP – Indie noise.
T’PAU – Stuck in 1987.
WILSON PHILLIPS – Nice tune.
CRYSTAL WATERS – Gypsy Woman
Odd woman. Odd song. Odd performance.
This was absolutely bloody everywhere in 1991. I got sick of it. Brilliant dance track though. Great to hear it again.
Heard someone on the studio floor " couldn't hear you!" 😂😂😂 Louder kids!
AMY GRANT – Baby Baby
Love this so much I bought the album only to find the original album mixes weren't quite as good as the UK 7" mix. Interesting though that the song needed a remix before it would shift units over here.
JASON DONOVAN – R.S.V.P.
Dear Jason, we have no backing dancers and a left-over B Side..goodbye. love SAW.
Just awful. Why am I singing along..help me!
COLOR ME BADD – I Wanna Sex You Up
91's sex obsession continues..and the second American boy band of the night. Such an improvement on the Knobs! I really like the intro to this one..
The "Hippy Chick" with REM was Kate Pierson of the B52's. So more of a 50s beatnik chick.
DeleteREM's 'hippy chick' companion was a close friend from the other well known band emanating from Athens, Georgia.
DeleteHowlingly self-confident live debut for the New Blockheads, and all for naught, this is dreadful, it's like a 90s sketch show doing a parody. Their harmonies are... underwhelming, to say the least. Oh dearie me.
ReplyDeleteOh for fu... STOP IT WITH THIS RECORD!!! I swear I can't get away from it, even now it's bloody everywhere! Marc and Dave must be billionaires by now off the royalties. I just can't listen to it anymore. Interesting that it's credited here as Soft Cell with Marc Almond, considering there were only two people in the band, no wonder Dave got pissed off.
Cathy's back and she's been to the hairdresser's. Aside from the tighter outfit, much the same as before.
Dannii obviously sees Cathy as a challenge, and ditches her dad's jacket early. Yet again, another of her singles I can't recall a minute after it's over. Can't say that about Cathy.
Godbotherer abandons the gospel to see if she can make a tidy sum on the pop market. Her evil masterplan succeeds... for a while. Some very strange ideas of what represents "having fun" in this video. "Wanna come over and roll a grapefruit?"
Jase, always available, especially by this stage, dumper-bound until Lord Lloyd Webber rescued him for a bit. Song sounds very tired.
Cher clinging on like grim death, then what a revolting proposition from Color Me Badd. That's a paedophile moustache if ever there was one, there's a trend that died out thankfully quickly.
thx: soft cell didn't actually write "tainted love" of course, so i wonder how much money they have actualy accumulated from all the sales and airplay over the last 40 years? i don't suppose they're selling big issues as a result, but compared to what gary kemp earns for spandau's 80's staple "true" i suspect that are relative paupers
Deletethe other thing regarding how much they get depends on what deal they signed with their record company at the time - although as it was with indie label some bizzare, they hopefully got themselves a better one than the human league (who of course have their own 80's chestnut with "don't you want me") did with virgin?
ok, so three of the "usual suspects" for heavy rotation on 80's nostalgia radio shows have been named here. i can think of at least another couple off the top of my head to help make into a top 10, but feel free to fill the rest of that list here yourselves...
DeleteI wonder if Soft Cell got royalties from the arrangement, though? The "doo, doo" bit throughout was original to them, and not used in the (also overplayed) Gloria Jones version.
DeleteMust admit I don't know who would own the rights to the original now, the author must be long gone.
Forgot the Breakers and Crystal! Must be post-Tainted Love trauma. Anyway, Breakers, too fast to leave an impression. For some reason Bruno describes Wilson Phillips as a "threesome" which is an insight into his mind we could have done without.
ReplyDeleteCrystal Waters, I so much prefer her later hit about 10 years after, this always drove me up the wall because it was so out of tune. All the way through, she doesn't improve! Dancing is interesting, though.
Should have qualified, Crystal's hit from a decade later I really like is My Time. Did a bit of Googling and found Destination Unknown was her big hit from that era, and My Time more minor. Well, it was Number 1 in my heart, Crystal!
DeleteI recall that Gypsy Woman held the record for highest entry for a debut single at the time. Gabrielle bested her two years later, before Whigfield entered at number one with her first offering a year later.
Deletethx like you i hated "gypsy woman" thanks to crystal's off-key vocals. but i picked up a later CD of hers for peanuts in a charity shop a few years back, and on that she had improved considerably in that regard. so presumably either she'd used some of her royalties to buy herself singing lessons, or she sang out of tune on GW on purpose?
DeleteI think the off key in Gypsy Woman was on purpose, because as you say, she can hold a tune. I read her great aunt was Ethel Waters, the first mainstream African American stage musicals star.
DeleteI remember seeing Crystal promoting GW on TV at the time and thinking she was ancient, but she was only 29!
We can still critique the skipped 30th May 1991 episode if Angelo wants to set up the chart runners and riders as usual, effectively giving us three shows to chat about in one go...
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2v5JFGVoyE
Yup Arthur, it certainly looks like we will have three shows to review next week, and I think not since the days when the Mike Smith and DLT shows were skipped out by BBC4. Not entirely sure when the last time BBC4 skipped a TOTP show, but someone on here must know I guess.
DeleteGood Lord, I just noticed that The Doors ar also on the 13th June edition when their video is shown as main slot at No.7, so it looks like BBC4 will be skipping out that show too, which can only mean that we will have FOUR shows to review next week, not seen since the mis 80s shows around the time of Mike Smith. How much time has everyone got next weekend to review four shows?
DeleteDory, it depends how easy the BBC4 splicers can cut round the links before and after The Doors. I don't know what the show's hostess said at the time, so fingers crossed.
Delete13/6/91 is scheduled to air at 9pm on the 6th August
DeleteAn overly screamtastic show, with Trev wearing clobber promoting two separate American sports teams. Sheesh.
ReplyDeleteTalking of Yanks, yank that first act off quick! Absolutely desperate. At least KNOBS didn’t give us a ‘live’ video this time.
No idea why ”Tainted Love” was was re-recorded, especially as the lads didn’t write the A-side or B-side on either their first issue or this one so they wouldn’t have received any songwriting royalties. Turns out Soft Cell’s debut limited edition EP also credited someone called Steven Griffin on ‘visuals’.
Ooer! Cathy Dennis with a nice hairdo and a Diana Rigg “Emma Peel” style catsuit. Not keen on the song but I felt compelled to watch this.
Dannii Minogue sounding more like her sister on this compared to her previous hit. The song was meh. Success was keeping that dress up.
As for the breakers, Michael Stipe lightens up (that goodness), I’d rather stick it than “Take It”, Carol Decker looking like mutton dressed as lamb, and Wilson Phillips have already made it with an earlier it, Trev, you idiot.
Crystal Waters (real name) with one of those ‘songs’ that was everywhere and I hated it from day one, accompanied here by patented ‘fridge and microwave dance’.
What looked like a forced fun video for Amy Grant. I like the song but the instrumentation was oh so late 80’s / early 90’s.
We used to get Kylie and Jason on the show together, now it’s Dannii and Jason separately. “RSVP”? Thanks, but I’m staying in to wash my bald patch. Horrendous truck driver’s gear change into the chorus.
FF the number one for a song given no outro by Trev. On second thoughts I’d rather RSVP Jason than take up Color Me Badd’s offer. The lead singer reminded me of Paul Whitehouse’s Arthur Askey rip-off on “The Fast Show” where he loses his cred by asking an audience member “Is that a moustache under your nose or is it shit?”
Amy Grant was around on the music scene as early as 1986 when she duetted with Peter Cetera with a song called The Next Time I Fall In Love It Will Be With You with massive success in America, and I must say the only tune of Amy's that I ever liked, thanks to the collaboration with Cetera:
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQKqp_rZbVk
What a cracker 'The Next Time I Fall In Love' was. It topped the US charts but was one of those great AOR hits like Starships 'Sara' and Bostons 'Amanda' that missed out completely over here whilst getting to the top in the US.
DeleteOh now you got me listening to it constantly over the last couple of days, and thinking about all those girls that could have been......oh what nostalgia the 80s and 90s were!
DeleteSome interesting tunes peaking outside the Top 40 this week, and unlucky not to get a place in the TOTP chart:
ReplyDeleteNo.46 - Alexander O'Neal - Power Of Love-Love Power
Just when we thought we heard all the other artists with this song title, like Jennifer Rush, Huey Lewis, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, I bet not many people knew that Alexander O'Neal also got his hands on this song title for his own interpretation.
No.54 - Saint Etienne - Nothing Can Stop Us/Speedwell
I first heard of them at the end of 1993 when they sang their famous Christmas hit I was born on Christmas Day, but this new song in 1991 was a fine debut single for the group which never got to the TOTP stage.
No.65 - Susanna Hoffs - Unconditional Love
second solo single after My Side Of The Bed, and second solo single to fail to break the Top 40, two years after The Bangles disbanded. She would have to wait 5 more years until 1996 for her third and final solo single which got to No.32 in the UK, but at this stage in 1991, she just could't make it onto the main chart.
St Etienne never made the TOTP studio? That is crazy.
DeleteI think Dory meant St Etienne weren't in the studio for this single, they were in the studio for later ones.
DeleteActually, 'Power Of Love/Love Power' was by Luther Vandross, and a few years later a reissue made it into the top 40.
DeleteWasn’t Power of Love/Love Power by Luther Vandross, not Alex O Neil?
ReplyDeleteYou're quite right Dave, I keep getting those two mixed up!
DeleteNKOTB - truly awful! Thought they would never start singing, but I wasn’t that lucky. Don't what was worse, the rap, or the ‘singing’.
ReplyDeleteTainted Love - dont think i have ever heard this version before - couldn’t work out whether this was a remix or a re-recording, but whichever, it is not as good as the original.
Cathy Dennis - very repetitive lyrics to this. Pretty dull.
Danni Minogue - bifty backing didn’t seem to match the vocal. Another one with repetitive lyrics. Dull - again.
Starting to lose the will to live…
Breakers
REM - their biggie, presume we will hear more in a later programme
Flowered Up - Happy Mondays lite
TPau - sounded ok what little we heard
Wilson Phillips - reserve opinion until I hear more
Crystal Waters - didn’t recognise this until we got to the la de dee bit. Well I admit there are more lyrics, but this time it’s the tune that is dull…
Aimee Grant - ok tune, not very exciting, but highlight of the evening so far.
Jason Donovan - bog standard rehash of his earlier stuff.
..and colour me bad round off half an hour of my life I will never get back….
Bruno, um, dressed for the occasion. Having a midlife crisis are we?
ReplyDeleteNew Kids On The Block; Most definitely New Kids now on the slide having to resort to turning up in the studio to whip up support for their latest single. A truly awful thing it is too. I've thought Wonderdog from '82 was the worst thing I've seen on the show but that may have to go down to 2nd place. A horrible non song sung largely off key. Please let it lie as a then new comedy hero almost said.
Soft Cell; Don't remix this perleease.....
Cathy Dennis: Cathy solved the issue of following the KLF by simply looking like she'd dropped in from another planet and she looks even more stunning here with a different hairstyle. Sorry to lower the tone but God I fancied her at the time. Lovely husky speaking voice she had too...Oh yes song is great as well. Hasn't really dated though it definitely should've done. Follow up nowhere near as good but the one after that is a lovely sherry by the fireplace ballad.
Danni Minogue; Agree with Arthur that this sounds like her sister and really no better than an early Kylie effort. She looks very elegant though (feeling a little stupid at the moment Bruno?) with the straps down dress ala Madonna in the 'Like a Prayer' video which she reveals after losing the coat that blokes wear at the Grand National.
Breakers; Broken down, then down again. Then again. What exactly was the point of that? All of them passed in a flash and Wilson Phillips I literally heard 2 seconds of between Bruno waffling away and the crowd cheering.
Crystal Waters; I think this was a minor sensation at the time as it crashed in at No.3 with virtually no airplay. So a real club success though it sounds fairly mediocre today. I don't think a gypsy busker would sing that and hope to get attention. Tall isn't she.
Amy Grant; A nice, happy, perhaps too happy number which sounds like it was put together for a shampoo or body wash advert. Amy does everything bar jump and punch the air in the street here. Enjoyed it though.
Bruno still resolutely wearing the baseball cap.
Jason Donovan; Last legs effort from Jason even with his legs wrapped up in leather trousers (Jim Morrison's influence perhaps) and a change of career is beckoning, one which is initially very successful. The tune isn't too bad but the arrangement is hopelessly out of date. At least he's having a good hair day which isn't always the case.
Cher; Seen and heard enough (he says knowing what's on it's way).
So the cap never came off. Say what you like about the replacement presenters they never dressed as bad as that.
Color Me Bass; If a solo act sang these lyrics it would be dodgy enough but for a whole gang of men to chime in is really uncomfortable. I'm glad I wasn't eating at the time. The video not faded out quick enough. No one I knew in my age group bought this record but sadly a lot of people who were older did and it will cause an unsettled stomach for a little while longer.
Yes indeed Cathy Dennis had the same effect on me at the time, and being only a year younger than me, I felt ready to meet her way back then, but hey, one can dream.
DeleteThen Danni Minogue a couple of years younger was also a good candidate, and I couldn't choose between her and Kylie, and what with Cathy Dennis on just before Dannii, all three were single at the time........oh it was all too much on this show.
Sad to hear how the playout tune affected you Mic 1,2,1,2. Can't say I like it either, but most people saw this as harmless stuff.
Didn't this come out around the same time as 'The Good Sex Guide' on TV. I think I watched the odd minute or 20 on my portable in my bedroom. Very quietly of course!
DeleteI suppose this wasn’t a bad edition all told as I managed to watch most without skipping.
ReplyDeleteNKOTB – Call it what you want – How about ‘bad’? Not too many more to come from this lot.
Soft Cell – Tainted Love 91 – I don’t recall hearing this mix before and you certainly don’t hear it on the radio. For me, any mention of ‘Tainted Love’ conjures up this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OW_As_ZdLs
Cathy Dennis – Touch Me (all Night long) – What a slick and tight routine there is to this song. It’s really quite trite but does grab your attention as does Cathy.
Dannii Minogue – Success – Stripping off routine….well well, when I saw the coat she was wearing at the start I sort of expected it. As Bruno pointed out, the straps were a problem.
Breakers – All sounded good except Flowered up but the clips were a little brief.
Crystal Waters – Gypsy Woman – I recall a Gypsy Woman from Don Williams is more memorable than this, but it obviously had some mass appeal at the time given an entry at No3 for an unknown artist.
Amy Grant – Baby Baby – Much more like it! Great song and video.
Jason Donovan – RSVP - …and there was me thinking this would be the closing song from Heart’s ‘Bad Animals’ covered by Jase, but sadly not. Joseph beckons!!
Cher – Shoop Shoop Song – Showing less and less each week. It will be ‘breaker’ length by the end of five weeks at this rate!
Color me Badd – I wanna sex you up – An extremely uncomfortable way to end the show, so I hastily ended it.
RIP time... Dusty Hill of ZZ Top, aged 72. Thought he was older, to be honest. Died peacefully in his sleep, not a rock 'n' roll way to go, but not a bad way to leave us either. Thanks for the tunes...
ReplyDeleteLoved ZZTop cover of Viva Las Vegas. It really rocks..
Delete'Gimmie All Your Lovin' was always a must play track on my older sister's 'Hits 1' LP. Great memories of listening to it. RIP Dusty
DeleteI would add recommend watching the video for Sharp Dressed Man, as it was the second sequel to Gimme All Your Loving' and I must say just as good a video.
DeleteThe first sequel called Legs was quite lame and disappointing, but 'Gimmee' and 'Sharp' were iconic videos in that mid-80s golden area of pop video, of which we shall never see its like again.
I still like the fact that the one member of ZZ Top without a beard was drummer Frank Beard. No nonsense, gutsy and rootsy TexMex rock which on many occasions knocked the likes of Status Quo into a cocked hat.
DeleteThe only one of the group that I remember by name is Billy Gibbons.
DeleteApparently Billy Gibbons was one of Hendrix's favourite guitarists.
DeleteNKOTB - already on their way out, with Take That and East 17 soon to come and blow away their memory. Not that this performance is one any of us want to remember. "Brave" to do a live vocal though!
ReplyDeleteI notice Soft Cell were credited as Soft Cell/Marc Almond this time around. Hmm. As others, stumped as to why it's been rereleased.
Crystal Waters - I mean it's not exactly very PC is it! One of a slew of patronising the homeless singles alongside Phil Collins and Mel C. Not a bad tune but seems kind of awkward these days.
Amy G - Long time favourite although I like the next single even more.
Jase - It's cringe, it's cheese, it's... still got an insanely catchy chorus.
I'd forgotten about Mel C's tribute to the homeless! But surely the most patronising of them all is Mr Wendal by Arrested Development.
DeleteOh yeah, another one that didn't seem so cringe at the time...
Delete