I am the 28th of March 1991 edition of Top of the Pops ~ you can't take that away from me!
The number one and only
28-3-91: Presenter: Bruno Brookes
(31) DANNII MINOGUE – Love And Kisses
Getting tonight's show underway and making her studio debut with what became her first of nine top ten hits when it peaked at number 8.
(10) THE BEE GEES – Secret Love (video)
Went up five more places.
(25) GARY CLAIL ON-U SOUND SYSTEM – Human Nature
Also making his studio debut with what became his only top ten hit when it peaked at number 10.
(13) SNAP – The Snap Megamix (video)
Peaked at number 10.
(7) JAMES – Sit Down
In the studio, was it also their debut? to perform the song that became their biggest hit and their first of four top tenners when it peaked at number 2.
(24) SCRITTI POLITTI feat. SHABBA RANKS – She’s A Woman (video)
Peaked at number 20.
(22) DEFINITION OF SOUND – Wear Your Love Like Heaven
In the studio tonight with what became the duo's first of three top 40 hits when it peaked at number 17.
(29) THE ROLLING STONES – Highwire (video)
The first single from their top six album Flashpoint, but it got no higher.
(1) CHESNEY HAWKES – The One And Only
First of five weeks at the top for this year's blog title.
(32) JIVE BUNNY & THE MASTERMIXERS – Over To You John (video) (and credits)
Their eighth and final top 40 hit and it peaked at number 28.
4th of April is next.
How many Dannii Minogue hits can you name without looking them up? She had enough of them. I think she was in an Aussie soap too, and fancied some of the career her sister had. Here she is with her previous bosom to apparently mime a rap with Steve Jobs. I honestly can't remember how this goes, and I just watched it an hour ago.
ReplyDeleteThe Bee Gees on repeat, forgot this was Top 10, sounds like Love Games by Belle and the Devotions.
Gary Clail, who it was the law at the time to mention had been a scaffolder, with the theme to Snub TV, BBC2's indie showcase for the likes of The Wolfgang Press. I remember Philip Schofield was disturbed by the "Let the carnival begin!" bloke. A bit harsh on the ears, but he had an important message, man.
The Megamix craze continues, and who is really surprised that Snap jumped on that bandwagon? Not that impressive.
James with Tim Booth's nest egg, and now he has a head that looks like an egg. Who would have predicted he would be a Batman baddie in years to come? Forgot there was a backing singer on this one. Anyway, just heard it too many times, used to like it but it has no effect now.
Scritti Politti recruit one of Mark Lamarr's least favourite guests off The Word for a radical Beatles reworking. It sounds incredibly 1991, to the month, and unsurprisingly has never been played since. Do like the "Bum ba dim BUM BUM!!!" bit, though.
Definition of Sound, they leave off the raspberry at the start (bit from an older record) but otherwise the band offer a good account of themselves with 1991's idea of a party tune.
Strolling Bones back with an undistinguished single, maybe it sounded better on the album, but they sound like they're going through the motions here.
Ches makes it to the top, get used to this one, as he plays electric guitar with his arse, then Jive Bunny and the Masturbators bid us a farewell with something that looks and indeed sounds like it was prepared for an end of term school play. I won't miss them.
On the recording of "Sit Down", James's backing vocalist was Martine, the band manager and Tim Booth's wife.
DeleteIt's interesting that the Snap Megamix which actually had all four Snap singles on it, only had the middle two singles shown on the TOTP cut, i.e., the middle section of the Mix with The Power and Cult of Snap, but they chose not to show the part with Oops Up and Mary Had A Little Boy.
DeleteMy feeling on it is that whoever was in the production team on TOTP played their favourite two singles, rather than the first part of the video which would have shown us Oops Up. But whatever the reason, we were denied two of the four singles on the Snap Megamix, so it is best to watch the whole Megamix video to get the full Snap catalogue of singles released up to this point.
It's Bruno. Which means there's nothing really to comment on apart from the fact that he looks like he's stopped off in 1978 en route to the studio. Just noticed an American football badge on the jacket. Alright, c.1984 then.
ReplyDeleteDanni Minogue; Kylie's sis has a bit of chart action. 'Home and Away' was required viewing in our house at the time so there would have been good wishes sent her way but this single is very underwhelming.
The Bee Gees; The hi gloss video is shown again and the tropical fish from the 'Dub Be Good To Me' video have shown up.
Gary Clail On U Sound; Speaker's Corner's resident dance obsessive is up next with an up tempo reminder that we're all useless bastards. Nothing wrong with that but he does have the voice and manner of someone who's got two minutes left in the day to sell a car. All I know about this guy beyond this record is that he performed at Spike Island which might explain why he sounds so hacked off. Theme to 'Snub TV'? Right, I wouldn't have known that as I don't think I saw a single edition to my great regret.
Bluntness with campness it could only be either a big success or a total flop. It makes me glad to know it was the former.
Snap!; Oh not you as well.
James; A classic single and still sounds Spring fresh even though I can't begin to guess how many times I've heard it. Wow, Tim Booth; the ravages of time although he always did seem older than his years. Lurking at the back, Saul Davies, soon to resemble a country surgeon from the 1800s and the only man I've ever witnessed give the finger to an entire audience. However it wasn't actually intended for us. It was at the Other Stage on the Friday at Glastonbury, 2016. I don't think I need to explain further.
Scritti Pollitti feat. Shabba Ranks; More of the video that must be a contender for most dated video in pop history. Takes a major effort also to make a Beatles song sound entirely of its time.
Definition of Sound; Great to see this in the studio. Just a shame that the video was given such scant regard in the previous show. A kaleidoscopic danceyfied update of The Hombres classic 'Let It All Hang Out' from 1967
(not the Jonathan King version) with a performance that's brilliantly exuberant. Don Weekes almost brains himself on a passing camera at one point in the first verse. His momentarily startled expression while not missing a syllable is absolutely priceless. Love this single. The guitar chords and intro sound like they were written for this version. They go so perfectly with the beats. Stupid, delirious fun from start to finish. Also the jokey sudden ending to the single suggests they were fans of another classic of psychedelia, Traffic's 'Paper Sun'.
The Rolling Stones; I vaguely remember the chorus but the rest made little impression. It sounds like everything they did after about 1981.
Chesney Hawkes; A very deserving No. 1 that I'm hoping won't outstay it's welcome. It didn't at the time. Just a really fine melody. I still can't tell if the shrieking bum note in the guitar solo is deliberate or a mistake.
Jive Bunny; So an era of a kind draws to a close as our carrot / cash munching, badly drawn and coloured in friend walks finally towards the end of reel countdown, never to return. Hard to know what to say about it. Only that to this day I can't hear Chris Montez's floor shaking classic 'Let's Dance' without thinking of a gang of hippie bikers losing it. Which is some kind of an achievement I guess.
This was the arrival of Dannii Minogue in 1991, previously unseen to viewers, after sister Kylie was already 4 years on the pop music scene since 1986. As a first single, this was quite impressive by Dannii, and followed this up by several more single in the 90s, so this is the start of lots of TOTP studio performances and videos, so looking forward to all of them.
DeleteI remember the Gary Clail video being debuted on late night ITV on The James Whale show as one to watch before reaching the Top 40, and even before this TOTP performance once into the charts here at No.25.
Chesney might wear out his welcome, but compared to what happens shortly after we'll be begging him to return!
DeleteScritti Politti ft Shaba Ranks - I think this was the first appearance of Shabba Ranks by piggybacking on an established Scritti Politti outfit, but the upshot was that he was to have other collaborations and then his own record contract as a solo artist soon after.
ReplyDeleteDefinition Of Sound - the studio appearance was nowhere near as good as the video shown last week on The Breakers, and which took on a 70s retro theme much like S-Express, so it was interesting that they didn't continue this retro theme now that they were in the TOTP studio.
The Rolling Stones - lucky to get a main slot at No.29, but I thought this sounded very 80s and David Bowie in its nature, and perhaps revisiting their collaboration with Bowie in 1985 with the No.1 Dancing In The Street, by bringing out this new single for 1991, and forgetting that we were now in the 1990s.
Chart Rundown - two performers just dipping into the Top 40 at No.38 and No.40 before falling out the following week, were Soft Cell and Little Angels respectively, with Soft Cell re-releasing 1982's Say Hello Wave Goodbye with a new video for 1991, so there exists two videos for it (1982 & 1991), so take your pick, but we were not to see the new one on TOTP, as there was no Breakers section this week, and then it fell out of the Top 40 the following week.
Jive Bunny & The Mastermixers - their last top 40 single has arrived, and just barely troubled the Top 30 after this playout, but as their next two singles peaked at No.43 and No.48 later in the year, this now brings the curtain down on Jive Bunny's impressive couple of years of regular chart single releases.
Two things about Chesney:
ReplyDelete1) Love the way he manages to somehow rhyme name with number in the first line, by singing name-uh!
2) The pedant in me as always been annoyed with Hawkes as he has often jumped on the 80s bandwagon and appeared at those 80s Rewind-style festivals despite having his 'one and only' hit in 1991.
You've forgotten Chesney's top 27 smash follow-up!
DeleteSometimes these shows are sooo mixed and this is a classic case in point. I have missed out those not worthy of comment as frankly I can’t be bothered to list them.
ReplyDeleteDannii Minogue – Love and kisses – Dannii chooses a low key demure outfit for her ToTP debut and the song just passes me by really as a few minutes of something. Not one for anyone’s all time top 10 methinks.
Bee Gees – Secret Love – Now this is good. Sheer class from the brothers whilst the fish keep reminding me of ‘Monty Python’s Meaning of Life’.
James – Sit Down – Great record. One of those you often hear and always sounds good. Excellent debut sizeable hit.
Scritti Politti – She’s a Woman – Only worthy of mention as despite the sabotage this is still a damn good Beatles B Side – in fact nearly all the Beatles B-Sides were excellent. I particularly like the non album ‘Baby you’re a Rich Man’ on the back of ‘All you need is love’ which my parents bought but would never play as they said it was a ‘row’.
Rolling Stones – Hire Wire – Not the Linda Carr and the Love Squad hit from 1975 but a very underrated Stones track. Interesting seeing Ronnie scowling in this video given he’s now a doting Dad to those twins with his lovely wife Sally.
Chesney Hawkes – The one and only – Fine song…well worthy of no1 and a breath of fresh air to get something tuneful after some of the diabolical offering so far in 1991 (Queen excepted).
Jive Bunny – Over to you John- For me one of JB’s best compilations. So good I had to go to YT to watch the rest of it and was treated to ‘Where’s yer Mama gone’, ‘Puppet on a String’ and ‘The Locomotion’. Great stuff to bow out on….here she comes now singing Mony Mony….
Oh yes, the Jive Bunny video had nearly three minutes on the playout which I thought was most of the video, but there is actually a further two minutes of it if watched in full, and I must say it makes good viewing.
DeleteI wonder if Jive Bunny released a VHS or DVD with all their videos back to back and in sequence, even the next two singles in 1991 which stalled outside the top 40 at No.43 & No.48, as it would make a good movie?
It seems we will not get to review the last two singles in 1991, but hopefully they will have made videos for them as they only just missed the top 40....
I think 'Yes It Is' would be my favourite Beatles B side. I've heard Lennon dismissed it as a failed rewrite of 'This Boy' but I think it ranks among the finest and most revealing of his output from that period. It has that hushed quality that was so unique to them. I'm always amazed that they never appeared to have ever performed it on TV. If ever there was a song designed for a hushed auditorium before the tv cameras it was that one. Just the thought of them performing it on a black and white screen sends shivers down the spine.
DeleteSpoke to soon! 'Thank Your Lucky Stars', ITV, 3rd April 1965. The footage no longer survives though.
Delete"Revolution" my fave Beatles B-side.
Delete'Yes it is' is certainly a lovely harmonious song. For many years the stereo mix lay in the vaults until it was included on a drinks promo cassette called 'Only the Beatles'. Now it can be found on the 'Past Masters' CD release.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteSome interesting new entries this week peaking outside the Top 40:
No.55 - Mae Culpa Part II - Enigma
The much anticipated follow-up to their No.1 single Sadeness Part 1 only a couple of months earlier, found this very good follow-up being short-changed with a less impressive peak position, and alas we never got to see the video on TOTP:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KG7Bs_BCC5w
No.58 - Move Right Out - Rick Astley
The once irresistible heartthrob who burst onto the scene in 1987 could not even break into the top 40 by 1991, despite his last single Cry For Help making Top 10.
No.68 - Golden Brown - The Stranglers
With their last hit and new material being only a couple of months earlier as we said goodbye to them for the last time, this unusual re-release of their 1982 Top 5 hit seemed a bit of a surprise, unless there was a tv commercial out at the time.
No.83 - Find 'Em Fool 'Em Forget 'Em - S-Express
Follow-up to their last No.32 single a few months ago, this new one only got to No.83, and they released it a year later in 1992 with slightly better fortunes to No.43 peak position, but still no Top 40, and they were by then gone for good, except for a re-release of Theme From S-Express in 1996 for some reason which got to No.14.
Bruno again. Never my fave, but to think we lose him and the other seasoned hosts soon, to be replaced by “Year Zero” gimp Tony Dortie.
ReplyDeleteStrewth, there’s a second Minogue! Dannii sounding a bit like an Oz Madonna - Madozza? – on a fluffy ‘in one ear etc.’ piece of disco pop.
Bruno, The Bee Gees had probably released records before Dannii’s parents were born!
Cary Clail undermining his song’s serious, erm, nature with occasional ‘cant believe I’m here’ grins. A menacing, hypnotic and catchy track with a sort of tribute Divine on backing vocals.
Early mugshots: Announced as 40 to 13. Freedom Williams gets a full namecheck at last!
Snap Megamixzzzzz. Not another one of these. Yes, I know, better get used to them.
Tim Booth’s pension hit next. Brilliant. Sensitively trimmed, removing some instrumental bits to fit the whole song in without being faded out. Who was that keyboardist waving his crutches at the back?
NO, Bruno! Scritti and Shabba aren’t over there!
Definition of Sound, sounding like De La Soul on 78. Great outfits on the lads. A car horn used as a sample effect there.
Almost a parody of the Stones, but at least Charlie looks dapper as always.
Chesney Hawkes singing “Call me by my name OR call me by my number”. Another confident crowd pleasing turn, with the star obviously picked out as the others all receive darker lighting.
We finish with the sort of Easter bunny I’d happily have done a Glenn Close on. Goodbye and good riddance.
Ah, Tony Dortie, who tried and failed to make saying "Laters!" happen.
DeleteDannii minogue - instantly forgotten it… (annoying the way she kept mauling her face)
ReplyDeleteGary clail - alright for this genre of music, but again, I have already forgotten it… bit of dad dancing…
What a weird countdown, only showing the climbers
Snap - have I mentioned I hate these things? This diesn’t chsnge my mind…
James - first track to avoid the FF. Still played to death these days of course… was it a single mix? [pre post comment - ah so it edited…)
Definition of sound - went on fire ever. Dull. (for some reason it reminded me of the theme from The Italian Job…)
Rolling Stones - unusually poor track from the Stones. Sounded like they took their previous riffs and put them in a mixer…
Jive Bunny - barrel scraped clean. Eject…
DANNII MINOGUE – Love And Kisses
ReplyDeleteCheesy pop Dannii before her resurgance as a dance diva. Well known in the UK at the time not just as Kylie's little sis but as Emma from Home and Away. Sounding here remarkably like Cathy Dennis. Now of course a TV judge on all sorts of programmes and a fashion designer!
THE BEE GEES – Secret Love
Another Top Ten hit and a bit more of the video.
GARY CLAIL ON-U SOUND SYSTEM – Human Nature
This is the moment I "upgraded" from vinyl singles to cassette singles. Much easier to make a compilation cassette that I made 4 or 5 a year of up until 1998 when I went travelling.
This was the first cassette single I bought and I thought it was the best thing ever. It has not aged well 😂😂😂 Who is the bloke in the pink headgear? Bit preachy isn't It. Another one missing from Spotify
SNAP – The Snap Megamix
Yes. Another Megamix. The bunny is on tonight as well. We are blessed. Not. I think my 16 year old self could do a better Cult Of Snap mix on my tape-to-tape machine.
JAMES – Sit Down
Tune! A full on Indie classic. Proper party tune. Great stuff. Never get tired of this.
Another poor edit on this tune to get into 2 minutes. Getting my tape machine out.
SCRITTI POLITTI feat. SHABBA RANKS – She’s A Woman
Haven't read the other comments yet but I get a feeling this may be divisive. I thinks its wonderful.
Did someone tell Bruno this was a studio repeat? Nowhere near "over there" Bruno.
DEFINITION OF SOUND – Wear Your Love Like Heaven
Now here is a rather hip Dee-Lite sounding groove. A very fine tune indeed. This never gets the recognition it deserves these days. Always love to here this.
THE ROLLING STONES – Highwire
Still rolling today it's The Stones. They have really lost their edge by now. Should they have blown out in the 60s? The fans still seem to love them but this does nothjng for me.
CHESNEY HAWKES – The One And Only
Five, count em, Five weeks at the top.. seems such a long time 😜
If you've never seen this tune done on the intros round of Never Mind The Buzzcocks with Simon Amstell and Phil Jupitus then treat yourselves. Hilarious.
The end of JIVE BUNNY & THE MASTERMIXERS – Let's Party!
Those kids must be so proud to be in this video.
The bloke in the pink hat for Gary Clail was Alan Pellay, now a she I think, under the name Lanah P. Was in The Comic Strip Presents... a few times, occasional disco diva, theatrical stuff.
DeleteThanks. Never knew at the time. Was just enjoying the tune
Deletethx you're right in that alan pelley is now known as lanah p and is apparently still active in showbiz, presumably as a full-time woman now? i don't know if lanah has gone "all the way" or not, but it's now becoming comparatively common (and better-accepted) for biological males to present and live as female without having gender reassignment surgery these days. unlike half a century earlier, when disco star sylvester did the same thing for several years!
Deletehttps://divamag.co.uk/tag/lanah-p/
Bye Bye Bunny! But sadly we haven't seen the death of the megamix just yet. with Snap's effort seemingly especially redundant as they only just released those singles.
ReplyDeleteJames - one of my all time favourites, just love it even though it got overplayed over the years.
Definition of Sound - not their standout single but decent. See also: Rolling Stones.
Shabba/Scritti remains a bizarre thing.