When you see people holding hands they're just making plans to watch the 20th of June 1991 edition of Top of the Pops!
Divine presence
20-6-91: Presenter: Nicky Campbell
(20) REBEL M.C. feat. BARRINGTON LEVY & TENOR FLY – Tribal Base
Getting the show underway with what was to be the Rebel's final top 40 hit and it got no higher.
(6) SALT-N-PEPA – Do You Want Me (video) (and charts)
Went up one more place.
(15) LATOUR – People Are Still Having Sex
Making it into the studio tonight but this cheeky tune got no higher.
(19) EXTREME – Get The Funk Out (video)
At its peak.
(5) KENNY THOMAS – Thinking About Your Love
In the studio and the song went up one more place.
(33) CUBIC 22 – Night In Motion (video) (Breakers)
Peaked at number 15.
(32) CARTER – THE UNSTOPPABLE SEX MACHINE – Sheriff Fatman (video) (Breakers)
Became the duo's first of twelve top 40 hits when it peaked at number 23.
(29) OMAR – There’s Nothing Like This (video) (Breakers)
His biggest hit and it peaked at number 14.
(22) PAULA ABDUL – Rush Rush (video) (Breakers)
Peaked at number 6.
(27) DRIZA BONE – Real Love
Performing a live vocal in the studio, this was their biggest hit, and first of three top 40 hits, and it peaked at number 16.
(2) JASON DONOVAN – Any Dream Will Do (video)
From the musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, this was soon to be Jason's fourth and final number one.
(7) BETTE MIDLER – From A Distance
Making her studio debut and the song went up one more place.
(1) COLOR ME BADD – I Wanna Sex You Up
A repeat showing of their studio performance for their third and final week at number one.
(12) ROD STEWART – The Motown Song (video) (and credits)
Went up two more places.
27th of June is next.
Nicky Campbell reminds us at the start of the show that it's the new-look TOTP, but we already had the first new-look show last week with Jakki Brambles, so wake up Campbell!
ReplyDeleteLaTour - Interesting that after this lousy studio performance with their lady calling out 'Hello Lover', the tune fell down the chart the following week, so the TOTP studio performance which usually helps pop group to go up the charts, clearly had the opposite effect for LaTour. Good Lord!
Chart Rundown - Squeezing in at No.40 was Primal Scream with only one week in the Top 40, and getting no play on TOTP cos it did not continue to move upwards for a Breakers slot the following week. Checking out the video, and it's an average indie tune in the realms of Inspiral Carpets or something similar.
Rod Stewart - nice playout, and video not what you would expect from Rod, but having seen Elton John do a similar cartoon video the year previous to this in 1990 with Club At The End Of The Street, it wasn't such a surprise after all.
Hey, bit of a coup for the Rebel MC to get a proper dancehall star on his record like Barrington Levy, but you'd expect something more distinctive than what they ended up with. It's OK, but a bit "no, after you" in its arrangement.
ReplyDeleteSalt N Pepa we've seen before, though we get the "Nuthin'!" punchline of the rising to a crescendo bit. By the lyrics it sounds like it doesn't matter whether "you" really want them or not.
LaTour! Great stuff, this, nothing to do with Miss Jones from Rising Damp, a tongue in cheek response to the authorities' reaction to the AIDS crisis, really motors along and the voiceover man does a grand job (don't think that's him doing the miming, though). As Jakki said last week, there really was a variation called People are Still Having Lunch ("This diet thing's not working!"). Should have been bigger, but remained a cult hit.
Extreme having a bit of trouble wearing clothes, with the sort of immediately pre-grunge rawk that sounded massively dated within weeks of its release. I wasn't quite convinced by it back then.
Kenny - give me some joke music! Oh, wrong Kenny. Anyway, Mr Thomas is back with his midtempo pop soul, business jacket hung up in the back window type thing. A pop star you can't imagine ever getting mobbed by fans.
Breakers for about 20 seconds, then on to Driza Bone, a pun where you wonder, why bother? What would the reference mean anyway? While you ponder that, this putters along, nice enough but the rap looks like an obligation rather than an inspiration.
Being Australian, would Jason know the show as Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Yawn? Ahem, anyway, I did this show at school, when I say that I mean I sat at the back and pretended to sing. Mind you, we did get a free trip to see the real thing at the King's Theatre, and there was an actual donkey in it! No, not Jason, it was a bit before him.
Color Me Repeated, that's the last we see of that I hope, then to end on Rod's tribute to Motown that doesn't sound like any 60s Motown record you've ever heard. All very plastic soul, if you can even call it soul. The animation gets a bit unpleasant in places - the Sinead O'Connor spoof in particular.
there was a myriad of mixes released for "real love", and i thought one of them - that was mercifully (c)rap-free - was one of the best things i heard in the 90's. although i'm not sure which one it is!
DeleteA Google reveals Driza Bone was one of those producer-led ensembles of the 90s, kind of like Mark Ronson two or three decades later. So I'm not surprised there were a million remixes!
DeleteWhoops - missed out Bette! Basic karaoke version of the Nanci Griffith God botherer, she certainly looks pleased to be there, and even waves to God at the end, hilariously. It's not really the Divine Miss M without a crunching gear change from filthy innuendo to self-pitying appeals for sympathy.
ReplyDeleteMany years ago I had a car stolen, and it was a rubbish car that I got more for in insurance than I paid for it. However, it had a bunch of tapes in it that I still mourn the loss of to this day, especially a mix tape I made in summer 1991 which was the soundtrack to my holiday that year, and I still can't 100% remember the track list so I've been eagerly awaiting the summer episodes of TOTP to help me fill in the gaps. I know Paula Abdul's 'Rush Rush' was on it (and lots of still to come stuff like Bomb the Bass, PM Dawn, DJ Jazzy Jeff and Fresh Prince) so we're hitting one of my favourite musical summers ever :)
ReplyDeleteAnyway, whilst I always have a soft spot for Rush Rush, not everything on this episode is a classic.
Rebel MC - There's a reason Street Tuff is the only song of his anyone remembers.
The year of the raging horn continues with Salt'n'Pepa and LaTour. That LaTour track is really weird isn't it, albeit a precursor of something like Baz Luhrmann's Sunscreen...
Extreme - I like it, in a sub-RHCP way, but their next track is going to be a defining track of the year.
Kenny T is still here, not much left to say about him.
Breakers - alongside Paula there's probably Carter USM's best loved track which gets almost 0 seconds of play. (Or joint with the Only Living Boy). Was it 91 or 92 (or 93??) when they crashed into Pip Schofield at the Smash Hits Poll Winners' Party? (Remember the days when that was a bigger event than the Brits? God I loved Smash Hits although it went a bit downhill after its 1992 makeover). Omar is one I still hear on the radio every now and then. Cubic 22 - don't remember this at all but the video's cheap graphics look a bit Jive Bunny.
Driza Bone - So many other songs sound like this. The chorus is memorable but the verses are pretty dull.
JDon - we went on a school trip to see Joseph but sadly it was just after Schofield had taken over and as the SAW generation we were gutted about that. (He was fine but my main memory is being seated in the cheap seats right at the top of the London Palladium and I am so scared of heights). Anyway his daughter is in Neighbours now playing his great niece and yet he still won't come back for a cameo, the spoilsport.
Bette M - Very casual performance here from Ms M, dressed like she should be playing someone's Aunt in a BBC sitcom doing karaoke. Why did she and Cliff both release this tune? Reminds me of when Cyndi Lauper and Roy Orbison both had versions of I Drove All Night in the charts, though I'd take both of those over any version of From a Distance.
CMB - I'm not going to say 'still?' because 3 weeks is nothing in terms of testing our endurance.
Rod - Agree with Dory here, the video would be fun if Elton hadn't already done it.
I used to read my sister's Smash Hits, mostly because it was so funny. Then she stopped buying it when New Kids on the Block blundered along and spoiled everything.
DeleteGood to see you again, Rad. Sorry about the stolen car memories. As for going to that there theatre, I did an English Lit 'A' Level and the college laid on a coach to see a play in our curriculum up London - okay, 20 miles away. The coach was a quarter full (and I'd already booked up) when it was announced the female lead was Felicity Kendal. Within a day, testosterone filled lads from other courses were allowed to pay up and we got a full coach in no time!
Deletei used to buy "smash hits" every fortnight for nearly a decade from the early 80's. plus its coypcat competitor "no.1" for several years after that came out. although they were gradually phased out in favour of more "serious" monthly mags like "Q", "vox" and "select" that started arriving on the market in the late 80's (i was reading all three of those for at least a couple of years!)
DeleteIt was always Number One magazine for me. Smash Hits had too many boy bands on the covers.
DeleteYour Sinclair was my teen magazine of choice... Smash Hits for ZX Spectrum players...
DeleteOh I loved Number One too. And Look In! Then from the mid-90s graduated to Raw, NME, Melody Maker, Q and my favourite, Select. Some of the old Smash Hits journos would go on to those places too. I still have a soft spot for the likes of Miranda Sawyer precisely because of Smash Hits.
DeleteYeah, Miranda Sawyer is great, she does great radio shows.
DeleteI can still remember Disco 45! It was a lyrics only mag.
DeleteRad - Extreme were one of the six acts who stalled at No2 when Bryan Adams wedged himself at No1. Great song that was too, and certainly more deserving of the top spot than this weeks dire offering.
DeleteBrie - Disco45 circa 1972 was probably what got me into music big time. The first edition I bought had the entire lyrics to 'American Pie' on the first page.
Four tunes peaking outside the Top 40 this week, and unlucky not to reach the TOTP stage:
ReplyDeleteNo. 50 - Inspiral Carpets - Please Be Cruel
More indie essentials.
No.53 - Meat Loaf - Deadringer For Love (1991)
We were still a couple of years away from Meat's huge comeback with Jim Steinman for Bat Out Of Hell 2: Back Into Hell, but for now, this re-release of Meat's big Top 5 hit Deadringer For Love from early 1982 with Cher on the video, it doesn't get much better than this for what is the mother of all pop videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSTIsZULYmY
No.58 - Mike & The Mechanics - A Time And A Place
Disappointing follow-up to Word Of Mouth which got to No.13 in March, and the video wasn't all that good either.
No.59 - Mantronix - Step To Me
New entry at No.59 this week, but the following week it fell out of the Top 75, so a very disappointing fall from grace from being No.4 in 1990 with Got To Have Your Love, and so this latest single was to be their last ever single, and never heard of again.
Nicky doesn't have a crowd close at hand to impress with witticisms so he's a little more subdued but still smiley and throwing in the odd aside. What a shirt. Someone's carpet is missing a couple of square feet.
ReplyDeleteRebel MC feat Barrington Levy & Tenor Fly; One of the most underwhelming openings to an edition I've ever heard. Genuinely cannot recall a thing about it even as it was going on. The title promised much more.
Salt N Pepa; The charts roll to great effect again. A less jarring end to the video this time.
Latour; I think it's spelt LaTour but I've always thought they were called Latour which I think is more appropriate with a narrator who sounds a bit like an alien with the horn. Disappointing then that the detached voice is that of a leery git, the sort you would cross to the other side of a nightclub to avoid. I still don't really know if this is some bit of rave addled profundity or a couple of blokes taking the complete and utter piss. I still find it hilarious to listen to (probably shouldn't) particularly the line when he declares that people might be, '... having SEX!! RIGHT!! NOW!!!!' as if it's some earthshattering revelation. Goodness me! The joys of this programme!
Extreme; These heavy rockers get their feet in the door with a bad funk attempt and then have a go at the listener for questioning their purposes. I should say tossers but the follow up is a real beauty. This though is shite.
Kenny Thomas; Again in the studio with the song that was on quite a lot. Unbelievably his next one is even more pedestrian. If he made a fourth one it probably just consisted of him asking over a jazzy beat if you've had any wine and a guy adjusting his ponytail. Once again his lovely co-singer stops me from switching over.
Breakers; Again way too brief to say much about. Carter USM first pop gig I went to, 'Impossible Dream' Christmas show, Brixton Academy '92. Christ it was loud!!
Same here Rad, 'Rush Rush' is a gem and a really special one from that summer. Omar as well, a perfect bit of summer soul.
Driza Bone; She looks great and with a good voice but the sound seems stuck in 1990.
Jason Donovan; Kids trilling in a circle around a fading pop star. Does that sound a No.1 thing? The early '90s were crackers though so yes.
Bette Midler; In the studio which must've been quite a thing for the show. I assume this was her one and only time. I do like the original and this is pleasant enough with Bette resplendent in green and black, beaming serenely and doing that grateful head nodding thing that people who were formerly hard living loose cannons do. A singing great just ahead of a very good time for female singers in the UK charts.
Colour Me Badd; The Slovenian woman was awesome in the climbing final. Sorry I watched the Olympics for a few minutes as I didn't want to see this performance twice in half an hour.
Rod Stewart; Alright song but as said already, Elton John has recently done the same thing. The animation looks like a 'cheerful' '90s public information film that you might get before BBC1 closed down. The risks of wearing leopardskin trousers.
I'm pretty sure the LaTour voiceover man is nowhere to be seen in the TOTP performance. And yes, it was supposed to be satirical. Big in the gay clubs, I believe.
DeleteFrom the hip and professional Brambles to the Cheesy Campbell. No wonder they shipped in new presenters.
ReplyDeleteAre there new flying numbers in the credits?
REBEL M.C. feat. BARRINGTON LEVY & TENOR FLY – Tribal Base
Sampling Enya! Is that a good idea? Never sure what to make of this. It should be crap..but it isn't.
Lively start to the show. Dancing in my chair.
SALT-N-PEPA – Do You Want Me
Awesome tune as I've said before .
LATOUR – People Are Still Having Sex
More 1991 Sex! Music was Obsessed!
I bet that's not his voice! The studio performance is so dull. What a wasted opportunity. They could of had so much fun with this. Think they should have shown the video instead.
EXTREME – Get The Funk Out
I adore this tune. Proper party tune. Always played at my parties! FUNK obviously 😜
3 goes at that link Nicky 😂😂😂
KENNY THOMAS – Thinking About Your Love
Another great tune. Not sure about the red trousers?
With this new look we seem to have given up with the close ups on stage. I loved playing spot the cameraman. Especially when they dived out of shot. Surprised they didn't hurt themselves.
Breakers:
CUBIC 22 – Party Tim e!
CARTER – THE UNSTOPPABLE SEX MACHINE – Sex! Again! Carter USM as Radio 1 called them. They do better than this.
OMAR – There’s Nothing Like This. Thank goodness. It's nice but I can't really say I like it.
PAULA ABDUL – Wonderful Tune.
DRIZA BONE – Real Love
Excellent live vocal time from Driza. Unique name. Ballad over dance beats very 1991. I do like this though.
Loved the "let's make lots of money" gag. Fair play Nicky.
JASON DONOVAN – Any Dream Will Do
As opposed to this mush. Jason Donovan and Phillip Schofield both don the coat. Neither can sing. Yet the musical was a smash hit, go figure.
As for the video, why is he in a blue jacket? Where's the coat!!! Robbed.
BETTE MIDLER – From A Distance
A proper star in the studio. Not a fan myself and this song could do with being 2 minutes shorter. Better than Cliff's version though. Just.
Skipped COLOR ME BADD, we've had enough sex for one night.
ROD STEWART – The Motown Song
A chance to see almost all of the rather good cartoon video..time for a bit of star spotting. I wonder if her asked permission? The song is excellent as well.
To be fair, Joseph and his coat had been a hit musical since the late 1960s, so it must have been a sure thing to bring it back.
DeleteWelcome to “Naked Attraction”, er, the latest edition of TOTP, sadly hosted by Mister Verbal Diarrhoea.
ReplyDeleteRebel MC and his clan give us a doubleneck Stick (first sighting of one on the show), a Stick bass, and an unexpected bit of the ole Enya barmy army.
Happy to focus on the chart instead of Salt-n-Pepa’s video and song. Safe breakfast – always use a condiment.
No intro link for Latour, where a brickie appears to have been given vocal miming duty. My word, that was exciting to watch. Not one to enjoy over the haslet.
Soupy then decides to big up Extreme’s guitarist before their conveyor belt metal. I got the FF out.
Has Kenny Thomas got a trailer in the BBC car park? Still quite enjoy this, even after what feels like its 18th studio turn.
Wafer thin slices of tracks for the breakers – why bother? – but Omar’s song is class on a stick.
Driza Bone gives us chicken-in-a-basket soul (drumsticks for the bones, perhaps?), but a fine live vocal.
Jason’s show tune had what sounded a bit like Aboriginal backing. I stomached this until the kids joined in.
Oo! A quip about Rod Stewart’s private life before his un-Motown sounding track. Was Rod not available to do a video? Loved the bit at the end where Vanilla Ice gets submerged in that lorryload of the hard stuff.
Rebel mc - what a cacophony! Next
ReplyDeleteBreakers
Cubic 22 - dull
Carter usm - first heard this on an Independent compilation, and ended up buying their previous singles and their future singles and albums, and still following fruitbat in Abdoujaparov. Guess you could say I like them (that took longer to type than the extract)
Omar - dull
Paula Abdul - dull
Driza bone - lot of love in this weeks episode, and all of them dull
Jason donovan - crikey how many singles did he release?? Mostly harmless, but Don’t like Andrew Lloyd webber, don’t like this.
Only one show next week. 11th July only due to The Proms. The last live show until June 1994!
ReplyDeleteI think we will catch up around September which will be a good opportunity to show the Story of 1991 leading into the revamp.
I wonder if they will go one a week from October to keep the 30 year gap?
I was thinking, I wonder if The Temptations got fed up namechecking fellow Motown group The Miracles on Rod Stewart's hit? Couldn't they have got The Miracles to sing on the hit instead?
ReplyDeleteWell this was a largely rotten edition hosted by Mr rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr-rebel MB or Rrrrrrrrrrroam by the B52s….how about Rrrrrrrrrrrrrruby don’t take your love to Town by Kenny Rrrrrrrrrrodgers?!
ReplyDeleteAnyway had a jolly time pressing FF for the first five acts – didn’t like any of ‘em!
Redemption came with the breakers when we got a snatch of Omar’s underrated hit.
Finally a couple of tracks I really liked – Jason Donovan with his excellent version of the ‘Joseph’ classic which I never tire of and Bette Midler who simply couldn’t stop smiling during her superior version (to Cliff) of ‘From a Distance’.
Forget the No1 but the cartoon playout was a Rod (or should that be Rrrrrrrod Stewart) hit which I’m not too familiar with but I note is featured on the ‘Very best of…story so far’ double CD which I have got! Perhaps I should play it more!
I see the original singer of From a Distance, Nanci Griffith, died yesterday. Of course she did a lot more than that, but it's what's in the headlines because it's her most famous song. RIP anyway.
ReplyDelete