It's going to be a fine night tonight, it's going to be a fine 5th of March 1992 edition of Top of the Pops!
Hot hit
5-3-92: Presenters: Mark Franklin & Femi Oke
(19) THE CHARLATANS – Weirdo
First on tonight but the song got no higher.
(52) MR. BIG – To Be With You (via satellite)
Became their only top ten hit when it peaked at number 3.
(5) OPUS III – It’s A Fine Day
In the studio but the song was now at its peak.
(9) THE KLF – America: What Time Is Love? (video)
Their fifth and final hit as KLF and it peaked at number 4.
(11) CROWDED HOUSE – Weather With You
Performing what became their only top ten hit when it peaked at number 7.
(3) SHANICE – I Love Your Smile (video)
Went up one more place.
(32) ERIC CLAPTON – Tears In Heaven (video) (Breakers)
Peaked at number 5.
(31) JOE COCKER – Feels Like Forever (video) (Breakers)
Peaked at number 25.
(28) BARBRA STREISAND – Places That Belong To You (video) (Breakers)
Peakedat number 17.
(22) CURVE – Fait Accompli (video) (Breakers)
Got no higher.
(4) GUNS N’ ROSES – November Rain (video)
Got no higher.
(1) SHAKESPEAR’S SISTER – Stay
Treating us to another new studio performance for their third of eight weeks at number one.
12th of March is next.
Opus III - second time in the TOTP studio for this one, and not as good as on the 20th Feb edition, but I looked up the pretty lead singer, and her name is Kirsty Hawkshaw who apparently met her producers at a rave in Hertfordshire in 1990, and this first hit It's A Fine Day made Top 5 as debut single.
ReplyDeleteThe KLF - a variation on their 1990 Top 5 debut hit What Time Is Love, this time with new shipwreck video and adding in the word America on the song title, it made for a superb final hurrah in what was to be the last ever single release by The KLF, as they completely disappeared off the music scene after this single peaked at No.4.
Guns 'N' Roses - favourite single of theirs by a mile, and this 'video' on the show as Angelo puts it, is not the official video, but an initial live video, as I think the official 9-minute mainly outdoor video was not ready yet at the time of this TOTP show, so this is probably the only footage that was available for TOTP, even though already at No.4 this week as a new entry.
Kirsty Hawkshaw is the daughter of the late great Alan Hawkshaw, library music and TV theme tune supremo. It was his composition "Chicken Run" which was used by both "Grange Hill" and "Give Us A Clue".
DeleteKirsty turned 52 recently and now has long hair, and still releases new music and videos, albeit in duo with Oona Dahl these days, and you can see their 2020 single and video called Love Is All We Need as an insert in Kirsty's website:
Deletehttps://www.kirstyhawkshaw.com
I enjoyed this episode quite a bit.
ReplyDeleteGreat opening with The Charlatans - might not be their best track, but a memorable keyboard riff.
Then TOTP continues its weird relationship with America. How often have we now seen it where they say we're going to have a special US feature only for that idea to fizzle out after a couple of eps . Stop. Trying. To. Make. America. Happen. Anyway, perfectly standard MOR ballad that's going to make its way to the UK charts soon.
Opus III - good to see this again.
KLF - talk about chucking the kitchen sink at things! I preferred the older version.
Crowded House - one of the most enduring songs of the year and one that will cement them as a 'let's buy the greatest hits' act.
Shanice - shame not to get another studio performance but good track.
Breakers - well today's episode is nothing if not diverse in terms of the type of acts and genres covered! I really like Curve, I can take or leave the others.
GNR - A decent ballad I prefer their faster stuff though.
Shakespear's Sister - I love it when acts keep coming back to do new performances (Take note, Bryan one performance only Adams). It makes a lengthy top spot run more interesting.
Another new presenter, and she's quite sweet! Well, she made me laugh with her enthusiasm, anyway.
ReplyDeleteThe Charlatans rarely put a foot wrong on their singles, and Weirdo was no exception, second episode in a row to start with a strong organ riff. Best not to wonder why Mark thinks he himself is a weirdo.
Ah, the other Mr Big. I should hate this in all its long haired rockers go acoustic glory, but I don't mind it, really. Chrissie Hynde has let herself go. What's with the plastic head in the background?
Opus III back again, sensibly consigning the balls to TV screens. When Kirsty was on Tonight with Jonathan Ross, he asked her if she had ever seen The Caine Mutiny, which was quite funny for him. Vocals now boosted with a backing singer, I note.
The KLF bow out with an ever so slightly overproduced bid for the American market that failed utterly, despite the blatant pandering. But they do it with a sense of humour, which is the track's saving grace. Completely ridiculous.
Crowded House and Tim does have a head shaped like a triangle. Almost forgets to sing at one point, too. Nice enough, but a bit unexciting.
Shanice gets a fast forward, and onto the Breakers where the oldies are making it into the charts, somehow, to battle Curve in trademark black and white video form.
Thank heavens we don't get all nine years of Guns 'N Roses November Rain, but this drab concert footage is quite sufficient. Please don't let TOTP give over half the show to the video when it's finished.
On the Mary Whitehouse Experience, they depicted Siobhan as having a voice like a literal foghorn. Don't know if she ever lived that down, but where was Punt and Dennis's eight week number one hit, then, eh?
Just to say, as well as Meat Loaf, Canadian soul man R. Dean Taylor's death was announced this week too. Indiana Wants Me, Gotta See Jane, and of course the Northern Soul stormer There's a Ghost in My House are among his hits (he did better in the UK).
ReplyDeleteThe video for Indiana Wants Me was shown on a TOTP 1971 episode and I think is on a show not wiped thankfully, but it was missing the beginning and end of the video, but even Utube only seems to have the TOTP cut, so the full video is still elusive, unless anyone can post it on here?
DeleteSad that there was not much (nothing?) in the news about R. Dean Taylor’s passing away. Gotta See Jane and There’s a Ghost in my House were big in our village hall discos in the early 80s in the Northern Soul slot. Both these also covered very faithfully by my favourite band The Fall as well.
DeleteThe only reason I knew R. Dean Taylor had died because Gideon Coe announced it on 6Music, and played Ghost as tribute. He'd actually died at the start of the month (from long Covid) but it took a while for the news to get out - I searched online and found a couple of Canadian news sites reporting it.
DeleteThe ITV Chart Show following this edition of TOTP featured their top 10 dance chart, with video plays for Alison Limerick at No.7, and the No.1 on the dance chart was New Atlantic's I Know, also on video, so both videos not shown on TOTP cos the groups came into the studio, did have the videos shown on The ITV Chart Show dance chart though:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zx1ZlAzwK-w
The debut of Femi ”Men and Motors” Oke, very jerky movements but an assured presence.
ReplyDeleteThat’s right, Mark, talk over that great opening. Another super opener with killer organ.
No, Mark, you’re not a weirdo, but you’re definitely the wimpiest bloke to wear a rugby jumper.
HM meets MOR with Mr Big and I don’t want more of this.
Opus II give us an Olympic opening, or is it a torch song? Ahem. Actually, I find this a grower. Kirsty gives us a twist on the old punk Mohican haircut.
Jimmy Cauty channeling his inner Harry Worth on Mount Fuji. That KLF track will burn - er, sell - a million. Modest video as you’d expect. Not much cabin room on that galleon. Ouch, look at all that gaffer tape over that topless woman.
NO NO NO, Crowded House aren’t Australian. Not the first time a TOTP host’s ballsed up there. Gentle and enjoyable track but for me “Don’t Dream It’s Over” knocks this into the shade.
Shanice’s track makes my teeth itch.
Old farts time for the breakers, the first three probably released on wax cylinder, before we get Eurythmics alumni Curve.
Femi, keep that fax away from the Olympic torches otherwise you’ll set the sprinklers off and ruin your hairstyle!
Oh, great, Oral – er, Axl Rose and the lads give us a flip-lighter ballad.
At this point in time Shakespear’s Sister appear to be the new ‘Waddy or Shaky with a trailer in the car park. They’ve now made enough from the song to give the keyboardist a scarf.
Femi finishes the show with a pun on the chart topper. Corny but I’ll give her the benefit.
Didn't know Femi was on Men and Motors, there was a cheap channel. She was too good for it, I'm saying that now!
DeleteSorry but for me Mr Big conjures up just two things; 1) Live and let die and 2), the excellent hit 'Romeo' which charted in 1977.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteLive And Let Die gets shown frequently on ITV4, and Mr Big was played by Yaphet Kotto, who soon after played the part of President Idi Amin of Uganda in the film Raid On Entebbe, where he achieved an Emmy Award nomination for outstanding supporting actor, presumably for supporting Charles Bronson.
DeleteRaid was shown on Paramount Network in the UK recently, but definitely deserves an ITV4 showing at least once, as they like showing the Eastwood and Bronson films, but this one never seems to repeated over the years like Live and Let Die, and I think it's just as good for Kotto's performance.
Yaphet Kotto also claimed to be a member of the British Royal Family, through a lineage from Queen Victoria. Well, he'd have been better than Prince Andrew.
DeleteThere’s a fair few classics failing to chart in the Top 40 or, if they do, failing to get a TOTP mention these last few weeks. In no particular order:
ReplyDeleteJAMC - Reverence
Sunscreem - Pressure
Ian McCulloch - Lover Lover Lover (Leonard Cohen cover - just brilliant)
Army of Lovers - Crucified (as Dory mentions, we were all robbed of a TOTP appearance)
PM Dawn - Reality
Billy Bragg - Accident Waiting to Happen
Orbital - Mutations EP
Sonz of Loop-de-loop Era - Far out (as featured in recent car dodgems adverts)
World of Twist - She’s a Rainbow
I did mention PM Dawn as well on the last show comments to say that this being their 4th single, they only got on to TOTP with their third one called Set Adrift On memory Bliss back in 1991, and I guess they will be thought of as a one-hit wonder because of that.
DeleteI always thought Army of Lovers were trying a bit too hard, but Crucified isn't a bad tune. Think the last thing I saw them on was an episode of Eurotrash, appropriately enough.
DeleteI'd keep an eye out for 'Australian Hits at the BBC' tonight on BBC4. It's a repeat but I've seen a tantalising mention of The Easybeats on the compilation. Is a classic lost Top of the Pops clip getting a showing?
ReplyDeleteHopefully they'll play Good Times which is the only Easybeats song I'm familiar with, and only cos it was covered by the combo of Jimmy Barnes & INXS in 1991 with a brilliant video, getting to No.18 not so long ago on these TOTP repeats.
DeleteBarnes being half Scottish and half Australian, and INXS fully Australian, kept the Australian connection with The Eastybeats, with 23 years between the original in 1968 and the cover in 1991!
No weirdo this show so I get to watch on the telly box, just like I did in 1992.
ReplyDeleteThe Charlatans up first and never a duff tune even if this isn't a favourite of mine. Like his jacket. Good performance as well.
Hi Femi. Wow. She's a bit much isn't she. Calm down love. Mark his usual trendy self in his British Lions sweatshirt. I won't complain as I own several.
Live from the U S of A its Mr Big. Who remembers them! It's this years " More than words" and about as tuneful. Wigs by Cher it seems.
Opus 3 and her balls are back again. Glad this was a big hit as I like it.
Up to Mount Fuji next as The KLF come full circle, leaving us with a tune that is a remix of their first hit and now featuring Glenn Hughes from Deep Purple on vocals. This is what my Dad would quite rightly have called a bloody racket...but what a great wall of noise it is. Fantastic video as well. Thank you KLF. I love you too.
Cue massive gear change and nobody cheers for poor Crowded House. Although this has been massively overplayed throughout the years I do actually like this one.
Shanice on video and this earworm is firmly parked in the Top Ten and everyone's brains for the rest of 1992 (and possibly 2022 as well). Pretty average video.
Breakers:
Eric Clapton - Can't really trash this considering the subject matter.
Joe Cocker - Great voice.. average tune.
Barbara (spelt wrong) Streisand - Not a fan of her voice or songs so it's a pass from me. Never understood the appeal.
Curve - sounds interesting. Will check this out in full.
TOTP has a fax machine!
GnR..this is a lovely tune and a proper rock ballad (pay attention Mr Big). Proper big stars at this point and this is a wonderful song.
SS still Number One and back in the studio again which is set up to mimic the video. Easily the best performance of this tune so far. I'd forgotten how much I love this one.