I'm on my hols at the moment so having to post the 15th of April 1993 edition prior to watching.
Hair raiser
15-4-93: Presenter: Mark Franklin
(15) EAST 17 – Slow It Down
(22) DR. ALBAN – Sing Hallelujah
(13) DURAN DURAN – Come Undone (video) (and charts)
(9) CAPPELLA – U Got 2 Know
(17) TERENCE TRENT D’ARBY – Do You Love Me Like You Say?
(27) REM – Everybody Hurts (video) (Breakers)
(25) ROD STEWART – Shotgun Wedding (video) (Breakers)
(12) THE PRODIGY – Wind It Up (Rewound) (video) (Breakers)
(11) NEW ORDER – Regret (video) (Breakers)
(NEW) SONIA – Better The Devil You Know
(19) WORLD PARTY – Is It Like Today?
(1) THE BLUEBELLS – Young At Heart
22nd of April is next
ReplyDeleteLearnt three things today…
East 17 - never noticed the very saucy lyric.
Sonia - I had totally forgotten the the devil you know was our Eurovision entry
World party - I know this song well by them, but had no idea what it was called
I liked the way World Party were introduced by Mark Franklin as their new single 'hitting the shops', now in the last years where people went to the shops to buy CD singles and vinyl records for what was left of them before the digital age set in a few years later when streaming became the norm!
DeleteDr Alban - I remember liking this a lot at the time, but over the last 30 years or so it has waned in its appeal, and sounds very lame present day, despite the gospel section adding extra punch to the tune. I would liken the Alban hairstyle to Peter Snakebite Wright, the current world darts champion and world No.2.
ReplyDeleteDuran Duran - this is just world class, and I always thought Duran Duran's second phase from 1989 onwards into their 30s was their finest work. The video was just brilliant, even though we had to endure the chart rundown over it, and I liked the gorgeous mermaid and her fine pins in the water tank. Did anyone see Duran Duran this week performing at the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony, as they were just brilliant, now in their 60s!
Capella - second performance in the TOTP studio and already at No.9, I'm taking a liking to the lead girl dancer at the front of the group with the white top and shorts, despite the fact that her dance moves are still slow and disjointed for a fast dance floor tune, but there is a big cuteness factor.
The Breakers - The Prodigy continue to be a Breakers-only group for their last umpteenth number of singles, despite them going up the charts for several weeks after on each occasion, so a main slot was already out of the window from several singles ago.
Top 10 rundown - Snow with Informer was back up to No.2 this week, and despite being ages in the Top 10 by now and still going up, only had one showing on TOTP four shows ago on 18th March. They were also already on their 6th week at No.1 with this single in the US charts across a total of 7 weeks at No.1, so TOTP could have done more to help them get a transatlantic No.1, but did not seem interested in giving them any more airplay in the last few shows. Good Lord!
Haven't seen the Commonwealth performance yet Dory but will check it out. I have seen Duran Duran and I can confirm they are a great live band.
DeleteEnjoyed this one mostly. 2 favourites of the year. The rest ok.
ReplyDeleteEast 17 with one you don't hear anywhere now. Casual of melody and
vaguely arsed of interest, this is still most enjoyable from them. Gathered around a comfortable sitting room (waiting for their mates to turn up?), and Tony appearing to sport eye test glasses.
Dr. Alban with onion hair and a gospel choir. Yes, still like this though it's really only the striking chorus that really marks it out. The piano backing pretty obvious dance stuff. Still that chorus. Brilliant! I just kept imagining it veering into Boney M's 'Ma Baker' each time.
Video and charts and it's a real visual feast with all sorts of acquatic goings on. Sharks, an escapologist, incredibly expensive clothes. All beautifully lit as well. Duran Duran weren't going tstart being pedestrian in their '30s. Good song too. I haven't seen their Commonwealth Games appearance yet. Maybe it should have been in the acquatic centre.
Another rave around the Elstree climbing frame, I liked 'U Got To Know' more this time round. Great title hook sung both in the right and the wrong key.
Then a real burst of funk energy from Terence Trent D'Arby, back with a question that damn well needs answering. Absolutely love this single and he (obviously) and his band (pretty suprisingly) carry it off in the studio with aplomb. Burning, whiplash guitars and drums all over the place and that chorus still grabs me by the throat to this day. That was just fantastic!!
The breakers usually slouch into view but R.E.M's 'Everybody Hurts' video is a wonderful contrast with the previous song and you think, yes, this is a bloody brilliant year for an extra minute or so. A classic video which must get a longer feature. Strangely the videos from the biggest international album of the period have only had brief breaker appearances till now.
Rod Stewart gets more of his video shown. Quite funny. The Prodigy at their most anonymous then Bernard Sumner strumming his guitar in a stately home. Still don't think much of that song.
Mark does his Totp duty and pretends to be bothered about the UK's Eurovision entry, a 'jaunty' hook crammed affair which despite Sonia's always decent voice is still a horrible listen. Union Jacks wave and some of the wavers drift away at the earliest opportunity. She was so much better than that.
Mark wishes Sonia best of luck over one of the best single intros of the time so another minus point for that entry. The group he talks over had been waiting quite a while for their moment but World Party finally make an appearance with the brilliant 'Is It Like Today?'. A special one for me because 'Bang' was the first cd album I ever bought. I was quite late making the switch from LPs and I dropped the case on the stairs about 2 days later and broke it! Still have it though. Like I'm sure most teenagers who owned it, I played brief track 'And God Said' very loud. Karl looking very cool here and another highlight of the show from this year.
After the very current folk pop of World Party, the very '80s folk pop of The Bluebells again is a bit of a comedown but it's still a good performance and I've liked their determination to offer something different with every time they appear.
Goodbye from Mark and a few lads who give some sarky expressions behind him.
Four tunes at peak position this week further down the charts from previous chart regulars, and alas no TOTP for them this time round:
ReplyDeleteNo.38 Boney M - Brown Girl In The Ring
I remember this first time round in 1979, it was so popular then, that it even got a singalong in an episode of George & Mildred in its final series that same year.
No.49 Sinitta - The Supreme EP
Last ever single from the pretty and leggy one, as the curtain falls on one of the finest performers from the Stock Aitken & Waterman music factory.
No.50 Betty Boo - Hangover
Last chance saloon for Betty Boo, as this was the second single in a row to fail to make Top 40, it was the cue to call it a day after this one, as we would never see her again in the charts, as the curtain falls on another great from the late 80s and early 90s music factory.
No.62 Wendy James - London's Brilliant
Second of only two solo singles released after leaving Transvision Vamp, with a peak of No.34 for her first single, failing to get onto TOTP, and this final try only getting to No.62 for her efforts, this gorgeous singer also finished her career at this point in 1993, as it was her last ever single release.
"Hangover" is brilliant country rap and should have been a much bigger hit. Betty Boo gave up after this to look after her mum who was, sadly, terminally ill. Betty made a good few bucks as a songwriter later on (e.g "Pure And Simple") and released a comeback single earlier this year.
DeleteEast 17 have been deep and now they slow it down for the smoochy end of night dance in Nan's front room wearing dodgy sunglasses and t-shirts. East 17 had some great pop tunes but this isn't one of them. Delete this one from the catalogue boys.
ReplyDeleteGet your sister act together the Dr is back in the house. Sounding like 1990 in 1993 so already out of date. Hammer Time anyone? Awful vocals. Even Alban seems bored of it all Hallelujah it's over!
Come Undone another wonderful Duran Duran tune. Wonder who the female singer is? Odd little video, is that a drunk Jane from Neighbours? Very chilled out and Beloved like.
Capella take 2. Once again of its time and not so great now and then Terence is back. Well that's a surprise. And he's gone all Lenny Kravitz on us but forgotten the tune. No wonder he gave up.
Breakers:
REM: Beautiful tune. Iconic video.
Rod Stewart: Playing dress up. Poor tune.
Prodigy: New direction.required. stuck in 1991
New Order: Classic
Sonia doing her best for Eurovision and is this one of our poorer efforts although it somehow finished 2nd behind Ireland who won for the second year in a row!
Essentially a solo project for Karl Wallinger from The Waterboys this is a great little pop ballad. World Party didn't have much chart success after this. Reminds me of Julian Lennon a bit.
Disco time with The Bluebells still raking it in. Shabba!
Tessa Niles was on backing vocals for 'Come undone'.
DeleteThanks
DeleteRunners and riders with chart positions again while Angelo’s away…
ReplyDeleteEast 17 (reached number 15) – Slow it down? Nah, speed it up and get it over with. Not a case of sofa so good.
Dr. Alban (reached 16) – Dr. All Bran with a dose of verbal diarrhoea. Good of Gilbert O’Sullivan to lend one of his pianos.
Duran Duran (at its peak) – Fishing for compliments, but not from me.
Capella (reached 6) – Brilliant! The return of 50’s underwear wonky dancey woman. I can see how the riff of “Happy House“ fitted rave but they should’ve asked permission from a grown up first.
Terence Trent D’Arby (reached 14) – The return of the shy retiring one. Part James Brown, part Wacko, mainly ego. Too shouty and derivative for my liking.
REM (reached 7) – “Suicide / Samaritans Song” with not all the correct lyrics at the bottom of the screen.
Rod Stewart (reached 21) – Ha-ha-‘hilarious’ video and a crap cover.
The Prodigy (reached 11) – Not rewound but not FF’d either.
New Order (reached 4) – Where are Hooky and The Hoff?
Sonia (made it to 15) – Sadly not the Kylie track. Still, good performance and nice jacket.
World Party (biggest hit, at its peak) – mellow enough, nice enough, but didn’t grab my attention.
The Bluebells (obvious) – More hoedown than disco if you ask me.
So late comments are late, I've been on holiday and have lots of TOTP to catch up on!
ReplyDeleteQuite a decent episode this one, covers a lot of genres. I always liked Come Undone and Everybody Hurts. I had completely forgotten that TTD single. It's not great.