Because we're young, because we're gone let's chase the 27th of May 1993 edition of Top of the Pops!
Brett pop
27-5-93: Presenter: Mark Franklin
(24) STEREO M.C.’S – Creation
Getting tonight's show underway and the song peaked at number 19.
(7) TINA TURNER – I Don’t Wanna Fight (video) (and charts)
At its peak.
(22) SUEDE – So Young
In the studio with the fourth single from their number one album Suede, but 22 was as high as it got.
(16) LOUCHIE LOU & MICHIE ONE – Shout (It Out)
Performing what became the duo's first of two top ten hits when it peaked at number 7.
(30) LENNY KRAVITZ – Believe
Here tonight with this psychedelic 60's sound but it could get no higher.
(31) BRYAN FERRY – Will You Love Me Tomorrow (video) (Breakers)
Peaked at number 23.
(26) MEGADETH – Sweating Bullets (video) (Breakers)
Got no higher.
(11) GUNS N’ ROSES – Civil War (video) (Breakers)
Got no higher.
(25) TEARS FOR FEARS – Break It Down Again
Roland is here in the studio with his new line-up and the song went up five more places.
(NEW) LISA STANSFIELD – In All The Right Places
Performing her new release which went on to peak at number 8.
(1) ACE OF BASE – All That She Wants
Back in the studio again for their second of three weeks at number one.
3rd of June is next.
The Breakers - Bryan Ferry in his twilight years and sadly his last ever Top 40 single, some 20 years since coming onto the scene with Roxy Music. At least he will be in the TOTP studio on the next show to perform it as a sort of final goodbye, not knowing it at this point, as three further new singles in the next couple of years would only manage No.52 at best, so it was effectively goodbye at this point.
ReplyDeleteTears For Fears - as the years go by, they seem to mature into their music like a mature wine, and similar to Duran Duran, the 90s brought more perfection to their sound, and I must say more listenable. Like Bryan Ferry, their career was coming to an end, as they also would release only three more single until 1996, with only one making it into the Top 40 at No.31 in 1995.
Ace Of Base - I think this must have been the first TOTP ever to have a roundtable with two glasses of wine on the stage with performers. Good Lord, Mark Franklin got his own roundtable at the end enjoying his own bottle of red wine with a guest which I presume was from the studio audience.
Er, Tears for Fears released a new album in 2022 called The Tipping Point. Their career was not coming to an end in 1993
DeleteI think musically this is one of the strongest episodes of 93 so far. Thoroughly enjoyed this weeks.
ReplyDeleteCreating a storm its the Stereo MC's with a weaker offering but still a decent tune. Gets overlooked this one but I do really enjoy their sound.
Tina on video with "I Don’t Wanna Fight". Said before I think this is a really strong Tina tune and a decent video as well.
Three in a row in the studio next with Suede performing one of their lower charting tunes. So Young is actually one of my favourite early Suede tracks. I find it quite haunting. Then a massive gear change into Louchie Lou and Michie One with their reggae rendition of "SHOUT!". Not sure what Lulu would make of this Mark but I was nervous as I was such a fan of this tune in 93, sometimes hearing it again now is a disappointment, but not today. So much fun and energy, just superb and a great vocal performance as well. Then Lenny Kravitz with a very fine tune. "Believe" not one his big big hits but I really like it, a real quality tune and vocal.
Breakers:
BRYAN FERRY – Will You Love Me Tomorrow - If you sing something else maybe
MEGADETH – Sweating Bullets - Sweating Armpits
GUNS N’ ROSES – Civil War (EP) - Nice shorts
Tears For Fears (well half of them anyway) with "Break It Down Again". Really enjoyed hearing this again. A solid TFF record and glad they got a slot on the show.
Never realised "In All The Right Places" was from Indecent Proposal (having never seen it) but Lisa here has the vocal performance of the show. Beautiful tune and I do love a bit of Lisa.
Ace of Base get all that they want (another week at Number One) and vocally it quite clear which one of them can sing. Not so good after that Lisa masterclass but still a great number one tune.
Only one show this week - but it was a cracker in my opinion.
Chicago had two song titles similar to Bryan Ferry's Will You Love Me Tomorrow, namely Love Me Tomorrow and Will You Still Love Me? It's a toss of a coin as to which of these three songs is the best, as they are all superb and I bought all three videos on iTunes some years back when adding to my collection of music videos.
DeleteThe song from 'Indecent Proposal' that sticks in the mind for me is 'No Ordinary Love' by Sade which is played when the film reaches a critical point in the narrative...
DeleteNot sure if we saw Sade perform this song in November 1992 as I wasn't paying too much attention to the repeats then.
Sade performed No Ordinary Love on it's original release on 24/9/92
DeleteTOTP was clearly giving priority for main slots on the show to those who could come in to the studio to perform, and so videos were limited to the second song on the show for running the chart rundown, the Breakers section, and the No.1 if the band had already been in the studio twice for the same song.
ReplyDeleteCase in point this week, where we had three singles climbing up the charts after being on The Breakers last week, but did not get a main slot cos they were not available to perform in the studio, namely House Of Pain at No.8, The Spin Doctors at No.12, and Jungle Book Groove at No.14, and therefore TOTP gave those three main slots to singles in lower chart positions of No.24, No.25, No.30 who benefitted from the three no shows (or no possibilities) for the TOTP studio!
In the pre-revamp years pre-1991, videos and studio performances had equal priority on the show, with some shows very video-heavy cos of their chart positions, but now TOTP was kind of video-tired from the 80s video phenomenon, and sort of back to the 70s era of a studio performance show, with videos kept out as much as possible in favour of studio appearances.
Secrets & Scandals of Top of the Pops was broadcast on Channel 5 last night. Tony Dortie, Pete Murray and David Hamilton were among presenters interviewed while former producer Stanley Appel was also on giving his views. It is on the My5 catch up service.
ReplyDeleteThe truth behind an infamous gaffe during a 1982 show, when an image of the darts player Jocky Wilson appeared whilst Dexys Midnight Runners were performing Jackie Wilson Said, was finally unravelled.
DeleteAlthough always previously thought to be a production error, it transpired this was in fact a practical joke, the brainchild of Dexys’ lead singer, Kevin Rowland, which the production crew thought amusing and ran with.
It certainly generated plenty of publicity for Dexys at the time,
Four songs at peak position this week further down the charts with no TOTP for them this time round:
ReplyDeleteNo.32 Jethro Tull - Living In The Past
Perhaps it was just that, with this re-release of their their 1969 Top 3 single, and their first Top 40 single since 1976, and also their last ever single, but at least it got into the chart rundown this week over the Tina Turner video.
No.35 Maria McKee - I'm Gonna Soothe You
First Top 40 single for three years since Show Me Heaven got to No.1 in 1990. One more single was to follow soon after this one which only made No.74, and that was pretty much it from McKee in terms of a chart singles career.
No.63 Chesney Hawkes - What's Wrong With This Picture
Fourth and final single from Hawkes with nothing in the Top 40 since his breakthrough year of 1991, he would come back nine years later for one more single in 2002, only managing No.74!
No.65 East Side Beat - You're My Everything
Follow-up to their Xmas 1992 single Alive And Kicking, this was their last hurrah, and peaked at only No.65, so that was it from East Side Beat.
'Living in the Past' is written in a 5/4 time signature which is the same as 'Take Five' by the Dave Brubeck Quartet.
DeleteI've never cared much for Tull to be honest but that is such a great single. On Island and from 1969 and I know 2 other things in 5/4 from that year and that label; Nick Drake, 'Riverman' and Fairport Convention, 'Autopsy'. Great minds etc although I am aware that Drake wrote 'Riverman' before Island signed him. Also has anyone else ever noticed the similarity between the opening melody of 'Riverman' and the opening part of 'No Man Can Find The War' by Tim Buckley? Although he does do something amazing with it if it was an influence. Watching these repeats always makes me remember that I spent most of "93 collecting Nick Drake and other Witchseason Island LPs. Affordable back then!
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ReplyDeleteHi folks. Back from Detroit and finally sorted out my schedule.
ReplyDeleteAh, good, Mark’s had a shave. Much better.
Stereo MCs open the batting yet again. Very pleased that (a) the three female BVs are upfront as usual and (b) at last Rob’s tucked his scrawny chest away. Not their best but, as Hugh Dennis would say, it’s got a good beat.
Next up, it’s a video with Tina in it, innit?
Oh dear, Bert Anderson’s decided to emulate Kung Fu Rob of the past. Shirt, lad! The first studio outing for the guitar genius that is Bernard Butler. Shame the song’s so nondescript and tries to shock with its lame drug reference chorus. “Animal Nitrate” this isn’t.
Did Louchie Lou choose that name so that putting together the first syllable of each word sounds like Lulu? Nothing to shout about with this rubbish Shaggy-style cover. Mark, I think the only thing Lulu would be proud of here is the royalties.
Beatles-style “Stars In Their Eyes” part 1 as a psychedelically framed Lenny tries to rewrite “Imagine” and “I Am The Walrus” but ends up with a pile of sub mid-tempo slush.
Yet more dull Ferryoke. “Taxi” for Bryan’s chart career. See what I did there?
“Sweating Bullets”, more like sweaty b’llocks.
Uncivil row and dress code next. Christ, more clothes, William!
Beatles-style “Stars In Their Eyes” part 2 as Tears For Fears, now without either Mr. Tears or Mr. Fears, try to sound like Macca and, as before, fail miserably.
It’s another from that rotation squad of Exclusive bores (no Def Leppard single available this time?), yet it’s peak of the week for me as Lisa gives us a fine performance, and a great chorus there.
Ace of Base pretend that keyboard setting’s a real sax. Yuk. I can see why Female Bez to our left didn’t do much of the singing.
I was really hoping that was Tasmin Archer Badger sitting next to Mark at the end, but she’s in the chart in any case so couldn’t be an Exclusive unveiling for next time.
You don't get much for the pound in Detroit now, as the pound is now at a 20-year low against the dollar this week, with only just over one dollar to the pound, at 1.18 to be precise and now the same exchange rate as the Euro. Good Lord!
DeleteLuckily, the pre-wedding party the night before and the receptions before and after the wedding (!!!) were all paid up and free for guests. Detroiters are furious at having to pay the equivalent of 75p a litre for petrol!
DeleteSo the petrol in the UK currently priced at around £1.70 a litre is more than double what they pay in Detroit!
DeleteJust realised it's bye bye for now to Stereo MCs, surely the only act to have four consecutive hits start an edition of TOTP? It took eight years for them to release a follow-up to "Creation" and a further year for their next album. Hopefully we'll catch them once more for their final top 20 hit in the next TOTP millennium.
ReplyDeleteWhat did House of Pain and Spin Doctors do to anger this show? The latter still don't get a look in next week despite going to number 4!
ReplyDeleteQuite a 'mature' sound this week. Suede and Stereo MCs my favourite of what we have.
I would imagine they were not available to perform in the studio, and videos at this point in the TOTP evolution were only played on the Breakers, or with the Top 40 rundown (which was usually a Top 10 placing), and at No.1 if a group had already had two separate appearances in the studio while at No.1.
DeleteOh and also if there was a last minute pull out for the studio for a main slot given performer, they would play the video for the sick performer rather than erase their spot on the show, as in the case of Tasmin Archer on the following show who got her video shown when at No.26 and not as part of The Breakers.
Rad, The Spin Doctors finally got their video shown the week after this show when at a peak of No.3, as by then they were first in the queue for the Top 40 rundown video, it was that hard to get on the show if you only had a video and didn't come in to the studio to perform or you didn't get to No.1.