I'm waiting in my cold cell when the bell begins to chime for the 14th of October 1993 edition of Top of the Pops!
Dovely day
14-10-93: Presenter: Mark Franklin
(7) ETERNAL – Stay
A second studio performance and the song went up three more places.
(9) IRON MAIDEN – Hallowed Be Thy Name (video) (and charts)
Straight in at nine with their latest halloween offering but it got no higher.
(19) DINA CARROLL – Don’t Be A Stranger
Performing what became her second of four top ten hits when it peaked at number 3.
(14) THE LEMONHEADS – Into Your Arms
In the studio but the song got no higher.
(20) DIANA ROSS – Chain Reaction (video) (Breakers)
This reissue got no higher.
(17) PRINCE – Peach (video) (Breakers)
Peaked at number 14.
(12) THE PRODIGY – One Love (video) (Breakers)
Peaked at number 8.
(11) BON JOVI – I Believe (video) (Breakers)
Got no higher.
(24) ONE DOVE – Breakdown
Performing their first of two top 40 hits but it got no higher.
(NEW) PHIL COLLINS – Both Sides Of The Story
From his number one album Both Sides, this single peaked at number 7.
(1) TAKE THAT & LULU – Relight My Fire (video)
Second of two weeks at number one.
21st of October is next.
Chart rundown - with The Breakers only going down to No.20 this week, we find three groups missing out on a new Breakers slot while at peak position inside the Top 30, and so would not get shown on TOTP at all:
ReplyDeleteNo.26 Blur - Sunday Sunday
Reminds me of the song title Monday Monday by The Mama's & Papa's, but this was no mama or papa with Blur who had a totally different approach to their music.
No.29 Pop Will Eat Itself - RSVP/Familius Horribilus
We'll I've heard of Annus Horribilus with regard to the Queen's summary of the year of 1992 in her annual Christmas speech that year following the Windsor Castle fire and her children's divorces in the same year, but what was Familius Horribilus?
No.30 The 2 Tone EP - The Special AKA, Madness, The Selector, The Beat.
Four fantastic songs circa 1979 when 2 Tone music burst onto the scene with these groups.
The Breakers - not sure why Diana Ross was back in the Top 20 with the same single and video which was No.1 in 1986, and good to see Prince with his first Top 40 single of the year, as the last time we saw him on the TOTP roster was in December 1992 with '7'.
One Dove - wow this was really fresh, with a very pretty lead singer for good measure, and this was actually their second single and most successful release of three in total, as the first one in August called White Love flopped outside the Top 40 at peak position of No.43.
Phil Collins - still finding solo Top 10 singles like this one as late as 1993, but proved that he could move back and forth between Genesis and solo Phil Collins whenever one of the projects was on the wane, to move into the other very seamlessly, as 1991 saw some unsuccessful solo singles, followed by the return of Genesis in 1992, and then now back to solo mode in 1993, with a new solo album of the same name 'Both Sides.'
Diana Ross was promoting her greatest hits album at the time so I guess thats why Chain Reaction was re-issued.
DeleteMust be Christmas soon
DeleteACTUAL WOMEN already means this ep is an improvement on the last one.
ReplyDeleteFantastic Eternal opening with live vocals from Easther (if not the other three). They'll be a bit memory holed by the Spice Girls and All Saints in a couple of years, but they paved the way for both.
Iron Maiden, don't mind the track but why does the video look like it came from the 70s?
Dina Carroll - wow, just loved this one then and it still sounds fantastic now. Stanging, outfit and swoopy strings fits with the gothy rock opera vibe of this Autumn with Meat Loaf, and even TT's recent staging. Of course we saw this months ago as an exclusive but I guess they deliberately saved it for the darker colder nights cos it would not have worked in the summer.
Lemonheads,- short, sweet.
Breakers - yass feminism represent after last week's dad rock. Best song about the female orgasm ever? Not that I understood that back in the 80s when I first fell in love with it. The rest of them are OK songs from good acts.
One Dove - I don't remember this at all.I like it though. Weirdly, my Spotify chucked on another of their songs at me yesterday, the algorithm is clearly doing its work.
Phil C - Boo, get back to last weeks snorefest where you belong.
TT with a respectably short and sweet run at the top. Two weeks is kind of a perfect run at the top really, long enough to feel established without it getting in the way. We're heading for another long marathon topper though...
Rad, re the female orgasm comment, I'll (erm) raise you with "She Bop" by Cyndi Lauper which reached number 3 in the USA but (sorry) stiffed at number 46 in the UK.
DeleteTop 10 rundown - you could say Chaka Demus & Pliers were unlucky not to get another studio invite this week while stuck at No.4 for the third week and now at peak position. It could be that a couple of shows ago when at no.4 for the first week, Chaka Demus did a sickie when invited to perform in the studio and had their video shown instead, so it could have been a case of once bitten twice shy, or TOTP may have had enough of the pair by now.
ReplyDeleteFar better this edition. Two marvellous studio performances of key '93 singles and a couple of student favourites as well. Even Mark is pretty animated this evening.
ReplyDeleteEternal start things off because they're so obviously new UK stars and they do another classy performance of 'Stay'
The lights come up to reveal the girls in front of their logo hanging on what looks like an iceberg. Really sweet moment where Vernie going into a chorus, throws her head back and her cap nearly pops off of her head. She reaches out to keep it on but everything's fine. I notice she was also the only one to finish in the correct pose.
Iron Maiden get the chart rundown. I'm sure they were delighted. A very glossy, big stage video but not a patch on the sight of the guitarist getting hit on the side of the head by a football in a muddy field. Got enough cymbals?
Back in the studio and Dina Carroll is a vision in red velvet doing a fabulous rendition of 'Don't Be A Stranger'. What a talent she is. Will get to No 3 so we get a brief glimpse of the gorgeous old Prague set video for a couple of weeks.
Wow, it Mark Goodier's Evening Session on TV! The Lemonheads show up to do the lead single from 'Come On Feel The Lemonheads' just out, and a great song. Written by Nic Dalton who actually mimes playing the bass here.
On 'The Word' he somehow plays it while seemingly not playing it at all. He does handstands by the end.
Evan surprisingly greasy haired, not that anyone on Totp would've been concerned.
Breakers; Diana Ross had a comp out ('One Woman' was it?) so 'Chain Reaction' comes back. Never forget seeing that for the first time on TV-AM.
Prince; 'Peach'. Clever as it sounds just like 'Cream'
Prodigy; compellingly bonkers. Bon Jovi; Didn't hear a tune there.
More indie cred with One Dove. Remember the name from the time but only heard them in the last 10 or so years. Not as strong as 'White Love' but great to see them on the show. Brilliant sub bass.
Phil Collins and (anonymous) co gather by a lamppost in front of what. An engine shed? A silage tank? No idea. Also city council railings for the audience at the side to stay behind. Charming.
But I must say I really like this single even the guitar and synth which sounds just like an all enveloping bagpipe. Near genius middle eight and brilliantly sung.
TT and L at No.1 for 2nd week and the decadent if very dated video. We can see who has what role at this stage. Jason gets the sexy girl in the water. Robbie the silly hat. Mark, um, the t- shirt shrunk in the wash.
Mark says goodnight but not before turning into Tony Blackburn all of a sudden. Mic in the face of surprised girl, a question that can only get a monosyllabic answer.
Ps. Really enjoyed seeing Oct '79 and Oct '87 again even if they weren't the best of either year. More please Beeb! If they do show early editions I'd hope for 6/3/69 (Alan Freeman), 05/02/70 (Tony Blackburn) and 11/04/74 (Noel Edmonds. I'm sure they won't but you never know. I put a post on the '79 one and will add to the '87 one. Thanks Angelo for letting me wander back and add to the posts and Dory for directing me to them.
ReplyDeleteNice start to the show with Eternal, joyous and buoyant. Fine lead vocals. Mark predicts it could be a former number one. Ahem.
ReplyDeleteHalloween Be thy Name next from the Maiden. That new vocalists lungs aren’t as powerful as old Brucie – no, not that one.
Non-mugshots: The highest chart position for X-Press 2 in their own right (nine chart entries, total weeks in the chart ten) but they reached number 2 with David Byrne in 2002 – by which time I’d given up watching the show.
A right old juxtaposition into the peak of the week for me, Dina always up for an Elstree. Great voice, very expressive face. Rather her than Mariah Fricking Carey every time. No pianist accompanying her for this re-run of the song.
The Lemonheads sounding like REM’s slightly riskier brother. I quite liked this but couldn’t work out why the confetti.
A more deserving song elsewhere in the chart misses out as breaker to a non-mover for Diana Ross. Always hated this.
Was Not Was co-vocalist Kim Basinger with that sampled moan on Prince’s track which includes the line “When her titties bounced”. Hmm.
27 seconds for The Prodigy this time.
I believe “I Believe” was bland AOR.
Very light echoey vocals for One Dove. File next to the beloved as mellow midtempo rave-pop.
Why have two short(ish) running top 40 hits on the show when you can have 315 seconds of bombastic boredom from Phil Collins instead? Dear God.
We finish with the Cheadle Chippendales again, and Mark has better luck with the ladies than Dorky last time out.
I was wondering if the confetti was some reference to the butterflies (both alive and dead) that were thrown off the stage by The Stones at Hyde Park. I can't think of any reason though. Maybe they'd been watching the film recently.
DeleteTalking of Hyde Park, I see that Take That will be headlining there on 1st July 2023 with support group The Sugababes. Interesting that the boys who are now around 50, are back for a 30-year reunion since they & Lulu were No.1 in 1993. Wonder if Lulu will appear on stage with them in Hyde Park for their No.1 combo single?
DeleteIf someone opens an envelope Dory then Lulu will be there!
DeleteThree songs peaking outside the Top 40 this week, with no TOTP for them:
ReplyDeleteNo.50 John Secada - I'm Free
5th single since bursting onto the scene in 1992 with a Top 5 hit called Just Another Day, this was the first to stall outside the Top 40.
No.53 4 Non Blondes
If anyone thought they were one-hit wonders, they were wrong, cos this was the only other single for this group, and the only follow-up to What's Up which recently got to No.2.
No.58 Nick Heyward - He Doesn't Love You Like I Do
Sounds too competitive, but it was the fifth single in a row to fail to make the Top 40 for former Haircut 100 singer Heyward since he last charted on TOTP in 1984, so he was still falling short of appearing on the show nearly 10 years on.
"Spaceman" was at least the third single from 4 Non Blondes. Their debut single "Dear Mr President" in 1992 just missed the top 75.
DeleteETERNAL certainly don't out-"Stay" their welcome on the charts. Check out the fashion on this lot. Another strong performance of a great tune
ReplyDeleteIRON MAIDEN next and oh joy, a concert video. Awful noise that. Next....
DINA CARROLL – Don’t Be A Stranger - Tune Of The Year !
Some forgettable grunge-lite from THE LEMONHEADS. I kept wanting to like this but couldn't get into it.
Breakers:
DIANA ROSS – It's 1986!
PRINCE – Peach of a tune. NOT!
THE PRODIGY – An actual proper video!
BON JOVI – I Believe this should have been a better song.
ONE DOVE make their debut. Well that was....ODD. All the ingredients for a decent tune seemed to be there but it was decidedly under baked. The drums seemed to be from a different song at the start and the singer just sang whenever she wanted to, sod what the melody was doing. Hmmmm
I like "Both Sides Of The Story". Really well composed tune, great production and a strong vocal as usual from PHIL COLLINS. Simon Amstell on keyboards it seems.
TAKE THAT & LULU – Relight My Fire
Video is pure filth.
Just adding these to the playlist and it seems a night of long tunes..
DeleteDina manages 4:22 but is well and truly beaten by One Dove 5:33 (and that's the radio mix), Bon Jovi 5:48, Phil Collins 6:44 and Iron Maiden a whopping 7:11
I have now also listened to the One Dove tune and it comes across rather well unlike on the Pops.