Come on and twist a little closer now and show the world that you're the 6th of January 1994 edition of Top of the Pops!
Dorties's People
6-1-94: Presenter: Tony Dortie
(10) D:REAM – Things Can Only Get Better
Getting the new year underway with a song that had peaked at number 24 a year earlier but this time around it was going all the way to number one.
(5) DINA CARROLL – The Perfect Year (video) (and charts)
At its peak.
(4) EAST 17 – It’s Alright
A third time in the studio and the song went up one more place.
(33) THE MISSION – Tower Of Strength
Had peaked at number 12 in 1988, this time around it got no higher than number 33.
(39) TAG TEAM – Whoomp! (There It Is) (video) (Breakers)
Peaked at number 34.
(38) ALISON LIMERICK – Time Of Our Lives (video) (Breakers)
Went up two more places.
(34) TERRORVISION – My House (video) (Breakers)
Peaked at number 29.
(22) D.J. DUKE – Blow Your Whistle
Performing his first of two top 40 hits and this one peaked at number 15.
(23) WET WET WET – Cold Cold Heart
In the studio and the song peaked at number 20.
(FLASHBACK) THE JACKSON 5 – Mama’s Pearl (danced to by Pan’s People) (clip of TOTP 29-4-71)
A number 25 hit from 1971.
(1) CHAKA DEMUS & PLIERS – Twist And Shout (video)
First of two weeks at number one.
13th of January is next.
Dream - not sure if this is the actual remix, but it was a bit flat.
ReplyDeleteDinah carroll - never noticed before that is a new year song.
Mission - again the remix seems a lot duller than the original
Dj duke - don’t remember this. Bit monotonous (actually VERY monotonous)
Wet wet wet - don’t remember this either. Trying for a george michael vibe… and failing.
Ah Pans People - not much of a dance routine, but I guess that wasn't the point…. Nice to see them as they were in 94
Was surprised to see Pan's People back on TOTP in 1994, and the ladies must have been around 50 on that studio audience clip, so they would be around 80 now I guess.
DeleteAfter the lacklustre end to the previous year 1994 gets off to a storming start with the Brian Cox less D:REAM. 3 years before New Labour stole the tune this remix of Things Can Only Get Better will be a great Number One tune.
ReplyDeleteDINA CARROLL shows us Life In A Northern/Scottish town? The Perfect start to the Year and then EAST 17 come dressed at 1994 with the best performance of "It’s Alright" to date.
THE MISSION also get a remix for a bit of 1988 in 1994. A strong tune.
Breakers:
TAG TEAM – Tag me out
ALISON LIMERICK – Need to hear some more of this
TERRORVISION – They will do much better than this
And it was going so well. DJ Duke Should have stayed in the clubs. Final whistle please.
I've never been more pleased to see WET WET WET and their French starry lady (who seems to be unknown). Not familiar with "Cold Cold Heart" but really enjoyed it.
THE JACKSON 5 – Mama’s Pearl (danced to by Pan’s People)
What do we think the 90s kids made of this? Nice that they made it back to the studio and Dortie the right presenter to big up the 30th. Followed by a burst of sunshine from CHAKA DEMUS & PLIERS to beat away the winter blues. "Twist And Shout" starts the run of 1994 Number Ones in a positive way.
A really good show.
That starry lady with Wet Wet Wet reminded me of the video for Groove Is In The Heart by Deelite in 1990, where she seemed to be wearing a similar body stocking as such.
DeleteThis edition I remember watching mainly because of the 30th anniversary references and the Pan's People interview but also because we took down our decorations with about an inch of snow outside. During my bus trip back from college I remember seeing it go from torrential rain to a snow covering! It was good to see this edition again but I didn't find much to enjoy.
ReplyDeleteD:Ream get their single back in the charts and it will get to No.1 but it's never done much for me; up tempo Kenny Thomas with incongruous angry goose saxophone although the lyrics are good for the new year. My favourite moment is when a camera zooms along the front row and stops suddenly at a girl who looks at it with a frustrated / uncomfortable expression suggesting either she knocked into it or it knocked into her.
Dina Carroll still has presence on the show as '94 starts with the video to 'The Perfect Year'. For a single that always makes me think of the end scene in 'When Harry Met Sally', the windswept (Hebridean?) coastal scenes look a bit out of place but it's worth it for seeing a craggy old man in a flat cap smiling as Green Jelly and Hulk Hogan flashes up!
East 17 promote the new year in a way that is novel and takes a while to work out. Initially they just look really badly dressed. Brian "can I make this hat look any sillier" Harvey does another good live vocal.
The Mission bring out 'Tower of Strength' again but a rather weak acoustic led version who's intended audience isn't very clear. Maybe after the World Party fans. Wayne Hussey though is still one hell of an impressive singer.
Breakers; Tag Team; Was this reissued later? Alison Limerick; No match for her biggest hit. Terrorvision offering something new for 1994. Much prefer 'Alice, What's the Matter'.
DJ Duke sounded complete crud then Wet Wet Wet do their lounge soul thing and I'm sure will have little or no relevance to this year, ho ho. It's quite a nice song done well by a rather sweaty faced Marty Pellow. You chose to wear an expensive set of curtains for a suit.
Celebration time with Tony at his most listen in I've got something to tell you self and it's a flashback to Pan's People on the edition of 29/4/71 (which can be repeated in full!) dancing to the Jackson 5. A lovely routine which looks like they're having their own bit of fun. Is it Andi Rutherford with the Bridget Bardot hairdo? A floor manager or someone looks as static as living humans can get near the start. I'll define him as "old school".
Then a sweet interview with three of the women including lovely Louise who Tony entices into doing a brief reprise of the routine which she perfectly does. Some funny memories from her and Dee Dee then Babs delightedly introducing the top 10. Great to see this as it didn't seem to be available on YouTube.
The sunny video for Chaka Demus and Pliers, an ok as we're still hungover from Christmas No.1
Tony and P's P get out the champers and the cake and a celebratory finish it is. It seems especially cruel right now that he has one show left.
It was third time lucky for Chaka Demus & Pliers in terms of getting to No.1, as their first two hits in 1993 both peaked at No.4 and got no higher. Not convinced that this one deserved No.1 more than the other two, but as a group they were well worthy of it helped by third singer Jack Raddics.
DeleteHello 1994!
ReplyDeleteGood start, D: Ream before Peter Cunnah gets too annoying, always love some Dina and E17 with their best hit.
Nice to see The mission even if this isn't the most memorable.
Whoomp! Only got to 33? I thought it was a bigger hit than that. Don't remember this Alison L song. Is this Terrorvision's first Pops appearance? Lots to come from them over the next few years, they were always a bit naff but their songs were entertaining enough.
The last three songs eh, not fussed. Good for Pan's People turning up like a bunch of Doctor Who companions being trotted out for a special event.
I'd forgotten Chaka Demus and Pliers got to the top with this, but that's January number ones for you. Super seasonal video there.
Happy New Years, everyone!
ReplyDeleteI’ve had a rough start to the year but got into the weekend mood with “Punk At The BBC” last night which is now on iPlayer. Great memories.
Dorky tries to start off his own rhyming slang by calling this the first raindrop (Top of the Pops) for the year. Harumph. In fairness Tony got less irritating as his hosting career went on.
Reasonable gospel-tinged rave disco to start. Brian Cox had left, just as D:Ream are ready to hit number one? That lad will amount to nothing, mark my words.
Sadly anything but a perfect year coming up for Dina, who took a couple off due to burn-out. The video was shot in and around Dublin, by the way.
Nice idea of East 17 to have each member wearing a top with one number of the year on it. Balls-up though to have the keyboard player and bloke next to him the wrong way round so the number spelt 9194.
“Check the bass on this” says Tony and all we can hear is guitar with The Mission. That and Wayne’s excellent live vocal.
Whoomp! There it went, leaving nary a trace.
There was a young lady called Limerick, who thought that her single was t’rrific, it got on the breakers with intro from “Laters” but dropped down the chart like a lead brick.
Bradford’s Terrorvision are excellent live and, yes, we’ll hear better from them.
Shrill unlistenable crap next. Check “7-6-5-4-3-2-1 (Blow Your Whistle)”, a 1975 hit for Rimshots, for how this sort of thing should be done.
An intriguing chanteuse on film leads us into Wet Wet Wet with a Sade / failed attempt at a Bond theme effort.
I don’t remember that Jackson 5 hit and had trouble focussing on it! Excellent routine on a stage sometimes only just wide enough for the purpose. I was reminded of the “Beautiful Babs” joke in “Porridge”. I have it on good authority from a friend’s wife that later TOTP dancer Pauline is still working, as a fitness instructor in Sunbury-on-Thames.
Shame Chaka and muckers made the top with a cover and not their best hit, but hey ho.
Oo, a mini-TOTP theme montage at the end!