Let's get, let's get, let's get ready for the 21st of July 1994 edition of Top of the Pops!
I'm a pop star get me out of here!
21-7-94: Presenter: Julian Clary
(21) CLUBHOUSE feat. CARL – Living In The Sunshine
Getting tonight's show underway with their third and final top 40 hit, and 21 was its peak.
(15) BAD BOYS INC – Take Me Away
In the studio but it got no higher.
(9) WARREN G. & NATE DOGG – Regulate (video) (and charts)
Performing his first of three top ten hit and this one peaked at number 5.
(4) THE GRID – Swamp Thing
A third time in the studio although they had already peaked at number 3.
(10) C.J. LEWIS – Everything Is Alright (Uptight)
Performing his second of two top ten hits but it got no higher.
(3) THE BC52’S – (Meet) The Flintstones (video)
Their sixth and final top 40 hit was now at its peak.
(19) SKIN – Tower Of Strength
Here tonight but the song got no higher.
(18) P.J. & DUNCAN – Let’s Get Ready To Rhumble
Straight outta Byker Grove, Ant and Dec make their studio debut with their first of five top ten hits, this one peaking at number 9.
(1) WET WET WET – Love Is All Around
Eighth of fifteen weeks at number one.
(NEW) SHAMPOO – Trouble (studio montage) (and credits)
First of five top 40 hits and this one was the biggest peaking at number 11.
28th of July is next.
Best show of the year so far with some superb party tunes, outfits, fun, it had it all in the summer of 1994.
ReplyDeleteClubhouse ft Carl - Good Lord, what a start great start to the show with a nice summer tune and sexy summer clothes on the girlies on stage, legs legs legs! Made the tune a lot more palpable.
Warren G & Nate Dogg - love this sampling of Michael McDonald's 1982 hit I Keep Forgetting (I'm Not In Love Anymore) which originally only made it to No.43 in the UK but a bigger in America reaching No.4 for McDonald. Now this new Warren G alternative version I thought was just superb and hopefully got a thumbs up from McDonald 12 years later in 1994.
The Grid - unusual to see a group back in the studio at No.4 when they were in the studio a few weeks ago at a higher position of No.3! They of course went up a place to No.4 after dropping to No.5, hence a recall to the studio, but still others would have got ignored in the same situation, but somehow The Grid must have made a good impression with TOTP first time round!
CJ Lewis - still celebrating 1960s tunes in the 1990s, and this time with a Stevie Wonder classic, and some sexy girlies on stage with him, especially the one with the nightie-looking minidress.
The BC52's - third showing of the video, and still only at No.3. The video was clearly popular with the show, and most viewers, as it was so much fun, and I just couldn't resist another watch.
I admit I groaned when I saw The Grid pre-credits. Good track but it's never off the show!
ReplyDeleteThis felt like a really packed episode, is it me or did we get more tunes than usual?
I bet Clubhouse and Carl didn't have much say in that staging, but it's hilariously dorky BBC aka amazing.
BBI - someone at their management thought if they put them in those clothes and you squint you could maybe mistake them for Take That? Can't believe this lot had as many hits as they did. This is probably the most memorable. Still rubbish though.
Warren G and Nate - I had the subtitles on and didn't realise how erk some of the lyrics were but still, a fantastic tune and summer 94 all over.
The Grid - another decent showing but more than bored of this now. Probably doesn't help that we watch two eps a week so it feels like they're never off.
CJ Lewis - not as good as Sweets for My Sweet but decently summery.
BC-52s - this has also been on a lot. Not as much as the Grid I don't think, though? Still enjoying it mind you.
Skin - yeah it's fine but not super memorable.
PJ and Duncan no longer AKA - They were unfortunate not to be on with Tonight I'm Free especially given the cross BBC promo with Byker Grove. But here's the starmaking moment for two people who are going to have an incredible career... just not as pop stars. Can't deny the power pop of this song though I still don't really understand why it's rhumble not rumble.
Oh over the halfway point until we get to pay attention to the number one again!
Two very interesting singles peaking just outside the Top 40 this week from two groups who were still not in the public domain, but were to soon both hit the No.1 spot with later singles:
ReplyDeleteNo.41 Coolio - Fantastic Voyage
First of two singles releases for Coolio to fail to make Top 40, before his third single Gangsta's Paradise made it to No.1 in late 1995, so Coolio has at least got off to a start in summer 1994 n terms of singles releases.
No.67 Baby D - Casanova
Second of two singles from Baby D to peak outside the top 60 in 1994 before their third single Let Me Be Your Fantasy which as we know went all the way to No.1 before the year was out, so like Coolio at this point in mid-1994 they were not yet on our pop screens.
ReplyDeleteClubhouse - not a bad tune for the genre. Hard to believe all those girls were in the band… :)
Bad Boys Inc - third division Take That. Dorky dancing (perhaps they should have called on the servises of the Clubhouse posse)
Warren G - pleasant enough. My other half spotted the sample from Michael McDonald.
Grid - on a roll, quite liked this as well. Is the first banjo since ‘Cotton Eyed Joe’?…
CJ Lewis - nice version of uptight, interrupted by cruddy scatting…
BC52s - nice reimaging of both the theme tune, and the band name, highlight of the show.
Ooh julian DID slip into something more comfortable
Skin - like a eurovision entry following the obvious winner, Skin song was forgotten seconds after they finished. Looked they went to the GnRs clothes store.
PJ and Duncan - other half laughed at the prepubescent Ant and Dec. I was just bored. Dreadful.
Shampoo - pity we didn’t get all of this. Maybe next week…
The Grid came before Rednexx's Cotton Eye Joe
DeleteAh, that’s the danger of peppering us with so many episodes over so many years. Timeline screwed :-)
DeleteSwitchboard alert for Julian’s first outfit, especially that front part. His delivery was a bit dry (missus) but I thought he did a good job hosting overall, and surely the first TOTP host seen in the audience joining in the dancing.
ReplyDeleteClubhouse featuring Colin Firth, and the show’s first Mister Punch since Joy Sarney’s…erm… 1977 classic shown twelve re-run years ago.
Sad Boys Inc next. “Take Me Away” – gladly, I’ll order you losers an Uber to clear off.
Well done to Nicola for her courteous response to Julian’s perm snack. Jools then screws up by introducing Nat Dogg from a piece of paper. Task.
Non-mugshots: Yes, Animal the Muppet drummer with a top 38 smash, the only top 40 hit (twice with a re-issue, both peaking at 35) for confusingly named American dance act Kim English, and the solitary top 40 outing for electronic act Volcano.
The Grid. Again? And they weren’t at their peak. Ric Blaxill has a banjo fetish, that’s for sure.
“Everything Is Alright”? It wasn’t while C.J. Lewis was murdering Stevie’s track. Pretty sure the C.J. stands for Crap Job. Go, Jools!
The BC52’s? “Again? “Part 2.
A return for Skin, not Skunk Anansie’s lead singer, and showing plenty of band name here. This sounded like an attempt at a Red Hot Chili Peppers ballad with the chorus tune veering to close to the starting melody of the verses to “Lean on Me”.
Peter Kay’s backing track of choice next. A Cardiff City supporting friend of mine told me this was once played over the tannoy at half time at Stockport County just as Cardiff ‘fans’ were trying to scale the barrier fence and, erm, greet their counterparts. Note how Dec is on the left here and not Ant as in later years. Undeniably embarrassingly naff but way more enjoyable than Bad Boys Inc for starters.
FF WWW for something to look forward to pretty soon.
Welcome to the Julian Clary show and always nice when the guest turns throw themselves into it.
ReplyDeleteCLUBHOUSE one of those club tunes I would have loved in 94 (my peak clubbing days) that does not do much for me now. "Living In The Sunshine" is at least a good opening to the show. Carl not a very rock n roll name though is it!
Julian strides in front of the nicest BAD BOYS you'll ever meet. Generic boy band stuff of the time. Very unoffensive.
Rap and R'n'B done properly next from WARREN G. & NATE DOGG. "Regulate" a stand out track of it's type from the 90s and I enjoyed hearing this again.
"Swamp Thing" a much bigger hit than I remember but I'm still foot-tapping to this one so I can see why. Same performance we've seen twice already though.
C.J. LEWIS says"hey this formula works, let's not change it" Happy, fun and summery. Not going to win any awards. Good choice of source material with "Everything Is Alright"
The awesome BC52’S with the best film video/tune ever! (maybe). The Flintstones just 2 and half minutes of absolute fun.
Rather enjoyed this tune from SKIN. "Tower Of Strength" seems very radio friendly but I don't remember it at all.
Next up a song that seems to have gained 90's legendary status now. "Let’s Get Ready To Rhumble" as a tune is fun and much catchier than some of the other boyband stuff we have seen. Ant as always taking this far too seriously and Dec just having a laugh.
HALF WAY KLAXON for The WETS and then SHAMPOO had FIVE hits? Really? Wow.
Much better show than last week,