Yes and give me one more try, 'cause a love like this should never ever die - it's the 27th of October 1994!
Pato banter
27-10-94: Presenter: Simon Mayo
(8) SNAP feat. SUMMER – Welcome To Tomorrow
Back in the studio for a second time and the song went up two more places.
(19) CHINA BLACK – Stars
Performing their second of four top 40 hits but this one got no higher.
(26) PINK FLOYD – High Hopes (video) (and charts)
Their seventh and final top 40 hit, and it got no higher.
(16) ROZALLA – You Never Love The Same Way Twice
Here with her sixth of eight top 40 hits.
(9) STING – When We Dance
A second studio performance but the song was at its peak.
(3) BON JOVI – Always (via satellite)
This again, despite it already having peaked at number 2.
(20) GREEN DAY – Welcome To Paradise
Making their studio debut with their first of twenty-two top 40 hits, but this one got no higher.
(NEW) EAST 17 – Let It Rain
From their top 3 album, Steam, this track will get to number 10 in the spring of 1995.
(1) PATO BANTON – Baby Come Back (video)
First of four weeks at number one.
(TOTP2) THE UNDERTONES – Teenage Kicks (clip of TOTP 26-10-78) (and credits)
Got to number 31 in 1978.
3rd of November is next.
2-6-77: Presenter: Noel Edmonds
ReplyDelete(NEW) ELKIE BROOKS – Saved
(8) THE MUPPETS – Halfway Down The Stairs (video)
(NEW) THE FOUR SEASONS – Rhapsody
(5) VAN McCOY – The Shuffle (danced to by Legs & Co) ®
(15) HEATWAVE – Too Hot To Handle (video)
(NEW) TWIGGY – A Woman In Love
(13) BOZ SCAGGS – Lido Shuffle (video)
(NEW) JESSE GREEN – Come With Me
(7) MARVIN GAYE – Got To Give It Up (danced to by Legs & Co)
(NEW) HOT CHOCOLATE – So You Win Again
(17) CAROLE BAYER SAGER – You’re Moving Out Today ®
(NEW) THE STRAWBS – Back In The Old Routine
(1) ROD STEWART – The First Cut Is The Deepest (TV special 24-10-76)
(14) GENESIS – Match Of The Day (and credits)
Some interesting points to note on this 1977 show. Apart from the highlight for me being Halfway Down The Stairs by The Muppets as high as No.8, Frankie Valli among the Four Seasons always liked performing in the TOTP studio in the 70s, but only up until this point, as only a few weeks later, filming of the new Grease movie began at the end of June 1977 for which Valli sang the soundtrack to the film which got to No.3 in 1978 but did not come to the TOTP studio to sing, but instead we got a Legs & Co routine.
DeleteThe other interesting point is at Olivia Newton John performed in the TOTP studio in the Dave Lee Travis presented show a week earlier to this one where Franki Valli appeared, and was to start filming Grease only four weeks later as actress, and like Frank Valli (as singer only) was nowhere near performing ever again in the TOTP studio after Grease.
Another gently crackers '77 edition. Really enjoyed it. I didn't have a clue what Noel Edmonds was on about for at least half of it. Sex Pistols mugshot at No.11.
DeleteElkie Brooks; A gospelly start to the show, so much so that the audience possibly should've been invited to take communion afterwards. I've never heard that one before but it was an engrossing start. She and he! backing singers were very into it. Did she ever appear on the show and not sing live? Albert Einstein on drums.
The Muppets; Noel from 'Swap Shop' is the ideal person to introduce a single from The Muppets but he introduces Robin by the name of the fellow who voices him, Jerry Nelson. No Noel it's Robin! Don't burst my balloon! Having a makeshift set of stairs isn't the best prop for the song as Robin can't get anywhere if he tries hopping in either direction but I can't be cynical watching and hearing this. Like a few bloggers and I'm sure many readers on here, Robin, when I was small, was the coolest dude on the television and probably outside of it as well (I was just shy of 6 when they finished on ITV) and watching this was very nostalgic. Just love how expressive he is just by basically staring at the camera.
The Four Seasons; Noel could've made a reference to the the fact that the guitarist looks exactly like First Edition era Kenny Rogers but no there's no wordplay in that so he makes a comment about how 'Rhapsody' sounds more like 'Vaseline' despite the fact that it doesn't at all. I love his editions.
Good song.
Twiggy; Good to hear another version of 'A Woman In Love'. Much more familiar with The Three Degrees hit and theirs was a very early pop memory. Twiggy sings it with feeling and she has a good voice. As if needs to be said she's dressed fantastic here. Another act on the show with green legs.
Jesse Green; A bit pissed that they cut Boz Scaggs' fabulous 'Lido Shuffle'. Intro pun for Jesse Green if his name was Jess or something and a reasonable soul tune in front of a union jack that looks so cheap and murky you wonder if some punks had crept in and set it up.
Marvin Gaye; Great single and good to get it in some form on the show. Legs & Co don't perform with the audience in vision. A shame as the disparity between their no doubt stony faces and the party noises on the record would've been quite something to watch. Instead it's the girls going in and out of silhouette like a confused Bond movie intro. Maybe the idea came because the latest movie was on the way. A striking effect but gets a bit samey after a while.
Carol Bayer Sayer; Another live performance and with plenty of humourous gestures which is pretty courageous because the crowd certainly at the front don't look like they have tolerance for the slightest bit of humour. The girl to Carol's right!
Brilliant performance of a fantastic quirky song. Again very far off memories of hearing that on morning Radio 2. Noel gets the title completely wrong.
The Strawbs; Dave Cousins bore a facial resemblance to Ben Stokes here. Good to see them on the show.
Rod Stewart; A clip I've seen far too many times thanks to these repeats but still love the song. I hope Cat Stevens does it at Glastonbury as I've never heard his version of it. A shame that the other side of Rod single never got shown, written by the great Danny Whitten.
Boom! Boom!.... Oh another 'Match Of The Day'. Genesis first appearance on the show?
The makeshift stairs on The Muppets song turned out to be the official video for the song, and I've also seen the same 'video' on the Now 70s or other music video video channels when concentrating on 1977. It's a slice of pop music heaven, since it was first shown on TOTP that year.
DeleteI Don't Want to Talk About It was really the song that took Rod to number one. Strange it was never shown.
DeleteInteresting that I Don't Want To Talk About It didn't get featured on the show Angelo. His version is a real hazy summer classic and it's easy to understand why Everything But The Girl's cover was so similar. He did perform it at the Christmas Eve '76 concert televised for 'The Old Grey Whistle Test' so they could've shown that.
DeleteI didn't know that was the video for 'Halfway Down The Stairs' Dory. Was it shown originally on 'The Muppet Show'?
Had a quick look on wikipaeadia, and Halfway Down The Stairs was used in the first season of The Muppet Show, featuring Robin The Frog, who was Kermit The Frog's nephew, and the sequence was refilmed for inclusion in Top Of The Pops. I guess the best way to find out is to watch season 1 of The Muppet Show, and compare it to the 'video' shown on TOTP.
DeleteTo be precise, the first airing of Halfway Down The Stairs was in The Muppet show season 1, episode 10, first aired on 7th Nov 1976, exactly one year before it charted in the UK on TOTP on 2nd Nov 1977 on this Noel Edmonds show, and they are two similar but different clips, both of which are on Utube.
DeleteSnap ft Summer - still going up this week to No.8, I'm determined that Summer was still dancing like Shiela B Devotion on Spacer. Hmm, still prefer Snap's sexy video to the studio performance.
ReplyDeleteChart rundown - over the Pink Floyd video, Roger Walters has recently been performing solo on tour in Germany at the age of 79, but not without getting into trouble with his clothing attire.
Anyway, I noticed three singles on the Top 40 rundown at peak this week, and not getting on TOTP this time round:
No.21 Maxx - You Can Get It - not sure if they were still continuing with their pacman sounding riff, but disappointingly they could not emulate their first two singles which both made Top 10 earlier in the year.
No.30 Moby - Feeling So Real - unfortunately fell badly to No.50 the following week, in this second single in 1994 for Moby, after the previous single only got to No.31.
No.38 Sparks - When Do I Get To Sing 'My Way'.
I guess they are referring to the Frank Sintatra single, but this was their first Top 40 single in 15 years since they reached No.10 in the summer of 1979 with Beat The Clock, and I guess the comeback was for the 20th anniversary of their debut single This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both Of Us, released in 1974.
Sting - the double bass that Sting was performing with in the studio, reminded me of the 1980 Kate Bush video for Baboushka where she was playing the double bass in a sexy looking costume.
Bon Jovi - could have sworn they were played on the show with the same clip recently at No.2, and now again a place lower at No.3, so how did that come about? Hmm, TOTP just couldn't get enough of this single and waterfall background to the group.
UB40 & Pato Banton - would have been nice to see UB40 performing this in the studio with Banton, especially in those suits, I'm sure the smart clothing attire would have gone down really well in the TOTP studio, but I don't think UB40 ever returned to the TOTP studio since their debut single Food For Thought in 1980, as I only seem to remember their videos on the show, and Banton on this occasion was the unlucky recipient of this never ending no-show of UB40 in the TOTP studio.
UB40 Had made multiple appearances in the Top Of The Pops studio since Food For Thought.
DeleteI think they are in the studio for the Xmas Day edition.
DeleteWhich we will see very soon because we will lose another two editions in December due to Gary Glitter. Including, sadly, the one where Damon Albarn is the host and has to introduce Oasis.
DeleteDory, not forgetting the return of Massive Attack at number 24 in the non-mugshots with "Sly".
Delete'Sly' what a tune! Featuring the wholly individual vocals of Nicolette. I assume that won't appear on the show but fortunately the follow up 'Protection' will and in the studio.
DeleteThird time on Dory for that Bon Jovi clip at Niagra Falls and I the Sparks song was my first introduction to them which was exciting.
DeleteTOTP2 29-10-94 https://we.tl/t-oAQUSJGZtn?fbclid=IwAR13DElFz2aDl0mXWGr7WoGb3ysmgwydIbgwwL2GoCd0in7FErGXjm_DkEo
ReplyDeleteThis was a really good episode, giving us the Pato Baton/UB40 video in its completeness, unlike the four weeks in a row on the main show while at no.2 and No.1 where the beginning and end of the video were not shown. Good on you TOTP2!
DeleteThen the brilliant Dollar on Recorded For Recall in that week in 1978 with Shooting Star was just pop heaven, shortly after they left the three pairs line up of Guys 'n' Dolls to go solo as their own pair, and while Summer nights was on its last couple of weeks at No.1.
Rounding off the show in style, the TOTP studio appearance by Chic doing Le Freak in January 1979 when it spent a long time in the Top 10 just after Christmas 1978.
Much prefer Summer to MC Turbo. Snap’s best for me, it crackles and pops along, even if it is a bit repetitititive.
ReplyDeleteChina Black’s bloke with those vocal pipes is back. Not as immediate as “Searching” but pleasant enough. Love those backing vocalists’ dresses. Too poor to have their own backdrop so they make use of East 17’s instead. Great chart forecast there, Si.
An ‘arty’ and ‘wacky’ video accompanying Pink Floyd’s dirge.
Note how Si forgets himself and says “Rozalla” in her intro when he told us on her first TOTP it should be pronounced “Rozella”… as he does following her unremarkable midtempo R&B disco ballad.
Sting going back to his youth when he played double bass in the local youth orchestra.
Bon Fecking Jovi? For a FOURTH time? And this had already peaked. Did Ric Blaxill have a poster of this lot on his wall? We could have had Massive Attack instead.
Peak of the week next as Green Day all but blow the fuses. Great bass work in that instrumental bridge.
Fine humorous intro next leading into a right old racket. Ric could have planned this better and had East 17 on straight after “Seventeen” by Let Loose the previous week. Not just thrown together, this critique.
At least Pato Banton gets to sing his name to us. Actually, his real name’s Patrick Murray.
Meanwhile, CJ Lewis is on all fours, fists smashing into the woodwork and bawling in Dick Dastardly fashion “Curses! That number one spot should be mine, Banton. Mine, I tell you”!
We finish with a classic whose chorus originally contained the lyric “I wanna hold it, wanna hold it tight” but that got changed as it was too rude and would have affected radio airplay.
Four songs peaking this week outside the Top 40 for previous chart regulars, with no TOTP for them this time round:
ReplyDeleteNo.52 Bryan Ferry - Your Painted Smile
Already had his final Top 40 single in 1993, this new one for 1994 was to be his penultimate single before finally calling it a day soon after in early 1995 with Mamouna, which also flopped outside the Top 50.
No.55 The Spin Doctors - Mary Jane
Didn't we recently have Saw Doctors on the show? Anyway, second single in a row for those that spin to fail to make the Top 50, and nothing further from them apart from one more flop in 1996 which also couldn't break through the Top 50.
No.85 Holly Johnson - Legendary Children (All Of Them Queer)
Surprised to see a new single from Johnson after his superb year of 1989 with a flurry of Top 10 singles, but interesting choice of song title.
No.88 Gary Numan - A Question Of Faith
Personally I prefer a Question Of Sport, but we'll take this one anyway as another flop from Numan, as we have to go back to 1988 when he last made the Top 40, and since then eight singles released have all failed to break through the Top 40, and still not calling it a day like most other groups when they get to around three singles not making at least the chart rundown on TOTP.
Back for a quick viewing - only 25 behind…
ReplyDeleteSnap - pleasant enough. I actually preferred the video from a week or so back
China black - again, pleasant enough. Better than their previous, title of which escapes me…
Pink Floyd - typical bonkers video. Standard late floyd. touring with scaffold!!…
Rozalla - again pleasant enough. Tbh, for these recent episodes this counts as an excellent episode…
Bon jovi - ‘live exclusive’ - not quite sure why it was dark as Niagara Falls/US 5/6 hours behind us…..
Green day - kick ass single
Another very slick performance from Simon Mayo who has a remarkable way of looking a few years older or younger with almost every edition he presents. Younger this week. Cool and sharp but with some funny moments. I didn't notice him smile once but
ReplyDeleteHahaha that's so true!
Delete....sorry bit quick with the button pressing there! Yes enjoyed his show as always.
ReplyDeleteSnap feat Summer; Another appearance for 'Welcome To Tomorrow'. Amazing that this one has stayed so relatively obscure. Still sounds great and the 'Aaahs' and 'Hocus Pocus' part is really catchy. Not as extravagant a set as before. Less Planetarium, more '50s Sun Ra Arkestra LP cover. An act who never appeared on Top of the Pops as far as I'm aware. I did see the Arkestra live at Glastonbury 2014, the year when a full electric storm caused all the power to be shut down across the site. I was on my back listening to them and watching pretty little clouds drift across a blue sky. Looked behind and saw a monster black cloud heading towards the site.
China Black; Three big glitter balls for a tune that is glittery but decidedly not balls. That was a beautiful melody, very uplifting if not quite as strong as 'Searching'. Even more remarkable use of falsetto from the man.
Pink Floyd; A rather acidic introduction from Simon for this band. I'd say the same. Deathly dull and ponderous. I didn't know whether to yawn or buy a car.
Simon's outro link a little sharp as well. Trying to work out why he mentioned The Scaffold.
Rozalla; Always liked her voice but this song didn't do much for me. Simon's link a gem though.
Sting; A charming and understated studio performance for 'When We Dance'. Sting does his thing on Double Bass for a change and with the soft blue lighting it's a rather meditative experience.
Bon Jovi; Up the chart it's gone again so once more the admittedly impressive satellite clip for 'Always'. Didn't notice before that during the guitar solo, Jon goes and leans against the railing right by the edge and for a brief moment looks like he's about to sit on it.
Green Day; I looked again because the link from Simon seemed to cut to a different studio and the caption said 'From California' so I wondered if it was another satellite link. No it seemed to be same studio and a thrashy debut for Green Day with plenty of kids leaping about. Good work Ric. Put the girls with long hair at the front. Strong single but always found lead man's facial contortions a bit irritating. Plenty of this sort of thing to come of course. Most of it nowhere near as good.
East 17; Classic Mayo link to East 17 and another one of theirs that's a winner. The set presumably based on the decor of The Hacienda though it could be a Walthamstow car park. Portentous Tony Mortimer spoken intro. We all need that.
Pato Banton; The co-performers haven't shown up (no explanation given) so Pato introduces the video.
SUMMER is back to open the show with the same performance but slightly less planets. Teenagers all over the UK asking "What's Blakes 7 Dad?"
ReplyDeleteHang about, this isn't the theme to Stars In Their Eyes! Nope it's a rather bland offering from CHINA BLACK. 1 Star for this one I think.
PINK FLOYD never really did singles did they (despite having a massive Number One at the start of the 80s of course) although they obviously have "High Hopes" for this one.
I did rather like this but full version is probably six weeks long.
Always nice to have ROZALLA on the show as she sings well and has decent tunes. "You Never Love The Same Way Twice" sounding like a SAW tune from 1989.
Nice dig at Angus Deayton into STING and his massive double bass. Think he was miming "When We Dance" this time.
Not BON JOVI again! I will love GREEN DAY in a few years time but in 94 I'm indifferent to them. Did enjoy watching "Welcome To Paradise" so may have to reappraise their earlier stuff.
Poor old Brian from EAST 17 rather poorly at the moment, screaming at journalists outside the Prince Harry phone hacking trial. Hopefully someone will look after him."Let It Rain" a huge improvement on Steam. In fact one of my favourite E17 tunes.
PATO BANTON has been left in the lurch by the UB's and I'm off to You Tube to find out what the end of the "Baby Come Back" video looks like.
Good show.
Guess you aren't watching the TOTP2 weekly shows posted on here by Rob, as the Pato Banton video was played in full each week until the end of the video, and also the from the start with the doors opening.
DeleteThe main show seems to cut part of the middle of the video out so it was good to see the whole thing
DeleteGood episode again, the latter half of 94 is delivering in most episodes.
ReplyDelete*Whispers in Gen X/Millenial borderline* I don't really like Pink Floyd or Sting. I appreciate them being here to provide variety though.
Lots of variety, lots of fun tracks, poor Pato not getting his studio performance. Couldn't they have had UB40 on a video backing or am I expecting too much from the 90s?