You know I been wanting, I been really wanting to give you the 2nd of February 1995 edition of Top of the Pops!
Sing and bear it
2-2-95: Presenter: Kylie Minogue
(11) M-PEOPLE – Open Your Heart
Getting the new-look show underway, and the song went up two more places.
(7) MN8 – I’ve Got A Little Something For You
Performing their first of three top ten hits, and this one was the biggest when it peaked at number 2.
(4) INI KAMOZE – Here Comes The Hotstepper (video) (and charts)
At its peak.
(18) SCARLET – Independent Love Song
With their first of two top 40 hits, and this excellent song peaked at number 12.
(27) LUTHER VANDROSS – Always And Forever
Here tonight and the song went up seven more places.
(29) REM – Crush With Eyeliner (satellite)
Peaked at number 23.
(17) PERFECTO ALLSTARZ – Reach Up (Papa’s Got A Brand New Pig Bag)
Their only hit and it peaked at number 6.
(1) CELINE DION – Think Twice
Finally making it to the top, where she will stay for seven weeks.
(NEW) ANNIE LENNOX – No More I Love Yous (and credits)
Here to perform what became her fourth and final top ten hit when it peaked at number 2.
9th of February is up next.
Wow, new look TOTP, with new style and graphics, just love how the Top 10 rundown is presented with the new graphics, and who better to be the first presenter of the new style show than Kylie Minogue in that corking red leather dress. Good Lord!
ReplyDeleteIni Kamoze - the new style show continues with the old style chart rundown over a selected video, and Kamoze's second time as the chart rundown video in as many weeks, so he must have been stuck at No.4 for the last three weeks, and still I've not managed to watch the movie Pret-a-Porter which is where this is from.
Luther Vandross - 80s legend still going in the mid-90s, albeit with a cover of Heatwave's Always And Forever, which was one of my earliest memories of the pop charts, having first got into them in 1978 when this was first penned by Heatwave.
REM - live by satellite from Japan, and just love how they involved the local Japanese community on the stage and dance floor to intersperse with them. I quite liked the Japanese podium dancer on stage with the hotpants which made the song quite watchable.
Perfecto Allstarz - highlight of the show for me (sorry Annie Lennox), but this was quite brilliant to resurrect the original Pigbag song from 1982, and I love the way they brought in the female singer/shouter for the words Reach Up which was new for 1995. TOTP2 had already previewed the video the week before, so we were already preparing for this new entry.
Annie Lennox - superb single and deserving payout this week considering the effort that went into it with the lavish costumes and rehearsal. Annie was now always ready to appear in the TOTP studio when going solo in 1992, as when she was with the Eurythmics they never made it to the studio throughout the 10 years from 1982-1991 when we could only see the videos on TOTP.
Eurythmics were in the studio loads of times Dory. Here they are with Sweet Dreams, featuring Eddi Reader on backing vocals.
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAzLk9pSBns
Good Lord, I'm thinking of their standout singles like Would I Lie To You which I only remember being shown on video.
DeleteSpoke too soon, as I just watched the TOTP2 edition of the same week and there is a tribute to Annie Lennox with a number of TOTP studio performances over the years as The Eurythmics, including Would I Lie To You. Not sure how all these passed me by.
DeleteTOTP2 4th Feb 95 https://we.tl/t-Rholfk0J6O
ReplyDeleteBrilliant TOTP2 edition this week, especially The First Time section featuring the Human League's first TOTP appearance in May 1980 with the cover of the Gary Glitter single Rock And Roll, and before Phil Oakey met the two girls in a Sheffield nightclub that would join the band the following year. Didn't know that Phil Oakey was previously a hospital porter before The Human League!
DeleteAlso liked The Sparks new video called (When I Kiss You) I Hear Charlie Parker Playing. It's a very good video, but only got to No.36 in March 1995.
Finally in the chart predictions, we see a clip of the Sting & Pato Banton video which is quite funny, and interestingly Sting did indeed firmly perform with Banton on the TOTP stage the following week, unlike UB40 who never appeared with Banton in the TOTP studio throughout their 4 weeks at No.1 the previous year!
A couple of singles peaking outside the Top 40 this week from legend 80s performers were Jaki Graham at No.62 with her penultimate single You Can Count On Me, and Taylor Dayne at No.63 with Original Sin.
ReplyDeleteThe Taylor Dayne Single was an original Jim Steinman track for the girl group Pandora's box who released it in 1989, and then Meat Loaf did it in 1995 on his forthcoming new album Welcome To The Neighbourhood. Anyway, here's Taylor Dayne's video at peak position this week as part of the soundtrack for the 1994 movie The Shadow:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXpWfd1BNkQ
A new look and it's all the same format from now on. At least it's the best of them until 2006 and it does suit the mid '90s charts but it will mean less to talk about. One thing is there is a curious intimacy to it and certainly the lack of imaginative sets focuses more attention on the performances. So overall a good change and Kylie does a great job as presenter. The only thing that really annoyed me was the TOTP logo all over the place. Thanks, I was wondering what I'd been watching.
ReplyDeleteM People; The new look gets off to an awful start and not due to the opening number which is one of their best singles. Just the wall of lights that look down then up then down again. Rather interrogative; So do you like this new format or not????
It looked very characterless but a decent song.
MN8; I still like this one for its cheeky innuendo and they have a bit of personality. The lead kid puts on an extra display of swagger immediately after he takes off his coat, maybe to make up for the fact that he didn't take it off very smoothly. More screaming girls though, as is the case now, not much in the way of audience close ups so we can't see what those three guesses are.
Ini Kamoze; Heard enough of this now.
Scarlet; Great single to follow and a very stylish duo they are. I listened to 'Now 30' in bed with the lights out a few times when it came out and 'Independent Love Song' was quite an experience. Mainly the reverb. Amazing chorus as well which actually sounds more like a furious outburst than an actual tune but really elegant and powerful. Bond theme strings as well. Brilliant single and great to know that it will get a few plays on the show.
Luther Vandross; The new TOTP still likes its legends but a pretty boring few minutes.
R.E.M; A real treat to see this special on stage performance by satellite from Japan. They look every inch the rock stars here and 'Crush With Eyeliner' is a really good one. The bear costumes anticipating The Flaming Lips stage act several years later. Liked the bear who shakes his TOTP logoed arse at the camera.
Perfecto Allstarz; Whoah, full on performance of this single! The singer is miming but she really throws herself into that performance. Very sexy and dynamic and her band of skeletons play along brilliantly. Not every dance remake of old singles has worked but that one certainly did.
Celine Dion; Think Twice has finally made it and a last glimpse of the old look.
Annie Lennox; Then a reassuring few minutes of theatre from Annie Lennox with a beautiful single that I bought. Sounds like 'Why' gone slightly mad and a charming end to the show. It makes a nice change from the archive things and to have a song that's allowed to finish. More of that please.
Solid episode, like the rebrand, Kylie does a great job (the hair is a bit erk though).
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed everything but Scarlet were my highlight. That key change still brings on shivers. They're also one of the reasons I won't get rid of my CDs because their second album doesn't exist on streaming and the same is true for a lot of 90s less popular music. Jo(e?) Y went into aome kind of charity or social sector I think, she used to turn up in that capacity on TV sometimes. Don't know what happened to Cheryl. Shame they never got bigger, I really loved both albums.
Easily the best edition of 1995 so far opens with a short but funky new theme and Kylie poured into a red leather dress.
ReplyDeleteReminiscent of the 91 revamp we open with a fully live number, this time from M-PEOPLE. "Open Your Heart" one of their lesser played hits but it's a nice number and a strong vocal as always from Heather. Not sure how her hair stays up though.
Back to the miming and muscles next for MN8 who've "Got A Little Something For You". Naughty. And annoyingly catchy and radio friendly.
New chart graphics are tricky to read as they come and go so fast. Definitely more difficult to flick your eyes between the rundown and the video playing. Not an improvement for me.
First of 3 absolute belters new to the show tonight. I have always had a lot of time for this SCARLET tune and "Independent Love Song" has aged very well indeed. Superb stuff. LUTHER clearly enjoyed SCARLET and then launches into a rather nice ballad.
Most interesting use of a TOTP logo award 1995 goes to REM who stick it on a bears behind. Proper 60's psychedelic vibe to this performance of "Crush With Eyeliner". Not their best tune but average REM is still great,
Stripped down to the bare bones it's the second belter of the evening from PERFECTO ALLSTARZ. Such a huge tune at the time and loads of energy and fun. Loved it.
CELINE DION finally makes it to Number One. What kept you?
The highlight of the show is a haunting, beautiful tune from ANNIE LENNOX. Gorgeous staging of "No More I Love Yous". Just knocks everything else tonight out of the park. Legendary.
Good presenting job from Kylie. Nice looking set. Happy Days.