My aching heart would bleed for you to see the 16th of February 1995 edition of Top of the Pops!
I used to be a lunatic...
16-2-95: Presenter: Mark Goodier
(10) ALEX PARTY – Don’t Give Me Your Life
Getting the show underway and the song peaked at number 2.
(12) SCARLET – Independent Love Song
A second studio performance but the song was now at its peak.
(19) GLORIA ESTEFAN – Everlasting Love (via satellite) (and charts)
Got no higher.
(18) VANESSA MAE – Toccata And Fugue
Performing her first of three top 40 hits and it went up two more places.
(5) MN8 – I’ve Got A Little Something For You
A second time in the studio and the song went up three more places.
(NEW) ELTON JOHN – Believe (video)
Peaked at number 15.
(2) ANNIE LENNOX – No More 'I Love You's
Here tonight with a second epic performance but the song could get no higher.
(NEW) ELASTICA – Waking Up
Performing the excellent fourth single from their massive self-titled number one album.
(1) CELINE DION – Think Twice (video)
Third of seven weeks at number one.
(TOTP2) THE SUPREMES – Baby Love (clip of TOTP 15-10-64) (and credits)
Number one in 1964.
23rd of February is next.
Finally, the return of a Radio 1 DJ as presenter of TOTP after the last few weeks of guest presenters from the music and showbiz world.
ReplyDeleteAlex Party - another show opener needing some eye candy in the background to give the whole single a lift, with minidresses going on nighties.
Vanessa Mae - wow this was good, and I remember all the attention around her when she came on the scene in 1995 aged only 16 on this performance, and already very confident on stage with this debut single. Born to Thai and Singapore parents, she was adopted soon after by a British father and moved to London at the age of 4, and turned to a skiing career for Thailand in the 2000s after her music career dried up, but she doesn't half play an awesome violin!
Elton John - Good Lord, at 47 in 1995 and still producing videos, and with a similar George Michael's video style and look, from Michael's recent Killer/Papa Was A Rolling Stone EP video, this new early 1995 video came out very well for Elton, still standing tall in the face of all the musical changes over the previous 20 or so years that he was a big part of.
TOTP2 18th Feb 95 https://we.tl/t-xbvyFuzBng
ReplyDeleteHighlight of this TOTP2 show was the new video from Stevie Wonder called For Your Love, with a desert video where there was a fallen head of the statue of liberty, which reminded me of the 1968 Planet Of The Apes original movie with Charlton Heston where they found the statue of liberty immersed in sand some 3000 years into the future.
DeleteAlso on this show, Jonnie Walker reveals that Celine Dion is the first non-vinyl No.1, so as we were thinking of vinyl going out for good at around this time, it turns out that Rednexx have the honour of being the final No.1 on 7-inch vinyl, with the vinyl format finally being put to bed in January 1995!
Best of the new chart predictions this week is Bon Jovi's Someday I'll Be Saturday Night, and EMF as the other chart prediction, now back in 1995 with a new single after a long break.
Technically the 12" remained unchanged for dance records although into 1995 & beyond and the 7" did return with NOW Yearbook '83 & '84 as a exclusive from the NOW Store.
DeleteThree singles inside the Top 40 chart rundown this week at peak position and missing out on a TOTP showing:
ReplyDeleteNo.21 Shampoo - Delicious
Second follow up to their No.11 single Trouble, and second not to get a play, despite both follow ups peaking well inside the Top 30, it has now been a while since Shampoo were on TOTP since that debut single in summer 1994 which had around three TOTP studio appearances despite not making Top 10.
No.26 C&C Music Factory - I Found Love
Last ever Top 40 single for them stretching back to the end of 1990 with Gonna Make You Sweat, the Factory were now on their penultimate release, as one more single to come in late 1995 would only yield a No.42 position at best, before finally calling it a day.
No.35 Aswad - You're No Good
This Chart prediction the previous week on TOTP2 with a clip from the video was only a dip into the Top 40 and not high enough to get a main TOTP viewing, but easily their best video behind Shine.
Good Lord, where is everyone? This blog feels like a ghost town all of a sudden, leaving me the last man standing!
ReplyDeleteAnyway, two singles peaking outside the Top 40 this week for previous chart regulars with careers dating back to the 70s and still out there in 1995 with their last throw of the dice:
No.64 Siouxsie & The Banshees - Stargazer
Last ever single for this group going back to 1978 where it all started for them with Hong Kong Garden, the curtain comes down on a class act.
No.88 Tom Petty - You Wreck Me
Petty also came onto the scene in the late 70s, I believe in 1976 with a TOTP studio appearance, and here it comes to his last single, and not even making it to the Top 75, but another class act to bow out in 1995.
Hello, sorry to be late with this review. I really enjoyed this edition and while the presentation now doesn't offer much to comment on (it looks rather like a mid '90s motor show display with groups instead of cars) the charts are mostly brilliant so there's plenty to keep you interested. Mark Goodier returns and hasn't made much effort in the clothing dept. Has he come straight from an allotment? Maybe it's just the elegance of one act that's shown him up a little (he makes a jokey reference to this) and it's another good half hour from him.
ReplyDeleteAlex Party; Dance for me was as good as it ever was in 1995 and here's the latest in an outpouring of classic euro dance singles that co-reigned alongside Britpop. According to Wicki this was the product of a UK singer songwriter and two Italian brothers, the brothers also part of Livin' Joy so a fruitful period for them. This is a fine tune witten by the lady we see here. She looks very down to earth as opposed to all the divas we've seen in recent years. Love the bleepy sections and the words enjoyably logic warping.
Scarlet; Cheryl and Jo return with an even more striking studio performance of 'Independent Love Song ' . Both look fabulous in their costumes but Cheryl commands all the attention here. Look out highwaymen! Or early '70s timelords. She clasps the mic and performs as if leaning into a force 10 gale. Those wonderful Hull vowels. Still an utterly class single and easily the highlight for me.
Gloria Estefan; A very stylish edition this is becoming as Scarlet are followed by the return of Gloria who admittedly isn't quite as ornately dressed as before but this is now the mid '90s. An autopilot dance cover of 'Everlasting Love' should be totally unlistenable and it is initially but it becomes bearable mainly as it's her but also because it kind of works. I'm not keen to listen to it again though. Was someone tickling the cameraman throughout that?
Vanessa Mae; Ah yes, much attention focused on this performer at the time. Here to pop up da classiks. Nothing wrong with that and it's a dynamic performance of Bach. I'm probably wrong but is that the first single to feature a classical piece since 'Hooked On Classics' in 1981?
MN8; More swaggering and carefully timed bare chests.
Elton John; Mark has ramped up the excitement for Elton John's new single and it's visually a pretty spectacular if rather pretentious few minutes which ably and powerfully demonstrates that love is all humans truly have though having your own private airship would be a good bonus on dull days. What 'Reg' is it? (ho ho). Some thought provoking scenes and some rather baffling but an eye-catching thing to go with a powerful song that I'd forgotten about till now. "I Beleive....!!!" he roars and you remember that a very different musical airship is very soon to moor itself inextricably to the top spot.
Annie Lennox; Back in the studio to perform 'No More I Love You's' which has blasted to No.2. Beautiful single. Not quite as theatrical as before being in a smart suit but with the mouse ears and with her dancers once more. A more natural performance so more affecting than last time.
Elastica; I didn't expect Justine and her group to introduce the show and it was a pleasant surprise. This is a very moody, intense performance of 'Waking Up' which I still don't like but it's hard not to be charmed by them especially Justine who always seemed friendly and unposeurlike even when being extra cool.
Celine Dion; The glossy video for 'Think Twice'. Still good.
A very female oriented show ends with the The Supremes from a very early surviving clip of TOTP. This is one part of the old look I wish they'd drop.
1995 is so good!! Even the songs I didn't care for that much then (MN8, Celine) are, in retrospect, great slices of pop.
ReplyDeleteSuch a nice mix of genres. I owned Alex Party as well as all time faves Elastica and Scarlet. I enjoyed Gloria E's covers album quite a bit too. But nothing here is a dud.
1995 is really spoiling us so far and another great show and Mark doing another fine presenting job.
ReplyDeleteALEX PARTY with probably my favourite ever dance tune "Don’t Give Me Your Life". I was not REDy for all those ladies in their nightdresses but they were very welcome.
Number One in Israel it's SCARLET. Would of liked to hear a live version of "Independent Love Song" but we seem to back to mostly miming now which is a shame.
Back in Miami for GLORIA ESTEFAN with her cover of "Everlasting Love". Loads of energy and the album is very good.
Tiny little VANESSA MAE brings us classical dance music (William Orbit taking notes). "Toccata And Fugue" a very well known number and this rocks along. I found myself really enjoying that!
I could really see Peter Andre performing this MN8 tune. It's a solid tune. Not a duff song tonight.
I think this is my favourite ELTON JOHN tune. I like "Believe" so much I bought my only Elton album afterwards. Really nice video as well, the song lends it'self well to those sweeping city shots.
A second performance from Mickey Mouse's Wicked Stepmother ANNIE LENNOX and I don't think this is as strong visually as the first one. Fantastic "No More 'I Love You's" made Number 2. Should have been Number 1 though.
A fine fine indie tune from ELASTICA. "Waking Up" it definitely does. Superb stuff.
More 1995 please....