Don't you think it's time for the 23rd of March 1995 edition of Top of the Pops!
Happy Halliday
23-3-95: Presenter: Simon Mayo
(20) SEAN MAGUIRE – Suddenly
Getting tonight's show underway and he went up two more places.
(14) TIN TIN OUT feat. ESPIRITU – Always Something There To Remind Me
Here with their second of nine top 40 hits, but this one got no higher.
(12) REDNEX – Old Pop In An Oak (video) (and charts)
Their second and final top 40 hit, and it was at its peak.
(28) DURAN DURAN – Perfect Day
Performing this Lou Reed cover, but it got no higher.
(6) WET WET WET – Julia Says
A second performance for this song and it went up three more places.
(18) LEFTFIELD & HALLIDAY – Original
With their second of six top 40 hits, but this one got no higher.
(11) EAST 17 – Let It Rain
Here tonight and the song went up one more place.
(NEW) SIMPLE MINDS – Hypnotised
Performing a song that will peak at number 18.
(1) CHER, CHRISSIE HYNDE & NENEH CHERRY with ERIC CLAPTON – Love Can Build A Bridge (video)
First and only week at number one.
And this year's UK Eurovision hopefuls are:
(EUROVISION) DEUCE – I Need You(EUROVISION) PAUL HARRIS – Spinning Away
(EUROVISION) LONDONBEAT – I’m Just Your Puppet On A… (String)
(EUROVISION) SOX – Go For The Heart
(EUROVISION) FFF – Then There’s A Knock At The Door
(EUROVISION) DEAR JOHN – One Gift Of Love
(EUROVISION) SIMON SPIRO – Rainbows And You
(EUROVISION) LOVE CITY GROOVE – Love City Groove (and credits)
The full Song for Europe special https://we.tl/t-DKjc3Qmb21
ReplyDeleteCheers Rob :-)
DeleteRednexx - another fun video to follow up their recent No.1 before Celine Dion set in at the top. The new video looked more fun than Cotton Eye Joe, and will need to watch it in full over the weekend.
ReplyDeleteChart Rundown - I noticed two songs in the Top 30 at peak position with no play on TOTP, so the ones missing out were 2-Unlimited at No.22 with Here I Go, and Warren G at No.29 with Do You See.
2-Unlimited were by now slowing down, releasing only one single every six months or so, and Warren G at a similar rate, failed to make the Top 20 for the first time, after his first two singles did quite easily.
Duran Duran - Perfect Day
I didn't know this was done by Duran Duran let alone Lou Reed as the original, as I only remember the later various artists charity song, so this was quite interesting.
East 17 - this had a feeling of Gary Clail in style, if anyone remembers him from 1991-1992 with a couple of singles including Human Nature.
Simple Minds - wow, still going in 1995, this was very good, even though I don't remember it at the time, so this was the second early-80s band on the same show with Duran Duran to still make the effort to come to the TOTP studio in 1995. In the case of Simple Minds, their TOTP studio performances were much rarer to say the least, so this new effort could be enjoyed more, especially as this was their penultimate Top 40 single.
Not sure why Mayo was referring to blocking at the start, was there an early reality type show on at this point?
ReplyDeleteA weaker 95 episode than usual but that's more taste than anything. Still some high points.
Sean Maguire isn't one of them though.
TinTin Out - It's alright.
Mayo also says Rednex are following the Ace of Base playbook, I assume he means that the songs sound similar? I don't think AoB songs were quite as samey but sure. Rednex is silly fun but the previous single did it better.
Duran Duran - well this song is going to have quite the 90s revival. Trainspotting and *that* version coming up in the next few years. This version is alright but not as good as the original or (controversial) the Beeb version.
WWW - ZZZ
Leftfield - best track of the show by a good margin.
E17 - Great chorus, less keen on the preachy spoken bit.
Simple Minds - yeah , it's OK. Why did Chris Eubank get a mention, had he just been in a fight? (I find it hard to square perennial reality TV eccentric Eubank with him being a boxer).
Comic Relief - solid chart topper. OK Simon we are all a bit relieved about Celine but having only just lived through Love is All Around her chart run was nothing.
Song for Europe - I remember quite a few of these. They went large on it, huh? Actual chart acts and everything. The winner is a strange pick though.
Yeah, surprised to see the Song For Europe being staged in the TOTP Studio compared to the days of Terry Wogan when it was hosted by him in the chat show studios, but I did like the Deuce single which won it, and was interesting to see Londonbeat and Samantha Fox (SOX) contesting it too, especially with a change of music style for both compared to when they first charted in the 80s.
DeleteI remember the girls from Scarlet being on the 'Song For Europe ' show being interviewed and giving tips on how to come up with a winner. They probably should've entered. They would've certainly had a good chance of winning the whole thing.
DeleteLove City Groove won didn't they? Deuce did have a hit with that track though
DeleteYes it was Love City Groove Rad which I suppose did have the catchiest chorus. The only other one I remember was 'Spinning Away'. At the time I pondered what that was supposed to mean. Maybe it was composed sitting on Dunstable Downs!
DeleteThe live flogging reference at the start was a reference to a Tory MP who said it should happen to criminals before the National Lottery draws.
DeleteTOTP2
ReplyDeletePick of the performances were the two Chart Predictions at the end of the show - first with Snap's new single with a comic-strip style video with Summer in the comic squares, and then what turned out to Van Halen's last ever UK single, with both groups entering the Top 40 the following week on the main TOTP chart rundown, but with only Snap getting on the show as a new entry at No.20 in the TOTP studio, so at least we got to see some of the video on TOTP2.
Just a couple of thoughts here on 11/10/84. Why was 'Freedom' cut from the edition? Genuinely brilliant single which kicked off the treasured 'Hits1' album. I thought that edition had been chosen mainly because of that single. At least we saw a couple of singles from that comp via Paul Young and Alison Moyet. Paul Young's one is comically dated but still some great memories of it.
ReplyDeleteRopey editing for dear old Tommy Vance where the camera cut back to him standing silently waiting to do a link while his voice was still giving a chart position. Oh dear. Illusion spoiled.
We're back to the cameraman's ball for the most part. Flying around, flashing from one thing to another and with the steely set and foggy blue lights. Not helped by a generally dreary set of singles though with one classic in the middle.
ReplyDeleteA thrilling intro from Simple Minds then Simon is back at last and very dashing he looks. A developmental curveball he's thrown here; it's genuinely difficult to decide whether he is older or younger this week than he was the last time he was on. No. Not sure. Very witty he is for this half hour and his top 10 rundown is a minor classic.
Sean Maguire; Grown up quite a bit from his days as archetypal little boy lost in 'Eastenders', I wasn't looking forward to seeing this at all assuming it would be an excruciating proto-Westlife weepy but it was actually a reasonable dance number with some atmospheric piano chords. Good performance too. Surprised by that.
Tin Tin Out; Singer with immaculate hair but far from immaculate voice. Off key initially and more or less OK afterwards but what she was given wasn't exactly challenging. Another one on 'Now 30' and sounded far better on record than here.
Rednex; Oh please let's have a follow up to 'Cotton Eye Joe'! Dreadful. Would rather drop kick my testicles into the Thames than hear that again.
Duran Duran; What did Simon Le Bon casually take out of his pocket and chuck on the floor? If that had been in Michael Hurll's day there probably would have been words. A dreadfully boring version of 'Perfect Day'. They sounded like they had somehow performed a song while sleepwalking. The only thing of interest was John Taylor's surprisingly lax dress sense. Top half, a tablecloth. Bottom half, a bedsheet.
Wet Wet Wet; I've liked hearing 'Julia Says' again. A lovely, understated tune.
Leftfield & Halliday; I didn't wantcto miss this edition because of the appearance of 'Original' and it doesn't disappoint. From the magnificent 'Leftism' album and I do envy anyone reading this who is yet to hear it for the first time. I didn't know that Toni Halliday bore such a facial resemblance to Avril Lavigne though far cooler. What a voice she has on this and what masters Paul Daley and Neil Barnes were at this time. Brilliant few minutes.
East 17; Tony back at his keyboard/pulpit to give another dance sermon. This should be a little past it with all the musical changes going on but they just keep coming up with great hooks. A nice moment when Brian appears to throw a shape for a photographer. The title of this single a little annoying as I'd just put some washing out in clear blue sky when it suddenly threw it down.
Simple Minds; I also wasn't sure what Simon's reference to Chris Eubank was about. Not very hypnotic to my ears, just some very auto pilot Minds with a brief attractive chorus. Ooh I wouldn't go straight onto the stage from the shower without drying your hair first Jim. Plush coat which Marti Pellow may have looked on with envy.
Humorous top 10 delivery from Simon. Oddly puzzled tone when saying Kenny Dope's single but moment of the year so far when he announces that Celine has fallen to No.3. "Thank the Lord!!!".
Cher, Chrissie Hynde & Neneh Cherry with Eric Clapton; Finally another No.1. I share your joy Si. A post Red Nose Day night video edit for its sole week at No.1 which means some scenes with Chris Evans running about and looking delighted (but fortunately silent) Patsy Palmer being gunned and of course Dawn French being snogged by Hugh Grant. Richard Wilson (I'd forgotten he appeared) represents its serious side.
To end the Eurovision hopefuls. Completely forgotten Sam Fox was part of it. Londonbeat deserving of much better. Simon Spiro clearly a lost Britpop classic
Um Patsy Palmer being gunked I should've said. This predictive text clearly has an unkind side!
DeletePatsy wasn't gunked. She has a cow pat dumped on her head. Pat/Patsy.
DeleteSeem to recall this was for the first million. The Hugh Grant/Dawn French kiss later on was for another million quid. Was kind of the money raising theme of the night.
Well if it's good enough for Byker Grove? Tegs from Grange Hill is the 90s next most unlikely pop-star for 15 minutes. SEAN MAGUIRE (pre-muscleman mode) with a terrible pop tune.
ReplyDeleteHad completely forgotten this terrible TIN TIN OUT tune but there is "Always Something There To Remind Me" That was bloody awful. Who posted on last weeks blog that we hadn't had a bad 1995 show yet? You jinxed it!
REDNEX with a remix of cotton eye joe called "Old Pop In An Oak" Googling provides several different meanings to that expression, from wholesome to filthy. Luckily we were not Country number 7 to make this a Number One single. Has a follow up tune ever been so lazy (looking at you Culture Beat and Kym Syms).
And here's DURAN DURAN to ruin "Perfect Day". I felt positively depressed after that one. Thanks guys.
As a consolation, dig out their new hallo-ween themed album "dance macabre". It's really, really good.
WET WET WET – ZZZZZzzzzzzzzzz
Finally something to write home about with 3 decent tunes in a row:
LEFTFIELD & HALLIDAY – Very "Original". Very Bristol sounding. Very classy.
EAST 17 – Never realising a knowingly under-produced single "Let It Rain" may well be my favourite of their run of hits.
SIMPLE MINDS – "Hypnotised" by 1995 Minds. Very much taken with this tune.
COMIC RELIEF gets a deserved week at the top.
I would have watched the Eurovision TOTP so here's my immediate thoughts.
DEUCE – Should have won, I voted for it and bought it.
PAUL HARRIS – Keith Harris would be better
LONDONBEAT – Kooky, Liked it, Bought it.
SOX –Sam FOX!. Terrible song.
FFF – What Hanson would like like grown up.
DEAR JOHN – Best of the lot?
SIMON SPIRO - Pass the sick bucket.
LOVE CITY GROOVE – WINNER (Spoilers!)