Ba-da-ba-da-ba-be bop bop bodda bop, I'm the 11th of May 1995 edition of Top of the Pops!
Top of the Ski-ba-bop-ba-dop-bops
11-5-95: Presenter: Simon Mayo
(10) SUPERGRASS – Lenny
Making their studio debut with their first of six top ten hits, but this one got no higher.
(11) MONTELL JORDAN – This Is How We Do It
Performing his first of five top 40 hits, and this one was at its peak.
(15) MANCHESTER UNITED F.C. feat. STRYKER – We’re Gonna Do It Again (video) (and charts)
Peaked at number 6.
(6) SCATMAN JOHN – Scatman (Ski-Ba-Bop-Ba-Dop-Bop)
Here tonight with his first of two top ten hits, and this one went up three more places.
(NEW) BLESSID UNION OF SOULS – I Believe
Performing what was to be their only top 40 hit and it peaked at number 29.
(23) SHED SEVEN – Where Have You Been Tonight
In the studio but the song got no higher.
(16) LOVE CITY GROOVE – Love City Groove
Another showing for this one, and they came 10th in Eurovision.
(NEW) CELINE DION – Only One Road
Live in the studio tonight and the song will peak at number 8.
(1) LIVIN’ JOY – Dreamer
Had peaked at number 18 last year, but this remix gave them their one and only week at number one.
(27) THE POLICE – I Can’t Stand Losing You (Live) (video) (and credits)
Got no higher.
18th of May is next.
Manchester United FC - as chart rundown video this week at a fair position of No.15, I was just wondering how long the whole football pop record phenomenon went on for, as the first one I remember was in 1981 with Spurs and Ossie Ardiles on FA Cup singing duties, but I think there were some football songs also released as early as the 70s. Certainly on next week's TOTP chart there will be a new entry by Everton FC, so we are not leaving this phenomenon anytime soon it seems!
ReplyDeleteChart rundown - also noticed two new entries in the Top 30 this week from legendary 80s performers, with Marc Almond at peak position of No.25 with Adored And Explored, and The Police with a re-release of Can't Stand Losing You, which got a brief play at the end of the show, albeit a small clip of a video, but both singles fell badly the following week, so it was a brief hello and goodbye.
I haven't seen all of this one yet but thought I'd add a few thoughts on 1st Nov '79. It looked awful from the listing but turned out to be another fascinating show. Strangely touching how the chart rundown to Sad Cafe began with a soft fade in. It felt like a pop version of 'To The Manor Born'. The Ramblers; Good God. I haven't checked but were they also on an edition with The Skids? The Jam, fantastic. The lads in the (presumably) 'Blow Up' referencing tunics seemed to be playing a role. The one 2nd from left looked like someone who badly needed the toilet. Great single and liked the incongrous sight of Weller thrashing the guitar in front of a massive stardust light. No idea what Legs & Co were trying to achieve here but very eye catching.
ReplyDeleteThin Lizzy 'Sarah' beautiful song and so good to see again. If I'd been good (or was pissing about) I may've stayed up to watch this edition and Lene Lovich would've petrified me.
I thought the Beatles and Liverpool compilations were marvellous. I've never ever seen anything from 'It's The Beatles' 12/63 before and the video for 'Now and Then' had me in tears. I think it's as perfect a goodbye as they could've done. Amazing to think they will almost certainly be No.1 on Friday.
The quality seems to have dipped lately and this was a rather dull edition despite an absolutely cracking start. Simon Mayo has gone confident young salesman this evening. He does resemble Mark Franklin here and his delivery is noticeably Franklinesque with wit and irony kept to a minimum for some reason.
ReplyDeleteSupergrass; A rocking start and a very warm welcome from me for the Oxford trio who never put a foot wrong throughout their career. Miming to 'Lenny' (I think; they were so extraordinarily tight as a live band) and for me the best of Britpop so far. What other band would've even considered doing a musical break consisting of one dramatic major 7th guitar chord and hollering "yeeeeeeeeaaaaahhhhhh!!!!!!!" for ages. Some of the guitar parts sound like the template for the equally storming 'Richard III'. What a band. All of their appearances will be appointment TV.
Montell Jordan; Distinctive sound and good tune but heard it far too much at the time to be bothered about hearing it again.
Manchester United FC feat Stryker; That's 3 minutes I'll never get back.
Scatman John; Euro dance was going through such a purple patch at this time that I suppose you were always going to get some old duffer taking a ride on it to demonstrate his party piece. Um yes, entertaining I suppose.
Blessed Union of Souls; I actually momentarily fell asleep while watching that. Virtually nothing going on there.
Shed Seven; Another band who won't miss any opportunity to get their mugs on Top of the Pops. This is not bad as a song and Paul Banks was a brilliant guitarist but for me always brought down by Rick Witter's graceless, foghorn voice which will take up plenty more valuable time on this programme in the months to come.
Love City Groove; Neuf points at a push if I watched it on Eurovision. Trois last time. Nil this evening.
Celine Dion; Very underwhelming after 'Think Twice' though a powerful performace. I don't like her hair. A grim look forward to the late '90s with hordes of charisma free teenagers standing around the singer like spare parts.
Livin' Joy; 3 singles straight in at No.1 Simon? Yes a phenomenal occurrence! That surely can't happen again.
Another dance number gets a second chance and a very deserved No.1. I certainly remember it coming from absolutely nowhere and I'm sure its appearance at No.1 on the Sunday chart was the first time I'd ever heard it. Really strong and she looks gorgeous in the dress. The audience really gets into that including a lad during the first part who suddenly starts manically stomping about like he's just had a box of toads dropped at his feet. Thrilling chart topper. And there it ends for several weeks.
The Police; A mix of archive clips and '90s audiences making for a pretty confusing video. What caused this thing to get a release?
A mixed bag this one but I think the good outweighs the bad and how refreshing to have so many number ones after 91-94 gave us so many endless chart toppers. Unfortunately the track(s) that will break the streak of one week wonders is easily the worst number one of the year. Well, alongside the follow-ups from the same act.
ReplyDeleteShed Seven, Livin Joy and Supergrass are big highlights here. Scatman John was quite fun though the gimmick wore thin when he released the sequel.
I enjoyed Blessid Union of Souls at the time but really not sure why it was an exclusive, it was a pretty minor hit from an unknown group.
Love City Groove are sticking around quite long it seems.
Celine is fine but not amazing.
Montell Jordan with a song that hs legs - still gets played a lot today.
There's a lot to miss about the mid 90s music era but the omnipresence of Man United singles is definitely not one of those things.
Welcome SUPERGRASS. Mostly known for just one tune, an often under-rated Brit Pop band. "Lenny" the start of a run of quality tunes. One of the Greatest Hits albums I own.
ReplyDeleteFor some reason I always thought MONTELL JORDAN was a basketball player but google tells me otherwise. "This Is How We Do It" was everywhere in the Summer of 95, Radio stations seemed to love it. Can take it or leave it personally.
MANCHESTER UNITED could do with a good STRYKER at the moment, Little Will Smith wanna-be presiding over a rather dire (c)rap tune.
SCATMAN JOHN the Euro summer smash for some reason. Seem to recall I quite liked this at the time but it has not aged well and I was glad when this was over.
BLESSID (Is that a real word?) UNION OF SOULS with "I Believe". Someone else about to have a big hit with that title. But not the BLESSID. Does it count as Un-Plugged Simon if he put batteries in his synth?
Love SHED SEVEN. Want that T-Shirt.
LOVE CITY GROOVE about to finish 10th at Eurovision with Nil-Point Norway winning the contest. Hopefully that means we won't have to hear this again
Great performance from CELINE DION. "Only One Road" from the brilliant "Colour of my Love" album, one of my faves.
LIVIN’ JOY remix "Dreamer" and get themselves a week at the top. Get used to this Simon, we are heading into 40+ Number Ones a year territory as songs crash in at their peak and then fall away. Climbers will become a thing of the past. Even the revamped UK Top 40 starts listing "weeks on chart" as it's barometer of success rather than chart movement.
In 1995 I expect it was all about CD singles having to be bought physically from the shelves, as 7-inch vinyl stopped production in January 1995. I mean even online ordering of CD singles, and streaming was still a few years off, so I'm surprised the 40+ number ones a year came this soon in 1995 if people still had to go into shops to buy singles which I think was still the case.
DeleteSo I did some proper research and I was a bit out. The only 40+ number one year was 2000 but the build up started here going from 17 chart toppers in 95 to 26 in 96. The next year with only 17 Number Ones is 2007 which is when downloads became allowed without a physical release.
Delete2006 downloads had to have a physical release within 1 week to count with the first download only number one coming in this year.
From 98 to 02 there are over 30 chart toppers a year!