Sing along with the 1st of June 1995 edition of Top of the Pops!
Pulp diction
1-6-95: Presenter: Mark Goodier
(11) REEF – Naked
Making their studio debut with their second of nine top 40 hits, this one being at its peak.
(28) CURTIS STIGERS – This Time
Performing his fourth and final top 40 hit, and it got no higher.
(5) BABY D – (Everybody’s Got To Learn Sometime) I Need Your Loving (video) (and charts)
This Korgis cover went up two more places.
(14) THERAPY? – Stories
Here with their eighth of twelve top 40 hits, but it got no higher.
(20) RADIOHEAD – Fake Plastic Trees (via satellite)
Second single from their top 4 album, The Bends, but it got no higher.
(2) PULP – Common People
A second studio performance but this britpop megaclassic couldn't quite make it to the top.
(16) LADYSMITH BLACK MAMBAZO & CHINA BLACK – Swing Low, Sweet Chariot (video)
Went up one more place.
(NEW) BLACK GRAPE – Reverend Black Grape
Performing what will become their first of four top ten hits when it peaks at number 9.
(1) ROBSON & JEROME – Unchained Melody
Third of seven weeks at number one.
(ALBUM TRACK) MICHAEL JACKSON – Megamix (video) (and credits)
Some songs from his number one album, History - Past Present and Future Book 1.
Pulp - back in the studio for a second time for this single, and no sign of the giant supermarket trolley where last time one of their girls was dancing in it, but this time we get the full set of hotties on stage to give some more life to the song. Worthy Top 3 hit this one.
ReplyDeleteBlack Grape - could have sworn this had the lead singer of The Happy Mondays on stage singing. Good Lord, we've moved on big time since 1990 when I first saw The Happy Mondays on TOTP!
Adam Ant was a new entry at peak position just outside the Top 40 at No.48 with Gotta Be A Sin, missing out on a return to TOTP with this the second of two singles in a comeback year of 1995, and which also turned out to be his last ever single.
So I have a few episodes to catch up on comments wise. Apologies, life has been super busy, but still enjoying 1995.
ReplyDeleteThis was a strong episode - really like this Reef track which got so overlooked by Place Your Hands.
Curtis Steigers - bit dreary and like Joshua Kadison, he looked better with long hair.
Really good cover by Baby D followed by three fantastic performances from Therapy?, Pulp and Radiohead.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo / China Black - eh, it's fine.
Black Grape - for some reason I didn't like them much at the time but they've really grown on me over the years
Unlike the dross at number one, but you can't have everything.
Mark Goodier does get some damn good things to introduce. Maybe it was his time as presenter of Radio 1's 'Evening Session' but he's introduced most of the vital bands for 1995. Here we get three classic performances plus a couple of others that are also memorable. Robson and Jerome are on well but never mind.
ReplyDeleteIn 1978 we had Kid Jensen wearing a sweater displaying Radio 1's new waveband and here Mark wears a T shirt with the logo for the new TOTP album. It will get a lot of competition. I bought a couple of Britpop dominated compilations later in the year.
Reef; A great start with a band who were worth a lot more than what they became best known for which was Gary Stringer hollering "It's Your Letters!!!" on 'TFI Friday' every week. At least it proved they had a sense of humour. 'Naked' a great start. I love that guitar riff and certainly they were one of the big draws at Phoenix in July '95. If they'd played. The big tent they were due to play in had to be closed off and the acts in there cancelled because of the mud after torrential rain the night before. Big disappointment for a very big crowd.
I love the kids who jump, Nirvana style, on to the stage halfway through. It looked spontaneous though may've been pre-planned by the band. Good on Blaxill for letting it happen.
Curtis Stigers; Back with a new image and his old image was really his main selling point. This is just a dull song sung by a bloke.
Baby D; The original version of 'Everybody's Got To Learn Sometime' was hit by the Summer 1980 strike but it finally gets an appearance in a moody dance variation by Gods of the tad over serious video, Baby D. Oh, the dancers are in colour this time. Essentially the same video as for their chart topper albeit without the candles and with a sharper camera. That somehow made for a classic video whereas this one isn't very exciting.
Therapy?; More stage invaders. I couldn't make out whether it was the same bunch as before but good to watch. Another OK single from the band.
Radiohead; Classic satellite clip with a single that would be hard to beat for single of the year in my estimation. 'Fake Plastic Trees' awesome in any form and we're treated to a appearance in front of the New Church Of Christ, Newhaven. It's OK chaps, we know you're not Britpop! An iconic performance and the band looking like the best kind of rock stars.
Pulp; 'Fake Plastic Trees' is followed by a 2nd studio appearance for 'Common People'. It can't get better than this. I actually prefer this performance to the previous one. Just the band and their dancers on stage really focuses attention on how great they and the single are. Surely some of the sharpest lyrics ever to make the Top 3, you're always pulled up sharp, with every play of this, by how coruscating it actually is. And it's fun at the same time. Another perfect few minutes.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo & China Black; We were never going great to get three era defining songs in a row but this is particularly dull. Good voices of course but lost interest after about 30 seconds. Sport clips and pop songs for me never go together.
Black Grape; After that dull interlude we're right back into Party '95 with the first appearance of Shaun Ryder's new outfit. 'Reverend Black Grape' fierce and hillarious with one of the great anti-singing displays from Ryder. Suprisingly good harmonica miming from Bez and Kermit leaping around. I listened to 'It's Great When You're Straight, Yeah!' so much that year and every appearance by them will be a highlight.
Robson & Jerome; Listened to it for a second time and that will probably be it. Candles were nice. Robson sounds a lot like the singer with Let Loose. Mark's link was a classic piece of 'cheery' functionality.
Boring montage to finish.
Thinking back the closing of the tent at Phoenix where Reef were due to have played, wasn't due to mud though it was seriously muddy around there. No as I recall there was a flood inside. Bad luck as the site was an airfield so the other stages were perfectly OK. Certainly I don't recall any trouble from festivalgoers, just disappointment. The highlight was actually Brand New Heavies whi we may have gone to see instead of Reef and were an absolute blast.
DeletePut your hand up it's REEF. Too soon? "Naked" a good tune but not one I remember. No stage invasion for CURTIS with his mid temp mush with full on 80s sax.
ReplyDeleteBABY D Pop Jungle apparently. Whatever it is I quite like this version of "(Everybody’s Got To Learn Sometime) I Need Your Loving". Certainly something different dance wise and I recall not being a huge fan of this at the time but it's grown on me ever since.
A good night for guitar bands with THERAPY? next. Another stage(d) invasion. Very original. Forgotten the song already.
Always had a soft spot for "Fake Plastic Trees". It's a rather haunting little tune. Not really an engaging performance from Thom and RADIOHEAD. Never really had any stage presence for me.
PULP so good I watched it twice.
LADYSMITH BLACK MAMBAZO & CHINA BLACK – With the now disapproved of "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" from the 95 Rugby World Cup in South Africa (which they won). The World Cup was the first major sporting event to take place in South Africa following the end of apartheid. A major win for Mandela and the film "Invictus" came off the back of this. The tune it'self tries to be African and dance and kind of falls a bit flat for me.
OMG I loved BLACK GRAPE. Groovy, funky "Reverend Black Grape" the first of a few absolute corkers that I am looking forward to hearing again.
MICHAEL JACKSON with a "Megamix" that would have a guaranteed Top Ten hit in 1991.