Looks like 1995 won't be back until at least the end of the month, so while we're still waiting here's a second trip back to the early 70's.
Tooth of the pops
11-10-73: Presenter: Kenny Everett
(8) DAVID CASSIDY – The Puppy Song (and charts)
Will become one side of his second of two number one hits.
(29) ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA – Showdown
Peaked at number 12.
(12) ELTON JOHN – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (video)
Went up six more places.
(24) MICHAEL WARD – Let There Be Peace On Earth (Let It Begin With Me)
His only hit and it peaked at number 15.
(9) STATUS QUO – Caroline
Peaked at number 5.
(20) THE DETROIT SPINNERS– Ghetto Child (danced to by Pan’s People)
Became their first of three top ten hits when it peaked at number 7.
(NEW) ENGELBERT HUMPERDINCK – Love Is All
Singing live and the song peaked at number 44.
(2) SLADE – My Friend Stan
At its peak.
(NEW) LIMMIE & THE FAMILY COOKIN’ – Dreamboat
Became their second of three top 40 hits when it peaked at number 31.
(1) SIMON PARK ORCHESTRA – Eye Level (Theme From The T.V. Series ‘Van Der Valk’)
Second of four weeks at number one.
(4) IKE & TINA TURNER – Nutbush City Limits (crowd dancing) (and credits)
The duo's second and final top ten hit was now at its peak.
Never seen that Elton John video before, and I didn't know there was one for Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. Also the studio appearance for the no.1 single Eye Level was very short, so it could be that it was a repeat of a previous TOTP show's clip.
ReplyDeleteI didn't start watching TOTP until 1978, so this 1973 show is way before I can remember any of these shows so I'm still discovering new things on these repeats.
Kenny Everett may have been funny presenting TOTP in 1973, but seems very out of place 50 years on, although I can just about bear him on his Thames TV shows between 1978-1981 before he returned to the BBC for the rest of the 80s.
This one was wiped. They did however find the original studio raw footage. BBC4 made a 30min version back in 2012 from it. Eye Level was cut down along with Michael Ward and playout.
ReplyDeleteHI Aninimous! Happy Christmas and new year! Can you reupload 25/02/95 and 04/03/95 TOTP2 episodes Please. unfortunatly i lost them.
Delete.Well it's had a repeat before and there are plenty others pre '76 that could've been shown but it was still great to see on BBC4. A decidedly rough-arsed pre edited edition with Kenny Everett presenting, one of two Ev editions to survive, a 2nd one from June '73 being found a few years ago. Huge fun, for large parts hugely incomprehensible (the links that is) and with some cracking music.
ReplyDeleteKenny starts as he means to go on by leaving an age to make an appearance before charging through an exit door then halting at a picture of himself when he looked, um, different. "It's me!!!!" he says in an unidentifiable accent and the camera cuts to the charts rundown in a way that couldn't possibly have got past the editing process unchanged. Yes, quite a start. Certainly I've never seen any TOTP hosted anything like this. And so it will continue.
ELO; Charts to a David Cassidy single that no-one who wasn't young at the time would care for then 'Eeeee Llllll Ohhhh!!' and a favourite one of theirs. I wasn't there but the chorus of 'Showdown' just sounds so evocative of that difficult time. It actually sounds painfully with those harmonies. Love it. A former work colleague who went to a few editions around that time would testify to the fervent autograph hunting from the females in the audience. I wonder how many made a bee line to Jeff Lynne after ELO's appearance. There's facial hair and there's....
Elton John; Farmer Ken clearly isn't fussed about song titles. A promo or TOTP film for 'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road' with Elton on tour in the States. Fantastic tune.
Status Quo; Someone called Michael Ward with a rather egotistical song title gets a chop so to ver Quo and classic chugger 'Caroline'. Francis smiles, John doesn't and surrounded by an enthusiastic audience many of whom doing that on each beat arm thrusting dance.
The Detroit Spinners; Kenny goes full yokel beside an "obelisk " (no surrealism there) and links to a charming clip of Pan's People dancing in red one piece attire to the brilliant 'Ghetto Child'. A real treat to see the ladies dancing to some classic '70s soul and it's a really effective routine with all the shadows. Their backs to the camera moves in the chorus may evoke the sombre realism of the lyrics or maybe not but it's enjoyable to watch.
Engelbert Humperdinck; Very out of place here and completely unmemorable aside from the extravagant hair and collar. A girl right at the front looks quite impressed but if boys standing with arms folded was a dance routine Engelbert could've triggered a new dance phenomenon. File under 'vocally impressive'. Kenny in normal accent does a great link out of that.
Slade; 'My Friend Stan' never gets the attention it deserves which is understandable but that's such a good song. One Slade song you can actually sing along to. Noddy looks great in the Lennon shades and the big hat.
Limmie and the Family Cookin'; A warmly sarcastic link from Kenny that the closest audience members to their credit appear to still be following then to Limmie and Co but only after a divebombing camera slams through the crowd. A floor manager(?) who looks like the polite one from 'Only When I Laugh' stares into it unsure which way to go to get out of the way. It would be wonderful to think that bit survived the editing stage. Follow up to the marvellous 'You Can Do Magic' that sounds nice and sprightly but not much else. Sweet voice the lead singer has.
Simon Park Orchestra; The 'Van Der Valk' theme at the top. The 'Crown Court' theme was on the B side apparently.
Kenny's goodbye (and it will prove to be his goodbye to the show) is to hobble among his audience, rattle off a stream of nonsense, pull a genuinely mad grimace then collapse to the floor. Seems a real loss to the world of tv comedy that only one other of his TOTP has survived though I can't believe he was more chaotic than he has been here. Ike and Tina wah wahing and hollering us through the playout as cameras swirl about. Big cameras clearly preferable to lights back then.
Lots of shots of the audience having avoid rampaging cameras :)
ReplyDeleteNot sure why BBC4 is going to be showing Big Hits 1980 this Friday between 7-8pm which is normally the TOTP 1995 slot for two shows. Will we ever get back to the resumption of August 1995 where BBC4 had recently taken a break?
ReplyDelete1995 resumes on Friday 2nd February.
DeleteThank goodness, so only a couple of weeks to go then.
DeleteI guess its to make sure the xmas 1996 edition is in sync with the end of this year.
DeleteThere still needs to be another break for that to happen. Maybe we’ll get that in the summer.
DeleteHi, I just wondered if there is a complete copy of 12/03/1976 available please?
ReplyDeleteWould also like to see that one, if only to see the Convoy video by CW McCall. What a classic!
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