Don't let anybody get in your way coz it's the 17th of August 1995 edition of Top of the Pops!
Holy with it
17-8-95: Presenter: Wendy Lloyd
(20) MOIST – Push
Had reached number 35 last year, this time around it peaked at number 20.
(2) THE ORIGINAL – I Luv U Baby
Here with their only top ten hit, and number 2 was the peak.
(18) SHIVA – Freedom (video) (and charts)
Their second and final top 40 hit, at its peak.
(13) DEUCE – On The Bible
Performing their third of four top 40 hits, and it got no higher.
(28) GURU feat. CHAKA KHAN – Watch What You Say
The duo are in the studio tonight but the song got no higher.
(NEW) BJÖRK – Isobel (via satellite)
Will peak at number 23.
(6) JX – Son Of A Gun
Had made number 13 last year, this time around became his first of two top ten hits and it peaked at number 6.
(NEW) OASIS – Roll With It
Oasis march into the Battle of Britpop! But who is really singing the song?
Fourth and final week at number one.
(NEW) BLUR – Country House (video) (and credits)
So who will win the Battle of Britpop? Find out next week!
24th of August is next.
2-2-78: Presenter: Tony Blackburn
ReplyDelete(17) THE IMPERIALS – Who’s Gonna Love Me (and charts)
(20) DARTS – Come Back My Love
(4) SCOTT FITZGERALD & YVONNE KEELEY – If I Had Words
(21) THE SWEET – Love Is Like Oxygen ®
(12) HEATWAVE – The Groove Line (danced to by Legs & Co)
(18) ROD STEWART – Hot Legs (video)
(3) BROTHERHOOD OF MAN – Figaro
(28) SMOKIE – For A Few Dollars More
(26) ROSE ROYCE – Wishing On A Star (video)
(42) THE ADVERTS – No Time To Be 21
(1) ALTHIA & DONNA – Uptown Top Ranking ®
(10) ABBA – Take A Chance On Me (and credits)
Darts - always love this single, it was so 1978, and I think the only single fronted by Bob Fish, where people were proud to be bald, and not need to wear a hat, cap or cloth to cover their baldness like many pop stars did from Elton John onwards in the 70s. Van Morrison anyone?
DeleteRod Stewart - interesting video and very Rod Stewart of the time, but those Hot Legs are must be around 70 now, whoever they are, and I'm sure are still hot!
Brotherhood of Man - was this their last hoorah? I think this phenomenon was the British answer to Abba, and coincidentally the new Abba single, soon to be at No.1, closed out the show this week on the end credits.
Rose Royce - wow what a classic and highlight of the show for me, this future Top 3 song and video were just iconic of the whole 70s never mind 1978, and still sounds so good, calming and peaceful in 2024.
Hello, I hope everyone has had a good start to 2024. Finally the repeats return. I did enjoy the 'Story Of' specials (especially 1989) and 'Big Hits' being shown again but felt it was a slightly wasted opportunity. Just two older editions that they've already repeated in the last 10 years. Are we ever going to see just one special edition of rare / lost performances?
DeleteAnyway good to get the re repeats again and what has become my favourite year. Tony Blackburn who barely appeared in this re-run now has two editions in two consecutive weeks (with a big gap in between) and hopefully more with him to follow. He's very cheery at the helm of a show that's highly eclectic, almost coming over like two editions from different periods stuck together. First up for TOTP 1976/8....
A chart rundown to something sweeping and chirrupy and dated.
Darts; Someone really likes Darts. They're barely off of these repeats. No problems with them being on again, a fine entertaining start with secured mic stands moving around (Den Heggarty's one mainly) and plenty of formation jollity. A great song too.
Scott Fitzgerald and Yvonne Keeley; Is that really his name? Anyway, the definition of a pop oddity is in the studio. 'If I Had Words', a light Reggae take on Saint Saens at his most stately with some cruise ship singers and a choir of schoolgirls. One of those cases where it somehow works possibly because it really doesn't work at all. Who the bloke with the mustache at the far end? Their coach driver?
A confection as grand as this was probably always going to get a live vocal which mostly works apart from the end where Scott Fitzgerald, going for glory, briefly makes a sound like a seagul being electrocuted. Appropriately he bears more than a passing resemblance to Dick Van Dyke who wouldn't have tried high pitched improv I suspect.
The Sweet; Repeat clip for 'Love Is Like Oxygen'. Also like Helium apparently. No this is a fine song. A little behind the times perhaps both in look and sound although they've made an effort to update. Andy Scott looks exactly like Derek Smalls. Great chorus, the softer bits are very effective and a rocking riff too.
Heatwave; A straight funky dance routine where it could've been a deeply corny one where they're on a steam train. Attractive though a little anonymous but the song is so good you're swept along. Showing that light entertainment is still the preferred format at this time, the girls are performing on steps like the ones interviewees descended on 'Parkinson'.
Rod Stewart; A noticeably stumbling link from Tony leads into the video for 'Hot Legs'. Yes, well, these were different times. Nice archway for Rod there. Great stupid racket which the lads in the band seem to be enjoying hugely. An extra mark for the guitarist who does his solo while doing a duckwalk down a rural railway track (in flares!) and more or less pulls it off.
Brotherhood Of Man; One of my very earliest pop memories is this group's name even though I can't recall the actual record. Maybe it was this. A repeat for one of my favourite moments of all these repeats; The Adverts fan who pogoes sarcastically whenever the camera picks him out. It's good natured and I'm sure the BoM members noticed him. Dressing like they've come from the set of 'It Ain't Half Hot Mum' (the blonde lady certainly is in my book!) and they seem to have adopted some of the dance routine as well. TOTP orchestra stuff at its finest.
Pt.2;
DeleteSmokie; If you'd just tuned in at this point you may've thought they were finally repeating a show from earlier in the '70s. Big (BIG) lights, feathercut hairstyles and lush jackets. They're a friendly bunch, the drummer even says a cheery "alright!" to a lady down at the front. With a title like that you'd expect dusty windswept ambience but of course it just sounds like 'Living Next Door To Alice'. Oh shit, that's a point.
Rose Royce; Thank you, thank you, thank you BBC4 for letting us see this again. For me one of the 20 greatest pop singles of all time. Maybe one of the 10. Absolute perfection and wonderful to see the video for it. The final part (sadly not shown here) where it switches from dreamy to funky and back again could carry on for another 10 minutes and would still be riveting. The repeat worth showing just for this tune.
The Adverts; Some prime punk in the studio and our pogoing friend has managed to get to the front for the act he's clearly come to see. Another really edgy exciting turn from this band.
Althea and Donna; 'Mull of Kintyre' has finally come down and Tony makes reference to this before a repeat of the charmingly amateurish studio performance of the delightful 'Uptown Top Ranking'. Love it when the camera catches the little 'ooh' moments.
And Abba for the end credits! Being Abba, it's not the usual cut as soon as the credits end though it could've run on a bit longer. I can never see too many 1978 shows.
My second favourite presenter of 1995 Wendy Lloyd, and what a follow-up to Lisa L'Anson presenting last week's show. Good Lord, we are being spoiled in the summer of 1995, and also now in 2024!
ReplyDeleteDeuce - third single of 1995, and my personal favourite of their catalogue, and third single in a row to make the Top 20 comfortably. Lead blonde singer still looking sexy each time on the show with her white minidresses, but no further music from them after this one, apart from one final single the following summer in 1996 which hardly shook the trees, peaking at a measly No.29.
Blur - the only other single of note on the show, as this week's playout, the video had a bevy of miniskirt lovelies running around in Benny Hill style Hills Angels (remember them), and on this Blur video it was like the next generation of Hills Angels had arrived. Nice!
I had completely forgotten Wendy Lloyd, good presenter though.
ReplyDeleteGood episode (would have been better with Alanis natutally)
I'd forgotten how much I liked this Moist track. Really fun performance from Deuce who I maintain were still better than Steps even if the great British public would disagree.
Shiva - this was the one where the singer had passed away before it came out, wasn't it? Remember that being really sad, but a decent tune.
Guru - alright.
Björk - Fabulous
JX - cracking dance tune
And so the battle of Britpop is here. I remember that Oasis were always destined to lose because Roll With It came out on one CD single that cost £2.99 whilst there were two different CD singles of Country House each at £1.99. I was quite a a purchaser of both CD singles for a lot of acts but I remember only buying one of CH because I was very Switzerland in that battle. Both bands I liked, neither with their best single choice. Also Noel pretending to be Liam, such larks etc etc.
It always amuses me to see present day Take That and the absolute state of Mark Owen especially - a man that deliberately chooses to look like that was really Smash Hits most fanciable male a zillion times?
Chart rundown - two new entries on this week's Top 40 at peak position and worth a mention, but would get no play on the show:
ReplyDeleteNo.15 The Shamen - Destination Eschaton
First single in two years since 1993, and this one did quite well to get to No.15, but where was their invitation to the TOTP studio to celebrate their return, as lower new entries seems to get in ahead of them?
No.29 New Power Generation - The Good Life
Prince's entourage now going on their own, and with their final Top 40 single since coming on to the scene in 1990 alongside Prince.
All that effort to get Bjork in New York and they send Take That to Manchester. Rhyming fail (although I am struggling to find a place name that rhymes with "that").
ReplyDeleteNever heard of MOIST. "Push" passed me by completely. Forgotten it already.
Stunning dance tune from THE ORIGINAL. Fabulous performance of "I Luv U Baby" as well. Highlight of the show. Loved that.
SHIVA. Again, who? Was I on holiday this week in 1995? Fairly standard dance number. Was wondering if the blonde was the actual singer. Turns out she was. Dedicated to 24 year old Louise Dean who had died in June 1995 in a hit and run accident.
I've given DEUCE the benefit of the doubt until now but "On The Bible" is poor. Time for a quickie divorce.
Here's another tune I don't remember. Maybe I was hungover all week from all the clubbing? GURU feat. CHAKA KHAN with yet another use of a sample that has outstayed it's welcome. Didn't enjoy the tune either. Next.
BJÖRK – Isobel.
Love the tune.
Love the stage set.
Love the Mickey Mouse inspired drum machine.
So many memories (or lost memories) of my clubbing days tonight with JX. Would love to know if the girl miming actually sung the vocal on "Son Of A Gun"
OASIS with the tune that I think made me pay attention. Huge improvement on their earlier hits. Careful with the role-reversal boys. The Communards got banned for his.
TAKE THAT just about still Number One and this week we get an abysmal live version of "Never Forget" with everything good about it taken away. (bye bye bassline).
I'm off out to buy the Blur tune.
A couple of new entries peaking outside the Top 40 this week from former chart regulars in the 80s, and worth a mention:
ReplyDeleteNo.53 Morten Harket - A Kind Of Christmas Card
Harket's one and only solo single after leaving A-HA, and pity this was all he could manage with a No.53.
No.56 Rod Stewart - Lady Luck
Now at whopping 25 years of pop chart singles since his debut double A-side in 1971, Reason To Believe and Maggie May, there seemed to be no stopping him, going on until 2001 to make it a total of 30 years of chart singles before bowing out, but we are still way off that point in time.