We mustn't forget the gift of the 14th of December 1995 edition of Top of the Pops!
Flowers power
14-12-95: Presenter: John Peel
(4) EVERYTHING BUT THE GIRL – Missing
Getting the show underway with a fourth time on the show for this song.
(9) THE CHILDLINERS – The Gift Of Christmas
In the studio again tonight but the song was at its peak.
(2) THE BEATLES – Free As A Bird (video) (and charts)
Couldn't quite become their 18th number one.
(22) SIMPLY RED – Remembering The First Time
Performing the second single from their number one album, Life, but it got no higher.
(18) MOLELLA feat. THE OUTHERE BROTHERS – If You Wanna Party
Here tonight and the song peaked at number 9.
(3) BOYZONE – Father And Son
A third studio performance and it went up one more place.
(8) BJÖRK – It’s Oh So Quiet
A second studio performance and it went up four more places.
(NEW) MIKE FLOWERS POPS – Wonderwall
Making his debut with the first of three top 40 hits, and this Oasis cover was by far his biggest and it will peak at number 2.
(1) MICHAEL JACKSON – Earth Song (video)
Second of six weeks at number one.
21st of December is next
It's Deja vu night on the pops.
ReplyDeleteJohn Peel. Legend. Wonderful to see him again. He seriously was not impressed to see that big red book was he.
Ebtg. Must be one of the biggest selling non number ones. Still sounding great.
Due to missing an episode it's Childline again. Michelle Gayle has rocked up this time. And Louise (I thought that sounded like her last week).
No East 17 and still don't know who the rapper is.
Beatles again!
Mick has escaped the playground. This must have been recorded a while back. Good tune. Better than the big number one in my opinion.
Over for Xmas it's the Outhere Brothers. Clearly having run out of ideas and with even more audience participation.
Then it's Boyzone. Why has Ronan skinned a cheetah? Better vocal this time. Not trying so hard.
Bjork has lost het animals? Has Ronan killed then all? She's fallen in the glitter box this week.
Then Mike Flowers Pops. This is just such a fabulous idea. Done so well. Should have been xmas number one (and will be if BBC4 show the wrong episode again in 2 weeks time).
8-4-76: Presenter: Noel Edmonds
ReplyDelete(19) HOT CHOCOLATE – Don’t Stop It Now
(4) ABBA – Fernando
(NEW) PAUL NICHOLAS – Reggae Like It Used To Be
(23) THE BEATLES – Paperback Writer (danced to by Pan’s People)
(6) 10cc – I’m Mandy Fly Me (video)
(NEW) LINDA LEWIS – Baby I’m Yours
(20) BAY CITY ROLLERS – Love Me Like I Love You (video)
(NEW) THE FOUR SEASONS – Silver Star
(24) THE CARPENTERS – There’s A Kind Of Hush (All Over The World) (danced to by Pan’s People)
(29) SHEER ELEGANCE – Life Is Too Short Girl
(NEW) FRANKIE VALLI – Fallen Angel
(1) BROTHERHOOD OF MAN – Save Your Kisses For Me
(2) BARRY WHITE – You See The Trouble With Me (and credits)
Absolutely not my era and the only tunes I liked were ABBA and Sheer Elegance. Kisses has dated really badly.
DeleteSaw the 1988 episode as well which was brilliant (and much more my era).
I also hadn't started following TOTP in 1976 as I was only 8 years old then, and it was not until the Grease phenomenon a couple of years later in 1978 that I was first drawn to watching TOTP, initially just to see the movie clips of that film on the show, and then I was old enough to watch it every week from then on, even with Legs & Co on it!
DeleteAnyway, my pic of this edited 1976 show was what looked like a short-staffed Pans People dancing to The Beatles Paperback Writer, with only four girls dancing in the makeshift bookshop with their paperback books.
The Four Seasons without Franki Valli here, meant that the drummer took on the lead vocals on this single which was somewhat unusual, especially as Valli appeared separately to The Four Seasons later on this same show, so was there some sort of split at this point?
Anyway Eric Carmen appeared on the show being interviewed by Noel Edmonds to introduce the Franki Valli solo single without The Four Seasons. RIP Eric Carmen who died only last month at the age of 74.
So back we go almost to the very start of the repeats and a chance to see just what a journey it's been from start to current edition. Next week it goes even further back which should be a great watch on TV. Very early '76 with lots of light entertainment things and at least one of those songs that journalists who were teenagers at the time would use as an example when they drone on about how it was a perfectly acceptable pop single but didn't say anything about my life etc.
DeleteNoel isn't in his punning phase yet but seems to be in one that leans on slipping into a commanding officer voice when the opportunity arises. He's enjoyably relaxed though and liked his understated goodbye. It will be interesting to see what phase he's in when the '74 one gets repeated.
My mother really enjoyed this edition.
Hot Chocolate; A very good natured start. Of course it would be. Its Hot Chocolate. I always like the way they spend almost as much time chatting and laughing to each other in the studio as they do playing. Carefully with that axe, I mean mic stand Errol! Very cheerful he is. Song rather pedestrian like the intro of 'You Sexy Thing' on a loop with a non tune put over the top. Still you can't beat an Errol scream.
Abba; A often repeated but still very striking studio clip for 'Fernando'. A rare sight of Benny with an acoustic and my he looks great with it. The lighting gods are smiling on him too (also he's sitting in the right place); studio lights bouncing spectacularly off his guitar all the way through this. I love his glance to his right during the pause, a smile of satisfaction then a flamboyant strum. That's not easy to do perched on a stool. Lots of use of a fish eye lens to denote profundity.
The Beatles: Sadly no time for Paul Nicholas's entertainingly useless 'Reggae Like It Used To Be'. Not being very knowledgeable about the genre, I was looking forward to being educated on the period in its development when it was, a) shit and b) nothing at all like Reggae. On to The Beatles and one of a raft of releases to flood the UK market in this year. Pan's People dancing to 'Paperback Writer '. Personally I'd still prefer to watch the colour promo at Chiswick House (worth visiting if you love your pop landmarks. The long branch of the tree they sit on for 'Rain' is still there though you can't sit on it) but we get the four of them gyrating and dashing about while staring at a book. The same book! Look are you going to buy it or not? Cherry featured the most and not able to make out what the title of the book was. The audience mostly blokes with their arms folded as well as a studio staff member deep in concentration and a man who's dressed like he's in a comic sketch parody of 'Shaft'.
The Bay City Rollers; A cut also for 10cc and Linda Lewis which I was looking forward to. On to The Rollers as Noel can call them such is their ubiquity. The video also a sign of their fame. Even Queen wouldn't have had such an effort made for them. So is this the one where one of the members is replaced halfway through? A sort of post glam regeneration sequence. The blonde Chris De Burgh lookalike enjoyed the swing didn't he.
Pt.2;
DeleteThe Four Seasons; Really good one next. 'Silver Star'. Frankie less but very striking with Gerry Polci in great voice while switching from shuffle to extravagant thump on the drums. All while looking a lot like Hugh Laurie in a Fry and Laurie music skit. Actually was it two takes stitched together? If not he switches from sticks to brushes in little more than the blink of an eye. Also marvellously supine, femine harmonies from the two blokes who really don't look like they would make that kind of contribution. Great tune with a very unusual construction. The only other frenetic strum to slow part then fast strum again is The Moody Blues 'Question'. Maybe that was what they took inspiration from. Show highlight for me.
The Carpenters; Another Pan's People dance which is good as they were gone very soon after the repeats began. Down to four despite what the end credits said; Lee Ward leaving apparently after the first repeated edition. Dancing beside a big globe then freakily hovering above it. Aww how cute is Sue at this point! Also nice to see the rarely seen Mary Corpe getting a solo spot. Ruth as well, my Dad's favourite.
Sheer Elegance; Quite a style option we have here. Sheer Elegance? If that was what some people's conception of the term was in Spring 1976, I'd love to know what inelegance looked like. The collars look like they're literally made from wallpaper! In fine voice though and a good song with a pretty chorus.
Frankie Valli; A chat with Eric Carmen before with Noel starting off by telling Eric he isn't very famous yet. Luckily our guest stays friendly though not gregarious. He answers questions so briefly and quietly it would be hard to tell if he was American or English if you didn't know already. Is it his arm that helps a chap move safely away from a roving camera? 'Fallen Angel' very dull for a title like that and Frankie Valli sounded surprisingly off key for parts of it. There is a song by Barbara Dickson with that title which is far more appealing.
Brotherhood Of Man; I don't mind this one, annoying as it superficially is. Was Martin Lee having a bet with a friend to see how many winks he could fit into a studio performance? Also Sandra Stevens I fancy even when doing a corny dance.
Nice little skit from Noel to say goodbye. See you next week looking a bit younger.
The colour promo of Paperback Writer is available on iTunes for £1.89 among various other Beatles original videos, so I would throughly recommend for anyones iTunes library.
DeletePaging Rob.
ReplyDeleteAre you posting this week 3x totp2?
I know there was a little bit of a argument last week, but please don't stop posting.
People really like them.(including me)
Anyway here Is The John Peel, This Is Your Life episode, as featured at the end of tonight's Top Of The Pops episode:
https://we.tl/t-e5Q0xMEgeW
TOTP2 16-12-1995 (courtesy of Ben Cook & Robert Thompson from the Popscene facebook group - thank them not me!) https://we.tl/t-h1RGJDyTSg
DeleteAlso amazing quality on the TIYL + there is no sound issues like the version on youtube.
DeleteThanks Rob, Ben & Robert!!!
DeleteCheers Rob,
DeleteI don't really care who posted them first;)
Without your posts now, many people like me wouldn't be able to watch it.
I also don't have facebook, so I wouldn't be able to get them.
I look forward to my weekly totp2 as well.
Glad you liked TIYL
Completely agree with Lurker, as I think these TOTP2 shows fronted by Johnnie Walker are just brilliant, and have a character of their own. When Walker soon passes the show over to Steve Wright, we will lose the current format to a compilation show of past hits, with nothing of new singles as predictors for the main TOTP shows, so the TOTP2 shows after Walker leaves, will not be as good.
DeleteIn this TOTP2 edition, the Video Stir section had an interesting new collaboration between Paul Weller and Paul McCartney covering The Beatles 1969 single Come Together for a charity called The War Child Project, and with the video also featuring Noel Gallagher of Oasis hanging around in the background of the two Pauls doing the music.
DeleteIn Recorded For Recall featuring August 1980 which was shortly after the BBC musicians strike with no TOTP at all in June and July of that year, I liked when Johnnie Walker said 'in a time when you could still smoke on TOTP'. One of the featured August 1980 tracks in this section was David Bowie's video for Ashes To Ashes which has some clips from Bowie's appearance on Thames TV's The Kenny Everett Video Show at the beginning of the year as part of the new music video for Ashes To Ashes released in August.
In the Tomorrow's Hits section, a chart predictor for next week's chart was Queen with A Winters Tale, and Good lord, Queen were still coming out with new material with Freddie Mercury, four years after his death.
What a great tribute to John Peel at the end of the show to be given the big red book of This Is Your Life from Michael Aspel. Need to watch that show then, thanks Lurker. Peel was certainly as good presenting TOTP in 1995 as he was in 1980 to 1983 when he was a regular on the show.
ReplyDeleteOn The Nightcawlers, Ahem, The Childliners single, this second appearance on TOTP had a more streamlined set of performers, and less clustered on stage, but I'm pleased that the Deuce lead singer was this time at the front end with more like her vibrant look and style, as she was a lot more subdued and nervous on the first performance a couple of shows ago when she was all in black and hardly noticeable until her part. Good to see John Reid of The Nightcrawlers back again giving moral support to the rest of the group and again not singing any lines himself! Ooh, The Gift Of Christmas.....
I'm watching Eurovision 1974 and my favourite is Spain! A bloke who looks like Engelbert Humperdinck with huge sideboards playing flamenco guitar without a strap and waving it around like Jimi Hendrix. Good tune as well. Mouth and McNeill was impressive too and liked Ireland's entry. Sweden's one was catchy!
ReplyDeleteFavourite moment was Katie Boyle's dismissive response to one of The Wombles coming on stage! Some good things overall.
Chart rundown - four new entries in this week's Top 40 looking to penetrate the Christmas singles market and now at peak, so missing out on any TOTP play:
ReplyDeleteNo.21 Whigfield - Last Christmas/Big Time
A full on year for Whigfield and this her final Top 40 hit, and first not to make Top 20. One more single release in late 1998 only got to No.68, so this was effectively her last hurrah by 1995.
No.33 Suggs - The Tune
Third single of the year since going solo, and found it hard going during the Christmas chart singles market, but would soon get a No.4 hit a few months later in 1996 with Cecilia.
No.35 - Various Artists - The Coronation Street Single
No.36 Mr Blobby - Christmas In Blobbyland
Two more novelty singles hoping to make a deep run into the Christmas singles chart, but got no further.
Wow, it looks like it could be an evening of archive music heaven on BBC2 on 20th April! 60 songs over 4 hours from the channels 60 year history! It says 'biggest names' in the programme info but who knows. There should be some rare things in there. Hopefully one clip from the almost entirely wiped 'Disco 2'. Can't wait to see it.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first read it, I thought they were all from the 60s.
DeleteBut they are not, they are 60 songs, from the last 60 years.
Acts include Featuring such musicians as Joni Mitchell, Elton John, the Rolling Stones, Dolly Parton, Stormzy, Sam Smith, Kylie Minogue, Bob Marley, Blondie and Queen.
Looks fantastic and there should be some rarely/never seen things in there. The range of music shows from BBC2 is mind-boggling. Jazz 625, Colour Me Pop, OGWT, In Concert, Rock Goes To College etc. Not to mention all the Glastonbury broadcasts on BBC2.
DeleteMy wish fors would be;
The Kinks, 'Once More With Felix', '69
The Psychedelic Furs; 'Oxford Roadshow', '84
Radiohead, 'Later....', '08
Jeff Buckley, 'The Late Show', '95
Matthews Southern Comfort, 'Disco 2', '70
Lindisfarne, 'Rock Goes To College', '78
I don't think there's ever been a marathon like this before on the BBC. 240 mins means 60 x 4 so just clips and presumably no talking in between.
It's great that it will be complete clips. There are some fragments that I would give anything to see. Chief among them about 40 seconds of Laura Nyro from 'In Concert' in '71 which apparently survives thanks to a highlights show which was kept. I hope that it's not mainly big acts because BBC2 was always interested in fringe things.
DeleteThere's around 20 seconds of Laura singing "Stoney End" on the 'In Concert' compilation tape.
DeleteJust 20 seconds. Still precious footage. That compilation would be a fabulous watch. Hopefully some more In Concert clips will get shown next week. I assume the Joni Mitchell clip will be from that series. Hope they show The Clash too and Jimi Hendrix Experience on Late Night Line-Up which exists.
DeleteI don't remember the third MFP single, only this and the Beatles one. Was it an original? I like the gimmick fine but it was only ever going to be a short run thing. Wonderwall works in either version actually, what a versatile aong!
ReplyDeleteBjörk and EBTG are good (again) but this is a dull episode mostly. Peel is the best bit.