The moment you met me you said I was the 25th of April 1996 edition of Top of the Pops!
At thix it's Thuggs with Thecilia
25-4-96: Presenter: Chris Eubank
(17) BABYLON ZOO – Animal Army
Getting tonight's show underway but the song got no higher.
(7) LISA MARIE EXPERIENCE – Keep On Jumpin’
Here with their only top ten hit and it was at its peak.
(11) ORBITAL – The Box (video) (and charts)
At its peak.
(5) ASH – Goldfinger
Performing their first of four top ten hits, and the fourth single from their number one album, 1977, but it got no higher.
(18) TECHNOHEAD – Happy Birthday
Here with their second and final top 40 hit and it was at its peak.
(NEW) SLEEPER – Sale Of The Century
Performing what will soon become their first of two top ten hits when it peaks at number 10.
(2) MANIC STREET PREACHERS – A Design For Life
A second studio performance for their second of fifteen top ten hits, but it just couldn't get any higher.
(6) SUGGS feat. LOUCHIE LOU & MICHIE ONE – Cecilia
A second time in the studio and the song went up two more places.
(1) MARK MORRISON – Return Of The Mack
Second and final week at number one.
(NEW) MINTY - That's Nice (video) (and credits)
Did not chart.
2nd of May is next.
Feels like a lot got crammed into this one!
ReplyDeleteEubank isn't the best presenter but this really helps establish that persona he'll get to use in umpteen reality shows in the coming century.
BZ - Good solid opening from the not-actually-one-hit-wonders.
LME - Great track, very catchy.
Orbital - Absolutely love this. 96 is really all about these piano heavy instrumental dance tracks uh?
Ash - One of their best tracks. Great performance.
Technohead - nope. Not even got the 'naughty' factor of the last one.
Sleeper - Did they go on the Pops between Inbetweener and this? Don't remember it if so. I really love their first two albums and have been revisiting them a lot recently. (Anything that came after... less so)
MSP - Great again. They shift from anarchy to dad rock a bit with this album (and from then on) in their image and sound which makes Richey's absence more noticeable (though is better for mainstream and long term success) but this album is full of great songs.
This was Orbital's first Top 40 entry in two years, and highest chart position since their debut hit Chime in 1990 managed a high of No.17. I did like the video for The Box, as it was a snapshot of a busy city at night, but also highlighted the topic of loneliness or hopelessness which the woman in the video appeared to be portraying.
DeleteTechnohead had only just had their first hit I Wanna Be A Hippy, but thank goodness tnew one was their second and last single with Top 40 action. A third and final single Banana-Na-Na (Dumb-Di-Dum) could only manage a No.64 position later in the year.
The ‘woman’ being Tilda Swindon, of course!
DeleteNot sure if it was her on Orbital's superb set on Glastonbury 2024 over the weekend if any watched them, but it's great to see them still going 30 years on.
DeleteIt was her I believe
DeleteWith no hits below No.18 played on the show this week, I noticed some new entries in the Top 40 this week that missed out this week on a TOTP invite or video, as they fell down the charts the following week:
ReplyDeleteNo.19 Mary Kiani - Let The Music Play
A brave cover of the famous Shannon original from 1983, updated with 90's techno. Shannon would have the last laugh in the end, as she made it to a higher position of No.14 with her original, so there!
No.21 Meat Loaf - Running For The Red Light (I Gotta Life)
Third single release from the 1995 Welcome To The Neighbourhood album, following I'd Lie For You and Not A Dry Eye In The House, this final release from the album was actually a cover of the INXS/Jimmy Barnes collaboration called Good Times which got to No.18 in 1991. This would have been a difficult one to perform in the TOTP studio, so it was just as well that Meat did not get higher in the chart to get invited onto the show to perform it, as there also seems to be no video for the single unusually.
No.23 Matt Goss - If You Were Here Tonight
Second solo single for the ex Bros singer, following his first one a few months earlier that peaked at No.40 but was too low to get a play on the show, so with this better result at No.23, Goss was still not making a first appearance on the show, as nothing under No.18 was played on the show this week, and Goss would have to wait longer. Third time lucky?
No.33 Roxy Music - Love Is The Drug
Remix of their 1975 original single which got to No.2, and only kept out of the top spot by David Bowie's Space Oddity. Not sure why the remix was brought out now in 1996 though. In 1975 when very few videos were made, the Supersonic TV show appearance would always be used as the video to this day.
Fast forward 11 years to 2007, and The Lisa Marie Experience had the same tune revamped in 2007 as Corenell vs Lisa Marie Experience, and with a somewhat tasty video:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4kbJu2zNu8
Hi all. Just popping in here to note a recent fact find. Louise Wener who headed up Sleeper was at my secondary school! A few years younger than myself, but featured in the 1981 production of 'My Fair Lady' as one of the servants to Professor Higgins. I think she must have featured in the famous lines in 'I could have danced all Night' where it goes "It's getting late now, she ought to be in bed".
ReplyDelete