Near of far I will be with the 23rd August 1996 edition of Top of the Pops!
Simply the vest
23-8-96: Presenter: Bear Van Beers
(10) ANT & DEC – Better Watch Out
The duo get the show underway with their first single not as PJ & Duncan, but the song got no higher.
(13) BRYAN ADAMS – Let’s Make A Night To Remember
Here tonight and the song went up three more places.
(8) PET SHOP BOYS – Se A Vida É (That’s The Way Life Is) (video) (and charts)
At its peak.
(3) BACKSTREET BOYS – We’ve Got It Goin’ On
In the studio but the song was now at its peak.
(2) 3T & MICHAEL JACKSON – Why (video)
At its peak.
(5) OMC – How Bizarre
A second studio performance but the song was now at its peak.
(NEW) REM – E-Bow The Letter (video)
Will peak at number 4.
(NEW) DONNA LEWIS – I Love You Always Forever
Performing what will become her only top ten hit when it peaks at number 5.
(1) SPICE GIRLS – Wannabe
Back again for their fifth of seven weeks at number one.
(18) GLORIA ESTEFAN – You’ll Be Mine (Party Time) (video) (and credits)
Got no higher.
14-10-76: Presenter: David Hamilton
ReplyDelete(18) TAVARES – Don’t Take Away The Music (video)
(4) SHERBET – Howzat ®
(13) SIMON MAY – Summer Of My Life
(23) WILD CHERRY – Play That Funky Music (danced to by Ruby Flipper)
(46) LIVERPOOL EXPRESS – Hold Tight
(42) DAVID ESSEX – Coming Home
(21) J.A.L.N. BAND – Disco Music (I Like It)
(1) PUSSYCAT – Mississippi (video) (and credits)
I happened to notice that this Top 30 chart in 1976 had only 6 positions with female artists, and the other 24 places in the chart were male. Good Lord!
DeleteTavares - TOTP rarely started a show with a video, but this was one of those shows, and thank goodness the show itself is not rare, but I just love this tune, and so iconic of the optimistic 70s and its love for music.
Pussycat - what a gorgeous song and video to end the show with. It was really one of the best No.1's of the decade, and unfortunately I wasn't into pop music yet, as I was only 8 at this point, and only started following the charts a couple of years later in 1978, so the first time I saw the video was on the first year of the BBC4 repeats in 2011 when they started off with showing the 1976 episodes.
Hello all, I'm probably not going to continue reviewing the ongoing repeats after this week as I'm afraid 1996 hasn't really engaged me much lately and I haven't followed them as avidly as before. I may comment here and there and probably blog on the Christmas show but I'll bow out of weekly posts. Thank you all and Angelo enormous credit for such a fantastic job all these years.
DeleteAnyway I will carry on reviewing the pre '79 repeats as I find them endlessly enjoyable and here's my annoyingly jaundiced 21st century put down of Oct '76. Not really. Loved it as always. David Hamilton back with his endearingly purposeless fingerpointing to something or other. Up goes the finger to a pretty good chart with a cracking Top 3.
Why the sailors?
Tavares; The great thing about shows pre Summer '77 is that you automatically assume the opening number is just going to soundtrack the chart rundown then you realise of course not; you get a performance. Or a video as here. One that's been dropped in a janitor's bucket of water it would seem but still very neon and '70s. Sparkly jackets, formation half lost in fog dancing and one of the best lead voices of the decade. Fine tune too. And in an era of bands consisting of the participants
surnames, what a bonus to have a surname like Tavares! It actually sounds like an elaborate '70s lighting device. Brilliant shimmering start.
Loved how the camera cuts back to Diddy and he's got his finger pointing in the same direction as when he started as if he's been holding it there for the last 5 minutes!
Sherbert; An odd pronunciation of Cricket's most well used phrase from Diddy, done apparently as a stray voice coming in through CW McCall's CB radio. Doubly curious as Test Cricket wasn't exactly the most fringe of sports that year. Great single though which sounds like Toto about 2 years early. I'll forgive the lead singer's dreadful Paul Nicholas meets Abba attire because of his fine voice.
Simon May; Was 'Summer Of My Life' meant to be a homage to the unrelenting baking summer just gone? It doesn't sound it. A beaker of tepid water that one even with Lulu dancing around. Put the collars down.
Wild Cherry; Ruby Flipper bow out with no Cherry (!?) to the ever brassy, bonkers and fabulous 'Play That Funky Music'. Sounds like a cliche from start to finish and I love it. No mention whatsoever of their demise. just a comment about their costumes.
Part 2;
DeleteLiverpool Express; The lead singer possibly making another sporting reference by styling his hair a lot like James Hunt. Or possibly J K Lever. The bassist gets the fancy hat this time. Beyond that nothing else to comment on.
David Essex; A female fan of which there must've been more than a few in the audience gets to say something about her favourite pop star. Did she win a competition? Sweet all the same and a song of his I've never heard before which has a moment that sounds like Kate Bush's 'Babooshka' to these ears. Good song and a diverting presentation with the camera lurching arthritically to the left for a bit then to the right fo a bit then staying at a 30 or so degree angle like it's 1972.
J.A.L.N Band; Not as good a name as Tavares is it. I looked at the original blog for this edition and someone did moment that the set looked like 'Blockbusters'. A guy singing in a low voice off key appeared to be the main hook.
Pussycat; An excited Diddy introduces the new No.1 and the kiss from the girl at the end did look spontaneous. 'Missippipi' replaces 'Dancing Queen' then making I 2 consecutive foreign chart toppers. A first and only occurrence? I do love this single and Totp seems to as well dispensing with the usual lights and going with the video. I think they did this quite bit for a time in late '76 but the way the logo bursts on to the screen with the 2nd chorus suggests the show thought this was definately one to get behind. So did I. A great singalong finish.
Presenter Bear Van Beers introduction at the beginning of the show with a sexy Flintstones outfit just made this show for me, never mind who was going to be performing on it. As the show progressed, it was getting like a Macarena effect. Good Lord!
ReplyDeleteOMC - back in the studio for the second week in a row, but considering that the last show was a repeat of their first outing on TOTP, now here at No.5 was an opportunity for a fresh performance.
Pet Shop Boys - nice chart rundown video this week, and back to their familiar black&white video preference.
Chart Rundown - Gloria Estefan at peak of No.18 with You'll Be Mine, and Squeeze with their last ever single, a remix of This Summer were notable entries. Squeeze finally calling it a day in 1996 since coming on to the scene with Cool For Cats in 1979.
Also with their last ever single and peaking just outside the Top 40 was Snap! featuring Einstein with The Power '96, and 808 State without a Top 40 achievement since 1992 and still trying, could only manage a No.79 peak this week with Azura.
So they're officially Ant and Dec now. Lyrics are a bit 'naughty' for them.
ReplyDeleteBryan Adams - eh.
PSB - really nice summer tune.
I always think this BSB song sounds a lot like MN8 I've Got a Little Something For You.
EBow the Letter is great and Gloria E has been in my head all day. Donna Lewis is an OK track but she did well to be an exclusive!
This is going to be my last review of the ongoing repeats although I'll carry on with reviewing the pre '79 editions. Again thanks and I've loved following these editions but I've been less interested in watching them week after week recently. I'll be here every so often as these blogs are always so entertaining. A couple of favourites on this edition but not great overall.
ReplyDeleteThe Spice Girls' mono voiced bellow do the introductory honours. Hello.
Bear Van Beers I have really enjoyed and it's a shame that she will say farewell I think this week. She should've been a regular and her very early to mid '90s starry eyed glamour has been very refreshing. She's even more smiley and sweet than before and makes this a better edition than it would've been with someone else. Except Lisa I'Anson.
Ant and Dec; From Aug '96 (or is it last week) PJ and Duncan as themselves as pop stars as themselves kick things off. Of course they do. But, and God forgive me, I enjoyed that. (Bashes head against door) no, I did enjoy that! A barmy '60s thing that made me think of the stupid curveball that Jason Donovan threw at us around 1990. Machine gun delivery all over the place and a chorus that had me singing along. Again I'm so so sorry. Dec (I think) seems to be channelling Mike Flowers in look and I'm sure he was the main influence. Huge fun for them and just enough there for me too.
Bryan Adams; An unpleasantly fleshy Bryan on show with a similarly sweaty thing that is romantic I guess but with none of the grace of 'Have You Ever Loved a Woman'. He's got "hands everywhere ". Mmm thanks. At moments it sounds a little like 'Cuts Like a Knife' but I wasn't keen on dissecting it further.
Pet Shop Boys; For me this is their last decent single certainly the last one I could hum and it has a beautiful wispiness where most of what they did after was just a wispy wispiness. A wistful video with lots of beautiful bodies and the sea, and perhaps this holds a record for the shortest time the artists behind the single appear in the video. I counted 4 seconds. My favourite Divine Comedy single along with 'Come Home Billy Bird' in the charts I notice.
Backstreet Boys; The group 'showing out' or something for the girls. Nothing much to comment on although the guy with the none more '90s hair lurches at the camera at one point and realises at the last possible moment that he's probably lurched a bit too close and his face is saved (in both respects).
3T & Michael Jackson; It looks like he requires a satchel on this occasion.
OMC; 'How Bizarre' is definitely a song of that Summer for me. You couldn't switch on the radio in that August and not hear it and it brings back some very fond memories. Sounds like nothing much and the kitchen sink at the same time which is quite an achievement. I think it's just the guitar hook. It's so joyful. Wonderful to hear that again.
R.E.M; A video that isn't monochrome is welcome here and it's always good to see one of their videos. Humorous that it should come on at this point because 'E Bow The Letter' does sound like an extremely morose version of 'How Bizarre'. Passed me by at the time this one but sounds powerful today.
Donna Lewis; This is another real memory jogger. What a beautiful tune, particularly in the harmonised part. A 'warm and fuzzy' as Simon Mayo used to call such singles and she really enjoys her time in the studio, bent over the keyboard, smiling at everyone in front. "How sweet!", says Bear at the end. Yes indeed.
The Spice Girls; Lots of frantic mugging for the cameras and it's a good song. Well a catchy song. Anyway, hello.
Good to get a play out that's a new single and the ever stylish Gloria Estefan does the honours and it's party time for sure. I doubt she'll be making many more appearances as the '90s move on. I'll step off the train at this point. Thanks Angelo for this marvellous blog and thanks to everyone for your witty, informative comments. I'll be back for '77.
I recall that in 1999 the Pet Shop Boys came out with a single called New York City Boy, and then in 2003 with Miracles. Both these fabulous singles were post-1996 and in the same tempo as their earlier-90s singles up to this point in 1996 with their current single Se A Vida.
DeleteThanks for your regular inputs on these reruns, and I will be coming off soon too, as I stopped following chart music in the summer of 1996 when the Spice Girls came onto the scene which was a perfect time to go out.