Whilst we're on a break from 1998, my short story 'Tess of the Pops' has just been published in the July edition of Best of Woman's Weekly Fiction. Available from WHSmith and other newsagents from today!
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A blog to follow each edition of Top of the Pops broadcast on BBC4.
1998 returns on the 18th of July.
ReplyDeleteIn the meantime:
7-7-77: Presenter: Tony Blackburn
(49) THE RAH BAND – The Crunch
(6) OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN – Sam ®
(NEW) SMOKIE – It’s Your Life
(25) BROTHERHOOD OF MAN – Angelo
(23) BOB MARLEY & THE WAILERS – Exodus ®
(14) ALESSI – Oh Lori (video)
(48) BARRY BIGGS – Three Ring Circus
(5) BONEY M – Ma Baker (danced to by Legs & Co)
(26) ANDY GIBB – I Just Wanna Be Your Everything ®
(1) HOT CHOCOLATE – So You Win Again
(15) DONNA SUMMER – I Feel Love (and credits)
Congrats Angelo! Well done on the short story. That's great to see.
ReplyDeleteThanks as well for putting this marvellous edition on here for comment while '98 is on hold. A classic anything goes Summer 1977 show and, being from this period, what does go is mostly fantastic. I love this pop year especially that summer which seemed to have every pop style going on at once. The set has some of that feel too. General theme; Random shapes placed around a cave. Or maybe they just couldn't decide which of the eight suggested sets to go with. Tony by contrast looks pretty sensibly dressed in tennis friendly light blue clothes which may have been a Wimbledon reference, Virginia Wade winning the final the previous Saturday. Great chart rundown with 'We're All Alone' beginning its ascent at No.30 and an array of '70s classics in there and what must be one of the last rundowns to the CCS theme.
The RAH Band; An early appearance for the maker of 'Clouds Across The Moon'. Yeah interesting look. Maybe an idea of what people might look like around 1985. When they reappeared in 1985 they looked and sounded like they'd never been out since 1977.
A classic faceless instrumental act dressed up as nutters experience here and surely the most radical image to hit Top of the Pops for many years. Four notes but four catchy notes.
Interesting career Mr. Richard Hewson had; Strings for The Beatles 'Goodnight', strings for Nick Drake's debut album (discarded) and this novelty keyboard stomp. I was trying to guage what Tony made of that.
Olivia Newton John; You would expect at least a mild contrast to that opening and we get a parallel universe one with Olivia at her most awwww in a flowing dress and head tilted to the side. Beautiful song 'Sam' and that change after the chorus always makes me catch my breath. One of those just to you performances of which she had no competitors, a lovely few minutes
Smokie; Reggae wasn't a style I expected to hear from this bunch and good on them for giving it a go. Slightly unlucky that they do it on an edition which is graced by Bob Marley and the Wailers but yes, it holds up ok. I don't think I've ever heard a reggae record that at one point completely stops being reggae; a wispy passage sung by another member that shows why reggae doesn't do that. The three of them singing in a line at the end was quite funny.
Brotherhood of Man; I'm trying really hard to think who they're trying to be like. Can anyone help?
Unbelievably kitsch song 'Angelo' which aside from its homage to someone else who did pretty well at Eurovision seems to have been constructed entirely so Martin and the other bloke can proudly jut their acoustics guitars out for THAT moment. The two women almost sing at right angles to each other for the verses but even they must've realised that was a little too obvious. Sandra Stevens and Olivia Newton John on the same edition. Thanks BBC4.
I sang "Run" in a comically low voice for ages after watching that.
Bob Marley and the Wailers; Sorry Smokie, this is how you do it! Classic TOTP moment with their 1st of two studio appearances and here full of smouldering intent for the peerless 'Exodus'. Love the way the camera closes right in on Bob Marley's face as he starts to sing and the intensity never drops for the rest of the performance. The audience (a 1977 one) seemed to get that they were in very notable company and it's a fascinating change of atmosphere.
Lol to BoM comments. I was singing “run” and indeed “hide” through the performance… 😀
DeleteLegs and co ‘dance’ was one of the most bizarre things they have ever done.
I always saw Brotherhood Of Man as Britain's answer to ABBA, as the British were never ones to miss out on an opportunity for themselves having seen the enormous success of ABBA since 1974. Then the Dooleys came along which were a more advanced or say feisty answer to Brotherhood Of Man and hung on until around 1980 or so.
DeleteVery interesting story about 'The RAH Band' on Top of the Pops told here by Richard Hewson himself.
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWdztp4Fg9g
I need to watch this edition and provide full comments as it looks a good 'un!
Part 2;
ReplyDeleteAlessi; 'Oh Lori'. Goodness yes. Just one of those singles isn't it? So a part of my misty pre school memories that I can't possibly hear it without hearing Jimmy Young speaking over the end of it. Or thinking it's emanating from the curtains, those typical '70s floral ones. So it's odd seeing a perfectly normal video of two twin brothers actually singing it. That chorus is still so evocative and those Django guitar chords that give such an atmosphere while never telling you where it's going to go. What was that in the curtains........"and byyyyyye for nowwwwww!"
Barry Biggs; Same pace and feel as 'Sideshow' but without much of a tune, Barry Biggs in ringmaster jacket and top hat at a jaunty angle. Beautiful falsetto as usual. When he interacts with members of the audience with smiling and playfully wide eyed expressions he comes over just like Tom Jones.
Boney M; A Legs and Co routine to the fabulous 'Ma Baker' that has more than a trace of Saturday evening light entertainment shows on ITV. A routine more concerned with overall image rather than any actual dancing and hile Boney M's record does make the real life character seem rather threatening, this being Legs & Co, Ma Baker is more saucy than sinister with a back screened Sue in period costume (the right one? Maybe), jovially twirling and high kicking. The other girls perform a 'dance' which is a kind of amalgam of headbanging and being shot in the back. Seated in a way that recalls Christine Keeler which you presume was intentional.
Not much really happens but this single is so good that it still works. A lot of emphasis on role playing facial expressions which means it's essential to know where Rosie is at all times. Good work from Flick, putting her front and centre. I know Rosie; is she still at large??????? Daft but very eye catching.
Andy Gibb; Always good to see the youngest Gibb brother who was surely the most charismatic of the four. The audience are very into it particularly a cheerful man in a big mustache who spends a significant amount of time making himself visible. A good live vocal.
Hot Chocolate; A great No.1 and a cheerful Erroll though the camera angles don't really allow us to see the other band members chatting amongst themselves this time. Surely an essential aspect of Hot Chocolate appearances?
Cheery goodbye from Tony who didn't say anything very memorable all show though he did manage to sneak in another playful dig at David Hamilton. Considering its to one of the most sensational singles of all time, the end lights are rather blurry and ponderous but at least it goes on a little longer than usual.
I was a little worried for the Legs & Co girls headbanging like that, as I didn't think that Ma Baker was that kind of single, and Boney M were certainly no heavy metal band.
DeleteI've been wracking my brain trying to think of a reggae song that stops being reggae for a bit like Smokie here. Got it... 'Overnight Cafe' by Chicago. Not one of their better known tracks admittedly!
ReplyDeleteGood work. I've never heard that one before. I can think of a couple of ones that are not reggae overall but go into reggae passages; 'Mind Games' by John Lennon does it but is hard to spot under the arrangement. Of course there's also 'Out Of Space' by The Prodigy with the sampled part.
DeleteA great edition from '79 last night I thought. Very eclectic. One thought though. Was the video tape like that during its last repeat showing? Frequent glitchy marks all over it particularly during Thin Lizzy and Judie Tzuke. Did a 'loveliness' of ladybirds land on it like happened at Lords? Wonderful to watch all the same.
DeleteNever heard 'Lady Lynda' before and maybe Brian Wilson's death (RIP you total hero and magnificent human) was the reason it got a repeat. Weird to think that wasn't the first time Bach's 'Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring' got featured in a pop song. Jim (as he was then) Mcguinn incorporated it into the guitar solo for The Byrds 'She Don't Care About Time' and marvellous it sounds too. Perfect thing to listen to in this weather.