Give it to me baby uh-huh uh-huh, the 29th of January 1999 edition of Top of the Pops!
Tequila of the pops
29-1-99: Presenter: Jayne Middlemiss
(2) TERRORVISION – Tequila
Getting the show underway with their third and final and biggest top ten hit, but it could get no higher.
(3) STEPS – Tragedy
The former number one.
(16) THE ALL-SEEING I feat. JARVIS COCKER – Walk Like A Panther
Tony had gone back to Amarillo, the song having already peaked at number 10, but what a super sub Jarvis was!
(4) TQ – Westside
With his first of three top ten hits, this was the biggest but it got no higher.
(30) SEBADOH – Flame
Performing their only top 40 hit and it was at its peak.
(6) 911 – A Little Bit More
Last week's number one.
(10) GAY DAD – To Earth With Love
In the studio with their only top ten hit but it got no higher.
(1) THE OFFSPRING – Pretty Fly (For A White Guy) (and credits)
Performing their only number one and it was there for one week.
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ReplyDeleteHi Angelo, this episode was not shown tonight, as BBC4 showed the 26 Feb 1976 show in its place, and then straight to 1st April 1976, so it does not look like we will get to see the 25th March show, which was advertised as being shown tonight with the 1st April show. If anything they should have shown 25th March straight after the 26th Feb, instead of skipping it altogether to go straight to April. Good Lord!
Delete26-2-76: Presenter: David Hamilton
Delete(23) FATBACK BAND – (Do The) Spanish Hustle
(2) TINA CHARLES – I Love To Love (But My Baby Loves To Dance)
(19) SMOKIE – Something’s Been Making Me Blue
(20) BILLY OCEAN – Love Really Hurts Without You
(18) THE STYLISTICS – Funky Weekend (danced to by Pan’s People)
(9) STATUS QUO – Rain (video)
(25) CLIFF RICHARD – Miss You Nights
(4) C.W. McCALL – Convoy (video)
(29) GUYS ‘N’ DOLLS – You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me
(1) THE FOUR SEASONS – December ’63 (Oh What A Night) (video)
(40) M & O BAND – Let’s Do The Latin Hustle (and credits)
A show starting with the Spanish Hustle, and then ending with the Latin Hustle. Good Lord!
DeleteA special mention for Cliff Richard with Miss You Nights which for me is his best single ever, as most of his singles I wasn't enamoured with, but Miss You Nights is right up there as one of the best love ballads of all time, let alone in the 70s.
CW McAll I'm sure had another video, a sunny daytime one, so I was surprised to see the pitch black night time video, especially at the end of the clip when the lorry crashed through the barrier.
Guys 'n' Dolls - David Van Day and Theresa Bazaar were still very much the third of the three couples in the group, but this time all the couples were split in to boys on the left and girls on the right, instead of three couples. I only got into pop music in 1978 just before Dollar had their first single with Shooting Star, and I had no idea that this was previously one of the three couples on Guys 'n' Dolls.
Not the advertised edition of 25th March 1976 but another edition saved thanks to David Hamilton and a fantastic edition it was!! It may have been a last minute decision to show it as even the continuity announced it as being from March '76. Well what a great suprise. Visually one of the most fascinating ones I've ever seen due to the almost entirely different stage sets. Why did they go so dull and conservative when April came around? Much of it looked like a completely different pop show especially for Cliff and Tina Charles, much cooler and more expansive. Just brilliant. The line up as well was impressively short of mid '70s clunkage with some classics and, well, thanks Diddy for preserving 'December '63 (Oh What a Night) at No.1, even with initially dodgy sound.
DeleteIt was worth airing just for seeing Diddy's hairstyle, an extraordinary barnet that looked cast iron. Or a bread loaf. The picture was '70s Vcr throughout which ws much preferred to the 22nd January show where clips in better picture quality were dropped in. No better quality clips here, i guess because there aren't any that exist and it was all the more riveting for it.
Loved all the acerbic wit and punning at the end of so many songs. Great to see him making jokes at least that aren't simply aimed at Tony Blackburn. The best music tv I've seen for ages.
What a brilliant start with a surviving performance from The Fatback Band with a groovy blend of horns and bongos and keyboard...and catcalls and laughing at each other. Serious musicians this bunch and probably well aware that they were far too good for this trivial show. A brilliant hook when it finally came in and lots of dramatic close ups on the band members' faces all having a great time. Was this their last appearance till 'I Found Lovin' in 1987?
Tina Charles sounded rather witchy in her live vocal for 'I Love To Love') (that is a compliment) and she really gets into it on a stage set that shows how different this period was. She seemed about three miles away from Diddy when he extended his arm in her direction. On a big round, rather '60s stage with ribbons of lights and a striking bit of camera trickery where loads of Tinas swirl around in bright lights. A last delirious "whoo!" to finish. That must have helped it on it's way to the top.
Diddy's link to Smokie was an under his breath bit of wit relating to what he said on the last vcr'd show. 'Something's Making Me Blue'...frostbite!". Raucous voice on show and a good song. I've really enjoyed this band on these repeats...apart from the last thing they did. Nicely scruffy mix with a drummer who may have slept in the van the night before and a lead guitar with strings pointing all over the place. This isn't the '80s.
Another gem saved; the first appearance of Billy Ocean. 'Love Really Hurts Without You' is a classic and I was tapping joyfully on the soda to that. Another really enthusiastic live performance with lots of beaming at members of the audience. That girl with the obtrusive flower hat was starting to get on my nerves though.
The Stylistics number wasn't one I was familiar with but I enjoyed it, lots of funk and the word funk sang in a way that's funky. That was funky. A nice standard middle distance dance from Pan's to accompany.
Another witty link from Diddy into Quo's 'Rain', one of their best and least played on the radio. Moody chorus. The video; Oh they're in a dark rehearsal space with some lights!
'Miss You Nights' was always the thing I most hoped to see and the reason I was disappointed this edition wasn't initially in the schedules. I don't think it's ever been shown on tv since it's original broadcast. Beautiful song and Cliff definitely at his very best. The set really effective with the lights hanging down made more effective with the poorer picture quality. Absolute treat to see. My Mum agreed.
Pt.2
DeleteTo the very silly with 'Convoy'. Corny and unbelievably dated but can't help but love it. The lyrics are just great and in that voice i had to turn the volume up. The "friends of Jesus" line made me laugh out loud. The totp film is a very British take on it. Oh dear, maybe that was to blame then.
The only real clinker for me was the Guys and Dolls attempt at 'You Don't Have To Say You Love Me'. Not Dusty standard. I thought the lead man was a good singer on the big single but here he sounds like he's doing an awful impersonation of Scott Walker. The raven haired lady who isn't Tereza saved the day just about.
The treat of this edition topped off with one of my fave No.1s, in sound quality that was barely broadcastable but that's why it was right to be broadcast. Just looked wonderful and a real piece of archive history. Thank you for getting this on the air. Just loved it!!!
1-4-76: Presenter: Tony Blackburn
ReplyDelete(21) SAILOR – Girls Girls Girls
(25) DIANA ROSS – Theme From ‘Mahogany’ (Do You Know Where You’re Going To) (video)
(NEW) TARNEY & SPENCER – I’m Your Man Rock ‘N’ Roll
(14) ABBA – Fernando (video)
(NEW) LAURIE ANDREW – I’ll Never Love Anyone Anymore
(18) HANK MIZELL – Jungle Rock (danced to by Pan’s People)
(4) JOHN MILES – Music ®
(NEW) FOX – S-S-S-Single Bed
(22) THE BEATLES – Hey Jude (video)
(1) BROTHERHOOD OF MAN – Save Your Kisses For Me ®
(12) THE DRIFTERS – Hello Happiness (and credits)
This show did not really get going until the second half with the absolute pop classic by John Miles which is a music masterpiece and which I could happily listen to all week until the next TOTP night on BBC4.
DeleteAlways enjoyed watching Noosha Fox on S-S-S Single Bed, another pop classic, and then there was the Hey Jude video. We really had an scintillating second half of the show!
I'm kind of figuring out why groups are being played again on the show after tumbling down the Top 10, even after dropping down from No.1, in the case of this week's show, I mean Steps and 911.
ReplyDeleteBy the late 90s, new entries in the Top 10 would more often than not, fall down the chart the following week, leaving no continuity, so instead of only one appearance on the show, they could now still have two or three appearances, much like the 70s and 80s when there was continuity when a single would rise up the charts for several weeks.
On another note, three interesting new entries from pre-90s old times further down the chart and at peak this week, with no room for them on TOTP:
No.23 Duran Duran - Electric Barberella
No.40 Engelbert Humperdinck - Quando Quando Quando
No.41 Frank Sinatra - They All Laughed
TOTP2's
ReplyDeletehttps://fromsmash.com/TOTP2-23-and-30-Jan-1999
Thanks Rob!!!
DeleteThanks Rob
Delete