She's the shake of a tambourine and she's in the 2nd of July 1999 edition of Top of the Pops!
Jenny from the pops
2-7-99: Presenter: Gail Porter
(3) VENGABOYS – Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom
Last week's number one.
(2) WHITNEY HOUSTON – My Love Is Your Love
A second showing of this performance and the song was now at its peak.
(15) THE THREE AMIGOS – Louie Louie
With their first of two top 40 hits, this being the biggest but it got no higher.
(13) SUEDE – She’s In Fashion
In the studio tonight but got no higher.
(6) A1 – Be The First To Believe
Making their studio debut with their first of eight top ten hits but this one got no higher.
(4) JENNIFER LOPEZ – If You Had My Love
Also making her studio debut with her first of seventeen top ten hits, and this one was at its peak.
(1) ATB – 9 p.m. (Till I Come) (and credits)
Here with the first of two weeks at number one.
Quite a Top 10 heavy show this week, with only two songs outside the Top 10 played, of which The Three Amigos rendition of Louie Louie stood out as the highlight of the show.
ReplyDeleteI remember the Fat boys rendition of Louie Louise in 1988 which peaked just outside the Top 40 and was their last single release in the UK, with the video I had on a VHS compilation, but this new 1999 version by The Three Amigos was just brilliant, and lit up the whole show, especially the Dr Who style fancy dress the sexy girls backing dancers giving the performance an extra lift. Good Lord!
Getting fed up of Gail Porter's wailing in between the songs on two consecutive shows. Where's Jayne Middelemiss?
16-3-78: Presenter: Peter Powell
ReplyDelete(29) THE REAL THING – Whenever You Want My Love (and charts)
(42) SUZI QUATRO – If You Can’t Give Me Love
(6) GERRY RAFFERTY – Baker Street (video)
(11) BOB MARLEY & THE WAILERS – Is This Love (danced to by Legs & Co)
(37) DAN HILL – Sometimes When We Touch
(14) EARTH, WIND & FIRE – Fantasy (video)
(31) ELVIS COSTELLO & THE ATTRACTIONS – (I Don’t Want To Go To) Chelsea
(26) MANHATTAN TRANSFER – Walk In Love ®
(49) THE VIBRATORS – Automatic Lover
(1) KATE BUSH – Wuthering Heights ®
(19) DONNA SUMMER – Rumour Has It (and credits)
Not sure why this show was out of synch with the current week, I mean end-of-March they are playing a show of mid-March? Good Lord!
DeleteCurious that this edition was shown in the wrong week but thank you all the same. This was a marvellous one. We fade in to be greeted with a poseur. Also a question asked (ha ha!). Peter Powell asking us where he's been and gesturing at his shirt. Don't know; a Bay City Rollers convention perhaps?
DeleteThe top 30 I didn't actually follow because once again 'Pick of the Pops' is playing the chart of the same week (well almost the same week). The Real Thing (did Peter say The Real Think??) with a single that sounded sweet but rather pedestrian and it's not surprising they changed to effects laden disco for 'Can You Feel The Force?'
I could never tire of 'If You Can't Give Me Love'. Or it's performances. Suzi Quatro really is the best at addressing the camera. It's Californian country rock but with a definite dash of glam to it with the backing harmonies and electricguitar parts. It is a Chinn/Chapman song. Loud and proud and I was grinning from ear to ear listening to that. Not as much as our host of course but not far off. I liked the delayed cheering at the end and for early Peter Powellisms, "Suzi....she's got so much energy Quatro!!", is one for the scrapbook.
The 'Baker Street' video which I maybe have a very early memory of because I always had from the earliest age, an image of Gerry Rafferty singing it close up in darkness and wearing tinted glasses. The only difference, his wearing a red checked shirt rather than a blue one but it was still spooky seeing it in 2013. Absolutely timeless and cut off too soon.
Legs & Co get Bob Marley so we get carnival fairy dresses for all which the track doesn't suggest to me but there you go. Still very good to see Pauline getting a lead role for once, being the first Legger we see up close and she looks dazzling here. Love the hair and of course that delightful smile.
Dan Hill taking the coveted odd romantic hero spot for the night. Great voice. This must've been big with Terry Wogan and Ray Moore's listeners although I can imagine Noel Edmonds playing it every morning as well. Swoonsome sounds so we get his hairy face surrounded by lots of piano keyboards and hands.
'Fantasy' majestic and the video is a grainy live delight. It's always a bonus to see Verdine White playing his bass/throwing ecstatic shapes and i was fortunate to see it from near the stage at Glasto '16.
Elvis Costello isn't Dan Hill this evening that's for sure. Intense, slightly scary, even in curiously dark lighting. It doesn't detract from the power of the song and the performance which to me sounded different and more atmospheric than the single. Maybe a re-recording for Top of the Pops.
A screen wash from some pretend romantic carrying on from Peter and a female, and presumably her mates (they're all dressed more or less the same) to a smudged at the edges one. It's another florid '70s dream courtesy of Manhattan Transfer and this '78 set is entirely different. It was after all recorded about 18 seconds before the other clips.
'Walk In Love' is probably my earliest memory of pop music and the chorus, odd Julius Ceasar love allegory and all, was, is and always will sound magical to me. The early childhood impressions are helped by the fact that Tim Hauser is dressed just like Brian Cant on 'Play Away'.
I'll be back in a moment. I'm just off to look for animals moving about in Mum and Dad's living room curtains.
Bit more;
DeleteThe Vibrators were the weakest thing on the edition I thought. Beyond the joy of Peter happily yelping their name in mid evening, that was ok punk. The singer was pretty charismatic but it sounded like a less talented Buzzcocks doing a less urgent 'White Riot'.
Unfortunate for them that a much more striking, in sound and definitely vision, 'Automatic Lover' was a few weeks from making the Top 30.
'Wuthering Heights' is just one of the classic No.1s and even Kate's haughty expressions to camera couldn't detract from how original that sounds. Neither a horribly missed beat from the in house drummer. She looks amazing in the, cloak?, and boho hat and the flora on the piano doesn't make the song sound er, weedy. I'll get my coat.
One last all together gesture from Peter. Three cheers!!!! I didn't I'm afraid but I can't help but be charmed by how much he loves doing the show during this time.
The lights not just swirling to the brilliant 'Rumour Has It' (why do they cut off so soon with these re-repeats?) but swirling from seemingly the end of a just used shower tube.
Suzy Quatro was on BBC Breakfast News this morning on the sofa promoting her new single and album for 2026, going back to her 1973 style of music.
DeleteI've just watched it Dory, thanks for the heads up. Great to see her with Alice Copper. What a fantastic night down the pub it would be in their company! She still has it certainly. Amazing choice, doing 'Kick Out The Jams' and the voice hasn't aged at all. A perfect interviewee as well.
DeleteIncidentally going back to my far off memories of 'Walk In Love' and 'Baker Street', do any other bloggers have an earliest record that they heard, or saw on TV. One that evokes the same sensations?
Re memories: Not on tv, but one of my strongest memories was hearing Good Vibrations for the first time on the radio, whilst I was reading Fantastic Voyage by Isaac Asimov. The two are forever entwined.
DeleteWhat an amazing one to keep in the memory Charlie! And with a reading experience too.
DeleteI would say Donny & Marie Osmond in the early 70s. They were on TV a lot, and they evoked a feel-good vibe.
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