tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post2358443535017006898..comments2024-03-28T23:09:18.798+00:00Comments on Never Forget ~ Top of the Pops 1995: It Must Be Top of the PopsAngelohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16090709386124664912noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post-72410878957081750672016-06-27T11:15:04.295+01:002016-06-27T11:15:04.295+01:00As Get Back is credited to 'The Beatles and Bi...As Get Back is credited to 'The Beatles and Billy Preston' doesn't that win most subsequent solo acts at 5 (Long way behind on the comment!!)charlie cookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09051342047720711857noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post-12491934278105789652016-06-22T14:28:01.338+01:002016-06-22T14:28:01.338+01:00off the top of my head i would have said the winni...off the top of my head i would have said the winning band would be the bodysnatchers, as at least four of their number later appeared on totp as the belle stars. can anyone do better?wilberforcehttp://www.gavinunderhill.co.uknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post-11632612720861859062016-06-22T14:26:27.186+01:002016-06-22T14:26:27.186+01:00by the way, even though chris white's only alb...by the way, even though chris white's only album included a song called "zombie jamboree", from what i can ascertain he was not actually the chris white who was in the zombies. therefore i now don't think the zombies are in contention for holding the record for most ex-members of a band consequently appearing on totp either solo or with other projects (in their case it's only colin blunstone and rod argent)wilberforcehttp://www.gavinunderhill.co.uknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post-79179779464312094772016-06-22T14:17:16.141+01:002016-06-22T14:17:16.141+01:00i thought i'd have a look on youtube to see if...i thought i'd have a look on youtube to see if "natural rhythm" was there as there's no way i could remember how it went - there is a posting for it, but only a soundtrack edit from the totp programme it appeared on!:<br /><br />https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQvOusZJMKY<br /><br />by the way, it reminded me very much of david dundas's efforts from that time...wilberforcehttp://www.gavinunderhill.co.uknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post-32514712764769902152016-06-19T23:23:54.696+01:002016-06-19T23:23:54.696+01:00"Susla" shoud have said "usual"..."Susla" shoud have said "usual". Sorry about that!Arthur Nibblehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11547006132533866220noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post-71312164008662080322016-06-19T23:22:32.213+01:002016-06-19T23:22:32.213+01:00Concise Nibble catch-up…
Sho WADDY WADDY – dresse...Concise Nibble catch-up…<br /><br />Sho WADDY WADDY – dressed to commemorate the end of their top 30 career. Once took on Mud outside TV centre according to Ian Gittins’ TOTP book. A bit of an unfair advantage numbers wise though maybe, as in their performances, at least three of the group did next to nothing.<br /><br />Madness – proper funeral gear, and a great video for a sadly overplayed song which I now turn off at every availability. Nice Labe Siffre cameo.<br /><br />Thereze Bazar, to quote part of the song, I’ve been looking at you and I want you to know that I like what I see. Nice freeze frame effect in this great tune, and top mirror effect in the mugshot.<br /><br />There used to be a band called Ken Dodd’s Dad’s Dog’s Dead. I saw Doddy three years ago – he wasn’t on for long (surprisingly, according to his susla stage show lengths) but he still had itUnlike with this tripe, though.<br /><br />Adam’s rap role call soon became rather truncated to put it mildly. <br /><br />If only Jay Aston had pre- Morrisseyed Morrissey circa “William, It Was really Nothing” and written “Marry Me” in lipstick on her, erm, chest area. Ahem, sorry about that!<br /><br />The Police. Sting – slappable. Andy – Blakey. Stuart – Oddball. Tune – hints of cod reggae. Same old lame old.<br /><br />Abba – sad, but seen it before (erm, in a later edition in this blog’s run, due to my playing the right shows, but not necessarily in the right order).<br /><br />Human League – great video, but see Abba.<br /><br />Philip Lynott, played by viewer demand? What next, a band’s vocalist street dancing for a second time due to viewer demand? Ahem. One of the few non-chart outros, up there with Chris White’s “Natural Rhythm” back in ’76.Arthur Nibblehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11547006132533866220noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post-43037550495329191642016-06-15T19:16:02.434+01:002016-06-15T19:16:02.434+01:00Greetings again from my hols where I don't hav...Greetings again from my hols where I don't have roaming availability and can't watch the shows. I have, however, spent some time reading from start to finish Ian Gittings' TOTP book. Not difficult, as it's in large font and with loads of pictures filling it out. Very anecdotal, lots of A saying B about C, and not really enough technical detail for my liking. Still, it scratched an itch while I was here. Has anyone else hear read it and, if so, what did you think?Arthur Nibblehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11547006132533866220noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post-55755564320946989362016-06-12T15:32:09.448+01:002016-06-12T15:32:09.448+01:00Yes, thanks for the info sct about the League vide...Yes, thanks for the info sct about the League video - I guessed those shooting scenes were probably deemed controversial at the time...John Gnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post-73250165147207152432016-06-12T13:53:44.770+01:002016-06-12T13:53:44.770+01:00Ah France Joli, I remember her well. Come To Me wa...Ah France Joli, I remember her well. Come To Me was her big hit i think. Both her and Lime were big in the gay clubs in the early 80s.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11937581521280389248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post-37062232016490984912016-06-12T11:56:26.733+01:002016-06-12T11:56:26.733+01:00Shame we didn't get to see this one, there was...Shame we didn't get to see this one, there was some top pop on offer.<br /><br />So after waiting patiently over 6 years of repeats, we finally get Showaddywaddy said in THAT way. That fact more interesting than the actual song.<br /><br />I didn't know the Labi Siffre original of 'It Must Be Love' at the time. I must say that I probably marginally prefer it now, but the Madness version is good.<br /><br />Ah, Dollar. I love ALL their Trevor Horn era stuff and this is one of the finest. I assume we get to see this again on BBC4? I bloody hope so!<br /><br />The Doddy song is rubbish but I can forgive it. The Ants song is also rubbish but for some reason I love it! The video is amusing barring that hag Lulu's contribution. God, she's made very little talent go a long way. Mostly by bandwagon jumping on popular artists coat tails as here.<br /><br />Bucks Fizz - see my comment on Dollar, pretty much! Perfect pop, and I know we'll definitely get to see this on telly. I think Cheryl was dressed as Cinderella maybe?<br /><br />The Police song is not one of my favourites. They've definitely re-recorded it for the show for some reason.<br /><br />I like 'One Of Us' and the other two singles from the same album. It's almost like everyone has been told that they were rubbish at the end and just go along with that belief. Forget the chart positions, 'The Day Before You Came' in particular is superb.<br /><br />Then the housewife classic (yawn) and the brilliant theme tune by 'Mr. Thin Lizzy' which is a great way to end.Noaxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02790474836630218113noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post-15853360374257818522016-06-12T11:46:01.078+01:002016-06-12T11:46:01.078+01:00Wilberforce, amazingly they don't edit out the...Wilberforce, amazingly they don't edit out the Hugh Dennis impressions (at least when shown on Dave)<br />There was a particularly unfortunate instance on one edition I saw recently where he did the impression then someone did a paedophile joke about 30 seconds later. Only about 10 years ago but very different times....Noaxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02790474836630218113noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post-22532811725853300162016-06-12T07:24:57.129+01:002016-06-12T07:24:57.129+01:00...whilst we're on the subject of early 80'......whilst we're on the subject of early 80's canadian dance music, here's my recommendation:<br /><br />https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6DoA-xsc18wilberforcehttp://www.gavinunderhill.co.uknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post-75815315267476879442016-06-12T06:26:08.312+01:002016-06-12T06:26:08.312+01:00i'd tried listening to lime in the past in the...i'd tried listening to lime in the past in the hope of discovering some good dance music, but another listen confirms they're lemons as far as i'm concerned. it's all cheesy leaping octave basslines, and i don't like the guy's raspy voice either (sorry bama!)wilberforcehttp://www.gavinunderhill.co.uknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post-61090018653337143952016-06-12T00:17:04.163+01:002016-06-12T00:17:04.163+01:00Thanks Stephen, having just read the Wikipaedia ar...Thanks Stephen, having just read the Wikipaedia article on this video, it appears that the only remaining version of the original uncut video is on the 3rd Dec TOTP which we were lucky to see on Thursday night, cos from that moment on, while it was No.1 and in later years on DVD and music video channels (and iTunes), only the edited version is ever shown to this day.Doryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07718769648375882927noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post-75662490840525163542016-06-11T21:34:45.066+01:002016-06-11T21:34:45.066+01:00Fans of Dollar should check out Lime. They were a ...Fans of Dollar should check out Lime. They were a Canadian husband and wife duo (Denis and Denyse LePage) who did some cracking electro-disco songs including Your Love, Babe We're Gonna Love Tonight and Guilty. She has an amazingly high voice and I wondered if they were influenced by Dollar:<br /><br />https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihi7FtIRBE0Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11937581521280389248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post-57474107478901271802016-06-11T19:37:03.532+01:002016-06-11T19:37:03.532+01:00Fascinating stuff. Watching the 3rd December show ...Fascinating stuff. Watching the 3rd December show and seeing the 'uncut' video is indeed interesting. The wikipedia article on this is worth reading.<br /><br />https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don%27t_You_Want_Me<br />sct353https://www.blogger.com/profile/15640119850898956884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post-57880082776472555222016-06-11T16:06:11.575+01:002016-06-11T16:06:11.575+01:00Well spotted John G, regarding the Human League vi...Well spotted John G, regarding the Human League video being edited at No.1, removing Phil's gunpointing and firing shown when at No.9 the previous week. I also noticed that in the early part of the video, they also edited out one of the two gunpointing images of his fellow band member at the other girl (Joanne).<br /><br />I checked today my iTunes copy of the video I downloaded some years ago, and theirs is the edited version too, so thank goodness we got to see the 3rd Dec version on Thursday night by BBC, cos I must admit I didn't know at the time that the video was edited from No.9 showing to the new No.1 showing.<br /><br />This is where the value of AngeloGravity Blogspot comes into its own, as we can all find out things now that passed us by then, much in that most of us were children or teenagers then, and we were not that technically-minded to remember every scene of the video from one week to the next.Doryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07718769648375882927noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post-36647114699664278482016-06-11T12:41:01.636+01:002016-06-11T12:41:01.636+01:00Jimmy Warned the kids not 2 copy when madness jump...Jimmy Warned the kids not 2 copy when madness jumped in a pool with their instruments Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01962885130579101511noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post-65241002385572933152016-06-11T04:01:11.610+01:002016-06-11T04:01:11.610+01:00whenever old editions of "mock the week"...whenever old editions of "mock the week" are shown on freeview, do the yewtree squad now ensure that hugh dennis's hilarious impressions of mr now-then saying "showaddy - waddy" get airbrushed out?wilberforcehttp://www.gavinunderhill.co.uknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post-86400375491146964952016-06-11T03:56:23.237+01:002016-06-11T03:56:23.237+01:00further to the above: i've just listened to th...further to the above: i've just listened to the original johnny mathis version, and it's actually mandolins mentioned - not violins. so sorry to the dame for assuming he dared to re-interprete it in his own unique manner...wilberforcehttp://www.gavinunderhill.co.uknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post-67297254873817686002016-06-11T03:32:23.685+01:002016-06-11T03:32:23.685+01:00bowie released a truncated version of his take of ...bowie released a truncated version of his take of "wild is the wind" as a single around this time (the end of 1981), even though it had been recorded and featured on the "station to station" album five years earlier. he even made a video to promote it, accompanied by a jazz-style band that included a saxist and double-bassist (even though there were neither on the recording) and what looks like a pre-simple minds mel gaynor on drums. whatever the reason for its belated release as a single (to please the fans? something to fill the gap after "scary monsters"? cashing-in on bowie's collaboration with queen?), it failed to set the charts alight: <br /><br />https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbpMpRq6DV4<br /><br />the song was originally written for a late-50's film of that name. others then released their own interpretations, including nina simone. her version then came to bowie's attention, hence his recording of it. but (to tie in with thx's comments above) for some bizarre reason he sings of mandolins rather than the violins of the original lyrics!<br /><br />by the way, i was always a fan of his version and would often sing along to it, and last year i finally got the chance to perform it in public for the first time!wilberforcehttp://www.gavinunderhill.co.uknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post-19619093777300185272016-06-11T03:04:09.078+01:002016-06-11T03:04:09.078+01:00i remember seeing lulu as the headliner in what mu...i remember seeing lulu as the headliner in what must have been one of the last old-fashioned variety shows, shortly before her first bandwagon-jumping effort with bowie's "the man who sold the world". there were 5 acts on the bill and a couple of them have since slipped my memory, but second-top was roy hudd and second-bottom were little and large. i actually thought the latter (well, eddie large anyway) were very funny, but i was only around 10 years old at the time!wilberforcehttp://www.gavinunderhill.co.uknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post-81927603756564784052016-06-10T22:45:00.406+01:002016-06-10T22:45:00.406+01:00All in all, a pretty good show, though Showaddywad...All in all, a pretty good show, though Showaddywaddy made for an unpromising opening act - did they get Jim'll to host this week so he could say their name? Doubtless the band were seething that their thunder had by now been comprehensively stolen by a new wave of rock 'n' roll revivalists, but their sound had not moved on at all - as has already been mentioned, they could easily have released this song five years earlier. Madness then turn up with a funereal video and an accomplished, sombre cover, though I still prefer the bright and breezy Labi Siffre original - I must admit I didn't recognise him in the video! The song did go through a period of overexposure a few years back when it was being heavily featured in adverts, but I haven't heard it much in recent years and it sounds much fresher now.<br /><br />Dollar were now on a roll thanks to that nice Mr Horn, and his production here helps to elevate what would otherwise be a very slight song into something quite memorable. The sound is actually similar to some of Mike Oldfield's music around this time. A complete contrast follows, as Doddy makes his rather cloying plea for racial harmony. As with Lena Zavaroni's appearance earlier in the year, the Beeb were blatantly using TOTP here to promote another show, but it was nearly Christmas and I think this song should be approached in a spirit of indulgence. Some of the Zoo dancers behind Doddy were dressed very oddly, particularly that guy with the weird face make-up - what were they thinking behind the scenes?<br /><br />Ant Rap really is atrocious, the moment Adam comprehensively jumped the shark. The video is quite fun, however, and Adam looks pretty good in his armour. The only thing that spoils it is the presence of serial bandwagon-jumper Lulu, evidently hoping to revive her currently stalled career by associating with the current flavour of the month. Happily Bucks Fizz then show up with probably their finest song; it's a bit overproduced, but a great tune nevertheless. A good performance too - I particularly liked Cheryl's pixie-style outfit, though the Christmas trees behind the group looked distinctly threadbare!<br /><br />The Police then make an unexpected return to the TOTP studio with this slightly by-the-numbers effort. Andy looks a bit stupid playing with his toy guitar, and Sting should have left that earring in the dressing-up box. I agree with the comment above that One of Us is ABBA's last great single. It is beautifully melancholic, with great harmonies on the chorus, and it's a shame in some ways it wasn't their final release, as it would have been a great way to bring the curtain down. While it is perhaps easy to say this with the benefit of hindsight, it is pretty clear from the group's tired faces in the video that the end was nigh.<br /><br />I notice that the League's video was re-edited at the end this week, removing the shots of Phil firing the gun - had the Beeb had complaints? It was a real treat to hear Yellow Pearl properly at the end of the show, as it's a great piece of music, and I think the freaky dancer and his friends did it justice. Just a shame Jim'll didn't acknowledge Midge Ure as co-writer - he did a pretty decent hosting job overall, but sadly was back to his bad old habits on the chart rundown. He also appeared to be wearing a jacket made out of cushion covers, and the lighting did make him look rather sinister at the start...John Gnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post-16151135071632149552016-06-10T22:11:19.947+01:002016-06-10T22:11:19.947+01:00The lyrics to The Land of Make Believe were writte...The lyrics to The Land of Make Believe were written by Pete Sinfield, formerly of King Crimson, who by now was dipping his toes into the pop mainstream.John Gnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post-52078643454116934052016-06-10T21:05:38.112+01:002016-06-10T21:05:38.112+01:00Part2
Adam & the Ants – Ant Rap – Arghhh! Ever...Part2<br />Adam & the Ants – Ant Rap – Arghhh! Everyone I know added a ‘C’ to the second word of this track. It really was an absolute clunker that even the lovely Lulu couldn’t rescue. My sister was a big ‘Ants’ fan at the time and bought the ‘Prince Charming’ album, but funnily enough hardly played it which probably explains why there were no more singles from it. BTW that looks like Bodiam Castle in Sussex where this video was filmed (or at least the outdoor scenes were).<br /><br />Bucks Fizz – Land of Make Believe – A hit written all over it. Cheryl plays the sexy part in this performance whilst Jay covers up in her bridal outfit. A contrast to the last hit. Andy Hill and Pete Sinfield did write some good songs. We’ve got ‘Have you ever been in love’ coming soon by Leo Sayer (although the original by Paris is well worth checking out).<br /><br />Police – Spirits in the Material World – Hot on the heels or what?! This sounds like a live rendition. It certainly isn’t the version I’m familiar with and it’s the Police plus some extras. Nice touch. Not a bad song and certainly better than ‘Invisible Sun’. No more singles were taken from the ‘Ghost in the Machine’ album; I always felt they should have put out ‘Darkness’, written by Stuart as it’s a haunting semi-ballad type song with an intriguing bass line.<br /><br />Abba – One of us – One of the very best singles Abba ever released and it only reached no.3. What a crime! OK so ‘Don’t you want me’ was a great song and deserved a run at the top but ‘Daddy’s Home’ stuck at no.2 is just not in the same league as this. The video matched the song perfectly and I can so vividly recall the first time I saw it on this very edition. This was the last great Abba single released even though I really liked ‘The Day before you came’, that just wasn’t single material. I would rate this song above some of Abbas no.1 hits in my personal Abba chart. Ah well, Agnetha can come and paint my house any time! Nice to see the four of them singing together again recently even if ‘Me and I’ was a strange song to pick.<br /><br />Human League – Don’t you want me – <br />Timeless song, timeless video. So many memories from this.<br /><br />Philip Lynott – Deserved re-plugging of a great single that should have been a hit earlier in the year. Note that the reissued single was different to the original release as it was slightly shorter and started off the same way as it does on the TOTP intro.<br />sct353https://www.blogger.com/profile/15640119850898956884noreply@blogger.com