tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post7581633976892895411..comments2024-03-28T23:09:18.798+00:00Comments on Never Forget ~ Top of the Pops 1995: Top of the Pops Your Mind UpAngelohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16090709386124664912noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post-19265318813467978992016-02-18T15:19:16.879+00:002016-02-18T15:19:16.879+00:00I always liked Bucks Fizz - especially Jay Aston, ...I always liked Bucks Fizz - especially Jay Aston, who still looks good. I recently bought the first album which came with a Spanish Language release. Some interesting remixes. News today of new scoring for Eurovision, and next Friday we pick this year's Uk entry...charlie cookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09051342047720711857noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post-31608100565519566762016-02-15T03:54:14.698+00:002016-02-15T03:54:14.698+00:00yoko's got a sourpuss face whatever the occasi...yoko's got a sourpuss face whatever the occasion!wilberforcehttp://www.gavinunderhill.co.uknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post-58362340754338302172016-02-15T03:52:46.242+00:002016-02-15T03:52:46.242+00:00like abba, bucks fizz actually gained a measure of...like abba, bucks fizz actually gained a measure of credibility a year or so after their eurovision win. in their case it was due to well-crafted synth pop singles like "my camera never lies" and (especially) "the land of make believe"wilberforcehttp://www.gavinunderhill.co.uknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post-35264463919710708962016-02-15T03:46:59.327+00:002016-02-15T03:46:59.327+00:00i once went to the circus tavern around 20 years a...i once went to the circus tavern around 20 years ago - an electrician who worked for me at the time invited his clients to come to his birthday bash there at his expense. it was a real chicken-in-a-basket nightmare, with the audience that lapped it all up (the headliners were the searchers, who'd had thier last hit about 30 years earlier) being mainly great unwashed-made good. that included the "sunday sport" owner (as they say: "you can take the man out of the working class, but you can't take the working class out of the man"), who was dwarfed by his much younger girlfriend (as mrs merton would have said: "what attracted you to the millionaire david sullivan?"). fortunately i was sitting at a table with a load of IT types, so as we tucked into the complimentary booze we had some fun taking potshots at the absurdity of it all!wilberforcehttp://www.gavinunderhill.co.uknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post-34800405694877253822016-02-14T14:36:31.226+00:002016-02-14T14:36:31.226+00:00It's easy to forget how huge Bucks Fizz were, ...It's easy to forget how huge Bucks Fizz were, they had plenty of hits and were really popular until the coach crash that put paid to their run of hits. Now they're a byword for naff, but they did have some good tunes.THXnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post-92115591289387498972016-02-14T14:33:34.808+00:002016-02-14T14:33:34.808+00:00I like Stewart/Blunstone as well, it matches the d...I like Stewart/Blunstone as well, it matches the drama of the original's orchestra with synths. If anything, it's even more doomladen.THXnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post-38057910513378792402016-02-14T14:29:40.279+00:002016-02-14T14:29:40.279+00:00It should have been released in 1981 as a follow u...It should have been released in 1981 as a follow up to Woman, so that it could compete with Roxy Music for the No.1 spot. Can you imagine the look on Yoko Ono's face if Roxy Music's version had edged out John Lennon for the No.1 spot. Good Lord, there would be uproar.Doryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07718769648375882927noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post-19014365279656729282016-02-14T13:10:14.322+00:002016-02-14T13:10:14.322+00:00I quite enjoyed the majority of this edition and P...I quite enjoyed the majority of this edition and PP seemed particularly enthused also.<br /><br />Sharon Redd – Can you handle it? – Can I remember it? No, so it must have made as little impression on me in 1981 as it did now. That spinning hands dancing by the audience is just strange. <br /><br />Shakin’ Stevens – This ole House – Great video. <br /><br />Dave Stewart / Colin Blunstone – What becomes of the broken hearted – I’d heard of Colin then (Say you don’t mind) but not Dave. Great performance this and I preferred it to Dave’s later collaboration with Barbara Gaskin. Colin sung a great lead vocal on the Alan Parsons Project song ‘Old and Wise’ – one week on the chart at no.74 in 1982. A hidden gem if ever there was one.<br /><br />The Who – You better – Repeat of a great performance.<br /><br />Stevie Wonder – Lately – One of the few Stevie songs that I can tolerate, this really has grown old gracefully. Nice dance in understated light from the Legs girls.<br /><br />Phil Collins – I missed again – The review in ‘Record Mirror’ as the time said that this single release would be “a kick up the a*se for all you Genesis fans”. They weren’t kidding.<br /><br />Bucks Fizz – Making your mind up – I’ve seen many bands live over the years. One of the not so great highlights was Bucks Fizz live at the Circus Tavern, Purfleet, Essex in the mid 80s. However, there is something about this song and the performance that is appealing and it really was a deserved winner of the Eurovision Song Contest.<br /><br />Visage – Mind of a Toy – Another great video and song from the studio band. Very imaginative.<br /><br />Duran Duran – Planet Earth – Just didn’t grab me at all.<br /><br />Toyah – It’s a Mystery (Four from Toyah) – PP mentions the title of the EP on the chart rundown, but I never heard the other three from Toyah. This is a much better performance than the other one that was shown previously. I love the way the other band members look all deadpan and ‘hard’ whilst she’s jumping around and gesticulating. Definitely a song that I like more than I did then. Now, what about ‘Revelations’, ‘War Boys’, ‘Angels and Demons’? Come to think of it I can’t think of many EPs where they played more than one of the tracks? Perhaps Kiki Dees EP with ‘Loving and Free’ and ‘Amoureuse’ might be one. Speaking of Kiki….she didn’t ‘star’ on the show this week…<br /><br />Chart rundown – No showing of the official video for ‘Do the Hucklebuck’, just a static photo – booh! Kelly Marie still hanging in there with the excruciating ‘Hot love’. A run of 31 24 22 23 28 39 saw her hang around but not pierce the top 20 and so not be listed in the Top Twenty ‘Bible’ book I have, where there’s only one song of that title…<br /><br />Roxy Music – Jealous Guy – Still sublime. Just love the credits rolling on the instrumental/whistling fade out. <br />sct353https://www.blogger.com/profile/15640119850898956884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post-3982345433650401192016-02-14T13:01:02.589+00:002016-02-14T13:01:02.589+00:00John Lennon's version of 'Jealous Guy'...John Lennon's version of 'Jealous Guy' was released as a single in 1985 making no.65.sct353https://www.blogger.com/profile/15640119850898956884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post-41494082436560940832016-02-14T11:15:05.663+00:002016-02-14T11:15:05.663+00:00I didn't realise Sharon Redd had four separate...I didn't realise Sharon Redd had four separate top 40 hits (two of which missed the mugshots by one place) and a re-working of her first hit which went top 20. "Beat the Street" never made the charts. We get Sharon once next year and once eons away with the reworked hit.<br /><br />Talking of disco, just thought... if Kelly Marie wanted to evolve that 'Scottish disco' sound, she should have called Skids' Stuart Adamson for his bagpipe guitar.Arthur Nibblehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11547006132533866220noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post-76623057689020540312016-02-14T04:54:07.730+00:002016-02-14T04:54:07.730+00:00"beat the street" is a better effort by ..."beat the street" is a better effort by sharon redd, but i don't know if it made totp or not?wilberforcehttp://www.gavinunderhill.co.uknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post-10071585041339469622016-02-13T21:41:21.586+00:002016-02-13T21:41:21.586+00:00There have been some great show openers in this 19...There have been some great show openers in this 1981 run. Sharon Redd does not join that list. Her slightly masculine look coupled with the odd fringe don't help, and the weedy production by the TOTP orchestra make it even worse. I too prefer the 90s version she did with DNA, and I also prefer her later single 'I'll Never Give You Up'.<br /><br />Usually the videos on these shows look and sound more pristine than the ones we see on the music channels on TV that have been played 1000 times. Not the Shaky one though, which is very wobbly!<br /><br />Just me liking Stewart & Blunstone then? I quite like the way it's done, though admittedly it's not as exciting as 'It's My Party'.<br /><br />I forgot to mention this last time, but I like the way the graphic at the end of The Who vaguely looks like the then current neon style Doctor Who logo - that must be deliberate!<br /><br />I'm going to go against the grain on the Stevie Wonder front too. I've always found that song very dull, sorry!<br /><br />Bucks Fizz with the performance that always gets shown, mainly because on Eurovision itself they actually didn't perform it very well. the buzz around the song helped it to victory though, and I'm glad it did as I'm a huge fan of The Fizz. Many of their later songs are brilliant pop gems.<br /><br />'Mind Of A Toy' is my least favourite Visage single. Midge Ure sounds pretty high in the vocals on it, probably to cover Steve Strange's vocal failings!Noaxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02790474836630218113noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post-40225012653904636862016-02-12T21:07:06.207+00:002016-02-12T21:07:06.207+00:00Too late Arthur. The beers have already slid down ...Too late Arthur. The beers have already slid down the Shaky throat, and the head - whilst not hanging- is definitely listing to starboard.shaky shakersonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post-27102461373888673652016-02-12T20:39:58.660+00:002016-02-12T20:39:58.660+00:00As mentioned way back, this was Cheryl Baker's...As mentioned way back, this was Cheryl Baker's fourth go at Eurovision in six years - finishing UK runner-up with CoCo just two points behind Brotherhood of Man, making the big gig with CoCo, finishing last in the UK heats with CoCo (now renamed The Main Event) and becoming one of the few artistes to appear in Eurovision with two different acts via Bucks Fizz.Arthur Nibblehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11547006132533866220noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post-86639692020158127332016-02-12T20:32:30.666+00:002016-02-12T20:32:30.666+00:00I can imagine Rupert Holmes watching Peter Powell&...I can imagine Rupert Holmes watching Peter Powell's introduction to Bucks Fizz, shaking his fist at the screen and shouting "They never showed you how to make a pina colada for my song!".<br /><br />As for multiple versions of a song in the chart, this was rife in the early days, probably the most extreme occasion being in October 1960, when five different versions of the film theme "Never On Sunday" were in the top 50 at the same time. Four of the versions spent between 9 and 14 weeks in the top 50, and none of them reached higher than number 27.Arthur Nibblehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11547006132533866220noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post-70634049252374114632016-02-12T20:24:50.781+00:002016-02-12T20:24:50.781+00:00Nah, Shaky - as Argent sang, "Hold Your Head ...Nah, Shaky - as Argent sang, "Hold Your Head Up"!Arthur Nibblehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11547006132533866220noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post-20187042876343272432016-02-12T20:13:25.554+00:002016-02-12T20:13:25.554+00:00Wilby. Yup, you're right. Jeez I must be gett...Wilby. Yup, you're right. Jeez I must be getting old or something. I can't even imagine my thought process that resulted in me mixing up Mr Argent and Dave Stewart. I'm gonna have a few weekend drinks and forget this entire faux pas. *hangs head in shame*shaky shakersonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post-26625699526224010532016-02-12T19:24:40.906+00:002016-02-12T19:24:40.906+00:00Re reaction to Toyah's movements - Tracey Ullm...Re reaction to Toyah's movements - Tracey Ullman's spoof went under the name Annoyah!Nutty Big Dhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11301919297617290031noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post-61673554333188382222016-02-12T19:08:22.871+00:002016-02-12T19:08:22.871+00:00If the ole house is still standing, I hope it has ...If the ole house is still standing, I hope it has a green door.Steve Hackhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07365973104946684183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post-67179786785057624212016-02-12T17:33:36.832+00:002016-02-12T17:33:36.832+00:00Come to think of it, you're right Wilberforce ...Come to think of it, you're right Wilberforce regarding the Bucks Fizz effort sounding very much like "Do The Hucklebuck." However, Bucks Fizz fared better than Coast To Coast on account of Jay Aston's sex appeal, whereas Patti and Donna on Coast To Coast while very cute, did not do the skirt ripping!Doryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07718769648375882927noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post-22508443879447597942016-02-12T17:28:57.478+00:002016-02-12T17:28:57.478+00:00The audience studio set for Sharon Redd was a prec...The audience studio set for Sharon Redd was a precursor for other BBC shows with studio audiences, i.e., the audience being as prominent as the singer by catching the viewers' eyes with there waving and leaning at the same time. This seemed to create a trend in the early 80s for other BBC shows to copy the TOTP audience style. Swap Shop, Cheggars Plays Pop were two shows that come to mind which took on this banner waving style in the studio.Doryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07718769648375882927noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post-56400976385108909352016-02-12T17:23:13.398+00:002016-02-12T17:23:13.398+00:00With regard to Jealous Guy at No.1 this week, it w...With regard to Jealous Guy at No.1 this week, it would have been interesting if the John Lennon original version was released at the same time as Roxy Music's new version, and whether Roxy Music's version would have outshone Lennon's version for the No.1. Hmmm....Doryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07718769648375882927noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post-71163004297128144512016-02-12T16:48:04.227+00:002016-02-12T16:48:04.227+00:00i think "lately" has the potential to be...i think "lately" has the potential to be an excellent cocktail jazz song, but stevie's "organic" style of keyboard playing isn't really doing it any favours in my opinion. with that in mind, rather surprisingly it has never been covered by any well-known jazz singers, crooners or divas...wilberforcehttp://www.gavinunderhill.co.uknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post-65451094664009689162016-02-12T15:20:04.596+00:002016-02-12T15:20:04.596+00:00"my eyes won't let me hide" is an in..."my eyes won't let me hide" is an interesting lyric from Stevie Wonderstarrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post-15181553534162361342016-02-12T15:15:59.445+00:002016-02-12T15:15:59.445+00:00I quite like the light jazzy arrangement on Lately...I quite like the light jazzy arrangement on Lately, it means the focus is on the vocal which is such a strong part of the song it would be a shame to see it competing with something else. It's intense enough not to need anything extra.starrynoreply@blogger.com