tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post7861234041985439379..comments2024-03-28T10:45:51.725+00:00Comments on Never Forget ~ Top of the Pops 1995: A Night at Top of the PopsAngelohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16090709386124664912noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post-47756540885607854732014-11-25T16:56:06.226+00:002014-11-25T16:56:06.226+00:00i recall "ladies night" being a fair-siz...i recall "ladies night" being a fair-sized hit in its own right before (bile-rising alert!) "celebration" - it was certainly a big club hit. if "ladies night" has more staying power than the rest of their james taylor-era hits, then that's because it's miles better than all the rubbish they produced afterwards! of course the true katg fan would dismiss all that stuff in favour of their earlier classics like "funky stuff", jungle boogie" and "open sesame"...wilberforcehttp://www.gavinunderhill.co.uknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post-56309723408821749432014-11-24T00:16:44.286+00:002014-11-24T00:16:44.286+00:00Everybody knows the best-looking octogenarian is L...Everybody knows the best-looking octogenarian is Leslie Caron.THXnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post-78851862824861491082014-11-23T23:08:38.799+00:002014-11-23T23:08:38.799+00:00Quite enjoyed this show despite the odd fast-forwa...Quite enjoyed this show despite the odd fast-forward duffer. I see Lena Martell was now looking in the opposite direction for her chart descent, and Dynasty seem to like percussion in the plural while something about their tune’s backing reminded me of Gene Chandler’s “Get On Down”. <br /><br />Kid really should have swapped garb with Paul Weller so the lad matched the sartorial elegance of his comrades. Cliff couldn’t have swapped that shirt and tie with anyone. He had to be careful not to fall off that tiny box stage. So, Cliff’s brother looks like him? What a coincidence. Good thing he didn’t look like the milkman instead.<br /><br />A bit of a pispronunciation by Kid. Streisand and Summers? What, Andy Summers? Does he really sound like that? The pillars behind Patti in the black and white section should have been darker for symmetry and contrast. Hark at me, a would-be set designer! I see Lulu had learnt all the words to the tune once again.<br /><br />I agree about The Tourists – a basic, functional cover, and I could never see the attraction of Annie Lennox. Sadly, this tune has a different resonance for me, as it was played over a farewell montage by Thames Television the minutes before their franchise finished. Then the execrable Carlton took over, and ITV died.<br /><br />Apt stage props for BA Robertson – a right load of balls. Boom boom!<br /><br />I liked the obvious moody blue backdrop for The Moody Blues, but the drummer barely used what must be the largest drumkit to grace the TOTP studio. In reverence, Kid sounded like Whispering Ted Lowe or Whispering Bob Harris during their intro.<br /><br />Ah, “Soap Factory” – a Bold idea with Daz-zling artists, but reception’s poor so you might need to readjust your Ariel. They should have replaced Kool with Persil Sledge for this outing. Oh, well, that’s Life, Buoy!<br /><br />I spy those fake yellow cymbals for Secret Affair, whose drummer probably decided he’d prefer to play in a group with more brass instruments.<br /><br />Talking of drummers yet again…”Okay, Malcolm, stop stamping and screaming, we’ll let you go behind the kit for our nest single. Romeo, you go upfront and do the low vocals like that lad in Darts. This tactic’s bound to cement our place in the BBC car park for years to come”.<br /><br />So, Kid, you’ll be back next week, will we? Not if we see you (or whoever it is) first. Great outro by the Isleys. I would have much preferred this instead of “Ladies Night”. Sud it!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11784330306408735232noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post-1107239038751136582014-11-23T23:05:10.327+00:002014-11-23T23:05:10.327+00:00Bagsy Goldie Hawn.Bagsy Goldie Hawn.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11784330306408735232noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post-87861711828551367612014-11-23T19:56:17.253+00:002014-11-23T19:56:17.253+00:00Ladies Night was indeed not noticed by many people...Ladies Night was indeed not noticed by many people in 1979 when Kool & The Gang made their world debut, largely due to the fact that they made no visits to the UK to announce their arrival, and there was only one showing of their Soap Factory video on TOTP, so you could forgive people for overlooking them.<br /><br />It was not until a year later with Celebration did we all stop to look up, as this hit would take top billing at many discos around the country, and then Ladies Night had to be reintroduced to avoid falling over as an unknown track, and it soon started to make a name for itself on its own.<br /><br />Going forward to 2014, Ladies night has taken over from Celecration as the most requested Kool & The Gang song in the 2000's (only by ladies of course), simply because it has endured the ravages of time a lot better than all their hits put together. Anyone agree with me?<br /><br />Doryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07718769648375882927noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post-23796127610950150112014-11-23T19:39:12.450+00:002014-11-23T19:39:12.450+00:00oops! thanks for that martin - i should have check...oops! thanks for that martin - i should have checked that out before posting comment. however, regardless of being self-written or not, perhaps by this time the only way they were likely to continue their run of hits would have been if they'd started doing medleys of elvis songs or suchlike rather than obscurities like this...?wilberforcehttp://www.gavinunderhill.co.uknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post-8678363744943607772014-11-23T17:04:19.560+00:002014-11-23T17:04:19.560+00:00Re The Wads; No, "A Night At Daddy Gee's&...Re The Wads; No, "A Night At Daddy Gee's" was yet another cover (written by Tommy Boyce and Curtis Lee as "Under The Moon Of Love" and "Pretty Little Angel Eyes" had been also). Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03088693996170818311noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post-41007917395849977012014-11-23T16:27:16.890+00:002014-11-23T16:27:16.890+00:00Barclay James Harvest had form in parodying other ...Barclay James Harvest had form in parodying other people's songs - they also recorded The Great 1974 Mining Disaster, which was basically a deconstruction of the Bee Gees' first hit, New York Mining Disaster.John Gnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post-73155479378985226482014-11-23T16:23:52.261+00:002014-11-23T16:23:52.261+00:00The Moodies did temporarily split in the mid-70s, ...The Moodies did temporarily split in the mid-70s, and Hayward and Lodge released the Blue Jays album together in 1975, plus the Blue Guitar single (though that was actually recorded by Hayward with 10cc). By 1978, the Moodies had reunited and that year released Octave, their first album for six years. Mike Pinder quit shortly afterwards (hence his absence from this performance) and Patrick Moraz would take his place for 1981's Long Distance Voyager album, which topped the charts in the States.John Gnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post-43592058997640653212014-11-23T16:04:36.360+00:002014-11-23T16:04:36.360+00:00if i were at one of dory's discos and he playe...if i were at one of dory's discos and he played "enough is enough", i might be tempted to do a paul calf and smash it up with a hammer! but as they say, each to his own...wilberforcehttp://www.gavinunderhill.co.uknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post-10702570144029046062014-11-23T16:03:28.231+00:002014-11-23T16:03:28.231+00:00I've got a bit behind with these programmes la...I've got a bit behind with these programmes lately (whether on iPlayer or otherwise), but I'm catching up now. These last few weeks are quite probably first-time watches for me - for reasons mentioned previously this would have been the time when we were without a telly and therefore everything seems more 'unfamiliar' the 'familiar'.<br /><br />The opening performance by The Jam is totally familiar though - I still have the 25th Anniversary VHS tapes (would have been amongst the first videotapes I purchased, dating from the time I bought my first VCR - an ex-rental top loader which weighed a ton!). Notwithstanding Paul making no attempt whatsoever to stay 'on mic' and Rick at front of stage with his plastic cymbals, this is pure audiovisual dynamite.<br /><br />This is one of my favourite Cliff singles. Just as my other fave, Hank Marvin's 'The Day I Met Marie', captures the spirit of 1967 (at least for those of us who don't actually remember it!), 'Hot Shot' is pure '1979' thanks to its distinctive B. A. Robertson lyric.<br /><br />Meanwhile the man himself was messing around with footballs on stage. Hasn't Rod Stewart already done this a few years previously?<br /><br />I was quite impressed with the Legs & Co routine this week. I thought that the 'black and white' sequences were split-screen until they crossed into each other's areas! I can remember reading someone's opinion that this song was more of a duel rather than a duet - perhaps it's a good thing that Flick didn't go along with that line of thought!<br /><br />Don't be fooled by the Tourists sounding weak and insipid - what we have here is an MU-compliant quickfire recording for TV. This is not the single!<br /><br />The Moody Blues performance does seem a bit familiar, but looking at Popscene it was repeated two weeks later and I think we had got our new telly by then.<br /><br />Soap Factory ??? Presumably it's American. I had long forgotten that this was Kool & The Gang's first UK hit and was surprised to find it was this early. After all, it would be a year before they saw the Top 20 again.<br /><br />I remember this Secret Affair single well, but I don't think I've heard it since 1979, unlike the bigger hits either side of it which stuck with me ever since. The Showaddywaddy single has survived though, thanks to 'Best Of' (i.e. singles compilation) CDs. Believe it or not, they continued to have a Top 40 presence until 1982!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post-78645929257167366302014-11-23T16:03:02.252+00:002014-11-23T16:03:02.252+00:00with regard to the above, some of you might consid...with regard to the above, some of you might consider the thought of "shagging" octogenarian joan somewhat gross? i know i certainly would - i'll stick with jane fonda, thanks very much...wilberforcehttp://www.gavinunderhill.co.uknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post-32350879893163939022014-11-23T13:44:10.793+00:002014-11-23T13:44:10.793+00:00Good ones :-)Good ones :-)Angelohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16090709386124664912noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post-6388116961216066732014-11-23T12:51:11.305+00:002014-11-23T12:51:11.305+00:00managed to watch the rest of this show at the libr...managed to watch the rest of this show at the library this morning (yes - they open on sundays now!), so here's the rest of my report:<br /><br />kool and the gang: i've mentioned this before, but this is the first of several disco songs featuring those electric piano quaver stabs (i'm not talking about crisps - think "one-and-two-and-three-and-four-and"). personally i've always liked this, but the shark-jumping moment came shortly hereafter - the smoothie frontman drafted in helped make them a fast (disco) buck, but also destroyed them as a credible funk act (a friend who loves their early instrumental/chant stuff can't bring himself to mention the vocalist by name: just "that singer"!). i don't know if it was intentional, but i didn't notice many ladies of colour in the audience. presumably the soap factory was a disco that actually used to be a soap-making place? there is/was something similar in manchester called "sankey's soap" which was an old factory converted into a trendy nightclub playing house etc...<br /><br />secret affair: a much better cod-soul effort than "time for action", although the title is a bit weedy for a band out to make some kind of youth statement. the singer doesn't really know what to do with his trumpet once he's finished with it (which is for most of the song) - perhaps he should have studied the earth, wind & fire/emotions "boogie wonderland" video for some tips?<br /><br />showaddywaddy: in relative terms, in my opinion this is probably one of the best things they ever did. i presume (unlike their last few hits) it was an original composition for which they felt they were now in a strong enough position to push again, but lightning was striking twice (remember the self-penned "trocadero" flopping about 3 years earlier?) as it seemed that most of their punters were only interested in them rehashing old stuff...<br /><br />isley brothers: good on you kid for only announcing the first bit of this clumsily-titled track (and not the desperate disco cash-in bit in parentheses). i love much of their 70's stuff but by this time all their upbeat numbers were getting the huge crunching/clapping treatment, which dates it rather horribly these days...wilberforcehttp://www.gavinunderhill.co.uknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post-86894460454163145032014-11-23T11:10:49.610+00:002014-11-23T11:10:49.610+00:00It appears that Neil B. has already uploaded the U...It appears that Neil B. has already uploaded the UK Gold 22nd Nov edition with DLT in voiceover, of which this show will not be shown by BBC4 this Thursday. Doryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07718769648375882927noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post-90341283711266113512014-11-23T10:26:20.141+00:002014-11-23T10:26:20.141+00:00Ah Wilberforce, the secret to getting the Donna Su...Ah Wilberforce, the secret to getting the Donna Summer / Barbra Streisand song perfect at discos, is with the classic double turntable, where you start this song in the background halfway through the previous song, so that the audience knows whats coming up, and then start the disco (dancing) part of No More Tears as the previous song is fading out. <br /><br />Any good DJ sould be able to do this at a disco, and it is something I did when DJing in the 90s when I would put on 70s disco music, and this song No More Tears worked a treat.Doryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07718769648375882927noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post-14581829957638543712014-11-23T09:30:39.148+00:002014-11-23T09:30:39.148+00:00shaky, from what you say it sounds like you were b...shaky, from what you say it sounds like you were born practically the same day as me? my circumstances were the same at the time too... apart from the girlfriend that is! my mother made my father try to teach me to drive, and she once insisted he give me a lesson the morning after i'd been on a massive bender the night before - i nearly crashed the car as a result and he refused to teach me after that! so i didn't get to pass the test until several years later...wilberforcehttp://www.gavinunderhill.co.uknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post-610981161992212262014-11-23T09:20:48.439+00:002014-11-23T09:20:48.439+00:00sorry arthur and co - i assumed it must be some cu...sorry arthur and co - i assumed it must be some current soap-star or celebrity in the jungle person (so that's why joan was mentioned)...<br /><br />talking of which: i read an entry in a recent viz "letterbocks" page that mused "if you were shagging joan collins and she suddenly turned into that hairy bloke like in the snickers ad, would you carry on?" (!)wilberforcehttp://www.gavinunderhill.co.uknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post-83762782861059711262014-11-23T00:42:04.246+00:002014-11-23T00:42:04.246+00:00Fontaie Khaled is Joan Collins's character in ...Fontaie Khaled is Joan Collins's character in "The Bitch" - you know, where Joan wears a peaked cap (not a flat cap) and a black basque.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11784330306408735232noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post-79412381984602623002014-11-22T22:17:55.940+00:002014-11-22T22:17:55.940+00:00i've only managed to watch half of this show s...i've only managed to watch half of this show so far thanks to a mis-functioning i-player at a chum's house - bah! will have to catch up with the rest at the library tomorrow...<br /><br />dynasty: don't have a recall of this at the time ,but came across it on a disco compilation CD a few years back and was quite impressed<br /><br />the jam: oh no, not the bloody modfather again! he and his chums seem to appear on this show so frequently that surely they've taken over the caravan in the totp car park recently vacated by smokie? anyway, i skipped past them as usual...<br /><br />cliff richard: "look cliff, i know you've just had a big surprise no. 1 hit and all that, but you can't keep deluding yourself you're a teenager when you're pushing 40 - why don't you quit while you're ahead, find yourself a nice wife and start raising a family?"<br /><br />donna summer/barbra streisand: that slow intro seems to go on forever, which kind of defeats the point of it being a disco record. maybe for that reason i don't think it got played in the discos i went to at the time. just as well - to me it's just disco-on-autopilot with two screeching divas trying to outdo each other - hideous!<br /><br />the tourists: did they resort to churning out this pub rock cover-by-numbers because their own material wasn't cutting it chart-wise? the only thing that stands out is the huge crunching drum noise at the beginning and end...<br /><br />ba robertson: again one has to ask, what is the point of this, and who exactly was this aimed at? it's not as if anyone even knows what the subject matter's about... as such i wasn't really paying much attention, so i have to ask: did the band put on their shades around half-way through, or did they just magically appear a la showaddywaddy's different-coloured suits?<br /><br />moody blues: by this time justin hayward and john lodge were recording credited as a duo, so presumably the moodies had actually called it a day, but then hastily re-convened thanks to yet-another re-release of this over-rated chestnut? johnny pearson must have been licking his lips at getting the opportunity to recreate the massive orchestral sound of the record (take away that and there's not much left!) - the fact that he didn't must have told him his days as totp musical director were numbered. oh yes, they pre-dated the currently-fashionable huge crunching drum noise as used by the tourists (and later on the isley brothers) with one massive hit at the start of the flute solo...wilberforcehttp://www.gavinunderhill.co.uknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post-5598545064680280842014-11-22T21:44:11.130+00:002014-11-22T21:44:11.130+00:00who the hell is fontaine khaled?who the hell is fontaine khaled?wilberforcehttp://www.gavinunderhill.co.uknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post-35208642277391191202014-11-22T20:20:15.535+00:002014-11-22T20:20:15.535+00:00Dynasty - I actually discovered the original after...Dynasty - I actually discovered the original after I heard some non-entity 90s dance act do a cover of this on one of the many compilations I bought at the time. It's a bit of an odd track, but quite enjoyable.<br /><br />Cliff Richard - I don't think the song is too bad, certainly didn't deserve to miss the 40 altogether, especially as his previous single was a chart topper. Maybe it got lost in the pre-Xmas rush to buy other stuff.<br /><br />Legs & Co - Nice start, then it all got less interesting after they moved from the black and white split.<br /><br />The Tourists - I seem to be the only one who still likes this version then!<br /><br />Moody Blues - What a magnificent song this is - I just love the choral overload as the chorus kicks in. And top marks for doing it live too as we really haven't had many acts at all doing that lately.<br /><br />Kool & The Gang - Nearly all their tunes are what I like to call 'housewife songs' with 'Celebration' being the worst offender ('housewife song' AND 'enforced jollity' - a lethal combination) but this is almost as bad.<br /><br />Secret Affair - That's the second one in a row from them that I didn't know very well but which I now really like. Nice sharp suit on show too - unlike many other fashions displayed on 70s Pops, that still looks good.<br /><br />Showaddywaddy - Oh dear, sad to see them in decline. And appearing not long after Secret Affair makes them seem even more dated.<br /><br />Isley Brothers - I agree with you Julie, a good song. And you may be pleased to hear that I *will* be playing it on my radio show when I do a 1979 countdown next week!Noaxnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post-76050610071363579542014-11-22T18:31:52.923+00:002014-11-22T18:31:52.923+00:00Here are some alternative titles we could have use...Here are some alternative titles we could have used for the subject header "A Night At Top Of The Pops":<br /><br />Top Of The Pops Hot Shot<br />I Only Want To Be With Top Of The Pops<br />She's In Love With Top Of The Pops<br />When You're In Love With Top Of The PopsDoryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07718769648375882927noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post-44675135900634327322014-11-22T13:53:58.211+00:002014-11-22T13:53:58.211+00:00I don't think Kid's comment that the Moody...I don't think Kid's comment that the Moody Blues had first performed Nights in White Satin on TOTP 12 years earlier is correct. Assuming Popscene's show listings are accurate, the song didn't feature on TOTP at all following its original release in '67, and this performance was in fact the only time the band did it in the studio. In any case, I thought it was a fine (if slightly truncated and reordered) rendition of one of the greatest love songs ever written. It also catches the band at a transitional moment in their career, between the departure of mellotron maestro Mike Pinder and the arrival of his successor Patrick Moraz.<br /><br />Overall, I thought this edition had plenty of variety and interest, and I was quite taken with the Secret Affair track. I had never really heard of the band prior to these reruns, but I have enjoyed both the singles that have appeared on the show. By contrast, the Tourists' version of the Dusty classic does sound rather pallid now, lacking the warmth and depth of the original.<br /><br />Cliff's effort wasn't bad, I suppose, but lacked a hook to turn it into a hit. His next single was a lot better, and would deservedly take him back to the Top 10 for his first hit of the 80s. There appeared to be a load of kids sitting behind him, who I assumed were the Ramblers, but I'm not actually sure that was the case as their performance was a repeat.<br /><br />In retrospect it is amazing that Showaddywaddy were still getting on TOTP this late, but it is no surprise that the public were finally tiring of their limited musical palette and wardrobe. Still, you have to admire them for making the most of their modest talents by churning out the hits for as long as they did. Kool and the Gang were at the beginning of their chart career, but I tend to find a lot of their stuff rather tedious and samey. I don't mind this one, though, and the video is fun.<br /><br />I normally can't stand Barbra Streisand, but this team-up with Donna Summer is a great disco record, and there was an imaginative Legs performance to go with it - I particularly liked the black-and-white costumes. We will of course see more from Babs next year, collaborating with another big act from the disco era...John Gnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656821189691902130.post-8000399617297376482014-11-21T17:59:54.494+00:002014-11-21T17:59:54.494+00:00Thanks for the info, Julie, I do love the Behind C...Thanks for the info, Julie, I do love the Behind Closed Doors album. There were always those rock 'n' roll weekends at Butlins for Showaddywaddy. I suppose, but was Shakin' Stevens any more accomplished, looking back?<br /><br />Arthur, Joan Collins released a record or two herself, nothing disco but I think her spoken word version of Imagine was included on a world's worst record list or two.THXnoreply@blogger.com