Geoff got dressed in a bit of a hurry for his final hit with Modern Romance
19-8-82: Presenter: David Jensen
(34) MODERN ROMANCE – Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White
Sailing into the studio to launch this week's show are Modern Romance with this 1955 Perez Prado cover which peaked at 15.
(2) SURVIVOR – Eye Of The Tiger (video)
This punchy theme tune from Rocky III was soon to be the next number one.
(33) HAIRCUT 100 – Nobody’s Fool
Performing their fourth and final top ten hit, which peaked at number 9.
(26) THE KIDS FROM FAME – Hi-Fidelity (video)
The first of two top ten hit for the tv spin off Kids, this one reaching number 5. But edited out of tonight's 7.30 showing.
(36) CAPTAIN SENSIBLE – Wot
The first of two alternative versions of spelling the same word on tonight's show, this one making it to number 26. And also edited out of tonight's 7.30 slot.
(28) TALK TALK – Today (video)
The breakthrough hit for the band peaking at number 14.
(56) THOMAS DOLBY – Windpower
Mr. Techno in the studio here, setting a template for the likes of Howard Jones and Nick Kershaw, but Windpower didn't quite make the top 30, falling one place short.
(27) DURAN DURAN – Save A Prayer (video)
Still in Sri Lanka with the video for what became their biggest hit to this point, reaching number 2.
(13) SOFT CELL – What?
The last of a run of five top ten hits for the duo, and more successful both in spelling and chart position then the Captain, peaking at number 3.
(1) DEXY’S MIDNIGHT RUNNERS with THE EMERALD EXPRESS – Come On Eileen ®
Third of four weeks at the top.
(11) THE BELLE STARS – The Clapping Song (crowd dancing) (and credits)
At is peak.
BBC4 will now skip two editions ~ 26th August hosted by DLT and 2nd September hosted by Jimmy Savile.
So next up will be September 9th 1982.
Is It Me Or Does This Survivor Eye Of The TigerSound Way To Fast
ReplyDeleteIt was played slightly faster than it sounds on the record; I believe it has something to do with regional differences. This site will give you clues: http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=128503
Deleteso what does TNOTCITOTPs stand for? presumably the last 5 letters are for "top of the pops", but as for the rest...
DeleteCareful Wilb, it sounds suspiciously like one of those strings of letters found behind the bar which always starts with 'YCWCY' (standing for 'Your Curiosity Will Cost You') followed by a variation of a request for a monetary donation!
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteBlimey, that's 4 new editions to blog between now and Friday. DLT followed by Saville, and all before next Thursday & Friday's BBC4 editions with Powell and Bates. It's like a big avalanche of music in one week. Were the first two shown on UK Gold?
ReplyDeleteThe Savile one would not have been on UK Gold because the BBC tape has mute links.
Delete2nd Sept show
ReplyDeletehttp://www.4shared.com/video/ZZ--AKLsce/Top_Of_The_Pops__2nd_September.html
Thanks for the link, Anonymous. The DLT show has kindly been provided by D42 on Vimeo.
DeleteThanks John, I think we should have the DLT one put up on Sunday, then the JS one on Tuesday, then BBC4 on Thursday and Friday, so as to give two clear days between shows for everyone to comment.
DeleteThanks Anonymous.Any sign of 5/8/82 yet.Also any chance of Neil B converting the 17/6/82 file from an mv4 file to an mp4 file so we can download it.
DeleteYes, I had the same problem with the 17/6/82 in not being able to download the mv4 file, with regard to the 5/8/82, we are still missing the JK slot, and still not being able to see the return of Fleetwood Mac after three years in the wilderness., so yes please let's get these two downloadable.
DeleteLink for 17/06/82, sorry dont have full version of 5/8/82
Deletehttp://www.4shared.com/video/fJ48quIpba/TOTP_1982-06-17_full_UKG_vers.html
One down and one to go, so thanks for the 17th June with JK slot. Eagerly awaiting the elusive 5th Aug slot with JK.
DeleteGreat news!Looking at the write-up for next Thursday's 9/9/82 edition on the TV guide, it says that Melissa Manchester,John Mellencamp and Chicago are all featured. All three are on JK's US chart section. Are the BBC about to start showing them at last?
Deletewell if not then i can't say i'll miss any of these tedious yankie AOR acts. it seems that as far as synth pop was concerned the states really didn't want to know, did it? the only americans i can think of that even began to have some commercial success in that field were the cars and talking heads (and associated act the tom tom club) - can anyone think of any others?
DeleteHow about Boston,REO Speedwagon, Styx, Cheap Trick,Foreigner,Journey,Huey Lewis & The News, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers & Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band ?
Deletetotp 5 august 1982 with JK section is here:https://mega.nz/#!Hh0nzKLS!holbLrHG3tIH56oOVNT2TrSk6dBCz4oFmWEMQzht87I
Deletebrie i take it you're being facetious? although foreigner did actually hire english synth-pop boffin thomas dolby to give their plodding outdated rock a more contemporary sheen...
DeleteThis is a week in which at least two band splits are heralded. First, Modern Romance take to the stage for the final time with original lead singer - and future TV scriptwriter - Geoffrey Deane at the front. Behind him, on acoustic guitar, is his successor Michael J Mullins - on this particular occasion standing in for regular guitarist Paul Gendler, who was apparently on holiday.
ReplyDeleteAfter Survivor's sped-up hard rock evergreen, on come the Beckenham Beatles - not all of them looking happy for once. Blair Cunningham's still beaming away behind his kit, and Phil Smith gives his sax solos the 'Baker Street' treatment as per usual, but otherwise it is fairly obvious that there are tensions within the Haircut camp. In particular, percussionist Mark Fox breaks a fundamental rule of stagecraft: he looks as though he's apologising for being there. To a lesser extent, that also applies to Captain Nick Heyward, while Les Nemes is hardly visible and Graham Jones merely goes through the motions. Despite all that, 'Nobody's Fool' is a competent Beatles/Monkees pastiche, albeit with less sparkle than its predecessors. A touch of harmonica might have brightened it up; maybe Nick or Graham could have used one on a holder.
More positively, this was a week for classy electronic new wave. Talk Talk's 'Today' is one of my favourite ever recordings from the New Romantic era, even if Mark Hollis does resemble a young Eric Idle. 'It's My Life' - as covered by No Doubt - would become the band's signature song.
The talented Mr Dolby, who would subsequently back Bowie at Live Aid (along with Belle Star Clare Hirst), trailers his star-studded album 'The Golden Age of Wireless' with a highly accomplished, though uncommercial, offering. 'She Blinded Me With Science', from the same album, would prove to be a huge success internationally - but again would miss the Top 30 in his homeland.
Sofr Cell's cover of Judy Street's Northern Soul favourite 'What?' is dancefloor perfection. Being college graduates, Marc and Dave are - unsurprisingly - better spellers than Captain Sensible (and Slade).
Overall, this edition deserves 8/10.
Just love the way Modern Romance open the show, recreating the Fifties dancing and evening dresses in the studio audience, and I must say it's a shame to see the last of lead singer Goeffrey Deane who was really the face of Modern Romance throughout. I bought the greatest hits CD some years ago, and virtually every track on it is a gem of dance era reflection, as well as new wave modern dance.
DeleteDidnt realise that was a Belle star backing Bowie at LA. Wonder who the other girl was? Always thought the blonde one looked like Sarah Greene of Blue Peter and complete hotness fame!
DeleteAs you can tell I dunno which one was the Belle....
Clare Hirst played tenor sax for Bowie at Live Aid.
Deletegary kemp relates in his (rather good in my opinion) autobiography that when he finally got the chance to meet his hero bowie at live aid, the dame seemed to have no idea who he was! so i don't suppose he was over-familar with the much-less-known likes of thomas dolby and clare hirst?
DeleteBy 1985 Thomas Dobly was a well-respected figure as both musician and producer. He had worked with acts as diverse as Foreigner, Prefab Sprout and hip hop group Whodini for whom he wrote their hit Magic Wand.
DeleteInteresting that with Eye Of The Tiger already at No.2, we get the same Rocky III video clip as was originally shown and introduced for the first time on the JK slot some weeks earlier, and about a week before it charted here at No.29. The more familiar video with the the group marching towards the camera, was still not available I think until it got to No.1 a couple of weeks later in September 1982.
ReplyDeleteI remember the Survivor video well, one of the band struggles to keep up with the others. Doesn't say much for his ability as a musician.
DeleteErm, yes, you could say that the lead singer was marching too fast and the others could not keep up with him. Perhaps they should have not bothered making the new video, and just use the film used on JK, and on TOTP this week, i.e., up until it was No.2, before reaching no.1 for the unveiling of the new video.
DeleteA lot of performances this week outside of the top 30 as Kid tells us just before the chart rundown. This was because a lot of chart acts within the top 30 were dropping down, quite normal during the school summer holidays.
ReplyDeleteKids From Fame - I remember watching this video at the time, and thinking that Valerie Landsburg was such a breath of fresh air next to the miserable looking Bruno on piano. I've always liked this contribution from Kids From Fame. Pity it was edited out of the 7.30pm first showing.
Captain Sensible - is anyone surprised that this was edited out of the 7.30pm showing? I mean how awful that a bed had to be brought into the TOTP studio to start this performance? As if that wasn't enough, we get three Bananarama wannabes dressed as cleaners, or should that be Toto Coelo wannabes? And then we get an Adam Ant impersonator felled to the floor by Captain Sensible. I mean what utter drivel!
Talk Talk - you'd think for a TOTP debut that a British band would first start with a studio performance, so it was a little strange to get the video first of with this lot. Another sleepyhead getting out of a bed to start the video, as if Captain sensible's start to his performance wasn't bad enough enough getting out of a bed. That is two consecutive performances on the same show starting off with someone getting out of bed. When would you ever see that?
Duran Duran – on location in Sri Lanka for this famous video. So this was how Sri Lanka looked in 1982. Is it looking the same now, some 34 years later? Great iconic video from Duran Duran.
I was a little disappointed to see that two chart acts that were still climbing, given the cold shoulder this week.
ReplyDeleteFirstly, Hot Chocolate at no.5, had no showing for three weeks since 29th July, yet were still holding firm at no.5 this week at 19th Aug. Then, The Belle Stars still climbing the charts at No.11 this week, were pushed aside to end-credits.
Both these climbing performers could have been given a main slot instead of going to no.56 for Thomas Dolby, and No.36 for Captain Sensible for new performances on the show.
Although Hot Chocolate and Belle Stars had been in the studio twice before, TOTP could have at least shown their videos as a main slot on the show while still climbing the charts, especially the Belle Stars with a nice summer holiday video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3pf7o-9OOk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8A2u5vMBcEo
Modern Romance sound anything but modern on this 50s cover, it's a good tune but they don't add anything to it. Reminds me of the horror film Parents which uses a screamy version throughout. Mr Geoff Romance would be better suited to sporting a knotted hankie to go with that ensemble.
ReplyDeleteAm I the only person who would prefer Rocky III if Clubber Lang won at the end? It'd be a lot funnier. Anyway, in lieu of a video we get the montage from the movie, and you can tell the single was a re-recorded version, which along with PAL speed up sounds a little off here. Best bit: Kermit the Frog. They should have kept that on the record.
Another winner from Haircut 100, tunefully anyway, but they don't look like happy bunnies for the most part. Always a giveaway when your lead singer would rather sit down and mope with his guitar. You don't hear this one as often, so nice to hear it, er, here.
Kids from Fame: absolutely loved this at the time, and I still think it's a great pop song. When I was a kid at school we all thought Doris was singing "Hello" to somebody called Fidelity. What a pretty name, etc. I note they left Bruno's backing vocals off the record. Very wise.
Captain Sensible, my, so much to unpick here. The pink, fluffy breeks, the acted out grudge against Adam Ant, the Mickey Mouse alarm clock, the overmanned keyboard, and those lyrics he must have spent ages sweating over. Still a better white rap than Vanilla Ice.
Talk Talk hit the ground running with this earnest electropop and a none more 80s video to go with it. The shouts of the title in the chorus make it sound even more vital than it would otherwise. Mark Hollis was a weird looking bloke, though, I mean I'm no oil painting but he was an unlikely pop star.
Thomas Dolby invents the solo electropop pioneer for the 80s, is this the first time we've seen someone with an actual computer on the TOTP stage with them? Do you think he approves of windfarms? Not his best, it's a bit spiky, but a strong sense of things to come.
Duran Duran still in Sri Lanka, I know this was one of their biggest hits but I've always found it morose and sorry for itself. Some nice tourist shots in the video, mind you.
Soft Cell with their rather tinny Northern Soul cover, and Marc really shouldn't have tried to go so high in that last chorus, but it's an unbeatable tune and survives this interpretation.
Still no sign of the famed Dexys video, we get a repeat of a studio performance instead. I wonder if it was ready yet?
Belle Stars to finish as Zoo gyrate in the gloom. Enjoyed this episode.
host: rather pleasingly for aesthetic reasons, this edition is all about pretty boys with brilliant hair(cuts), and radio 1 have their own representative on board in the form of mr reliable. but david (kid? david ' kid '? dave?), i would hardly have described japan (who sadly didn't make an appearance, thus depriving us of perhaps the ulitmate pretty boy in david sylvian) in the chart countdown as "ever popular"!
ReplyDeletemodern romance: the first pretty boy performer in the shape of bassist david jaymes, but like others on the show he sadly hides most of his crowning glory under a silly hat. musically this interpretation of what is a tedious and cheesy perennial (now that's what i would call "ever popular", mr jensen!) is abolutely dire, with his bass playing the main reason. and the trumpet is so woozy it actually sounds more like a trombone to me. soon-to-be-lead singer michael "j" mullins (like michael j fox, did he get inspiration from the diminutive 60's cult actor michael j pollard?) was already involved with them as a backing singer/general purpose muso, which is why he's here pretending to play acoustic guitar. incumbent frontman geoff deane was soon to depart (probably with great relief after this rubbish!) to take up a career as a writer, and among other things did the screenplay for the transvestite film "kinky boots" which is now a successful musical on broadway!
survivor: their head honcho jim peterik was already a veteran of the music biz, having penned the blood sweat & tears/chicago-like "vehicle" in the late 60's. they had their own pretty boy on board with guitarist frankie sullivan (who co-wrote this with peterik), but neither he or the rest of the band seem to be in the video. unlike mr t, of whom i had forgotten this was his big break pre-"a team"
haircut 100: the next pretty boy on the show nick heyward also sadly wears a silly hat, whilst the equally cute les nemes lurks at the back behind a pair of shades. serious saxman brings more than one of them along with him again, even though the only horns that can really be heard are trunpets (just why was he in the band proper rather than as an add-on? unlike nick and les, it certainly wasn't due to his looks!). did anyone else miss nick completely missing a vocal cue near the end? musically this was the last best thing that nick heyward ever did (all his consequent solo efforts were lacking in some way in my opinion), with shades of the sixties about it but also still very contemporary-sounding
talk talk: one i have no memory of at all, and listening again i can see why. all the components of the era are there, but it's instantly forgettable. mark hollis looks (and sounds) too much like a synth-pop version of the modfather to be considered a pretty boy, and he must be one of the last people born with unfortunate wingnut ears that you never seem to see today (or maybe nowadays they have standard medical procedures to correct such defects?). they did have their own pretty boy in the ranks in drummer lee harris, but like the others in the band he's hardly seen in the video
thomas dolby: he's been on the show before on at least two previous occasions, but this is his debut as a frontman. thomas (he's not really a "tom" is he, any more than david sylvian is a "dave") is a kind-of pretty boy for the geeks - a male equivalent of (the statuesque) martha ladly, or joan bakewell aka "the thinking man's crumpet". another one i have no memory of, and like the talk talk effort it's rather indistinct if a bit better than that. some good stage moves and equipment involved (it would have been better had the light bulb lit up when thomas picked it up), but was it intentional to have him in virtual darkness? perhaps another reason he never made the top 30. also he hasn't quite got what it takes voice-wise, and as such might have been better-suited remaining a back-room boffin
That wasn't the video for Survivor's Eye of the Tiger, it was the montage from the film where they play the song, because what would a Sly Stallone action movie be without a montage?
DeleteThe video is the one with the band moodily wandering down the street at night.
It's the same movie montage clip as shown on the JK slot a few weeks earlier where we fist saw it in his US top ten rundown, but this time shown in full at No.2 already in the UK chart. I suspect that it was a similar situation with the Dexys performance, i.e. the official video was not ready at this point.
DeleteIncidentally, interesting you mention the Survivor songwriter was also responsible for Vehicle, because there's a curiously homoerotic montage in the Stallone movie Lock Up that uses that very tune. Either a tip of the hat from Sly or he couldn't persuade him to write something new.
DeleteThomas Dolby did actually make the top 30 three times - 17 and 23 with the original and a remake of "Hyperactive" and 22 with "Close But No Cigar". On a personal note, he also made a fine job of producing one of my favorite albums, "Steve McQueen" by Prefab Sprout.
Deleteagreed, arthur - "steve mcqueen" is a classic of its time, due in no small part to dolby's production (i remember sprout mainman paddy macaloon comparing the services of dolby to that of an interior decorator!)
Deletesorry - i meant to say "interior designer"!
Deletepart II:
ReplyDeleteduran duran: and now we have a whole band of pretty boys (other than the guitarist that is - not that he would give the likes of trio sleepness nights in the ugly stakes, but he was just not in the same league as the rest). after a slew of dance-oriented singles that promised more than they delivered, finally they came up with something (would one call it a ballad?) that matched their visual appeal. i consider this a true classic of the era, despite the poor production (the bass is somewhat plodding and tentative, the sidestick is too prominent, and the guitar lines in the verses are practically inaudible - i never even realised there were any until i saw them playing this live!). so i suppose it has to be the synth lines that give it its magic. after their rivals spandau ballet imploded they helped tony hadley record a cover version of this, which is as-good-as if not better than the original. oh, john taylor is another PB wearing a silly hat in the video
soft cell: would one describe marc almond as a pretty boy? i would say so - if a rather alternative one. i had a vague memory of this and was thinking as i listened that it sounded like a northern soul cover (or pastiche) a la "tainted love". which was why i didn't like it. having initially set himself up as the impassive straight man to marc, david ball (does he look like a "dave"?) actually laughs during the keyboard solo
dexy's: i don't know if this was a repeat or what as i never watched it, but after all the pretty boys on the show, those with less-than-perfect looks can take comfort in the fact that an ugly mug like kevin rowland was keeping them all off the top of the charts!
The hardest working Kid in showbiz is back for his second edition in a fortnight, and despite further provocation from annoying cheerleaders applauding in his face and touching his shoulder, he does his normal sound job. Having said that, I was a bit puzzled by his intro to Modern Romance, where he appeared to be suggesting that Eddie Calvert (who had taken this tune to number 1 in 1955, as well as Perez Prado), was playing on this version. I must have misunderstood, as Eddie had died in 1978, or did MR sample his trumpet solo? Anyway, this is a pleasant, laidback interpretation, though I didn't much care for the camp sailor look the band were adopting. Geoff's string vest and shorts combo was particularly unappealing - maybe wearing this hastened his departure from the band?
ReplyDeleteAs with Fame on its first TOTP outing, the video we see here for Eye of the Tiger consists of clips from the film, with the soundtrack occasionally drowning out the music. At least the clips aren't random, instead drawing a contrast between Rocky's celebrity lifestyle and Mr T's determination to reach the top - I wasn't expecting the Muppets to make a cameo! As Julie notes above, some of the Haircuts' body language did not feel right in this performance, and tensions would reach a head during the recording sessions for the next album that Kid mentions here, when a reputedly stressed and depressed Nick Heyward would be forced out of the band. Nobody's Fool is lesser played than their other big hits, and lyrically it is rather repetitive, but from a musical point of view it is quite interesting and intricate; appropriately in the circumstance, the overall mood feels darker than it was on the previous hits.
The Kids From Fame all look eminently slappable in this video, particularly the goon on roller skates, and the weak, lightweight tune doesn't help. If they were real students, they would definitely have got a "fail" for this from me! Captain Sensible next, using the same Mickey Mouse alarm clock as appears in the video for this single, and paving the way for Vanilla Ice and Eminem as he tries his hand at rapping. This isn't too bad, and I like the bit where he disses Adam Ant and pushes his double to the floor, but it goes on a little bit too long.
It's nice to hear a Talk Talk song other than It's My Life, and this debut hit is something of a gem, elevated by Mark Hollis' distinctive vocals and an eerie video - like Dory however, I am puzzled that they weren't in the studio this week. Thomas Dolby does make it, and I certainly think Howard Jones was making notes during this rather flashy, self-consciously futuristic performance. Sadly the song is a bit of a plodder, and does not match up to the visuals.
Happily, the same is not the case for Duran Duran, whose latest sumptuous, bar-raising promo is accompanied by one of their better tracks, unfortunate "doo doo" vocal bits aside. The band were on a real roll now, and American success was just around the corner. By contrast Soft Cell were nearing the end of their time in the sun, and I don't think this effort is quite up to the level of their previous singles, not helped by Marc forcing his vocals into a higher range towards the end.
I suspect Kid must have committed the mortal sin in his final link of mentioning that DLT was hosting the next show, as there definitely looked to be a clunky edit coming out of the Dexy's performance. We then get some surprisingly desultory dancing to The Belle Stars to finish - even more remarkably, there doesn't seem to be much clapping going on...
I read somewhere, many moons ago, that the trumpet used by Modern Romance's John Du Prez on 'Cherry Pink' had once belonged to Eddie Calvert. I think that was what David Jensen meant.
Deletejohn presumably you are inferring that "it's my life" gets played ad nauseum on oldies radio? in that case i would have thought it would have been "life's what you make it"...
DeleteYou are correct John. Kid says 'Next week DLT will be introducing the action'.
DeleteThanks for that Julie - I suspect that probably is what Kid was trying to say. Thanks also to Anonymous for confirming my suspicions!
DeleteWilberforce - I wouldn't say It's My Life gets played a huge amount on the radio, but it tends to be the only Talk Talk record you hear. As is the way of these things, I wouldn't mind betting that I end up hearing Today or Life's What You Make It on one of the stations I listen to in the next few days...
Both fine songs John but Talk Talk (the song), Happiness Is Easy, Living In Another World and The Last Time are all worth a listen. I'm sure the first of them made the top 40 so hopefully it'll be on TOTP.
DeleteSome good music on here…and some not so good. Bit of a mixed bag really.
ReplyDeleteModern Romance – Cherry Pink – Nice cover of the old hit. Enjoyed this very much having not heard it since 1982.
Survivor – Eye of the Tiger – Agree with the comments above. This sounds speeded up. I know that the video shown on subsequent weeks is different and features the band, but this really does capture the excitement of this action packed film and this music is so apt for it. Great stuff.
Haircut 100 – Nobody’s fool –Not heard this for ages either and it sounds pretty good. Percussionist Mark Fox banging the tambourine looks cool as always but it’s not got the joie de vivre of ‘Love plus one’.
Kids from Fame – Hi fidelity – At the time I hated this and I still do. Al that bouncing up and down. I much preferred REO Speedwagon’s album ‘Hi Infidelity’.
Captain Sensible – Wot – Aghhhh…him again. Sorry nothing to say that’s good about this. I wonder what die-hard Damned fans thought of this nonsense?
Talk Talk – Today – Classy looking video (videos were well and truly here now weren’t they…more later). I wonder if the well-known telecoms company named themselves after this band?
Thomas Dolby – Windpower – It’s an impressive performance from the enigmatic Mr Dolby but this just lacks a tune. The next hit ‘She blinded me with science’ was quite big in the US.
Duran Duran – Save a Prayer – Sumptuous tune and video. Like a good wine, it’s aged really well. This is just a really good video with some fabulous scenery and certainly paved the way for the even more famous next release…
Soft Cell – What – A decent tune with the word ‘what’ spelt correctly! Love the keyboard break in this one and the last verse going up a few tones. A great run of hits for the duo.
Dexys Midnight Runners – Come on Eileen – Still sounds good. As mentioned by others, where was the video? I could have sworn I recalled it from ToTP?
Belle Stars – Clapping Song – Good song to dance out to, but still going up?
Captain Sensible was involved to two interesting crossovers this week:
Delete1. The crossover with Talk Talk where the performance starts with someone getting out of bed.
2. The crossover with Soft Cell for the same song title, albeit spelt differently.
With regard to The Belle Stars, yes, they were still climbing up the charts, but I was hoping for the video which TOTP never showed, and could have been shown this week instead of a rather cropped end-credits outing. Pity that, cos the video is quite fun and sexy, and worth watch, before it we say goodbye to this classic:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8A2u5vMBcEo
yes the music may have been a bit of a mixed bag, but this probably the first show ever (with the possible exception of captain sensible, but even his solo career had only just started) where every act was in sync with the times, rather than being some old leftovers from the 70's or even earlier!
DeleteSo the fact that Hot Chocolate were stuck at No.5, and not going down yet even as at 19th Aug, and not on TOTP since the 29th July edition, is possibly with your logic to keep the 70s bands shut out of this show at whatever cost?
DeleteLoving Hi Fidelity!
ReplyDeleteAll this Fame exposure is giving me an incredible nostalgic boner to watch the TV series immediately after the end of the show.
Sadly, only the first two series seem to be available on DVD . . . still, I imagine it's during the early days that all the hit songs get featured.
Fame in the 80s was a lot like The Monkees in the 60s, spinning off pop hits from a successful TV show so that the actors became bona fide pop stars.
DeleteA veritable edition of two halves this one and, thankfully, its the second half where it picks up and partially washes away the awful taste of the first few acts.
ReplyDeleteModern Romance. Never got this lot and never got this as a choice of single. Du Prez has either got lungs made of flexible steel or else he was miming.
Survivor. Absolute shoite of the highest order - made shoitier by its overuse in all manner of sporting events and shows ever since. The film wasn't all that, either.
Haircut 100 disappearing rapidly down pop's 'where are they now' tube with a song which consists of a lengthy intro and a lengthier outro with nothing inbetween. Nicky Boy is itching to go solo isn't he?
Kids From Fame. Oh dear. I hold my hand up to watching the TV show back in the day - possibly because of the run-on from totp. I think I watched it despite the 'lets-do-the-show-right-here' ness of the songs rather than because of them. The blonde guy who takes over the bass really annoyed me by holding it as though he had never seen anyone hold a guitar before. Oh, and Bruno should never, EVER have been allowed to sing. Ever.
Captain Sensible. Obviously the enormous and unexpected success of Happy Talk required a swift followup, and the fact that this dirge was considered the best option should tell you all you need to know about Sensible's album.
So it was all doom and gloom at Shakey Towers at this point, but lo, things were about to get a whole lot better.
Talk Talk and the excellent Today. As mentioned above, one of those hits that gets overlooked these days. And thats a shame, because this is really rather wonderful. And a proper MTV-ready 80s video to acompany it.
Thomas Dolby going all Silicon Valley geeky on us. There is a decent tune in here, somewhere, but nice to see someone correctly predicting the way music was heading.
Duran. The most 80s of song and video. That haunting and lonely riff still has the power to move me. Reminds me vividly of some wonderful times and for that, I would like to thank Simon et al.
Soft Cell. Another brilliant song that gets overlooked these days. Ok, its not as good as Torch or Bedsitter but its still a damn fine song.
Dexys still at the top and The Belle Stars clapping our way out.
POINTS. Kid gets a swift return to the mic, and he is still on top of his game. Comes across as knowledgable and likeable, with good links, and a good rundown. 8.
The show collars a 2 for the first half and an 8 for the second - averaging out to an average 5.
I found all the studio performances (that's all 5 of them... how times have changed...) for this show, as well, of course, as the videos. I passed over the Survivor vid because of overfamiliarity and while it's a good piece of early '80s Yank rock the lead singer's voice has always grated. 'Nobody's Fool', on the other hand was a fave rave of mine back then which I subsequently forgot about until I dug it out at hospital radio in the '00s. Still excellent, particularly the 12" version.
ReplyDeleteThe beginning of 'Wot' was another of those pantomime moments which Michael Hurll seemed to be quite keen on at the time.
Personally I think that this is one of Soft Cell's best singles. Like their debut it was one of those Northern Soul numbers which must surely have been an influence on them during their student days.
although i never completely forgot about "nobody's fool", it was one of those recordings that for some reason never seemed to feature on the spate of 80's compilation CD's that came out several years back, so i never had the opportunity to rip it to my computer. but fortunately in the last year or so i finally got my hands on a CD deluxe issue of "pelican west" that included the 12" version. and i agree with 20th that it is still excellent
Deleteof course most of the bit chart hits from the 60's to the 90's ended up being released on budget compilation CD's, but there are still a few glaring exceptions. for instance i never found any of alvin stardust's hits on any. presumably they were absent due to copyright holders demanding too much money for their use?
Wonder why Kid only had two weeks from his last show to this one. It would normally be at least four weeks before there was a chance for anyone to do another show.
ReplyDeleteAugust is summer holiday season, and I would have thought that some of the other TOTP hosts were on holiday, and so enter David Jensen for the second time in three weeks.
DeletePoor show, BBC! 9.30 on the Sunday after and you’re still showing the truncated edition on BBC iPlayer, so still no “Hi-Feidelity” (hi!) or “Wot”, which I think stood for waste of time.
ReplyDeleteDavid Kid’s worst show in my opinion. Twice he said Soft Cell were the highest new entry yet, in the countdown, they were followed by the highest new entry by Toto Coelo at number 12, he referred to the chart countdown at first before reverting to the reviled hitsound countdown, and completely got it wrong about Thomas Dolby’s TOTP career.
Kool and the Gang were obviously having “Big Fun” judging by the facial expressions in their mugshot.
A right pig’s ear from Modern Romance. Obvious miming by the trumpeter (note the lack of puffed cheeks), Geoffrey Deane looked a right prawn (how I yearned for Sailor, the very first act of this entire re-run if I remember correctly) and that olde style BBC mic had no cable connected to the ribbon. Oh, and the cover was bobbins.
Personally, I was glad Survivor were sped up. It meant they were over with quicker. I saw an ad in that video which said “Budweiser. Beer”. No, it should have read “Budweiser. Pissy rice-flavoured rip-off of the original and way better Czech Budva”.
Haircut 100 sounded quite muddy and echoey. Loved the tambourine and xylophone co-ordination. Nick obviously thought “Bugger! I’ve missed my cue. I’ll just smile and hope they don’t notice”. This is one of the great canon of songs which is the sole forgotten hit by an act who had a cluster of chart entries (further example – “The Other Side Of Love” by Yazoo).
A fine vid for Talk Talk, apart from the bloke (Mr. Hollis?) who looks like he’s got a tooth missing when baying “Today” in the first chorus, and that horrible bit when the kid’s irises and pupils disappear and are replaced by band members. The song was a decent pointer to the future, as was our next act.
The “Adam Ant Pound Note” award for a dated song goes to “Windpower” with its now obsolete Morse code. Surely the dimmest ever atmospheric lighting for an act on the show, and the first sighting of a call centre headphone mic? Even better instrument co-ordination here by Thomas Dolby.
Worst mock instrumentation ever goes to Duran Duran for pretending to replicate a synth with panpipes. Wasn’t the video for “Rio” also filmed in Sri Lanka? Did the lads get a ‘buy one get one free' offer for filming vids while they were out there?
The chorus for “What” always reminds me of, erm, “Always Something There To Remind Me”. Dave Ball in a leather jacket? No ‘tache? Smiling??? Was this the first occasion a lyric was imprinted over an act while still in full flow?
Arthur - in fairness to Kid he might have meant that Soft Cell were brand new into the chart, while Toto Coelo were only new to the Top 30.
DeleteThe Hungry Like the Wolf video was filmed in Sri Lanka. Rio was made in Antigua - not sure why they didn't just shoot it in Rio...
Starting with Modern Romance is a really weird idea as their cover isn't very exciting and they would've been better opening with Soft Cell or Haircut 100 if you ask me!
ReplyDeleteSurvivor - Anyone who isn't utterly bored by this song yet is a CRAZY FOOL!
Haircut 100 - I echo what others have said about this being unfairly forgotten, not least because it doesn't get included on compilations. I must say that I rather like it.
Kids From Fame - Hmm...the guy playing Danny has never held a guitar before, has he? Poor Lee Curreri as well, having his weedy vocals broadcast to everyone. The single version is much better and I've always loved it - let me guess, we only get on a Yewtreed show I bet?
Captain Sensible - So awful that I'm half convinced that he hated being a pop star an was deliberately scuppering his 'pop' career.
Talk Talk - A lot of their fans, and to some extent the band themselves, are a bit sniffy about the earlier synth based stuff. Well, sod'em because I love this!
Thomas Dolby - The best that can be said is that this is a proper performance in the strictest sense of the word. Shame there's no tune. It always mystified me that 'She Blinded Me With Science' never made the Top 40 given it got a lot of airplay and the video was shown a fair bit. Now THAT was a top song!
Duran Duran - I've always loved this one, and when I saw them in concert about a year ago they did it brilliantly.
Soft Cell - In a similar vein to Haircut 100, you never hear this one, do you? Shame, as I think it's a cute little pop tune.
I was never a massive fan of Modern Romance, well certainly not visually, I didn't mind some of their Latin-fuelled songs even if they were lyrically a bit silly (Ay Ay Ay Ay Moosey indeed). But this was something different. Camp and a bit daft this was nice to see an old classic in the charts performed in a classic style and the singer deserves a medal for wearing those shorts and a string vest.
ReplyDeleteThe video not made yet we instead get a compilation of clips from the Rocky film to accompany Eye Of The Tiger. I was never a fan of the Rocky films or Stallone and could never get what all the fuss was about but I didn't mind the song even though it's played to death now.
Nick Heyward in his Tiny Tim outfit sits in what looks Ronnie Corbett's chair. Why? Was he tired poor thing. Not much of a tune and the chorus is very simple but it harks back to the days of Help-era Beatles. But i looses something at the end when Nick struggles to decide which lines to mime to when he's doing his own backing vocals.
High Fidelity. Sadly not the Elvis Costello song, or even a track from the Reo Speedwagon album Hi Un-fidelity but instead the Kids From Fame looking and sounding a bit embarrassing and twee to be brutally honest. Sorry guys but this stinks and I think that secretly we knew it at the time. They made the Kids from The Brady Bunch look like Motorhead by comparison. But I like the concept of this all happening in a musical instrument shop and the 8 foot tall guy doing body popping on roller skates. You don't see that every day.
According to Kid the next ep of The Kids From Fame followed immediately after TOTP. That was a lie. They always show a few trailers in between and then there's the continuity announcer. Actually it was a shame Kid Creole wasn't on the show because then we could have Kid with Kid and The Kids.
Captain Sensible reverts to type on this self-penned attempt at British rap. It's okay I suppose but I never bought it and it was never going to be number one. The Dolly Mixture girls don't have a lot to do and pretend to play the synth when they're not badly miming the backing vocals. It's hard to believe that one of them - Debsey - would go on to work with some serious musicians in the shape of St Etienne.
The lead singer of Talk Talk always reminded me of Hywel Bennet. Must be the hair. I liked this a lot and got into their stuff for a while, my fave being Life's What You Make It. This video was typical of early 80s videos with half a story and lots of quick edits but none of it really make any sense.
I also liked Thomas Dolby. His 1983 Flat Earth album was one of my purchases of the time plus the later singles Budapest By Blimp and I Love You Goodbye. This combines electronics with jazzy touches and is a brilliant performance. I like the way he masked out the annoying cheerleaders with dry ice, laserbeams and lights. I guess the lyrics could be quite appropriate in these days of exiting the EU - "Switch off you mind and let your heart decide. There is no enemy. We're a continent".
Duran Duran's video is a glossy affair which detracts from what is a very beautiful song. I met someone at this point in my life just when things were going wrong for me and this reminds me of them.
Soft Cell were another big fave of mine. But this sounds a bit different from the single with Marc's vocals too low in the mix and he's struggling to be heard but what a song. I hope we get to see the video where Mari Wilson makes an appearance.
The Top Ten and Dexys again. The scheduled programme was only supposed to be 35 minute long but this was over 36 mins which may be why they ended without Dexys caption before Kid hurriedly ends the show before a brief snatch of The Belle Stars. So maybe he was right and The Kids From Fame DID follow immediately because they had overrun.
All in all this was a brilliant show with only Captain Sensible letting the side down and the fact that Zoo were conspicuous by their absence was a huge plus.
it's a shame that the cramps weren't on this edition either, as their guitarist at the time was kid congo powers!
DeleteThe edit at the end of Dexys was a 2016 one, as Kid mentions DLT in his final link.
DeleteYes I can see that now, pathetic isn't it.
DeleteWhen Kid said that Fame immediately followed Pops he is right in the sense that it is the programme that immediately came after this one.
DeleteIt was new member NNelly who pointed out last week that singer Francis Rufelle was part of the crowd. She is the mother of singer Eliza Doolittle but is also the daughter of Sylvia Young who of course was famous for running an acting school. This might explain the presence of a lot of the so-called cheerleaders including Craig Frairbrass and others. Now we know who's to blame.
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