We came, we saw, we conga-ed
13/12/84 (Peter Powell & Steve Wright)
Black Lace – “Do The Conga” (13)
Went up three more places.
Wham! – “Last Christmas” (2) (video)
The biggest ever selling number 2.
Paul Young – “Everything Must Change” (17)
Peaked at number 9.
Kool & The Gang – “Fresh” (11) (rpt from 29/11/84)
At its peak.
Madonna – “Like A Virgin” (5)
Went up two more places.
Tears For Fears – “Shout” (32) (video)
Peaked at number 4.
Gary Glitter – “Another Rock ‘N’ Roll Christmas” (22)
His 12th and final top ten hit, peaking at number 7.
The Toy Dolls – “Nellie The Elephant” (16)
Peaked at number 4.
Band Aid – “Do They Know It’s Christmas” (1) (video/credits)
First of five weeks at number one for what was at the time, and for a long time after, the biggest selling single ever in the UK.
Back to BBC4 next for December 20th.
wham: where's the chorus, george?
ReplyDeletepaul young: this self-written effort (with his keyboard player and musical MD "the rev" ian kewley) is actually quite listenable (and the modulation works well too), but his records are probably the most hideously-dated from this era production-wise (the double-hit snare effect on this gets on my wick after a while). presumably that's bj cole plastering hawaiian slide guitar all over it? he is so ubiquitious on that instrument that even i've been on the same recording as him (although we weren't actually in the studio at the same time)
tears for fears: another so-so single from what was a brilliant album to follow. they had the sense to release "head over heels" after this, but sadly the utterly breathtaking "the working hour" never saw the light of day in that respect
gary glitter: i put together a musical revue whilst i was at university, and when we did a show at christmas i was urged to cover this by a friend. given what happened what happended later on, perhaps fortunately i went with "have yourself a merry little christmas" instead. as xmas efforts go its quite jolly, and certainly better than dreary rubbish by the likes of macca, lennon and reg, and as such it's a shame it's now been airbrushed out of the airwaves due to its author's unsavoury habits
toy dolls: err... the dickies were doing this kind of thing several years earlier
band aid: don mclean claimed the day the music died was when buddy holly's plane crashed. i say it was more likely the day bob big gob decided to get his sleb chums to make this record for charidee. the beginning of the end...
Chorus or no chorus, I was wondering first off, where was the skiing location? I liked the way they were setting up the house party after the skiing day, with Shirlie Holliman setting the dinner table with the plastic/paper plates. She can set my dinner table any time. I also liked the way that Andrew was making George jealous by schmoozing his intended girlfriend, no not Pepsi or Shirlie, but a new cutie that we had not seen before. Hmmm, I wonder what she is doing nowadays? But all was well in the end, as George gets to frolick with her on the snow later on in the video, and everyone is happy ever after.
DeletePaul Young seemed to take a leaf out of Nick Hayward's book when Heyward brought his Temptations-style backing singers in a TOTP show only three weeks earlier, and so Paul Young thought he could muscle in on this idea on this week's show? Hmm, copycat! It was that, or Mr Young borrowed some of the Kool & The Gang personnel on from this same show. Good Lord!
Tears For Fears best album by a distance was Songs From The Big Chair, and this release called Shout was my favourite and still is. TFF were embarking on their greatest period now with this album's singles offerings. Head Over Heels came out second best to Shout, but by a whisker.
With songs like this from The Toy Dolls, is it any surprise that your good self and Shakey Shakerson are quitting (or have already quit) the show by the end of the 1984 repeats? I mean Good Lord, Nellie The Elephant was like something out of Tiswas all over again!
actually george wasn't happy ever after, as he wanted to have sex with other men rather than women!
Deletethe toy dolls is just a novelty anomaly that invades the charts in every era, no matter how good or bad music is generally. what concerns me far more is that the stuff by practically everyone else in 1984 is generally piss-poor (and far worse than i remember it being). my original reason for jacking it in at this point was because pop changed forever for the worse when musicians decided they could change the world by making records for charidee, but i now realise the rot was already setting in!
The more I listen to The Toy Dolls, the more it sounds uncannily like Lilly The pink by The Scaffold, a 1969 hit, where they also have that woaaaaaah lead-up towards the end. On Lilly The PinK it goes, "weeeeeeeeeee'llllllll drink a drink a drink to Lilly the pink the pink the pink. I guess The Toy Dolls were doing a copycat idea taken from Lilly The Pink. Just listen to both songs and see what I mean.
Deleteyou mean you've actually listened to the toy dolls more than once? i'll just have to take your word on the resemblance to "lily the pink" (which was also a novelty hit by the way) resemblance to "lily the pink" (which was also a novelty hit by the way)
DeleteGood Lord yes, Nellie The Elephant was the sequel to Lily The Pink, albeit 15 years later in 1984, even though the Toy Dolls would not admit the blatant resemblance and stealing The Scaffold's creativity for themselves.
DeleteThe worst part of this all was the final escalation, where The Scaffold goes, weeeeeeeeee'llll drink a drink a drink to Lily the pink the pink the pink, and then what do the Toy Dolls do? a similar gang up towards the end with wwwwwoooooooooaaaaa Nellie The Elephant.....
Oh please Toy Dolls, we were not born yesterday, so stop copying other people's ideas.
i think there's perhaps a bit of over-analysis going on here? if you feel that strongly about it, maybe you should bring it to the attention of messrs gorman, mcgear & mcgough (alias the scaffold) in order that they engage their solicitors?
DeleteAngelo, there is no way they could have just edited out Gary Glitter, simply because it was part of the chart rundown, and if they removed all the narrative which was talked right over the No.22 mug shot, they would then have no No.22, and it would have looked even stranger, so let's not give BBC4 a hard time on this, and I would say that it was correct to leave out this show, rather than have no.22 on our screen due to editing out Glitter across the narrative of him within the chart rundown. Besides, his miming was not very in tune on this performance, so what is all the fuss about?
ReplyDeleteBlack Lace - me thinks that the follow up to this was The Locomotion a few years later by Kylie Minouge, based on the common them of the trainline configuration of the dancing studio audience this week!
Kool & The Gang seem to be introducing Madonna throughout their song, by saying "she's fresh, exciting, she's so exciting to me..." Perhaps this was why the two performances were set one after the other on this week's show? Good Lord, even Steve Wright confirmed this Kool & The Gang introduction to Madonna for three minutes of their own song!
Madonna - so she flew in specially for TOTP to sing Like A Virgin? Good Lord, this was not to last, as there could not have been any more visits from her, considering her post-1984 fame and celebrity mogul status. I would not be surprised if this was her last visit to the TOTP studio. Oh dear, videos-only would become the norm for her on TOTP from 1985 onwards.
Chart rundown - Good Lord, Ghostbusters back in the chart at No.33 this week. Whatever next? Just in time for Xmas, eh. And what of The Temptations, now about to slide out of the top 30, with not even a single play or even playout in the last few weeks. Seems like they were given the Billy Joel-style shun on the show for some reason.
Madonna did return to the TOTP studio, but not I think until the mid-90s, when she performed the rather fine ballad You'll See.
DeleteWell, I would have quite liked to have seen this edition on BBC4, Dory. It's a fine show and deserves a high quality broadcast. Personally, I'd rather have a dodgy edit in the middle of the show, than no show at all. I don't like to give the BBC at hard time, I'm thankful for these repeats, but I do think that in this instance, they were feeble.
DeleteMadonna did indeed return in 1995 and was back in 2000 for Music and Don't Tell Me.
DeleteGood Lord Dory! You'll wear out the 'G', 'O', 'D', 'L' and 'R' letters on your keyboard if you put 'Good Lord' in every paragraph!!
Deletehe could put "good god" instead, and then save wear and tear on the "L" and "R" keys
DeleteGood G-d!
DeletePP is summoned back to TOTP duty very quickly, though sadly for him he gets lumbered with Wrighty this time. Having said that, the two seem to get along quite well, and Wrighty is a bit less annoying than he sometimes is - I liked his nudge-nudge reference to Janice while standing next to PP in the final link.
ReplyDeleteMusically this show ranged from the sublime to the ridiculous, with the looming festive season now making its presence well and truly felt. Black Lace move from closing to opening act, complete with bits of streamer and tinsel, and someone has thought this time to get a conga line going. I must have seen the Last Christmas video more often than any other, but it is still fun in a soapy way. The song has long since become a seasonal classic, but while it is an accomplished piece of pop I have heard it too often to enjoy it much these days. In any case the other half of this double A-side, Everything She Wants, is to my mind the superior song and possibly the best thing Wham ever did.
As mentioned already by Dory, Paul Young has seemingly taken note of Nick Heyward's performance the other week and brought along his own black vocal group. I like this very soulful song a lot, and Paul's vocals are top-notch - it is probably his best single post-1983. A very different kind of performance follows later from Madge, although if she wanted to convey sexiness why put that stupid pink wig on? It rather diminishes the impact of the floor-writhing at the end...
Tears For Fears were right back on form with the mighty Shout, a totemic anthem which would eventually, and deservedly, top the American charts. Quite a scenic video too, with Durdle Door taking a starring role. Santa Gary next, just the kind of person no parent would want coming down their chimney after dark! As with many of GG's hits it is a shame this is now so tainted, as it is a fun party record. Why did he bother wearing that guitar when it just seemed to impede his stomping around?
I don't remember The Toy Dolls single at all, but there's no doubt this punky take on the old kids' "classic" is complete and utter rubbish! It might have worked better if they had just kept it all at a fast tempo, but the constant stopping and starting gets very irritating very quickly - they don't exactly have an appealing stage presence, either. By contrast, I remember the new number 1 extremely well from the time, with my parents buying the single, and even at the age of 5 I found it quite exciting to have all these big pop stars in the same room singing together. Whatever the positives and negatives of Band Aid's long-term legacy, I think this is actually (lyrics aside) a very good record, greatly enhanced by Midge's production skills, and the final singalong still sends a chill up my spine. However, I agree with Wilberforce that in retrospect this was the end of an era for British pop, as a number of the big names featured here would not remain chart regulars for that much longer...
I remember Everything She Wants was the post-Xmas flipside of Last Christmas, and also being completely taken in by it as something completely different to what Wham had done up to now, and liked it a lot, but I don't know why they insisted on a black-and-white video for it.
DeleteOn the contrary, I do remember The Toy Dolls single, and being worried that it might get to No.1 and embarrass everyone. Agreed that is is utter drivel, but I can understand its release at this time of year to pull in the kids and teenagers as important record-buying customer groups.
Yes, 1984 was the last 'great year' of pop music, but there was still a lot of good music after, and the decline was very gradual up to 1995, when I think the old guard was finally swept away for good, and just as the internet era had arrived.
yes i agree with john (and dory for a change) that it was a shame that "everything she wants" was pretty much sacrificed as the other side of a "double A side"* single with "last christmas", as it was some kind of return to form after the mock-motown rubbish of that year. surprisingly a remix that was released in 1997 is actually better than the original:
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9s2EimOQtY
i had a listen to the lyrics out of interest, and it seems that george was somewhat jaded with the lady friend in his life - i wonder if this was written with his girlfriend of the time in mind, or perhaps the fairer sex in general?
* i still don't get why these "double A side" singles were released from time to time. why couldn't all singles have been like that rather than use the other side for any old filler (although i have to admit that i discovered quite a few unexpected gems on the flip sides)?
ironically back in the 60's they used to release 7" EPs that showcased most of what was on albums, in case somebody couldn't afford the whole thing but wanted to own more than just a couple of tracks off it. and you could even hear it in a listening booth in the record shop in advance, to make sure you liked it enough to be worth it! of course those days are back again now as a result of the internet, but looking back it seems incredible that for 30 years or so the only way you could buy an album without being guaranteed it wasn't a waste of money was through listening to one bought by by someone you knew who had already taken that gamble. otherwise all you could do (unless buying on the strength of a couple of singles, which were usually far superior to the rest of the album) was take the word of some music press reviewer... who may have been on the take from the record company anyway! it's rather incredulous in retrospect io suppose, in the same manner that everybody thought it was okay to smoke fags in the decades before that. however, i'm pleased to say i never really fell for the album con - even though it meant i didn't get to hear the odd album track i now like for many years afterwards (i find if i like even a third of what's on the average album from that era, then i'm doing well!). the other thing was that if i couldn't borrow such an album from a mate to copy it to cassette, i would encourage them to buy it by offering half towards it so they could then keep it after i had taped it!
Double A sides would likely have meant less singles released and probably fewer sales.
DeleteWilberforce - my dad was an avid listener to Radio Caroline in the 70s, when it had reinvented itself as a specialist album station. At the time I think quite a few of his album purchases were influenced by tracks played on Caroline, though of course there was still always the danger that the tracks you didn't hear would turn out to be duffers!
Deletethe americans were far luckier than we were, in that they had radio stations that not only dedicated themselves to playing non-single album cuts (and sometimes the album in its entirety), but they also had loads that specialised in music for listeners that were into a particular kind of genre i.e. soul, prog, etc. of course all most of had in blighty was dear old radio 1 bombarding us with their playlist of mostly chart pop several times a day (with a cursory nod to less-commercial music in the evenings and at weekends). the other thing was that until the late 70's the reception on radio 1 (never mind the likes of the supposedly less-hidebound radio caroline or luxembourg!) was pretty dire throughout much of the country (certainly where i lived), so when i tried to listen to the robbie vincent disco music show (that was broadcast in the late afternoon on a saturday for a few months in 1978)i only heard white noise half the time! i suppose i was fortunate in being a fan of disco that i could get to hear stuff that interested me in nightclubs (i remember often having to ask the DJ what the track was he just played!). but in retrospect i really begrudge the fact that both the broadcasters and music press decided that we should all listen to and/or be aware of only a small fraction of the music that was available at the time!
DeleteThat's the great thing about now, we don't have to rely on the music press or DJs anymore. That means there's less unanimity but loads more choice. And choice is way better anyway.
DeleteIt seems to me that any critics canon of music should be open to individual assessment anyway, it's just a starting point. When people start to think in a group rather than for themselves they abdicate their own understanding and judgement.
Good point about the EP wilberforce, my Mum bought a few of those in the 60s. I think she has a couple of Beatles EPs and a Dave Clark Five one that is (I think) fairly rare. It would probably have been worth more if she hadn't stuck a (no doubt rarer) Dave Clark Five stamp on the front of the sleeve!!
Deletethanks noax! i used to mark up all the singles i bought in the 70's with my initials on the labels, of course not having the slightest idea that i might be devaluing what might otherwise be worth a bob or two in the future. i had this that was actually considered quite collectable at the time (even though i knew two other guys who also owned it - all our copies used to make the needle jump in the intro!), and the current asking price for one in NM is fifteen nicker. so i wonder how much a well-used initialled one is worth?
Deletehttps://www.discogs.com/Rhythm-Makers-Zone/release/1402728
Not sure if we've talked about this before but I'm pretty sure that I own nothing especially valuable though my 2 George Michael radio only CDs have probably increased in value lately...
DeleteI did have a Pet Shop Boys interview CD to promote Nightlife that is extremely rare but when I got sacked from the radio station I worked for and got asked if I wanted the stuff from my cupboard I (understandably given how I felt at the time) said that I didn't care about it. Whoops.
I do know someone who owns a copy of the HMV release of 'God Save The Queen'. He didn't buy it at the time, mind you, I think he paid somewhere between £50 and £100 for it quite some time ago. Still a worthwhile investment though!
What other dances could Black Lace have recorded? I can see them doing the Charleston. Or the hokey-cokey. Or the slosh. Anyway, at least there's an actual conga line this time.
ReplyDeleteIf I never see that bloody Wham video again it'll be too soon, it must be one of the most overplayed Christmas clips of all time, I'm surprised it hasn't been worn out completely. It's not even one of their better tunes.
Paul Young's offering, on the other hand, is one of his best, a great bit of soul updated to the 80s, with portentous lyrics seemingly ringing the changes on the pop scene as '85 loomed. Though Paul and his singers look like they're on their way back from a sales conference.
Kool and the Gang, we've seen this one, not often we get a non-No.1 repeated studio performance now.
Madonna with her tonsorial tribute to Mrs Slocombe on Are You Being Served? Quentin Tarantino had his own ideas of what this song was about at the start of Reservoir Dogs, of course. Anyway, what a mover.
Boring video for Tears for Fears doing their primal scream therapy, and their song isn't my favourite of their output, but it has a beefy, insistent sound that makes it stand out.
Why couldn't Queen have been in the studio with their Christmas cash-in instead of Gaz? It's fluff, really, cynical fluff at that and not very well sung, but maybe because it's not often heard I'm not sick of it, and never will be now (!).
Everyone at the time was talking about the woooooooooooooooooooooooaaaah!!! in the Toy Doll's record. I suppose you're allowed a bit of silliness at the season to be jolly, but they do look like 1978 called and want their novelty tune back.
Band Aid, what more can be said? Ironically, the charity craze would see off a swathe of the acts we see in the video.
bryan ferry was partial to mentioning dance rhythms in his songs. he also recorded some of his tunes in a "jazz age" style a few years back, which no doubt the charleston could be danced to:
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APqj54GyLkk&list=PLQnxI6K2w1qXvG97fdhgGPi8_2Liwh6Rn&index=3
Yes THX, Toy Dolls copied the Christmas idea from The Wooooooooooooooaaaaah!! idea from The Scaffold's Christmas 1969 hit Lily The Pink:
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2x8D4T--0v4
Whatever anyone says, I prefer Lily The Pink over Nellie The Elephant.
The Scaffold were "Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee'll..." not "Wooooooooooooooooooooooooaah!", though. Kind of similar, but not identical.
DeleteYes agreed, but the idea of using an escalation was copied as both were Xmas hits.
Deleteall i can add to this ridiculous tirade is "Woooooooooooooooooooooaah!"
DeleteToy Dolls – I very much remember this at the time. While I didn't like it much I can see the popularity now. It probably ended up having an attraction with several audiences, including the novelty christmas kids song market. The same one McCartney was after. It is ok.
ReplyDeletePaul Young - Liked it more than I thought I would. The black backing singers are just references the soul influence on British music which I mentioned before. I don't think he needed to look just to Nick Heyward, Culture Club had done such a thing before.
I just thought now that 'band aid' has a double meaning I suppose, obviously band as in group (though I think band is more an American term). And band aid as in something to cover affected skin. Although Americans would probably get that meaning as we tend to say bandage/plaster.
The song itself I've never loved, even though it's put together cleverly and performed well it feels somewhat concocted which the Christmas jingly part and the anthem at the end, along with the need to accommodate all the different vocals. It's ok though.
Shout is a powerful song, it's like it punches you with the music with the relentless accents on the beat.
Thanks James – a great shame BBC4 viewers missed this edition! I definitely recall watching this one.
ReplyDeleteBlack Lace – Do the Conga – Probably the lowlight, but saying that it’s not bad for what it is and this time we get a conga!
Wham – Last Christmas – Biggest selling no2 but don’t forget they flipped it after Christmas and promoted a remixed ‘Everything she wants’. So that must have helped. Still love the video and Steve Wright must have introduced it countless times on Christmas ToTP2 shows (shame he stopped doing those).
Paul Young – Everything must change – The Fabulous Wealthy Tarts have been replaced by a male trio but it’s a great song. The double single limited edition featured an instrumental version with Paul’s Christmas message which basically wished everyone a Merry Christmas.
Kool and the Gang – Fresh – Still sounds fresh. Looked a little out of place as a repeat with the T-Shirts.
Madonna – Like a Virgin – Ah the legendary pink wig. No wonder Steve couldn’t believe his eyes!
Tears for Fears – Shout – Agree with PP, this is wonderful. The way it builds to a climax with Manny Elias’s great drumming. I thought I spotted Durdle Dor near the start. What a time to release a great record with the two mega sellers hitting the charts this week.
Gary Glitter – Another Rock n’ Roll Christmas – I recall my Mum telling me that GG had a nice ‘beaty number’ out for Christmas and I loved it. My prized copy of ‘Now the Christmas Compact Disc’ has it on and I never skip it. The performance here is not particularly good however and there’s no glitter on show!
Toy Dolls – Nellie the Elephant – What an almighty micky taking party record this was. Went down a treat at parties with everyone jumping around to the chorus. The biggest surprise is that Mandy Miller’s original never charted despite copious airplay on the likes of Ed Stewart’s ‘Junior Choice’.
Band Aid – Do they know it’s Christmas – I certainly recall the credits rolling when this was first on and, like ‘Last Christmas’ I never tire of it. Phil’s drumming really makes this track which, as he explains in his book, he made up on the spot. Talent.
…and at no41 is one of my favourite song videos….Foreigner ‘I want to know what love is’ which we’ll see soon. Also bobbing up and down at no47 is Strawberry Switchblade and ‘Since Yesterday’ which has been around for a while but would explode into the top regions very soon. Finally, what’s Ray Parker Junior doing back in the top40? Well, the song refuses to die and is going back up!!
I don't remember being aware of Everything She Wants at the time.
DeleteThe Foreigner song is one of those US productions that I will have disliked at the time, however over time, to my benefit, I am more accepting. Though Waiting For a Girl Like You is better for me.
I don't really focus on what are the lowlights for me as I like to be positive (and I won't trash music here), but if I picked one it would be Fresh, the chorus still seems very simple on an average hook.
Does anyone know what's happening to the repeats after they show the 20th December this week? The end of the Story Of 84 documentary seemed to hint we'd continue into 1985.
ReplyDeleteWell, there are no shows next week so I am guessing that we are going to have a break now until Christmas, when presumably the two festive editions from '84 will be broadcast - I am then assuming 1985 will begin in January. So eccentric has the scheduling become, however, that I don't really know what to expect anymore. I can't understand why they didn't show the last few regular '84 editions at the rate of one per week so that they would last until Christmas, rather than having this awkward gap.
DeleteAre we getting both festive editions this time - no banned DJs at all?!
DeleteWe should get both shows - the DJs were given this particular Christmas off.
DeleteWhen was the last time we had a Yewtree/Smitty free Christmas? 1976?
DeleteI think it was 1978, with Noel in his cupboard.
Delete1979 was the last Xmas edition shown but we only got 25/12/79 as 27/12/79 was co-presented by DLT.
DeleteWe have had a couple of end of year shows 31-12-81 with Mike Read and 29/12/83 with Gary Davies, Adrian John, Peter Powell, Richard Skinner & Tommy Vance.
BBC Four have also gone back further in time than before the repeats started with 1976 by showing the 2nd Xmas edition from 1975 with Noel Edmonds and Tony Blackburn.
I'm very glad we got the 25/12/79 one as it was a pretty awesome (Lena Martell standing in front of some twigs notwithstanding) edition and made up for the dreadful 1978 one. Sadly the 75 one was also rubbish. I guess they couldn't go any further back as even if the DJs were acceptable we'd get Glitter.
DeleteIt'll be interesting to see if the 85 special is shown. It was shown on Channel 5 a few years back and I'm sure there's a JK segment.
DeleteBasically, 1976 and 1978 are the only years in this repeat run where all the festive shows have been on BBC4, and of course in '78 there was only one! JK does indeed appear in the 1985 Xmas edition, with what I think is his very last TOTP US chart segment - hopefully BBC4 would just cut that out, as with all his other ones.
DeleteAnd 1976 could no longer be shown now in full, due to 'the tireless charity fundraiser' co presenting, plus the other 1975 Xmas edition, that Uk Gold showed is now double Yew Treed as Savile & Dlt present.
DeleteAs JK isn't in the studio chopping him out should be easy and presumably Smitty will need to be removed too.
DeleteSmitty did not host Xmas 1985 and JK's name appears in the end credits which would likely be enough to pull the whole edition.
DeleteUnlike the previous edition, I'm not overly bothered about missing this one as there's a lot that I've seen plenty of times.
ReplyDeleteWham! - Ah, the first single my wife ever bought. She still owns it in fact. It's enough, but I do object to the campaign to make it Christmas No.1 this year a) Because it's nowhere near George's best song so isn't a fitting tribute b) I actually LIKE the fact that it's the biggest selling song of all time not to top the chart and c) I hate these campaigns we get every year now to put x at the top of the chart. It all started with that Rage Against The Machine nonsense.
Paul Young - This is the one good thing that we're missing from this show. His last good single and not only do the backing singers look like old soul singers, one of them at least actually IS. Namely Jimmy Helms, then best known for his 70s hit 'Gonna Make You An Offer You Can't Refuse', later of Londonbeat.
Madonna - I have seen this too many times. And it's not that amazing really, is it? Steve Wright says 'you won't BELIEVE this' as if he's about to introduce Elvis on Shergar with Lord Lucan on backing vocals.
Tears For Fears - The song that rescued their career really, especially as it was huge in the US too. I don't care for it much to be honest.
Gary Glitter - A perfectly good pop song I suppose, certainly it's one of his where I feel it's a shame that we can't hear it now.
Toy Dolls - I hated it then and I still do. Irritating, childish nonsense that is much less grown up than the more widely hated Frog Chorus!
Band Aid - Well, of course we had a copy at the time. And I do remember butchers and other random shops in our high street selling it. My favourite version is actually the 1989 one (yes, really!) and the 2 more recent versions absolutely stink.
Noax - I like the 1989 SAW version also! I wouldn't say more than the 1984 original but definitely more than the other recent abominations!
DeleteIt must be the Kylie factor along with Chris Rea's gruff vocal.
Elvis On Shergar would have been great name for a punk / novelty band!
DeleteWell Elvis obviously died, Shergar was killed, Lord Lucan I guess was a mystery for some time. But ultimately it's all the tabloid trash kind of stuff, I'd happily use the word trash about the tabloids more than I would any song. I guess the modern equivalent would be them going on about Madeleine McCann endlessly even if there's nothing to report.
DeleteI'm back, with a new identity. What happened was that I had an idea for a new blog and so deleted the inactive 'placeholder' on my Blogger domain. Having no desire to recover it later, I clicked 'Delete Permanently' and then found out that my '20thcenturyrelic' domain name had been expunged from the face of the Earth! (Yes, it does tell you this Blogger Help, but not when you actually do it!) Google were quite intransigent, so having waited 90 days to see if the domain did become available again - and it didn't - I made sure that all variations of '20thcenturyrelic' went the same way (scorched earth policy), closed my Google account and moved over to WordPress. And very nice it is too. For anybody who has an interest in vintage technology, my blog is at:
ReplyDeletehttps://20thcenturyrelic.wordpress.com/
As for TOTP, like Wilberforce and Julie, this is pretty much 'it' for me. Although there was still a lot of hit singles I liked in 1985, this was the time my interests started to veer towards non-chart material.
I watched DLT's (unceremonious) final show with a tinge of sadness. We've now lost the last link with an era when the programme was much more light-hearted, whimsical and, well, FUN (unless you're a social justice warrior or a bitter late-middle-aged woman who was in the TOTP audience back in the 1970s). Apart from John Peel I don't see any stand-out personality presenters going forward from here. Radio 1 (and therefore TOTP) was filling up with whiney juvenile voices at this time - say what you like about Simon Bates but at least he had the voice for the job.
If we carry on into 1985 then I'm sure that there will continue to be shows available from non-BBC outlets, since Mike Smith appears on at least one show every month, but if we get as far as 1987 then we'll see a band name which will neatly sum things up for me: Curiosity Killed The Cat.
And get through 1986
Deletewelcome back 20th (even though it appears for only a month or so!) - you were certainly missed in my view. are you going to review the 1984 backlog?
Deletemention of curiosity killed the cat was going to give me another excuse to put up that charidee single where their now-long-forgotten singer was featured on the cover along with some more recognisable faces. but now i've come across the 12" version, which features others as well as him that were having their 15 minutes of fame alongside the superstars before swiftly heading for the "where are they now?" folder:
http://www.onges-erasure-page.co.uk/wp-content/images/oep/ferry-aid-12.jpg
Good news! BBC FOUR editor Cassian Harrison confirmed (twitter) totp 1985 ''coming in the new year''
ReplyDeleteGreat! Only a six week wait, then.
Delete... and you've got all this to look forward to!:
Deletehttps://www.discogs.com/Various-The-Greatest-Hits-Of-1985/release/385510
Actually, I bought five of those as singles. Might not be as bad a year as first predicted!
Delete17 of those tick the boxes for me! In fact I'll go as far as to say that a couple are amongst my favourites of 1985! I think I bought this LP back in the day!
DeletePhyllis Nelson's big No.1 Move Closer is the best from that list. It still holds up very well after all these years, closely followed by Debarge and Grant/Graham.
DeleteSadly we will remain quite dependent on Neil B and others for downloads during 1985, as Smitty presents 16 shows that year, and we may lose the Christmas Day show from BBC4 too assuming that he is one of the hosts. What makes it all the more galling is that he wasn't even a Radio 1 DJ at the time, but was still being used as a TOTP host regardless!
DeleteI won't be able to comment on this edition as, unfortunately, even the amended WeTransfer version requires at least an hour to download on my PC. At least you won't get my usual blather!
ReplyDeletearthur, why don't you do as i do and watch the separate performances (of which are there far more present than not) on youtube?
DeleteCould do, but it feels a bit too much like hard work at the mo. Sounds daft, but I've had rather a sapping time of this this year and I could do with less hassle and not more.
ReplyDelete