Leading lady
06/03/86 (Gary Davies & Dixie Peach)
Mike & The Mechanics – “Silent Running (On Dangerous Ground)” (25)
The debut hit for this Genesis spin off band, featuring Phil Collins soundalike (and lookalike!) Paul Carrack on lead vocals and it peaked at number 21.
Tavares – “Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel” (12) (video/chart)
We interrupt this song to bring you the new chart rundown! Not one of the show's better ideas, and the song itself was now at its re-mixed peak.
Kate Bush – “Hounds Of Love” (18)
In the studio to perform the title track from her monster number one album, but this terrific single could get no higher than number 18.
Frank Sinatra – “Theme From New York New York” (10) (live clip)
It had peaked at number 59 when originally released in 1980, but this time around it made it to number 4, becoming Frank's eleventh of twelve top ten hits and his first top ten hit since 1969.
Jim Diamond – “Hi Ho Silver” (16)
The theme song from the tv series Boon, this was Jim's final hit, peaking at number 5.
Mr Mister – “Kyrie” (29) (breaker)
Their second and final hit, peaking at number 11.
Prince – “Kiss” (27) (breaker)
One of his most famous songs and videos, Kiss peaked at number 6.
Whistle – “(Nothing Serious) Just Buggin’” (14)
With their only hit, which peaked at number 7.
Diana Ross – “Chain Reaction” (1) (video)
First of three weeks at number one.
Huey Lewis & The News – “Power Of Love” (11) (video/audience dancing/credits)
It had peaked at number 11 less than a year before, this time around it made it to number 9 to become the band's only top ten hit.
March 13th is next but it's a Mike Smith edition so BBC4 will skip it.
A new-look show up to a point, though further significant changes were just a few weeks away. Gazza’s promise that we will see “more hits than ever before” is risible, given that the 30-minute timeslot makes that an impossibility; I also seem to remember Dickie Skinner making a similar promise at the start of 1985 when they brought back the Top 10 videos, now of course axed again. Did Gazza serve as a model for Joey from Friends, I wonder? Judging from his jumper, maybe so! Away from his fashion choices this was another solid performance from the Radio 1 medallion man, but Dixie seemed a bit too excitable and still not very natural in front of the camera - he has only got one show left to go now.
ReplyDeleteWe get off to a strong start with this excellent debut hit from Mike Rutherford’s other band, full of atmosphere and great singing from Paul Carrack. Paul “Sad Cafe” Young is also present and correct here on bass, and I can’t believe he didn’t harbour some resentment towards the other Paul for stopping him from taking a larger share of the vocals. Having said that, Mr Young would sing lead on the next single, All I Need is a Miracle, which hit number 5 in the States but stalled at 53 here. Incidentally Angelo, I think Paul Carrack is a far more soulful vocalist than Mr Collins! Back to 1976 with Tavares next, putting me in mind of the early days of these reruns and the Ruby Flipper routine to this classic piece of disco. Not sure why it was remixed and reissued at this point in time, but they clearly hadn’t bothered to make a new video - I think this one was shown on TOTP in ‘76, but we never saw it on BBC4 because that particular show was wiped. Needless to say, the new-look Top 40 countdown is a total mess, and no wonder it got ditched sharpish.
Kate Bush makes one of her rare forays to the studio, having seemingly borrowed a pussycat bow from Mrs T. This performance lacks the drama of her previous turn for Running Up That Hill, and it’s a bit of a shame she didn’t try to re-enact any of the “39 Steps” themed video. The song itself is decent enough, but the production is a bit harsh and I don’t think it’s as good as the previous two singles. Sinatra next with another reissue, though as with Tavares I'm not sure why it reappeared now. This was my introduction to Ol' Blue Eyes, and I can't say it left me well-disposed towards the rest of his oeuvre, so monstrously overblown is the song and egotistical the sentiment. I've never liked his voice either, and it's particularly grating on this one - still, it was fun to watch the live clip and try to spot where the toupee ended and the natural hair began...
Jim Diamond seemed here to be out to copy Roland Orzabal's "judge's wig" hairdo. I never saw Boon, but the theme tune is a jolly, very catchy affair, made all the more so by Jim's vocal affectations - Hi Ho Sil-VAH! I am pretty sure that the blonde backing singer is Sam Brown, who would get a brief taste of pop stardom herself near the end of the decade. The breakers will be on again, so on to Whistle and another unwelcome reminder of rap's imminent explosion into the mainstream. I was a bit irritated by the synthesised barking noises on Hounds of Love, but they have nothing on the deeply annoying distorted synth sounds on display here, though I suppose they do make an otherwise forgettable track stick in the mind! Not sure what the Davy Crockett caps were in aid of. We play out with the new and rather awkward combo of video and studio dancing, though the video very much predominates. Shame they couldn't have picked a more exciting one as the first playout - there aren't even any Back to the Future clips in it! I don't know why this was climbing the charts again, but I am guessing the success of the film had something to do with it.
Sam Brown also toured with Pink Floyd in the 90s, appearing on the 'Pulse' album and DVD.
DeleteShe did indeed, and has I think made a very nice career for herself as a backing singer. I have just learnt from the TOTP Twitter feed that the other singer on this Jim Diamond performance is actually Sam's mother Vicki, who would die tragically young from cancer. She had also been a successful backing singer after starting in the Vernons Girls, and had toured with Pink Floyd herself. This song has another paternal link - Jim Diamond wrote it as a tribute to his late father, who had been a big fan of The Lone Ranger.
DeleteOur old friend D42 has made the 13 March show available on Vimeo:
ReplyDeletehttps://vimeo.com/162036037
How do you know he is old?
DeleteI don't, I meant merely that he (or indeed she) has been providing access to forbidden shows for a number of years.
DeleteMike and the Mechanics kick off a very middle-aged show (with one exception), a bit of a plodder with curiously "world's going to hell in a handbasket" lyrics. Maybe it needed Roy Kinnear in the video to brighten the gloom.
ReplyDeleteThen one of their first bad ideas in a while, the chart rundown over a video, though in the case of this horrible remix that's probably all it was good for. There's a reason remixes of old hits aren't often revived. That ghastly gasping noise - euch.
Kate Bush, well, her backing band are middle-aged anyway, with a Night of the Demon sample to prove her film buff cred (not that we really hear it on this performance) and a concept about getting torn to pieces by love (or something). One of her better eighties hits, there's no denying. Get your hand out of your pockets, girl, or we'll sew them up.
Not so much middle-aged as elderly, Ol' Blue Eyes (as nobody called him until a marketing campaign invented a nickname) is here with a cover of the seventies "Robert De Niro annoys Liza Minnelli" musical theme. Liza sings it there, not Bobby. Sounds like an enduring standard because it was written to be, so you can't fault the execution.
Another theme, from a middle-aged programme, Boon, well it was a better one that Bullman got. Quite jaunty, catchy, fine for the title sequence but not exactly a classic hit record. Sam Brown on backing vocals, I note.
Presumably we see the Breakers again, so onto the fun times with Whistle, finally something for ver kids (like me, back then). Catchy as hell burpy tune, cheeky presentation (were they doing the Gay Gordons halfway through?), and I can still rap the chorus. Hooray!
Miss Ross makes it to the top spot, justifiably so, it's still overplayed but an immaculately crafted slice of pop nonetheless. I did get sick of this video back then, though. But are the lyrics rude?
The audience relegated to shuffling around in the background for the credits, how the mighty have fallen. Anyway, more middle-agery, though this is a very listenable theme song, slick and the bloke in the audience in white in the video is having a ball.
I think the lyrics "You make me tremble when your hand moves lower" mark "Chain Reaction" out as a tad naughty.
Delete"Boon" was reasonably enjoyable mid-week fayre from Central Television, which also featured Neil Morrissey and Elizabeth Carling, the latter taking over as the barmaid in BBC1's "Goodnight Sweetheart" from Dervla Kirwan, herself probably best known for "Ballykissangel" but also infamous for her role in "A Time To Dance", as a schoolgirl having an affair with an older man (Ronald Pickup) which I believe she managed to get banned from TV screening again as she was rather embarrassed by it.
arthur you've just reminded me of a late 70's comedy series called "tropic" that starred ronald pickup as a (somewhat unlikely) suburban lotherio. it was based on the soft porn potboilers of leslie thomas that had been popular earlier in the decade (but that were already becoming somewhat passe at that point), but as the series was broadcast before the watershed they had to take the actual sex out of it - which was like throwing the baby out with the bath water! as a result it went from being hotly hyped to a complete disaster, and soon had the plug pulled on it as a result (and thus probably highly unlikely to be available on dvd!)
Deletemike & mechanics: stupid bracketed title alert! and to add to the nonsense there's actually no mention of any of it in the actual song. that apart it's pleasant enough, although i for one could hear phil collins singing "i can feel it, coming in the air tonight" over it all. and other than a weedy bottleneck-style solo in the middle there's no sign of a guitar being played whatsoever, thus making it sound far more like a tony banks project than a rutherford one. and why was he bothering with this distraction when the next genesis album was just around the corner anyway?
ReplyDeletekate bush: did kate get two drummers for her studio band because of their heavy presence in this recording, or because she'd seen sigue sigue sputnick on the telly the week before? given there's nary a tune in there, i'd say she was fortunate that it did as well as it did chart-wise
sinatra: i had actually got into ol' blue eyes (i never knew that was a contrived nickname btw) a few years earlier via his classic 50's nelson riddle arrangements on capitol records such as "come fly with me" and "i've got you under my skin", although this later effort never did much for me at the time (but like "bohemian rhapsody" it's grown on me somewhat since). i remember it seemed to get played at the end of every disco that i went to at the time, but i never understood why - if the intention was to clear the place out, they would have been far better off playing "my way"
jim diamond: like many i had some regard for michael elphick as an actor back then (i loved "private schultz", and really must make the effort to watch it on dvd some time), and the vehicle for him that this was the theme for was incredibly popular at the time. and yet despite having him and the brilliant david daker in it, it did absolutely nothing for me on the odd occasion i tried watching it. the theme is pleasant enough, although jim's voice does grate somewhat. he really doesn't look comfortable miming on that guitar does he? why he even bothered given there were so many people surrounding him is beyond me (it was only right at the end that i realised the guy bobbing about in semi-shadow behind the overcrowded stage was the bassist!). i too recognised one of the backing singers as sam "daughter of joe" brown, who was to have her own 15 minutes as a solo act in the near future
whistle: another stupid bracketed title (with the brackets before than after, which is usually the case - although i remember the stranglers doing both with "(get a) grip (on yourself)"). after doug e fresh last year this is another sign of the (c)rap and sample-heavy horrors to come, that will no doubt get more ominous as the year goes on - which is one good reason why i won't be around for much longer. and as far as this particular bunch of talentless twats are concerned, they are certainly bugging me!
Not only did The Stranglers do that wilby, but when it was remixed later, it became 'Grip 89 ((Get A) Grip (On Yourself))' thus single-handedly reducing the EU bracket mountain.
Deletenice one noax - i think the only thing worse than song titles with silly bracketed bits is brackets within brackets!
DeleteYou'll love this, then, Wilby! The Members released a brilliant non-hit called "Working Girl" and the B-Side, which I've never played, is called "(Holiday In [Tribute To Jimi (Pretentious ... Moi?) ] ) Tanga-nika".
Deletewell done for that arthur - could you please now play it to find out if any of that is in the actual lyrics?
Deleteyou have reminded me of this song title by the faces, which is almost certainly another kind of record when it comes to use of brackets:
"You Can Make Me Dance, Sing Or Anything (Even Take The Dog For A Walk, Mend A Fuse, Fold Away The Ironing Board, Or Any Other Domestic Short Comings)"
i haven't heard it myself, but i suspect rod fails to croak most if not all the bracketed bit?
It appears they do sing "Holiday In Tanganika" in what passes for a chorus.
Deletethanks for listening to it arthur - was it to your liking musically? btw i've just finally found out that nicky tesco's surname was a punk stage one (although what the inspiration behind it remains anyone's guess). and that they are still going with a couple of guys involved at the height of their fame, although mr tesco is not one of them
DeleteNot the best show ever, just a couple of enjoyable songs from my point of view.
ReplyDeleteMike & The Mechanics - I don't dislike it, but it doesn't exactly thrill me. One of those that was on the radio for years afterwards without being a big hit.
Tavares - Awful remix and pointless new rundown format over the top.
Kate Bush - At last, something good. Not one of her absolute best but still head and shoulders above everything else on display here.
Frank Sinatra - God, I bloody hate this. Wilby above mentions it being played at the end of discos. These days, mystifyingly, it's become specifically an 'end of wedding disco' song with everyone joining arms and doing leg kicks.
Jim Diamond - A decent little pop song, and presumably no problems with the Musicians Union here given that there seem to be more people on stage than performed on the song!
During my first term at the University of Nottingham I was walking into the city centre when I saw someone on the opposite side of the road running along being followed by a cameraman. It was only when they disappeared into the distance that I realised it was Neil Morrissey filming Boon!
Whistle - Annoying, childish rubbish.
Then we get the latest housewife classic at No.1 to replace the previous one, and...a housewife classic to play out. Shame they didn't go for 'Do You Believe In Love' which is one of the few good things they ever did.
does anyone else here remember watching a late-90's tv comedy drama called "hunting venus" where neil morrissey played a transexual singer in an 80's new romantic band that were being reformed by his ex-colleague (and "men behaving badly" co-star) martin clunes to cash-in on the then-burgeoning nostalgia cicuit? for anyone who lived through that era and followed that scene it was required viewing in my opinion, yet it was only ever broadcast the once and has never been released on dvd to my knowledge - probably because clunes' production company that was responsible for it are too busy churning out episodes of (television-for-people-who-don't-like-television-very-much) "doc martin"!
Deletehere's a pic of the featured band the venus hunters in their pomp!
Deletehttps://emmapeelpants.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/huntingvenus1.jpg
Good Lord
DeleteYeah Noax, I did think that 8 people on stage for the Jim Diamond solo single was a bit excessive, and hardly a solo single. He would have been better going under his previous band PHD to justify this number of people on stage.
DeleteAt first I thought it was 7 studio audience members on stage with him, but then nah, it was Diamond doing a Kool & The Gang, or Earth Wind & Fire with around 10 or 11 members of the band on stage!
I have heard of 'Hunting Venus' but have never seen it. I suspect that this is because if it was on in the late 90s I would have been on the radio when it was on. Oh for Sky+ or suchlike then - I probably missed so many good programmes then as even with a VHS (which I had) you had to be selective.
DeleteJust looked 'Hunting Venus' up. It was a comedy drama just shy of two hours long, made independently for Yorkshire Television and shown in March (party like it's) 1999. Mark "Fast Show" Williams was also in the fictional band and a number of New Romantic / New Wave faces (Le Bon, Hadley, Holland) also appeared.
DeleteWow! New format. The good news for me was the video playout – why not? virtually every single had a video by now so the need to ‘dance out’ to those that didn’t had gone away. The bad news, that awful roller credit chart rundown. What a rubbish idea that was!
ReplyDeleteM&M - Silent Running (On Dangerous ground) – Quite a surprise at the time to see Rutherford pop up with another band after recording two solo albums (the first being the quite superb ‘ Smallcreeps Day’). This was a danceable song featured in the film ‘Choke Canyon’, otherwise known as ‘On Dangerous Ground’ outside the US. Nowadays the Mechanics feature ‘Cuddly Toy’ vocalist Roachford and I don’t know if they still perform this other gem from the M&M debut album that was featured in ‘Miami Vice’ at the time. It’s quite wonderful, and if you haven’t heard it, give it a listen and appreciate its sublime beauty with the volume turned up…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-u03QnXGdE
Tavares – Heaven must be missing an Angel – 70s disco staple given a surprising second life here and showcasing the rollerblind credits.
Kate Bush – Hounds of love – Did this really need the continuity announcer to comment on? I find it quite tuneless and, with its hi-hat-less drums a nod towards Peter Gabriel who she’d shortly team up with again with much better results.
Frank Sinatra – New York, New York – I went to so many parties in the late 80s and early 90s that ended up with this being slapped on the turntable and the lights turned up. Everyone linked arms in a circle and simply kicked their legs back and forth (as Noax also observes). Quite a united way to finish up a party before saying goodbye….and for that I will always like it and have very fond memories.
Jim Diamond – Hi Ho Silver – I never heard this track for some time when it came out, just saw it listed in the charts and therefore always thought that the word ‘lining’ was missing. Didn’t watch ‘Boon’ either (except in cricket when Australia were playing). It’s quite a pleasant song however. I think ‘Boon’ held the record for the most ‘tinnies’ consumed on a flight from Australia to the UK which may still stand today, though maybe not listed in the ‘Guinness book….’ Ouch, more alcohol!
Breakers – Mr Mister – Kyrie – the bands second US no1 and another great tune. Prince – Kiss – when Prince made good records and much better than Tom Jones’ cover for me.
Whistle – (Nothing serious) Just buggin’ – Brackets or no brackets this was truly appalling!
Diana Ross – Chain Reaction – I’m still in denial that this was not the first single from the ‘Eaten Alive’ album, so good is this and how wonderful it sounds and looks 32 years later. If you read our friend’s ‘Number Ones of the Eighties’ blog he sums it up much better than I can here.
Huey Lewis and the News – The Power of Love – Uh? Why the re-entry so soon after the first chart run? Can’t claim a 20 year gap like Tavares! Perhaps everyone had been to see the film?
sct you've reminded me of when practically every london bus had an advert for castlemaine xxxx lager featuring the rampant aussie cricket team along the side - moustachio'd skipper allan border was in the middle, immediately flanked either side by the magnificent walrus and handlebar varieties of david boon and merv hughes respectively!
DeleteThe three re-releases featured in full on this show came from three different decades, ie, Sinatra from the 60s, The Tavares from the 70s, and Huey Lewis from the 80s. It was a little weird as to why there was this flurry of quite varying types of sound and era all at once in Feb/Mar 1986. What prompted all of these to come back in early 1986? It could be new TV ads for the first two, and as John G points out, the success of the movie Back To The Future as the reason for the playout track already at No.11 again!
DeleteWith regard to the roller credit chart rundown, I picked out ELO as a new entry at No.39. Calling America was their first single in three years, and the story goes that they had enough in 1983 following the Secret Messages album (when we last saw them on the chart rundown TOTP), but they still owed Sony another album on their contract, so they somehow pulled out this new 1986 album called The Balance Of Power, with the debut single Calling America as a new entry at No.39 this week, and Jeff Lynne for the first time with short hair. Good Lord!
New York New York is from 1978, and Sinatra recorded it in '79.
DeleteInteresting, I always thought it was a 60s recording!
DeleteRegarding the ELO, ELT would be a better description...Electric Light Trio. Just down to Bev Bevan, Richard Tandy and, of course, Jeff Lynne for the 'Balance of Power' album. Kelly Groucutt left during 'Secret Messages' leaving Jeff to handle bass and backing vocals. I always felt that this final 'proper' ELO album was rather lightweight, certainly in terms of quantity as a number of tracks were recorded but left off.
Delete'Calling America' continues Jeff's communication themed songs (hi there 'Telephone Line') whilst for me the finest track on the album was 'Getting to the Point' - a staple on easy listening radio years later. Only a strike at Epic Records distribution factory prevented this being a big hit surely....
The BBC4 continuity was kept on for the start of this show on BBC iPlayer. Shame they couldn’t have taken certain things out.
ReplyDeleteMechanic Paul Carrack was first on TOTP as vocalist / keyboard player for Ace with “How Long” back in Autumn 1974. This effort had a decent tune but wrist-slashing lyrics.
How to make a crap re-mix even worse. Whose stupid idea was it to read the chart over what viewers want to listen to? Even Gaz sounds apologetic at the start of the rundown as if he thinks it’s a crap move.
“Pretty good so far, huh?” You moron, Peach! Get on the oblivion bus with that Jordan bloke.
Kate Bush looking assured and confident there.
A severe lack of taste there by Gaz wanting Wiggy to get to number one. The song title reminded me of Gerard Kenny.
A Billy Ocean size band and an awful new hairstyle for Jim Diamond.
Some in one ear and out the other AOR from Mr. Mister.
Prince, mate, your top’s shrunk in the wash.
Whistle with “Just Bugging My Eardrums”. FFF.
Another FFF for the chart topper. Not doing too well this week, are we?
And we finish with the sound of dumped podium boy Duncan Norvelle crying into his compact and the look of a bunch of accountants trying to rock out.
So this is the future. In that case, can we go back to 1976, please?
just to say that kate bush's dance and mime teacher lindsay kemp (for whom she wrote a song in tribute called "moving") has died at age 80. another pupil of his was bowie, who was also in the charts at this point
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHey its Gary and Dixie
ReplyDeleteMore hits than ever before... 😀
Mike "Rutherford" and the Mechanics as no-one ever calls them Dixie. Singer modelled his hair and look on Phil Collins I see. This is very mysterious song, almost a Kate Bush type sound.
Great song. Driving Dad Rock at its finest.
Tavares get the first video ruined by the chart rundown. Now if the rundown was silent I could live with it but what were they trying to do talking over the video? Crap idea. Where are the song titles...
Speaking of crap, the Tavares video isn't up to much is it.
Kate up next... Quality tune. Nice suit, like an old fashioned clown 🤡
It's not that easy to mime classical instruments. 😀
So how exactly did Frank Sinatra get back into the charts. This is a bloody awful recording of a classy tune. Not a huge swing fan myself but this is a good song. Heard better versions though.
Where shall we put the orchestra? I know, let's set them up behind him like in a lecture theatre... D'oh
Love the skittle mic
Hi ho silver..... Performed in the transporter room of the USS Enterprise.
Was this from Boon?? Oh yes it was says Wifey who has just googled it.
One of my Mums faves
Breakers :
Mr Mister. I love this record. One of my all time faves.
Prince with Kiss. Gonna stick my neck out here. Tom Jones version is so much better than this one.
Whistle... Annoying as hell. But I love it.. 😀 😀 😀
Nice hats. East 17 are watching.
New number one..
Diana Ross with her standout 80s tune. FAB. Well deserved number one
Nice video to finish. Like this idea. Power of Love getting a second go as the film had probably made its way to the UK now.
Apart from the chart rundown and old Frank a great show.. Back to the Contraband
I watched the marathon Star Trek movies weekend on the SCYFY channel (Sky channel 114) on the bank holiday weekend just gone, from Star Trek The Motion Picture, right up until Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, and the USS Enterprise went from being destroyed, to temporarily using a Klingon vessel, to then having a brand new USS Enterprise built in time for Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
DeleteBeen so long since Ive seen any of those movies. Moved onto Next Gen when it launched and much prefer it. Remember seeing Star Trek VI at the cinema when I was a kid.
Delete