Sharleen the Scot
16/02/89 (Andy Crane & Mark Goodier)
Def Leppard – “Rocket” (20)
We blast off tonight with Def Leappard and the song went up five more places.
Simple Minds – “Belfast Child” (2) (video)
Will become their only number one next week.
Gloria Estefan – “Can’t Stay Away From You” (33)
Doing it live in the studio and the song peaked at number 7.
Poison – “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” (24) (video)
Peaked at number 13.
Edie Brickell & The New Bohemians – “What I Am” (37) (breaker)
Peaked at number 31.
Pop Will Eat Itself – “Can U Dig It?” (38) (breaker)
Their first of eleven top 40 hits but it got no higher.
Debbie Gibson – “Lost In Your Eyes” (34) (breaker)
Went up no further.
Texas – “I Don’t Want A Lover” (21)
Making their studio debut with a song that became their first of thirteen top ten hits when it peaked at number 8 - but they won't have their second one for another eight years!
Sam Brown – “Stop” (17)
Also making her studio debut and this song became her only top ten hit when it peaked at number 4.
The Style Council – “Promised Land” (32)
Performing a sort of piano sandwich in the studio here with what was to be their final top 40 hit when it peaked at number 27.
Marc Almond & Gene Pitney – “Something’s Gotten Hold Of My Heart” (1) (video)
Fourth and final week at number one.
S’Express – “Hey Music Lover” (29) (video/credits)
This lively little tune became their third and final top ten hit when it peaked at number 6.
23rd February next.
We are back to some brutal editing this week, but Mark and Andy once again make a decent pairing and guide us through the madness efficiently. The visual effects team are allowed to play with their toys to accompany Def Leppard, who are doing a Jacko with their sixth single release from the Hysteria album. A typical Mutt Lange production, this one, but a reasonable enough slice of pop metal. Peak pretentiousness next from Simple Minds, inexplicably about to go to number 1 with this pompous, overblown commentary on the Troubles. Jim wants to sound so much like Bono it hurts, and the video is in drab monochrome to doubtless emphasise how serious the band's intentions were. If you want some decent songs inspired by events in Norn Iron, try two Strawbs songs, The Hangman and the Papist and New World.
ReplyDeleteGlo ditches Miami Sound Machine and turns up in the studio on her own for this live rendition of a pretty ballad, though I didn't much care for some of her phrasing here and this version was so short that she must have wondered why she bothered turning up. Back to video for a brief shot of Poison, but that's more than enough for this leaden hair metal ballad. In the promo, the band seem determined to look as much like Guns 'n' Roses as possible. On to the breakers, and I can't say I thought much of either Pop Will Eat Itself (too noisy) or Debbie Gibson (bland). I'm surprised to learn that PWEI managed 11 Top 40 hits, as I've barely heard of them...
Something much better up next as Texas, very much in their Ry Cooder phase, give us a storming debut hit while the delectable Sharleen smoulders up front and makes denim look sexy. When their chart fortunes subsequently went into decline, I assumed for a long time that they had had their moment in the sun, so it was a pleasant surprise when they resurfaced in such a big way in the late 90s. Sam Brown follows with one of the best songs of the year, inexplicably only a very minor hit on first issue the previous year but now finally getting its just deserts. She had a fantastic voice, luckily for her inheriting the pipes of mum Vicki (who is I think on backing vocals in this performance) rather than dad Joe! She should really have gone on to bigger things, but I don't think she was comfortable in the limelight and soon retreated back to a very successful career as a backing singer, touring with the likes of Pink Floyd. Unfortunately in recent years she has developed problems with her vocal cords, and can't sing anymore.
The Style Council make what I assume is their last TOTP appearance, a desperate attempt to stay relevant by jumping on the dance/house bandwagon. It's actually not that bad an effort, though Mick's beard is certainly terrible! They would split up in ignominious circumstances not too long after this, when Polydor rejected their self-importantly titled new album Modernism: A New Decade. A superior slice of house is supplied by S'Express for the playout, with a rather freaky video to accompany it. I think we end up getting more of this than any other song in the show...
I remember really liking this Style Council hit at the time, and fantastic sounding on the disco floors; not what you would associate the Style Council with, complete with Weller's still then wife Dee C.Lee, and what I assume are her three girlfriends on stage with them, unless the girls were invited from the studio audience to join the performers on stage (love the gorgeous blonde one in the middle!)
DeleteNevertheless, this is one of my all time favourite Style Council tunes, if not THE favourite one, and a little unhappy if this was really their last time ever on TOTP, with Weller going back as far as 1977 appearing in the TOTP studio, the curtain comes down on one of the great musicians of the modern era, and truly fantastic contribution to pop music history. We are not worthy....
Are you sure you weren't hearing the Joe Smooth original of Promised Land on the dancefloors? As I say, they're almost identical! I don't see the point of the Style Council version at all.
DeleteNo, definitely The Style Council. I even bought the 7-inch vinyl record, as we were still some three to four years before CD singles started coming out.
DeleteNot sure about that, a friend of mine has the CD single of This Corrosion by The Sisters of Mercy, from 1987.
DeleteDory - Paul Weller will appear on the show again as a solo artist, on video at least.
DeleteBy which time he had started being called The Modfather and had adopted a remarkable hairdo.
DeleteDory, CD singles were made eligible for the chart in 1987 and the first No.1 to be available on that format was 'I Wanna Dance With Somebody' the same year.
DeleteDef Leppard with Rocket - sounds like Rock It - geddit? They must have been high-fiving each other when they came up with that, but good luck working out the rest of the lyrics. Bog standard transatlantic rawk, and the state of Joe's breeks.
ReplyDeleteSimple Minds with one of the most cliched songs known to humanity, from the windswept guitar chords to the faux penny whistle and vague lyrics about sort of Northern Irishy things. More interestingly, Jim's brother was recently convicted of stalking two Simple Minds fans, which is just bizarre.
Glo in the studio, trilling a truncated version of what might as well be an intro to her solo career, she can carry a tune, certainly, but it's a bit mediocre. Nice enough, but no more than that.
Breakers: Poison's offering has some of the most banal lyrics in rock, obviously trying for some of that Bon Jovi cash. First sighting of Pop Will Eat Itself, yes! "Alan Moore knows the score!" Appealed to me as a Watchmen-reading teen, and panels from it show up in the background. Could have done with more of this next episode. Debs with what is surely her final hit, making no impression but the bloke with the mad staring eyes is pretty creepy.
Texas, basically Ry Cooder goes pop and not too bad as far as that goes, but as Angelo says, they would have to wait a long time to really catch on as Chris Evans' favourite sexual fantasy of 1997.
Sam Brown, not much too wrong with this, either, well performed, sounded distinctive, but not really my cup of tea. Obviously bound for MOR radio rotation, which keeps Sam in beer money at least.
The Style Council, I had completely forgotten they'd covered the Joe Smooth acid house classic, and it's becasue it sounds exactly the bloody same! What a massively pointless cover, except this was more of a hit than the original.
Marc and Gene's last week at the top, so we fittingly get the end of their video.
Then my favourite S-Express record, with its toy piano mixed up with Paula Prentiss in The Stepford Wives sample "Yes, yes, this - it's wonderful!" It is repetitive, I'll grant you, but it is a stone groove. Video quite fun too, lots of posing.
The new style by TOTP with regard to videos shown on the show, since the Glen Madeiros video a few months earlier, was to show the first half of the video on first showing, and then if they needed it again a couple of weeks or so later, they would pick up where they left off, sort of second half of the video.
DeleteIt seemed to work well for the final week at No.1 for Marc Almond & Gene Pitney with the final part of the video shown this, week, as if BBC1 at the time knew it would be their last week at No.1.
t was certainly a sad sign of the times, on a TOTP show that needed to cram in as many songs into 30-minutes as when it was a 40-minute show. I would rather have had two less songs and play them all fuller, rather than this desperation of maximum 2-minutes of videos in the 7-7.30pm slot before Eastenders.
Yes indeed, as John G says above, they perhaps surprisingly showed the full S-Express video (around 4 minutes) on the playout, but this may not have been the case on the original broadcast of this TOTP show in 1989, if BBC1 cut out half way through. Anyone got the original broadcast from 1989?
Enthusiastic duo presenting this one. Not a bad show to boot.
ReplyDeleteDef Leppard – Rocket – Ok so it’s definitely not a slice of power pop like we got from Mud with their “I’ll give you 3-2-1 now rocket, I’m gonna launch you soon…”. Now that was just fabulous. This is scraping the Hysteria barrel for me. Ok, but nothing special. At least they didn’t play the B Side!
Simple Minds – Belfast Child – Well it’s certainly not the worst chart topper of the year, just the most pretentious. One of those songs like ‘Domino’ by Genesis that peters out for an atmospheric ambient bit before starting up again. Will we get to see Jim and Co in the studio I wonder?
Gloria Estefan – Can’t stay away from you – Delectable. The producer must have had a word in the ear to Gloria saying “by all means sing live but can you cut out a verse and chorus please”. Nice song though.
Poison – Every Rose has its Thorn – Some good guitar work at the start of this and another that is Ok without being special.
Breakers - Edie Bricknell and the New Bohemians – What I am – Now then, now then…who went on to have a bigger hit with this? Tin Tin Out featuring Emma Bunton – check out the fabulous aquatic video:-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEOeClFSQ1o
Pop will eat itself sounded quite awful whilst Debbie Gibson sound quite ordinary.
Texas – I don’t want a lover – What a fabulous debut! Sharleen showing the class that would inhabit anthems such as ‘Say what you want’ and best of all ‘Saint’.
Sam Brown – Stop – As John notes above, Sam was famous for her parents and being part of David Gilmour’s Pink Floyd backing trio. Check out ‘The Great Gig in the Sky’ on ‘Pulse’ where all three girls sing some of Clare Torry’s original vocal.
Style Council – Promised Land – Two pianos for this upbeat number. One of their better efforts certainly, though does come across as a bit of a jam.
Marc Almond featuring Special Guest Star Gene Pitney – Something’s gotten hold of my Heart – See correct artist billing on the single which I dug out from my archives. Last week at the top for this excellent no1.
S’Express – Hey music lover – Surprised to see this lot still churning out singles. Title a bit ironic for me!
Emma Bunton's best solo hit was Maybe, especially with the Bob Fosse-style video.
Deletehaving loved what i call mud's "holy trinity" of singles ("dyna-mite", tiget feet" and "the cat crept in") at the time of release (and i still do btw), just the thought of their next release had me salivating like pavlov's dog. and even the title "rocket" didn't disappoint in that regard. however when i actually heard it for the first time, i thought it was utter tosh. and no amount of listening in the hope that it would somehow get better helped!
Deletethanks to the above review i've now also remembered that the "pulse" CD packaging had a flashing red light built into it - i wonder if any are still working now?
DeleteMine packed up years ago.
DeleteNot worked for ages :-)
Deleteone available here:
Deletehttps://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/WORKS-Vtg-PINK-FLOYD-Flashing-RED-LIGHT-Blinking-PULSE-2-CD-Live-Rare-NEAR-MINT/324056762647?hash=item4b7349c917:g:T5YAAOSwrhFd8EFI
...back to Emma Bunton's solos stuff, how about 'I'll be there'?
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteFavourite part of the Breakers this week was Edie Brickell, and her lovely hair. Oh and the song was quite good too.
ReplyDeleteS-Express with a superb video to end the show, unusually getting a full play to fade-out, but it could be that this was not how it was originally broadcast with the tight time schedules early evening before Eastenders. The disco sound and retro feel were just brilliant, and the indoor video made it even better with all those glitzy 70s disco fashions resurrected all those years laters in an 80s decade that was soon coming to a close, and never forgot the 70s while S-Express were on the case. Truly brilliant stuff!
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWhat a joy to know that there was still a place for proper songwriting in the early years of house. I'm referring especially to Gloria Estefan's melodious evergreen, Edie Brickell's only British Top 40 entry and Sam Brown's all-time soul classic.
ReplyDeleteThe latter - complete with a Hammond solo courtesy of Jona Lewie's former sleigh bell player Bob Andrews - would become a smash right across the globe, except in the US, where it made the Hot 100 but fell short of the magical 40. Both 'What I Am' and 'Stop!' would be covered successfully in the post-Britpop era, by Emma Bunton and Jamelia respectively.
The mini-CD version of Edie's hit, incidentally, included a respectful cover of Lou Reed's 'Walk On The Wild Side'.
Gloria's much-aired 'Can't Stay Away From You' is a song that is impossible to dislike. Though no longer a chart regular, the First Lady of Latin Pop rightly has a star on both the Hollywood and Las Vegas Walks of Fame.
is that the same bob andrews that was a towering member of the rumour that backed graham parker 10 years prior to this?:
DeleteIndeed it was! He currently resides in New Mexico, and tours the club circuit. The original line-up of Graham Parker and The Rumour, with Bob on keyboards, reconvened in 2011 and toured and recorded intermittently before disbanding once more in 2015.
DeleteGraham Parker - now there's one of the industry's most notable underachievers. That is an oxymoronic description, I know, but he's somehow managed to become something of a legend within his profession without ever making the big time - cf. Terry Reid. Put it this way: could either of them have been impersonated on 'Stars In Their Eyes' without a bewildered studio audience asking itself, 'Who??'
To be fair, Terry deserved to score a major hit with this unsuccessful cover of The Waterboys' signature song, produced by Trevor Horn CBE and featuring Enya on new-age backing vocals:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0pU32l8CYE
Graham Parker, also one of the shortest group leaders in rock. He once released a great midtempo ballad called "Temporary Beauty" where it sounded like he was trying to be Elvis Costello.
DeleteThey’re not Kid and Peelie, but Mark and Andy do make a good hosting duo.
ReplyDeleteROCKET indeed, Andy. All those indoors pyrotechnics wouldn’t be allowed in health and safety snowflake 2020. I can hear it now from the record company – “It’s the sixth single from the album, lads, best to hotfoot it to the studio this time”. Some Peter Hook low slung strap action from that guitarist there. Good hopping about at the end, Mark, but no outro link!
Oh Christ, FF for the next track.
Tone Lock in the mugshots according to GoodieBags – Loc actually rhymes with, erm, bloke.
A great vocal from our Glo for less than half the song – ridiculous chopping. The cameraman showed one bloke back of the crowd really digging this but dancing to a different song by the look of it.
Plodding HM balladry next. More fertiliser than flower.
Christ, what a north and south on Edie Brickell! I wonder what Paul Simon saw in her???
I loved Pop Will Eat Itself’s “Sweet Sweet Pie”, but this ain’t sweet.
Debbie Gibson swooning over a young Hoff lookalike there and we only get the outro of her AOR ballad. Probably for the best.
A live vocal on your first TV appearance? Sharleen had guts from the start and no mistake. Was that the single’s vocal very low in the background mix?
Shame we didn’t get a live vocal as well for Sam Brown, obviously belting it out. Lovely “can’t believe this” smile at the end of the first chorus.
Mike Moran and Lynsey De paul with “Rock Bottom” next? No, it’s Chewer Weller and Mick “The Joy Of Sex” Talbot with their own mini Pan’s People in the middle.
A silly and enjoyable S’Express video, complete with talc and trampolene, of which we appear to get eight times more than the clip for the chart topper.
I had a nagging feeling Mick Talbot's look reminded me of something, but couldn't place it, so thanks Arthur!
DeleteNot a brilliant edition, this. Andy Crane has sadly joined the shouting hyperactive brigade too, it seems.
ReplyDeleteDef Leppard - Yet another identikit single by this lot.
Simple Minds - I actually don't mind this. It's not up to the standard of their early 80s output, but it's certainly better than their mid-80s nonsense.
Gloria Estefan - Nice live vocal. Slightly dull song though.
Poison - Everything they did was utterly dreadful, with the nadir not too far away....
Breakers - I was introduced to PWEI by schoolmates before they started having hits and I thought their cut and paste style was great. The Debbie Gibson song on the other hand is very boring.
Texas - I like the band but for some reason I've always been slightly ambivalent about this debut hit.
Sam Brown - Well sung, nice song, but again this has never particularly done it for me.
The Style Council - Such a successful experiment that the record company immediately rejected the album and the band were never seen again. No great loss. The Joe Smooth version is brilliant and should've been a hit.
S'Express - Best song on the show, and a nice bonus to get the video almost in full. This is the first sighting of the wonderful Billie Ray Martin, a truly great singer.
So having been determined to keep up to date this time, a bout of Norovirus put our family out of action last week so it's catch up time.
ReplyDeleteAndy Crane & Mark Goodier this week with a "blink and you'll miss it" show, I swear the live acts got even less time this week!
Def Leppard up first. As I've said before I'm a big fan of this group and “Rocket” is another great slice of pop/rock. A great start to the show.
Oh how I hated the dreary, boring “Belfast Child” when I was a teenager. Probably my most hated song of the year, a great opportunity to pop to the loo during the chart rundown.
Listening to this there appears to have been a bit that has a bit of rhythm to it, don't recall that part of the song at all. I will have to give the full song another listen. Was this it for Simple Minds now?
First "live" vocal of the night from Gloria who gets a verse and a chorus of her best song “Can’t Stay Away From You”. Always been a fan of this song and it's album.
Poison get a cut short video clip for “Every Rose Has Its Thorn”. Song is Ok. Video is a boring concert video so no great loss.
Breakers:
Edie Brickell paving the way for Sheryl Crow, Meredith Brooks et al....
“What I Am”? What you are is a great tune and a frim favourite. Amazed this wasn't even a top thirty hit. The charts can be cruel...
Pop Will Eat Itself – 11 Top 40 hits hey? I wonder how many I will remember. They were like a breath of fresh air in the chart rundown on a Sunday and I always enjoyed them, although I don't think I've ever listened to them since.
Debbie Gibson – “Lost In Your Eyes”. Lost it's tune as well by the sounds of it.
Texas briefly flirt with the charts before their 90s chart-takeover (partly thanks to a drooling Chris Evans) “I Don’t Want A Lover” gets a second verse and a fantastic live vocal for Sharleen.
Contender for the best song of 89!
Sam Brown up next with the second hit called “Stop” this year and it couldn't be more different. Those notes are very high, amazed the glass in the camera didn't smash. Bit Marmite this song, some days I like it, some days I don't. She had a famous Dad I think.
Paul Weller has never looked more out of place in a TOTP studio than her with a Style Council tune that I do recall hearing but never seeing. From the Jam to a generic club song. Is “Promised Land” a cover? Sounds like it...
The end of Marc & Gene at Number One get's us the end of the “Something’s Gotten Hold Of My Heart” video.
Then the BBCiplayer gifts us the FULL video of S’Express “Hey Music Lover” and what a great video it is too, to accompany a storming dance track and easily their best single. Brilliant.
still catching up.
ReplyDeleteDef leppard - liked it better in the day. sounds a bit pedestrian now
Simple minds - whilst this is better than I remember it!
Gloria estefan - missing the miami sound machine here with a lack lustre tune. Well sung, but dull.
Poison - poor mans guns n roses. Video tried to make it more exciting than it was.
Breakers - brickell excellent (don’t remember seeing the video before, pwei excellent, then wak wak oops gibson (curiously playing the last 30 seconds)
Texas - now THIS is how you do a slow burner Mr Poison...
Sam brown - another good slow tune. Voice sounded a bit grizzly. Was this a live vocal?
Style Council - never really git style council, and this didn’t change my mind
S express - forgotten how lively this was. Nice ending to an above average episode. They appeared to play it in full...
Hello from 2023. Some fantastic songs on this edition but I have difficulty being critical of anything from 1989. Apart from Jive Bunny. And Big Fun. I could be critical of the show itself however which makes some horrendous decisions for some items, which happens to be two studio debuts and a live vocal from a global popstar. The songs are so good that it's just about ok but maybe Poison could've been left by the fireside?
ReplyDelete"For those of us that remain....." A catchphrase that was on every early evening and is one of my favourite memories of TV of the time. The speaker? Mr. Andy Crane who would say it after saying goodbye to viewers in N
Ireland and holding a smile for a few seconds. A shame that he didn't come up with a catchphrase for his reasonably brief spell on Top of the Pops but he's a friendly presence and a good addition to the show. He's a good co-presenter for Mark Goodier and the two try to out grin each other for 30 minutes. I grinned a lot during this one as well!
Def Leppard; Performing 'Rocket' or as Andy pronounces it, "Rock Iiiit!!!!!!", the Defs in the most imperial of imperial phases. Joe Elliott turning up to co-present dressed as the ultimate embarrassing dad a long way off. I've been hard on them since I joined here but this is a good one even if it is formulaic in the extreme. It has some nerve referencing Sgt. Pepper but it did sound great on the radio when en route to wherever like most of their 38 singles from 'Hysteria'. A powerful start.
Simple Minds; Straight in at No.2 which means nothing at all now but I remember at the time being astounded that a single could do that. DLT on his Sunday show went absolutely crazy about 'Belfast Child' I recall and I do think it is a stunning epic single with some brilliant guitar. The video does have an of its time power too and it's a real flashback to a time when so many singles were out of the blue experiences. The tune is the traditional 'She Moves Through The Fair'.
Gloria Estefan; She's come across the Atlantic to do a live version of....a bit of 'Can't Stay Away From You'. Thanks. That's very frustrating but any hearing of this is welcome. I don't really know if this is that great a song because I only ever hear this as sun streaming through windows and being 13 and optimistic. A blissful listen and always will be.
Poison; Cut early from Gloria for this shit. A change of tone I guess.
Breakers; Edie Brickell; more sunny, very '88 memories. PWEI; Fun namechecking from the Grebo kings. Nice early mention of cartoonist legend Alan Moore. Debbie Gibson; Don't remember that one.
Texas; 1st studio debut of the evening, 2nd brutal cut. This one stops virtually dead as Sharleen gets into her guitar solo. She looks noticeably non plussed for a moment. A brilliant single though and a stunning arrival for the band. Another definite "what's that?" moment of the time.
Sam Brown; Another debut and yet another that'll do thanks early cut. Does the producer not like instrumental breaks? Brilliant song and performance again greatly diminished by stopping it at such a crucial point.
The Style Council; Paul Weller's crew don't have the same thing done to them mainly because their single essentially just goes round and round. Enjoyably so. The original by Joe Smooth is a classic of its kind and this is a fine version and a good note on which to bow out.
Marc Almond and Gene Pitney; A classic No.1 for me and another absolute flashback to that time. The video in Vegas or Great Yarmouth and Gene Pitney doing a slightly overbaked impersonation of Gene Pitney. Still I absolutely love this one.
Yeh-heh!
A full showing of the video for 'Hey Music Lover' to finish and another few minutes of pure chaotic joy. That riff sounds about 20 times louder than it is.