Perfect two
08/06/89 (Nicky Campbell)
Transvision Vamp – “The Only One” (25)
Getting tonight's show off to a glistening start and the song peaked at number 15.
Cliff Richard – “The Best Of Me” (2) (video)
The fans were all buying his 100th single but it couldn't quite make it to number one.
Guns N’ Roses – “Sweet Child O’ Mine” (8) (video)
Went up two more places.
The Beautiful South – “Song For Whoever” (23)
Singing what sounds like a live vocal, they went on to be one of the biggest bands of the 90's, and this clever debut single peaked at number 2.
Vixen - "Love Made Me" (36) (breaker)
Got no higher.
Donna Allen - "Joy & Pain" (38) (breaker)
Peaked at number 10.
New Model Army - "Green & Grey" (37) (breaker)
Got no higher.
Paula Abdul – “Forever Your Girl” (26) (video)
Went up two more places.
D Mob featuring LRS – “It Is Time To Get Funky” (19)
Making their studio debuuuuut and it peaked at number 9.
Soul II Soul – “Back To Life (However Do You Want Me)” (12) (video)
The first outing for this year's blog title track, and it will get to number one in three weeks time.
Jason Donovan – “Sealed With A Kiss” (1)
But Jason's going to be there for the next two weeks, and here he is in the studio.
Bananarama – “Cruel Summer ‘89” (33) (video/credits)
It had made number 8 in 1983, this time around it peaked at number 19.
15th June is next.
An increasingly big-haired, as well as headed, Nicky Campbell proves to be even more insufferable hosting solo than when paired up with someone else – truly, Smitty had found his successor. Presumably Wendy was deliberately late mounting the stage for the opening number, but she looks so sweaty it’s almost as if she had run frantically from the dressing room to make it on time. Was that real sweat, I wonder, or had she smeared herself with Vaseline? In any case, not a bad slice of pop-punk, but not as good as the previous hit. Cliff is next with his 100th single, but it certainly is not the best of him musically, just a somewhat underwhelming rock ballad. Dull video too, with Cliff striking his usual poses while confetti falls in a vain attempt to inject some visual interest.
ReplyDeleteAfter a bit more from Axl, Slash and co, it’s time for The Beautiful South’s debut. I never liked this lot, their penchant for marrying easy-on-the-ear tunes to snide, clever clever lyrics never ceasing to irritate me, not least as they were very much radio favourites in their heyday. No female singer at this point, but Dave Hemingway does have a nice, smooth voice – just a shame the lyrics jar so badly against what is actually a rather nice melody. Campbell blunders in his intro, as Dave was not an original member of The Housemartins. The breakers reappear, providing sole TOTP outings for the Vixen and New Model Army offerings, the former an uninspired piece of big-haired soft rock, the latter another anthem for the crusties.
Paula Abdul shows off her choreography skills in a video which does stray uncomfortably into Mini Pops territory with its kids playing at being adults – not one that would get made today, I expect. The song is serviceable enough, but exposes the limitations of her voice more than her previous hit. Back in the studio it’s time for more rap, though this one does have energy and a catchy little chorus, plus what I think are the first shell suits we have seen on the show – that is one 80s fashion trend I doubt will ever make a comeback!
Soul II Soul next, with THE sound of the summer of ’89, and it still sounds remarkably fresh now. We won’t be seeing them do this one in the studio, of course, so this is the first of several outings for the video, with Caron Wheeler’s old mucker Claudia Fontaine prominent. Most unusually for the time, we get a second consecutive single go straight in at number 1, though Jason’s insipid treatment of Brian Hyland’s 1962 hit was hardly deserving of such an honour. He is in the studio for this one, and his attractive female assistants help to make up for that abomination of a shirt. The Nanas get the playout spot, with a nasty remix of one of their best songs. The video splices in clips from old promos, but completely airbrushes Siobhan from the picture, even though she did perform on this record…
Dave Hemingway was in The Housemartins, he replaced Hugh Whittaker on drums for their last few recordings.
DeleteI know - I said in my comments that he wasn't an original member, as Campbell claimed that he was.
DeleteI think we can forgive Nicky, Dave was in the band "originally", just not from the beginning.
DeleteTed Key was an original member. Don't know why I remember that.
Ah well, you are probably more forgiving of Mr Campbell than I could ever bring myself to be, THX!
DeleteEh, I don't mind him, he makes me laugh sometimes. Sometimes.
Deletemight that be as he's a fellow scot thx? or are there some of your countrymen (or women) that you really can't stand regardless?
DeleteI'm not patriotic, I just think life's too short to waste time on hating people like DJs or TV presenters. Save it for the real evildoers, no matter where they're from!
DeleteRe the Bananarama video - there was a clip of Siobhan from the 'Venus' video I think?
DeleteWendy, you've missed your cue because you were in the shower - no time to towel off, get on the stage and don't touch any wires! As for the tune, erm, riff sounds ripped off from somewhere but I'm not sure where. Their usual nonsense, basically.
ReplyDeleteCliff Richard with a serious misnomer of song title, no way is this the best of you, Harry. Bland as you like, what happened to the fun pop star of the start of the decade? And why is he being showered in confetti when he's famously marriage-averse?
The rest of the Guns N' Roses video, or more of it at any rate, which does feature some ladies at the start, though they're quickly dispensed with in favour of Axl's preening. But how did Slash actually see?
The Beautiful South tackle the hot topic of, erm, using women's names in hit songs. Thanks for bringing that pressing matter to the fore, lads. I was a fan of The Housemartins, but when I heard this I thought, hmm... nope. They did do a few things I liked, but mostly I preferred the previous band.
Sighting of Vixen on TOTP at last, hair metal performed by genuine ladies. Credit to them, it was a narrow field, but most of the fans preferred hair metal by men dressed as ladies. Other than that, unremarkable. Donna presumably on again, then New Model Army with their usual Tolpuddle Martyrs/English Civil War/Luddite rebellion or whatever gruff yawnfests.
Paula Abdul restages the Mini-Pops, good Christ nobody was asking for that! Maybe it was inspired by the Mickey Mouse Club, but seeing as only Michael Jackson was trying this sort of thing should have warned her off. As for the song, mid-level '89 pop, nothing great, but you wouldn't turn it off the radio.
D Mob and their Amazing Friends, the middle one between Aceeeed and Cathy Dennis that nobody remembers. Though sometimes "It is time to get funky!" pops into my head. So that's where it's from. For some reason a bare tummy is involved.
Ageing rather better, Soul II Soul with a video we all got a bit sick of, but the laidback vibe meant this was perfectly acceptable in the summer of '89 to relax by. Jazzy B's seething not pictured.
Jason Donovan gifts us a drippy cover of a song that wasn't much good to begin with. Cheers. Basically he could have released a record of him farting into a microphone for three minutes and it would have got to number one. Screaming from the audience.
Banarama with another rubbish remix, this one with a headache-inducing mashup of their videos, Siobhan carefully excised, but not clips of the girls blacked up as the Supremes - what the hell were they thinking?!
The Guns 'n' Roses re-release here only months after it was first in the charts in late 1988, seemed to differ in the video being released in colour this time round, as the 1988 chart version was a fully black-and-white video. Apart from that, no difference I think.
DeleteI remember thinking that The Beautiful South new male singer (Dave?) didn't look like your typical pop co-front man, and perhaps more like a sound engineer in the background. However, the line "I love you from the bottom of my pencil case" will remain forever more as one of the most romantic lines in pop music history, so we will forever be indebted to The Beautiful South with coming up with such an original line, which I must admit is nothing less than pop music genius!
I remember a later remix of Cruel Summer, some 20 years later in 2009 by Rico Bernasconi vs Ace Of Base with a great video that trumps any previous versions by Bananarama or anyone else for that matter:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJQEndkObUY
Does anyone remember this one?
The "pencil case" line from The Beautiful South isn't supposed to be romantic, it's taking the piss out of songwriters who take the names of the girls they knew in school to use in their songs.
DeleteThe Soul II Soul alert - they would've performed this on the 08/06/1989 episode, at the time, when the band was in the studio, they didn't want to mime to the track, so instantly the Beeb didn't want them singing live so immediately they left the building at the time they were supposed to perform and so in place of it, the video was shown in the first of its five outings, their next TOTP appearance in the studio would be 'Joy' in April 1992.
ReplyDeleteCaron Wheeler's next TOTP appearance would be 'Living in the Light' which will be seeing over on BBC Four this Autumn, which was the first of her solo hits and i'd reckon it was released in September 1990, as for two new entries in that week's episode, saw one of them going straight in at number one and Mr Donovan made an appearance in the studio for the second time since 1988's 'Especially for You' with Kylie unlike Cliff he didn't make it to the studio with his 100th hit.
Not too many repeats this week
ReplyDeleteTrransvision Vamp - wonder what wendy had been doing to get so sweaty. I can only imagine, and imagine, and... oh yeah, like the song as well
Cliff - 100 singles, and I’ve said it before, and I will say it again, he never knows what to do with his arms.. oh, and wimpy song
GnR - a bit more this week
Beautiful South - liked this. Didn’t realise they didn’t start with a female singer. Clever to include so many girl names - can’t harm sales
Breakers; vixen - Heart with added rocks; donna allen - bored and pained; New Model Army - didn’t really get the chance to get going
Paula Abdul - very odd, backing track didnt really match the tune. For a choreographer, the dance routine was all a bit turning and jumping on the spot
D Mob - it is time it is time it is time to hit FF
Soul to soul - one of the more acceptable thumpity thump songs
Jason - karaoke cover, pleasant enough
Bananarama - was this some weird remix? Do not remember this being so awful. Video seemed to be patched together from other videos
I don't think it was sweat on Wendy James, looked more like an oiled up Wendy, to leave the rest to the imagination, as she always seemed to like to surprise us with something differently sexy to the last time when she came onto the TOTP stage with suspenders on under a strange 'dress'. Still, she looked good once again, and always like seeing her on the show!
DeleteWendy actually tweeted last night that she did grease herself up for this performance, freaking out The Beautiful South in the process!
DeleteHi anonymous, I believe the 01/06 show which was just repeated has mono sound, despite having been recorded in stereo- do you have an archive copy of this one, by any chance, as it should still have the original audio intact?
ReplyDeleteOn a similar note, I thought I still had the 04/08 file which you'd supplied me with as that one was shown in mono instead of stereo too, but I think I deleted that one as well. Thanks if you can provide either of these.
no sorry dont have 01/06 but here's 04/08 again https://we.tl/t-ITuQSuYwi7
DeleteIt seemed that being female and solo was the way to go in 1989, as I noticed that the first two shows of June 1989 have featured a Top 10 with six out of the Top Ten being female solo artists. It wasn't about groups or male solos at this stage, but rather the presence of the female solo artist bringing out hunky male backing dancers, in some cases to hold them like Sinitta or Paula Abdul, or lift them up if they were as small and light as Kylie Minogue. Now what would Lynne Hamilton's preference be?
ReplyDeleteLynne would rather be 'on the inside' of the BBC studio performing her ballad again. See what I did there?
DeleteI’ll critique this later today or tonight, but a quick poke over the wall here.
ReplyDeleteDave Hemingway had already taken joint lead vocals before, in the chorus of The Housemartins’ “Build”. The Beautiful South’s debut single had the almost prophetic B-side “Straight In At 37”, as the single debuted in the chart at 35. They had two female vocalists: Briana Corrigan, who left the band in disgust at the lyrics for “36D” and “Mini-Correct”, and Jacqueline Abbott, who Paul Heaton teamed up with again recently and the duo have released four well-received albums with the latest, “Manchester Calling”, topping the UK chart. Heaton and Abbott are playing at least one gig soon with free entry for NHS staff.
will they be performing at heaton park?
DeleteBoom boom tish! I think the first (only?) gig so far is in Nottingham with 6,000 NHS tickets.
Deleteglad to hear you got the joke "dahn sarf" arthur - given that mr heaton apparently resides in manchester these days, i am bit surprised he hasn't put in an appearance at the annual rock festival on said park (which i ride my bike in quite often btw - or at least i used to!)
DeleteWhere's Said Park then? Tee hee! :-D
Deletein port said perhaps?
DeleteNice crosscourt volley return with topspin there! ;-)
DeleteWitty Nicky in charge this week. And he does a fairly decent job.
ReplyDeleteWhat is 1989 TOTP trying to do to me. Wendy James sizzles back into the studio. Transvision Vamp a bit of a one trick pony and “The Only One” suffers from a lack of originality, although frankly who really cares..
So how does a song get all the way to Number 2 and I have absolutely no recollection of it whatsoever. “The Best Of Cliff” this most certainly isn't. I've forgotten it already.
100 singles it very impressive though. Fair play.
Charts - oh hello REM...
“Sweet Child O’ Mine” finally goes top ten. A classy tune and Slash really is a great guitarist.
The Beautiful South pre boy/girl format with the very witty and quirky “Song For Whoever”. The start of a great run of hits for the band which continues with Paul and Jacqui at Number One in the album chart last week. I had their Carry On Up The Charts CD and it really is a masterpiece.
Breakers:
Vixen - Guitars - check. Big hair - check. Rock video - check. What did you forget girls, oh yes that's right, a tune.
Donna Allen - Nice enough tune.
New Model Army - FF
Time for this weeks dancing lesson and your teacher this week is Miss Abdul. She will be “Forever Your Girl” although nowadays this would be an audition video for Britains Got Talent.
Designer tracksuits at the ready for D Mob featuring LRS. “It Is INDEED Time To Get Funky” with a slick piece of pop/rap/dance.. Are you watching Double Trouble? This is how you do it. Would be the highlight of the show but for...
Soul II Soul with “Back To Life (However Do You Want Me)”. Odd to have a video here so this must be the week they weren't allowed to sing live and walked out. Video is excellent though, as is the song, easily one of the best tracks of the year and possibly the decade.
Jason Donovan in full superstardom mode now as “Sealed With A Kiss” goes straight in at Number One. Now we know why he was in the studio a couple of weeks ago, he was filming this.
It's a decent cover as well and not offensive at all. He's done much worse.
Finally a pointless remix of “Cruel Summer” with a mash up video that features the wrong banana!
Not necessary at all.
Right I'm off to bed for an early night to dream about Wendy James....got to be up early tomorrow for my 15th Birthday....night x
Don't forhet to put the clocks forward tonight. We lose an hour's kip!
Deletearthur i can't say that i'm all broken-up about that in the current circumstances!
Deletei should imagine that very few people in blighty are losing sleep at the prospect of losing sleep at the moment? it's just more groundhog day, but with an hour less to endure!
DeleteWell, I'm currently getting an extra hour and three quarters' kip on weekday mornings due to the lack of commuting (which is nice), but I just thought I'd do my 'public information film' bit. Happy - bloody freezing- British Summer Time everyone!
DeleteI am also getting an extra couple of hours in bed of a morning, though unfortunately my body is so hard-wired to wake up around 6 I keep finding myself doing so involuntarily! Thankfully I soon drop off again most mornings...
DeletePhew, Campbell not as twatty as I anticipated. Not quite. I didn't mind his exuberance.
ReplyDeleteNice entrance stage right from Wendy and...Wahay! Sales of Johnson’s Baby Oil go through the roof. Shame about the nondescript song (what was it called again?), overhammy drumming and Campbell forgetting this was actually The Vamp’s fourth mugshot hit.
Dreadful intro pun into Cliff’s soporific effort accompanied by the Harry Webb school of mime. Shame this didn’t sound like Marcel Marceau.
Part two of the G’n’R video. Will we get to obtain the full set, just like the Esso 1970 World Cup coin collection? Stoke-on-Trent’s finest guitarist in his element here.
The number of chaps in The Beautiful South with the same first name (what was the bonus sixth member on piano called, then?) reminded me of a band from the 80’s called The Dave, where the main criteria of being a group member was that had to be your first name. Why did Mister Hemingway accompany the lyric ”write it all down” with the action of turning on a Dictaphone?
Vixen, the ‘female Bon Jovi’ (Bonnie Jovi, then, I guess) from Minnesota with a decent enough metal effort, though who would win between them and Heart in a scuffle?
Donna Allen minces up the Frankie Beverley and Maze stage fave with awful bleeps and a limp uncrunchy drum sound. No joy here for me, just pain.
New Model Army excellent, eh, Campbell? Admittedly slightly different to and better than their usual fodder, but Vixen would have these both musically and in a rumpus.
Paula Abdul next, with her marginally wider vocal range than Tony “Foghorn” Hadley and an unsettling vid for these times.
“You’re gonna love this”, Campbell? It Is Time To Get The FF Going.
Ah, now then... If you said to me Jazzie B, I’d say seriously fecked off bloke. If you said to me Soul II Soul, I’d say don’t be such prats and let them go live, they’ve done it before on the show, for goodness’ sake. Get used to this video, people.
Jason with an average (Everage?) version of an average song, backed by Antipodean’s People to no real effect.
We conclude with an horrific botch-up of my favourite Bananarama track, and the first video clip we see for this murdering of “Cruel Summer” is a pretend snowstorm! The original version’s picture sleeve gave the gals CB nicknames, with poor Siobhan lumbered with the title of a Val Doonican comedy track, Delaney’s Donkey. I bet she loved that.
Andy Parkin on next? Isn’t he too young to drink? Best bring in some orange crush for him. Boom boom tish!
There's a young British rapper called Dave too. Not Dave (Surname), just Dave. Sounds like he couldn't be bothered.
DeleteI wonder if he's ever appeared on the channel of the same name?
DeleteHeart over Vixen for me anyway. No comparison between the Wilson sisters of Heart, and the ladies in Vixen. I guess you meant a scuffle of hair-pulling on stage, or possibly a pillow-fight in their pyjamas?
DeleteHmm, such choices....
DeleteI also wonder if Dave's real name is Rodney?
ReplyDeleteI was watching an episode of Robin's Nest on Forces TV (Sky 181) this morning, where Robin Tripp's visiting mother-in-law from abroad, calls him Roger instead of Robin, even after he corrects her, so the Only Fools And Horses similar gag of Dave for Rodney was not original, as the Robin's Nest episode was a 1980 one, and before the birth of Only Fools And Horses.
Delete@Arthur: You're thinking of Roots Manuva.
DeleteNice fact, THX! I didn't know that. I was actually mucking about in "Only Fools And Horses" stylee, as Trigger always referred to Rodney as Dave.
DeleteIt's OK, I got the joke, I was just making a jest of my own. Although Roots really is called Rodney!
DeleteHi xrayfour! I'm on to ask if you've got drykid's restorations of the following shows? They are 19/07/84, 18/10/84, 2/01/86 and 5/06/86. Cheers!
ReplyDeleteHere they are brie:
Deletehttps://we.tl/t-qjVOb0H5dT
https://we.tl/t-CdOAvDk9zh
Brilliant, xrayfour! Many thanks again.
DeleteIs this from totp? (From recent dutch 192tv) https://we.tl/t-ooNobAirUG
ReplyDeleteYes. It's from TOTP on 09/07/70. 192TV often alter the clips to match the studio recording with the footage. I'd prefer to see the clips as broadcast with original audio but it's still great to get them from 192TV.
DeleteThanks xrayfour
DeleteWorking my way through my archives and realised I have a very poor quality version of 8/1/76. Is there a BBC Archive version floating around out there? Many thanks if it can be supplied!
ReplyDeletehere it is https://we.tl/t-93bznJjAfA
DeleteThank you so much! I'm currently having a rewatch of the series to clear away the gloom and have reached one of my fav years 1976. A memory of happier times..that long hot summer and some great tunes.
DeleteFor some reason my copy of this edition was very poor and looks like it had been taped from a filmed copy so thank you so much for the upload!
If fans of the show haven't seen this classic edition give it a go as it has for me one of the bravest single camera moves the production team had performed up to that point. It occurs in the last section of ELO's song and then in one take (and on the same camera without edits) we continue all the way into Barbara Dickenson song..following her around the piano..and finally (again on the same camera) ending up on Noel's link to the number one afterwards. It's a very brave director who went for this take as one error and then they would had to have gone a long way back into the show!
Great show this one, and apart from one of the last ever appearances by ELO in the TOTP studio and rare glimpse of Jeff Lynne without his customary sunglasses, this episode contains one of the most underrated ballads of all time, that is R&J Stone with We Do It.
DeleteTransvision Vamp - Not a great single really, it just doesn't quite hang together.
ReplyDeleteCliff Richard - What an immensely dull song they chose for such a momentous release.
The Beautiful South - Not much love for them here it seems, but I always liked them. During an idle moment recently I tried to work out if I knew ladies with each name mentioned in the song and realised that I'm just missing an Annabel.
Paula Abdul - Horribly dated production married to really weak vocals. No thanks.
D Mob - Ridiculously, they blank out the vocal where they spell out 'ACIEED' even though the song has an anti-drug message! Not their best tune but it's alright to hear once in a while.
Soul II Soul - A brilliant single that reminds me of very warm weather (I think the sunshine was mostly in June / July that year?)
Jason Donovan - Bland and unexceptional.
Bananarama - In a swingbeat stylee...hmm...amusingly silly.
Breakers - The Vixen one is OK, but all their songs sound roughly the same to me. As usual, New Model Army serve up some turgid drivel.