Studio distancing
22/06/89 (Gary Davies & Simon Mayo)
Living In A Box – “Gatecrashing” (37)
Getting the show underway but the song went up just one more place.
Gladys Knight – “Licence To Kill” (20) (video)
This James Bond theme song became her fifth top ten hit, and also her final hit, when it peaked at number 6.
U2 – “All I Want Is You” (5) (video)
Is that a young Peter Dinklage? The song went up one more place.
Bangles – “Be With You” (26)
Quite a pleasant surprise they turned up in the studio to perform this song because they split up not long afterwards, and it went up three more places.
Clannad & Bono – “In A Lifetime” (21) (studio/video)
Gosh, she looks like her sister doesn't she? Clannad's final top 40 hit and it peaked at number 17.
Prince – “Batdance” (3) (video)
Kapow! From the movie Batman of course, and this wacky tune went up one more place.
D Mob featuring LRS – “It Is Time To Get Funky” (11) (rpt from 08/06/89)
Went up two more places.
The Beautiful South – “Song For Whoever” (8) (rpt from 08/06/89)
On its way to number 2.
Soul II Soul – “Back To Life (However Do You Want Me)” (1) (video)
Shame they fell out with the show. First of four weeks at number one.
Placido Domingo & Jennifer Rush – “Till I Loved You” (24) (video/credits)
Got no higher and higher.
29th June is next.
We have a heavyweight presenting duo this week in the shape of Gazza and Mayo, both dressed for the hot summer weather, but unfortunately they are lumbered with a pretty uninspiring line-up. Living in a Box start us off, accompanied by a comely brass section and brace of backing singers, but the song is generic, undistinguished and instantly forgettable – thankfully, their next single would be much better, and would also be a much bigger hit. Gladys Knight makes her first TOTP appearance in many years with this middling Bond theme, co-written by Narada Michael Walden. As you would expect, the video is packed with clips from the film, which is not one many Bond fans would claim as a favourite but which I have always liked for its unusually high level of grittiness, Robert Davi’s excellent performance as the villain and the extended role it affords good old Q.
ReplyDeleteI don’t remember hearing this U2 song before, but given how quickly I forgot it after the brief clip of the video here, it may well have slipped from my mind after previous listens. The promo is rather pretentious, and was actually intended as a homage to Fellini, being filmed in Italy - that isn't Peter Dinklage, though there is a facial similarity, but an Italian actor called Paolo Risi. Happily, The Bangles are back in the studio, but sadly this will be the last time we see them on a regular show. There is no sign here of the rising tensions in the band that would soon cause them to split, and it is nice to have Debbi Peterson on lead vocals for a change, as I think she has a better voice than Susanna Hoffs, even if singing from behind a drum kit never looks that elegant. A great, storming pop tune too, which should have been a bigger hit.
Oh no, here’s Bono again, with his 1986 collaboration with Clannad which was reissued at this point to promote their new compilation album. That doubtless explains why the band are in the studio, but it does seem ridiculous for them to be there without Mr Hewson, necessitating clips from the video to be used for his bits; Mayo’s wry outro comment about him being trapped in the drum kit during the performance is a nice acknowledgement of the silliness of the situation. You couldn’t get away from Tim Burton’s Batman film in the summer of 1989, so massively hyped was it, and its success helped to pave the way for the glut of superhero movies we have to endure now. In this video Prince actually looks more sinister as the Joker than Jack Nicholson, but the song is a total mess, despite its nostalgic reference to the TV show, which I remember watching on weekend mornings on TV-am back in the 80s.
Three repeats in a row follow, including the deserved new number 1, before we close with a horrific and highly improbable collaboration which I am glad to say completely passed me by back then. Placido is definitely the more good looking of this very odd couple, and who told Jennifer that she could sing in operatic style? A horrible racket, and a cringey video to go with it, made all the more so by Placido’s current #MeToo difficulties…
I'm older than you, so first watched the 1960s Batman on TISWAS, and thought it was supposed to be totally serious at that tender age (!).
DeleteI first watched Batman on its initial run! ..and the 1960s Batman movie in the cinema - it is tremendous fun
DeleteTHX - yes, when I first started watching it I thought the same as you, but it gradually dawned on me that it wasn't wholly serious...
Deletegive me the camp 60's tv series over the po-faced films any day of the week. i remember trying to watch the one with arnie in as a super villain, but despite that i still had to give up on well before the first hour was up!
DeleteBatman & Robin (the one with Ahnold as Mr Freeze) is generally considered the worst Batman movie, and was at the time too. Wouldn't call it po-faced, mind, I think they were trying (and failing) to make a comedy!
Deleteyes you're right thx - after the earnestness of the first couple of batman films i think the producers wanted to make it a bit more light-hearted - perhaps as a refernce to the 60's tv series? also in that regard, i assume it was the one where robin was re-introduced as batman's junior crime-fighting partner and "young ward" (fnar fnar) of his alter ego bruce wayne?. however to my recollection it totally fell between two stools!
Deletehow appropriate that george clooney was cast as batman in the above film, as there have been rumours over the years of him hanging out with robin-types for real!
DeleteRobin (Chris O'Donnell version) was introduced in the previous film Batman Forever, which despite being as bad as Batman & Robin was a huge hit.
DeleteGeorge Clooney has a reputation as a dedicated practical joker, but I don't think he's gay. He might pretend to be for a laff, though.
i did hear to the contrary from one guy i was briefly acquainted with who claimed to have met george. but even before that he was renowned for never stepping out in public with a lady on his arm, despite being hollywood's most eligible bachelor. and although he married some woman in more recent times, she seems to have disappeared off the radar now... which leads me to suspect she was used as a "beard" to head people off at the pass!
Deletestill, like cliff i don't suppose anyone will ever really know if the rumours are likely to be true or not until after he's dead and gone?
George's wife is Amal Clooney, who is a high profile human rights lawyer, so she hasn't disappeared. He's also had two kids with her. And he was married before. So that's some dedication if he is gay!
DeleteThe Bangles did return to TOTP in 2001, but I *think* the footage may only have been shown on TOTP2.
DeleteToo late by 2001, as it was probably just going over old ground rather than any new music for the new century.
DeleteThe Bangles didn't start releasing new material again until 2003, so the 2001 appearance would almost certainly have been some kind of TOTP2 special, I would have thought.
DeleteIncidentally, just wanted to say RIP to the great Bill Withers, and also to Arrows' Alan Merrill, composer of I Love Rock 'N' Roll, who is the first musician I know of to have succumbed to the coronavirus.
ReplyDeleteAdam Schlesinger of Fountains of Wayne (Radiation Vibe, Stacy's Mom) died of the virus yesterday. He also wrote the theme song for the film That Thing You Do!, a really sweet 60s pop pastiche, among other things.
DeleteIn with the leaders with comments this week..
ReplyDeleteLiving in a box - continuing my theme from previous show, don’t remember this. Sounded like Living In A Box played at 33...
Gladys Knight - not a fan of Gladys, but this is a classic slice of Bond...
(Surprised to see REM go down after after their TOTP appearance)
U2 - as previously stated Rattle and Hum one of my favourite CDs, and All I Want is a real burner...
Bangles - studio performance after last weeks video snippet. Bit better when you get more than the previous snippet, but still not as their best...
Clannad - whereas this added nothing to my first impression last week.
Prince - now that is how you do a video... great reimagining of Batman theme...
It was interesting that Bono appeared on two videos in the same show, but All I Want Is You is surely one of U2's finest outings, and one of the best songs of 1989.
DeleteAgreed Dory. Never a song that comes to mind when I think of U2 but every time I hear it I'm reminded how good it is. It's a very powerful and emotional vocal.
DeleteLiving in a Box are searching in vain for a tune with this non-starter, it's all production and nothing else. Odd bogbrush hair adopted by Mr Box, too. Energetic miming, but it's all for naught.
ReplyDeleteAlways liked this Bond theme, and Glad has the pipes to make the most of it, in fact it's probably the best thing about the film. The lowest-grossing Bond movie for a while, because it ramped up the violence and was less family-friendly (mind you, as Mark Kermode pointed out on his Secrets of Cinema BBC4 show yesterday, Casino Royale has a naked Bond walloped in the bollocks with a carpet beater and that was a 12 certificate!).
U2 with a video for their doleful ditty that manages to be even more depressing than La Strada. They should have given us all a laugh an adapted Amarcord, but I guess that's not stony-faced enough for them.
They didn't make it to the studio for their biggest hit, but curiously The Bangles did for this lower-scoring follow-up, which while not as emotional, is a catchy, wistful bit of pop rock. Singing drummers! Well, there's Debbi and Phil Collins...
Clannad and Bongo with a real plodder that paradoxically never settles down to anything very much. Mad staring eyes on Mrs Clannad in the studio offputting.
Ah, this is more like it! I know at the time a bunch of snobs thought, egads, what is Prince doing? He's sold out! But I kind of love Batdance, because it's totally nuts - completely bats, in fact. Great use of movie dialogue clips, two tunes for the price of one, wild video, and I thoroughly enjoyed the movie too - though I do prefer Danny Elfman's brilliant orchestral Batman theme, Prince was cheeky to hark back to the Neal Hefti classic earworm of the 60s.
Repeats all the way, including the number one, until we get to some horrendously oversung cheesy ballad with a video that seems all wrong now we know about Placido's busy hands. But at least it's the answer to the question, what was Jennifer Rush's other hit?
there have been several singing drummers on totp before in some form or another: philip wright (paper lace), des dyer (jigsaw), don henley (eagles), michael narada walden (who by coincidence co-produced the bond theme sung here). i do agree with john though that the concept looks clumsy and ill-advised
Deletelike the above observation, i may already have said the following too: the original title for what was my bond "shark-jumping" moment was "licence revoked", but it was changed for fear that the average trailer park trash wouldn't know what "revoked" meant. and yet fast-forward 20 years or so and they release a bond film called "quantum of solace" - which i for one still have no idea what it means!
Indeed, this is the last time we will see the Bangles on TOTP, wether in the studio or on video, as this was their last top 30 hit, and interesting to go out without Suzanna Hoffs on lead vocals, but hey, she was the figurehead lead vocalist on all their other hits, so it was a little surprising not see her on lead vocals this time, but its been fun seeing the Bangles in the 1986-1989 chart run that made them living room favourites among British pop fans. Goodbye and good luck girls!
DeleteThe video is quite good too, although we did get a small clip of it on the Breakers in the last episode of TOTP:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VAe_gCBDmI
@wilberforce: Ah, but you remember the title Quantum of Solace and that's what's important! I actually really like that one, the theme song was pleasingly nuts and it doesn't mess about as a Bond film, it gets in there, does its job and gets the hell out again.
Delete@Dory: I'm liking the song more and more on this reacquaintance, but the video's a bit of a boring concert one, they're ten a penny. Looking up bassist Michael Steele, apparently she likes to be called Micki now because there's a Republican ex-politician by that name!
DeleteRe Quantum of Solace, if you read Ian Fleming's original short story it turns out to mean a crumb of comfort, something that gives solace in a dark time. My quantum of solace at the moment is not having to commute every day!
DeleteCasino Royale gets all the plaudits and love as the first Craig film but I really struggled with it. Quantum of Solace is a much better movie but it's rare anyone ever agrees with me. Glad you like it too THX.
DeleteLet's not forget Hot Chip paid homage to Batdance in their video for Ready for the Floor decades later, and even included Joker '89's line "You're my number one guy!" in the song (hence the tribute).
ReplyDeleteWatching the playout on this show, and second outing for this video in consecutive weeks' albeit on The Breakers last week, and then this week on the playout, I also found this clip of the pair on Terry Wogan's show, recereating the video set in the studio:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwg-HWUCQ2o
Wogan comes over to the couch to join them after the song ends, and interviews them here, where Domingo is asked about transitioning from opera to musicals to sing with Jennifer Rush, and she does seem really pleased to be in his company:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mg4dnN_j9ak
Also around this time in 1989, in the last 'great year' of duets where the 70s and 80s pop stars were coming to the end of their pop careers, Lita Ford & Ozzy Osbourne peaked at No.47 with Close My Eyes Forever, but got to No.8 with it around this time in the USA:
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foGkU6x3eSE
I remember seeing this video on The Chart Show in May 1989 introducing it as one to watch, but was astonished that it did not break through in Britain like it did in America.
Errrgh! Put those legs away, lads!
ReplyDeleteNo, Simon, you can’t kid me – The Beautiful South aren’t in the studio!
Living In a Box barely gatecrashing the top 40 (ho ho) and fine work for their plugger to get a two-place soarer on the show, complete with miming female brass. No tune here, just a groove.
“Licence to Kilt”! The name’s Knight, Gladys Knight. A fine vocal outing for an okay 007 theme, better than this old franchise clips rehash promo.
Boy Mayo showing some fine film knowledge of the U2 video well before his partnership with Mark Kermode. Look, there’s Rusty Goffe, the uncredited Oompa Loompa and height-challenged trampoling weatherman from L!ve TV.
Good grief, a Bangles viewing that doesn’t focus on Susannah! A drum riser to elevate the now unfrizzed besticked vocalist. The gals never looked more glittery and glamorous.
Two songs tonight featuring Bonio and, thankfully, he’s not around for either. Scary Enya and a gaggle of lads but not including a drummer, and somehow making me thirsty for a can of Harp.
Of course, naturally Prince would use purple make-up to be Joker. Quite a batty track, this, and no mistake.
Two repeat FF’s before I remembered a link between The Beautiful South and Soul II Soul, namely an out of court settlement if I remember correctly after Paul Heaton sang “Back to bed, back to reality” to the tune of the chart topper at the end of TBS track ”My Book”.
Who on Earth bought that outro row? No need for a burglar alarm with that racket.
Hi xrayfour! I'm on to ask if you've got any parts of the following shows that Popscene says are wiped but the performances still exist. I've already asked Anonymous quite a while ago and he hasn't got them. They are 6/02/75 and 9/10/75 which is supposed to be in the archive and exists as an off-air recording. Cheers!
ReplyDeleteI've nothing from 09/10/75 but here's 06/02/75. Thanks again to Shearer118 for his help with the clips:
Deletehttps://we.tl/t-Woup7dVm8g
Have you got this in MP4 format, as I can't open MK4 format?
DeleteIt's an MKV file. They are better quality than MP4. Download the VLC Media player if you can & it will play most formats for you. Here's an MP4 of 06/02/75:
Deletehttps://we.tl/t-AdD9KbTWKr
Great stuff, mate! Thanks for this.
DeleteRIP Honor Blackman, who had a hit with Patrick Macnee (eventually) with the novelty song Kinky Boots in 1990. Well, she kind of counts as a pop star.
ReplyDeleteAnd also RIP Tom Watkins, larger than life impresario and the man who set The Pet Shop Boys on the road to success, as well as managing Bros and East 17, among others. Kind of a marmite character, but definitely a character.
ReplyDeleteHas no-one mentioned RIP for Eddie Large who died this week, as his Little & Large comedy shows were primarily in the 80s alongside the TOTP shows that we have been reviewing for the last few years? The show went from 1978 - 1991, and more in line with these TOTP reruns.
Deletei seem to recall that watkins was quite proud of the fact that he screwed dross financially by taking advantage of their ignorance i.e. not knowing the difference between him taking his cut from their gross earnings rather than net! so i don't suppose they were the first to send condolences on his passing?
Delete@Dory: I didn't mention Eddie because he didn't have a hit record (not even as Tina Turner), though Little & Large did record a cover of Telephone Man complete with impressions, as heard on Gideon Coe's 6 Music show on Monday night.
Delete@wilberforce: Yeah, Watkins made a lot of enemies. In fact he seemed to go out of his way to make enemies!
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DeleteRIP Patrick Francfort of the Gibson Brothers,passed away from Covid 19 on April 4th.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
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DeleteVery sad to hear. Patrick was the Brother on the drums at the back of the group. The Gibson Brothers were one of the disco greats of the 1978-80 period, albeit one of the lesser played ones on the music and video channels present day.
DeleteCuba was one of the greatest dance floor singles of all time, and still played on disco floors for at least another 20 years throughout the 80s and 90s, although in the last 20 years or so it has become one of the forgotten songs of that era.
This clip from 2017 in a giant outdoor gig around a pool complex in Germany with an all-white wearing audience and dancing couples was something quite special:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Vxin9JxHwg
Debbi Peterson looking the spit of Katy Perry on this show.
ReplyDeleteWas Bono drinking during the shooting of that Clannad video? He looks hammered by the end!
Might explain his groaning vocal, too!
DeleteA week late to the party but here we go...
ReplyDeleteA story of the good, the bad and the repeated presented by a couple of summer-shorted DJs.
Did Simon get that shirt from the Pet Shop Boys fanclub?
“Gatecrashing” the show, all the way from 1985 are Living In A Box. Absolutely amazed this wasn't a bigger hit at the time but probably a few years too late. A real lost classic here...
What an amazing video for Gladys "Bond" Knight. Gonna stick my neck out here and say “Licence To Kill” is not only one of the best Bond themes of them all but also one of the best Bond films ever.
Huge fan of this song and the movie. Absolutely stunning.
Two Top ten new entries this week with the first from U2. Bit of effort spent on the video but would need to see the whole thing to get the full story. “All I Want Is You” is one of their better ballads as well. Don't mind this at all.
So the Bangles turned up for this but not for Eternal Flame. Wasn't a fan of the clip last week but “Be With You” had me tapping my feet for 3 minutes. Unfortunately I've forgotten it already.
Looked good though....
Clannad and "Curly Enya" make it to the studio but where the hell is Bono, it's too late to disown this atrocious attempt at a song. Where is the tune? What a racket. A really odd studio performance as well as it sounded like someone was shouting over Miss Clannad as she was trying to sing. Thankfully Once “In A Lifetime”.
Highest New Entry time and this is a piece of real quality. Great video with Prince as Batman and The Joker. “Batdance” is a very unusual movie theme but it really works for Batman. Some serious guitar work going on this as well. Excellent.
Now Gary can you convince us that the next two acts are actually in the studio? No he can't!
“It Is Time To Get Funky” once again. Still a huge amount of fun.
The Beautiful South next with “Song For Whoever” and this really crept up the charts didn't it. Still love it.
4 weeks of the Soul II Soul video but no complaints from me. “Back To Life" is just a great tune.
Placido & Jennifer actually made me turn the show off before it finished. Never done that before.
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DeleteAs an aside...just wanted to mention a couple of songs that haven't made the show.
DeleteNo 31 - Malcolm McClaren is back with "Waltz Darling", a really great record, part oz, part indian, part odd.
I actually went out and got the album on the back of this and then years later, 10 years into my marriage and during a house move, Wifey pulls out her copy of the album! We never knew...but now we play it often.
No 48 is the band One Too Many with "Downtown". not the Petula Clark song but a great pop song that got a lot of radio play at the time especially from "ooh Gary". He played it on his Sounds of the Eighties show last year and it was great to hear it again. I never bought it and it's not on Spotify so a real "lost" classic tune.
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DeleteAnd as Clannad were on the show it seems fit to mention "Storms In Africa" by Enya stuck at Number 41.
DeleteWell worth checking out but probably too similar to Orinoco Flow to be a big hit.
I'll go now..
Yes, the *other* Downtown was an excellent pop record, I think they were Scandinavian? Got a lot of airplay as you say, but didn't chime with the public, sadly.
DeleteJust reacquainted myself with Waltz Darling after 31 years. As the YT comments say, Madonna totally lifted this for her Vogue tracks. Although she wisely left off Malcolm sounding like a little old lady.
DeleteI love both 'Downtown' (and yes, they were Norwegian IIRC) and 'Waltz Darling' which would've been in a Breakers slot I suspect, had they not been only doing that when they could be bothered by this point.
DeleteJust realised that Sct353 has not posted for a few weeks. Hope you're ok mate and keeping safe.
ReplyDeleteYes, I was thinking that - he did seem to stop posting rather abruptly. I hope he's OK.
DeleteLiving In A Box - Weirdly, I've always really liked this one. It has a very unusual double false ending!
ReplyDeleteGladys Knight - Was this the last really good Bond theme? I suspect it might be.
U2 - One of Mrs. Noax' favourite songs ever. I like it too, though it does perhaps go on for a little too long (though not on TOTP, natch)
The Bangles - I absolutely love this, I think it's the best thing they ever did, helped by the fact that Susannah Hoffs doesn't sing lead (I know everyone loved her, but her vocals were never great)
Clannad & Bono - Mrs Noax likes this as well. I find it rather dull.
Prince - A fun song, and I love the bit where it all slows down to change completely. Not shown here, partly because yet again the video doesn't use the single version.
Domingo / Rush - No thanks.
I was watching the 1973 Bond film Live And Let Die earlier this evening on ITV4, and the theme tune for it was clearly the best ever Bond theme tune in my opinion, but in the 80s there were some very good ones, not least the one by Sheena Easton in 1981 and this Gladys Knight one in 1989 as the best two from the 80s.
DeleteI've really liked the Daniel Craig themes, the Chris Cornell was a rare fast Bond song that really sets the film hitting the ground running, being a White Stripes fan the Jack White one was great for me, and Adele's Skyfall was one of the best for Craig's best effort in the role. Only Sam Smith lets the side down, a pretty dull affair, but Billie Eilish would have been a grower had I heard it more, I suspect (who knows when the film will be released?).
Deleteas far as i'm concerned any bond theme that doesn't involve john barry simply isn't worth listening to - macca's dreadful effort (including some cod-reggae in the middle of it) being a prime example...
Deletei had hoped to see an orchestra play all the bond themes and more later this year - especially when i was informed that they do so in chronological order, whereupon after the barry era i would probably clear off if not too pissed to care by then! sadly though like everything else live entertainment-wise, who knows if and when that will happen now?