Do you come 'ere often?
20/07/89 (Gary Davies)
London Boys – “London Nights” (2)
Leaping into action once more but their second and final top ten hit was now at its peak.
Eartha Kitt & Bronski Beat – “Cha Cha Heels” (39) (video)
This eccentric tune went up seven more places.
Monie Love – “Grandpa’s Party” (16)
Is this a new performance? Hard to tell but the song went up no further.
Jive Bunny & The Mastermixers – “Swing The Mood” (31) (video)
Hopping its way relentlessly towards number one.
The Blow Monkeys featuring Sylvia Tella – “Choice?” (27)
From their top 5 album Choices this was their final top 40 hit and it peaked at number 22.
Bobby Brown – “On Our Own” (4) (video)
No, it's not fake news, that really is Donald Trump! But the song was now at its peak.
Doug Lazy – “Let It Roll” (36) (video)
His only top 40 hit and it peaked at number 27.
Rufus & Chaka Khan – “Ain’t Nobody” (remix) (6) (video)
At its peak.
Sonia – “You’ll Never Stop Me Loving You” (1)
Triumphantly back in the studio to perform what was her first of two weeks at number one.
The Cult – “Edie (Ciao Baby)” (32) (video/credits)
Got no higher.
27th July is next.
Gazza is in assured form, and is spot on (unfortunately) with his Jive Bunny chart prediction; hope he doesn’t start making a habit of getting the audience to do his work for him, though. You can tell it is a slow chart week when four of the featured records come from outside the Top 30, but we start with the London Boys at the very peak of their chart career and demonstrating, once they bare their arms, that they must have spent a lot of time in the gym. Bronski Beat could count themselves very lucky to get a showing for this dismal effort – as soon as a past-her-prime Eartha Kitt started singing, it sounded a bit like Hylda Baker wrapping her tonsils around You’re the One That I Want! Considering she was 62 at the time, she still looked pretty good, but for the Bronskis this was a very long way indeed from the glories of Smalltown Boy.
ReplyDeleteThere was just no escaping Jive Bunny that summer – I remember being on holiday in Wales and the Cotswolds during August and hearing it constantly, though it was my introduction to a number of classic 50s hits. It was definitely a slicker production than the medleys of the early 80s, and the archive footage in the video is fun, though the bunny himself gets annoying quickly. I’ve never heard of Sylvia Tella, but she is looking and sounding good here in the company of The Blow Monkeys. A decent dance pop offering with a summery feel, though not one to get too excited about.
After more of the odious Bobby Brown’s video – whatever happened to Donald Trump, I wonder – Doug Lazy becomes the latest in a long line of house artists to treat us to a video consisting of archive film and animation clippage. Thankfully the clips are well chosen, and help to distract the attention from the thuddingly predictable, unoriginal record. Chaka's on video this time, but still no Rufus in sight. It looks a pretty cheap affair, with close ups of the lady herself interspersed with yet more archive footage - there must have been insatiable demand for old clips at that time...
Sonia is more insufferably perky and smiley than ever as she inexplicably ascends to the top, but it looks as if SAW were cutting costs as she only gets one dancer to accompany her this time, dressed in what would become Simon Cowell's signature style. I have no idea how old Sonia's sisters were, but they look about twice her age in that interview with Gazza! The Cult play us out with an attempt at a more stately, less aggressive sound that is OK, but nothing more. The style of the video suggests that they had been watching Guns N' Roses promos closely.
This was a much better show than the previous one, largely thanks to great movie montage videos by Jive Bunny and Doug Lazy on this show.
ReplyDeleteBronski Beat - I didn't know they were still going in 1989, especially since their leap into the unknown following the departure of Jimi Summerville in 1986. Certainly Bronski Beat were taking a leaf out their old friend Marc Almond's book, by finding an oldie to team up with in Eartha Kitt, if not Gene Pitney.
Looks like a video worth checking out in full this weekend, but everybody in 1988-1989 seemed to be bringing back a golden oldie onto their record to boost their fortunes, like Gene Pitney, Dusty Springfield, The Beach Boys, Chubby Checker, Edwin Starr, the list goes on. It seemed to be the fashion after one person had the idea, then everybody wanted to get in on the action!
Jive Bunny & The Mastermixers - a stroke of master genius if not master mixer. For Gary Davies to close this one out saying that he has a funny feeling that it will be going all the way to No.1 when it was only at No.31, means that something spicy was in the air. I remember totally being hooked by this mix of 60s classics, and it was a great dance floor filler at the time in discos. Roll on the No.1 spot!
Bobby Brown - I remember this tune because I bought the album at the time, but I certainly don't recall this being linked to the Ghostbusters II movie. I did like the video though, especially the video flatscreens on the outside of large buildings in the street. It was not until 2004, in Britain at least, that the flatscreen TV arrived, so this was some 15 years ahead of time!
Doug Lazy - I give the same applause as for Jive Bunny, absolutely top video, and I wouldn't have minded this one being stuck at No.2 behind Jive Bunny's No.1 through the whole of August 1989, but it only got to No.27 according to Angelo, but very underrated video I thought.
Angelo - the Monie Love performance looked like a repeat to me, with Gazza doing that annoying thing of pretending it was a new one.
ReplyDeleteThe London Boys start by giving the audience their biggest thrill since Man 2 Man meets Man Parrish, but I'm still disappointed they didn't do the flip as before. After this, it's another video-heavy episode, had the budget been slashed or were acts just not available anymore?
ReplyDeleteFirst vid up is Bronski Beat and famous rhyming slang Eartha, who Orson Welles called "the most exciting woman in the world!" No probably about it. She was a bit past it by this stage, but still game for a try, and this high camp hi-NRG item at least has a tongue in cheek sense of humour. Probably because it seems to be referencing Divine stomping her Christmas presents in John Waters' comedy Female Trouble when she doesn't get her longed-for cha-cha heels under the tree.
Yeah, that was a repeat for Monie, she had the same outfit on and did the same "huh?" acting in the Grandpa sample bit.
Jive Bunny and the Masturbators with their blight on 1989, making Stars on 45 sound accomplished with their stuck together with gaffer tape mixes of old records they didn't even think to pitch shift to stop them sounding sped up. Total shite, and they even include a serious plane accident in their clipfest, yeah, really tasteful guys.
The Blow Monkeys strike a blow against Section 28, they were always very pro-gay even if Dr Robert said he wasn't actually homosexual, but at least their hearts were in the right place. As for the music, designed to be danced to in a club, and as far as that goes, fine. Who would have thought these guys and not Bronski Beat would be doing the political stuff a hundred episodes ago?!
More of Bobby, then a rap effort I have no memory of, in the spirit of what had been going on a couple of years before, even in the clip-packed video. Eh, it's OK, but you can hear why it's never revived.
Chaka backa on video, in massive closeup so we didn't see how much she had piled on the pounds since this was first a hit. Not the most egregious remix of the 80s, but nothing special.
Chirpy (chirpy cheep cheep) Sonia gets her number one, an utterly unremarkable record, not terrible, not great, I suppose her natural exuberance struck a chord with the public at a time when Liverpool had been through so much misery.
The Cult to end on, with presumably a tribute to Edie Sedgwick, judging by the "ciao" from her film Ciao Manhattan in the title and lyrics, one of the most depressing spin-offs from Andy Warhol's death-filled influence. Sounds too much like GnR's Patience for comfort, though that may be a coincidence.
I took the time to watch the whole Bronski Beat-Eartha Kitt video to see what all the fuss was about, and basically she plays the old-fashioned female type totally dependent on men for their needs, in this case dancing shoes for dancing the Cha-Cha. When she finally gets her way, and the supply is there, she forces her male supplier of the shoes to wear them and dance in them, and she doesn't really want them, much like a little child.
DeleteI can only say that this is totally deplorable viewing, considering that women have always fought for equality and equal pay, and well before 1989, so this video is completely out of tune with the times even in 1989, and considering that she was 62 years old on this video, it was probably too late to move with the times in those days, whereas 62 nowadays is like a spring chicken.
How come Sonia's sisters had massive blonde 'dos and she's a ginger? Assuming the colour on all three is natural.
ReplyDeleteAnother week with almost everyone on holiday, and four videos for songs not in the top 30. Talk about scraping the barrel.
ReplyDeleteGaz with some audience participation to kick off. Ah, Sonia’s on tonight. Number one or a non-mover? We find out as soon as the first act are on. Spoiler, booo!
Ten chart-topping acts on tonight, Gaz? That’s a forecast and a half! So we now know all the number ones for at least the next two months if they all have one week at the summit, ay?
Here come the Village Duo at numero deux. Good thing London Boys Actually Not From London removed those weight-heavy boleros for their gymnastics, the only sort we’ll see in this now non-Olympic year. London nights right now aren’t as frivolous as they were back in the day, i.e. February 2020 going backwards.
Gaz looking Heavenwards next for a video as if to say “Dear God, do we have to play this?”. A “Thriller” laugh and lyrics crowbarred directly from Nancy Sinatra and Abba. No originality, a singer looking like mutton dressed as lamb, and Bronski Beat too embarrassed to show up for this tripe. This actually made the mugshots?
No no NO, Gaz. We’re not fooling for that ’she’s here tonight’ tomfoolery. No love for Monie from me. FF. Bring back Paul Nicholas. I never thought I’d say that.
Oh FF FF FF, and I don’t mean fast forward. Where’s myxomatosis when you need it? Sadly, Gaz got this chart prediction right. Bugger.
Next we get the first TOTP outing for a jazz hat and a bowler on the same stage. Senior Blow Monkey cool as ever, the bassist one step down from The Beat with his moves as ever, and Sylvia Tella with a weird strapless bra / bikini effect on her dress. I’d forgotten this tune but it was punchy rhythm-wise and lyrically. As they say in dominoes, good knock.
Booby Brown next. I ain’t afraid of no goat. FF.
Doug Lazy with a song, Gaz? Really? I’d have preferred sausage, spring, Swiss or arctic (or indeed all four on the same plate) to “Let It Roll”. Lazy by name, lazy by nature.
Great, more on-screen lyrics for the viewers. Have we tuned in to “Vision On” by mistake? The lyrics contain the line “I let myself go”. Sadly you have, Chaka. Lay off the pies, love. The remix wasn’t as harsh as others and I was able to listen to this rehash for a change.
Fair play to Sonia, the prettiest of the three sisters, at least she turned up on another barren studio evening for the crowd. I can hear Pete Waterman now - “Look, sorry, you may be number one but we can only afford either your jacket or two dancers”. Meanwhile, soon to be chart act Big Fun are making notes of those dance moves. Watch this space.
As for Sonia's sisters' hair colour, I used to work with a bloke who had black hair but when he grew a beard it was a vivid tomato soup colour, a throw back to hs maternal grandad. Genes (and indeed jeans) can play funny tricks.
The Cult lead us out with a snakeskin trews rasped ballad which is fully palatable, but it isn’t “Is This Love” by WhitesnakeSkinTrews, is it?
When the show scrapes the barrel to show videos in the 30-40 region of the charts as main slots, they have to do away with the Breakers obviously, otherwise the Breakers would have to come from outside the top 40, although I do remember on a couple of occasions in the first year of The Breakers in 1986 where they had songs outside the top 40 in the Breakers section, i.e., they went down to No.43, but in 1989 the view was to just drop the Breakers if those between 30-40 in the chart got main slots.
DeleteIn this particular chart, most of the climbers in the top 20 were already shown the week before, and as they don't show the fallers in the chart, then those climbers between 25-40 chart positions then get the main slots, and I have noticed the Breakers section has been left out recently as a result, but does seem to come back on and off for the rest of 1989.
Forgot to say, according to TV Cream the other week there was behind the scenes unpleasantness involving Bobby Brown that prevented him from appearing in the studio for On Our Own. Can anyone enlighten us as to what that was?
ReplyDeleteGary’s always good value for money and he’s on top form here going solo. Not quite a top drawer of artists though…
ReplyDeleteLondon Boys – London Nights – A good old fashioned tuneful, dance song that you could still enjoy on the dance floor today. Well-deserved at no2 even if I do prefer ‘Requiem’. Next week sees another record come crashing in at no10 which is certainly not worthy of no2. In fact I wonder why on earth it was ever recorded let alone people bought it. I hope that we won’t be subjected to such tosh on ToTP as I am sure it must have been banned.
Eartha Kitt and Bronski Beat = Cha cha heels – Eartha played on this sexy, sassy image with records like ‘I love men’ but did nothing for me, like this record. However, wind back to 1955 and she hit no7 with the whimsical ‘Under the Bridges of Paris’ which may have topped the charts if Dean Martin hadn’t released his version at the same time. Now I really like that record.
Monie Love – Grandpa’s Party – Third showing of this. Zzzzz
Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers – Swing the Mood – Now I don’t know if I am alone here (I haven’t read any other comments at the time of writing this) but I absolutely LOVE this record. It might be due to it being no1 when I got engaged but there is something about this track and the way the songs are segued together that I just really like. A nice bit is shown here along with the very appropriate video – love the girl in the white dress.
Blow Monkeys featuring Sylvia Tella – Choice – So who is Sylvia Tella? Not that keen on her vocals or the song.
Bobby Brown – On our own – Who ya gonna call? Ray Parker Junior.
Doug Lazy – Let it roll – Zzzzz
Rufus and Chaka Khan – Ain’t nobody – Getting a lot of mileage out of this remix, its ok I guess.
Kylie, sorry Sonia – You’ll never stop me from loving you – Actually not a bad record. One of those hits a bit like London Boys that just gets you singing and dancing and Sonia in her sparkly top is certainly relishing her spot in the limelight along with her proud sisters.
The Cult – Edie (ciao Baby) – The Cult had 16 chart entries, none of which penetrated the top10. This demonstrates why.
Silifatu Tella (Sylvia to us) was apparently a Boney M backing singer who branched out into lovers rock. Her only other foray into the top 40 was with Pop Will Eat itself! If only she’d teamed up with Sean Penn and performed “Magic” as Penn and Tella. Geddit? Harrumph.
DeleteNo idea what that record straight in at 10 the next week was (I’ll have to look it up), but in the next edition we get a mixture of studio slots and breakers for the singles covering numbers 33 to 37 inclusive.
Just checked out what that 'number 10' record was - basically a monotonous one-note disco track trying and failing to be "Love To Love You Baby" - and it does actually get a TOTP outro in one edition.
DeleteHa, ha, I think I know what that record is without looking it up! I bet they cut off before the climax (missus).
Deletei think i have correctly dredged it up from my memory as something by a guy known as lil louis - i don't remember too much about it though, other than being really annoyed when it slowed down to a full stop at one point - just like turning off a record player whilst the record is still playing. it certainly turned me off, that was for sure!
Delete...although it's a toss-up between that and jive bunny as to who i thought was more deplorable!
DeleteWhich Jive Bunny record wilberforce? Swing the Mood (this one), That's what I like or Let's Party ? All reached No1 !
Deleteall of them!
DeleteSwing The Mood was exactly what Jive Bunny did for us at the time, and the next two singles also made No.1 all the way to the end of the year. We really needed this uplift in mood, as the decade was drawing to a close, Thatcherism was in its final year and not really serving the public with what they wanted, and generally with the 90s round the corner which was clearly going to be technology fuelled, people were feeling quite anxious, and so the timing of Jive Bunny's arrival with such a nostalgic feel-good vibe quite reminiscent of post-war Britain in the 1950s where rock n roll was born, could not have been better, so I'm in agreement with Sct353 on this one!
DeleteI will own up to being a Jive Bunny fan at the time but I did know the songs as my Mum had a lot of them in her record collection.
DeleteMy Grandad had an original "Rock Around The Clock" vinyl single.
I bought all 3 number ones and Mum bought the album.
Hi Anonymous! I'm on for my weekly request, this week for any of the following original archive versions from 1977. They are 27/01, 7/04, 9/06 and 25/12. Cheers!
ReplyDeletesorry brie none. See ya next week.
DeleteDidn't think you'd have any of these but I'll keep trying!
DeleteGood Lord, I see that this week there will only be one episode of TOTP, the last of the July 1989 shows, and judging by the playlist, it is a big zzzzzzz snore I'm afraid, so I'm looking forward to the August shows the week after when Jenny Powell is back, yey!
ReplyDeleteLooks like its going to be just the one show per week for at least the next three Fridays.
DeleteI can't say I'm disappointed Angelo, as it is a lot better doing one show per week, as it is how it always was the first time these shows went out.
DeleteEartha Kitt and Bronski Beat- continuing the spate of older performers with new acts, this was quite good. I don’t remember it all..
ReplyDeleteJive Bunny - ah, the first of these cut up singles, a sort of medley version of the ‘MFP top of the pops anonymous cover version’ albums. A staple of wedding and christmas discos ever since...
Blow Monkeys - pleasant enough, but nothing to separate it from a lot of the other similar bands we have heard in recent months.
Doug Lazy - yet another identi-rap release - at least the video was interesting
Interesting ain’t nobody credited to chaka and rufus this week, although we only see her in the video.
The cult - I liked this. Hope we hear more next week.
Hope you're all going to vote in Smooth Radio's Top500 this year. I have just cast my votes.
ReplyDeleteYou get to choose 10 songs. Worth doing just to offset the mountain of votes they'll get for Adele, Michael Jackson, Ed Sheeran, Whitney etc.
Interestingly, their database is constrained. I tried entering one of my favourites - 'Mississippi' by Pussycat and it couldn't find it. Ah well, the other 10 were the first 10 of my favourites I could think of in about five minutes. Funnily enough, Lil' Louis and Steve 'Silk' Hurley didn't make the cut!
Ah, Mississippi by Pussycat, big No.1 in 1976, one of those forgotten songs of the 70s by radio and video channels. I was too young to follow the charts way back then in '76, and only really started following the charts in 1978.
DeleteHowever, ever since seeing it on the first year of these BBC4 reruns of TOTP, and the amazing video that was set on large boat, I was hooked on it too, and can only wish that I was a bit older at the time to appreciate it. Top stuff indeed Sct353:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f35JyHY38a0
As I never get tired of pointing out, Pussycat are not given credit for the wonderful songs they recorded - I only discovered these by chance fairly recently as they are unknown outside the UK. 'Mississippi' was a taster which was deservedly a no1 UK hit. If anyone likes a good tune and has a spare half hour then check out 'If you ever come to Amsterdam', 'My broken Souvenirs', 'Another Day (The Sun comes up Tomorrow)' and 'I'll be your Woman' to name but four examples.
DeleteThe great thing about all the Pussycat singles is that they were sung in a very warm and loving way towards their audience, and they felt genuinely pleased to sing for them. I still maintain that the 1970s was the greatest ever decade for pop music, as the pace was a lot slower, more romantic and very endearing to say the least.
DeleteThe new Now 70s music video channel has a regular slot called Forgotten Hits of the 70s, and this was certainly one of them, as it doesn't feature in the propensity of Abba, Rod Stewart, David Bowie, Queen, and the like, and these little gems like Mississippi perhaps are thankfully not overplayed over the years like the predictable others, and so you can never get sick of them!
Of course the Magic database is limited - they probably only have 500 songs on rotation! Terrible radio station, as are most of them these days.
DeleteI found Gold UK over Easter (an AM station in digital?) - perfectly acceptable, when songs had lyrics and tunes and not everyone singing just to a piano backing, trying and failing to be Adele like now. United DJs (early morning host Mike Read) isn't bad either.
DeleteThe state of commercial radio in the UK is terrible now, most of them are owned by one conglomerate which pushes the same narrow playlist over and over. The regional identities seem to be a thing of the past.
DeletePersonally, I love 6Music, but I imagine they would drive pretty much everyone else on this blog up the wall!
Ooh Gary in charge this week for quite an upbeat show.
ReplyDeleteFirst off the London Boys with a very hi-energy performance of “London Nights”. Nowhere near as good as "Requiem" but the bigger hit..go figure.
Eartha Kitt & Bronski Beat with the tune of the night. “Cha Cha Heels” has been creeping up the charts for a few weeks and finally breaks the Top 40. Great dance record, fabulous video with the Michael Douglas lookalike. I think she runs off with the guy from Londons Burning though..
Monie Love on repeat and I actually found myself enjoying this second time around. The audience clearly wanted an invite to “Grandpa’s Party” and participation was high.
Here comes the Bunny! Yes Gary about to go to Number 1 with the first three singles they release (matching Gerry and The Pacemakers and Frankie Goes To Hollywood). “Swing The Mood” makes good use of out of copyright clips for the video, although I hope that pilot was alright!
Speaking of out of copyright, it's nice to hear this song with the original samples again as all you get nowadays are the re-recorded versions.
The Blow Monkeys featuring Sylvia Tella in the studio next with “Choice?” I like this but it is rather forgettable after it's gone.
A bit more of the Bobby Brown video next.
I'm probably still “On My Own” in liking this one. Doesn't Trump look young in front of his big ego trip of a tower. Ultimate small d**k syndrome! (possibly fake news)
We will never get to see who Doug Lazy is as “Let It Roll" makes full use of those out of copyright clips again, this time mostly from movies. This video feels about 5 years out of date already.
Haven't mentioned the song...was there one?
“Ain’t Nobody” next with Chaka Khan sharing her video with......more out of copyright clips...I sense a theme emerging here.
SAW bag another number one with Pint-sized Pop Puppet Sonia, and wasn't she happy in her sparlkly jacket. Her sisters clearly happy too but I bet Paul is a bit embarrassed if he's watching those dance moves back.
“You’ll Never Stop Me Loving You” is a real ear-worm, I've been humming it for a week.
The Cult arrive just in time to kill the party mood with “Edie (Ciao Baby)”. Not much of a tune going on there really.
Eartha Kitt / Bronski Beat - What a ridiculous song. Might have done better if it had been released at Christmas to grab the novelty song market.
ReplyDeleteJive Bunny - I will admit to liking this at the time, it's surprising actually how many people did! It doesn't stand up very well now, of course.
Blow Monkeys / Sylvia Tella - I bought this one, albeit only when it was half-price in the bargain bin. It should've been a bigger hit as Sylvia Tella is a superb vocalist. She did appear extensively on the album version of PWEI's 92degreesF but the single remix chopped almost all of her vocals out.
Doug Lazy - Technically, this should be 'Raze Presents...' and this is OK, but I preferred his later single and complete flop H.O.U.S.E. which sampled Kraftwerk's 'The Model'.
The Cult - Not sure about the comparisons to G'n'R as this is better than anything they ever did and has vocals that are in tune! Not my usual kind of thing, but I really like it.
It was more The Cult's video that put me in mind of G'n'R, not the music.
Delete