Things that go Boo in the night
24/08/89 (Jakki Brambles & Mark Goodier)
The Beatmasters featuring Betty Boo – “Hey DJ I Can’t Dance To That Music You’re Playing” (11)
Getting the show off to a Bootastic start inthe studio tonight and the song peaked at number 7.
Lisa Stansfield – “This Is The Right Time” (13)
Also here in the studio tonight but the song went up no further.
Alyson Williams – “I Need Your Lovin’” (19)
In the studio with her liquorice Allsorts hat and the song peaked at number 8.
Starlight – “Numero Uno” (17) (video)
On its way to number 9.
Then Jerico – “Sugar Box” (24)
Looking all very romantic and windswept in the studio and the song went up two more places.
Bon Jovi – “Lay Your Hands On Me” (23) (video)
Peaked at number 18.
Adeva – “Warning” (18) (video)
Went up one more place.
Cliff Richard – “I Just Don’t Have The Heart” (10) (video)
Cliff goes SAW and the song peaked at number 3.
Jive Bunny & The Mastermixers – “Swing The Mood” (1) (video)
Fourth of five weeks at number one.
Donna Summer – “Love’s About To Change My Heart” (28) (video/credits)
Peaked at number 20.
31st August is next.
Both our hosts are in summer mode, Mark in shorts again (unfortunately) while Jakki looks like she has a tan. They are both in good form, Jakki in particular continuing to impress – I suppose her manner is occasionally a little cold, but she knows her stuff. Betty Boo gets to make her studio debut first up, and gives a confident performance, though this performance feels a bit dull after the video. Amusing that Betty is followed immediately by Gracie, given the latter’s hairstyle; she also makes an impression with her outfit, which looks like she has covered over a leotard with a pair of extraordinary halter neck trousers.
ReplyDeleteAlyson Williams breaks out the wacky headgear again for another eye-catching performance, and the song has quite a nice slow-burning quality to it, but fails to deliver a good pay-off. More Italo House next from Starlight, who were indeed just Black Box under another name. This is nowhere near as good as Ride on Time, feeling like a much more generic dance track. The video is another no-go zone for epileptics, but does treat us to cameo appearances from the dynamic duo of Linford Christie and Mussolini. Was that Dalton Grant doing the High Jump?
Mark Shaw has the look of a man here who thinks he has recorded his masterpiece and is set for a monster hit, whereas in reality he was about to become a footnote in chart history. Not sure why so many of the TOTP hosts at the time were raving about this, it's inoffensive enough but fails to make the grade as the big statement ballad Shaw evidently hoped it would be. Bon Jovi next, with a boring video made all the more unappealing by their hair metal posturing. The chorus has quite an appealing rabble-rousing quality, but the rest of the song is anonymous.
Cliff also has an "in concert" video, seemingly filmed at the old Wembley Stadium, as he jumps seamlessly on to the SAW bandwagon. While far from his finest hour, this isn't a bad effort, and one of the more tolerable of SAW's later hits - I see Pete was lurking on stage, playing a tambourine. More SAW to close, and again they are in good form for this one as they provide the Queen of Disco with another classy hit. This would be Donna's last ever Top 40 entry in the UK, and it was a good way to bow out, though the video is a bit nondescript.
I was thinking that the Starlight video was not only bad for epileptics, but was so bad to worry non-epileptics that they could go epileptic just trying to watch it in full.
DeleteI was quite surprised to learn that Cliff Richard went to SAW for this new single, considering he had already been in the music business and charting for 30 years since 1960 or so, and was a big name worldwide in music, so did he really need SAW to help his career further??
Presumably Cliff, who was pushing 50 at this point, was desperate to stay up-to-the-minute and "relevant" so that he could prolong his chart career. In interviews I have seen with him over the years, he is inordinately proud of the fact that he managed to clock up number 1s in five consecutive decades.
DeleteI was just listening to Paul Gambaccini's weekly Saturday lunchtime show today on Radio 2 called Pick of The Pops, and lo and behold it was May 1989 featured today, and when introducing the No.1, Ferry Cross The Mersey, Gambaccini said the artists on the single were Paul McCartney, Holly Johnson, The Christians and SAW, so even the great McCartney collaborated with SAW in 1989 on the same single, so Cliff can be excused, but its amazing how SAW managed to even get to the pop elite like Paul McCartney by 1989!
DeleteThis Donna Summer song wasn't her last Top 40 hit as 'Melody Of Love (Wanna Be Loved)' was a hit in 1994, plus there were a couple of remixes of older tracks that did well. The one that got away for her was 'I Will Go With You (Con Te Partiro)' which was a version of 'Time To Say Goodbye' and is brilliant!
DeleteYes Noax, you're right. I thought I was looking at a complete list of Donna's hit singles in the UK when I wrote my comments, but now realise that I wasn't...
DeleteMan, you've got some flow, Angelo!
ReplyDeleteAnyway, the very entertaining Betty Boo kicks off her chart career and she's in the studio with Marc Singer and the rest of the Beastmasters. Or something. The "You and Aunt Lizzie gettin' on down!" line makes me laugh.
Lisa Stansfield in the first of this episode's extraordinary outfits, did she think she was a kids' TV presenter? Oh wait - she was a kids' TV presenter. She knows how to work the camera, give her that.
Alison Williams in extraordinary outfit no.2, her hat reminding me of a very specific ice lolly, but I'll be darned if I can recall which one. Strawberry and vanilla, anyway. As for the song, a Jazzy B production and it does sound it, unfortunately it also sounds rather soporific, though Ali gives it her all.
In a parallel dimension Starlight were at the top spot for two months, because this is so much more enjoyable than Black Box. A really fun record, inventively produced, a chocolate box of bits and pieces of audio. The video should have had a flashing images warning though.
Then Jerico with Mark "I want you to take me very seriously" Shaw in full effect for an anaemic U2 style rock ballad. He means every word, but it's so po-faced that you can't get too enthused about it.
Rather that than Bon Jovi with yet another metal lite by numbers effort, just how many concert videos did these guys make, anyway?! The faith healing theme did not extend to me putting my hands on the TV screen.
A bit more of Adeva than last time, she was certainly a confident, forceful, don't mess with her performer, she looks like she set out to terrify. One glare from her would be sufficient warning, but the not bad dance tune has lyrics to that effect too.
Et tu, Cliff? Both SAW and a concert video? And a dance routine where you still don't know what to do with your arms? Not his finest moment, but fair play for trying to surf the zeitgeist. SAW are actually in the video too, well, they couldn't get away with being in a Kylie one.
No.1... where's Glenn Close when you need her? Anyway, Donna Summer to end on, so more SAW basically, and the invention was running out somewhat with this last hit from that album. But it's OK I suppose, her star quality lifts it.
THX, not seen the re-run yet, but would that ice lolly be a Mivvi?
DeleteI just Google Imaged, and it seems the one I was thinking of was simply called a Twister. Were they made by Mivvi? In other news, I really want an ice lolly right now.
DeleteIf I am correct, this is the last time we will be seeing The Beatmasters, having brought us new names like The Cookie Crew, Merlin, and Betty Boo. However, these newcomers went on to have hits of their own, but alas the Beatmasters vehicle has finally come to a stop for these passengers, as the next three Beatmasters singles releases in the rest of 1989 failed to break the top 40, so essentially for the purposes of TOTP, that is now it for them.
DeleteDid anyone notice in the chart rundown with Fuzzbox going down straight after last week's TOTP studio performance, that Jackie Brambles referred to them as 'girlies'? Hardly complimentary, is it?
There was a similar title to Bon Jovi's single by The Thompson Twins, called Lay Your Hands On me, and a completely different song, and I thought that The Thompson Twins record was so much better:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJDzN4RrSt8
Twisters still exist, I've got one in the freezer! Totally different from Mivvis...
DeleteIncidentally, was Mark trying a Benny Hill comedy accent in the Cliff intro? Not cool, Mark.
ReplyDeleteextended playout https://we.tl/t-ANNjl6UT1m
ReplyDeleteTime for another musical RIP, unfortunately - this time Phil May of The Pretty Things, who cropped up only recently in that rather good documentary about the Eel Pie Island music scene in the 60s. He could stake a plausible claim to being the first long-haired rocker, growing it out well before most of his contemporaries. The Pretty Things are also widely acknowledged to have released the first rock opera, S.F. Sorrow, even if their chart success was limited.
ReplyDeleteI found this super clip of Little Richard on the Tom Jones TV Show in 1970 when came to Britain, where the two collaborate on the same song Rip It Up, which came off very well:
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkSQrsmio-E
A couple of years later by The Move did a similar collaboration of Roy Wood and Jeff Lynne called California Man in the TOTP studio:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNClsvgv2V0
Let me put it out there; I really like Jakki Brambles. I’d go as far as to say that she’s my favourite female ToTP presenter. Lovely, style, informative, not shouty, not OTT, just a natural. She makes a nice pairing with Mark too. Music on show on this one? Mainly not so good for me.
ReplyDeleteBeatmasters and Betty Boo – Hey DJ etc… - Quick FF on this one.
Lisa Stansfield – This is the right time – Another showing for this ‘ok’ song.
Alyson Williams – I need your lovin’ – Another FF
Starlight – Numero Uno – Another FF
Then Jerico –Sugar Box – Grows on you this does. No wonder the DJs keep raving about it. Produced by Rick Nowels who’ll be featuring on Belinda’s hits very soon.
Bon Jovi – Lay your hands on me – Predictable live video with a song title that I associate more with Peter Gabriel. Didn’t think much of BJ’s effort.
Adeva – Warning – Another FF
Cliff Richard – I just don’t have the heart – For some reason I started thinking about ‘I just can’t get enough’ by the Saturdays when I was watching this…and I went and watched said video and got all hot under the collar – blimey! Anyway, back to Cliff and it’s another production line SAW song really that any of their acts could have done. Cliff doesn’t make a bad job of it and presumably this led to him being asked to appear on the SAW version of Band Aid a few months later.
Jive Bunny and the Master Mixers – Swing the Mood – So we’re back to seeing this up to Eddie Cochran. They could have varied it this time by showing the whole thing through but for some reason had an aversion to showing full videos when they were over 3 minutes long. ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ was never treated thus.
Donna Summer – Love’s about to change my heart – Pleasant offering from Donna still on her SAW journey.
The same Bon Jovi song title here was used first in 1984 by The Thompson Twins, completely different tune though, and the Twins got the idea for the song title well before Bon Jovi in 1989. Don't know where Peter Gabriel comes into this??
DeleteYes indeed, now that the whole video of Jive Bunny was completed last week in week 3 of being No.1, this week at week 4, they go back to the beginning of the video to show the same cut as week 1 and 2 at No.1. I expect that for the final week at No.1 on the next show, it will be the second half of the video again, like at week 3, but let's see.
The album Peter Gabriel (4) was released in 1982 and featured the song 'Lay your hands on me'. I haven't played the album for many years, but this bit of correspondence led me to check out an excellent live version on Youtube. The song was an absolute slow burner and storming live track with the sequence at 06:20 being particularly memorable.
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YdYOhtkLXY
i've always loved this track from "peter gabriel (4)":
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIRmDmAwsok
does anyone else remember when he was featured on "the south bank show" making that album, and taking his new-fangled sampler to a junkyard to sample things like copper pipes?
They used to call that musique concrete when they just did it with a tape recorder! Pete must have been a fan of The Art of Noise's Close to the Edit.
Deletethe thing was that those musicians who could afford to use sampling technology at that point (gabriel, kate bush, etc) did so with a view to using the "recording" as another part of their sonic palette to play with. then of course as soon as they became cheap enough and powerful enough to sample a few bars from an existing record (as opposed to two seconds-worth of a copper pipe being struck), then it (lirerally) sounded the death knell for popular music as imbeciles without an ounce of musical talent or vision could maul away to their heart's content and get rich beyond their wildest dreams as a result!
DeleteDon't worry, there's still plenty of popular music that doesn't use samples, as long as we can tap a jaunty foot along with Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs then all is right in music.
Deletethx i had no idea what you meant by the above, and as such had to assume you were refering to some musical act from the 21st century (which in general is a no-go zone for me). so i had to look up them up on discogs, where i found one of their releases catagorised as "sludge metal". i can only guess at what sludge metal sounds like, as i have no wish to know!
DeleteYes, Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs are what I'd call a noise rock outfit, and making a name for themselves on the current scene. Apparently they're so loud they make the audience cry. But I'm sure they're nice to their mums.
DeleteI bet they're bringing the bacon home with the money from their gigs!
DeleteThey really ham it up on stage. And they have to be careful where they leave their van or else they'll get a porking ticket.
DeleteHi Anonymous! Here's my weekly request for the original archive versions of the following shows. They're all from 1976 this week and are 15/04, 29/07,30/09 and 28/10. Cheers!
ReplyDeleteyep here are all of them
Deletehttps://we.tl/t-npp44eFbeM
Hi, I'm not one of the regulars on asking for complete shows, but Brie asks for some top stuff from the 70s shows, so if you have more of the 70s shows, do you have the one from 1972 with The Move singing California Man in the TOTP studio?
DeleteI remember this clip played by Steve Wright on TOTP2, with the choo-choo train on the wall behind Jeff Lynne, so if you have the whole of that 1972 TOTP show, that would be awesome, as this song has some tones of the late great Little Richard, also topical with the current Jive Bunny No.1:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNClsvgv2V0
here is all that exists of that show, start missing and not greatest quality.
Deletehttps://we.tl/t-E0EFkkuayl
Fantastic stuff, mate! At last I've got a full house of shows that you've got! Many thanks again.
DeleteThanks, California Man is my favourite single from The Move, and also their parting shot in the same year as they evolved into ELO.
DeleteI'm just pleased that most of this TOTP show exists. It's really only the Gary Glitter song missing at the start of the show, as before that, it is only the studio audience dancing to The Sweet, as in those days they used to open as well as end the shows with studio audience dancing!
Thanks for the 1972 show. I've just rewatched it (for the third time after I must have watched it on transmission in 1972 then I watched it on Youtube a while ago)and enjoyed it more than these 1989 offerings. Dana's 'Crossword Puzzle' was not a hit despite being written by Lynsey de Paul and Barry Blue. I love the fluffs from Ed Stewart - "Didn't recognise my writing!".
DeleteRemind me someone please; what's the history behind this show still (partially) existing?
I love the way the Elvis Presley video An American Trilogy builds up to its finale. Leaves shivers down the spine! It's no wonder that the following week it stormed up to 16 places to No.8 and stayed in the top 10 for four weeks in total. Brilliant stuff!
DeleteOn the recent repeat of Sunday Night at the London Palladium, comedian Allan Stewart gave American Trilogy a go in the musical part of his act. Aim big, Al! OK, he did his Frank Spencer as well.
DeleteSunday Night At The London Palladium repeats from the 1950s, 60s and 70s are currently on every Sunday night on Talking Pictures TV on Freeview. I didn't know until now that these shows still survived.
DeleteI once read that the New Seekers ('Circles' on that 1972 show) were not as squeaky clean as their image. Lots of wild parties and 'entertainment' laid on allegedly, but I don't think any of them ever wrote a book.
DeleteThe only thing I can think of as to why that June 1972 is only part-existing from the Elvis video onwards, is that someone tried to cut out the Gary Glitter opening song due to his being named and shamed for obvious reasons, and cut too much at the end, pulling in some of the Elvis video with it. I can't think of any other reason, as all the other shows are fully wiped or fully preserved.
DeleteInteresting New Seekers-related fact: Lyn Paul was the very first person to appear in Coronation Street, as a young girl playing outside the corner shop at the start of the first episode.
DeleteA very safe pair of pair of hands in charge who host the show effortlessly. One of the best hosting combos if not the best. Nice colour co-ordinated outfits as well.
ReplyDeleteA happening ‘two thumps per leg’ dance by Betty, accompanied by a cute keytar gal, a bloke dressed like a brick wall and a beanstalk behind the keyboards. No amount of vertical or horizontal hold stopped this from looking anything other than frenetic.
Keeping the vintage look (why weren’t the first two acts shown just before Jive Bunny for full retro effect?), an okay song well put across by Lisa. Peek-a-boo, Mark!
Ices! Ices! An ‘easy catch dropped at third slip’ early spoken intro miss by Alyson. Is she bald on top under those traffic cone hats? No wonder this sounded a bit like Soul II Soul – Jazzy B re-mixed it!
Sorry, Mark, Anthea got there first with the Italian house (casa?) forecast last time out. Starlight at numero diciassette (thanks, Google Translate). Preferred S-Express to this to be honest.
Then Jerico next, with Mark Shaw really enjoying the moment and young Gordon Ramsay to our right on guitar. I liked this more than I expected.
Oh, a rock video coming up. Twirled mic stand, double neck guitar, plectrums lined up on other mic stand, dull repetitive song. Yep, all components present.
No, Jacqueline, we’re not falling for the ‘Adeva’s over there’ routine. It’s a video! No warning needed for this. It gets the red triangle and a quick FF.
Goodiebags being worked from behind by Jakki for the evergleen Cliff Lichard. Gottle of geer. Oo, it’s Cliff Astley! Next week, Harry Webb jumps onto the Italo house bandwagon and leaves Pete Waterman clenching his fists from the roadside.
Jive Bunny stopped Alice Cooper’s royally fine piece of metal from topping the charts. Where are those rabbit stock cubes when you need them?
A welcome unusually long outro video from Donna Summer, whose voice soars above the SAW template and distracts us from that cock around the clock.
Has anyone seen Cliff Richard new video called Cliff Richard In Lockdown - We Don't Talk Anymore, which has already had around 200,000 views on Utube since it went up on Friday?
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JL3rWlhTMG0
Jive Bunny also stopped that dreadful Lil Louis rubbish from reaching No1!
DeleteI'd rather hear a woman pretend to have an orgasm over a hypnotic beat than Elvis Presley on helium, myself.
DeleteSct, Jive Bunny also proved to be an excellent wall also stopping Kylie Minogue reaching No.1, but alas in two shows time Black Box managed to penetrate the defences and have 6 weeks of their own at No.1, only for Jive Bunny to strike back with their second single knocking of Black Box for the No.1 in October '89, and so the next 10 shows will be only Jive Bunny and Black Box at the No.1 spot, from now up until the 9th Nov show when Lisa Stansfield finally breaks up the fight for a No.1 of her own without Coldcut.
DeleteAfter 150 years in the business, Cliff still doesn’t know what to do with his hands.
Delete1989 was obviously big on women faking orgasms, because When Harry Met Sally was out that year as well.
DeleteFlippin' "w-w-w-w-w-walk right in" really annoyed me just for being a racket, but it prevented (for me) one of the greatest singles of 1989 - 'Right here waiting' by Richard Marx reaching No1 (marooning it at No2 for two weeks). Travesty!
DeleteWelcome one and all to a "Well Wicked" TOTP and what a fashion show we have for you tonight.
ReplyDeleteGoody Bags in his beach shorts and Jakki (with a K) in her short-ripped jeans.
Kicking off with final hit for The Beatmasters featuring the gold jacketed Betty Boo. Not one presenter brave enough to get “Hey DJ I Can’t Dance To That Music You’re Playing” into the countdown. I like this..it's a lot of fun and a great start to the show.
Oh look - she sang "STOP" and the picture did - not seen that (much) before...
Loving the purple trousers and white make-up from Little Miss Rochfield. “This Is The Right Time” a very fine tune indeed.
Listening now it's no surprise this Alyson Williams hit had a Jazzie B hand in it as it does sound like a Soul II Soul record. Loving the strawberries and cream hat and the fruity earrings. “I Need Your Lovin’” not the finest of tunes and slips the mind as soon as it's finished.
Italian House band BlackBox/Starlight/Mixmaster* up next with a rather cheap video for “Numero Uno”. Was that Daley Thompson doing the high jump?
Already professed my love for this one so will move on..
Back to 1985 and it's smart-casual dress for dinner tonight for Then Jerico. “Sugar Box” is a great big mid-80s ballad and I love it. Wasn't getting much love on here last week but I will stick up for it. Very nice tune.
Full on hair power for Bon Jovi next in a fast and furious concert video that actually works quite well for the song. Judging by all the fireworks they've–“La(id Their) Hands On” several tons of hairspray and a lighter! One of their best IMO.
“Warning”! Adeva will be dressed all in black and wearing her name as a badge and as some earrings, just in case she forgets who she is! Funky little number this and video is quite good too.
Now I thought SAW acts turned up for the opening of an envelope so this Cliff bloke is really letting the side down. “I Just Don’t Have The Heart” to review this piece of nonsense pop music. Was that Waterman tapping his tambourine? Oh hang on...there's Stock as well. Cliff in his sparkly white suit is clearly filming a keep fit video, someone needs to tell him this is meant to be a pop video!
Still can't get the Lil Louis song title right in the chart rundown
OMG its back to the start for “Swing The Mood” Time to put the bunny down I think.
Donna Summer in a little black dress standing in front of a clock. More SAW and whilst “Love’s About To Change My Heart” is the weakest of the 3 singles so far it's still not bad at all.
A rather mixed show as well.
*delete as appropriate
Well, that didn’t take long to watch...
ReplyDeleteBeatmasters - typical bifty bifty track. Got bored with it...FF
Lisa Stansfield - at least it had a tune, but still dull.. FF
RUNDOWN - I didn’t recognised a lot of those...
Alyson Williams - dull FF
Starlight - identikit dance track FF
Then jerico - took forever to get going, and then didn’t. Got bored FF
Bon Jovi - at last a tune (hough not very much of it)! Terrible lyrics though table/able, preacher/teacher
Adeva - best dance track so far. Actually got to the end (although it nearly got FF when the rap started)
Cliff - was that Pete Waterman on tambourine? Pleasant enough. SAW production taken down a notch, and it benefited from it
Donna - And now bog standard SAW, but I enjoyed it.
Definitely a game of two halves...
I see that BBC2 is showing what would normally be BBC4 programmes this coming Saturday night, with a Boomtown Rats documentary at 9.20pm, followed by The Story of 1978, and then Big Hits 1978. Looks like this may be the start of gradually moving all the BBC4 content to BBC2, if indeed the rumours are true that BBC4 is set to close down at the end of this year.
ReplyDeleteThe rumours are now that BBC3 is returning to the airwaves, while BBC4 will be archive only. Which at least means the TOTP repeats will be safe, but I do like their original content too.
DeleteBBC4 is really the only channel I dabble with. It has some great stuff. There was a great documentary this week about cult American singer Tom Waits, whose voice makes Rod Stewart sound like Aled Jones. The best he's ever done in the singles chart anywhere is number 50 in France, but a number of his albums did well and he got some readies when Rod covered "Downtown Train".
DeleteThere was an excellent Arena doc on BBC4 last Monday about a soul singer called Ike White who recorded an album in prison, was supported by Stevie Wonder, then disappeared from view. The doc catches up with him in what I thought would be a Searching for Sugarman type story, but definitely wasn't! Highly recommended.
DeleteAlso worth checking out is the Timeshift documentary about bread that aired earlier this week - not so much for the subject matter but Tom Baker's narration!
Delete'Tom Traubert's Blues' was also a Tom Waits song I think - Rod covered that too...
Alyson Williams - I should like a hat like that! If only for storage purposes. As for the song, I like it, but then I always enjoyed the Soul II Soul style shuffling beat.
ReplyDeleteStarlight - Probably my favourite Italian House track, which is saying something given how much I love the genre. Certainly I think that it's aged better than 'Ride On Time'.
Then Jerico - I actually rather like this song, and I'm not surprised that Mark Shaw argued with the record company to get it released, not so much because of its quality, more because he's always been an insufferable arse.
Bon Jovi - This is now regarded as a bit of a classic I believe, isn't it the one that Dolly Parton covered a few years back? To me it's the usual rubbish.
Cliff - I really like this, and as a one-off PWL collaboration it works rather well. I'm convinced that Kylie does backing vocals on this but have never seen it confirmed...
Donna Summer - Although PWL did the album this song comes from, they remixed it again for single release and improved it as a result. Another good'un.