Let me take you down coz I'm going to the 15th of March 1990 edition of Top of the Pops!
Hoody two shoes
15-3-90: Presenter: Simon Mayo
(27) THE MISSION – Deliverance
Getting the show underway tonight to a lively start but the song got no higher.
(11) NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK – I’ll Be Loving You Forever (video)
Peaked at number 5.
(18) CANDY FLIP – Strawberry Fields Forever
Making their tv debut and giving this Beatles classic the full Madchester treatment this was to be their only top 40 hit and it peaked at number 3.
(6) THE B52’S – Love Shack (video)
On its way to number 2.
(29) BIG FUN – Handful Of Promises (video)(Breakers)
Peaked at number 21.
(30) FISH – A Gentleman’s Excuse Me (video)(Breakers)
Got no higher.
(31) WET WET WET – Hold Back The River (video)(Breakers)
Got no higher.
(24) PRIMAL SCREAM – Loaded
Making their studio debut with what became their first of sixteen top 40 hit when it aptly peaked at number 16.
(22) INSPIRAL CARPETS – This Is How It Feels
Also making their debut and bringing a little bit more Madchester into the studio with what became their first of eleven top 40 hits when it peaked at number 14.
(4) JIVE BUNNY & THE MASTERMIXERS – That Sounds Good To Me (video)
Got no higher.
(1) BEATS INTERNATIONAL feat. LINDY LAYTON – Dub Be Good To Me
Third of four weeks at number one.
(28) 49ers – Don’t You Love Me (video) (and credits)
Peaked at number 12.
22nd of March is next.
We are in the capable hands of Young Mayo this week, and first up its The Mission with the latest in a surprisingly lengthy line of Top 30 hits. This is more lively and anthemic than some of their previous offerings, but despite that still doesn't quite catch fire. The singer reminded me a bit here of Scottish archaeologist and TV presenter Neil Oliver, crossed with Bono. NKOTB next, providing as big a contrast as possible and with a hideously weak ballad sung in a falsetto that could make dogs howl. Another boring video from the boys as well, once again making them the focus of female admiration.
ReplyDeleteCandy Flip could be the Madchester equivalent of NKOTB, except they all look about 12! I suppose Strawberry Fields was an obvious song to get a baggy makeover, and this version is OK if not something I would rush to listen to again. A quick FF through Love Shack brings us to the breakers and a brief snippet from Mr Dick which sounded better than his previous single; you almost have to admire him for going with that naff bald man-with-ponytail look. The Wets are also now heading towards their ponytail era, but they would experience a bit of a dip in their chart career for their next few singles, beginning with this one. You can see why really, as it is just tedious cod-soul.
As Primal Scream make their debut, you have to wonder how Bobby Gillespie managed to squeeze himself into those tight leather trousers. Something of a rock-dance anthem, this one, and highly listenable, though given the nature of the record a video might have been preferable to the rather static studio performance. The Inspiral Carpets also appear for the first time, and for me this excellent, catchy little tune is the best song on the show. Duane Dibley is on vocals, and you have to feel sorry for the balding bass player, standing out like a sore thumb among his more hirsute bandmates.
Jive Bunny's reign of terror approaches its end, as this is the first single from them not to reach the top. The record is the same old same old, but the video brings a departure with some specially filmed live action sequences seemingly intended to convey a party atmosphere, but struggling to do so when there are only about five people in the room! The 49ers close proceedings with a decent enough lightweight dance record, and at least one male dancer who looks as if he could do with a square meal - shocking waste of water from that hosepipe, too...
I wondered at first if the baldie bass player from Inspiral Carpets was in fact Bonehead,later of Oasis.
DeleteSadly it's not Bonehead, but it appears this chap was known as Bungle, despite his lack of hair...
DeleteIt’s interesting to think that Strawberry Fields Forever was only 23 years in the past at this point.
DeleteThat’s like someone covering Barbie Girl right now....
Please, David, don't give anyone the idea. We already had the Scottish football team singing "Yes Sir I Can Boogie" and Whigfield's "Saturday Night" after qualifying for Euro 2021 this week! :-D
DeleteHad to look the boogie clip up. Could be a Christmas number one.... :-) (not)
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Deletei remember a "shoegazing" band called chapterhouse that had started making waves in the music publications at that time, and almost without exception they had lovely and lustrous girly shoulder-length hair. spart from one of them, who had to wear a hat to hide his lack of locks!
DeleteOh dear....
Deletehttps://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-54951970
No pub or football due to lockdown, so it’s an ‘early bath’ for me this week for a change.
ReplyDeleteA rock and roll edition tonight, Simon? I’ll keep you to that promise.
White Top Goth obviously asked The Mission to sound like The Cult for a change. Wonderful “I’ll slip out of sight and you won’t see me” work there by the hand-held camera man near the start.
A big hand ballad hand next for KNOB, sounding like Orville for the five seconds I stomached.
Unusual cock-up side view of Simon before the early mugshots.
Oo! It’s Trevor and Simon next, with Maraccas Boy at the back nervously eyeing up the audience before this row starts. Sadly, Si was right with his chart forecast. Is that the sound of John Lennon turning?
Next, highlight of the show for me, as Fred Schneider changes out of his driving gear into his ‘singing’ clothes. Naturally, two bi-planes in the pre-song graphics.
Big Fun ‘dancing’ like Westlife on their Irish TV debut, and an horrendous truck drive key change into the chorus.
Next we get three Scottish acts, all with duffers. A strange video for Fish’s big ballad of nothingness. Excuse me while I fail to enjoy this.
The Wets with a weirdly synthetic sounding fake blues. Hold back the top 30 position for this.
That woman to our right in Simon’s intro to Primal Scream will catch her death!
Time to play ‘how many of those stage instruments and vocals are actually on the record’? What a great vocal turn there by Bobby Gillespie.
I take it Simon meant none of the studio acts were from south of Manchetser. He forgot about the southern nature of the chart toppers.
Inspiral Carpets with an unusual beaty uptempo ballad about adultery and suicide. The first TOTP outing for Clint’s massive sounding organ. I’m surprised Bungle (Martin) the bassist got into the band, seeing as he didn’t have enough hair for the regulation pudding basin cut.
Jive Bunny? Is this the rock and roll Simon promised us? Christ. Again, five seconds was enough.
Do you think Si was joking before the number one or seriously telling that space-hogging clapping girl to back off?
Oh God, the 49ers are back to shred another scattering of samples.
Well, Si, there was more jazz or inuit music than rock and roll in that outing. Overall, it was dreadful.
Got to agree about The B52s Love Shack. The brunette lead female singer is such a ray of light and breath of fresh air at No.6, that a cold March day in 1990 could definitely do with. "I'm heading down the Atlanta highway........"
DeleteIt's a little disappointing that Jive Bunny scaled down the black & white array of footage as per the previous No.1's they enjoyed, as I found this new outing a little tamer, and perhaps could not get them over the line to take the No.1 spot again. Good try though!
I wondered about Mayo telling the girl off too. Would be the opposite of his nice guy persona if so.
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ReplyDeleteExcellent show!
Mission - nice rousing anthem to open...
NKOTB - yawn. sounded like a chilites reject...
Candy Flip - bought it at the time, but now it sounds like a biff biff ben liebrand remix of the original Beatles...
Breakers
Big Fun - is this SAW? as previously mentioned, key change is a bit of a mortice lock...
Fish - kayleigh rewrite. I await hearing the full versio...
Wet wer wet - someone forgot to write a tune
Primal Scream - much played over the years, and a primal (sic) example on how to do a ‘rave’ track that doesn’t put you to sleep. Could have done without the screaming - no pun intended...
(Run down - Made of stone at 20 - one of my all time favourite singles)
Inspiral Carpets - and one of my favourite bands of all time, with not actually their best track, but still a stonker... historical note - it was at a spirals concert that someone suggested that we check out a new band called the stone roses
Jive Bunny - what can you say? It’s like all of them, ok. Some of the joins were a bit clunky
49ers - I’m in such a good mood after this show, that I actually liked this :-)
I didn't realise until tonight that two lines of the Inspiral Carpets' track (referencing a funeral and an 'in front of train' suicide) were re-written for radio play. For me, their best was the brilliant "Dragging Me Down".
DeleteI didn’t notice that lyric change. Will rewatch the repeat :-)
DeleteThe Inspirals changed the lyrics about PMT as well.
DeleteThe original lines "there's a funeral in the town" and "said they found him under a train" were replaced for media consumption by "black car drives through the town" and "left a note for a local girl".
DeleteAh the inspirals. Of course far more famous now for their guitar lugging roadie mr Noel Gallagher.
DeleteInspiral Carpets, label mates of Depeche Mode and Erasure. Obviously had something.
Deletethe inspiral carpets were from oldham (apart from the singer, who hailed from oxford to my recollection), whose football team was actually making headlines at the time as a result of punching above their weight in the first division and almost winning the league cup. which i remember seeming to raise the inspirals' profile somewhat accordingly, even though their roadie later superceded them in a far bigger way
DeleteBoy Mayo introduces a great show this week kicking off with The Mission. The studio is so bright he has to wear shades and the song is not bad, would happily hear it on the radio.
ReplyDeleteKNOBS up next and they even make terrible ballads. Was this an old one - Joey looks about 12.
Debut up next for Candy Flip and I'm aware this is a marmite song but I am on the side of loving this. Baggy Indie clothes all the way.
More B52s and then the Breakers:
Big Fun. SAW sounding very tired now
Fish. Nope sorry, drown this one
WWW. Dodgy Dodgy Dodgy cover
Primal Scream next with one of the 90s best tunes. So cool.
Dodgy Haircuts....sorry Inspiral Carpets bring more Indie to the show and this is such a great record. Deservedly a big hit.
Run and hide - the bunny is back...but hang on...this one is a decent rock n roll mix (it's by far my favourite track of theirs) and even the video has had a makeover. Much better. B+
Beats still at the top and then Simon disappears in a sea of teenagers.
49ers with more Italian dance this time with a Jody Wately sample. Decent enough.
The Mission, can't think why this should sound like The Sisters of Mercy doing Dominion, not at all. Anyway, seeing Wayne's dirty great bare feet is enough to put you off the whole performance.
ReplyDeleteNKotB on helium for the inevitable ballad, slightly interesting to see the boy band template was pretty much set in stone by this stage, though many of those who came after went straight for the ballads and stuck with them.
Candy Flip, with their druggy name obviously went for one of the druggy Beatles tunes, but oddly not Lucy in the Sky. They seemed to be set on defining the word "fey" for the baggy movement, for reasons best known to themselves. The song survives, I suppose.
B52's from a point I wasn't quite sick of this yet, then the Breakers where Fish gets in a mess trying to fit his usual overelaborate lyrics into a mediocre tune, and The Wets get bombastic with resistible results.
Primal Scream get the remix treatment - from themselves! Add Peter Fonda from The Wild Angels setting down the guidelines for a generation (as also heard in The World's End from Simon Pegg!), a slinky beat and snake-hipped Bobby looking a bit of a lemon with two lines surviving the remix and you have a top bit of dance rock. They'd been around (and around) for ages, of course, so here's the proof perseverance pays off.
Inspirals with a tune about it being so grim up North it leads to self-destruction, and with horrible irony the drummer killed himself last year (because of chronic tinnitus). It was one of the most downbeat hits of all time, up there with Terry Jacks' Seasons in the Sun, but it is a catchy melody, they knew how to deliver those. Audience sound like they're taking the piss cheering this loudly.
Jive Bunny, oh, but the two clowns who invented him want to be pop stars themselves so prominently featured themselves in the video. Big mistake. This was their usual hamfisted shite, anyway.
Beats Int beat the competition, I know many said Lindy was a total fox at the time, but she always looked like a totally ordinary teenager to me.
Then the 40-mimers with their accustomed Black Box cash-in mishmash.
The 40-mimers! Briliant work there! Talking of fey acts, Primal Scream were fey before "Loaded" - I have one of their earlier singles ("It Happens" / "All Fall Down") where the former track even has sha-la-la's in the chorus.
DeleteYes, I remember when Primal Scream were all polka dot shirts as far as the eye could see...
Deletei took up playing drums for a couple of years in the late 90's, and one of the reasons i quit after that was because of the tinnitus i was starting to get as a result of all the noise!
DeleteAha! Now I get it! The original lyrics for "This Is How It Feels" are two separate stories about PMT and suicide, but the alternative line "Left a note for a local girl" always made me think the wife was having an affair with the lad and was beside herself about his passing.
ReplyDeleteSorry Simon, pretty poor delivery with this line up.
ReplyDeleteThe Mission – Deliverance – Getting us off to a cheery start…
NKOTB – I’ll be seeing you forever – For some reason I thought we’d seen the last of this lot.
Candy Flip – Strawberry Fields Forever – Utterly insipid cover of this classic…a bit like the Dionne Warwick cover we’ve had on recently. First of three Beatles nods…
B52s – Love Shack – Ah, that’s more like it! The single was good value for money as it had live versions of ‘Planet Claire’ and ‘Rock Lobster’ on the B Side.
Breakers – Not a decent one amongst them. Shame Breakers weren’t on last week as TFF may have got a look in.
Primal Scream – Loaded – A complete nothing.
Inspiral Carpets – This is how it feels - ….to bore the audience?
Jive Bunny – That sounds good to me – Well, it sounds a little average to me as the choice of tracks is not so strong to support the usual ‘vocals’, hence got no higher. A couple more Beatles recorded tracks in this however, ‘Long Tall Sally’ and ‘Roll over Beethoven’.
Beats International & Lindy Layton – Dub be good to me – Head and shoulders above the rest apart from the B52s.
49ers – Don’t you love me – No.
DeleteInteresting about Jive Bunny. The ITV Chart Show which went out on Saturday mornings as a kind of predictor for the following day's official top 40 on radio 1 for TOTP, had Jive Bunny knocking off Beats International for the No.1 spot a couple of days after this TOTP broadcast and did not predict that it would get no further than No.4!
Here is how the ITV Chart Show TOP TEN played out on 17th March 1990 with Jive Bunny as the "New Number One":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILmAubhapTg
Maybe Candy Flip would be better remembered if their Strawberry Fields follow up This Can Be Real had been a hit too? Really nice, blissed out ditty. (Or really nice, off their faces on E ditty, if you prefer).
ReplyDelete"This Can Be Real" made the UK charts but only peaked at number 60.
DeleteHmm, I don't really count no. 60 as a hit! I wonder where they are now? Maybe they moved into horticulture?
DeleteGreat show this week with some really strong singles and a couple of eye gougingly frustrating intruders. Simon is in fanboy mood for large parts of it with momentary lapses into Alan Partridge style exchanges.
ReplyDeleteThe Mission; A good, rumbling start. I did hear quite a lot of The Mission in younger days but mainly through a closed door. A housemate at uni was a big fan. I always think I should hear more of them. I love 'Wasteland'.
This appearance was broadcast the day before Wayne Hussey made an imfamous drunken and sweary appearance on 'The James Whale Radio Show'. Very funny to watch.
New Kids On The Block; A chance for them to show off two new skills: dribbling and dribbling. I don't need this on the show but I guess it was unavoidable. Donnie officially the troublesome one by this point. Danny officially the stupid one.
Candy Flip; I have to confess I love this. The 'Funky Drummer' sample works well and you have to award some points for its sheer cheek. The singer sounds like he cares as much for the song as the last Bros single but maybe that's how it should be. Just a shame this didn't come out around 1996. Just imagine how much it would've wound the Gallaghers up. One of them I assume, would be lurking around the studio during this very performance, on roadie duty for another bunch of debutants.
The B52s; Stil looks and sounds a blast.
Big Fun; No
Fish; Like this one. Strong tune and a pleasing video. Should've been a bigger hit on that brief evidence.
Wet Wet Wet; Not very good. I suppose it's trying to evoke some Stax soul but just comes over as leaden and a bit bolshy. They have one more single, the totally forgettable 'Stay With Me Heartache' before disappearing for a subtle rethink (a briefly enthralling one in my opinion) and an image makeover for the band members. Apart from Graeme. And Tommy.
Primal Scream; An all time party classic and great to see here. It says a lot about the sheer quality of 'Screamadelica' that this is one of the weakest tracks on it. Still sounds great and they look already like the coolest gang in pop. Nice to see Mark Gardiner of Ride there doing some work experience. Is he typing?
Luton Airport not in the equation here then.
Inspiral Carpets; Another great debut appearance, a song which still sounds sharp and socially conscious. The chorus certainly must've struck a chord with the public unrest over the Poll Tax about to reach boiling point. But at 14 I ddn't really make that connection. I just loved the tune and the organ and Clint's hair.
Jive Bunny; No Ciani! No!, No!, not now!! Even if the songs featured are great and you've got some trendy extras in for the video. It's like Joy Sarney and Mr. Punch again. God this show does my head in sometimes.
Beats International; Still amiable, inessential space occupying at No. 1. Enjoyable but time you were moving on.
The 49ers; Not a bad way to finish. I still like the hook to this one and the 'singer' doesn't look as perplexed by what she's miming to this time.
I didn't realise this was from the day before Wayne's considerably over-refreshed James Whale Show appearance! Wasn't it Wayne who accidentally appeared naked on The Tube, too, doing the Buffalo Bill trick?
DeleteI'm going to dread asking this - what's the Buffalo Bill trick? I know the elephant trick - take out your trouser pockets to look like ears and also ahem! I learnt that from the crap Scouse warmup comedian sketches in an Alexei Sayle series!
DeleteAh, I knew I'd regret mentioning that - remember Silence of the Lambs? And the killer Buffalo Bill's little dance in front of the mirror, with his strategic "tuck" to look more like a lady? That! Always felt sorry for the band whose song was playing in that scene, indelibly associated...
Delete