Saturday, 19 December 2020

Happy Top of the Pops-mas

 Thank you to everybody who contributes to and reads this blog. I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Better New Year! We leap in our time machine and leave 1990 for one night to enjoy the simply awesome Christmas Day 1995 edition of Top of the Pops!

See you again in about three years


25-12-95:   Presenters:  Jack Dee & Björk

N-TRANCE – Set You Free
 
REDNEX – Cotton Eye Joe  (clip of TOTP 5-1-95)
BOYZONE – Love Me For A Reason  (clip of TOTP 5-1-95)
THE HUMAN LEAGUE – Tell Me When  (clip of TOTP 5-1-95)
 
ANNIE LENNOX – No More I Love You’s
 
PERFECTO ALLSTARZ – Reach Up (Papa’s Got A Brand New Pig Bag)  (clip of TOTP 2-2-95)
MN8 – I’ve Got A Little Something For You  (clip of TOTP 2-2-95)
CELINE DION – Think Twice  (clip of TOTP 2-2-95)
 
TAKE THAT – Back For Good
 
CHER, CHRISSIE HYNDE & NENEH CHERRY with ERIC CLAPTON – Love Can Build A Bridge  (video)
ALEX PARTY – Don’t Give Me Your Life  (clip of TOTP 16-3-95)
THE OUTHERE BROTHERS – Don't Stop (Wiggle Wiggle)  (clip of TOTP 16-3-95)
 
BOYZONE – Key To My Life

(79) OASIS – Some Might Say  (clip of TOTP 27-4-95)
TINA ARENA – Chains  (clip of TOTP 27-4-95)
BRYAN ADAMS – Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman  (clip of TOTP 6-4-95)

ROBSON & JEROME – Unchained Melody

PEREZ ‘PREZ’ PRADO & HIS ORCHESTRA – Guaglione  (video)
SCATMAN JOHN – Scatman  (clip of TOTP 11-5-95)
MONTELL JORDAN – This Is How We Do It  (clip of TOTP 11-5-95)

PULP – Common People

U2 – Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me  (video)
BABY D – (Everybody’s Got To Learn Sometime) I Need Your Loving  (video)
MICHAEL JACKSON – Scream  (video)

THE OUTHERE BROTHERS – Boom Boom Boom

SUPERGRASS – Alright  (clip of TOTP 13-7-95)
DIANA KING – Shy Guy  (clip of TOTP 20-7-95)
(95) TAKE THAT – Never Forget  (clip of TOTP 20-7-95)

(147) BLUR – Country House

(82) OASIS – Roll With It  (clip of TOTP 17-8-95)
THE ORIGINAL – I Luv U Baby  (clip of TOTP 17-8-95)
SEAL – Kiss From A Rose  (clip of TOTP 27-7-95)
(90) MICHAEL JACKSON – You Are Not Alone  (video)
(113) THE REMBRANDTS – I’ll Be There For You  (clip of TOTP 31-8-95)
(91) SHAGGY – Boombastic  (clip of TOTP 21-9-95)
(155) N-TRANCE feat. RICARDO DA FORCE – Stayin’ Alive  (clip of TOTP 14-9-95)

(60) SIMPLY RED – Fairground

(6) COOLIO feat. LV – Gangsta’s Paradise  (clip of TOTP 26-10-95)
(61) MEAT LOAF – I’d Lie For You (And That’s The Truth)  (clip of TOTP 12-10-95)
(83) DEF LEPPARD – When Love And Hate Collide  (clip of TOTP 12-10-95)

(9) ROBSON & JEROME – I Believe
 
(7) OASIS – Wonderwall  (clip of TOTP 9-11-95) 
(19) MADONNA – You’ll See  (clip of TOTP 2-11-95) 
(5) EVERYTHING BUT THE GIRL – Missing  (clip of TOTP 9-11-95)

(1?) MIKE FLOWERS POPS – Wonderwall  (and credits) er... wasn't Earth Song actually the number one?

 7th of June 1990 is next!

20 comments:

  1. I too thought it was Earth Song and the official chart website agrees!

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  2. I know record companies get given the chart positions down to 200 for promotional reasons, but I can honestly say this is the first time I've ever seen chart positions outside the top 75 shown on this or the two preceding top-of-podium TOTP sites!

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  3. Earth Song was number one, but TOTP records multiple endings and the right one is slotted in.

    Evidently, either deliberately as a treat or accidently, a none broadcast version with a alternate ending was grabbed out of the archives.

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  4. Earth Song was number one, but TOTP records multiple endings and the right one is slotted in.

    Evidently, either deliberately as a treat or accidently, a none broadcast version with a alternate ending was grabbed out of the archives.

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  5. I quite enjoyed seeing Mike Flowers anyway :-)

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  6. Yes, Mike Flowers Pops treated Oasis with the respect they deserved. They did a fun little album too.

    I really enjoyed this 1995 edition, the Rick Blaxill era was probably the last time TOTP really got it right, it's just a pity that it chased away all the traditional family audiences, leaving the kids to watch.

    Only one I muted was Simply Red, because that song makes me feel physically ill. That N-Trance opener was surprisingly strong!

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  7. I recorded it on VHS back on Xmas day '95 and Jacko was played out on the credits as Number one. He was Number one until being knocked off the top in mid- January by George Michael with Jesus To A Child.

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  8. Replies
    1. As part of a 1995 night on BBC 4 yesterday.

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    2. Ah thanks, I see. Missed the 1995 Night!

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  9. My favourites from this show:

    - Rednexx (great party tune to bind elbows together)
    - Human League (great comeback after so long out)
    - Perfecto Allstarz (great reworking of the Pigbag original in 1982)
    - Seal (great classic)
    Meat Loaf (still going strong in 1995, aged 48)

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  10. This xmas edition is one of a couple that I've still got on vhs from the time ('91 the other one) so I've seen it lots of times but not for ages so good to see again. Great show. I thiught Bjork and Jack Dee were a great presenting duo with some very warm and funny links ('JACK. IT'S TAKE THAT!!! is a favourite) and some great songs snippets; 'Shy Guy', 'Reach Up', 'Some Might Say', 'Alright', 'Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman'.
    Favourite bits: Jarvis with his 'Vivre Le Revolution' card', Damon buggering up his cue during 'Country House'. Show highlight for me is still N Trance. Great single. Wow that singer was charismatic!
    And yes I confirm what Brie said. Michael Jackson 'Earth Song' was played at the end, the credits rolling over Jacko yelling while clinging to the two trees, making for a pretty climactic end to the show. Nice to see Jarvis Cocker appearing before this track!

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  11. Way above average episode!

    Started listing all, but finger got blisters, so I will record highlights (and lowlight)

    N trance - good tune (is it going to take 5 years before we get dance tracks with a tune?...)
    Rednex - another boppy tune
    Boyzone - great tune, fair cover (mind you I am a closet Osmonds fan)
    Human League - another good one
    Annie Lennox - very pleasant tune
    Perfecto allstarz - I remember this being by Pigbag - fair cover. (Pigbag came out the same time as The Jam had a b side with the same riff - don’t know which came first)
    MN8 - first dud!
    Celine Dion - back on track

    Outhere Brothers - dreadful! (Twice)

    Oasis - great early track (check on wiki shows that it was number 6!)

    Bryan Adams - substandard for him

    Perez Prez Prado - fair tune form school of foreign instrumentals
    Scatman John - next!
    Montell Jordan - oh dear another next -bad patch

    Pulp - their second finest hit (second to the magnificent Babies which only charted on rerelease)

    U2 - great video

    Michael and Janet Jackson - sounds like two tracks playing at once!

    Supergrass - excellent (I loved tehir early caught by the fuzz)

    Blur - the famous winner of the oasis battle, but not necessarily the war

    The original - so bad it could have been from 1990

    Rembrandts - great tune from a programme that I hate..

    Shaggy - cruggy

    Ntrance (again) - this is how you do a dance cover version
    Coolio - another great reworking
    Meatloaf - didn’t realise he made the studio for this

    Oasis - wonderwall version 1
    Madonna - youll see... don’t recall this at all (this goes in my Pointless book)

    Mike Flowers Pop - wonderwall 2, so cheesy it is great

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    Replies
    1. Hooray, a fellow Friends-hater! Mind you, I can't stand the twiddly theme tune either.

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  12. Merry Christmas one and all....

    Robson and Jerome, Dee and Bjork, Blur vs Oasis....it must be Christmas 1995!

    I was eN-TRANCEd by this one. "Set You Free" a big club tune and 94-98 were my clubbing years so this is right up my street. Dancers weren't bad either.

    Oh we can play "guess the song" before the captions come up...hooray
    REDNEX – Earworm
    BOYZONE – Cheesy
    THE HUMAN LEAGUE – Poptastic

    "No More I Love You’s" from Mickey Mouse and some very butch brides dancing around. Tune was from a vampire film I seem to recall. I may be wrong.

    PERFECTO ALLSTARZ – Jazzy
    MN8 – Stripping
    CELINE DION – Stunning

    Were TAKE THAT really ever that young? Back For Good a nice tune from the Robbie-less foursome.

    CHER, CHRISSIE HYNDE & NENEH CHERRY with ERIC CLAPTON – Charitable
    ALEX PARTY – Stompimg
    THE OUTHERE BROTHERS – Noise

    The Great Gately squeaks his way through "Key To My Life" which could have been better off in a different key. Not one of their better tunes.

    OASIS – Whiny
    TINA ARENA – Belting
    BRYAN ADAMS – Swaying

    The phenomenon that is ROBSON & JEROME up next. Housewives favourites, de-mobbed Soldiers, miming and ruining "Unchained Melody" This is so average it's unbelievable.

    PEREZ ‘PREZ’ PRADO & HIS ORCHESTRA – Spanish
    SCATMAN JOHN – Speedy
    MONTELL JORDAN – Basketballer?

    (I should say at this point that I am never having Christmas in Iceland - Thanks Bjork)

    Highlight of the show next. An awesome performance of "Common People" from Pulp, one of Brit Pop's finest offerings.
    Jarvis is really one of those odd looking men that your Mum would tell you to cross the road to avoid.

    U2 – Batty
    BABY D – Garaged
    MICHAEL and JANET JACKSON - Shite

    THE BASIL BRUSH BROTHERS next with our first singalong of the day. "Boom Boom Boom". really really enjoyed this. Such fun.

    SUPERGRASS – Playful
    DIANA KING – Summery
    TAKE THAT – Fantastic

    Singalong 2 up next from BLUR, but Damon has forgotten half the words to "Country House". He's at the height of his pompous, show-off self here. Thank goodness the tune is a good one. The winners of the battle!

    OASIS – Losers
    THE ORIGINAL – Original
    SEAL – 1990!

    MICHAEL JACKSON on video really kills the mood. You Are Not Alone one of his drearier tunes. Can we watch the the BBC4 Brit Pop special next please BBC4?

    THE REMBRANDTS – Friends
    SHAGGY – Semi-Fantastic
    N-TRANCE feat. RICARDO DA FORCE – Rip-Off

    So who saw this song coming from SIMPLY RED in 1995? "Fairground" is a great song. Very Unique for the time and still sounds good now.

    COOLIO feat. LV – Pfeiffer
    MEAT LOAF – Long
    DEF LEPPARD – 80s

    ROBSON & JEROME AGAIN! "I Believe" this what the Fast Forward button was invented for. This is so poor.

    OASIS – Overplayed
    MADONNA – Beautiful
    EVERYTHING BUT THE GIRL – Guitar?

    MIKE FLOWERS POPS – Wonderwall. Not number One (that was MJ with Earth Song). Assume this is take two then. Would the MJ video earlier have been cut out and his message played here instead? This a great piss-take of the Oasis song and I love it.


    Roll on 1995 on this evidence (2023 maybe?)

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  13. Happy New Year everyone.

    Sad news just come is that Gerry Marsden has died aged 78.

    Three no1s with the Pacemakers and one with the Crowd.

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    1. Three No.1s with their first three hits, no less, an impressive first. He didn't look very well in that BBC4 Ready Steady Go documentary a few months back, I have to say.

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    2. Oh yeah, and I can guarantee nobody will be broadcasting Gerry's film Ferry Cross the Mersey as tribute! He wasn't to know that was a bad choice of co-star...

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    3. Never seen the film. Has said bad co star got a big part? One of those films I always meant to watch...T P Mckenna is in it as well I see.

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    4. The bad co-star is in it enough to be problematic and difficult to edit out. Although for me the main issue was that it makes Gerry and the band look like complete morons, I think they were going for A Hard Day's Night style and missed by miles.

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