She was afraid to come out of the locker, she was afraid that somebody would see the 9th of August 1990 edition of Top of the Pops!
Bikini tops of the pops
9-8-90: Presenter: Gary Davies
(11) BOMBALURINA – Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini
Timmy and the girls get this live show off to a summery start and it will be number one in two weeks time. Oh yeah.
(2) D.N.A. feat. SUZANNE VEGA – Tom’s Diner (video)
At its peak.
(4) BLUE PEARL – Naked In The Rain (video)
Also at its peak.
(23) CRAIG McLACHLAN & CHECK 1-2 – Amanda
He's hardly yet finished wth Mona and now here he is taking up with Amanda for what becam his second of four top 40 hits and this one peaked at number 19.
(21) ROXETTE - Listen To Your Heart (Breakers)
Peaked at number 6.
(24) JON BON JOVI - Blaze of Glory (Breakers)
Became his first of five solo top 40 hits when it peaked at number 13.
(26) STING - Englishman In New York (Breakers)
Peaked at number 15.
(15) TRICKY DISCO – Tricky Disco (video)
Went up one more place.
(5) THE SOUP DRAGONS feat. JUNIOR REID – I’m Free (video)
At its peak.
(3) M.C. HAMMER – U Can’t Touch This (video)
And another one at its peak.
(29) HOTHOUSE FLOWERS – I Can See Clearly Now
In the studio tonight with this Johnny Nash cover and it peaked at number 23.
(1) PARTNERS IN KRYME – Turtle Power (video)
Third of four weeks at number one.
(17) TOGETHER – Hardcore Uproar (video) (and credits)
Their only hit and it peaked at number 12.
August 16th is next.
Was that really Timmy Mallet singing on this cover? I always had my doubts, but then again, I never saw him live at a students' union do. Anyway, totally disposable and aimed at five year olds. Never change, Timmy.
ReplyDeleteDNA trampling over Suzanne Vega again, the video unsurprisingly, then Blue Pearl again, the video's ready. Still unconvinced by this one.
Craig and the Bouncing Checks, he doesn't even come up with a rhyme for Amanda. She sticks out her tongue like a salamander? I like her printer, it's a Banda? Her makeup makes her look like a panda? Missed opportunity. The tune is a rip-off of Sheila E's Bell of St Mark.
Breakers, Roxette in concert for one of their samey numbers, little Jon at a striking location, presumably his steel horse is parked nearby, and Ben Liebrand barges his way in where he's not wanted again, all over Sting's tasteful tribute to Quentin Crisp.
Creepy Disco again (those puppets!), then we get the Soup Dragons video, a riot of psychedelic solarisation. "These are the words me hear from my granddaddy!" Completing the three in a row, it's MC Hammer on video yet again, it really hung around, this one.
Then back to the studio for the Hothouse Flowers doing half a faithful cover of Johnny Nash, half a wine bar freakout, whatever that would look like. It's OK if you really had to do it, but did you really have to do it?
Turtles remain steady, I remember seeing the original comics in a shop in the 80s and thinking they looked interesting, but I never bought them. They'd probably be worth a fortune now. What kind of name for an evil organisation is The Foot?
Together, or is it Hardcore Uproar? They're not Northern Uproar, that's for sure. Don't quite recognise this mix, the one I'm familiar with does more with the weird vocal sample. Bog standard, even has the Italian house piano on it.
Timmy Mallett seemed to disappear from our TV screens soon after this huge No.1 hit in he summer of 1990, and considering he was only about 34 on Bomballurina, it was perhaps a short-lived career.
DeleteWas Amanda related to Mona, as Craig McLaughlin seemed to go for a common thread here of girl's first names only? This Amanda single was a little better than Mona, but still couldn't really get into his music at all at this stage.
The Soup Dragons were unlucky to have TOTP playing the last minute of video only, and actually starting off with the Junior Reid instrumental break, so that they could squeeze out the rest of what was left of the video, and almost to the fadeout!
I actually remember buying the Together single on vinyl that year, as the record shops were still selling singles as vinyl, as the CD singles were still a couple of years away from full distribution. Superb on layout this week though, and a disco DJ's essential companion in his/her collection!
Another "Amanda" rhyme for you, THX... "She's definitely worth a gander"!
Deletehow about "her eye makeup's just like a panda"?
DeleteWilby, THX came up with a very similar lyric earlier. Nice try, though!
Deletesorry, i missed that - i thought i read his suggestion was something about a salamander!
Deleteok then, how about " i love the way she shows such candour"?
It was suggested at the time that Amanda was written about Craig’s co-star and real-life squeeze Rachel Friend, as it’s her middle name.
DeleteThey did marry, before splitting after just one year. Perhaps he started stalking Mona again....
or: "she said my songs can't get much blander"?
Deletewith regard to david's comment, here's another rhyming suggestion:
Delete"i'd had enough and so i canned her"
Or "She sounds a lot like Lionel Stander".
Deletein that case it would no surprise if he dumped her ha ha (she might have said to him "when we got together, it was MOIDER!")
DeleteThis show featured all top 5 singles by means of their videos as main plays on the show, albeit some with only one-and-a-half minutes, like Blue Pearl. Shocking! I remember really liking the Blue Pearl record at this time, and one of the best top 5 dance hits of the year.
ReplyDeleteNevertheless, I don't remember this ever happening on TOTP before, where the whole top 5 (all climbing of course), were with in main slots on the show , and no breakers or playout!
Hi everyone, hope you're all good. been too busy with work to comment recently but enjoyed this ep for the most part.
ReplyDeleteBombalurina - a few years ago Fuzzbox released a compilation of old offcuts from their We've Got a Fuzzbox days, circa 86 or thereabouts. And one of the tracks was a medley of Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny and Seven Little Girls (the next Bombalurina single). So it's possible they were inadvertently responsible fot Timmy Mallet's singing career. Welp. Ad for TM, he seems to be a painter mostly these days, after doing the student circuit for so long he was going way after any kids who were alive during Wacaday had graduated.
DNA/Suzanne Vega - Has become a bit overplayed over the years but still a great track.
Blue Pearl - What I wouldn't give for weather hot enough to dance naked in the rain right now instead of this snow.
Craig McLachlan - I remember being deeply invested in wondering who Amanda was. And given pretty much everyone from 80s era Neighbours is back in the show right now (Friday's ep included Paul, Clive, Jane, Des and Melanie and Lawd it was glorious), I am still hoping for Henry Ramsay to pop back on the street.
Roxette - my favourite Rox song of all. Goosebumps every time.
Jon Bon Jovi - I never saw Young Guns. Feels like it was everywhere at the time but has faded into obscurity since.
Sting - Englishman in New York. Maybe his most memorable solo cut?
Tricky Disco - not one of the top tier dance records of the year, but decent filler.
Soup Dragons - Classic of its time
MC Hammer - I still have this as an earworm every few days, yes, ever since 1990.
Hothouse Flowers - I remember them but I don't remember this cover at all.
Partners in Kryme - another song that takes up too much space in my head as an earworm.
Together - one that was everywhere back then but don't think I've heard much since.
The Jon Bon Jovi track was actually from Young Guns II. On the same TOTP chart at No.31, but not shown on TOTP was Doubleback by ZZ Top from the Back To The Future III movie soundtrack, as both films were blockbusters in 1990.
DeleteIn fact this week's ITV Chart Show of 11 Aug 1990 featured both of these tracks in their Rock Chart top ten of the week, with ZZ Top at No.7, and Jon Bon Jovi at No.1:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRcs7tlHu38
Another one to feature on that rock chart of the week was Heart's new single I Didn't Want To Need You, which peaked at No.45 on the main chart, and not enough to reach the TOTP chart, and was the follow-up single to All I Wanna Do Is.
Of course it was, oops! Not that I've seen Young Guns 2 either.
DeleteMaybe Russians would be Sting's most memorable solo single - I was in a lesson at school with a chinstroking teacher who earnestly analysed the lyrics once.
Deletei happened to hear it for the first time in many years in a supermarket recently. i never really liked it anyway (in musical terms), but the cod-reggae and faux jazz passages in it made me cringe!
DeleteYou can always trust Gaz as a safe pair of hands for a live show. Right, who’s up first? Oh God!
ReplyDeleteFFS. Obvious candidate for w##ker of the year. I managed an itsy bitsy bit of this before FF, and will do the same every time this abomination’s on.
By the way, I checked and found Bombalurina and Timmy had a third single, a cover of Kenny's "The Bump", which thankfully stiffed.
You can (bird of) prey DNA and Suzanne will topple some shite from the summit but sadly no. This blends works really well in my opinion.
Oy oy! Hang on, Durga’s not fully in the nib in that ‘rain’ and stadium style / studio mud. Watch you don’t dent that car roof! Still a great track.
Is Craig really in the studio? Looked suspiciously like an ‘open all hours’ slot to me. Craig has a decent voice, shame the song was anonymous, and “Opportunity Knocks“ winner Stuart Gillies (who I once saw live in the bar of the hotel I was staying at in Jersey where he lives) beat Craig to the hit song title by a mere 17 years.
Roxette with some Scandinavian stadium rock sounding like Heart. Hjärta, perhaps? Careful you don’t fall off that slope at the back there!
Jon Bon Jovi – country and western without the ‘o’.
Oh Christ, it’s slimy pretentious bandwagon jumper Sting, with another sodding unwanted Ben Liebrand screw-up.
Ah, now. Good to see Tricky Disco’s metal knife peeling video again.
A right old broth next by the Soup Dragons. All I could hear at the start was some shouty (c)rap.
Welcome repeat of video part 2. You really can’t touch this!
The return of the Eurovision voting ‘entertainment’ next. I could see clearly this was a pointless cover version.
We finish with the second video with flowers set on fire. Coukd you call them hot house flowers? Ahem. Rave testcard music with what sounded like a Crazy Frog style effect on those vocals.
A couple of really good songs that peaked this week outside of the Top 40:
ReplyDeleteNo.62 - Hotel California by Jam On The Mutha.
The Eagles classic revived and modernised for the 90s:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCwqVL0vGvI
No.86 - Love Or Something - Bob Geldof.
Superb follow up to his last single seen on TOTP in the studio along with waiter/butler in tuxedo, who is back again in the same attire in a funny video for this follow-up single:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYeFuQRSoTw
Bombalurina - oh dear.... (but TBF I let it play all the way through)
ReplyDeleteDNA - as previously stated, I like this (very literal video mixed with ‘dad’ dancing)
Craig McClachlan - but flighty, only seems a week since he was in love with Mona. Pleasant enough, but I would rather listen to Boston’s (different song) Amanda.
Breakers:
Roxette - as stated previously, I like them (I think this might be their best one)
Jon Bon Jovi - another like. I must be in a good mood
Sting - I liked this at the time but don’t remember the plonkety plonkety backing [chart rundown comment - ah a cruddy remix again. Did they never learn?]
Hothouse Flowers - karaoke corner again. Not a patch on the original - Start too slow, end too fast.
Together - another nothing ‘dance’ tune ...
Mary Wilson of The Supremes has died. Most successful American girl group ever. Five consecutive No 1s in the USA back in the 1960s. She certainly worked hard at keeping the group going and after they'd split, in the public eye. Surprised there hasn't been a biopic, but maybe it was all a bit raw. RIP, anyway.
ReplyDeleteThe news reports today said she was preparing for the 60th anniversary of the Supremes (which she mentioned in an interview only a few days ago) so maybe a documentary was on the way.
Deletethe most successful female vocal group in terms of chart hits in blighty (and richly deserved of course) was the very talented bananarama, who deliberately covered a supremes tune in order to overtake them in the manner steve ovett used to pass his rivals in the final straight!
Delete@Morgie: There was the film of the stage show Dreamgirls, I suppose, but that was fictionalised, plus the music was a pale imitation of the Supremes. I really didn't like it.
DeleteHeard Mary described on the radio this morning as "the sexy one", and I wouldn't disagree.
Much better this one than the dreadful previous edition.
ReplyDeleteBombalurina – Itsy bisty… It’s kind of like the Agadoo stuff. All dance routine and something for the kids to join in on the dance floor at weddings. I recall it being played at my Sister’s wedding soon after this show funnily enough.
DNA/Suzanne Vega – Tom’s Diner – Still sounds good even with the extra stuff added… a bit like ‘Sounds of Silence’ had to have drums added to make it a hit..
Blue Pearl – Naked in the Rain – Durga, thanks to hearing this a couple of times I have dug out my Pink Floyd CDs that I haven’t played for a while and given them a spin. I like this record too…
Craig McLachlan – Amanda – Ahhhh! A hit at last for that wonderful Boston song that topped the US charts but somehow missed out here completely….. no, instead something forgettable.
Breakers – Love ‘em all except Soup Dragons! Even JBJ standing far too close that precipice. Sting’s song only reached no15??: Travesty considering the next piece of disposal dross went higher. You certainly hear a lot of Sting’s song on the radio still but not the ‘mash get smash’ robot’s effort.
Tricky Disco – Needless to say FF.
MC Hammer – U can’t touch this – Still going up? Feels like it has been around for ages.
Hothouse Flowers – I can’t see clearly – Starts off OK and then collapses. Give me Johnny Nash any day. Still recall the Nescafe advert where the girl in a VW makes a tea with one of those heater things.
Partners in Kryme – Turtle Power – A song that gets worse with every hearing. My contender for the worst no1 of the year.
Together – Hardcore Uproar – Piece of nothing to end what was a reasonable show on a low.
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ReplyDeleteSo Gary is "live" with a massive 2 acts in the studio this week. Full summer mode (shorts included) is ON!
DeleteBOMBALURINA – Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini
How did Timmy Mallett end up with a pop career? Seriously who came up with this idea? I will be spending the next few shows watching the girls in bikinis and ignoring the gurning prat in the middle. Is it even his voice?
D.N.A. feat. SUZANNE VEGA – Tom’s Diner
The first of our many videos from Dan aNd Andy (DNA). How did I not know that was what it stood for. Clever little video in the absence of Ms Vega. Big fan of the song as I've said already.
The KLF have charted - happy days!
BLUE PEARL – Naked In The Rain
Nice video to this one.
CRAIG McLACHLAN & CHECK 1-2 – Amanda
Flying all the way in from several weeks ago it's Craig and Check 1-2. Song isn't up to much so let's hope Amanda was pleased. Craig will ditch Check 1-2 shortly and eventually team up with Debbie Gibson!
Breakers:
ROXETTE - Great tune. Nice video.
JON BON JOVI - Anything Bruce Dickinson can do, I can do 100 times better! Good song.
STING - Love this BL remix of Englishman In New York. Think I may end up in the minority here.
TRICKY DISCO – Tricky Disco
The theme from sMash up next. odd little song and video.
THE SOUP DRAGONS feat. JUNIOR REID – I’m Free
Saw more of the Breakers than we did of this video didn't we? Time-filler perhaps?
M.C. HAMMER – U Can’t Touch This
Cuts-off just as he gets into his signature trouser-dance.
HOTHOUSE FLOWERS – I Can See Clearly Now
Hooray they are in the studio tonight with this funked up Johnny Nash cover. I actually quite liked it...
PARTNERS IN KRYME – Turtle Power
Bored Now.
TOGETHER – Hardcore Uproar
Passable dance tune with a crap video.
A rather thrown-together/will this do? show tonight.