Time to trip and dip slip the hip and grip to the techno house of hip because it's the 20th of September 1990 editon of T.O.P of the Pops!
I've got the drum kit
20-9-90: Presenter: Nicky Campbell
(28) TWENTY 4 SEVEN feat. CAPTAIN HOLLYWOOD – I Can’t Stand It
Getting tonight's show underway with what became their only top ten hit when it peaked at number 7.
(23) THE STONE ROSES – Fool’s Gold (video)
It had made number 8 last year, this time round it peaked at 22.
(21) SNAP – Cult Of Snap
Becoming studio regulars by now and this latest tune became their third of nine top ten hits when it peaked at number 8.
(16) AC/DC – Thunderstruck (video)
Peaked at number 13.
(32) S-EXPRESS – Nothing To Lose (video) (Breakers)
Got no higher.
(34) DNA – La Serenissima (video) (Breakers)
Also got not higher.
(35) MONIE LOVE feat. TRUE IMAGE – It’s A Shame (My Sister) (video) (Breakers)
Peaked at number 12.
(19) THE CHARLATANS – Then
Performing in the studio and the song peaked at number 12.
(3) IRON MAIDEN – Holy Smoke (video)
Straight in at number 3 but it got no higher.
(9) THE FARM – Groovy Train
Making their second appearance in the studio and their groovy tune went up three more places.
(1) STEVE MILLER BAND – The Joker (video)
Second and final week at number one.
(31) M.C. TUNES versus 808 STATE – Tunes Splits The Atom (video) (and credits)
Peaked at number 18.
27th of September is next.
I came in a bit late to this one so missed Twenty 4 Seven. I liked that one a lot but I imagine it sounded a lot better on the radio than it was on tv. To the next one.
ReplyDeleteThe Stone Roses; It's always great to see this video though I've got the 'Complete Stone Roses' vhs so I know it backwards (like 'Don't Stop' ..sorry). I don't recall this being reissued but it does match my personal timeline that I heard this properly after 'One Love'. Reni drumming, always watchable.
Actually Ian Brown is the only pop star that I've personally interacted with. I held the door open for him at 'Helter Skelter' bookshop in Denmark Street years ago. (I did also splutter some shy compliments to Isla St Clair in a folk club once and went briefly to college with Goldfrapp's keyboard player). "Cheers Man" he mumbled. I rather wish that was the extent of his interviews and tweets lately to be honest.
Cult Of Snap; This is pretty good. Turbo B chanting as well as rapping now and playing stand up drums. If only world conference speakers did that in real life. I love the girl with the Sonia hair next to Nicky who starts dancing before the track starts and carries on even though the intro is only an acapella!
AC/DC; Loud stuff with a video that looks like a cross between Blondie's 'Dreaming' video, Shakespeare's Globe and a truck transporting doomed sheep. Watchable. Not especially listenable though I have persevered.
S-Express; They're still about them which is good to know. A people in front of swirly images video recalling 'Buffalo Stance'.
DNA; I know this tune. That faintly sinister pop classical instrumental with I think an animated 'Les Miserables' type string quartet with no faces playing as a city disappears under water. Wasn't it used as some sort of promo thing for LWT. Sorry I may be talking complete and utter nonsense.
Monie Love; Yeah like this probably even now more than the Detroit Spinners orighinal and I really love them (I'm still trying to track down their self titled album on LP). The chorus just works so well with the beats and the female voice.
The Charlatans; Great one this! Joint favourite of the show. Like the main riff of Feargal Sharkey's 'You Little Thief' the melody borrows from the opening part of Stravinsky's 'Rite of Spring' (I think). Nice touch that at the very height of Madchester Tim Burgess sports a haircut that he presumably had about 5 years before. And the drummer in sound and vision lays down the baggiest baggytastic baggy drumming in the whole of baggydom. And there's nothing wrong with that. Love that one.
Iron Maiden; Hillarious, cheap as it gets video from Maiden next. Some images I wouldn't have previously associated with them. Never ever seen that before. That was fantastic!
The Farm; Favourite thing of the show 2. Everyone in our class loved this. This edition genuinely makes me feel like I'm 15 again which is not what the previous ones have done. If the Mondays had appeared on this one as well this would have easily gone down as THE Madchester edition of Totp. Speaking of which can anyone verify a story I'm sure I read about The Farm supporting The Mondays where they collectively urinated on their speakers and blew them up after they finished their set because The Mondays wouldn't allow them a soundcheck?
Steve Miller Band; Yes! I spotted that joint being offered to him this time. Hillarious.
MC Tunes; The one with the 'Iam The Ressurection' loop finishes the show. That was a great edition.
You’re right about the animation for La Serenissima. I remember it too. It was tied to the concept of Venice in Peril, and linked to the original version of the song by Rondò Veneziano.
DeleteThanks David! Of course. Rondo Veneziano. Why did I think they were a string quartet. There are woodwinds on the track for a start. Doh! I don't know why I relate it to LWT but in my mind I can see it cropping up as a separate feature on the channel.
DeleteI remember that around 1984 they showed a series of fairly long promo trailers. Showbiz type (very LWT) animations with lots of differents celebrities. I remember particularly liking one but it had an animated Jill Gascoine on it!
Sorry BECAUSE it had Jill Gascoine in it!
DeleteWell RV are a string quartet in the cartoon video! Mind you, they come out of a spaceship, and I'm pretty sure they didn't have one of those.
DeleteIt's very puzzling THX! Maybe that cartoon Jill Gascoine should've made a Forbesian assignment to Venice and got to the bottom of it.
DeleteDidn't they appear on Wogan (some chat show or other, anyway) all dressed up with the robot masks, way back when? I think they were a string quartet there.
DeleteMaybe. They do look and sound like a Wogan interest. If I saw them I probably wouldn't have stayed in the room very long. Could've been one of those late night things on ITV that I would sometimes catch if I couldn't sleep. Saw a man swallow washing powder on 'OTT' or something similar when I was small.
DeleteThis suggests they appeared on Pebble Mill at One in their masks - https://www.tvcream.co.uk/bric-a-brac/n-z-bric-a-brac/r-is-for-bric-a-brac/rondo-veneziano/
DeleteCheers David. Tv cream does have some very interesting and funny writings on there. I looked on BBC Genome too. Pebble Mill at One, 31st Oct 1984. Also featuring Raquel Welch discussing how she retains her good looks! At primary school that day I assume so a subtle childhood trauma safely avoided.
DeleteCorrection; obviously The Farm are from Liverpool. Should've said the Baggy edition of totp.
ReplyDeletePs, Hi Angelo. I notice that we're getting close to the 10th anniversary of these repeats (1st April to be precise). Maybe next month there could be a little recap session with bloggers listing their favourite clips / moments since 1976. These repeats have been an extraordinary memory jogger and being able to write about it has been such a rewarding thing particularly in such troubled times. Thankyou so much for this blog and for keeping it going!
And my earliest memory of the show? Not shown sadly. You're The One That I Want; John and Olivia on the 'Shake' ride.
Is it really ten years ~ wow.
DeleteYes, it would be nice maybe to do a 'Ten of the Pops' blog to mark it :-)
Yes I'd be all for that!
Delete24-7 with a song I haven't heard since 1990, they were asking for trouble with that title, but it's OK, more basic than I remember, though. More thought seems to have gone into their dance moves.
ReplyDeleteStone Roses with their most overplayed record, a rerelease to squeeze some more profits out of them now it appeared they wouldn't be producing any new material, I presume. Video on the side of a volcano, apparently.
Snap, this is kind of ridiculous, but I warmed to it, can't tell if they're being serious or not. Is that an authentic language they're chanting in? The Muscle Marys at the back are a bit distracting.
AC/DC for some reason thinking we wanted to see up Angus's shorts. We didn't. Sounded a bit strained on this one, but some of the old magic was there (i.e. they didn't have any other ideas). Is that an all-male audience of headbangers?
Breakers, S-Express try a proper song, doesn't come off, Monie Love's clip features no Monie Love whatsoever, and DNA have put a clunky remix on the robot string quartet from Venice, not too nice. Plus their video is nowhere near as good as the original's.
Yes, the Charlatans with a dramatic, big up yerself spaced out tune, the organ on this is tremendous, it's an expansive sound that really commands the attention. But as I've said before, they've always been a great singles band.
Iron Maiden - was this a rerelease? I thought Bruce had left them at this stage? Also, they look as if they've borrowed their dad's video camera to make the video. It is quite funny, mind you.
The Farm make a return, much as before but it's a decent ditty, then Steve Miller groans his way through his belated Number 1. Did anyone ever work out what a pompitous was?
MC Tunes and 808 State, coming off like someone talking over a game of Pong, but it's got some verve and energy that carries it. Mad scientist video suggests how these techno boffins saw themselves.
According to Steve Miller, "Pompitous" was a made up word meaning whatever you want it to be.
DeleteDNA had two singles on the Top 40 rundown, one with Suzanne Vega doing Tom's Diner, and now peaking at No.34 on their own with La Serenissima which I presume was released on the back of the success of Tom's Diner with Suzanne Vega getting to No.2 the previous month. I doubt if we hear from them again on the UK charts, but not entirely sure.
DeleteAlso noticed that new in at No.40 on the rundown was The River City People with their new single, and they didn't hang around for a Breakers feature the following week, as they tumbled straight out of the top 40, but no great shakes, as their earlier single California Dreaming was a lot better than this one.
This surely must go down as one of the worst editions ever!
ReplyDeleteSo much rubbish on display….when it got to Iron Maiden ‘straight in at no3’ I thought that maybe this is the one where they discover a tune, but no, same old heavy guitar and screeching indecipherable vocals and an absolutely ridiculous video too.
Nothing more to say about anything!
It’s Soupy again, amiable enough but once again sounding as if he’s swallowed a dictionary.
ReplyDeleteOoer! Suspenders to start with. Which one’s Captain Hollywood? Rave line dancing and, I agree, less time spent on the tune than the choerography.
The return of Monkeyface, with the mic nowhere near his mush, and his mates with a re-issue. Great rhythm and guitar sound.
More female legs, synchronised dancing and rap, but Snap’s drumkit seals the deal. Sorry, Captain.
Andy Capp and Dinosaur Schoolboy are back. What a beautiful voice Brian Johnson has.
I forgot to mention last time out two of S-Express sitting in an ‘S’ shaped chair. Attention to detail there. We simply get their run-out here, with surely the first Hoovers seen on this re-run.
DNA ruin a classical track with beats and woo yeah rubbish.
Monie Love’s version of the Detroit Spinners tune does at least have sympathetic vocals and a good groove.
First time I’ve ever seen Tim Burgess’s forehead and eyebrows. The Charalatans, the missing link between Stone Roses (with a better drum riff than earlier) and Inspiral Carpets, and not a bad thing.
Credit Iron Maiden for a funny video, and not a ‘live‘ gig one for a change, and sending themselves up a bit. Shame about the racket.
New dress code for The Farm, with only the lead singer allowed white trousers this time. Bonus points for thate guitarist’s Subbuteo sweat shirt. Great track.
Steve Miller not a midnight toker if he played this gig before the witching hour.
We finish with space invaders versus some bloke rapping. Hang on, that sounds like the noise used for future chart topper “Crazy Frog” about a minute in!
I meant to say S-Express are sitting in an S-shaped 'lovers' chair' in their mugshot.
DeleteCaptain Hollywood is the black rapper in the group of four on stage, and was our first glimpse of him here on this edition of TOTP with 24/7, and he was to go on to have enormous success on his own as The Captain Hollywood Project throughout the early 90's, the first single of which, called More And More was his biggest hit worldwide, albeit only getting to No.23 in Britain with it in 1992:
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-rS174AUT0
Wonderful single More and More. So underrated. Even if the rap has a few clunky rhymes. The way that synth backing hovers in the background at the start! It was on Now 26 on the side where they used to bury things that didn't do very well in the charts. In fact this may have been one of their 'tips for the charts' tracks. I used to walk round the village where I grew up at night listening to this along with some other night sounding things.
DeleteYes, it's one of my favourites from that early 90's dance music era for that same reason of the synthesiser at the start, and brings a chill down the spine. Strange that the UK and US didn't do as well as the rest of Europe where it made top 5 in most countries. Captain Hollywood had certainly arrived!
DeleteSnap - not sure about this one. They were clearly churning out the singles throughout the year, but this one was more like a tribal rant, and nowhere near as good as their previous single Oops Up, but hey, there's loads more singles and videos to come from them through the early 90s, so it a long road yet!
ReplyDeleteAC/DC - now that's more like it, and wow what a video, with Brian Johnson at his very best. Does anyone know the venue in this video, as I love the side audience dancing behind security grills? The lighting on those was just superb.
The Farm - love the yellow top on the female backing vocalist on the left of the screen. Second best outfit on the show, after the lead singer on 24/7 with her interesting attire and cute blonde looks.
Mc Tunes vs 808 State - great choice for this week's playout, and sounds like a blockbuster basketball match at Wembley Stadium or Madison Square Garden. Who won?
24-7 and captain hollywood - I will join the early observations that the dancing was more interesting than the tune - and the dancing was pretty basic...
ReplyDeleteStone roses - fools gold - not sure why this was reissued?... my least favourite of their singles, but still makes me tap my toes.
Snap - as it started out, I thought “hmm, this is different”, then it wasn’t...
Ac/dc - never been a fan, but this is ok. At least they wrote a tune (sort of)
Breakers:
S-express - spice girls reject?...
DNA - disappointing after diner - the silly “woop” noise was annoying
Monie love - jazz funk not my thing, but it was ok
Charlatans - finally something that I actually liked. I had forgotten this, but it is rather good - love the keyboard sound (as arthur said, reminiscent of the inspirals)
Iron Maiden - don’t remember this. Bruce back with the boys - Not one of their best, but nice guitar twiddling.
Farm - sounded like a speeded up version of fools gold :-)
Mc tunes - bog standard rap track with SSRN Seaview pinging in the background (60s TV reference there!)
There couldn't have been much more coming from S-Express. From No.1 in 1988 to peaking at No.32 in 1990, I didn't think that they were still releasing singles by now.
DeleteCorrect, Dory. That's the last we'll see of S-Express. Their next / penultimate chart entry in 1992 peaked at 43, and their final hit (possibly a re-mix of their chart topper?) made number 14 in 1996 but didn't get a TOTP outing.
DeleteMy favourite one of theirs is Hey Music Lover, which did quite well, and somewhat also goes out to all of us regulars on this blog.
DeleteThis week's near peaking singles outside of the Top 40, with three established artists that could not follow up earlier success this time round:
ReplyDeleteNo. 51 - Beats International - Burundi Blues
First outing without Lindy Layton, but taking on Janet Kay instead, as Layton did her own single with her recently. Kay clearly did not have the same pull with the record-buying public as Layton, and could not even give Beats International another top 40 single:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McG4LWG3OEI
No. 62 - Sinitta - Love & Affection
Remake of Joan Armatrading's 70s classic, and despite more figure-hugging dresses with Sinitta in the video, there was to be no Top 40 position for this one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHEYo0XQrIw&t=152s
No. 64 - The Pogues - Summer In Siam
Melodic tune with great video made with locals in Siam, and lots of good saxophone to go with lead vocals:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66quTi26YLY
Nicky Campbell in fine form tonight, lots of audience reaction and a nice dig at Steve Miller as well.
ReplyDeleteTWENTY 4 SEVEN feat. CAPTAIN HOLLYWOOD – I Can’t Stand It
Some Dutch Eurodance to kick us off tonight with the first of 2 big hits that made me go out and buy their album, only to discover the very good 7" version had been much remixed from the 6-7 minute long, plodding album versions. The follow up has a better dance routine. Nancy is looking rather fine here, and Captain Hollywoods' real name is Tony!
THE STONE ROSES – Fool’s Gold
No idea why this is back. Very mellow and very good though.
SNAP – Cult Of Snap
Turbo B and Cult of SNAP! properly owned 1990 didn't they. Always regarded this as the weakest of their tunes but found myself quite enjoying this. Time for a re-appraisal I think.
AC/DC – Thunderstruck
Never seen the appeal of these schoolboy dressing Aussie rockers. Someone made a mint on those t-shirts though.
Breakers:
S-EXPRESS – Nothing To Lose is a really good tune so naturally it tanks. Shame. Checked this out again last year when they had their 88/89 hits and really enjoyed it.
DNA – No Suzanne Vega, No tune. No thank you.
MONIE LOVE feat. TRUE IMAGE – proper retro vibes from "It’s A Shame". Always quite enjoyed this one.
THE CHARLATANS – Then
Loving seeing all their hits again. Really liked this.
IRON MAIDEN – Holy Smoke
The Maiden back again, arsing around in a video to a very average bit of noise. They can normally be relied on to bring something different to the heavy metal arena but this is just rubbish.
THE FARM – Groovy Train
Best tune on the show.
STEVE MILLER BAND – The Joker
It's a joke this got 2 weeks at number one and Deee-Lite missed out. Paid attention this time and definitely not a plectrum being handed to him.
M.C. TUNES versus 808 STATE – Tunes Splits The Atom
MC Flathead is back. Rather ironically without a tune! Bum-ba-ding!