Woah, my love, my darling, I've hungered for the 1st of November 1990 edition of Top of the Pops!
Haunting song
1-11-90: Presenter: Simon Mayo
(16) KIM APPLEBY – Don’t Worry
Getting tonight's show underway with what became her first of two solo top ten hits when it peaked at number 2.
(19) ROBERT PALMER & UB40 – I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight (video)
Peaked at number 6.
(21) BLACK BOX – Fantasy
In the studio to perform this Earth Wind and Fire cover which became their third and final top ten hit when it peaked at number 5.
(5) WHITNEY HOUSTON – I’m Your Baby Tonight (video)
Everyone wants to be my baby tonight! This one peaked at number 5.
(22) ROXETTE – Dressed For Success
In the studio and the song went up four more places.
(11) RITA MacNEIL – Working Man (video)
At her peak.
(15) THE CURE – Close To Me (video)
Had peaked at number 24 back in 1985, this time around it did better and made it to number 13.
(9) KYLIE MINOGUE – Step Back In Time
And it's that time again when our blog title song makes its grand appearance. Kylie's in the studio to perform it of course and it peaked at number 4.
(1) THE RIGHTEOUS BROTHERS – Unchained Melody (video)
The first of four weeks at number one for the biggest selling single of 1990.
(25) GEORGE MICHAEL – Waiting For That Day (video) (and credits)
Went up two more places.
November 8th is next.
The performance of Dressed For Success was recorded back in 1989 when it was first released.
ReplyDeleteI missed the 1st two songs but I think Kim Appleby is on at least 2 more times. Never thought much of that one tbh although the subject matter is very poignant. UB40 and Robert Palmer is an auto pilot cover. Best rendition of that for me is by The Hollies.
ReplyDeleteBlack Box; (sound of gritting teeth) Yes Katrin looks amazing and it's a perfectly good cover of an unruinable song. But, but... it's someone PRETENDING to sing a cover version! Isn't such a thing literally pointless?? Certainly it's an astonishing insult to the lady that sings it, who we all know sings it. That should be absolutely the end of this carry on but it isn't. There's more and worse to come.
Whitney Houston; Enjoyed it again.
Roxette; What's happening to my memory? I thought Per only ever wore long coats? Ok. This is good though and they look like they're having fun amidst the hard stares the singer gives the camera. Lots of extreme close ups in that performance.
Rita McNeil; This again. It's certainly different. The tune sounds like someone of vintage years trying to recall the melody of'Sometimes When We Touch' but always going into 'The Green, Green Grass of Home'. Almost grippingly boring. Rita McNeill's dress sense also suggests she might've been into The Flying Pickets. Which is kind of fitting.
Goodbye strange woman.
The Cure; 'Close To ME' Simon. Not 'To You'. That was Maxi Priest. A reissue with a 98 bpm kind of beat soldered on to it. That they also resorted to that is maybe more depressing than anything else in their catalogue.
Kylie Minogue; Perfect title for the 1990 blog of course but I've never been that keen on this one. Sounds very lightweight to me even if Kylie is in her Sex/PVCKylie phase. Next single (I think) is her best from that time for me.
The Righteous Brothers; At No. 1 which you can't really argue with. Beautiful single and always good to see a live vocal from another era.
George Michael; An especially jovial Simon Mayo gets swallowed up by the crowd and leads us into George Michael's studio vid again. A nice way to finish.
Roxette with this single was one of their very best, and although I was in a steady job at the time, I always saw this as the ideal tune for anyone about to go to an interview for an important job, and being dressed immaculately to impress, and humming this tune on the way. Very underrated single this one!
DeleteI don't recall the Rita McNeil tune at all, let alone it getting to No.11, but it looks like it refers to manual labour in danger of being overhauled by the then incoming technology and computerisation, so I can see the need to sing about it as a form of demonstration. Will need to see the video in full though.
The main memory I have of the Roxette single is people at school singing the chorus and replacing the word 'success' with 'some sex'. The wit of teenagers.
DeleteKim Appleby - thought this was the now very familiar SAW production, but wiki put me right. Co written by the third Bros guy. It’s... ok
ReplyDeleteRobert palmer - first (?) cover of the night. More UB40 than robert palmer. It’s... ok
Black box - didn’t have to wait long for cover 2. Totally pointless
Roxette - it’s ok [pre post look at comments - didn’t realise it was an old performance]
Cure - perfectly good song ruined by a DNA-style bass and drums
Kylie - comes to something when akylie is the highlight if the show so far. (Reminded me of don’t stop movin)
Well that was... ok...
No pub or Zoom meeting tonight so I'm early!
ReplyDeleteKinky Boots Mayo presenting, wearing a quilt but self-effacing about it. Always liked the chap.
Nice heartfelt intro to Kim without Mel RIP though, sadly, Kim’s ‘lisp’ on the song title reminds me of the “Crying” chap in “Only Fools And Horses”. Still, a strong performance, with the usual ‘spot the leader’ detail as Kim’s the only one wearing white as well as black above the waist.
No, Robert, don’t do it! Actually, this sounded punchier and more upbeat tham UB40’s usual gruel. Nice Bob Dylan fact early doors by Mayyyyo, though he ballses up the title in the outro – it isn’t “I’m Yours Baby Tonight”.
Black Box sucking the lifeforce out of an EW&F classic, and Katrin seriously overdressed to boot. Booo! Literally a ballad for this lot.
Ah, FF the next noise.
An out of hours showing for Roxette, dressed for a Newcastle nightclub while peddling their decent hard pop (c.f. Top Deck).
Please, not Rita MacNeil again! Plumbing the (coal) depths here.
Title ballsup number 2 by the usuallybreliable Mayo into The Cure’s inferior re-mix. That video reminded me, we used to order octopus for Christmas dinner. That way, everybody got a leg.
Here we go! This blog’s annual title. The Down Under Janet Jackson putting JJ and Paula Abdul to shame. Synthetic track yet enjoyable and there’s heart here.
An unusual host’s response to a video for the number one as Simes looks behind him.
Great, another ‘in the studio’ video for George. ‘Waiting for that day’ when he does something different on film. Still, I like the mellow groove of this track.
The UB40/Robert Palmer combo was one of the great songs of the 1990 year, despite being a Bob Dylan B-side cover from years gone by, and what a great video of harmony and friendship between people enjoying singing together.
DeleteThe Black Box cover of EWF's Fantasy from 1978, was not as good, but I agree about Katrin's attire, and I would say as a lovely package under the outer gown. Good Lord!
I for one didn't fast forward the Whitney Houston video, as I thought it was brilliant, and despite its peak of No.5 this week, it may interest our regulars on this blog that she got to No.1 in America with this a few weeks later at the beginning of December 1990, albeit for one week, but still, amazing achievement to get top 5 across both sides of the Atlantic.
Couldn't read my own scrawly version of shorthand...
ReplyDeleteEarly mugshots: Blue Pearl Durga's lost that 'Indian' red dot on her forehead.
Maybe she was criticised for cultural appropriation, like Rihanna was recently?
DeleteInterestingly, TOTP didn't play this one at its peak of No.31 the following week, not even as a Breaker cos they had the Album Top 5 in place of the Breakers slot, so Blue Pearl missed out completely on any TOTP exposure for this follow-up single to Naked In The rain. Just saw the video and it's really boring.
DeleteKim Appleby bounces back from her tragedy with a solo career, and a huge hit with Don't Wovvy. There was a sense at the time of geeing her on because what happened to Mel had been so sad, but aside from that, it's a nice little tune of hope against the odds (though the lyrics turn it into a song about a lost boyfriend rather than a lost sister).
ReplyDeleteAnd still the tepid covers come, Bob and the Ubies being past masters at that, of course. Some say covers of Dylan songs are better than the originals, not sure about that in this case. That backing singer is seated in a very strange manner, almost doubled up in her chair.
I suppose if you really must do a cover of Earth Wind and Fire, this Black Box version could have been worse, but it's so inessential it borders on the insulting. Tepid cover #2 this episode. They seem to have found their other Black Boxer again.
Something original from Whitney, anyway, but we have seen this before. It goes on a bit longer this time, and she seems to be emulating Audrey Hepburn from Funny Face in the next bit.
Roxette, the epitome of a band believing themselves to be hard rockin' but the bland sound they make begging to differ.
Who on Earth asked for Reet again? I won't call her Reet Petite, for, um, reasons. Anyway, The Cure with a kids TV special, or what looks like it, and a dull remix of a chirpy tune to accompany it.
Kylie Minogue wakes us all up as she leaps around dressed as Barbarella (remember when that film enjoyed a revival in the 1990s?). Yet again Pete Waterman desperate to prove his brand of synthetic pop was as important as the 1960s and 70s stuff he grew up on. Actually, he was probably already an adult, wasn't he? But a decent ditty, have they cut off the opening chant that some thought was swearing?
Some underpowered brass on this live version from the Righteous Bro.
George Michael not getting much more of a chance to make an impression than in his Breakers slot last week.
The Cure revamped their original 1986 video for this tune with a more computerised version for the 1990 re-release, but still a similar storyline of a closet full of clothes and Robert Smith inside, tumbling off a cliff into the sea, and the struggles in the water thereafter.
DeleteLove the Kylie tune, especially the video in case we don't get to see it on TOTP, and here on stage with two backing girls dancing behind her, one of which was looking very nice in a sexy two piece outfit, that is the dancer without the sunglasses. Wow, nice!
Great show this one, with most of the tunes right up there as 1990 faves!
ReplyDeleteJanet Jackson peaking this week at no.34 did not get any showing, as there was no Breakers section this week cos of the Album top 5 section, however this new single Love Will Never Do is worth a listen separately, as it got to No.1 in America a couple of months later in January 1991.
A quick mention for a couple of other artists peaking just outside the top 40 this week, and narrowly missing out on being on TOTP:
No.42 - Sinaed O'Connor - new single called Three Babies, now at No.42 for the second week and no further progress. This was the second follow-up single to Nothing Compares To You, and didn't do that much worse to The Emperor's New Clothes which got to No.31, but clearly Sinaed was getting less success through the 1990 year following the great start with her debut single going to No.1 in the spring.
No.48 - A new group called Blur had just arrived in 1990 with their debut single She's So High, but got no higher than No.48, although their second single a few months later in April 1991 got to No.8 which is when they made a name for themselves in Britain with There's No Other Way. Not long to wait now for this one!
I’m getting a little quicker with these shows! This had some good moments….and some bad.
ReplyDeleteKm Appleby – Don’t worry – Bright start to the show from Kim. Quite enjoyed this.
Robert Palmer & UB40 – I’ll be your baby tonight – Predictably it’s reggae but pleasant. Who’s the girl in the video I wonder? Song written by another Bob btw….Dylan. Check out Linda Ronstadt’s version….keep thinking at the start “Close your eyes, give me your hand…”.
Black Box - Fantasy – Now I really like the EWF original but there is something about the shrieking Blackbox sound that puts me right off. FF.
Whitney Houston – I’m your baby tonight – Speaking of shrieking. FF again.
Roxette – Dressed for success – Nice sound from the ‘it must have been love’ band.
Rita MacNeil – Working Man – What a lovely song. Really enjoyed this.
The Cure – Close to me – FF
Kylie Minogue – Step back in time – Energetic dance routine powers this bouncy song. Nice one.
Righteous Brother – Unchained Melody – Mayo didn’t mention U2’s version which was released on the ‘All I want is you’ CD single. I like that version, but this is the very best. Love the way he varies the song at the end in this version and goes up to a really high note finish.
George Michael – Waiting for that Day – When the hits return?
A quick look at The ITV Chart Show top ten this week, and they had Whitney Houston up to No.3, whereas No.5 was her actual peak on this week's official chart:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgzeiB6aKfI
In no time....it's 7 weeks until Xmas
ReplyDeleteYou'll Be Fine....Boy Mayo has the funky shirt his gran got him
Don't Worry....Next cheesy breakfast show hit (after Donald Where's Your Troosers) is on it's way..Kinky Boots!
KIM APPLEBY – Don’t Worry
This must have been so hard for Kim without her sister. She has since admitted she couldn't do this anymore and stayed away from the business until a couple of years ago. This a brilliant pop tune though, so good I watched it twice. One question - why has she come dressed as Jon Pertwee's Doctor Who?
ROBERT PALMER & UB40 – I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight
From a Dylan B-side to a UB40/Palmer reggae pop tune. Really great track. Enjoyed this.
BLACK BOX – Fantasy
Another cover that was a massive hit over Xmas 1990. No ideas why this rather flat cover version was such a huge hit. Maybe the quality of the song shone through this rather basic synth version. Martha Wash not sexy enough for the studio this time so Catrin gets the nod again.
WHITNEY HOUSTON – I’m Your Baby Tonight
Whitney back with her almost identically named track to Robert. Superb tune. A class act.
ROXETTE – Dressed For Success
Now this wasn't filmed recently. Such a fan of Roxette and their pop/rock. Looking forward to their Joyride album next year. Look Sharp - nice dropping of the album title.
RITA MacNEIL – Working Man
No more of this please...
THE CURE – Close To Me
Back again, still a great tune, still an odd video (took me far to long to realise they are meant to be underwater). That Octopus looks more like a man sticking his head out of a chickens bottom!
KYLIE MINOGUE – Step Back In Time
Blog title alert. Looking rather fabulous it's Kylie with a real Disco sounding classic. Great dance routine as well.
THE RIGHTEOUS BROTHERS – Unchained Melody
Four weeks of this Righteous solo effort that sounds nowhere near as good as the record. May be using the FF button.
GEORGE MICHAEL – Waiting For That Day
A very short clip of a nice tune from a fine album.