In my youth had someone told me what was to come and how things would be... it's the 15th of November 1990 edition of Top of the Pops!
A cut above
15-11-90: Presenter: Bruno Brookes
(5) BLACK BOX – Fantasy
A repeat showing of this to start us off this week but the song went up no higher.
(23) INSPIRAL CARPETS – Biggest Mountain
In the studio tonight to perform a song from their Island Head e.p and it went up two more places.
(6) ROBERT PALMER & UB40 – I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight (video)
At its peak.
(40) CARON WHEELER – U.K. Blak
She's in the studio but the song got no higher.
(28) THE MISSION – Hands Across The Ocean (video) (Breakers)
Got no higher.
(30) JON BON JOVI – Miracle (video) (Breakers)
Went up one more place.
(35) JULEE CRUISE – Falling (video) (Breakers)
Became her only top ten hit when it peaked at number 7.
(25) JIVE BUNNY & THE MASTERMIXERS – Let’s Swing Again (video)
Peaked at number 19.
(22) MEGABASS – Time To Make The Floor Burn (video)
The Jive Bunny team go clubbing and this one peaked at number 16.
(3) KIM APPLEBY – Don’t Worry
Another repeat showing and the song went up one more place.
(1) THE RIGHTEOUS BROTHERS – Unchained Melody (video)
Third of four weeks at number one.
(26) PRINCE – New Power Generation (video) (and credits)
Got no higher.
22nd November is next.
Trev’s back, pretending we’re starting with a live studio act. You’re not fooling me, Black Box are NOT over there!
ReplyDeleteInspiral Carpets turn into Insipid Carpets. This was deemed the most commercial track on the EP? Sheesh. Bassist Bungle wins the award for lowest sitting position thus far on the re-run.
Nice legs in the next video, love, but take them off the furniture! That’s right, Trev, depress us with news of UB40’s next single and get the title wrong while you’re at it. Their impending release was actually called “Impossible Love” and was the number 47 in UB40’s weird chart peak run at the time of 45, 6, 46, 4, 35, 6, 47 and 49.
Caron Wheeler with Blak II Blak. Sounded like several keys used, sometimes two or three in the same line. Awful.
And from this point the audience suffer the last eight songs on the show without a single studio turn and just Trev for company. I’d have asked for my money back.
Purple shirted fast pace goth from The Mission, though I wouldn’t hold my hand out for this.
Yes, Jon Bon Jovi, we know you’ve got a hairy chest by now. “Miracle”? Miracle this dirge made the top 30.
Julee Cruise. “Falling”? Rising, actually.
Jive Bunny?!?! FFS FF F Off!
Christ, now we get the same culprits with another shit mix? Which idiot decided on this track listing on the show?
Two re-runs before Trev thanks Smash Hits for HIS award?!
Does Prince know someone’s nicked his tache? Not his best by any means but I’d have preferred this in the show to that Jive Mega shit.
Although we didn’t see much of him, Matt le Blanc is in the Miracle video.
DeleteAnd does anyone know where the well-worn footage of Bobby singing Unchained Melody is from, and when?
Arthur, the UB40/Robert Palmer/nice legs girl combo was an interesting one for the video, and understandably had them all seated instead of standing, in that if they were all standing up, Palmer would be towered over by UB40 and the lead girl with the long legs, and with Palmer as the lead here, it was not on to have such a mismatch, and so I fully understand why they were all seated.
DeleteThere were other situations I remember where the dominant or equal vocal on a song if shorter in height, had the co-singer sitting down with them to hide the height difference, for example Kenny Rogers would have towered over Sheena Easton in the We've Got Tonight performance on mainstream American TV, but the clip came out in Sheena's favour by having them both sitting on the floor of the stage, with Sheena on a higher step:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmCsxx8oiNc
David, Righteous brothers clip from NBC-TV's "Andy Williams show" in 1965
DeleteOn the height theme, Dory, nice to see the shortest member of The Cure centre stage in their mugshot.
DeleteIt's not the same, as the Palmer/UB40 combo a coming together of two different groups, so there will be some sort of vying for lead influence, and Palmer would clearly have been the dominant force in this combo, so being shorter standing up would probably not have worked.
DeleteInspirals - slowing it way down, but rescued by a great backing track and harmonies. Personally I preferred weakness and i’ll keep it in mind on the other side (I think that this came out as studio tracks on the 7” and live tracks on the 12”)
ReplyDeleteCaron wheeler - the by now familiar style of backing track playing a completely different riff to the vocals. Boring.
Breakers:
The Mission - pleasant enough snippet in U2 country...
Jon Bon Jovi - don’t remember this, but not that different to his day job...
Julee cruise - from twin peaks, this is the way to do a slowie...
Jive Bunny - thought their bolt was shot. Nothing new here. interesting pixellation in the jive bunny figure - intentional or the limits of graphics in those days?
Megabass - time to make the floor empty
Prince - not his finest moment
Jon Bon Jovi with this sadly being the only showing of Miracle on TOTP, as a Breakers slot at No.30, and went up only one more place to No.29 the following week, but not enough of a climb to get a main slot for the video on the next show. It was the perfect follow-up to Blaze Of Glory which made top 15, and just as powerfully sung and just as good in my opinion.
DeleteThe Jive Bunny career I also thought had vanquished by now, and surprised to see another attempt at a top 10 single, but No.19 was all there was for it. We only got the second half of the video which was a strange tactic for a first showing of the video on TOTP, as usually the first half is shown on first showing, so what was wrong with the first half of the video?
Another edition that's short on truly great or even pretty good songs. If 1990's editions were only on once a month (at the time, not now) it would be a fantastic year. Bruno presents and does a good job of keeping secret the fact that he and his Radio 1 compadre Liz Kershaw have got a dreadful single of their own to show us (I assume it is. I haven't listened in advance).
ReplyDeleteBlack Box; Another repeat for a nice cover with someone who isn't singing it.
Inspiral Carpets; Enjoyed that one. Moody and low key and proof that the Inspirals shouldn't be remembered primarily as a baggy / Madchester band (I thought they were till seeing these repeats) but were much more musically individual. Clint Boon looks like he's been teleported from a 1966 edition of 'Where The Action Is'.
Robert Palmer & UB40; Cover - dull
Caron Wheeler; An entry at 40 and I'm sad to say that that's probably a position it deserves. I didn't hear a tune at all just lots of the stylings that have been employed this year by so many female singers who clearly thought what she was doing was easy. And that I think is where we say goodbye to one of the greatest British singers of the era, the woman after whom no female singer would try to sound like Taylor Dayne or Sinitta. Or not for some years anyway. For her two hits with Soul II Soul she will always be incredibly special. Thanks Caron.
The Mission; Bit bored of them now. To the door please Wayne.
Jon Bon Jovi; Who thought that was a single?
Julee Cruise; The video for it's first showing. A great single from the show that everyone in class watched. Except me. Can't remember why. Great single though. I could say that to my friends at least.
Jive Bunny; Nothing to add. Arthur put it perfectly.
Megabass; Above team had a part in this? But it sounds, um, up to date! Doesn't mean it's not utterly tired though.
Kim Appleby; Grown on me a little, just like it did in 1990.
The Righteous Brothers; Bobby hits the top note and goes noticeably off key once again. Sorry to be churlish but I want something else at the top now.
Prince; Don't think I know a more forgettable thing by him. A fitting end to that edition.
The fact that Caron Wheeler got on the show for a studio performance as low as No.40 was probably due to there bing a lot of songs falling in the chart this week, and for TOTP to have to dig deeper down the charts for climbers. Suffice to say that Wheeler tumbled down the following week to No.41 and hence out of the Top 40 after this performance in the studio.
DeleteThe Jive Bunny video reminded me of the Bad Boys video by Wham in the summer of 1983, with a similar storyline of the schoolboy defying his parents wanting him to stay at home to do his schoolwork instead of venturing out with his friends for fun time.
I don't recall the Megabass hit at all, which came across as another Technotronic Megamix in a different guise, with a few more artists for good measure, so I understand its eventual Top 20 peak position.
Megabastards had a cheek sampling Technotronic so extensively when they were still in the chart with their Megamix.
DeleteBlack Box - starting the show with a repeat? Not a good sign, and so it shall turn out...
ReplyDeleteInspirals with a downbeat ditty from their EP, verses not up to much, but the chorus is quite poignant. Any other week this might have been a bit lost, but sounds like the highlight this episode.
Repeat of Robbie and the Ubies, featuring a woman who is unable to sit in a chair properly. That can't be comfortable.
Caron Wheeler: heartfelt, socially conscious lyrics, but they're saddled with a heavy production that seems to think it's a substitute for any tune at all, of which there is none. Don't even know how she was able to sing this!
Breakers, Mission with their usual groaning, Jon By Jovi with his tiresome steel horse rawkin', then Julee who we'll see next time.
Then Jive Turkey back with returns that diminished within the first few nanoseconds of their debut hit. Appropriately, the cartoon rabbit shits on the floor as part of the animated skits. It's like a horror version of Madonna's Dear Jessie video.
As if that wasn't bad enough, they apply their tin ear for mixing to the Megabastards up next, even using the videos of the acts they're sampling. Even the Italians did it better than this.
Repeat of Kim Appleby's Don't Wuvvy, a good song at least, then the Righteous Bro with his stranglehold of the top slot.
Lastly Prince and The New Power Generation, namechecking his band in a way he did with the later hit My Name is Prince. Not bad, but lyrically it's basically his version of The Reynolds Girls' I'd Rather Jack, only with a better tune.
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ReplyDeleteI can actually say that I like all the songs in the top10 on this show….however not all the versions! Gazza and Black Box let the side down….
ReplyDeleteBlack Box – Fantasy – Speaking of which FF.
Inspiral Carpets – Biggest Mountain – FF
Robert Palmer and UB40 – I’ll be your baby tonight – Lovely laid back song…whose that girl?
Caron Wheeler – UK Blak – FF
Breakers – Nothing stood out….Julee Cruse sounded different, I’ll say that for it.
Jive Bunny – Let’s swing again – Each one is just not as good as the previous and the slide continues.
Megabass – Time to make the floor burn – FF
Kim Appleby – Don’t worry – Great showing from Kim. Like this.
Bobby Hatfield – Unachained Melody – How does he reach those high notes at the end?
Prince – New Power generation – FF to the end.
A couple of good tunes that were near misses this week, and unlucky not to get a top 40 placing, peaked just outside:
ReplyDeleteNo.42 - Impulsive - Wilson Phillips - third single release, and the first one not to make top 40, after the first two - Hold On and Release Me (two opposite requests) - were bona fide Top 40 hits. Impulsive seemed to be another expression that Wilson Phillips liked in the complexities of love, and getting to No.4 with this one in America, but this time they fell just short of the UK Top 40 this week.
No.46 - Flashback Jack - Adamski - first of Adamski's singles to fail to make the top 40. A song sounding like Johnny Rotten's singing style on PIL, the customary Adamski Synthesiser work sets in, and the song gets a lot better as it goes along. Video turns out to be a dream in his sleep. Adamski was clearly getting less successful through 1990, having started off so well, and now could no longer get a top 40 position by November.
Bruno doing a great presenting job this week, very professional as usual.
ReplyDeleteBLACK BOX – Fantasy
Disappointing to start the show with a repeat. Bit of a cheek pushing this miming model stuff a year after being busted. Again, no idea why this cover version is so popular.
INSPIRAL CARPETS – Biggest Mountain
Clearly Red Dwarf based Dwayne Dibley on Mr Carpets here. The trouble with Indie is for every decent tune there are three or four tuneless dirges and this one..
CARON WHEELER – U.K. Blak
Clearly not a lot of options available tonight and this got no higher because it's very very dull.
Breakers:
THE MISSION – Boring
JON BON JOVI – Miracle this dull ballad was a hit.
JULEE CRUISE – Gonna be honest. Over-hyped and over-rated TV show and this song is crap.
JIVE BUNNY & THE MASTERMIXERS – Let’s Swing Again
Two in a row for the Mastermixers. First up another 50s mix. An decent attempt made at the video and I'm very pleased that teenage boy was dreaming of dancing.
MEGABASS – Time To Make The Floor Burn
Mastermixers take two. Had the 12" of this and it's a great dance mix. Technotronic get their megamix into a megamix. Is that a first?
PRINCE – New Power Generation
Quality tune this. very funky. His NPG phase is my favourite Prince phase.