Magical moments are meant to be kept, so don't erase the 31st of January 1991 edition of Top of the Pops!
Top ten hat
31-1-91: Presenter: Anthea Turner
(9) EMF – I Believe
Getting the show off to a lively start with what became their second of three top ten hits when it peaked at number 6.
(18) RALPH TRESVANT – Sensitivity (video)
At its peak.
(14) NOMAD feat. M.C. MIKEE FREEDOM – (I Wanna Give You) Devotion
In the studio to perform what became their only top ten hit when it peaked at number 2.
(19) PRAISE – Only You
Also here tonight to perform their ghostly hit and it peaked at number 4.
(11) KYLIE MINOGUE – What Do I Have To Do (video)
Peaked at number 6.
(8) SOHO – Hippychick
A second time in the studio but the song could get no higher.
(1) THE KLF – 3 a.m. Eternal
With a new studio performance to celebrate their first of two weeks at number one.
(17) VANILLA ICE – Play That Funky Music (video) (and credits)
Peaked at number 10.
7th of February is next.
Awful, awful, awful. Nothing I'd miss never hearing again. Best moment was the preview for Cardiff Singer Of The World immediately after.
ReplyDeleteThe worst part is 10 singles in a row between 30-21 on the chart rundown were all falling, and would have been quite backbreaking for the presenter that got the short straw to present this show, therefore we have been sort of prepared for the next show that the chart rundown would be completely overhauled from the point on to show only the climbers, as I don't think that there was any coincidence, but can't be completely sure.
DeleteGood Lord, The EMF and The KLF on the same show. Hold down the batons!
ReplyDeletePraise - I thought the miming was very poor, with no practice done the day before.
Chart Rundown 1- Mariah Carey at peak position of No.38 with Someday, went to No.1 in America with this a couple of months later, so Mariah with her second and third singles in the UK managed only in the low 30's on the chart, but both singles got to No.1 in America, so Mariah had clearly not won over the British at this stage like she had done with the Americans.
Also Little Angels at No.33 on this week's rundown were at a peak, and no TOTP feature while in the top 40, as they tumbled down the following week, and nothing really much to observe with this one.
Chart rundown 2 - in the main segment 30-11, I noticed that 10 singles in a row between 30-21 were all falling, and had to be named one by one, so I would think that this rare occurrence have been the trigger for TOTP to change the format of the chart rundowns the following week to only feature climbers, as it must have been painstaking for the presenter to name ten songs in a row that were all falling!
The KLF - new No.1 this week, and first sighting of the mobile phone concept, as around this time, the first 'brick' mobiles came out, and I think the only provider was Rabbit, which later became Mercury One-To-One, which later merged with Orange, and now all of those are gone. Also, this was a small stage for 7 people on The KLF to perform together, especially when an 8th elderly member came on just for the clarinet break, and then disappeared before the next verses.
'A new entry from Kylie, and she's here!' Er, no she isn't Anthea, don't pique my excitement. This video is interesting though as you can clearly see her style moving away from those early years and more into what we know now.
ReplyDeleteEMF's other hit was OK but essentially a less-good Unbelievable (Did they even have a third or fourth? I can only remember the two)
NOMAD - Was Anthea calling him 'Mickey' Freedom a piss take or did she just flub it? I still have a soft spot for this one, if only for rhe ridiculously fast tongue rolling 'taking it down, taking it down, taking it down Mikee' bit.
Praise - I don't think I've heard this in the 30 years since it was a hit. And I'll probably have forgotten it again by tomorrow.
Vanilla Ice - On the other hand, this is one of many slightly annoying tunes of the era that I get as an earworm every few days or so.
You have forgotten EMF's other big hit where they teamed up with Reeves and Mortimer for a cover of The Monkees' I'm a Believer. Though I doubt anyone bought it for EMF. "Boom boom boom OY!" etc
DeleteOf course! I always get that mixed up with their Dizzy collab with the Wonder Stuff
DeleteNice to hear one of EMF's other hits, though They're Here was my preference. In fact I preferred hearing this to Unbelievable again, it's pleasingly energetic. Someone's obviously had a word with the keyboard player, he actually pressed a few keys this time.
ReplyDeleteRalph on video again, good tune but we'd seen it before, and I keep thinking of him as Ralph Trabant (note to self: the Berlin Wall was dismantled).
Nomad with their underwater keyboard sound, I liked this better when I'd forgotten what they actually looked like. Are you not staying? Is it parky in the studio? A lot of these producers were cooler when they were stuck in their bedrooms where we couldn't see them.
Although this was Top 10, I'd totally forgotten Praise, an Enigma cash-in that went with the brave choice of leaving off the tune. Yuppie hangover music, as they say.
Kylie doing her best Brigitte Bardot impersonation in the video (though Kylie has a better singing voice, but they were both actresses who cashed in on their thespian fame by starting to release records). For her later SAW period, it was clear the boys were saving their better material for her, and this is one of her stronger offerings.
Nice to see Soho again, but their 15 minutes of fame were almost up. Anyone else try to read what it said on their kipper ties? They were fun, they should have stuck around longer.
KLF, well, thanks for bringing the mood down, Anthea, by comparing them to the Ku Klux Klan - there are black people in the band, you know. Anyway, glossing over that this is the strongest No.1 we've had in a while, I like the carefully managed co-ordination on stage, you could tell they were fully aware of their image and how to use it. "Ancients of Mu Mu!"
Then just as the party was going with a swing, here's Vanilla Ice to fart in our faces with the reason he quickly became a hasbeen. Bleuch, muddy sound, basic as basic can be rapping, forget it.
Emf - unbelievable part 2. Good start to the show, with plenty of energy (audience a bit over the top)
ReplyDeleteNomad - no thanks
Praise - don’t remember this. Sadeness part 2 ? [joke before I get corrected]
Kylie - dimishing returns on her SAW career here. Pleasant enough but nothing new
Post KLF - not sure the KKK comment was well advised...
Vanilla Ice - not good...
This week's ITV Chart Show Top Ten entered Kylie into the Top Ten following this TOTP show featuring her new video, where apparently we see her sister Danni for the first time for a brief second in the background wearing a blonde wig, and that Kylie chose the male model in the video because of his sultry face - these two interesting facts on The Chart Show captions during the Kylie video:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HENzHnvD-m4
No other surprises, as most predictions are correct including 2 In A Room correctly placed at No.3, but we also get to see the KLF No.1 video for the first time, at it was not shown TOTP due to the group being ready and able TO come to the TOTP studio to perform.
That made painful viewing! An over enthusiastic hostess presiding over some pretty lackluster acts and tunes. I won’t go through line by line but…
ReplyDeleteEMF – I Believe – Hmmm not the ‘I Believe’ I was expecting, but EMF seem obsessed with the word ‘believe’. Give me the Bachelors any day…
Praise – Only You – Ditto. I was expecting something else but this is pretty non descript. Yazoo anyone?
Kylie – What do I have to do – Another bit of SAW fodder with the now fashionable b&w (in places) video that keeps the attention. Probably the highlight of the show.
KLF - 3am Eternal – Sheer shock that this is no1…
Vanilla Ice – Play that funky music – Play Wild Cherry.
Meant to say...the photo they showed on the chart rundown for Queen was used on the sleeve of the third single from the album - 'Headlong'.
DeleteOh no, Shouty’s back. Almost as loud as her top.
ReplyDeleteEMF managed two more top 20’s and four other top 30’s apart from those tracks already mentioned. Drummer in a KLF top. This was faster but not as good as “Unbelievable” and way too repetititititive.
Ralph Tresvant’s voice just doesn’t match him. Too weird and jarring for me.
Michael Freedom (should have been called Mikee F just like poor Freedom Williams), dressed in the dark and helping out with a choooon as the kids in the know might say.
Praise? Definitely no praise for this snoozesome Enya disco with a woman who was either miming to a different track or speed.
TV Cream mentioned this week that Kylie did appear in the TOTP studio at some stage to perform this single, but the stage was festooned with CND paraphernalia and, with the Gulf War happening, it was thought best to stick to the raunchy long haired Kylie video.
Sohorrible are back, with the sticksman wearing drumming gloves. Sheesh.
No tribute EMF t-shirts with the choreographed to perfection KLF. Definitely upwardly mobile. See what I did there?
We finish with tyre track slush instead of ice. 10 seconds was enough.
Freedom Williams along with the C&C Music Factory went on to be No.1 in America the following week for two weeks with Gonna Make You Sweat, and two places better than their peak of No.3 in the UK in January.
DeleteThe group could have topped the UK charts in the if TOTP had played them on the show climbing to No.3 as they were not on the previous week, so they could very well have been No.1 on both sides of he Atlantic with that extra push by TOTP at the critical position of No.3, but it wasn't to be.
That's a point... who was that in the erroneous mugshot for 2 In A Room? Was it Off-Shore by mistake?
ReplyDeleteHey - an actual mystery! I had a low level recognition something wasn't right with that mugshot, and you might be correct, Arthur! Either that or Nomad...
DeleteAnother enjoyable show. Anthea says it's shortened this week but I didn't really notice as there was such an entertaining mix of stuff. She does much of the truncating herself, her links being mostly brief and rattled through breathlessly like it's '88 again. No complaints though. Very glam she looks here.
ReplyDeleteEMF; Speaking of breathless, Mr. insouciance and his trashy clothed mates crash into the studio with a fine, rattling noise that for me is far better than 'Unbelievable'. Still really like this one with its "oh oh' refrain and the dramatic stop starts. The keyboard player seemed to be on the verge of doing the same act as his Jesus Jones contemporary but the keyboard isn't having it this time. Good energetic start.
Ralph Tresvant; Still enjoying this. It"s nice to hear grown up Ralph effectively doing the same rap delivery that little Ralph did on 'Candy Girl'. A chic summery video to go with it.
Nomad feat MC Mikee Freedom; From what I can remember, played way too much on the radio at the time but being the age I am that means there are lots of happy memories with this one. Obviously very dated with the big female voice and the pained sax and the wibbler wobbler style rap but it still sounds strangely refreshing. Mikee's dressed head to toe in street clobber and looks a complete knob. I won"t miss his exit from the stage. I wanna give you a hat that hasn't come from a party shop for a start. Or a Fred baking set.
Praise; As THX said, Enigma lite. I thought it was an advert tune and Anthea confirms this. It sounds like ad music that's been stretched to a single. The hook is all there is really and the pan pipe backing sounds very cliched. It's on an advert though so a huge UK hit it will be.
Kylie Minogue; Really good to see and hear this one again. I guess this is from the middle of the Michael Hutchence days. Kylie actually looks, brace yourself, stroppy! Sultry certainly and very watchable. Great tune too and a look ahead to more interesting things from her.
Soho; Just love this record. So fun. I love the two girls that jump off the steps next to Anthea right after her intro to go and join the crowd. The two singers are in shiny attire with huge ties that I thought spelled their names but they both have Z on them so maybe not. Yes the routine is a little bit stage school but the song is so good that you get swept along.
The KLF; No. 1 and it still feels like a genuine triumph. Crowns on their heads for their time at the top and Drummond certainly gets into the part, going the full Olivier Henry V with his pointing. So full of ideas but most importantly, a single with at least 3 absolutely huge hooks. They were just masters at that and everything else from them was a bonus. Also they always did Totp when they had every right to turn it down on account of being too big. Pop heroes eternal.
Vanilla Ice; The hope of a show with NO covers and NO reissues gets spoiled right at the end. On stage, still unlikeable. Cheerio then.
EMF - I Believe
ReplyDeleteCracking start to the show. You never really hear this anymore (unlike the over-played Unbelieveable). Also enjoyed a single of theirs called Getting Through. Along with Jesus Jones they were never seen as a credible band despite trying to at least do something different.
Ralph Tresvant - Sensitivity
Wonder how this would have fared if released in the laddish, Loaded, football obsessed mid-90s?
Nomad - I Wanna Give You Devotion
Sounds like it was recorded in 88/89 but I still enjoyed this
Praise - Only You
Genuinely never heard this before. Seems to be riding the coattails of Enigma. Forgotten already.
Kylie - What Do I Have To Do
A great run of singles in a row here. Agree with the poster who commented that SAW are saving their best songs for Kylie. They appear to be yesterday's men though as this barnstormer incredibly only reaches No. 6 (Kylie's first non top 5). This should have been the beginning of the end for her so you have to admire her staying power. In hindsight a brave and correct move for Kylie to leave SAW.
Soho - Hippychick
No hip hip hip hip hip hop!
The KLF - 3AM Eternal
Thoroughly deserved number one. A record that sounds like it was recorded in the 90s unlike the previous 3 number ones.
Vanilla Ice - Play That Funky Music
Why did he dance so much?! Did he seriously think he looked cool? Apparently he claimed to have written this - what a berk!
End of January and Little Miss Turn-Off is back!
ReplyDeleteSpangly. New hair do. She's finally got the hang of this...what could go wrong..
EMF – I Believe
Same again. Unbelievable they've got away with this. Lots of fun and energy though. Great start to the show.
RALPH TRESVANT – Sensitivity
If you need a man with his shirt off it's Ralph. Real pop star name. Decent enough middle of the road US chart pop.
NOMAD feat. M.C. MIKEE FREEDOM – (I Wanna Give You) Devotion
Future Doctor Who and Holby City star Sharon D Clarke on vocals with M.I.K.Double E! on rap. Ms Clarke of course a major star of theatre now and an MBE to boot.
PRAISE – Only You
Car advert alert! Who cares what the car was. SAW backing singer Mariam Stockley + panpipes. Probably knocked up in 10 minutes for the advert but the public took a shine to it.
KYLIE MINOGUE – What Do I Have To Do
She's not here. She's busy. She's got some new wigs as well. One of her very best dance tunes this one. Great single remix by PWL. Storming.
SOHO – Hippychick
PVC and Kipper Ties. I don't understand fashion.
Glad this did well though.
THE KLF – 3 a.m. Eternal
Hooray. The KLF at Number One. Fabulous.
Looking like the Klu Klux Klan...well thank goodness Twitter wasn't around in 1991. Oh dear.
VANILLA ICE – Play That Funky Music
Less Fabulous? Yes you're right. It's shit.