Brothers always shouting, sister starts to cry, it's the 14th of November 1991 edition of Top of the Pops!
Red hot
14-11-91: Presenters: Tony Dortie & Claudia Simon
(22) ROZALLA - Faith (In The Power Of Love)
Getting tonight's show underway and the song peaked at number 11.
(14) SEAL - Killer
This song had been a number 1 last year of course for Adamski, this time Seal took his solo version to number 8.
(Album) TINA TURNER - The Way Of The World
From her number 2 greatest hits ablum Simply The Best, this song peaked at number 13.
(11) ALTERN-8 - Activ-8 (Come With Me)
Became their first of two top ten hits when it peaked at number 3
(29) SONIA - You To Me Are Everything (video) (Breakers)
Peaked at number 13.
(28) REM - Radio Song (video) (Breakers)
Got ni higher.
(8) BASSHEADS - Is There Anybody Out There? (video) (Breakers)
Peaked at number 5.
(Exclusive) MICHAEL JACKSON - Black Or White (video)
The whole video, including the rather weird bit at the end, and the song will be number one next week.
(1) VIC REEVES & THE WONDERSTUFF - Dizzy (video)
Second and final week at number one.
21st of November is next.
A show with fewer performers cos the new Michael Jackson video took the place of three slots on the show with his long video. But there were some good highlights:
ReplyDeletePresenters - very much like Claudia Simon, but I don't remember any of these new presenters, and now seeing them 30 years later, I think we are really treated with Claudia coming on board.
Seal - not sure why this was re-released in 1991 without Adamski, especially as the combination got to number one the previous year in 1990. Did Seal want to be disassociated with Adamski who himself was failing to break the Top 40 in 1991 after a successful 1990?
Tina Turner - can't believe she will be 82 later this month, and the same age as Neil Sedaka that we were blogging about last week on these reruns.
Altern-8 - highlight of the show for me this week, and just loved the gorgeous front girl in the group, the one singing 'Come With Me'. The group hail from Stafford and Wikipedia only mentions the two male founders of the group and nothing about the girl, so anyone know?
Breakers - The Bassheads already at No.8, and no main slot? Not to worry, they'll be in the studio on the next show. Phew!
If anyone hasn't seen the TINA documentary from Sky it's a must watch. What a life this lady has had.
DeleteHere you go re Altern-8, Dory... from an article I found on Google...
ReplyDeleteQ. You appeared on Top of the Pops twice, with two different singers – why?
A. We didn’t actually need a singer, because the vocal on Activ 8 is sampled from an 80s disco track, but there was a girl that was coming along to the Dance Energy raves – she’s actually one of the dancers in the Activ 8 video – and we heard her sing, and she was quite good.
So she was well up for it, but when it came to cameras on, and with millions of people watching at home, she kind of froze.
Then, when we climbed even higher up the charts, and went back on Top of the Pops, it was a case of ‘right, let’s get a proper singer’. The singer we used for that was one of the backing singers for Lisa Stansfield.
You have to put on a decent performance – as we found, you can’t just get someone who says ‘yeah, I can sing’ and then bottles it. It has to be done properly.
Thanks Arthur, I did see that Altern-8 will be on again on the first December show, so I'll look out for a different front girl singing, but this first one didn't look like she froze on camera?? I thought she was brilliant and looked so dashy.
DeleteOK, just seen the second appearance of Altern-8 on the 28th Nov show (not December as I wrongly stated), albeit with no sound, and I definitely prefer the first front girl on this week's first appearance of Altern-8 on this 14th Nov show!
DeleteWe all certainly sat and watched this edition at home when it was originally on. For 'that' video. Interesting to see again but twice (actually 3 times, saw it again just now) is enough thanks.
ReplyDeleteAlso welcome to the latest addition to the presenter roster; fun, slightly mad big sister Claudia Simon who I remember well for the Amanda De Cadenet hair and extrovert manner. Exhausting even in the couple of minutes she appeared on screen but I liked her. It's hard not to be swept along by someone who's so clearly enjoying herself. Her and Tony made a good combination I thought.
The show blasts off with a stunning performance from Rozalla. Wow, what a voice! What a costume too, a sort of intergalactic medieval look. I was expecting bright coloured lights to start flashing on her waistcoat thing like 7 Zark 7 from 'Battle of the Planets'. A more attractive version obviously. Always loved that song, pure euphoria the way it was performed here. Best thing of the revamp so far.
Maybe it was the excitement of the 1st number but Tony follows it with something coherent then what sounded like a stream of complete gibberish! Still I do like him, he's so amiable and free of affectation despite the daft catchphrases and at last we get the Top 10 with a voiceover. Thank you!!! How about the other 30.
Seal back in the studio and at last with his full band. Including his super cool lead guitarist Gus Isidore and a super smarmy bloke on bass. Very talented bunch though and great to see them hear and their boss looking very imposing in a big white shirt and leather trousers. Featured on the debug album and now a single, this new version of 'Killer' doesn't add much to the original bar some heavy guitar and spacey synth. Here as always (though not for Crowded House last week) the song gets cut off just as it gets to the end which in this case partially ruins it. Still, the pop god of that year for me.
Album spot (last one?) with Tina Turner and what looks like an actual mop on her head but stylishly dressed as she has been since around the end of '89. She never acts like the distant diva on here which is good to see, engaging with the crowd and always smiling. Always enjoyed her on the show but the song isn't the best. Good chorus.
Claudia appears looking very cheery in her rock chick jacket and throwing oddly conspiratorial glances to the camera. To Altern 8 and I've looked forward to this one. Love that string hook and I always liked their image. The girl signing looks gorgeous and has great dance moves but seems to be singing in a completely different key to the backing. Or is that just me. The crowd certainly enjoyed that and the excitement spills over to the next link with someone tickling Mark's neck.
Breakers; Again too brief to comment which is a little annoying when you consider what much of the time is about to be taken up with. 'Radio Song' should've been at least Top 20. Remember that single being very popular in 6th form. Great video too.
The breakers are swiftly shown the door because we have a very important thing to see. Extended video premiere of Jacko's new single, a song I still like. What's to say about the video? Opening completely pointless, closing section (whole videos are shorter) mind bogglingly self indulgent. Fascinating to watch. Everyone talked about that the next day. I do still like the scene with the landmarks.
Some light relief after all that with a far more relatable ego, that of Vic Reeves still at the top with his washing machines. Good fun.
Music in this edition not the best but certainly the new look is improving.
Must be the effect of a near edition long video for Michael Jackson. I mentioned someone tickling Mark's neck. That's the next edition! Btw did anyone else watch the Manhattan Transfer Old Grey Whistle Test earlier. Really enjoyed that. Goodness they were talented singers. 'Walk In Love' by them is maybe the very, very earliest pop thing I can remember hearing on the radio.
DeleteRozalla hails from Zambia, and came to England in her teens, and by this point she was already 27 coming onto TOTP to perform, and I did think that all her songs sounded very similar, but you're right, she has a great voice, and I would add a great figure to go with the costume.
DeleteChart rundown (in the absence of one), and interesting peakers outside the Top 40:
ReplyDeleteNo.16 - at peak and still no TOTP play or mention was the England World Cup Rugby Squad with Swing Low (Run With The Ball). I guess it missed out this week largely because of Michael Jackson's full video showing taking up the space of three songs on the show.
No.27 Chris Rea - Winter Song
In Novembers 30 years ago it was already winter. Nowadays Novembers are Autumn, with no winter setting in until after Christmas. Anyway Rea only got a Breakers slot last week, and this week still going up a further 5 places, was unlucky to get no main slot on the show, and by next week it fell out of the Top 40 completely.
No.48 The Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams '91
Re-release of their 1983 Top 3 hit, and not sure why now it was released again now, considering that The Eurythmics stopped releasing new material in 1990 before a comeback on TOTP in 1999 with some new material.
No.52 - Bomb The Bass - The Air You Breath
Pre-COVID era of course, this was the first single of theirs to flop without a Top 40 placing, and a nice follow-up to Winter In July. Back again here with the gorgeous Loretta on lead vocals, the video has just got to be seen in all its splendour:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLFGFJu7HrY
Claudia's a disembodied voice for most of the show, but at last a Nu-TOTP presenter I remember! She looks like she's about to pounce on someone (Tony?) when we do see her, and she's obviously been to the Anthea Turner school of presenting. A lot more confident than last week's newbie.
ReplyDeleteTo the music, and Rozalla's back with an impressive live vocal but a paucity of lyrics to go with it, resorting early to "oohs" and "woahs" among other strange noises. Presumably industrial amounts of talcum powder were necessary to get her into the outfit.
Seal, finding his new material wasn't being very well received, regroups by covering himself, sans Adamski. Not a terrible version, but totally needless. Never mind, Seal, Batman's back next year!
Tina Turner's having a fine old time with this ho-hum effort, she puts it across as professionally as you'd expect at this stage in her career, but it's just OK.
Altern-8 another dance act with someone singing the samples, except as mentioned above she's very "deer in the headlights" and too nervous to do anything but half-heartedly trill her bits flatly. Bit of a shame she didn't do the "Top one, nice one, get sorted!" sample too. Not very impressive.
I'd rather have seen the whole REM video for Radio Song than what's up next, that's a really good tune I liked a lot at the time.
But Whackson is backson, with an ego trip that has him bringing together various ethnicities (or stereotypes, if you prefer) because he basically thought he was Jesus F. Christ by this point. Macaulay Culkin's dad was Norm from Cheers, apparently, who knew? Song noticeably runs out of steam halfway through, leaving Mike to do his Bob Fosse in The Little Prince impersonation. Again.
Thank the Lord (not Mike) for Vic Reeves who pricks the pomposity as only he can. Wouldn't it have been nice if he'd held Jackson off the top spot?
I didn't realise that Seal was struggling to get his solo singles making a chart impression after the collaboration with Adamski, but having looked at his singles catalogue, he did get to no.12 and no.24 with two solo singles earlier in 1991, so it's hardly a failure for him, but maybe he was expecting regular No.1 status after the Adamski collaboration.
DeleteSo this cover of Killer on his own this time, albeit as an EP, would peak at a very generous No.8 this time round without Adamski, as Angelo correctly states, but his Batman work was not until 1994 though, so still a long time to wait for Kiss From A Rose.
Sorry, I thought Seal was on the Batman Returns soundtrack!
Deleterozalla's follow-up wasn't quite as good as her debut, although there were a couple of decent remixes on the cd single. that reminds me of when i went to a sweaty club in the west end called "the borderline" and both her hits were popular there. but not as popular as the happy mondays' "step on", that the jock would play whenever the dancefloor started to empty. i also remember it being mandatory to drink bottles of sol lager with the slice of lime stuck in it
DeleteThe ITV Chart Show following this TOTP episode had predicted wrongly three singles to be going up, i.e., The JAMMs going up to No.8, whereas they actually tumbled down to No.18. Then the Kylie/Keith duet going up to No.3 when they actually went down to No.7, and then K-Klass going up one place to No.2 when they actually went down to No.6, but we get to the see the full K-Klass video, not seen on TOTP:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqajBBe8sXI
However, the collection of Altern-8, The Bassheads, 2-Unlimited, and K-Klass, all in the same Top 10 at once was probably one of the best dance collections in a Top 10 chart rundown, and not even as a specialist dance chart, so this week's ITV Chart Show Top 10 was one to remember and savour!
As others have said, the disembodied voice of Claudia is weird.
ReplyDeleteStill, they've FINALLY started narrating the top 10 which is a step in the right direction...
Rozalla looks very space age though not a huge fan of the song.
I never understood why we needed Seal's version of Killer so soon after Adamski's. It's not even as if they sounded that different (as opposed to something like Eminem's Stan and Dido's Thank You being released close together).
Tina and her gravity defying hair are always good to have in the studio... when she has a song in the charts Which this isn't so it's void.
Altern-8 - not sure what's happening with the sound here, sounds like they're singing in a bin.
Breakers - good variety here although Sonia is clearly on her way out (except for Eurovision) with a lacklustre cover. 10 seconds of a decent REM and a bit of rum treatment for the Bassheads being a 'breaker' despite being top 10, even though two of the songs tonight aren't even in the chart...
... Including the absolutely crazy length of Black or White, only some of which comprises the actual song. Good video for its time though now it's very 'erk' especially the Native American scenes. The facial blending scenes (feat Tyra Banks?!) actually still look pretty good 30 years on, kudos to the effects team. The last sequence with no song or 'plot' is such pointless excess and is no Thriller. The song itself was always a bit twee. This was the real turning point from Michael Jackson as a great pop star to the overblown pomposity that marked the whole of the last half of his career. Has anyone seen Macaulay Culkin in the new series of American Horror Story? He's great, and he seems to be doing pretty well these days after his well documented issues, which is really good to see.
Vic and co at number one for a second week and they still haven't come back to studio? Shame.
With regard to a 'Breaker' as high as No.8 in the charts, it was a reflection of TOTP doing too many new features without extending the show to one hour which would allow for these new features outside of the current chart, but also to play the new entries and risers within the Top 40 and again invited two weeks later if they were still climbing up the charts, either in the studio or on video.
DeleteWhat we were now seeing is a show where most songs now had to get to No.1 to be shown more than once, or rarely in the case of Altern-8 who got two invites up to a peak position of No.3, but some songs getting comfortably into the Top 30 were not even getting a breakers slot, let alone a main slot, for example The Happy Mondays on the 28th Nov show with Judge Fudge as a new entry at No.24.
It was certainly becoming harder to be on the show if you were trying to make it into the pop scene or get noticed.
The last sequence of Jacko's video reminded me of those shredded spoof videos that were a thing about five years ago, where they took off the music and added silly effects. Only not funny.
DeleteNail on the head, there, Dory. Time wasted by album tracks, exclusives (how many of which have done well chartwise?) and the stupid 'bumper' repeating the theme tune before each breaker. Acts very lucky to get two bites at the cherry now, unlike the 'old days'.
DeleteReally quick show to watch this as it was rubbish!!
ReplyDeleteA few observations…
- Not seen this female presenter before – very lively style
- What’s Seal doing back with ‘Killer’ and no Adamski? (preferred the original version)
- Cannot believe Tina Turner is back again….on the Hitlist today they mentioned she has never had a UK No1…..Quite
- Sonia – did she really cover that classic?
- REM – Surprised that was a single
- Jacko – words fail me. ‘Dangerous’ alert and we’ve got so many singles to ‘look forward to’ now….
- Vic Reeves - so bad.
Worst show for a very long time.
A few thoughts on ‘Britain’s Biggest Hits of the 70s – 1973’. Another enjoyable show.
As I predicted there were no less than four hits they could only play a snatch of without any comments. You can’t deny he was huge in 1973.
They played an Aretha Franklin song I have never heard of called ‘Angel’ and said in the caption it spent 3 weeks at no1. Really? It reached no37.
They featured Perry Como’s ‘For the Good Times’ and for the whole feature except the very end played him singing ‘Behind Closed Doors’ which was a hit for Charlie Rich. I always thought that Perry was a man out of place in the 70s charts but he did do me a favour as on chart rundowns when some of the louder stuff was on my parents used to inch towards the ‘off’ button on the radio, but when Perry came on it was “ah this is nice” so it earnt me a few more records before something like Suzi Quatro proved the last straw and off it went!
The Strawbs ‘Part of the Union’ always used to crack me up as I always thought it was a mickey take, but no, they meant it all in earnest and it was a ‘workers singalong hit’.
They said that Slade were unable to promote ‘Skweeze me pleeze me’ but I could have sworn it was on the show on first release…22/06/1973 by the looks of it. My memory could be playing tricks of course and the show is wiped.
Just goes to show you, don't take a Channel 5 YouTube clips compilation as gospel! I always heard the Strawbs' song was a spoof on industrial action as well, maybe they've changed their tune since (so to speak)?
DeleteMy favourites on the 1973 countdown were few, as I was only 5 in that year, but these ones struck a cord:
Delete1. Live & Let Die - Paul McCartney & Wings
To think it was the theme tune for the 8th Bond film, its astounding that there were 8 Bond films already in the can by 1973, and absolutely loved the concert-style video in the dark with flashing lights.
2. The Strawbs - Part Of The Union
I think this was a couple of years after Carry On At Your Convenience, where a Union strike took place at a lavatory factory, so this was not a new concept in 1973, and I think the Unions were very much a 70s thing, even though they still exist today.
3. Barry Blue - Dancing On A Saturday Night
Gorgeous song, and just loved the seated youngish audience, staying silent and not moving an inch.
4. Bobby Picket - The Monster Mash
Never knew there was a video for it, cos I think it was only performed in the TOTP studio, and probably a wiped show, but apparently the video was with Pans People as the girls in stockings and suspenders.
5. David Cassidy - Daydreamer
Only heard this years later when I was old enough to appreciate this, and still stands out as one of the all time classic romantic songs, and love the outdoor video.
6. Al Martino - Spanish Eyes
Reflects the romanic era of pop music that got lost forever, as the 80s was approaching the technology era which had the completely opposite effect.
7. Peters & Lee - Welcome Home
Just about barely remember them being on evening TV shows quite a lot, but not the music. Surprised to find out from this show that Lennie Peters was blinded in one eye by a car accident, and then blinded in the other eye when a brick was thrown at him.
His singing partner Dianne Lee was one of the prettiest singers in the history of the charts, a blonde bombshell who always dressed modestly, and not like some of today's singers, but then it was a reflection of the times.
8. Dawn ft Tony Orlando - Tie A Yellow Ribbon
Worldwide No.1 of 1973 according to Paul Gambaccini on this show, and I just about remember this as a 5-year old child, as a song being played a lot at the time, such a great singalong, and oh so 70s, but just love it.
The bin collectors are on strike up in Glasgow, so unions are still a thing.
DeleteWasn't Lennie Peters involved with The Krays, or other gangster types?
Dianne Lee married Wizzard bassist Rick Price who also featured on this 1973 show with 'Angel Fingers' and 'See my Baby Jive'.
DeleteThe Strawbs song was originally intended as a parody by Strawb members Hudson and Forde (as "The Bruvvers") until the record company thought, correctly, that it would be a hit for their parent group. It's actually an adaptation of a Woody Guthrie song. He certainly meant it to be taken seriously, whether The Strawbs did is another matter.
DeleteThe caption for the Aretha Franklin performnce appears to be a mix up with the one for Daydreamer.
I suspect these year end charts were compiled at the beginning of December. 1972 only ran to a top 20 and excluded Little Jimmy who had three weeks at number one in that month. Similarly the absence of Slade's Xmas chart topper from the top 30 seems a little odd.
Dianne Lee at the age of 72 still performs with Rick Price as a touring duo with new material. When duetting with Lennie Peters, he was 18 years older than her, and he died around 30 years ago at only 60 years old. The legend of Peters & Lee lives on.
Delete'Skweeze Me Pleeze Me' was played over the crowd dancing to it. I've seen it as an off air recording in black and white, so you're right Sct.
DeleteLoving the Altern-8 performance on tonight’s show. As mentioned previously, putting my home town Stafford on the map this year with fellow ravers Bizarre Inc. Ahead of the game, adopting face masks 30 years before the norm. Like the product placement of the Vicks VapoRub on the keyboard, “top one, nice one, get sorted” indeed.
ReplyDeleteMJ is on his way. I Remember the build up and excitement for this as well as watching this go out
ReplyDeleteWe were all talking about it at work the next day.
The picture is very jumpy tonight. Skipping frames on the late night repeat as well.as the 8pm version which rather spoilt my enjoyment of the show.
Rozalla back with her Number 65 hit from earlier in the year. I like this. Not as meorable as Everybody's Free but she sings it well and its a decent tune.
Dortie still being an annoying twat! Nobody I knew talked like that.
A countdown with speaking! Hooray. Shame he messes up Justified Ancient Of Mu Mu.
Seal's silky vocals up next. The Killer EP with his own version of Killer. Bit of added guitar. Better stripped back really. Think the heavy guitars spoil it a bit.
Tina giving us a nice tune from her latest album. I like this song, a bit Sunday morning love songs I'll agree but I enjoyed it.
Oh my word.. someone that can present! Hello Claudia.
Another club tune desperately in need of a vocalist to sing the samples. Should have played the video instead. Altern 8 love their masks don't they.
Breakers:
Much as Iove new Sonia, this is not a great cover unfortunately.
REM. Made no impression on me in 91
BH: MJ means we get a Top Ten New Entry as a breaker. Would never have happend in the old days.
So onto the "highlight" of the evening. It's a great Exclusive for TOTP to get but it's a rather long and self indulgent video.
Some very clever morphing at the end which I liked. Forgotten about the panther/dancing/vandalism nonsense at the end. Way too much Michael. And The Simpson as well..Crickey!
It is a decent song though and I always view the Dangerous album as the 4th of his great albums (Off The Wall, Thriller, Bad, Dangerous). although it's often overlooked.
And back to the normal word of Vic and Bob (bet they've never been the sane part of a sandwich).
Even if we don't get to see too much tonight.
Anyone for biscuits..laters...
The panther business made me think of Manimal, now there was a show.
DeleteI used to love Manimal as a kid.
Deletei never saw manimal at the time of broadcast (i was probably a bit too old), but watched it on dvd a few years back. probably thanks to cgi not being available, to my recollection simon mccorkindale could only change into either an eagle or a panther!
DeleteHe also turned into a horse and a shark, the latter involving him eating a bad guy in his swimming pool! Manimal the Cannibal!
DeleteGood news – we get rid of one of the dopey new presenters for this edition. Bad news – wrong presenter.
ReplyDeleteA decent start from Rozilla (as the Boy Mayo called her), complete in Egyptian spaghetti western S&M clobber.
F#cking hell, Dorky refers to the top ten as ‘crisp biscuits’ yet again. First commentary for the non top-40 countdown.
Claudia crashes Seal’s vocals at the start of his utterly pointless rehash.
Tina Turner will need a honey and lemon after catching a cold in that outfit. The song sounded similar to at least one of her other recent hits but she knows how to sing live.
So that’s what Claudia looks like! A very stern look at the camera awiting her cue to introduce Altern-8 and their Milk Tray Woman who does hit a few slightly off key notes, bless her. Nowhere near as bad as that woman who made her hair into a musical clef, though.
Poor Sonia – not enough time to get her out of the car park trailer for a full turn tonight due to a vanity project later. Maybe next week. Video sponsored by Green Flag breakdown recovery.
REM with Michael Stipe looking slappable again, I’m afraid.
A huge budget video for Bassheads. Talking of which...
Michael Jackson. 11 minutes. Yawwwwwn. Wasting enough time there for three chart songs on the show. Even longer than Genesis felt last week, and that’s saying something.
A bit of light relief from Vic and the lads at the end, at least.
Ha Ha, Tina Turner and many others for that matter would put style and appeal before appropriate clothing for the time of year. I remember years ago when I was visiting a friend up north in Leeds, when I went to a local nightclub on a freezing Saturday night in winter, a girl in the queue was dressed more for a summer night in Ibiza, and very keen to get talking!
DeleteMuch rather have had the milk tray girl of Altern-8, even though she was off key, bless her, but couldn't help but love her looks and dressing up on the show with the full body suit that looked so good on her. She's also in the Altern-8 video.
Good Lord, was it really 11 minutes of the Michael Jackson video that TOTP showed? I was mightily impressed when TOTP showed 4:45 minutes of the Wild West Hero video by ELO in a 1978 episode of TOTP, which I think was the record up until this show in 1991.
Rozalla - as dance tracks go it was.. ok. Spirited performance
ReplyDeleteSeal - still played these days and I like it, but this performance was a bit lacking in charisma
Tina turner - fair enough song, more album track than single.
Altern8 - dreadful mix, vocals really muddy. Not a great track either.
Breakers
Sonia - a cover, theres a surprise…
REM - don’t remember this
Basshead - pass on this..
Michael Jackson - I used to often work late, so set the video recorder for TOTP. In those days, it had only one program, and had to be set manually. This particular week I forgot to set it, so this is the first time I have seen this video in full. I didnt miss much. (Morphing had moved on a bit from the godley and creme video for cry)