Sometimes the snow comes down in June, and sometimes the sun goes round the 26th of March 1992 edition of Top of the Pops!
Ringing it out
26-3-92: Presenters: Mark Franklin & Claudia Simon
(12) ERASURE – Breath Of Life
Getting the show underway and this latest song peaked at number 8.
(4) RIGHT SAID FRED – Deeply Dippy (video)
Getting in the queue for number one.
(9) ANNIE LENNOX – Why
A second time in the studio and the song peaked at number 5.
(6) DEF LEPPARD – Let’s Get Rocked (video)
Their second of three top ten hits and it peaked at number 2.
(36) VANESSA WILLIAMS – Save The Best For Last
In the studio tonight performing what was to be her only top ten hit and it peaked at number 3.
(NEW) SOUL II SOUL – Joy
Became their fifth and final top ten hit when it peaked at number 4.
(8) THE CURE – High (video) (Breakers)
As high as it got.
(16) HAMMER – Do Not Pass Me By (video) (Breakers)
Went up two more places.
(19) WET WET WET – More Than Love (video) (Breakers)
Second single from their number one album High On The Happy Side, bit it got no higher.
(20) MANIC STREET PREACHERS – Slash ‘N’ Burn (video) (Breakers)
Got no higher.
(1) SHAKESPEAR’S SISTER – Stay (video)
Sixth of eight weeks at number one.
2nd of April is next.
Anybody have the unedited version with the Trading Places competition.
ReplyDeletehttps://we.tl/t-HMBJKrW4qO
DeleteDef Leppard - second week in a row on the show, after last week in the TOTP studio as an exclusive, and now as a new entry at No.6, they were really rocking it as late as 1992. I liked the video more than last week's studio performance.
ReplyDeleteVanessa Williams - first Top 40 single for her, after her first three singles in the late 1980s did not break the Top 60, getting only to No.62 at best. This new TOTP studio performance did wonders for her, as she went all the way up to No.3 with it, and a fantastic love single for the 90s.
Australia’s Hits at the BBC, and no Men At Work. How odd…
ReplyDeleteI liked the Kylie & Jason studio set on a 1988 Wogan episode to open this show, but also the ACDC story, and the aboriginal band from a Blue Peter show. And then ooh ahh Gina G.
DeleteThe reason there was no Men At Work on this show Charlie, is cos they didn't perform on the BBC, and it is only for BBC studio performances, and no videos. In fact I don't think Men At work came to the UK at all in 1983, unless anyone knows otherwise.
At least one Men At Work performance occurred at the BBC, on Top Of The Pops performing Overkill in May 1983.
DeleteInteresting, forgot about that one, so they could indeed have included it on Australian Hits At The BBC. Missed opportunity that.
Delete@dory @hew5678 interesting - presume ioverkill performance wasn't wiped? I wonder if colin hay did anything solo, eg on later
DeleteChannel 5 has just started a new series on Friday nights called 80s Greatest Pop Videos, where each show is two hours of pop videos from a particular year, and the series started last night with 1980, and I recommend watching the review on Pink Floyd's No.1 to start the decade, Another Brick In The Wall, talking about the school where the kids in the video came from. Can't wait for 1981 next week!
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteErasure, as always, getting a more exciting set than anyone else. I don't know why they're so preferred but I'm not knocking it, makes for a more interesting watch.
RSF - I always did like this one, though surprised it's only a video. Its arrival must mean SS are on the way out, that mammoth stint doesn't feel so long when there are three eps a week!
Annie - good to have another live visit from her here.
Def Leppard - If I say this is a bit of a tedious riff on what the likes of Anthrax and Extreme have already done better earlier in the decade they might chuck me out of Sheffield. So, yay for Ver Leps!
Vanessa Williams before she became better known as an actress/icon and before this song became an anthem to gravy. This is nice but I definitely prefer her as Wilhelmina Slater.
Soul II Soul - the pre releases are still going strong. At least we get a massive studio production for it. It doesn't half go on though!
Breakers - ugh MSP and The Cure are the best tracks all episode, would have liked more. Hammer is classic breaker fodder. Very strange that WWW are so low and relegated to Breakers after only just having a pretty big number one. Could it be because the song is utterly forgettable?
Shakespear's Sister haven't paid the studio a visit for a bit now, but they could have repeated one of their visits instead of the video three (or four?) times in a row, surely?
@Rad, I thought the same, but I've noticed that since the revamp they don't seem keen on repeating the studio performances (I remember it seemed to happen often in the '89-'91 era when I watched those).
DeleteFour songs peaking this week inside and outside the Top 40, with no TOTP for them, deserving a mention:
ReplyDeleteNo.25 Tori Amos - Winter
Third single release and first to break the Top 40, and was perfectly placed to make her TOTP debut, so we still had not seen her by now, despite three single releases. It would not be until June 1992 that she would peak at No.15, and not sure if she finally got her TOTP call up at fourth single.
No.42 Europe - Halfway To Heaven
Well they of The Final Countdown in 1986, had their final single release with this one in a mini-comeback in 1992, and with this one failing to make the Top 40, we say goodbye to a fine group that left a mark on us with their Final Countdown which is what everyone knows them for in the 80s.
No.47 Jethro Tull - Rocks On The Road
Good Lord, Tull still going since debut way back in 1969, he returned after his last single in 1988 with this mini-comeback now, and with one more single in 1993 which got to No.32, we were close to the last of Jethro Tull's long chart career.
No.60 Yazz - One True Woman
Now four years since Yazz exploded onto the scene with The Plastic Population, she was well into her solo career, but she kept on going until 1997 with 5 more singles, with only one of them reaching the Top 40, and so I doubt if we will see her again on TOTP.
I'm sure I heard Jethro Tull have announced a new album this year!
DeleteErasure, always available, as is that massive bank of knobs that Vince plays around with. I didn't recognise this till the chorus, but yeah, it's about mid-table for them, not too catchy but not offensive either. Liked the dancers (who might have been backing singers) adding glamour.
ReplyDeleteWrong Said Fred, always was a bit too pleased with itself, this one, and they really ramped up the quirk, in song and on video. But it appeared they could do no wrong back then (how times change).
Then two songs we had on last episode, which for non-No.1s is a bit much. Annie I'm not interested in, but I was intrigued by Def Leppard's primitive CGI, which frankly looked absolutely revolting. Probably wasn't cheap, either.
Vanessa with a song which is ruined in the first few seconds by stupid lyrics that throw the rest of it into serious doubt. OK, the snow comes down in June if you're in Argentina or Chile, I'll give you that, but when in the course of history has the sun ever gone around the moon? That would have completely destroyed our planet! Has she never watched The Sky at Night?! Anyway, I guess she was OK in Eraser.
The forgotten Soul II Soul hit, so nice to hear for a change, but it's lacking a hook and I can barely recall how it goes now. Also: Jazzie B has nicked Vince Clarke's massive bank of knobs! Or was it on a timeshare?
Mixed bag of Breakers, then the Shakespear girls to end on, for the umpteenth time. The anti-vaxxer brothers loom in the background!
Didn't Soul II Soul have a fallout with Top Of The Pops when they came onto the scene in 1989 with their No.1 Back To Life? I recall on these reruns and reviews that there were no TOTP studio performances across the follow-up singles either, so was this now their point of making up with the show, and their first time in the TOTP studio now in 1992?
DeletePresumably the chance to perform live coaxed them back (that seemed to be the sticking point with Back to Life).
DeleteSoul II Soul were not allowed to perform their Number One "back to life" with a live vocal so they walked off - apparently they were in the studio ready to go. I guess relations had thawed a bit with the new set-up for the show.
DeleteThe ITV Chart Show Dance Chart Top 10 this week, gave us a glimpse of the Clavilles & Cole video which did look like a C&C Music Factory video, and we didn't get to see on TOTP and I would conclude that this group were a lot better on video than in the studio, as the videos had so much atmosphere:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYb05XT1W58
Need to check out the Clavilles & Cole video in full this weekend to see for myself, but it will surely be in C&C Music Factory mood and tempo, so looking forward to it.
Late to the show this week due to work and family issues, but I remember the days when I'd get on here three days late and barely make the top 40 post-wise. We're beginning to struggle a bit.
ReplyDeleteMark says we’re live (then) from Elstree. Bring back Shepherd’s Bush and the reliable old programme. Cloudia’s back dressed like a banker again.
A bank of keyboards for Erasure’s bank manager. We’re over here, Vince! Very much lower level Premer League or top half Championship fayre from Erasure.
Not-seen hits rundown – Oo! Spinal Tap!!
Always liked the Freds’ understated and underplayed chart topper, most unlike the video which was full on and enjoyable as expected.
Annie and The Leps – seen it, done it, FF and move on.
Wherever there’s meat there’s Vanessa. Actually, this was more syrup than gravy.
Another studio truck driver’s gear change for the joyful but forgotten Soul II Soul hit.
Mark fails to nail the breakers by forgetting Hammer. See what I did there?
The Cure, high as a kite. Shame this wasn’t in the studio.
“Do Not Pass Me By”? Sorry, Hammer, I’m passing on this r-r-r-rubbish.
Wet Wet Wet Yawn Yawn Yawn.
Manics as Manics are. Yet more shirtless action from James.
After her comment in a previous edition, I bet Cloudia was really chuffed to announce Mrs Stewart and the high pitched lass at number one. Video cut before we see Siobhan slobbering her chops. Boo!
Strap yourselves in for the ride, folks... someone on the Popscene website thinks we're going to get the equivalent of two months' shows in two weeks!
ReplyDeleteAll of May on February 18th and all of June on February 25th. Both months had every other show co-hosted by Adrian Ponce.
That's four shows a week for a fortnight, if you think about it, so it's doable. If anybody's up for this, it's us lot!
DeleteAt this rate, we might be in 1994 by the end of the year!
DeleteThink I'll still be in 1992! Bloody hell these are coming thick and fast. Thanks goodness for the MEGA totp archive so I don't have to rely on iplayer.
DeleteThe Cure in the studio would have been the highlight of the week for me. Not sure why we only get a breaker snippet of their latest Tim Pope directed video on TOTP, although they only hung around in the Top 40 charts for a couple of weeks with this one I suppose. However, no studio invite for the follow up Friday I’m in Love either?
ReplyDeletePS. Favourite Cure album anyone? I’ll go with Seventeen Seconds (but then I’m a miserable old goth git).
At this time, the producer was too busy with stupid 'gimmicks' like exclusives, album tracks and songs in the US top 10 to bother giving us a proper show. I see Senseless Things also missed out on an appearance for their only other top 20 hit, "Hold It Down" in April of this year.
DeleteThis Chorus album is really sounding rather good and Breath of Life is a another fine Erasure single. Vince with his back to us, very rude.
ReplyDeleteNice presentation as well.
Wow. Finally made it all the way to Number 2.
The bald prats next with a quirky little tune that I do quite like unfortunately. Terrible video.
Annie back again and in Gold with the gorgeous Why? followed by Da Leppards taking a leaf out of Dire Straits book with a snazzy video.. 2 great tunes in a row.
More Trading Places (still GG!) And then the actual US Number One. This has become a bit of a radio favourite over the years. It's very nicely done but it doesn't really stand out for me.
Didn't realise Soul II Soul were still going in 92. Don't remember this at all. Tune is pleasant enough.
Breakers:(even the one Mark forgets)
The Cure: No play and it's at Number 8. Not missed much by the sounds of it.
Hammer: Please Hammer, No More
WWW: This won't be a number one..dull.
MSP: Desperately in need of a tune.
Week 6 for SS and it's not outstaying it's welcome.
I'm off to learn the drums..