I blame you for the moonlit sky and the 15th of October 1992 edition of Top of the Pops!
Tasmin hits the bullseye
15-10-92: Presenter: Mark Franklin
(23) SUNSCREEM – Perfect Motion
Getting the show underway and the song peaked at number 18.
(FLASHBACK) THE CARPENTERS – (They Long To Be) Close To You (danced to by Pan’s People – clip of TOTP 15-10-70) (and charts)
The birth of TOTP2?
(4) BIZARRE INC. feat. ANGIE BROWN – I’m Gonna Get You
A second studio performance and the song went up one more place.
(11) MADONNA – Erotica (video)
Bill Oddie, Bill Oddie, put your hands all over my body! Climaxed at number 3.
(8) DR. SPIN – Tetris
A second time in the studio and it went up two more places.
(2) BOYZ II MEN – End Of The Road
Performing live tonight and queuing up for number one.
(24) THE FARM – Don’t You Want Me (video) (Breakers)
Peaked at number 18.
(19) AC/DC – Highway To Hell (Live) (video) (Breakers)
Peaked at number 14.
(17) THE WEDDING PRESENT – Sticky (video) (Breakers)
Got no higher.
(15) THE ORB – Assassin (video) (Breakers)
Peaked at number 12.
(NEW) BON JOVI – Keep The Faith (via satellite)
Live from New York with their first hit for three years and it peaked at number 5.
(1) TASMIN ARCHER – Sleeping Satellite
First of two weeks at number one.
22nd of October is next.
Re The Carpenters and Angelo's suggestion. It indeed could have been the birth of TOTP2 which arrived in 1994 I think, and I remember on one the early episodes they played Leif Garret's 1979 video called I Was Made For Dancing. After that I was a TOTP2 fan for years to come, until Steve Wright stopped presenting TOTP in the early 2000s.
ReplyDeleteThe Breakers - sheeeez, the utter embarrassment of The Farm covering the Human League iconic No.1 from 1981/82, Good Lord, I was embarrassed to watch this Breakers clip, and how the Human League allowed this to be covered so awfully. The Farm were not that kind of group, so it was a little surprising to say the least.
Bon Jovi - what a superb return for the supergroup, and as Angelo points out, it was three years since their last single in 1989 to allow Jon Bon Jovi to go solo in 1990 for a movie soundtrack album with songs like Blaze Of Glory and Miracle, I thought we would never see the whole group back together, but this comeback single Keep The Faith was just a cracker, and I remember at the time buying the new album and loving most of the singles on it. Welcome back Bon Jovi!
What I remember about Leif's I Was Made for Dancing is that shortly after it was a hit in the UK, Leif collapsed while on the dancefloor at a London nightclub, suggesting he was not actually made for dancing.
DeleteSunscreem have cleaned up their act, but this is too monotonous and the singer is singing just below her register, which doesn't make it easy to listen to.
ReplyDeleteA brief bit of The Carpenters, that'll keep the kids watching? Weird choice.
Bizarre Inc and Angie much as before, after last time when we skipped a "singing the samples" act, then the video for Madge's Neurotica. Did anybody own the SEX book, then? Or even leaf through it after finding it on a coffee table? You're hard pressed to find anyone who admits to owning it now, and all copies seem to have disappeared into the "collector's" market. Musically, trying way too hard, she should have thrown in a Cosmo Smallpiece "Phwoar, missus!" there.
More ill-timed Russian hijinks, then FFS, why not rename this show Top of the Boys II Men?! You don't need to have them on every other week!
Breakers, The Farm, or is it Star Turn on 45 Pints? Certainly George Best in the video could relate to that. AC/DC proving live they sound exactly like their records. Joke's wearing off with The Wedding Present now. The Orb, ambient CGI video alert.
By Jovi, a few years away and they still sound mired in 1987 stodge. Didn't Jon try acting around this time?
Tasmin Archer Badger makes it to the top, and apparently the song isn't about a relationship gone wrong, it's about the Moon landings and how we never went back after that first flush of success. The lyrics bear that out, surprisingly!
Then the least anticipated cliffhanger in TOTP history, yes, The Chippendales are on next. Didn't they end up murdering each other or something?
A couple of interesting tracks at peak position INSIDE the Top 40 this week that missed out on a TOTP play, and definitely worth a mention:
ReplyDeleteNo.28 The Cure - A Letter To Elise
Interesting song title which makes you want to know what was in the letter, and who was Louise, but this new entry at No.28 this week fell badly the following week to No.56, so the letter could not have been all that well received!
No.40 Saint Etienne - Avenue
Another new entry, and fourth single across 1991 & 1992 for Saint Etienne, which seemed to be going backward for them, considering they got to No.21 with their last hit Join Our Club, but parallel to M People's initial journey and fortunes up to the same point, they would go on to much better chart placing in 1993 onwards, including a Top 20 achievement for the first time with their next hit in early 1993.
Thanks for including 'Avenue' here Dory. In my fantasy chart for Oct '92, this would be No. 1 for at least one week between 'Sleeping Satellite' and 'End Of The Road'. Extraordinary that that only just scraped into the Top 40. An absolute classic.
DeleteIt was quite surprising to see that Saint Etienne in their first four singles had still not appeared on Top Of The Pops at this point in late 1992, and only getting a Breakers slot on their single Join Our Club, but as mentioned, and pretty much parallel to M People's similar journey in 1991-92, the following year 1993 would change it all for them, bringing them into the Top 20 for the first time and more likely to be on TOTP.
Delete1994 looks tremendously exciting from tonight's doc, even with Wet Wet Wet's reign of terror. I remember that feeling things were changing culturally especially strongly this year, though on reflection there was a lot that stayed the same. It takes a while for some decades to get going.
ReplyDeleteOh, and what happened to Whigfield's mouth?!
DeleteTasmin’s biggest fan on host duty tonight.
ReplyDeleteSunscreem with a rather fast starter and the singer looking like a Kwiksave Yazz.
Was that Dee Dee centre of Pan’s People? I didn’t recognise her.
Bizarre and Angie with another fast pacer. The suspended keyboards look more like playground swings this time round.
Madonna with a dirge. My memory of her book is the Roy Hattersley puppet on “Spitting Image” seeing the book and saying “…And you can see her pubes!”
Putin’ the FF to good effect to avoid “Tetris”.
Boyz II Men with proper trousers, silly hats, a walking stick (!) and an agreeable ballad which knocks Color Me Badd into the dumper.
Breakers – Absolutely shocking from The Farm, AC/DC is as AC/DC does, a weird Weddoes vid but I liked what I heard, and testcard rave from The Orb.
Bon Jovi were better than that recent run of Dep Leppard Schmuck, I’ll give them that.
Tasmin with one of the most unexpected but deserved number ones I can think of.
Having previously joked “Sexy MF” was about him. Mark now thinks he’s related to The Chippendales. Sheesh.
Four songs at peak position this week OUTSIDE the Top 40 from previous chart regulars, and missing out on a TOTP play the time round:
ReplyDeleteNo.50 The Talking Heads - Lifetime Piling Up
With no new music since 1988, this new single in the 90s was their goodbye single, as a quick look at the video shows that it was a compilation of scenes from previous Talking Heads videos, as the curtain comes down to an 80s supergroup, and this final single among their very best tunes. It's a pity it didn't get in to the Top 40 to give them a proper goodbye on TOTP with the final video.
No.53 The Beatles - Love Me Do
I guess this was released in 1992 as the 30-year anniversary of the single that started it all off for The Beatles in Oct-Nov 1962, as their couldn't have been any other reason I don't think.
No.57 Kriss Kross - I Missed The Bus
Second follow-up to their big No.2 single Jump in the summer of 1992, and this new song title couldn't have helped their cause, as it doesn't seem to appeal for record sales, unless there was something in the lyrics to sit up and listen to.
No.66 Hank Marvin ft Brian May - We Are The Champions
1992 was clearly the tribute year to Queen with the passing of Freddie Mercury, with the George Michael/Lisa Stansfield EP, Brian May with a recent solo Top 5 hit, and now Hank Marvin from The Shadows collaborating with May to do a Shadows version of We Are The Champions, where May admitted to started his guitar career by listening to Hank Marvin:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KuDauEZR6tI
Sunscreem are back. Appeared twice now so no idea why I'd completely forgotten them. I quite like this. Bit of The Beloved about it. Good start.
ReplyDeleteLoving bored Grim T-Shirt guy.
Then Pans People! 1500 Editons.. any excuse for a party, hopefully without some dodgy old DJs in tow.
The fantastic (and Spotify dodging) Bizarre Inc next. Is this a repeat? No, the boy in the Grim T-Shirt is still there.
It's The Bill Oddie song. Bet this isn't the real video. This song is possibly the worst thing Madonna had made up to this point. Was the Sex book out about now? Thankfully better to come.
Dr Spin. No thank you. I hope 2 Unlimited sued.
Boyz II Men make the UK but the song is still vomit enducing. The shorts have gone thankfully.
Breakers:
The Farm: They covered this? Was it a bet?
ACDC: crap live as well
Wedding Present 10: Nope. Still pants
The Orb: We are deprived of the tune. If there is one.
Bon Jovi get the satellite link this week. Great tune as well. Big fan of this one. Tune of the night until…..
….a thoroughly well earned Number One for Tasmin and her sleepy moon.
The Chippendales next week.. I'm taking a week off.
Mrs Morgie has just informed me she had a poster of Jon Bon Jovi on her wall as a teenager.which is new information to me.
Like most watching this I was also wondering what the hell The Farm were doing with this cover. Looks like it was originally recorded for an NME charity compilation album Ruby Trax. This also spawned the recent Manics Theme from Mash. Some 40 covers in all by the likes of Suede, Curve, Inspirals, Blur and my personal favourite The Legend of Xanadu by The Fall. I’m not sure that The Farm single itself was actually raising cash for charity though.
ReplyDeleteSunscreem are great at this stage, bearing in mind they are still going today apparently. There is a good version of this on YouTube that brings more of the Simple Minds “Theme For Great Cities” sample to the fore. Coincidentally Simple Minds were also in the charts this week with a reworking of their Love Song from the same 1981 album as Theme For Great Cities first appeared.
Why is the BBC putting The Story of... Docs on way before the years shows are broadcast? We waited two years for the Story of 1991 plus Big Hits 1991, which we know was held up by Covid, but then after showing 1992's docs half way through the 1992 shows they then put on 1993, '94 and next week 1995, all way before each year's shows are broadcast. They should have put them on just before each year is shown, like they did originally.
ReplyDeleteBBC4 had it's budget slashed (and has become almost entirely an archive channel) so BBC2 have picked up the commission for the Story Of as part of their music documentaries. I would imagine commissioning a full series works out better value for money than lots of one-off episodes and has all come out of their 2022 budget, hence why we are getting them all at once.
DeleteThanks for the explanation, mate. Didn't know that!
DeleteSunscreen starting the show with a quite attractive bit of mournful chord rave. 'Perfect Motion' perhaps, singer not always in perfect pitch.
ReplyDeleteA landmark edition approaching so here comes Status Quo every week until....No?
No, it's a flashback to the 15th October 1970 to accompany the charts. Not 1972 as Mark and the caption people say. I think Andi Rutherford was there as well as Flick Colby, Louise I noticed (couldn't not notice Louise!) and Ruth my Dad's favourite. Anyway sashaying around in Jane Austen dresses to the Carpenters. Either the screen was artfully smudged or the new 50 ton colour camera was malfunctioning. A nice extra and looking forward to a few more of these earlier clips.
Bizarre Inc return with colour as well as their name behind them and another rollicking performance of a great single. Keyboards positioned like swings. Crikey don't let the keyboardist from Jesus Jones have a play on them.
Madonna had a lot of attention for this new single, the video I think given a first showing in a special feature on channel 4. It's a striking sound but less due to it's eroticism and more to the fact that she sounds so pained.
Dr. Spin still hasn't won me over so on to the next big new thing and it's probably a sign of how different Boyz II Men sounded at the time that the producer can only think to put them in a doo wop setting. Last week it was a street corner, this week it's a starry night by a lamppost. I love doo wop though so I rather like it though I wouldn't put them in that category. It's pleasant and I can totally understand why it hogged the top spot for a little while. The girls scream politely for the guy doing the talking part. Note presence of walking stick for added integrity.
Breakers are....mixed. The Farm's cover of The Human League is pretty awful but I find myself unable to dislike it as it's The Farm and they were always the indie group most happy to take the mick out of themselves. The Wedding Present with sing...er...10 and curiously also with lyrics on the screen. Quite liked that one. Before that a, for me, unwelcome blast of AC/DC. Oh I have tried I really have. Lastly some fractal interference from The Orb.
The show has been a little dull up to now but a real wake up comes from Bon Jovi. Of all people. Yep, one of the last acts you would've held up as relevant come back with a slamming teenage anthem and suddenly become cool. It's a great performance and just a great song. A little bit of '90s styling is evident. Richie in Neil Young plaid shirt, and Jon's hair is a bit girly. That's how you do it Def Leppard! Not that that is an issue for the producer of this programme.
'Sleeping Satellite' has made it and Mark can therefore gently brag like Noel Edmonds about how he always knew it would make No.1 Still sounds fabulous. Some odd chart facts; Exactly 30 years before this broadcast the UK No. 1 was 'Telstar' by The Tornadoes. And exactly 15 years before, The Carpenters entered the UK chart with 'Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft'!
I forgot to mention... Tasmin Archer's track is simple yet very effective. If you listen closely, she uses the same three-note refrain (which is actually two musical notes, one note sandwiched between two of the other one) repeatedly in the verses.
ReplyDelete