Friday 14 July 2023

Here Comes Top of the Pops

 Start like a jackrabbit, here comes the 5th of January 1995 edition of Top of the Pops!


Jacky New Year!


5-1-95:   Presenter:  Jack Dee

(12) THE HUMAN LEAGUE – Tell Me When
Getting 1995 underway with what became their eighth and final top ten hit when it peaked at number 6.

(14) P.J. & DUNCAN – Eternal Love
A second time in the studio for a song that had already peaked at number 12.

(4) CELINE DION – Think Twice  (video)  (and charts)
Still climbing.

(3) REDNEX – Cotton Eye Joe
Will be number one next week.

(23) THUNDER – Stand Up
In the studio but it got no higher.

(10) INI KAMOZE – Here Comes The Hotstepper  (video)
With his only hit and it peaked at number 4.

(2) BOYZONE – Love Me For A Reason
A third studio performance but the song was now at its peak.

(NEW) R. KELLY – Bump ‘N’ Grind
Peaked at number 8.

(1) EAST 17 – Stay Another Day  (and credits)
Fifth and final week at the top.


12th of January is next.

30 comments:

  1. Uncut version thanks to Anonymous ~ https://we.tl/t-rb7bsTHmyC

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    1. Thanks Angelo, I did notice a bad edit during the BBC4 version when jack Dee was talking, so is that the bit that was cut? And what was it that was edited?

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    2. R Kelly was edited out.

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    3. Dory, you're right, there was a brief cut after the Ini clip where Jack said 'Coming up in a minute, we've got an exclusive from R. Kelly'. Be interesting to see what else goes onto the cutting room floor in future episodes.

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    4. It must be the Bump 'n' Grind single. R Kelly got to No.1 in America with it for the whole of April 1994, so the UK was nearly a year behind with this single.

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  2. Human League still a good song, but not sure why they performed in a line.

    Ini Kamoze was the Christmas 1994 No.1 in America with two weeks at No.1, displacing Boyz II Men, only for the same Boyz II Men song to regain the No.1 position going into January 1995 for another three weeks.

    Looks like the official charts website has changed hands, and we can no longer can access the charts from years gone by. Anyone know if I am missing a trick, as it was previously useful for critiquing songs lower down the charts or just outside the charts who didn't get a TOTP call up?

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  3. https://www.officialcharts.com/charts
    On the right hand side of the page there's a box called Access the Archive.

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    1. It doesn't work when you put in 1995-01-01. It just goes back to the current date in July 2023, and even then, there is no chart listing.

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    2. It stumped me for a while, option tucked away near the bottom of the Charts page on the mobile version of the site. Looks like you have to go through the date picker validation for the entered date to “work”.

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    3. Do you know what steps for the desktop computer version?

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    4. Good Lord, I've given up on this poxy Official Charts website which doesn't even work. Not sure why they had to change the previous version which was working ok. I managed to find an alternative called UK Charts Archive Fandom.

      The only tune worth pointing out on this week's chart is Siouxie & The Banshees at peak of No.34 with O Baby, and didn't get a TOTP showing. Turns out her last tune was only a month away and did worse at peak of only No.64 before the great lady bowed out for good.

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    5. Dory, possible teething problems on the very new OCC site with some browsers! I had a go and got this URL for the week ending 8/1/95 - https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-chart/19950108/7501

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    6. It still gives me the July 2023 comments page when I use your URL, and not even a chart! I use Safari as my browser, and it doesn't seem to work.

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    7. Ok, it worked on a different browser to bring up the Top 100 for any particular week. Good Lord, what a palaver!

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    8. Dory, I typed this in and got the top 100 for the following week in 1995...
      www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-chart/19950108

      Hope this helps as a guidleine for future rundowns from you - looking forward to them.

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    9. Speaking of Siouxsie, as Dory was, she was absolutely stunning at her recent Wolverhampton gig. Following the final Banshees album and two singles in 1995 there were a further two Creatures albums with hubby Budgie and her debut solo album in 2007. Plus a one off non-charting single for the Hannibal TV series in 2015. Hope she will have been inspired by her recent performances to pen some more tunes.

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  4. Two future number ones in a row has to be unusual.

    Can't fault this for being an episode full of big tunes, just wish I liked more of them. Human League the highlight, I can enjoy Tefmex still and E17. Ini Kamoze was huge for good reason but overplayed Think Twice has begrudgingly grown on me but I hated it back then. Boyzone remain dreck. Pj and Duncan - eh, it's alright.

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  6. Tefmex - the non-stick cowboy disco act! :-D

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  7. Happy 1995…at last!

    Jack Dee gives us his satirical non-smiling act of the time, but he still came over with more warmth than Neneh Cherry did when she hosted.

    Peak of the week early doors from the League doing their identity parade skit again, and a cracking way to start the show. I hope it was warm in that studio given Susanne’s and Joanne’s sparse hemlines.

    After that start it was like an edition of “Play Your Cards” right where you start with an ace then get a load of 2’s and 3’s straight after.

    Last dance down the Bigg Market for PJ and D’s bucket slop.

    Sound off for the next one. Non-mugshots: Anchor hit was by female American country singers Shawn Colvin and Mary Chain Carpenter, who managed a 29 and a 35 respectively later on. “Riverdance” is going down this week – not for long.

    Cotton wool in the ears for “Cotton Eye Joe”.

    Thunder sounded like something nondescript you’d hear walking into a pub gig. More like drizzle if you ask me.

    Next up, the start of the shortlived chart career of a chap born Cecil Campbell. Used recently for a Lucozade ad (I think), this sticks in my brain courtesy of a YouTube clip of out-takes from “Car Share” where Reece Shearsmith is meant to sing this and hams it up big time.

    Syrup avoidance for the last three – well, two, as the video butcher manages to slice the R Kelly shaped gristle off the show’s carcass cleanly but necessarily leaving a necessarily strange edit.

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    1. Should have read 'Mary Chapin Carpenter".

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    2. Nowhere near as good as The Carpenters!

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  8. Mic, 1, 2, 1, 216 July 2023 at 16:58

    1995 then. Lots of brilliant singles and really looking forward to seeing the likes of Supergrass, Radiohead, Black Grape and Leftfield all get featured in the studio. Downside; Goodbye to different stage sets every edition (almost every song), and a couple of really annoying acts who couldn't not get No 1s.
    This amazing year starts with the usual post Christmas damp squib but made worthwhile by Jack Dee's presenting. His instruction to less attentive viewers to stop watching was for me easily the highlight of the show. The following evening btw offered a feast of comedy on BBC2 and I vividly remember us all taking down the decorations while laughing our heads off. At 21.00, episode 1 of the third and final series of 'Bottom', followed at 21.30 by episode 1 of 'The High Life' then the start of a re-run of 'The Day Today' at 22.00.

    The Human League; Good to see them back and 'Tell Me When' is a very strong tune but I've always had a problem with the sound of this single. The chorus sounds like the music you get in an advert for back pain medication. The lyrics too. Sorry but my Hippocampus just tells my Cerebral Cortex that it's annoying. Susan Sulley does look alluring in the top hat though and they look like they're having a good time. Follow up I prefer.

    PJ and Duncan; Humourous sarcastic link out of that from Jack. Mopey and wimpy and the two surrounded by beach palm trees which only make it more gloomy. Also there was an enunciation of a T at the end of a word which was really annoying.

    Celine Dion; First chart of 1995. 'Baby Come Back' heading back up.
    I still like 'Think Twice' though it's early days. The young man having relationship worries while engaging in agricultural/domestic labour (very '90s) looks initially like Jeff Buckley which it wouldn't be in a thousand years. That's someone who really should've been on the show around this time.

    Rednex; No, stop it.

    Thunder; Ok

    Ini Kamoze; Still sounds individual and love his delivery but heard it far too many times to care much.

    Boyzone; Ominously confident start (an Elvis style suit for Ronan) but very off key in places. It's difficult to really dislike this cover though. It is a great song and they do have some decent things coming up.

    Edit; Good

    The top 10 rundown interestingly delivered by Jack with Jo witticisms whatsoever.

    East 17; The less good performance of 'Stay Another Day'. At least an end item that doesn't get rudely interrupted.





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  9. Sympathy for Ronan Keating who lost a brother in a car crash this weekend. I saw while shopping today The Sun used the word 'Bruv' in their front page headline. Classy.

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  10. Im back!

    Human League at the local nick, on identity parade… reminiscent of their early hits.

    Ant and dec (oops I mean…) - soppy!

    Celiine dion - I like this. Lots of lounging about in the video…

    Rednex - suspecting i am against the general opinion in liking this. On its way to number one.

    Thunder - ok. Rock by numbers

    Ini kamoze - never heard of him, but I recognised the track. For a rap track it is quite tuneful.

    Boyzone - carbon copy of the osmonds track. Wasn't Ronan young!… [I didn’t realise that it was originally by Johnny Bristol - that was quite different]

    East 17 - overplayed and never particularly liked it.

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  11. Here we go then, better late than never they say?

    THE HUMAN LEAGUE – "Tell Me When" a truly great pop tune. Love the line-up performance as well.

    P.J. & DUNCAN – Want to be nice because they are TV Legends but this is crap. Awful tune. Awful vocal. Cameraman struggling to avoid the foliage.

    CELINE DION – Nearly their. Keep going.

    REDNEX – Complete nonsense but bundles of energy and fun. Can't resist this one

    THUNDER – Hooray a new tune! Shame it was instantly forgettable.

    INI KAMOZE – Now I love "Here Comes The Hotstepper" Never seen the film but was a huge fan of the song. Still sounds great today. Loved hearing that again. Surprised this was his only hit.

    BOYZONE – How young is Ronan. Looks like he's crafted by madam tussauds.

    R. KELLY – Difficult to watch "Bump ‘N’ Grind" now we know what we know. Song wise I remember it being huge at the time but it's not really dated well. Very 90s.

    EAST 17 – As I started I thought "not again" but found myself singing along as usual. This really is a classy tune.

    I like Jack Dee but he needs a lot of words to tell a gag and has little time in each link so some of the fall flat.

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