I just slip away and now I am on the 31st of January 1997 edition of Top of the Pops!
Top of the Britpops
31-1-97: Presenter: Noddy Holder
(4) PLACEBO – Nancy Boy
Getting the show underway but the song got no higher.
(7) GABRIELLE – Walk On By
Here tonight but this cover got no higher.
(9) THE BLUEBOY – Remember Me (video) (and charts)
Went up one more place.
(13) SKUNK ANANSIE – Hedonism
With their biggest hit to date but it got no higher.
(5) NO MERCY – Where Do You Go
Performing their first of two top ten hits and this one peaked at number 2.
(3) GEORGE MICHAEL – Older (video)
At its peak.
(NEW) DEPECHE MODE – Barrel Of A Gun
In the studio for the first time in eleven years with the first single from their number one album, Ultra, and it will peak at number 4.
(1) BLUR – Beetlebum
One week at the top for their second of two number one hits.
(TOTP2) FRANKIE GOES TO HOLLYWOOD – Two Tribes (clip of TOTP 14-6-84) (and credits)
Number one in 1984.
TOTP2 - 01-02-1997 https://we.tl/t-2cJZY3YQMp
ReplyDeleteThanks Rob!!!
DeleteNice one!
DeleteA few good highlights from this TOTP2 show. Great to see Jean Michel-Jarre back n 1997 with a new single and video in The Video Stir section.
DeleteIn Recorded For Recall June 1984, Frankie goes to Hollywood had just got to No.1 with Two Tribes and looked excited to be performing it in the TOTP studio, and little did they know that they were still coming back in August to the TOTP studio to perform it at 8th or 9th week at No.1 during that long hot summer.
In Stars That Stay, there was a rare Slade performance from Nov 1969 when TOTP was still only filmed in black & white before full transition to colour in 1970, with Noddy Holder with a completely different hairstyle, and violin section, sounding similar to The Move of their time, or Dexys Midnight Runners of the next generation in the 80s.
Then in the Tomorrow's Hits section, The Orb were back with a new single called Toxygene a la Jean Michel-Jarre's Oxygene, and managed to get their first Top 10 single for 5 years with this since Blue room got to No.8 in 1992, and in the process their most successful single getting to No.4 in 1997, with their singles catalogue coming to end shortly as the 90s were drawing to a close.
One of the best ‘new’ shows in a long time. Strange, but I do not remember Beetlebaum being number one at all.
ReplyDeleteInteresting that George Michael and Depeche Mode turned up in the ‘old’ shows as well - that’s longevity for you.
Great edition. Love the 90s ones.
ReplyDeleteChart rundown video - really liked this one by The Blueboy, and has turned out to be a 90's classic.
ReplyDeleteDepeche Mode - hard to believe they still had motivation to perform in the TOTP studio in 1997 for a new single, some 16 years after coming onto the show as a new group in 1981 with their iconic synth sound. It was almost a generation since then, and the group had somehow all stayed together by 1997, and first time on TOTP studio since 1986, when you think of how many similar groups of their generation had split up after a few years at best. Welcome back Depeche Mode, as this still managed to peak at No.4, so they still had lots of appeal to the next generation!
Alan Wilder had left the band in 1995 and Vince Clarke had only been on the first album, so I wouldn't exactly say they were all still together in 1997!
DeleteHi Angelo, interesting that you haven't posted the two 1975 shown last night on BBC4 between 9-10.20pm, with both 40-minute TOTP episodes shown in full with no edits. Worth commenting on, so why not post them up on here?
ReplyDeleteIndeed...Great shows. Tam White anyone?
DeleteA lot of easy listening music which was characteristic of the early to mid-70s. I was expecting Val Doonican to pop up on one of these shows the way they were going!
DeleteNever heard of Tam White. He was......into it. These '75 shows have been very entertaining. It was good to get an Emperor Rosko hosted edition, I think the only one to have surfaced. I was surprised he looked so anonymously dressed. Knowing his voice I half expected him to dress like Doctor Teeth from The Muppets but never mind. That unmistakable voice and style was well applied here though he even he seemed bemused by that Yin and Yang thing (What the &@!# was that all about?. Easily the oddest thing I've ever seen on the show). Enjoyed Peter Shelley with his remarkably well behaved pooch and The Wombles, performed, I think, by members of Steeleye Span. Assuming it was Peter Knight on the outsized harmonica.
DeletePan's People on the 24th July show demonstrating how much you can get out of a small square of plywood and yes Dad I can see why Ruth was your favourite. Also was that Bing Crosby's sole British TV appearance?
Deletesorry Dory, not been very well recently. Will post the 1975 shows now.
(26) TEACH-IN – Ding-A-Dong
Delete(8) PETER SHELLEY – Love Me Love My Dog
(2) THE SWEET – Fox On The Run ®
(40) THE THREE DEGREES – Take Good Care Of Yourself WATCH
(25) YIN & YAN – If (video)
(31) BAD COMPANY – Good Lovin’ Gone Bad (video)
(21) PETER SKELLERN – Hold On To Love
(23) 10cc – Life Is A Minestrone ® WATCH
(7) JIM GILSTRAP – Swing Your Daddy (danced to by Pan’s People)
(4) THE GOODIES – Funky Gibbon ®
(34) SUSAN CADOGAN – Hurt So Good WATCH
(1) BAY CITY ROLLERS – Bye Bye Baby ® WATCH
(28) K.C. & THE SUNSHINE BAND – Get Down Tonight (and credits)
24-7-75: Presenter: Noel Edmonds
Delete(17) THE SWEET – Action
(2) TYPICALLY TROPICAL – Barbados
(NEW) THE WOMBLES – Super Womble
(11) THE BEE GEES – Jive Talkin’ (video)
(46) SPARKS – Get In The Swing
(13) LINDA LEWIS – It’s In His Kiss ®
(16) SMOKEY – If You Think You Know How To Love Me WATCH
(47) ROGER WHITTAKER – The Last Farewell
(30) LINDA CARR & THE LOVE SQUAD – Highwire (video)
(NEW) BING CROSBY – That’s What Life Is All About
(23) HAMILTON BOHANNON – Foot Stompin’ Music (danced to by Pan’s People)
(1) BAY CITY ROLLERS – Give A Little Love (video)
(19) THE RUBETTES – Foe-Dee-O-Dee (and credits)
Hi Angelo, sorry to hear that. Hope you're feeling ok now. Thanks for posting them.
Delete
DeleteThanks for posting Angelo...hope you're feeling better now.
Ironic I have watched this show after recently just listening to the 1975 Pick of the Pops show (with Mark Goodier) which featured the top20 best selling singles of 1975. To enable the tunes to be played in an hour without chopping them short there were five songs omitted….and three of those were on this Top of the Pops show.
(17) THE SWEET – Action
Second of their self-penned hits and a cracking start to the show. No warpaint in evidence now nor Steve Priest’s unique vocal breaks.
(2) TYPICALLY TROPICAL – Barbados
First of those not featured on PotP. Live rendition with some nice breaks from Pans People. This was such an apt song for the summer I felt. One hit wonders however.
(NEW) THE WOMBLES – Super Womble
These guys were just amazing! The B Side has to be my all-time favourite Wombles track however – ‘The Orinoco Kid’.
(11) THE BEE GEES – Jive Talkin’ (video)
More amazing guys. This was quite a departure from ‘Run to Me’ etc. but the right musical path to take given what was to follow.
(46) SPARKS – Get In The Swing
This performance stuck in the mind because of Russell’s shorts and Ron’s amazing facial expressions. I clearly remember my parents watching in aghast between laughter. The song itself did nothing for me compared to their other hits. Fiddly tempo change seemed out of place.
(13) LINDA LEWIS – It’s In His Kiss ®
Toss up between this and Cher’s version. Great song anyway.
(16) SMOKEY – If You Think You Know How To Love Me WATCH
The second single and a radical departure from the debut hit ‘Pass it around’ (which sounded more like the Sweet). Apparently the band only had a couple of acoustic numbers in their act and this was one of them. It worked. I guess you all know the reason for the change from ‘Smokey’ to ‘Smokie’ after the next release (‘Something’s been making me Blue’).
(47) ROGER WHITTAKER – The Last Farewell
Second of those omitted from PotP and a personal disappointment as this was one of my absolute favourites from 1975. Lovely live vocal from Roger who really seems to be enjoying this song which he recorded in 1971 after inviting viewers of his show to submit lyrics which he then set Ron Webster’s to this tune.
(30) LINDA CARR & THE LOVE SQUAD – Highwire (video)
Pretty insistent tune and seems to go down well with the crowd.
(NEW) BING CROSBY – That’s What Life Is All About
This actually reached No41 in the chart. I never realised that before.
(23) HAMILTON BOHANNON – Foot Stompin’ Music (danced to by Pan’s People)
Great routine. How many others are lost on wiped shows I wonder? Non-descript tune but who cares?
(1) BAY CITY ROLLERS – Give A Little Love (video)
Poor Derek hoisted up on that drum stage on wires! He must have felt giddy but he kept grinning anyway. Seemed at the time that every Rollers single would reach the top but then someone goofed by releasing ‘Money Honey’ next which was never going to appeal to the masses like this and ‘Bye bye Baby’ did. The latter was the best-selling single of 1975 btw and this one was the third of those not featured on the PotP show.
(19) THE RUBETTES – Foe-Dee-O-Dee (and credits)
I never knew this was the Rubettes at the time but well recall the nonsense lyrics.
…so what were the other two not played on the PotP show? Jasper Carrott and Telly Savalas.
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DeleteHi Sct353, good to see you back on here occasionally. The Bing Crosby tune apparently attracted former prime minister Edward Heath to arrive unannounced to the TOTP studio to see Bing on that 24th July 1975 show, according to the trivia section for this TOTP episode on the TOTP Archive website.
DeleteNever knew that! Ted Heath of course had several hits in the 50s peaking with 'Swingin' Shepherd's Blues' at No3 in March 1958 - a single that featured in the pile of 45s that belonged to my parents and I played endlessly as a child.
Delete10th April '75 was a fun 40 minutes and thanks BBC4 for showing all 40 minutes with no cuts. Emperor Rosko more Colonel Mustard on this edition but as I said before,with his jive speak in full flow and a rare addition to the repeats. I think this was his third and final edition and is the only one known to survive.
DeleteTeach In; Appropriate band name for a group that do look and sound like children's television entertainers. I didn't learn anything from that performance apart from that possibly Demis Roussos has slimmed down and multiplied.
Peter Shelley; My father called me a smartarse last week when we sat watching Pop Master together because I knew the name of the singer of Love Me, Love Me Dog
and he couldn't remember it. I told him it was because it was on Top of the Pops the previous Friday. I genuinely like this song with a chorus tune that lilts sweetly. Said dog sits loveably making no noise and being played with by Peter and lots of girls who may not be that fussed about the song that's playing. It does a huge hair shake at one point which is ironic given that Peter Shelley is the only man probably in the whole studio with short hair.
The Sweet; Really liked Action but find Fox On The Run too cheesy. Good keyboard riff however and Andy Scott doing some entertaining switches from keyboard to guitar.
The Three Degrees; Some sparkle in the drabbest of sets with Lisa 'hairstyle' Ferguson commanding the screen as only she can do. She was so charismatic and surely one of the most underrated voices of the 1970s. Song not one of their best.
Yin and Yan; I only half watched this initially hence the rather flippant comment on it previous but now I get it. A hugely daft send up of Telly Savalas's version of 'If' which itself couldn't have been done entirely seriously. Still the most incongruous thing i've ever seen here which does outstay its welcome a little, particularly by the end, skits involving moments with no music not being what this programme is really for. Interesting that this spoof occurred so soon after Telly Savalas had been at No.1. And you were told that pop went slowly in 1975.
Bad Company; An abrupt gear change to some grainy on stage heavy rock with Paul Rodgers competing with Emporor Rosko in the boring sweater stakes. Full on but not very memorable.
Peter Skellern; This isn't going to be a show with a common thread is it? Another abrupt change to Pebble Mill at One resident (that's how I recall it) Peter Skellern with those very distinctive vocals and wistful manner, even for an alarmingly modern sounding single. Still, fond childhood memories of this fellow.
10cc; Rosko goes slightly manic for this single to the point where he seems to lose his way and just bobs around grinning. Fair enough. Very silly record but very charming and of course musically very clever and plenty of extreme close ups of Lol's round, jovial face.
Pt.2 when the mobile is charged up
Pt.2;
DeleteJim Gilstrap; Pan's People made a late appearance on this show and do a delightful elegant number to the not so elegant 'Swing Your Daddy' . Dee Dee (hairstyle No.2) looks gorgeous here. Strange one 'Swing Your Daddy'. I can't make up my mind whether it's entirely mid '70s in style or trying to be entirely '50s. It's always sounded an amalgam of the two to me. The camera's continual swaying motion maybe was meant to reflect swinging or being on a ship in a violent storm. It made me feel drunk either way. This single incidentally always makes me think of Scottish football fans on the lash en route to the Eng v Scot International at Wembley on 24th May 1975 as featured on the 'Rock 'n' Roll Years' programme (On screen telex final score; Eng 5, Sco 1).
The Goodies; Funny link from Emperor Rosko calling out for the Gibbon of questionable funkdom. Oh he's around, with some additions too, most notably that of Cherry Gillespie who does some fantastic Gibbon (with a dash of Gumby) mannerisms. I think also a moment of The Goodies in Ecky Thump guise. My father loves The Goodies but hated this record.
Susan Cadogan; Not sure why this iece of straight Reggae was introduced as disco. Fine cover of a song also covered in 1973 by Millie Jckson (and good lord what an experience that would've been to have had Millie Jackson in the middle of her 'Caught Up'/'Still Caught Up' period, gracing the studio). A marvellously stern faced live turn from this singer and Emperor Rosko giving a great, encouraging link out of it, as befits someone who was the then chair of Radio 1's 'Round Table'.
Bay City Rollers; "Say no more!". Indeed sir. I've heard 'Bye Bye Baby' quite enough for 1 four week period thank you. Nice enough.
Hip jive farewell from Rosko and a delightful hand wave straight down the camera into a brilliant bit of disco from KC and the Sunshine Band. Thanks again BBC4 for showing this.
Dory they were two great editions last night. Nice to see varied lot from 1997, 1988 and 1992 to.
ReplyDeleteAgreed hope you are on the mend
ReplyDelete