What's she gonna look like with a 24th of April 1998 edition of Top of the Pops on her!
Smokin
24-4-98: Presenter: Jayne Middlemiss
(6) ULTRA NATÉ – Found A Cure
At its peak.
(5) SAVAGE GARDEN – Truly Madly Deeply
Another showing for the song that had already peaked at number 4.
(12) MIGHTY MIGHTY BOSSTONES – The Impression That I Get
Here with their only top 40 hit and it got no higher.
(3) THE TAMPERER feat. MAYA – Feel It
Making their debut with their first of three top ten hits and this one will get to number one.
(2) BUSTA RHYMES – Turn It Up (via satellite)
His third of nine top ten hits, this was the biggest and it was at its peak.
(9) 187 LOCKDOWN – Kung Fu
In the studio with their only top ten hit but it got no higher.
(11) TZANT – Sounds Of Wickedness
With their second of three top 40 hits, this was the biggest and it was at its peak.
(1) RUN D.M.C. versus JASON NEVINS – It’s Like That (video) (and credits)
Sixth and final week at number one.
25-8-77: Presenter: Noel Edmonds (700th TOTP)
ReplyDelete(21) DONNA SUMMER – Down Deep Inside (Theme From The Deep) (and charts)
(19) THE RODS – Do Anything You Wanna Do
(4) ELVIS PRESLEY – Way Down (danced to by Legs & Co)
(47) THE BOOMTOWN RATS – Looking After No. 1
(8) DENIECE WILLIAMS – That’s What Friends Are For (video)
(23) THIN LIZZY – Dancin’ In The Moonlight (It’s Caught Me In It’s Spotlight)
(16) SPACE – Magic Fly (video)
(27) THE ADVERTS – Gary Gilmore’s Eyes
(NEW) PAGE THREE – Hold On To Love
(1) THE FLOATERS – Float On (video)
(22) JEAN-MICHEL JARRE – Oxygene Part IV (and credits)
At the beginning of the show, Noel Edmonds mentioned the 'rotten weather' that week in August 1977. Compare this to the famous summer before in 1976 which was crying out for rain but suffered extreme heat and drought.
DeleteAnyway, this 1977 show was only a week after Elvis Presley died, and not surprisingly Way Down went straight in at No.4, and in those days no single had ever gone straight in at No.1, although someone correct me if I am wrong, and all the other tunes in the show seemed to take a secondary position on the show to the King's new entry.
I also liked the video by Magic Fly which recently became available on iTunes this year, and a great addition to the pop video collection. Even Noel Edmonds found the video enthralling with the dancing girl in the spacesuit taking centre of attention along with the very tall lanky band members.
Noel Edmonds chuckling us into this edition. Show 700. Peter Powell got an enormous cake for show 750 but no mention of a landmark here. I wonder why. Noel very cheerful regardless. Beautiful record to go with the charts. Donna Summer just couldn't put a foot wrong around this time. 'Down Deep Inside' is a classic which should've made the Top 3. Did Jacqueline Bisset have a good singing voice? She would've made a perfect 1977 pop star if she had.
DeleteThe Rods; Eddie and the taking a break and 'Do Anything You Want To Do' a perfect start which charges thrillingly along. Noel's link was a good one I thought, managing to give a whole load of info including the apparently bad summer weather ("phew!" I suspect some people were saying), Donna Summer having two entries in the charts this week, the movie the latest one's from and the number of chart positions The Rods have climbed. He appears to get the title slightly wrong in the process and slightly crashes the start of the song but crashes superbly. Barrie Masters charges all over the place even when he's rooted to the spot and it's delirious mass of grins and wide eyes straight into the camera. Yes, this show is almost a hand held camera special with tons of jerking about. This is 1977 so it can't be due to the audience.
Elvis Presley; The King left the building 9 days previous so that of course explains Noel's thoughtful link and probably also why Legs & Co have come on so early. Great record. Alright routine. On a runway with Elvis on a big screen and some blurry lights. '50s look which is fair enough and some high speed jiving about. Very cheerful which is perhaps surprising but 'Way Down' is a joyous single. A touching salute from the girls at the end.
The Boomtown Rats; Some punk interlopers up next so Noel offers a link of jovial undercutting. Something about badges. This one's a real racket, careering down a steep hill with Bob Geldof right in the camera and archness from the others. Really exciting and the chorus causes the audience to do something impossible to comprehend; they get involved!!! The finger pointing from the centre bunch great to watch. Who needs a cake? The hand held camera being tested to its limits here.
Deniece Williams; Breather. A complete change of style with a wonderful song and video which has Deniece Williams (and Noel as well) framed by blossom of some kind which soon melts away to show just the singer and her adorable manner of looking both masterful and uncertain at the same time. I love her smiling expressions to someone or something off camera and that voice is a marvel. Very stylish and evocative few minutes with a perfect chorus.
Thin Lizzy; The variety in this show is really enjoyable and from the dreamy to the broodingly rocky with 'Dancing In The Moonlight' and that fun/creepy bass note. De ga da de ga da dum! How cool is Phil Lynott with the big afro and...is that eyeliner? Or has he got a black eye? If the latter that's the coolest shiner I've ever seen! It's just a great few minutes of band bonhomie with a noticeably delighted John Helliwell of Supertramp on sax. Of course there's also the hyperactive camera which sways about in perfect sync with Lynott's ever expressive movements. Highlight of the show, maybe of the year.
Space; A massive hit which is strange considering how utterly novel they both look and sound. Then again the big out there was very in that year and it's a real earworm melody. The video must've been a total shock to the senses for many at the time. They (particularly the drummer) look like something from a totally different time. At least a different one from Showaddywaddy. The exotic girl in shiny costume is more '77.
Pt.2
DeleteThe Adverts; More of those yobboes on here. Noel offers a straight link without any suggestion of disgruntlement (he's also got his back to us) and the camera moves with un punk ponderousness towards the stage where TV Smith in joke shop sunglasses waits to grind his teeth and holler some proper punk rock. Again the audience for the most part seemed to enjoy it. No one looking anxiously around, which is, for this one at least, something of a suprise. I like Gaye Advert's ultra cool look with only the vaguest attempt to mime her vocals. Considering they were presumably aghast at having to do this, they do a really engaged performance. Great theatrical ending from Smith as it judders to a halt.
Page Three; Were these three marketed as a launcher version of Rock Follies by any chance? I don't know as I have nothing much to go on with the earlier group and I've never seen the TV show. Whatever Page 3 were put together for, they left a good single with some wistful '77 chords and a throaty tune. All in leopardskin. Meoww! The lead singer looks very much like a young Michelle Collins although it's more correct to say she resembles Rula Lenska. She puts on a real show of barely concealed spurned passion and fortunately the camera doesn't jerk about too much (don't) or she might have stopped proceedings to put a big boot through it. She's very imposing and the other two support her well enough. Enjoyed that one. Noel reminds us he's also presenting a weekly Saturday morning kids show and instructs the viewer to erase, "those naughty thoughts!". Not too much of a task
with The Floaters at No.1 which is as hilarious as it is romantic and couldn't have been composed and recorded without tongues partly in cheek. Maybe not, given the period. It does sound gorgeous though what 'Float On' as a phrase has to do with announcing your star sign is something I don't have any grasp of. Maybe Space knew the answer. Clearly begging for a Barron Knights skit but it somehow still works and topped (and tailed) off with a curious ending that sees the group in unison reach down and swirl around dramatically as the music just evaporates. Fade to Noel's face as he goes into one of those playfully conversational moments and one of my favourite editions for variety plays out to 'Oxygene (Part IV') over the credits sequence (Part MXXVII)
Dory I think the last straight in at No.1 at that point was Slade 'Merry Xmas Everybody' so it had happened before but a true rarity. It's surprising Elvis didn't go straight in at the top but it certainly beat off all competition for several weeks.
DeleteExcellent episode, very punky. Do not remember page three at all… interesting watching with subtitles - completely wrong with what I have been singing in looking after number one for ll these years, and some of gary gilmore :)
DeleteBest tune this week has to go to The Tamperer featuring Maya, going straight in at No.3.
ReplyDeleteI must say this was one of the better sampling tunes than others recently gracing the charts, with this one sampling The Jacksons 1981 hit Can You Feel It, which itself is still up there as one of the greatest hits of the 80s, especially the groundbreaking video at the time, the longer version that is with the American narrative in the first minute:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrKZNqIR2U0
Run DMC vs Jason Nevins - final week at No.1, and I must admit I'm going to miss this one, as it was one of the defining moments of 1998, and still sounds good on any dancefloor present-day. The video is what made it stand out, as I think without it, it would not have been at No.1 for so long, or at all perhaps, as the group never came to the TOTP studio to perform it, but only the video for all six weeks at No.1.