Del Boy
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Post by Del Boy on Dec 24, 2015 13:37:08 GMT
Ok guys here it is, enjoy. I look forward to the reviews .
TOTP 25-12-1980
THE NOLANS – I’m In The Mood For Dancing DEXY’S MIDNIGHT RUNNERS – Geno BLONDIE – Atomic PAUL McCARTNEY – Coming Up BARBRA STREISAND – Woman In Love LIQUID GOLD – Dance Yourself Dizzy DAVID BOWIE – Ashes To Ashes MARTI WEBB – Take That Look Off Your Face THE POLICE – Don’t Stand So Close To Me FERN KINNEY – Together We Are Beautiful JOHNNY LOGAN – What’s Another Year ABBA – Super Trouper LIPPS INC – Funky Town LEO SAYER – More Than I Can Say SHEENA EASTON – 9 To 5 PINK FLOYD – Another Brick In The Wall - Pt 2 ST. WINIFRED’S SCHOOL CHOIR – There’s No-One Quite Like Grandma
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Post by Dirty Epic on Dec 24, 2015 14:32:28 GMT
Nice one Del!
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Post by Frank Spencer on Dec 24, 2015 15:26:37 GMT
Yes good reports on this weeks show Windy and Arthur. Like Retroneil I will catch up on this weeks showing later in the week. Just got back on here after a mega busy couple of weeks at work and then the dreaded pre-Xmas internet problems ! I thought there was something not quite "right" about the John Lennon performance - that explains it ! Also I would have struggled to recognize him in that red suit with long hair, certainly not the image I have in my head of him ! As for Jermaine Jackson, it was yet another classic "awkward guest" piece - and he didn't need any second invitation to give the girl with his cake a kiss did he ? lol Interesting to see just how shy & nervous Gary Numan came across compared to his stage image too - moving onto the 18th Dec show, wasn't it ironic how he appears on TOTP the day of passing his pilot's exam, according to Simon Bates, performing a song called "This Wreckage" ?! And finally, I wonder what Chas & Dave thought of having members of the audience wearing rabbit masks and those two big "chattering bunnies" sitting in front of them while they sung "Rabbit" - typical 1980 style creativity from someone behind the scenes at TOTP ! Looking forward to TOTP1981 now, Merry Xmas everyone !
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Post by Frank Spencer on Dec 24, 2015 15:30:25 GMT
A very entertaining run through of all the songs in the charts during my last full year in education.... yes I did do some!! It's a shame the last two shows can't be shown; if you can cut out the presenters Del I'd love to see them again. I've often wondered why they couldn't just edit out Saville & Travis when they left out their repeats since the series started with 1976, they edited out song performances easily enough when the time slot had to be trimmed down to 30 minutes !
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Del Boy
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Post by Del Boy on Dec 24, 2015 15:54:52 GMT
Good to see you back Retroneil. Yeah i agree about the failed experiment that is the guest slot.There have been many cringe-worthy moments since its inception and hopefully it disappears soon!
Good point about the edits. They edit them anyway to fit the 30 min slot so why they don't do what we have above is beyond me. I think its possibly that they don't want a repeat of the accusations they got a few years ago. There were complaints that the BBC were being high handed and were attempting to "change history", when they edited glitter songs out of 1976 editions.
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Del Boy
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Post by Del Boy on Dec 24, 2015 16:58:21 GMT
Christmas TOTP 25.12 1980 THE NOLAN'S – I’m In The Mood For Dancing This stuff has its market and it sold well but for me its awful. I can't stand it DEXY’S MIDNIGHT RUNNERS – Geno Dont know what Kev's saying half the time but he knows how to make a great record and this one is BLONDIE – Atomic Fantastic track. Amazing to think that the band initially thought of it as a B-side. A worthy number 1 PAUL McCARTNEY – Coming Up A good pop record this and interesting video echoing how the record was made. Paul played all the instruments on this one. BARBRA STREISAND – Woman In Love Another worthy number one. A great tack written by the Barry Gibb and sung perfectly by Barbara Streisand. If this wasn't enough a brilliant performance by Legs&Co really added something to this track. LIQUID GOLD – Dance Yourself Dizzy Commercial disco. Not the worst ever song in the genre but nowhere near the Chic benchmark. Does this bloody track hold the record for TOTP appearances ? It were on every week it seemed back in april DAVID BOWIE – Ashes To Ashes Its Bowie , its cool ,it was number 1 . Enough said MARTI WEBB – Take That Look Off Your Face A bit of M.O.R thrown in for balance i think, not my cup of tea . THE POLICE – Don’t Stand So Close To Me The Police continue their fine of hits with this chart topper FERN KINNEY – Together We Are Beautiful One hit wonder but it's easy to see why it topped the charts. Fern's unique voice gives this song It's appeal. Impressed with the live versions she delivered. JOHNNY LOGAN – What’s Another Year Oh dear what dross. ABBA – Super Trouper Like the Police the Swede's also continue their fine run of number 1 hits . LIPPS INC – Funky Town A good sounding disco track danced to in fine style by Legs&Co. The girls look fantastic in this performance and for me it was the best thing to see on this episode. LEO SAYER – More Than I Can Say SHEENA EASTON – 9 To 5 More MOR ERRRGGH PINK FLOYD – Another Brick In The Wall - Pt 2 See last year's review for this hit which straddled the end of 79 beginning of 80. ST. WINIFRED’S SCHOOL CHOIR – There’s No-One Quite Like Grandma Typical British novelty record. Every granny with a record player got a copy of this one Hence the no.1
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Post by Perfect Pseudonym on Sept 19, 2022 11:21:19 GMT
So way back when on this very thread when BBC4 were repeating 1980 episodes, I submitted a couple of reviews of what was being shown. Although time consuming I quite enjoyed writing them, but then life got in the way, and I had stopped following the TOTP re-runs.
Having now bounced back, and also having sourced pretty much all TOTP episodes from the period that matters over time, I’m in a position to basically carry on from where I left off. Even though BBC4 have long moved on from there.
The earlier two reviews were before the Chart Music podcast was invented, so I’m going to do my best to not rely on any borrowed observations or jokes that they have already come up with, especially if, as and when I get to do an episode they have already covered. As things stand that won’t be until the 14/8/80 episode, which isn’t actually that far away due to that year’s Music Union strike.
15/5/1980
Persona non gratis about town, Dave Lettuce & Tomato, is on duty for this one, and is the first thing we see. And oh dear. Very short shorts. Apparently it was hot that day according to him. The cardboard sun stuck above his head does nothing to distract from the horror going on below his half unbuttoned Bermuda shirt. I’d better move on as I’ve got him on freeze frame.
You Gave Me Love - Crown Heights Affair (chart run-down)
I remember often confusing this with Just Can’t Give You Up by Mystic Merlin at the time, although they are relatively different records. But both in the same ball park, with Narada Michael Walden standing outside begging to join in. Obviously they had the song structure all worked out, but were buggered if they could come up with the killer chorus lyrics, so they just went “wo wo wo wo wo” instead. And all the more irresistible for it. So much so, that that hook line ended up being sampled in something otherwise forgettable from the 90s. Utah Saints I think it was. A classic chart run down tune to get things started and temporarily forget about short shorts.
Pulling Mussels From A Shell - Squeeze
I’ve seen the title written as From The Shell in other sources, as well as wanton bracket use, but I believe the above is the as Difford/Tilbrook intended reading. Notable for not actually having an intro. Well pretty much. I remember Danny Baker on the radio arguing the toss that it started straight with the vocal, but a caller pointing out that there was actually a half beat before Tilbrook’s vocal came in (which there is), but Baker wasn’t having it! So it does have an intro, just not very much of one. They were good weren’t they, Squeeze. I always liked the fact that their songs were basically three minute Play For Todays. I think this one was about getting your end away at the seaside, or something. Always worth a look to see what wackiness Jools Holland was displaying on their TOTPs, and on this one he seems to have his keyboard at a 45 degree angle away from him. And Gilson Lavis given the olde-worlde drummer-at-front position, garbed in a way that made him look very much like that tall firearm obsessed one out of the Police Academy films.
Over You - Roxy Music
DLT (waist up thankfully) states that he will probably pull a few muscles himself during the show (don’t wanna know Dave) and apologises for his summer themed attire (don’t do it then) and introduces us to what I imagine to be a rare in-studio performance by a fully fleshed out line-up of the Music. Bryan Ferry looking very sharp in black leather trousers, Van Heusen type button down shirt and slim black tie, and with immaculately coiffured hair. He’s also armed with a guitar, which gets the close-ups, while Phil Manzanera to his right plays on thinking “you’re the singer, I played all the guitar parts on this” *. Also present is the latest answerer of the regularly posted “Roxy Music bass player wanted” ad, Gary Tibbs. He had come to this position from the Vibrators and before he could get his regulation Roxy suit down the dry cleaners, would return to more earthy pastures with the Ants. I’m a bit take it or leave it when it comes to Roxy, and this is in the leave box for me. A bit whiney.
* Might not be true. Ferry may very well had played the rhythm guitar, and all due apologies to him if so, but it doesn’t suit my narrative!
Hold On To My Love - Billy Ruffin
A mercifully brief view of the shorts as the camera zooms in towards DLT, who nonetheless threatens to remove more clothing due to the heat. Relax girls. Oh, you’ve all left the room anyway. And we’re led to what will now become a bit of a problem with this episode. Because it is two weeks since the first one I wrote about, and so Captain Duplication is going to dip his fly in my reviewing ointment. And as well a repeat of a song, it’s also a repeat of the same performance. Of course it is. Billy’s not going to be hanging round in London for any more than he needs to. So with carefully edited out Tommy Vance, we are led once again to the Rupert Holmes Spiral Staircase and the battle between Bill and the TOTP Orchestra is replayed for anyone who missed it before. Otherwise I’ve said it all before in my previous review which was about 43 pages before this one.
Just Can’t Give You Up - Mystic Merlin
DLT, flanked by very 1980 member of the public type girls who hadn’t been able to leave the room in time, introduces the next performance in what is a somewhere between French and German accent (Belgium?) for no discernible reason before finishing it off in his classic letch voice which does at least make more sense, because it’s time for Legs & Co. This one had appeared the previous week, but only to cover the 30 poorly framed photos used for the opening chart run down. Being ‘mericans, probably a studio only set-up and well, just being mystical, it’s odds on that a full performance of this would be emoted to by ver Legs. Normally a 6 piece ensemble, there only seems to be 5 of them, so I’m going to have to work out which one is missing. Anyway it’s a two fold display as the actual in studio performance is of them dressed up as cats (obviously), dancing between two cardboard flames presumably going for some sort of hell theme, while on a screen beyond them, a video of them dressed in white fluffy sort of skirted bathing suits (I have absolutely no idea on how to describe clothes) periodically comes up. At least it means that the baritone lead singer, who may or may not be Freddie Jackson, is able to actually display his prowess before the canned applause comes in this time. I think Lulu’s the missing one.
No Doubt About It - Hot Chocolate
An unseen DLT (hopefully still wearing the same amount of clothes he had been - ideally, more) takes us straight to a dry ice covered empty circular stage with a sort of metallic framework over it. A bit of fun is then had with the visuals as Dave reminds Hot Chocolate that they should be on stage, and then a bit of time lapse happens and then they gradually appear. Along with the audience who had also been missing, which kind of ruins the gag. But presumably would not have worked as well if the audience had been there all the time, fidgety kids that they are. The visual director’s not done there, as the band (and audience) gradually disappear again. The empty stage is then overlaid with the keyboard player doing his stuff, and the performance proper begins. Although the band/audience disappearing act is revisited at several times during the performance. This one has also been covered two weeks ago, but is a new performance this time. Nice collars Errol seems to have. The 80s are still to be dragged in screaming and kicking.
The Bucket Of Water Song - The Four Bucketeers
As Hot Chocolate and audience disappear from the stage one more time, Travis with some more 1980’s Croydon girlies (including one with stupendously large graduated fade shades who waves some sort sort of light blue teddy bear thing in front of DLT, which was presumably then passed on to her younger sister to display when she appeared on Blockbusters a few years later) tells us that this next song definitely deserves to be in the charts. I suspect that the sentiment is very much tongue in cheek from BBC man Travis. Because this is up there as the epitome of surreal. The Tiswas team at the Beeb. Probably autosuggestion, but it really does seem like that they had turned up at TV centre security wearing Wogan, Bough, Lawley and Blackburn masks and ripping them off once through. I haven’t navigated all the way through this site, but there must be a Tiswas thread in here somewhere, so I’ll refrain from any further deconstruction of the show in general, and just focus on the performance here. So in a line from left to right we have Chris Tarrant in a black jacket over a Compost Corner T-shirt and wearing massive green wellies, John Gorman looking a bit like Jasper Carrott does now if he’d chosen to fully emphasise his male pattern baldness and wearing what could be a prototype of the red jacket that Michael Jackson wore in the Thriller video, Sally James in a sparkly waistcoat with not much underneath and therefore compensating the dads for the missing Leg & Co earlier, and Bob Carolgees in a cream jacket and pyjama-esque stripey trousers and with his obligatory fake arm with that mutt sitting aloft. For some reason there’s some sort of sailor vent dummy sitting behind them. I wonder if he had to wear a Lord Charles mask to get in. All four of the human participants are with buckets, which they throw around dispensing glitter. I recall reading somewhere a long time ago, that they were point blank refused water. Health & safety gone mad. No such qualms at the ATV studios. But that’s ITV for you. Anyway, the performance has various freeze frames going on, which is either because many retakes were needed because of ITV anarchy, or to cover for glitter replenishing. Dreadful song from an excellent programme in exactly the same way the Chicken Song was. Sadly Noel Edmonds was off the TOTP presenting roster by this time so this was a great what could have been.
Fool For Your Loving - Whitesnake
DLT points out that the water was mysteriously cut off for that last performance and introduces us to some more 1980 girlies surrounding him, explaining that they are apparently Americans from Lakenheath. Which could be a suburb of Croydon, but I believe is actually an RAF base in Suffolk which is primarily for the use of the US Air Force. So either very young cadets or the daughters of Air Force personnel. He asks one of them if she fancies a bit of Whitesnake, to which she obviously responds “yes”, and he then offers to take her to the canteen after the show. Now, it was probably always intended as the usual dissing down of the BBC catering, but let’s just say that with hindsight, it’s a comment that has not aged very well at all! Anyway, this another duplication from the 1st of May episode with the same “live performance but with dubbed on single soundtrack” video as well. I didn’t talk about the video before, and I won’t this time either. It’s pretty much what you’d expect.
Don’t Make Waves - The Nolans
DLT joined by some more girlies of the moment, but a couple of them wearing rather lurid mauve and pale green jump suits which actually seem to hint at 1981 and could possibly have been the first two in the queue when the Blitz Club opened for business. No sign of the Lakenheath girl who, with no more David Coverdale to see, has probably gone off the idea of BBC catering and gone for a McDonalds instead. Another duplication from two weeks ago, but very much a new performance as proved by the panning of the camera from DLT, Stephanie Strange and Girl Georgina to the recently vacated Hot Chocolate stage where the singing siblings are just getting going to the TOTP Orchestra accompaniment. Such a shame that laughs couldn’t be had by making them disappear and then a baffled looking Errol Brown and co reappearing briefly before the Nolans reappeared properly. ITV would have done it. As before there are four of them, as this is still pre-Coleen joining in even though it was in 1980 that she did. So therefore I can only identify Bernie as one of them. I think another one is Linda but have no idea which one she is on the stage. As for the song, it’s just a gloopy forgettable thing which I couldn’t like ironically.
Mirror In The Bathroom - The Beat
From the Nolans it’s straight to a brief glimpse of Everett Morton on the drums, and then on to David Steele’s bass and an unseen DLT makes a crack about them singing about a place you can’t get near to at breakfast time in the morning, and it’s on to a repeat of their performance that I spoke gushingly about two weeks before. And even though much time has passed since I gave that appraisal, nothing has changed. It still one of the best singles of the 80s. Something I hadn’t realised this time round is that the second and third verses were actually sung by Ranking Roger. At least that’s how the camera shoots indicated anyway. It’s sad to note that three of the six of them, and all of them the members of colour, are no longer with us. RIP to them all.
Breathing - Kate Bush
DLT with yet more from the 1980 female audience pool illustrates that the sun is setting on the episode by bringing his cardboard star of our solar system (didn’t want to write sun again so soon after the first one) down to the side of his head as he introduces us to what he describes as a lovely song from Kate Bush. It’s not how I’d describe what as far as I’m concerned is a terrifying song. But Dave’s probably got a different compass to what is terrifying to mine. It’s not just a duplication of the song’s appearance and video of her inside what looks like one of those large footballs that you might get on an activity day, it’s also a duplicate of the running order as she followed the Beat two weeks previously as well. Otherwise what I said of the song before still stands.
No Self Control - Peter Gabriel
DLT now minus any female audience members (probably all down at McDonalds) and with his cardboard sun now affixed to the left t*t of his Bermuda shirt introduces us to a former record of the week of his, and could well have been the title of his later released biography. This was the even weirder follow-up to the former Genesis vocalist’s already quite weird Games Without Frontiers, and even as the pure pop kid of 13 that I was, I always did quite like this. And still do. Although there was probably an equally weird video of this, it is an-studio performance by Pete and various anonymous types as his backing band. Sadly Brian Pern has sort of spoiled any look back at Gabriel’s solo work, so it was a little odd not to see Al Murray on the drums behind him. There is a pan back from the stage at one point, but only technical bods are shown at forefront and I wonder if it was a pre-record before the kids (and Tiswas) were let in. Would have probably been a bit leftfield for the little dears, as he does give quite a theatrical and slightly scary performance, stopping just short of holding a torch up to his face during the blackout phases. Certainly a highlight for me this week. And I think may have been Kate Bush’s second (albeit unseen) appearance as I suspect she provided the female vocals towards the end.
I Shoulda Loved Ya - Narada Michael Walden
DLT still on his own and with cardboard sun now attached to his mic (just get rid of the bloody thing Dave) and fesses up in plain sight by stating that self control is what he sometimes doesn’t have in the studio, and then introduces us to the next video in his comedy getting down with his bad self accent. As expected it’s the same video as two week previous, with Mikey stretching his pipes behind the skins and the twin-necked funk guitarist, The guitar being twin-necked, not the guitarist you understand. Presumably as we’ve seen it all before, it is given a relatively short shrift.
What’s Another Year - Johnny Logan
Talking of shorts, it’s back to DLT, this time flanked either side by two male/female couples - very probably didn’t come into the studios with that status, and as far as the girls were concerned, very much intending to leave the studios with the same status, although the chap on the left obviously fancies his chances as he has his arm draped around “his” girl who is looking slightly concerned towards Travis. Talk about being caught between a rock and a hard place. DLT is now holding the cardboard sun in his left hand draped down just covering the bit of left leg that would otherwise be in view, and presumably its next destination is the bin. Hope he used the cardboard recycling one. It’s number one time, and having been the credit closer two weeks ago, and then appearing in studio while Dexys were still flicking him the V’s in last week’s episode, here he has his chance to lord it over all and sundry. Although there is no panning from DLT and the cutting room Blind Date couples, it is obviously a new performance, as, well he’s dressed differently from last week, and there’s a massive polystyrene ‘1’ that comes into view as the camera gradually pans round Johnny. Reflecting the heatwave that DLT had been banging on about during the episode, Johnny is in a very casual light blue button down shirt with white, yellow and pinky red striping, and with top button undone but not in a gruesome DLT way. Thankfully not wearing shorts and probably told DLT to do one when he was presented with a cardboard sun. The sax player is back and looks to be the same one as last week, and is given the Rupert Holmes Spiral Staircase to parp away during his bit. Otherwise still the same mushy nonsense that made Ireland and Australia proud in 1980.
Suicide Is Painless - The Mash (or just Mash - can’t remember!) (credits)
If there had been any lingering doubt from anyone who may have cared if it was a new peformance or not, this is answered by an animated DLT coming on screen to a non-plussed Johnny at the end of his performance, waving that bloody cardboard sun about and probably hoping that Johnny would take it off him, which didn’t happen. Apparently it was Johnny’s birthday today (so therefore recorded on 13 May - thanks wikipedia) and a cake is duly bought on by Gill (I think) from Legs & Co who gets a quick peck from Johnny and presumably a withering stare from a now off camera DLT as he takes the cake from her and also another future Blockbusters toy mascot dinosaur thing from an audience member. It’s not clear what the cake is decorated with, but with the green on it, presumably going for an Irish theme. Should have been a corked hat, boomerang and Sydney Harbour Bridge on it as well. Anyway, what better song to play us out from this party atmosphere than a dirge theme song from a 10 year old film. It does make a more full appearance in next week’s show, so I’ll leave it there for now, except to ask, how come this was a hit, let alone an eventual number one?
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Cartman
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Post by Cartman on Sept 19, 2022 12:07:05 GMT
From that list I like:
Squeeze Hot Chocolate The Beat Kate Bush Narada Michael Waldren
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Nightfly
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Post by Nightfly on Sept 19, 2022 19:30:57 GMT
Loving the reviews ! I started off with good intentions of recording TOTP when BBC Four started the re-runs from 1976 but then got totally lost when they started skipping episodes due to the Tree of Yew. Found most of them eventually. Anyway, what better song to play us out from this party atmosphere than a dirge theme song from a 10 year old film. It does make a more full appearance in next week’s show, so I’ll leave it there for now, except to ask, how come this was a hit, let alone an eventual number one? What I find even weirder was the dirgey lyrics about suicide were written by director Robert Altman's 15 year old son. Have to agree with Carty's selections. My favourites too.
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Post by Windy Miller on Sept 19, 2022 19:39:44 GMT
I think Lulu’s the missing one. You think right
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