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Post by Perfect Pseudonym on May 21, 2015 18:58:14 GMT
Looking forward to this.
But I never bother with the early half-hour showing, I PVR the full late edition, and watch it the next day.
Although BBC4 have been repeating TOTPs since about 1976 (is it?), I've only really started following them since February. And because I'm more used to old TOTPs from about the mid-80s when I video'd some, I'd completely forgotten how starchy and understated the presentation was on these ones. I'm more used to the woops and yelps, and the streamers and balloons of the Hurll era. And I'd completely forgotten that the whole top 30 countdown always started them off.
Not a criticism by the way. I think I preferred the more low-key style.
I'm also going to avoid this thread prior to a TOTP showing as well. I like the surprise element of what's going to be on!
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Post by Perfect Pseudonym on May 22, 2015 22:06:26 GMT
My thoughts on who was on this week's showing...
Don’t Push It Don’t Force It - Leon Haywood (chart run-down)
Or Kool & The Gang’s Ladies Night with a more dour chorus line. It’s alright though, but not a must have for the pod. Although this is I think its third time on the Pops, we’ve never actually seen Leon in the studio or on video as previously it had been used as the closing tune and the other time being danced to by Ver Legs. Does anyone know what Leon looks like? Can we be sure that’s him in the chart run-down gallery?
This World Of Water - New Musik
A sort of blind alley as far as showing us the future were this lot. Perennially locked in 1980, because they were too modern for 1979, but lacking a certain edge to compete with the brash young newcomers of the next year. However for that one year when they had their place, they released some cracking singles. Living By Numbers, this one, and the later Sanctuary were all thoroughly likeable slices of modern but not futuristic pop. Lead singer Tony Mansfield would go on to become a man-with-a-Fairlight producer throughout the 80s and probably beyond. And also serve as visual inspiration for Dr Martin Dear in Green Wing. I think the keyboard player went on to become Stephen Merchant.
I Shoulda Loved Ya - Narada Michael Walden
I always remember this back then because of the singing drummer novelty. Made more unusual as he was basically a solo act and not a band member, and there he is background to all his session musicians! It’s a great track though with nice solid 4 on the floor production. Strange to see a guitarist in the funk/disco idiom with a double necked guitar though! He would return the the UK charts about 8 years later having shedded the non-exotic Michael Walden part of his name!
Something Missing - The Chords
While Dr Martin Dear’s on vocals for New Musik, Jay Cartwright from The Inbetweeners is fronting this lot. One of the several mod-aligned outfits of the time, riding on the twin parka tails of Paul Weller (who was then in the early stages of his life-long career of forever influencing someone somewhere!) and Quadrophenia. I’ve heard of them, but was never aware of anything they did, and this one certainly passed me by at the time. Visually they look strangely contemporary nowadays thanks to the emergence of bands like The KIllers and Franz Ferdinand. According to various comments I’ve read, they are just Jam soundalikes. Which is true if we’re talking about a Bruce Foxton B-side. To me it sounds like Eddy & The Hot Rods. I want to like this, but it’s just dull I’m afraid.
The Groove - Rodney Franklin (Legs & co)
In other words, see Leon Haywood. I think this one has also served as opening and closing duties, and this time round it’s Rodney’s turn to be represented by Ver Legs. Poor Leon and Rodney. Probably both sitting in a bar together right now wondering if anyone will recognise them. Rodney has it worse, cos at least Leon has his voice on record! While Weller was a major influential force on the Chords, old Rod can counter that by feeding the inspiration of the legend that was Shakatak. As for the Legs routine, they have a nice brown themed extra-long sofa to deal with. Lots of legs and sitting down, and then a rather bizarre ending in which all of them bar one hide behind the said sofa with just their clapping hands visible. Strange, but it made the track more interesting I suppose. Sorry Rodney. Have another drink mate. It’s Leon’s round anyway!
Fool For Your Loving - Whitesnake
I’m by no means a hard rock afficienado whatsoever, but I remember disliking this on first listen back then (may have actually been this very TOTP) because I felt it was a blatant misuse of the guitar riff to the recent Rainbow hit All Night Long which I really liked. However, I soon warmed to it on its own terms and found myself liking a whole string of Whitesnake singles beyond this. This is probably going to seem mean to the legend that is David Coverdale, but watching this now, I keep seeing Justin Hawkins of the Darkness. I do like the slight growl in The Vance’s voice when he introduced the clip. Stuff Leon, Rodney and that disco sap who thinks he’s Jimmy Page with the twin-necked guitar, this is what he was there for!
Hold On To My Love - Jimmy Ruffin
And taking his position on the coveted “Rupert Holmes Spiral Staircase” is the not too long ago departed Jimmy Ruffin. Unfortunately he forgot to bring his copy of the record, so his mic had to be switched on, and the TOTP Symphony Orchestrated Shambles had to miss a tea break to learn the chords. The result is the usual cacophony, although Jimmy does his best. The actual record you’d hear on the radio was a relatively pleasant if a little bit bland Barry Gibb (or all of the Bee Gees, I’m not sure) penned track which livens up a bit for the middle-eight.
Wheels Of Steel - Saxon
Are wheels of steel supposed to be a good thing then? Aren’t they generally fitted to the base level cars? Still to be fair to Saxon, I have tried singing it as Wheels Of Alloy, and it doesn’t scan anywhere near as well. Anyway another little growl from Tommy who’s just had to endure a) some Bee Gees pap and b) some Bee Gees pap played live and badly. Now it’s more of that leather power stuff. I am familiar with a couple of Saxon singles, and actually quite like And The Bands Played On of the next year, but I don’t recall this one. It’s not too bad if a little formulaic. I like the drummer’s little dig at Narada’s guitarist: “Twin neck? How about twin bass drum mate?”
No Doubt About It - Hot Chocolate
And now we have the very recently departed Errol Brown. Hot Chocolate were an odd sort of group. Sometimes they would do very straightforward by-the-numbers pop/light soul stuff like You Sexy Thing, Girl Crazy, It Started With A Kiss, etc, and other times they would do some quite striking futuristic atmospheric stuff such as Every 1’s A Winner, Put Your Love In Me and You’ll Never Be So Wrong. This particular one manages to be a bit of both, as it starts out quite moody and edgy, but becomes a bit ordinary as the song progresses. There’s not many songs that I’m really pleased to hear when it starts and end up shrugging my shoulders at the end!
Leaving Here - Motorhead (I don’t know how to put the umlaut on the second ‘o’!)
In Later With Jools Holland style the camera tracks from Hot Choc having to do that awkward finishing playing to a fading-out backing track thing to a smaller stage no doubt filled with empty beer cans, stubbed out fags and a wall of amps. I’ve always liked Lemmy’s singing stance with his high positioned mic, even if I’ve not liked a great deal of what he’s had to sing into it! The later Ace Of Spades was class though, but I don’t see much in this at all. What is particularly striking about this performance is not so much the band themselves, but the sight of three head bangers at the front of the stage making up for the lack of movement of the rest of the audience who presumably thought they were at the right stage for the Nolans.
Don’t Make Waves - The Nolans
And here indeed they are. I have absolutely no recollection of this one whatsoever. However, I’m quite sure that this is another TOTP Orchestra presentation. Still at least the cowbell player kept good time, which you can quite easily tell on account of how obtrusive it is! Slightly wobbly harmonies from the sis’s as well, although the lead vocals of (also now departed) Bernie are reasonably good. However, as much as I’ve mellowed in years and I’m quite happy to declare my guilty pleasures in things I would have kept very quiet about then, this doesn’t apply to the Nolans who’s work I still generally dislike.
Mirror In The Bathroom - The Beat
One of the best singles of 1980 as far as I’m concerned. Tune - great. Vocals - vibrant. Bassline - intricate. Guitar - snappy. Saxophone - clear and concise. Saxaphonist - ancient even then. But bloody cool! Indeed the Beat did seem to me for a while the coolest band on the planet for a short while, and I think history looks back on their hayday still favourably. And I hate it when they are referred to as The English Beat in this country. Fair enough in America for which I understand the reasonings, but as soon as they are halfway across the Atlantic, they are The Beat!
Breathing - Kate Bush
Two reviews here. The first for the the video and visuals: “cor, growl, wowee, phwarr, cold shower required”. The second for the single: Sorry but I’ve never liked this. Back in the day I used to actually avoid listening to it. Although I never digested the lyrics properly, it was obvious it was about the nuclear threat, which was very real back then. I didn’t like confronting that as I was looking forward to life ahead of me, so I would just shut this single out totally. Of course times change and there are different things to worry about now. So although the single has been granted an amnesty, I still don’t like it. Too much of a dirge. But at least I can enjoy the video now!
Geno - Dexy’s Midnight Runners
Here we are at the number one slot and wasn’t there a lot them? Just as well they weren’t on Motorhead’s stage. No room for all of them and the left behind beer cans. Another of the greatest singles of 1980. Kevin Rowland (or Dexy as I thought he was for a little while back them - in the same way I thought Ian McCullough was called Echo!) has a voice that polarises opinion. I’m in the like camp. Very characterful, but I had no idea what he was singing about. He should have done Breathing really, and then Kate could have sung about Geno while wrapped in cellophane! I didn’t know who the Geno was at the time but just assumed he was probably very famous to the oldies and very dead. I was surprised to eventually find out that he was not particularly well known and very much still alive. As indeed I believe he still is now. Although he’s probably a bit more famous now, on account of someone singing a song about him once. Or we think it was about him, hard to tell.
What’s Another Year - Johnny Logan (playout)
And from the top of the Rupert Holmes Spiral Staircase, surrounded by cardigan wearing lovelies, The Vance calls an end to proceedings and it’s all down to the Australian bloke who once went to a stag do in Dublin to sing his way out of the show. But not forever, he’ll be back and unlike Leon and Rodney, we will get to see him. On the plus side, it means that I don’t need to write much about him now, on the minus side, we get to see him and hear the song again!
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Post by Dirty Epic on May 26, 2015 8:32:45 GMT
Good review there PP! Once again I’m really enjoying these TOTP repeats. If anything they're showing the mix of music styles in the charts in 1980 with post-disco/freestyle/funk, new wave, rock, mod/ska and pop all being represented. The only real turd on this one was the ‘kin Nolans... and Johnny Logan. Even the ‘cock-rock’ from Whitesnake and Saxon was quite entertaining in comparison to them. Still at least Liquid Gold seem to have disappeared from view now and really looking forward to this week’s episode with OMD and The Human League appearing. Also good to see Tommy Vance on this one too used to like it when he did the Top 40 in the early 80's too.
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Post by Windy Miller on May 26, 2015 19:36:02 GMT
Mirror In The Bathroom - The Beat One of the best singles of 1980 Maybe one of the best singles of the 1980's Brilliant review Perfect Pseudonym. Very accurate refection of the show.
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Post by Perfect Pseudonym on May 26, 2015 20:19:30 GMT
Thanks chaps
Hope to have some time to write up the next one after its been on.
Yes dirtyepic, 1980 was a real "anything goes" year. We've left punk well behind now, and the whole new romantic/futurist thing is currently brewing away in the background - Spandau Ballet and Visage will usher that in towards the end of the year. Although we will see Steve Strange in the summer - I'm sure most of you will know how and why!
Liquid Gold's follow up to Dizzy, Substitute, is actually quite a nice song. I've got a feeling that its release coincides directly with the strike, so I'm guessing that never was on TOTP. Spares us the drummer I suppose!
Good to see Tommy Vance. Very much the authority of British rock, but he was excellent on the Sunday Top 40 shows back in the day. He most probably hated a lot of what he played, but he hid it very well and often had lots of interesting trivia about what he was playing. Was it a coincidence there were 3 "metal" tracks on his debut, or was he picked for that very reason?
Looking forward to this Thursday's. Or Friday/the weekend, whenever I watch it!
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Post by Windy Miller on May 28, 2015 21:42:22 GMT
Not a spoiler this week, as the show has been broadcast. Peter Powell presents :- MYSTIC MERLIN – Just Can’t Give You Up THE HUMAN LEAGUE – Rock And Roll JOHNNY LOGAN – What’s Another Year? PRELUDE – Platinum Blonde MICHAEL JACKSON – She’s Out Of My Life MATCHBOX – Midnite Dynamos AVERAGE WHITE BAND – Let’s Go Round Again JONA LEWIE – You’ll Always Find Me In The Kitchen At Parties COCKNEY REJECTS – The Greatest Cockney Rip-Off BONEY M – My Friend Jack THE RUTS – Staring At The Rude Boys ORCHESTRAL MANOEUVRES IN THE DARK – Messages THE UNDERTONES – My Perfect Cousin DEXY’S MIDNIGHT RUNNERS – Geno HOT CHOCOLATE – No Doubt About It First broadcast 8 May 1980 A good line up this week. I've not seen it yet, but it looks like the show where you get to see a lot of Legs & Co., especially Sue
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Del Boy
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Post by Del Boy on Jun 2, 2015 18:41:30 GMT
Not a spoiler this week, as the show has been broadcast. Peter Powell presents :- MYSTIC MERLIN – Just Can’t Give You Up THE HUMAN LEAGUE – Rock And Roll JOHNNY LOGAN – What’s Another Year? PRELUDE – Platinum Blonde MICHAEL JACKSON – She’s Out Of My Life MATCHBOX – Midnite Dynamos AVERAGE WHITE BAND – Let’s Go Round Again JONA LEWIE – You’ll Always Find Me In The Kitchen At Parties COCKNEY REJECTS – The Greatest Cockney Rip-Off BONEY M – My Friend Jack THE RUTS – Staring At The Rude Boys ORCHESTRAL MANOEUVRES IN THE DARK – Messages THE UNDERTONES – My Perfect Cousin DEXY’S MIDNIGHT RUNNERS – Geno HOT CHOCOLATE – No Doubt About It First broadcast 8 May 1980 A good line up this week. I've not seen it yet, but it looks like the show where you get to see a lot of Legs & Co., especially Sue Not a great episode this week, more chaff than wheat. i have to say though I think that was my favourite Legs & Co performance to date Wow. Interesting to see The Human Leagues performance, didn't rate the song much though. Musically I liked The Ruts , The Undertones and Dexy's ? The rest was pretty much pants
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Post by Steve Austin on Jun 2, 2015 21:45:45 GMT
Not doing myself any favours here but I liked Matchbox The video reminded me a bit of The Young Ones with the cutaways to various scenes around London including The Worlds End. They must have been a favourite of the producers too as they were recorded at least a couple of times as there is a costume change halfway through the studio performance. The kids in the audience didn't seem to move much, certainly not as much as Legs & Co who seemed to be in their underwear Liked Jona Lewie too, always thought he was a little like BA Robertson though.
Not sure about Peter Powell's jump suit!
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Del Boy
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Post by Del Boy on Jun 2, 2015 21:49:48 GMT
Spot on Steve. I forgot to mention Peter Powell's jump suit , which was absolutely ridiculous
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Post by Steve Austin on Jun 2, 2015 21:53:46 GMT
Not as good as mine that's for sure
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