Topic: Top of the Pops on BBC Four - Thread Two.

[JesusAndYourBush]

(4) SABRINA – Boys (Summertime Love)
Bounce Bounce Bounce! (I'm Looking for a good bra)

She bounces right out of her bra in the video. Crikey.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxQt4JqlSOg

I didn't see the recent TOTP airings, but going from memory of the original broadcast, didn't the BBC add black bars across the top and bottom of the video to make it look widescreen, which effectively censored most of the tittage?
And again going from memory, in the next week when she appears on the show rather than as a video, there's a moment where she reaches for the zip on her flimsy top and she must have given the producer a heart attack, but then she goes and zips it UP.  Millions of teenage boys watching all go awwwww in unison.

[A Hat Like That]

Yeah, the video had white bars at the top and bottom.

[A Hat Like That]

and they missed the opening

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NS0tQHTdQCM

jesus
wept

[daf]

And again going from memory, in the next week when she appears on the show rather than as a video, there's a moment where she reaches for the zip on her flimsy top and she must have given the producer a heart attack

Yes, that's the one was shown yesterday - it'll be repeated once more on BBC4 tonight, if you fancy recording it for your "special" tape!

[Glamorgan testicle ward]

I didn't see the recent TOTP airings, but going from memory of the original broadcast, didn't the BBC add black bars across the top and bottom of the video to make it look widescreen, which effectively censored most of the tittage?
And again going from memory, in the next week when she appears on the show rather than as a video, there's a moment where she reaches for the zip on her flimsy top and she must have given the producer a heart attack, but then she goes and zips it UP.  Millions of teenage boys watching all go awwwww in unison.

That cleavage is powerful.

[JesusAndYourBush]

Yes, that's the one was shown yesterday - it'll be repeated once more on BBC4 tonight, if you fancy recording it for your "special" tape!

I still have it on VHS from 1988!

[Glamorgan testicle ward]

I still have it on VHS from 1988!

I bet there's plenty of wavy lines on it. Time to crack out another Scotch tape. Re-record, not fap away.

[Norton Canes]

16 June 1988: Presenters: Gary Davies & Mike Read

Watching the first few studio performances, I thought the audience looked particularly sparse - then I realised half of them were probably Brosettes with no interest in watching anyone else.

(4) SABRINA – Boys (Summertime Love)
Bounce Bounce Bounce! (I'm Looking for a good bra)

Yeah, it does make me laugh when she fiddles with her zip near the end, presumably worried that she might look less than demure

(21) MATT BIANCO – Don't Blame It On That Girl
Matt! Hat! Spats! (I'm ready for my Tap-dance)

Oh man, you have to feel sorry for Matt (yes, I know) here. His backing singer makes a horrendous attempt at some breakdancing (he chickens out of a step-through altogether) all in glorious close-up. Soon after, Mr Bianco goes full-on Terence Trent D'Arby with some spectacular splits, but the director has cut to a shot from behind the drum kit and his gymnastics go all but unnoticed. 

(2) BROS – I Owe You Nothing
Ooh-Ooh, Urghhh-Urghhh!! (Sometimes he grunts, Matt is growling "Ooh") (chorus : x2)

A penny for Craig's thoughts here. In stark contrast to his sibling bandmates he's not playing up to the crowd at all, remaining impassive throughout. I like to think that all he's got going through his head is "Another few months of this, just another few months, that's all... make a few contacts, get into the business side, I'll be minted..."   

(16) THE PASADENAS – Tribute (Right On) (video / credits)
Box Box Box! (I want one made from good pine)

In a pleasing bit of symmetry we start with a nice chest and end with some nice chests.

[Norton Canes]

Drummond and Cauty had gone into the studio with the intention of recording a house version of the Dr. Who theme (the title was a play on Coldcut's Doctorin' The House), but upon realisisng it was in triplet time found the only beat that would work with it was the 'schaffel' beat so beloved of 70s glam

Pah! They obviously weren't trying hard enough!

For the TOTP performance, they originally wanted to just have the car on the stage surrounded by smoke with it's lights going, but were told that would be right out by the BBC. Instead they came up with the black and white toppers and tails outfits

I always thought this was maybe a nod to the Black and White Guardians

Coler's friend Dominic Glynn had recorded the new arrangement of the Dr Who theme for the show's 23rd season

Thank f*** they weren't friends with Keff McCulloch

[buzby]

Pah! They obviously weren't trying hard enough!

I dunno, that still doesn't sound right, like the bass triplets have been bent to fit their 4/4 drum pattern, and the lead melody just sort of floats over the top.

I always thought this was maybe a nod to the Black and White Guardians

I don't think Drummond and Cauty are that big fans of Who. It's more likely due to the Discordian use of black and white to represent the forces of order and chaos, which was a major feature of their visual imagery and mythology (Ford Timelord being black and white, most of their record sleeves being black and white,  The speed-metal influenced The Black Room being the aborted follow-up to the Staduim House/pop version of The White Room and so on).

Thank f*** they weren't friends with Keff McCulloch

A bullet dodged, there!

On the subject of Sabrina, although I remember the TOTP appearance and video as clearly as any adolescent boy of the late 80s, looking back it seems to be the point a line was crossed where you got someone who was deperate enough to be famous they would do anything. She clearly wasn't employed for her singing talents, and Claudio Cecchetto obviously didn't have access to an Infernal Machine 90 like S/A/W to cover that up (pardon the pun). She did work with them for a couple of tracks on her second album though (and Giorgio Moroder too).

Shes been a pretty successful TV presenter and actor in Italy since the 90s so it obviously worked as a path to stardom. BUT AT WHAT COST????

[Norton Canes]

Breaking news: this just in from the TV Cream weekly mailout...

We must bring you grave news, as while now Smitty has gone you may have assumed we'd get an uninterrupted run, we'd not considered inept eighties technology and hence we're seemingly skipping an episode as they failed to record the live broadcast correctly at the time and so on the master tape huge swathes of it are rendered inaudible. As it only appears to exist in full on VHS it looks like we're not getting it, though unless you're a big fan of The Pasadenas it's no great loss, to be honest

Tragically (no, actually) it does mean we'll miss Eurythmics' live version of You Have Placed A Chill.

[Glamorgan testicle ward]

Breaking news: this just in from the TV Cream weekly mailout...

Tragically (no, actually) it does mean we'll miss Eurythmics' live version of You Have Placed A Chill.

Does the VHS have full audio? They should just air that if it's broadcast-able.

[sweeper]

(2) BROS – I Owe You Nothing

I don't mind this, you know. I think it's a pretty good tune.

Roo-wargh.

[famethrowa]

I don't mind this, you know. I think it's a pretty good tune.

Roo-wargh.

We seemed to be listening to this song around the time we were watching the OoEr Sounds A Bit Rude show on Filthy Rich & Catflap, so naturally we assumed the correct reading was "I owe you nothing, oo er"

[daf]

23 June 1988: Presenters: Nicky Campbell & Mark Goodier

(6) THE PASADENAS – Tribute (Right On)
Goodybags Comedy Masterclass
(8) PHIL COLLINS – In The Air Tonight  (video)
Wot, No Boffo Drums?
(9) UB40 & CHRISSIE HYNDE – Breakfast In Bed
Crumbs in me bum-crack
- - - - - - - - - - - - (breakers) - - - - - - - - - - - -
(26) TRACY CHAPMAN – Fast Car
(27) THE COMMUNARDS – There's More To Love
(24) SALT 'N' PEPA – Push It
(21) BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN – Tougher Than The Rest
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


https://www.flickr.com/photos/51106326@N00/sets/72157675064435553

(5) MAXI PRIEST – Wild World
Fred Eliott's World of Reggae
(18) EURYTHMICS – You Have Placed A Chill In My Heart
You Have Placed A Guitar In My Arms
(1) BROS – I Owe You Nothing
Latin for abstract
(4) THE FAT BOYS & CHUBBY CHECKER – The Twist (Yo Twist) (video / credits)
Wot, No Pony Time?

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
BBC copy - with sound problems :
https://wetransfer.com/downloads/592a83b29f7fb8ae10ae1fce25b4bb4920190926095320/a6bd19
VHS Off Air copy :
https://wetransfer.com/downloads/e2b18c7e4797c54c7018b44efd5094ef20190926100435/50d9b6

[daf]

30 June 1988: Presenters: Gary Davies & Peter Powell

(18) HAZELL DEAN – Maybe (We Should Call It A Day)
Red Mini
(15) BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN – Tougher Than The Rest (video)
Old Banger
(10) TRACY CHAPMAN – Fast Car (video)
One Careful Owner
(14) MATT BIANCO – Don't Blame It On That Girl
Toot The Horn
(7) SALT 'N' PEPA – Push It  (video)
Pull up to the Bumper
(17) T'PAU – I Will Be With You
Double Decker



(2) THE FAT BOYS & CHUBBY CHECKER – The Twist (Yo Twist) (video)
Spare Tyre
(1) BROS – I Owe You Nothing
Twin Carburettors
(11) GLENN MEDEIROS – Nothing's Gonna Change My Love For You (video / credits)
Giving it the Old Oil

[Sebastian Cobb]

Salt 'N Pepa are great.

[A Hat Like That]

Got to Springsteen and fell asleep :/

[Egyptian Feast]

'Push It' is still one of the horniest, sauciest songs I've ever heard. Salt 'n' Pepa insist it's about dancing rather than sex, but admit that nobody ever believes them when they say that. I always assumed it was their debut single, but just found out it was originally the B-side to their third single 'Tramp'.

[Norton Canes]

(14) MATT BIANCO – Don't Blame It On That Girl

Aw, I love a happy ending! Matt's back (yes, I know) and this time not only does the backing singer pull off his step-through, but Mr Bianco himself (yes, I know) gets to do his splits in shot.

(17) T'PAU – I Will Be With You
Double Decker

Surely it's a single?

[Better Midlands]

'Push It' is still one of the horniest, sauciest songs I've ever heard. Salt 'n' Pepa insist it's about dancing rather than sex, but admit that nobody ever believes them when they say that. I always assumed it was their debut single, but just found out it was originally the B-side to their third single 'Tramp'.

I'm getting a Mandela Effect on the fact that it's from June 1988, I could have sworn it was a couple of years before that (I certainly wasn't deep enough into hip hop to know it as the b side to Tramp) -  I've just checked and Public Enemy - It Takes A Nation Of Millions was released two days before this episode of TOTP was aired. In my mind they're from totally different eras.

[sweeper]

'Here's Kim Wilde with a special present ... happy birthday Glen.'

Another magnificent closing link.

'Don't squeeze me like that.'

Shoe's on the other foot now, isn't it Mayo?

[daf]

7 July 1988: Presenters: Janice Long & Simon Mayo

(20) THE COMMUNARDS – There's More To Love
Emergency Coolant Leak on Deck 4
(16) THE MAC BAND FEATURING THE MCCAMPBELL BROTHERS – Roses Are Red (video)
Mind the Pricks!
(23) EVERYTHING BUT THE GIRL – I Don't Want To Talk About It
Stewart Lee and The Stewart Lee Band (feat. Stewart Lee) 
(24) INXS – Never Tear Us Apart (video)
Saxual Squealing
(22) EIGHTH WONDER – Cross My Heart
The Jacket Sketch



(1) GLENN MEDEIROS – Nothing's Gonna Change My Love For You
Grange Hill Dreamboat Spinoff?
(32) TRANSVISION VAMP – I Want Your Love (video / credits)
Corr! - It's a rude lady!

[kaprisky]

Medeiros cake?

[Norton Canes]

All I'm saying is, that if it was my 18th birthday and Kim Wilde came up to me with a huge cream pie, you'd be cleaning bits of me off the ceiling for weeks.

[Satchmo Distel]

Medeiros was born on June 24th so why is he getting a birthday treat two weeks later?

[buzby]

16 June 1988: Presenters: Gary Davies & Mike Read

(4) SABRINA – Boys (Summertime Love)

Simmons SDS kit, twin DX7s and twin bouncing bombs

(11) ERASURE – Chains Of Love

Vince's Casio plugging continues with a CZ1.

(20) THE SISTERS OF MERCY – Lucretia My Reflection

The lovely Patricia (swoon!) get told to stand there and smoulder, but not enough to take the limelight off Spiggy (hence she doesn't get her own spotlight). The second guitarist must be really in the doghouse, as he's right at the back behind the keyboards in the dark.

On the keyboard front, we have a DX7, Emulator II, EMax (which is being played as if it's Doktor Avalanche, but he was an Akai S900 by this point) and as a bit of a curveball a rarely-seen Oberheim Matrix 12.

(21) MATT BIANCO – Don't Blame It On That Girl

Blaring DX7 brass, which by 1988 was very old hat. i'd much rather hear the double-A side Wap Bam Boogie

(2) BROS – I Owe You Nothing
(1) THE TIMELORDS – Doctorin' The Tardis

So, what went wrong here then? The Timelords get to #1 but TOTP go with the VT from the previous week rather than getting them back in? Where Bros booked because it was expected they would be at #1?

(16) THE PASADENAS – Tribute (Right On) (video / credits)
Box Box Box! (I want one made from good pine)

Live from World Of Tea-Chests

23 June 1988: Presenters: Nicky Campbell & Mark Goodier

Bad Cop, Good Cop

(8) PHIL COLLINS – In The Air Tonight  (video)

Rereleased off the back of it being used (again!) in a Miami Vice episode and given a terrible remix by Ben Liebrand that commits the heinous crimes of using the Roland D50 DigitalNativeDance preset, de rigeur ORCH HITS, and replaces almost all the Roland CR78 percussion with obvious samples (including bits nicked off Yello's Oh Yeah). the 'boffo drums' do still feature, but not with their previous prominence.

(18) EURYTHMICS – You Have Placed A Chill In My Heart

It's a typically great vocal performance from Annie on this live acoustical version, but I much prefer the actual single.

30 June 1988: Presenters: Gary Davies & Peter Powell

(18) HAZELL DEAN – Maybe (We Should Call It A Day)

Standard mid-period S/A/W sound retrofitted to a trad Hi-NRG tune. I have to say that Hazell doens't look particularly comfortable with wearing that miniskirt.

(10) TRACY CHAPMAN – Fast Car (video)

There was a bit of a resurgence of the 'serious female singer songwriters with acoustical guitars' around this point. Personally I'm waiting for Tanita Tikaram to show up.

(7) SALT 'N' PEPA – Push It  (video)

Proper banger, though the soundtrack of the video sounds like it's being played off an 8-track cartridge. that's Hurby 'Love Bug' Azor, the track's writer and producer, on keyboards and vocal interjections (Ray Davies gets a co-writer's credit due to the lyrics nicked from You Really Got Me)

(17) T'PAU – I Will Be With You

Hmm, the 'difficult second album' syndrome. This sounds very similar to the later singles off Bridge Of Spies.

(2) THE FAT BOYS & CHUBBY CHECKER – The Twist (Yo Twist) (video)

Just dreadful

[daf]

There was a bit of a resurgence of the 'serious female singer songwriters with acoustical guitars' around this point. Personally I'm waiting for Tanita Tikaram to show up.

Tasmin Archer for me - Not sure if she had an acoustic guitar, but hearing Sleeping Satellite again recently (my sister had the cassingle back in 1992) had me absolutely welling up for some reason I can't quite button - total soppy mess I was! *

- - - - - - - -
* (still am!)

[non capisco]

As daf has already pointed out that bloke from Everything But The Girl does look astonishingly like Fist Of Fun era young Stewart Lee. Hey, you'll like this, CaB, I half expected him when the song finished to go "That got a reaction from the front, nothing from up there at the back. This is what happens when people bring their mates to Top Of The Pops."

Push It by Salt 'N' Pepa is obviously an almighty hoofer, come on now. That and the brief clip of 'Follow The Leader' by Eric B and Rakim showing this era isn't a complete dead loss. That Matt Bianco double a-side is a weird one. 'Don't Blame It On That Girl' is pretty much exactly what you'd expect from, to quote Saturday Superstore caller Simon Fletcher 'that bunch of wankers',  but 'Wap Bam Boogie' has Italo house piano on it and seems oddly ahead of its time coming from that terminally naff rabble.

[Norton Canes]

As daf has already pointed out that bloke from Everything But The Girl does look astonishingly like Fist Of Fun era young Stewart Lee

I always get him confused with Dean Garcia