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

Started by Dr Rock, August 26, 2018, 02:21:41 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

canadagoose

Quote from: daf on January 26, 2020, 02:07:46 PM
9 February 1989: Presenters: Mike Read & Sybil 'Imperiatrix' Ruscoe  (Mike Read's last regular show)

(20) SAMANTHA FOX %u2013 I Only Wanna Be With You
Number 4 . . . Number 4 . . . Number 4 . . .
(26) RICK ASTLEY %u2013 Hold Me In Your Arms
Tumbleweed Intro
(11) YAZZ %u2013 Fine Time
Variety Clubbing



(23) HUE & CRY %u2013 Looking For Linda
Looking Like Tony - He's looking like Tony - Old Slattery . . . Looking just like To-ny
- - - - - - - - - - - - (breakers) - - - - - - - - - - - -
(31) DEF LEPPARD %u2013 Rocket
(33) POISON %u2013 Every Rose Has Its Thorn
(32) TEXAS %u2013 I Don%u2019t Want A Lover
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
(12) MICHAEL BALL %u2013 Love Changes Everything
Get your Balls out for the Mums
(9) BOBBY BROWN %u2013 My Prerogative (video)
Mrs Brown's Boy
(6) MORRISSEY %u2013 The Last Of The Famous International Playboys
The Last Of The Faded, Old Irrascible Racists
(1)  MARC ALMOND & GENE PITNEY %u2013 Something%u2019s Gotten Hold Of My Heart
Scawoolet?
(2) MIKE & THE MECHANICS %u2013 The Living Years (video / credits)
Na-Na Hey-Hey, Kiss Him Goodbye
Oddly enough I have this episode on VHS somewhere (well, my parents do, as it's in their attic). If you click my profile you can probably guess why. Shame about bloody Mike Read presenting.

Crabwalk

Now is the time to confess that the first album I ever bought (that wasn't a compilation) was The Big Area by Then Jerico. Played that bastard to death in '89, as an 11 year old. Still give it the odd spin and find it surprisingly enjoyable, given that I despise U2 and their ilk.

Its producers included Rhett Davies (who worked with Eno and Roxy a lot in the 70s), and Gary Langan (from Art of Noise/ZTT and who produced ABC's 'Beauty Stab') so there was excellent pedigree behind the boards, and it does still sound great. Just a shame that Mark Shaw is such a colossal twat.

buzby

Quote from: daf on January 17, 2020, 10:37:03 PM
19 January 1989: Presenters: Bruno Brookes & Richard Skinner
SKINNERRRR! WTF is this dinosaur doing on TOTP in 1989?
Quote
(11) ROACHFORD – Cuddly Toy
A Roland D50 and a gurning moustachioed drummer. Having been spotted supporting The Christians and Terence Trent D'Arby in 1987, the band were offered a 7 album deal by Columbia, with their eponymous debut being released in JJuy 1988. It had been preceded by their debut single Family Man in February which didn't chart, and then to promote the album Cuddly Toy was released as single, but it never cracked the Top 40, peaking at #61 in June. The third single off the album, Find Me Another Love, was released in October and did even worse, peaking at #100.

Columbia then decided to give Cuddly Toy another go, and re-released it at the end of December where it finally got enough traction to become a hit (I'm sure it must have been picked up by a Radio 1 DJ for airplay too - it's that kind of record). Fortunately the re-release did not include the rather hokey sample-and-303-tastic x-Rated Acid Toy Mix by The Democratic Three that that released alongside the single in 1988.
Quote
(7) ROY ORBISON – You Got It
Of all the fantastic songs he put out over his career, it's a shame that Roy's posthumous hit was smothered by Jefff Lynne's identikit production.
Quote
(22) ROBERT HOWARD & KYM MAZELLE – Wait
Arrghh! The Emulator II Shakuhachi sample rears it's ugly head again!
Quote
(10) MARC ALMOND & GENE PITNEY – Something's Gotten Hold Of My Heart
Borne out of Almond's love of 1960s torch singers. He had originally recorded it solo for his 1988 album The Stars We Are, which had peaked at #41 when it was released in October. with grand, symphonic production by Trevor Horn protege 'Sonic Bob' Kraushaar (and The Mambas/Willing Sinners backing band evolving into The False Harmonics).  Two previous singles had been released to support the album, the great Tears Run Rings (peaked at #24) and the less memorable Bitter Sweet (peaked at #40).

Parlophone were looking for another single from the album, and the cover of Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart was chosen (the solo version had been released as a single by EMI Benelux). Pitney was one of those 60s American singers whose star had faded in his homeland, but he still did good business touring in the UK and Europe. He happened to be in the UK touring at the beginning of 1989, and Almond went to see him perform at Bow Town Hall. After seeing he still had his pipes, Almond then suggested to EMI the idea of asking him to perform a duet for a UK release of the single.

EMI's Clive Black got in touch with Pitney's agent, and having been a fan of soft Cell's cover of Tainted Love Pitney agreed. He was playing in Bristol that night and travelled to London for 10am the following morning to record his vocals on the way to his next show up north that night (as I mentioned previously, they first met in Las Vegas for the promo shoot).

When the single was released it finally gave Pitney his first UK number one (his 1967 original had peaked at #5), and also boosted ticket sales of his tour massively (with extra dates being added into March and April). The same can't be said for Marc's album, as despite being re-released with the duet as an extra track it only managed to get to #64. The single went to #1 in many other countries around Europe, but was never released in the US as Pitney's label Epic feared that the unconventional male duet would lead people to think they were a gay couple.

I do genuinely love this song, as well as the Pitney original which was a fixture in our house as my dad was a big fan of his. The lush production is fantastic, and Pitney did a great job of fitting his vocals into the high harmonies around Almond's lead.
Quote
(21) HOLLY JOHNSON – Love Train
Yay! Holly's back! The lead single off his Blast! album for MCA, after winning his court case against ZTT over the draconian contract he was under as part of FGTH. It fair bounces along - it had been produced by Dan 'Instant Replay/Relight My Fire' Hartman with a Brian May guitar solo and Lance Ellington's son Ray on backing vocals, and then remixed by Stephen Hague for the single release. It's great to have his quirky 'pointing' dancing back on Ver Pops,

Quote from: buzby on January 28, 2020, 12:40:16 AM
Fortunately the re-release did not include the rather hokey sample-and-303-tastic x-Rated Acid Toy Mix by The Democratic Three that that released alongside the single in 1988

I remember reading an interview with Noel Gallagher at the start of his Oasis career where he name checked that mix as a favourite from the acid house days

Johnboy

Holly Johnson - shoddy camerawork prevented the guitarist showcasing her solo

Morrissey - he's a bit rusty at this point moves wise, andy rourke's facial expressions are more interesting
Is this Craig Gannon's first appearance since The Bluebells in 1984 when he was about twelve or something

other bass player news - yer man out of Haircut One Hundred spotted in Rick Astley's crew and whats his name out of Altered Images spotted in Texas

speaking of 1982 popsters, anyone spot Helen o'Hara playing a clarinet with Tanita Tikaram a few months back?

Almond/Pitney - they got some mileage out of this performance. I got the Stars We Are the week it came out, good memories

buzby

Quote from: Johnboy on January 28, 2020, 03:31:01 PM
Holly Johnson - shoddy camerawork prevented the guitarist showcasing her Brian May's solo
FTFY
Quote
speaking of 1982 popsters, anyone spot Helen o'Hara playing a clarinet with Tanita Tikaram a few months back?
I think I mentioned it at the time, and that like Holly's guitarist she didn't play on the record either.

Norton Canes

Oh go on, I'll ask if no-one else will - who was the ersatz May purporting to embellish Holly's middle eight?

daf

Quote from: Johnboy on January 28, 2020, 03:31:01 PM
yer man out of Haircut One Hundred spotted in Rick Astley's crew

Aha! So that's what Mike was going on about - I thought "Les Nimes"* was French resort or something!

- - - - - - -
* (Les Nemes)

#1928
Gannon was on the Whistle Test appearance in 1986 but I can't find a TOTP with them. Only 'Bigmouth' and 'Panic' were in his era IIRC.

Rourke seems in recent years to have been wearing a wig that would put Charles Hawtrey to shame.

Rick Astley's 'When I Fall In Love' and 'Together Forever' got to No. 1 on NME and Melody Maker, just before they stopped publishing their own charts, but his Top 30 singles career was over by Feb 1991. However he had a No. 1 album aged 50 in 2016.

Jockice

Quote from: Johnboy on January 28, 2020, 03:31:01 PM

Speaking of 1982 popsters, anyone spot Helen o'Hara playing a clarinet with Tanita Tikaram a few months back?


I did! And it gave me the chance to relive my great anecdote about her. Which I'm going to relive yet again. In my very early journalism days I had a colleague called Pete Bevington, who swore blind that she was his cousin and Kevin Rowland had made her change her surname to sound more Irish.There was no easy way to check that sort of thing in those days, so I put it away in the locker in my head titled: "Utter bollocks that people have told me." Then a few years ago I was looking up something about Dexys and found out her surname actually is Bevington. And it's not that common a surname so she probably was Pete's cousin.

He also told me that the story about her and Rowland meeting at a bus stop was also incorrect. She auditioned apparently. But I refuse to believe that.

non capisco

#1930
Quote from: Johnboy on January 28, 2020, 03:31:01 PM
Almond/Pitney - they got some mileage out of this performance.

I still really like the bit where Almond glances at Pitney during one of the latter's verses and gives a little "Gene Pitney, over there" grin. It still sounds like he's singing "toilet for me, toilet for you" though.

1989 hasn't been terrible so far but dear god, that last episode, wall to wall boredom aside from the number one. Sam Fox! Astley! Michael Ball! A forgettable reggae-lite ballad from Yazz! Hue and pissing Cry! In a row!

Crabwalk

I enjoy watching Gene singing along to Marc's verses.

Norton Canes



Non Stop Dancer


Non Stop Dancer


Norton Canes


kalowski



Jockice

Quote from: Non Stop Dancer on January 31, 2020, 08:43:58 PM
Almost on a par with Theme from?

As far as I'm concerned they're two of the greatest singles of all time. I don't think the rest of the album is up to much though - didn't even like Superfly Guy - but they'll always have a place in my heart for those two classics.

daf

16 February 1989: Presenters: Andy Crane & Mark Goodier

(20) DEF LEPPARD – Rocket
ROCK IT!!!!
(2) SIMPLE MINDS – Belfast Child (video)
Haunting and BeaU2ful
(33) GLORIA ESTEFAN – Can't Stay Away From You
MW Mono
(24) POISON – Every Rose Has Its Thorn (video)
Every Cow has his Pat
- - - - - - - - - - - - (breakers) - - - - - - - - - - - -
(37) EDIE BRICKELL & THE NEW BOHEMIANS – What I Am
(38) POP WILL EAT ITSELF – Can U Dig It?
(34) DEBBIE GIBSON – Lost In Your Eyes
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
(21) TEXAS – I Don't Want A Lover
I just want a SPRRWWAANNNGG!!!



(17) SAM BROWN – Stop
If at first you don't succeed . . .
Spoiler alert
ask your dad for Jools Holland's phone number
[close]
(32) THE STYLE COUNCIL – Promised Land
Chas 'n' Chas
(1) MARC ALMOND & GENE PITNEY – Something's Gotten Hold Of My Heart (video)
Divas Las Vegas
(29) S'EXPRESS – Hey Music Lover (video / credits)
Happy Valentines (two days ago) Day!!

Quote from: Norton Canes on January 31, 2020, 08:01:24 PM
Hey Music Lover that"s a banger innit

I think it's their best, at least their most original as there's less sampling than Theme.

Nice sample from The Stepford Wives though.

https://youtu.be/D8HERyQwMO4?t=59

Natnar

Quote from: daf on February 01, 2020, 11:00:00 AM

(17) SAM BROWN – Stop
If at first you don't succeed . . .
Spoiler alert
ask your dad for Jools Holland's phone number
[close]


It's a damn shame that Sam is only known as a bit of a one-hit wonder these days (even though she did have 2 more top 40 Hits). Her albums are pretty good too, especially 43 Minutes.

JesusAndYourBush

Quote from: daf on February 01, 2020, 11:00:00 AM(33) GLORIA ESTEFAN – Can't Stay Away From You

Her last single as "Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine".  In an interview in 1988  she said that a psychic had told her the "Miami Sound Machine" name was lucky and she should always use it.  In July'89 she stopped using it.  8 months later she had her bad accident.  Moral: Listen to psychics.


Sebastian Cobb

I didn't realise Texas had been infecting the charts with their triteness as early as 1989.

Quote from: Sebastian Cobb on February 01, 2020, 02:09:59 PM
I didn't realise Texas had been infecting the charts with their triteness as early as 1989.

They were pretty much a one hit wonder with this song going
Spoiler alert
top 10
[close]
They grazed the lower end of the charts in 92/93 a few times but it was 8 years later in 1997 before they repeated that initial success and relaunched off the back of it.

Sebastian Cobb

Yes I must've only really caught them during the relaunch. Where White on Blond made them ubiquitous for a while.

The Culture Bunker

They did hit the top 20 a few years before the "White on Blonde" era with a pointless cover of Al Green's 'Tired of Being Alone'.

I feel a bit bad slagging them off, as the singer looks uncannily like my mam, but they really were vapid beyond belief. They even made Travis seem vital.

gilbertharding

It probably reflects badly on me to say, but I attribute the sustained second wind of Texas's career almost entirely to the fact that Chris Fucking Evans fancied Sharleen Fucking Spiteri.

In fact, they had a THIRD bite at the cherry in the late 00s which coincided with Evan's own renaissance.

The Culture Bunker

From taking a brief glance through Teaxs' discography, I did notice co-writing credits on their really popular albums for the odd song for Robert Hodgens - I assume that's the fellow also known as Bobby Bluebell. Must have helped with the sting of losing that court case over 'Young at Heart'.