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

[jamiefairlie]

I hate the lead singer from Curiosity Killed The Cat in much the same way I hate Jay Kay. I don't know if it's the hat or the annoying smug dance moves.

Oh god, yes. Utterly smug twats. I so hate that whole super-smooth London jazz club shite.

[daf]

29 January 1987: Presenter: Mike Smith

(7) PEPSI & SHIRLIE – Heartache
Off the subs bench and playing for the first team
(2) ARETHA FRANKLIN & GEORGE MICHAEL – I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me) (video)
Franklin, my dear, I don't give a Wham!
(20) RAZE – Jack The Groove
I'd rather Fleetwood Mac
(3) ROBBIE NEVIL – C'est La Vie

Hot tramp, I love you so!
(25) VESTA WILLIAMS – Once Bitten Twice Shy
Green Goddess
- - - - - - - - - - - - (breakers) - - - - - - - - - - - -
(27) THE BLOW MONKEYS – It Doesn't Have To Be This Way
(24) MICHAEL CRAWFORD & SARAH BRIGHTMAN – Music Of The Night
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
(15) TAFFY – I Love My Radio  (+ 'Cockney Chat')
Princess of Orange



(1) STEVE 'SILK' HURLEY – Jack Your Body (video / credits)
Hoo-ray for Steve Hur-ley
(da-da, ta-da - da-da, ta-da - dah)
'Silk' Hur-ley . . .
(da-da, ta-da - da-da, ta-da - dah)
Jack a while . . .
Dig that style . . .
A pair of turntables and a smile

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
https://wetransfer.com/downloads/f65b8fdf7d8cfb0c232cd375337128b220190118104803/743c06
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcLi3kW6e58

[non capisco]

Franklin, my dear, I don't give a Wham!

Good lord, daf.

I'm enjoying this current stretch more than the tail end of the previous year so far. Bit of early house in the charts and a lot of the pop-soul records my old dear was buying and playing round the house. I doubt I've heard Vesta Williams' 'Once Bitten Twice Shy' since 1987 and I found I remembered all the hooks. Tell you what, though, I wish Mike Smith would stop bloody telling you which of the acts on the chart rundown are coming up later.

Watched a 1978 TOTP episode last night which some wag had uploaded to Dailymotion with 'The Wanker's Song' by Ivor Biggun as the outro song instead of the actually broadcast Donna Summer tune. (Chart Music's Al Needham put me straight on that one on Twitter after I frenziedly tweeted "HAVE YOU SEEN THIS?" at him before stopping for one second to think about why no-one in the pop culture history game had ever even mentioned it happening).  Fell for that one hook, line and sinker, readers!

[buzby]

Yeah me too, chances are it was there own vocal sample in those days.

The remix - Let's Get Brutal  was where the classic Inner City - Good Life stab came from, check this out

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2r1h2XmWXBI

Nitro Deluxe used the Lately Bass present on the Yamaha TX81Z played further up the keyboard as a chord. Saunderson originally sampled it in an Ensoniq Mirage for Big Fun so it could be played back as single key stabs. It was was then reused for Good Life.

Massey & Simpson used a similar technique for Pacific State, sampling a chord played on a Juno 106 into a Casio FZ1 and then playing it back layered with chord played with the Roland D50 'Warm Strings' pad to create the lush string pads.

[kalowski]

Nitro Deluxe used the Lately Bass present on the Yamaha TX81Z played further up the keyboard as a chord. Saunderson originally sampled it in an Ensoniq Mirage for Big Fun so it could be played back as single key stabs. It was was then reused for Good Life.

Massey & Simpson used a similar technique for Pacific State, sampling a chord played on a Juno 106 into a Casio FZ1 and then playing it back layered with chord played with the Roland D50 'Warm Strings' pad to create the lush string pads.

Hats off, Buzby. How do you know all this amazing stuff??

[Better Midlands]

Hats off, Buzby. How do you know all this amazing stuff??

There's a thread on Gearslutz about Lately Bass vs Let's Get Brutal as the sample source, one thing for sure is that the sound did originate on a Yamaha module.

https://www.gearslutz.com/board/electronic-music-instruments-and-electronic-music-production/193023-where-can-i-find-quot-inner-city-quot-dx-100-sound.html

[Norton Canes]

FUCK OFF JOHN PEEL

[Norton Canes]

I think Blow Monkeys bassist Mick Anker just won the Coolest Fucker On Top Of The Pops Ever award

[Phil_A]

Isn't that Clapton tune a complete rip-off of Gimme Shelter? I thought it was a cover at first!

[Norton Canes]

It's complicated (ish)

[Norton Canes]

FUCK OFF JOHN PEEL

[Phil_A]

I've enjoyed individual parts of the ouvres of George M and Aretha, but I've always thought Knew You Were Waiting is utterly intolerable.

[Norton Canes]

And fuck off he did, it transpires. 

[buzby]

Isn't that Clapton tune a complete rip-off of Gimme Shelter? I thought it was a cover at first!

It's a cover of a Ryuichi Sakamoto/Yellow Magic Orchestra song called Behind The Mask, which had English lyrics written by Chris Mosdell (it had started out as a jingle written by Sakamoto for a Seiko advert).  Quincy Jones was a fan of the song and  brought it to Michael Jackson. He recorded a cover with new lyrics he'd written during the Thriller sessions, but it wasn't released as they couldn't come to an agreement with Sakamoto's publishers over royalties.

Greg Phillinganes, Jackson's keyboard player, included a version of Jackson's cover on his Pulse album in 1985 and released it as a single, but it wasn't a hit.  Phillinganes was hired as a session keyboard player on Clapton's 1986 album August, (produced by Phil Collins) and he played his cover to Clapton during the sessions .  Clapton liked it and decided to record a version, with Phillinganes on keyboards and Collins on drums & backing vocals (along with Katie Kissoon & Tessa Niles). Despite only rewriting some of Mosdell's lyrics, Jackson got 50% of the royalties on this cover.

[kalowski]

FUCK OFF JOHN PEEL

Fuck off John Peel with his coat so gay?
Fuck off John Peel at the break o' day?
Fuck off John Peel when he's far, far a-way.
With his hounds and his horn in the morning?

[daf]

Quincy Jones was a fan of the song and  brought it to Michael Jackson. He recorded a cover with new lyrics he'd written during the Thriller sessions, but it wasn't released as they couldn't come to an agreement with Sakamoto's publishers over royalties.

Eventually released on the 2011 odds and sods 30% bogus Michael Album - basically the only decent track on there * : Hee-haw, jambon etc

- - - - - -
* I knew there was another one - Best of Joy is also pretty good

[Better Midlands]

Can't believe I've only heard of a Greg Phillinganes version of Behind The Mask for the first time today, it's like an inverse Mandela effect.

[daf]

5 February 1987: Presenters: Janice Long & John Peel (Peel's final show)

(11) THE BLOW MONKEYS – It Doesn't Have To Be This Way
Surprising change of career for the SDP dreamboat
(4) RANDY CRAWFORD – Almaz
On video . . . but not a video
(12) THE SMITHS – Shoplifters Of The World Unite
The Man Who Would Wear The King



(5) CURIOSITY KILLED THE CAT – Down To Earth
Ooh, look what Ben got for Christmas! (includes Dolby B & high-speed dubbing!!)
- - - - - - - - - - - - (breakers) - - - - - - - - - - - -
(24) FIVE STAR – Stay Out Of My Life
(23) ERIC CLAPTON – Behind The Mask
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
(19) MICHAEL CRAWFORD & SARAH BRIGHTMAN – Music Of The Night (video)
Ooh Betty, the fire's burnt a whoopsie on me face
(1) ARETHA FRANKLIN & GEORGE MICHAEL – I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me) (video)
"Any Old Rubbish"
(14) HOT CHOCOLATE – You Sexy Thing (remix) (video / credits)
Plastic Parps

[sweeper]

Has pop ever seen a worse frontman than the Curiosity guy? His singing voice sounds bored by itself.

Definitely improved when he got together with Baddiel.

[DrGreggles]

Has pop ever seen a worse frontman than the Curiosity guy?

[Satchmo Distel]

The Smiths phoned this song in.

[buzby]

29 January 1987: Presenter: Mike Smith

If this rip ever comes to the Beeb's attention somebody could be in big trouble - at least those Whistle Test rips had the plausibility that they could have been duped while the tapes were outside the BBC.

(7) PEPSI & SHIRLIE – Heartache

They are no Maz & Kim, that's for sure. For someone who is a professional backing vocalist, Shirlie puts on a particularly bad attempt at miming.

(2) ARETHA FRANKLIN & GEORGE MICHAEL – I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)

I can't think of another duet where there's such a gulf in the vocal talents.

(20) RAZE – Jack The Groove

Michael Hurll's Nightmare Part II - the anonymous house act actually turns up, but then decides to put on a modern interpretative dance performance instead of any semblance of miming with their instruments (though the vocal seemed to be live at least). The handheld cameramen are clearly relishing the opportunity to perve at the female dancer's arse and gusset.

The TR808 and TR727 in particular (Roland's Latin percussion version of the TR-707) are working overtime on this track. The bassline is nicked from early 70's British funk group Cymande's 'Bra'. Raze was a pseudonym for Vaughan Mason, a veteran funk and disco musician & producer who had a minor hit with the roller-disco cash in "Bounce , Rock, Skate, Roll' in 1979 (clearly 'inspired' by Chic's Good Times) and his friend Ben E. Epps, who had been keyboard player in Mason's various bands since the early 70s.

Despite their pioneer credentials, Raze is arguably the first example of veteran musos jumping onto the house bandwagon. Mason just spotted it very early, having heard early house records played in New Jersey clubs in the summer of 86, which is also where he spotted the dancer Wanda, a dental technician who placed 4th in the Miss New Jersey bodybuilding championships. Mason and Epps didn't even come up with the tune (even accounting for the nicked bassline), - Mason was teaching recording techniques as a local college and two of the students recorded it during a class exercise, which Mason then appropriated.

As for the synths onstage, it's pretty difficult to tell as we don't get a decent look at them. The only one I can positively identify is a Casio CZ-1000 on the upper tier of the right-hand stand. Underneath that looks like a DX7, with another on the left-hand stand.

(3) ROBBIE NEVIL – C'est La Vie

It's that Prophet V and DX7 combo again.



(25) VESTA WILLIAMS – Once Bitten Twice Shy

Smith 'the Pro' really fucks up the link here.
Despite the MASSIVE GATED SNARE pounding away throughout, this is a pretty decent ripoff of Jam & Lewis's style. Co-written by Vesta and veteran writer/session pianist/keyboard player Dean 'Sir' Gant and produced by arranger/orchestrator/flautist David Crawford (he involvement of proper musos really makes itself felt in the keyboard solo in the break).

It's Vesta's vocal that really carries the track though. She had a long career as a backing singer to all the big names in Soul and R&B before meeting up with Crawford and recording some demos, which ot her a record contract with A&M in 1986 and releasing her self-titled album. This was the second single from that album, and was her only UK Top 40 hit. She had more success in the US, especially with her follow-up album 4 U in 1988. She later went back to being a session singer and songwriter, and also did some acting work including a recurring part in the ABC sitcom Sister, Sister.

Unfortunately she died aged only 53 in 2011 of an enlarged heart due to high blood pressure. She had put on a lot of weight in the early 90s when she was dropped by her label, and although she later went on a drastic weight loss programme and lost 100lbs the damage had already been done.

The Yamaha KX5 makes a welcome reappearance after all the Roland keytars of late, On the top of the stand is a Roland JX8P with the inevitable DX7 underneath. Great decision by the director to cut to the gelled-up prat at the keyboard stand during the solo when it was Dean Gant with the KX5 miming to it.

[Sebastian Cobb]

If this rip ever comes to the Beeb's attention somebody could be in big trouble - at least those Whistle Test rips had the plausibility that they could have been duped while the tapes were outside the BBC.

I've no idea why they leave clocks on to begin with; without it, it's just an improbably high quality consumer rip.

It is nice seeing clockwork clocks though.

[Better Midlands]

Nice post on Vaughn Mason Buzby , he was a great producer back then and responsible for some some stone cold classics including the best hip house track ever Doug Lazy - Let It Roll https://youtu.be/JAh51bQIT0c.

Raze - Break For Love https://youtu.be/B9s2kwfLmJE had a heavily sampled drum track that was almost as ubiquitous as the Soul II Soul beat in the late 80s. It's a replayed version of The Castle Beat - Today, Tomorrow & Forever https://youtu.be/Ga5qvDGCO1M, but with different drum sounds - what drum machine do you think they used? especially the snare which I've never been able to find. Also the female "moaning" sounds (most clear in the last 15 seconds) are meant to be sampled from Airplane! - can anyone confirm this/find the scene online?

[Gulftastic]

I can't think of another duet where there's such a gulf in the vocal talents.

No, I'm not having that. George wasn't in Aretha's class, very, very few are, but he was a damn good singer.

[daf]

Yeah, Morrissey would be a better fit - imagine him attempting to parlay this via his two-note warble!

[daf]

12 February 1987: Presenters: Simon Mayo & Peter Powell (1200th Edition Special!!)

(18) LEVEL 42 – Running In The Family
Lindup is ready for his close up, Mr DeMille
(19) BEN E. KING – Stand By Me (video)
Christ - he's still alive!
(2) PEPSI & SHIRLIE – Heartache
Erotic Victorian Knee Pipes
(11) FIVE STAR – Stay Out Of My Life
BPI Band of the Year  (Congratulations . . . . . . you bunch of W*NKERS!!)
- - - - - - - - - - - - (breakers) - - - - - - - - - - - -
(25) TIMBUK 3 – Future's So Bright I Gotta Wear Shades
(22) CARLY SIMON – Coming Around Again
(20) EUROPE – Rock The Night
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


https://www.flickr.com/photos/51106326@N00/sets/72157661672251334

(14) VESTA WILLIAMS – Once Bitten Twice Shy (video)
Four Bananas, Big Y   (Another 'Changing Rooms' classic from Llewelyn-Bowen)
(1) ARETHA FRANKLIN & GEORGE MICHAEL – I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me) (video)
"On his own" isn't with another act, you doofus!
(6) TAFFY – I Love My Radio (video / credits)
Hot Rod . . Jumping Frog . . I  Love Ta-ffy

[dfurnell]

I love this song, an audio road movie about driving away from Liverpool (the vocalist John Cambpell was from Manchester, which he references in the lyrics). They had been staples of John Peel's show snce the early 80s, but by this time the band had bee reduced to a duo and had just been signed by Virgin offshoot Siren, for whom they recorded their debut album Life's Hard And Then You Die.

Isn't it also one of two songs that charted that mention the M62?

[DrGreggles]

I can't think of another duet where there's such a gulf in the vocal talents.

[buzby]

Nice post on Vaughn Mason Buzby , he was a great producer back then and responsible for some some stone cold classics including the best hip house track ever Doug Lazy - Let It Roll https://youtu.be/JAh51bQIT0c.

Yes, but let's not get ahead of ourselves - I'm not sure about Break for Love, but I think the Doug Lazy track appears in a 1989 TOTP episode.

Raze - Break For Love https://youtu.be/B9s2kwfLmJE had a heavily sampled drum track that was almost as ubiquitous as the Soul II Soul beat in the late 80s. It's a replayed version of The Castle Beat - Today, Tomorrow & Forever https://youtu.be/Ga5qvDGCO1M, but with different drum sounds - what drum machine do you think they used? especially the snare which I've never been able to find.

The 'Break For Love' break was also used on the remix of 3AM Eternal on the B-side of the original Pure Trance 12". As for what drum machine(s) were used, I found a first-hand account from a poet/rapper and former student at the New Jersey Institute Of Technology in 1988 who had a friend who was a member of Vaughan Mason's 'crew' who was involved with Raze called Azar (which may be where the name came from?). He used to hang round with him at Mason's studio in Webster Place in East Orange, NJ where he had a TR808, TR909 and Linndrum.

I can certainly hear some Linndrum  sounds on there. The sounds on the LM-1 could be pitched up too, which that snare sound is. After listening to some demos of it, I think it may be the Linn snare and rimshot/sidestick being played together (the pitch control on the snare sound effects the sidestick sound by the same amount too).

Also the female "moaning" sounds (most clear in the last 15 seconds) are meant to be sampled from Airplane! - can anyone confirm this/find the scene online?

It sounds like Randy the stewardess's sob at at the start of the 'At least I have a husband!' scene.

No, I'm not having that. George wasn't in Aretha's class, very, very few are, but he was a damn good singer.

Ok, Ok, point taken - I take it back. I've never been a fan of George's voice though, and putting archive clips of Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell duetting on the Jumbotron behind them is a comparison too far I think. Sonny & Cher, on the other hand....:)

Isn't it also one of two songs that charted that mention the M62?

The other presumably being It's Grim Up North, which also purposely doesn't mention Liverpool (other than on the sleevenotes)?