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

[Sebastian Cobb]

This is Mick Hucknall's greatest moment. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4C6zIm4IfGs

LOL.

Who is the woman in the cop/security guard type get up supposed to be?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4C6zIm4IfGs&feature=youtu.be&t=110

[kalowski]

This is Mick Hucknall's greatest moment. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4C6zIm4IfGs

No. This is.

[Cursus]

LOL.

Who is the woman in the cop/security guard type get up supposed to be?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4C6zIm4IfGs&feature=youtu.be&t=110

Janet Jackson, I think:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qef1Q6kD3vc

[Sebastian Cobb]

Far too much ambient mic on that Man 2 Man. Can actually hear some lasses chatting at one point.

[famethrowa]

This is Mick Hucknall's greatest moment. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4C6zIm4IfGs

Oh fantastic.... Bryan Ferry! Elton & Tina.... who's the boring jacket bloke just before John & Paul?

Anyway I thought Mr Hucknall's greatest moment was Ding Dong Merrily On High, or "Mick Hucknall's Pink Pancakes" from TVgoHome.

[Johnboy]

- Westworld and Carly Simon's bored boyfriend preview what U2 will be wearing this year. Carly Simon's memoir looks good.

- Curiosity - fucking hell, is this their 3rd performance of this song, I know the jam did David watts thrice and two tribes of course multiple times, any other examples?

- Duran and Spandau not exactly storming the charts like in yesteryear, is this the Duran/Nile Rodgers piece, snare sound is relatively inoffensive.

- could have sworn this Simply Red song was the summer of '89, oh my mistaken brain

- Eric Clapton , ah 1967 is only twenty years old, he's still a mere child. Did I spot Bowie's blonde Live Aid backing vocalist, she crops up a lot.

- Wesley and River jive with Ben - pure '80s.

Ten times better than I remembered it, not surprising since I pretty much stopped watching it then.

[buzby]

19 February 1987: Presenter: Gary Davies

Davies seems to have developed his full 'head tilt' by this episode - he's like David Niven's Colonel Matthews in Belmondo's 1969 comedy heist film The Brain.
The sound is rubbish for roughly half of this episode  (presumably performances that were all filmed in the same session) - the gallery have mostly used the studio ambient mic feed and not mixed in enough (or any) of the playback feed in.

(22) WESTWORLD – Sonic Boom Boy
Diddley Axe

Correct, daf - ex-Generation X guitarist Bob 'Derwood' Andrews is a big fan of Diddley (the B-side of Sonic boom boy was the Derwood-penned electronic R&B number Bubble Bo Diddley). His guitar is a custom job inspired by Diddley's signature Gretsch guitar.

(14) CARLY SIMON – Coming Around Again (video)

Simon's gigantic mouth has always left me feeling vaguely terrified.

(3) CURIOSITY KILLED THE CAT – Down To Earth

THREE FUCKING WEEKS IN A ROW PLEASE MAKE THEM FUCK OFF

(6) MAN 2 MAN MEETS MAN PARRISH – Male Stripper
Solder . . . Sailor  . . . Tom of Finland?

Arf! Blimey, this is a bit strong for an early Thursday evening. I can almost hear the echo of the collective huffing and grousing from dads all these years later.

Originally members of NYC punk band The Fast, brothers Paolp, Mikey and Mandy Cilione (under the stage surname Zone) changed direction and started making electronic disco at the end of the 70s. Mandy left in 1978 to start his own band, and hen The Fast split, The remaining Zone brothers then worked as session vocalists for disco producers like Bobby O before setting themselves up Man 2 Man, making electro and later Hi-NRG singles aimed squarely at the gay clubs. They started concentrating on the UK Hi-NRG scene in the mid-80s, initially working with writer/producer/DJ Ian Levine (yes, *that* Ian Levine, Who fans), They then teamed up with NY electro pioneer Man Parrish for their 1986 album Malenergy which spawned this single and it's two follow-ups, Energy Is Eurobeat and a cover of Grace Jones' I Need A Man.

Parrish thought Male Stripper was so awful that it would never be released and promptly forgot about the track after the session. When he was informed a year later that one of his tracks was climbing the UK charts it took him 20 minutes to remember what it was, even after being told the title. According to him, the complaints about this performance promptly got Man 2 Man banned from TOTP.

This was their only UK Top 40-charting single, and this was it's second re-entry in the chart. It was originally released in at the end of August 1986, peaking at No. 64 a month later. It then re-entered the chart in early November, peaking at No.63 in the New Year chart. It then entered straight into the Top 40 (at no. 25) at the beginning of February 1987. Unfortunately Miki Zone had died of AIDS-related meningitis on New Year's Eve, leaving Paul (in the 'MAN' cap) to do this performance with two hired dancers. his other brother Mandy also died of an AIDS-related illness ten years later.

Aside from the Chippendale-esque performance (which the main stripper fucks up by forgetting to take his gloves off before trying to take off his jacket), the track itself is very much a product of 1986, and Hi-NRG would be soon be overtaken by the incoming House genre.

(25) DURAN DURAN – Skin Trade

Dismal. the sound of cocaine.

(23) SIMPLY RED – The Right Thing

I'm with Mr. Cobb on Simply Red, I'm afraid.

(15) ERIC CLAPTON – Behind The Mask
Rockin' Alf Garnett

Quite - Old 'Enoch Was Right' makes his return to TOTP, along with his sponsored Marshall stack. Not-Phillinganes on the keyboards (PPG Wave 2.3, DX3, the venerable Prophet V) is trying a bit too hard to be 'interesting'. Not-Collins on the drums (session man and brother of Victor, Henry Spinetti) is barely putting any effort in, and Not-Nathan East on the custom Wal 5-string bass is session man Laurence Cottle (who like Spinetti did play on the August album, but not on this track).

At least Tessa Niles (yes,  she was The Dame's backing vocalist from Live Aid) and Katie Kissoon have reprised their roles from the record, and provide most of the visual interest in this performance (still not quite Maz & kim though...).

[Bobtoo]

Davies was so traumatised by Male Stripper that he got the name wrong, and he fluffed the link to Ben E King too.

Has there ever been a less mental group than Mental as Anything?

[Jockice]

Has there ever been a less mental group than Mental as Anything?

Madness.

[Norton Canes]

Was 'Male Stripper' the most overtly homoerotic TOTP performance ever up to that point?

Probably, but still pretty tame. I remember seeing it first time round and thinking, "He's taking his stuff off too slowly. There's no way he'll be down to anything scandalous at this rate".

[Norton Canes]

I remember seeing it first time round and thinking, "He's taking his stuff off too slowly

I bet I did etc.

[Norton Canes]

Was The Right Thing the last good song by Simply Red?

'Something Got Me Started'. In fact I like all the singles from Stars.

[daf]

26 February 1987: Presenters: Mike Smith & Steve Wright

(9) THE JETS – Crush On You
Eight Star
(15) SIMPLY RED – The Right Thing (video)
Gordon Ramsay's Cream Horn
(18) THE CULT – Love Removal Machine
The "You're a bit of a cult" sketch
(7) LEVEL 42 – Running In The Family
Armpit Bass
- - - - - - - - - - - - (breakers) - - - - - - - - - - - -
(21) THE COMMUNARDS – You Are My World
(17) A-HA – Manhattan Skyline
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


https://www.flickr.com/photos/51106326@N00/albums/72157664194051355

(8) MENTAL AS ANYTHING – Live It Up
Div Dance
(1) BEN E. KING – Stand By Me (video)
"Battle of the Jeans Songs" . . . (except Reet Petite was never used to sell jeans Smith, you plum! )
(24) DURAN DURAN – Skin Trade (+ credits)
Inspector Clouseau!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
https://wetransfer.com/downloads/0a310ddfc58e84d66249db775dce733f20190131213338/b57a9f

[kaprisky]

Friday's episode on BBC4 was a fairly solid one. The selections were pretty good.

[daf]

5 March 1987: Presenters: Gary Davies & Janice Long

(27) THE CHRISTIANS – Forgotten Town
Giz a Job!
(13) A-HA – Manhattan Skyline
A Rat-a-tat-a-tat
(20) ERASURE – It Doesn't Have To Be
Follow the Bouncing Bell



(25) MEL & KIM – Respectable
Teii-Teii-Teii-Teii, tetetetete,Teii-Teii (Always gonna be Repeatable)
- - - - - - - - - - - - (breakers) - - - - - - - - - - - -
(10) JACKIE WILSON – I Get The Sweetest Feeling
(9) FREDDIE MERCURY – The Great Pretender
(7) BOY GEORGE – Everything I Own
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
(29) AL JARREAU – Moonlighting
Mmm . . . Jaaazzz! 
(1) BEN E. KING – Stand By Me (video)
Whhil Whheaton
(2) PERCY SLEDGE – When A Man Loves A Woman (video / credits)
Golden Mouldy Picture Show

[Sebastian Cobb]

On a bus home (after seeing a folk theatre set about a man who fought in the Spanish Civil War).

Looking forward to seeing the jets and the one after it.

Respectable is a banger. I got my copy from a bargain bin '3 of these shagged records we can't be arsed sifting through for a quid' a while back, apparently it belonged to Maestros in Glasgow at some based on a stamp on the label. Sounded surprisingly good after a clean.

[Sebastian Cobb]

Oddly the 26th isn't on iplayer,yet March is.

[Satchmo Distel]

Three plays in a row was common in the early 70s - e.g. Instant Karma - but I thought there was a policy against even two in a row in the 80s unless you were No. 1.

[Bobtoo]

Oddly the 26th isn't on iplayer,yet March is.

That's because Mike Smith is in it, I asked why a few pages back and got these replies.

He refused to sign an extension to the licence the BBC had to broadcast episodes that he featured in  (which was originally for 25 years IIRC, so the UK Gold repeats were OK, but Edmonds had refused to sign an extension for those), ostensibly due to not wanting to be associated with Savile post-Yewtree, but possibly due to a grudge he and Sarah Greene had about their treatment by the BBC post-Ghostwatch.  They were still trying to get his permission when he died, and Greene has opted to carry on his stance.

He was a cunt and his missus wants to ensure that everyone remembers this.

What a way to be remembered.

Cheers, Mike Smith. When I go, I want people to remember that my ego ruined their innocent pleasure.

[Pauline Walnuts]

Simon's gigantic mouth has always left me feeling vaguely terrified.

https://youtu.be/lOoENQtlA-s?t=1199

[buzby]

26 February 1987: Presenters: Mike Smith & Steve Wright

Ohhh Jeeezeees, the worst pairing since Bates and Peebles are back. Smith's attempts at being 'wacky' are just so lame, and Wright is simply detestable.

(9) THE JETS – Crush On You

Tonga? They are from Minneapolis you berk - their mum and dad were from Tonga!
The Jets consisted of 8 of the 17 children of the Wolfgramm family (like the Osmonds, they are also Mormons), and they took their name from the Elton John song (having originally been named Quasar).

This single was written by Jerry Knight and Aaron Zigman. Knight was the drummer in Ray Parker Jr.'s band Raydio. When Parker Jr. went solo, he teamed up with session drummer Ollie E. Brown and they wrote an recorded the soundtrack to Breakin' and it's sequel, before moving into songwriting and production. Zigman was a session musician and songwriter, having previously contributed songs for the Fame TV series and worked with Carly simon on her 1985 album Step By Step.

This track sounds a bit dated for 1987 (the arpeggiated synth riff in particular is lifted straight from Shannon's 1985 hit Let The Music Play). This makes sense as it was actually recorded for The Jets' eponymous debut album in 1985 (mostly written by Knight & Zigman, and produced by David 'Z' Rivkin, a long-time associate of Prince), and was released as a single in the US in March 1986 (it peaked at no. 3 on the Billboard chart in June 86). It had been released in the UK at the same time but did nothing (it had also been given away on a Look-In free Lyntone flexidisc that caused the magazine to sell out) . God knows why it was rereleased a year later.

Two other singles from their 1985 debut album were released here in the wake of the success of Crush On You, but neither managed to break the Top 40. They recorded 3 further albums to diminishing returns, before being dropped by their label MCA, but continued recording and touring sporadically with differing permunations of the original members involved. In the late 80s they had a relationship with The Disney Channel and recorded the theme tunes for Ducktales and Chip 'N' Dale Rescue Rangers. The 'oohh' middle 8 of this track wnet on to be famously sampled by Alan Braxe and Fred Falke on 'Intro'.

Knight unfortuantely died of cancer in 1996 aged just 44. Zigman followed in his cousin George Bassman's footsteps and has had a long and successful career writing and arranging movie soundtracks.

As far as this performance goes, they show the Pearson siblings how to do it, while playing instruments at the same time. It's pretty high up in the 'most 80's instruments ever' chart too, with two Simmons SDS kits, a Steinberger bass, the rarely-seen Korg RK100S keytar, Eumlator II, Prophet V and DX7.

(7) LEVEL 42 – Running In The Family

Lindup is using two thirds of the keyboards left over from The Jets' performance (DX7 and Emulator II). Kings' Status Series II bass didn't last long - he's back on the JayDee again (this time his custom 'Starchild' model).

(21) THE COMMUNARDS – You Are My World

Another old single form 1985 getting dusted off. Mike Thorne was asked to spruce up The Communards's debut single for a rerelease to capitalise on the success of Don't Leave Me This Way and So Cold The Night.The new video again features The Venomettes strings section, but no Sarah-Jane. The new mix brings Coles' piano to the fore (probably at his request as he was quite jealous of Jimmy getting all the attention).

(17) A-HA – Manhattan Skyline

Another Steve Barron Quantel tour-de-force

(BTW, the next Smith/Wright-presented episode is significant in UK pop history, but I'll cover that when we get there)

[gmoney]

A-HA – Manhattan Skyline is an absolute belter.

[Norton Canes]

No kidding

[non capisco]

What was the deal with Mental As Anything? Their name and wacky stage moves make you think their music is going to sound like Stump or something rather than movie soundtrack balladeers.

Can't have felt great to be Duran Duran in 1987. Through all the cokey bravado they must have known that song was as weak as a new born kitten and that an in-studio performance being shunted TO THE END OF THE SHOW, AFTER THE NUMBER ONE smelt more of desperation to peg 'still relevant' event status onto their fading vehicle than anything positive.

The bits in Simply Red's 'The Right Thing' where he goes "In the middle of the night, when the time is right, sexually right" and "Feel that I'm getting harder now" are hilarious. Like a twelve year old's attempt to write a sensual song.

[Phil_A]

What was the deal with Mental As Anything? Their name and wacky stage moves make you think their music is going to sound like Stump or something rather than movie soundtrack balladeers.

Seems like they started off more in the vein of Men At Work or later Split Enz before they Went Pop.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSGtg26-TpU

Is it me or does their drummer look exactly like Andy Partridge?

[Gradual Decline]

Is it me or does their drummer look exactly like Andy Partridge?

The singer on that is bit of Tilbrook-a-like.

[buzby]

5 March 1987: Presenters: Gary Davies & Janice Long

They were obviously trying to set Davies up as a replacement for Peel to pair with Long. He's far too professional though, and means Janice plays it safe too without Peel egging her on.

(27) THE CHRISTIANS – Forgotten Town

A favourite of mine, it's a great blend of 60s soul-pop harmonies, 80s techno-pop (it's got a fantastic squelchy Roland Alpha Juno bassline and an 808-based drum track) and socially-aware lyrics. Although it's plainly written about Liverpool under Thatcher, it could be referring to any number of provincial towns and cities of that era. The production was also unlike anything else around at that time.

This was the debut single for The Christians, who consisted of siblings Roger, Garry and Russell Christian and multi-instrumentalist Henry (Christian) Priestman. The brothers were from Toxteth and were part of a family of 13 children, most of whom had some involvement in the Liverpool music scene in the 70s and 80s. Roger (alongside his older brother Dennis) had been a member of 70s Liverpool soul band The Gems, Garry was a bass player in a jazz-fusion band and Russell was a sax player in another band. The three also performed occasionally as an acapella soul group with two of their other brothers, and it was this that led them to the attention of Henry Priestman.

Priestman was originally from Hull but had moved to Liverpool in 1975 to study at the College Of Art. While studying there he joined pop-punk band Yachts and then went on to join It's Immaterial as a keyboard player (as they already had 3 guitarists) He also wrote songs, but the rest of the band weren't interested in them. He saw The Christians perform an acapella set at the 1983 Larks In The Park music festival in Sefton Park, and afterwards was introduced to them by their manager Pete Fulwell (founder of Eric's, owner of Eternal and ARK indie labels and manager of Pete Wylie and Black). Priestman invited them to record backing vocals for It's Immaterial's single Ed's Funky Diner, and Fulwell suggested Priestman should get together with the brothers as an outlet for his songwriting and composition.

After the session he got talking to Garry, and gave him a cassette of his song demos. The brothers listened to the cassette and liked what they heard, and so decided to work with Priestman. They started developing his demos and playing gigs (often supporting It's Immaterial), and by 1985 Priestman decided to leave It's Immaterail to concentrate on The Christians full-time. They recorded some 8-track demos of the songs that would eventually from their eponymous first album, and Island records offered them a deal on the back of their demo tape..

The album was recorded in summer 1986 with Laurie Latham producing (it was also an early example of being put together largely using an Akai S900 sampler and Steinberg Pro 24 sequencer on the Atari ST, rather than using a Fairlight or Synclavier) and this single was put out in advance of it. It went on to be Island's biggest-selling debut album ever, though in the touring and promotion schedule in the run-up to the release Roger decided to leave the band as he didn't want to tour (he was still present on Garry's left here, and also featured in the video for the follow-up single).

We will be hearing more from them in the coming weeks, but in the meantime check out the excellent 12" remix by Godwin Logie, accompanied by rushes from the footage shot for the CSO in the promo video.

(13) A-HA – Manhattan Skyline

Pal has indeed come up with another banger - that gearchange for the choruses is fantastic. Magne has a DX7 and the Roland JX-8P seen a couple of weeks ago makes a return.

(20) ERASURE – It Doesn't Have To Be

Vince throwing a complete curveball here - he's brought his collection of 4 (!) Model 181 CV keyboard controllers from his vintage Roland System 100m modular synths!

(25) MEL & KIM – Respectable

Slightly more 'pop' than Showin' Out, but another cracker nevertheless. The Publison Infernal Machine is really making it's presence felt with the sampled pitchshifted vocals. The girls are really selling it with the performance too.

(10) JACKIE WILSON – I Get The Sweetest Feeling

Giblets' second Wilson promo - in fact, this song was picked by them for release, as after the success of Reet Petite Wlson's UK licensee Passion Music approached them and asked which track they would most like to make a video for,

(2) PERCY SLEDGE – When A Man Loves A Woman (video / credits)

Yet another Levi's ad campaign song, this time from 'Parting'

[Norton Canes]

(20) ERASURE – It Doesn't Have To Be
Follow the Bouncing Bell

This performance goes somewhat better then the one on Saturday Live, which suffered some sort of equipment failure, IIRC

(27) THE CHRISTIANS – Forgotten Town
Giz a Job

This was the debut single for The Christians, who consisted of siblings Roger, Garry and Russell Christian and multi-instrumentalist Henry (Christian) Priestman

Because of their first letters of their surnames, they originally wanted to call themselves C.C.C.P.

[famethrowa]

What was the deal with Mental As Anything? Their name and wacky stage moves make you think their music is going to sound like Stump or something rather than movie soundtrack balladeers.

They came out in the Aussie pub scene of the late 70's, so compared to the so so serious rockers of the time (Midnight Oil, Angels, Cold Chisel) they were the quirky and wacky ones. The singer there is the only original one left but they still tour constantly down under.

[Sebastian Cobb]

Yet another Levi's ad campaign song, this time from 'Parting'

These polished soul classics really upset me; this one was marks some of Rik Hall's earliest work, and one of his many tracks that really didn't need a compressor.