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

[Norton Canes]

Do you think they asked Bryan Ferry?

[daf]

2 April 1987: Presenter: Gary Davies & Janice Long

(21) THE POGUES & THE DUBLINERS – The Irish Rover
Make it a Double



(5) MADONNA – La Isla Bonita (video)
La Isla Bin Buskers
(22) CURIOSITY KILLED THE CAT – Ordinary Day
Cue-ball Concealer
(17) FINE YOUNG CANNIBALS – Ever Fallen In Love
Ever Covered a Song  . . .
- - - - - - - - - - - - (breakers) - - - - - - - - - - - -
(34) THE RAINMAKERS – Let My People Go-Go
(33) HERB ALPERT – Keep Your Eye On Me
(27) WHITESNAKE – Still Of The Night
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
(24) RUBY TURNER – I'd Rather Go Blind
Janice left twisting slowly in the wind
(1) FERRY AID – Let It Be (video / credits)
Do They Know it's Kate Bush?  (. . . and Simon Bates!!)

[Satchmo Distel]

I must have abandoned the episode after the first song because I recall the Pogues & Dubliners performance vividly but none of the others.

Or did Pogues & Dubliners do a more memorable performance on another pop programme such as Whistle Test?

Janice Long was playing it regularly on her radio show for sure.

[non capisco]

Simon Bates having the absolute time of his life there clapping and thinking about the Zeebrugge ferry disaster. I've seldom seen a man look more delighted.

It's no 'Doctor In Distress', is it?

[Camp Tramp]

Simon Bates having the absolute time of his life there clapping and thinking about the Zeebrugge ferry disaster. I've seldom seen a man look more delighted.

It's no 'Doctor In Distress', is it?

He was probably thinking about pigs?

[Satchmo Distel]

Gary Bushell's involvement must surely tarnish any chance this record had of being remembered fondly, but the line-up is also underwhelming given they had to use Bates and Mike Read to make up the numbers.

[daf]

9 April 1987: Presenter: Mike Smith

(28) THE RAINMAKERS – Let My People Go-Go
Great Hats in Rock #1 : Felt Topper
(6) CLUB NOUVEAU – Lean On Me (video)
Rose-Tinted Spectacle
(30) THE BLOW MONKEYS – Out With Her
Enjoying that Feather, Doc?
(14) JUDY BOUCHER – Can't Be With You Tonight
The Cynthia Payne Sketch
- - - - - - - - - - - - (breakers) - - - - - - - - - - - -
(23) LIVING IN A BOX – Living In A Box
(17) BON JOVI – Wanted Dead Or Alive
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
(7) TERENCE TRENT D'ARBY – If You Let Me Stay
Great Hats in Rock #2 : Sideways Jumbo Flat-Cap
(1) FERRY AID – Let It Be (video)
Boy George - Kamen - Paul King - Macca . . . Ev'rybody sing about . . Zeebrugge!



(22) WHITESNAKE – Still Of The Night (video / credits)
Percy Plant : The Next Generation!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Good Quality version, but missing Whitesnake -
https://wetransfer.com/downloads/25051a7faf94f0f942fa656ae45157f520190209145430/f9a6ac
Lower quality BBC Achive version including Whitesnake -
https://wetransfer.com/downloads/841129912e21443d50a078976280559120190208212140/8cb883

[Satchmo Distel]

No criticism intended but having to see the Sun logo when I load this page is unfortunate.

[non capisco]

Terence Trent D'arby aside (I love his slightly shaky Prince rip-off moves that mean you're never quite sure if he's going to do the splits and actually manage to get up again or sit there in agony howling "argh, me bollocks!". Also the two backing singers looking like two blokes he knew from the pub drafted in at the last minute. Finally, though, WHAT a voice.) that last Mike Smith episode was weak. The Rainmakers weren't even annoying in a semi-pleasurable way and I never knew my mum's mate Crystal released a hit song under the pseudonym Judy Boucher.

Can't wait for 'Wishing Well' by Terence Trout Derby, that's my jam.

[Norton Canes]

Looks like there was a mini-spate of novelty-esque singles from US MOR acts around this time. We've just had The Rainmakers on top of Timbuk 3, and I remember Battleship Chains from about the same time - turns out in charted in May '87 but only got to no. 44

[daf]

No criticism intended but having to see the Sun logo when I load this page is unfortunate.

Ah, sorry about that -

I did wrestle a bit with using it or not, but a combination of all the other single sleeves being a bit dull this week, and feeling it probably should be represented - (as it was a big single, and a bit of a talking point) - ended up with me using it in the end *

But I do think you're right, and I made a mistake here - so, my sincere apologies for any distress caused.

- - - - -
* (I always try and mark the 'zeitgest' moments visually if I can : Pop classics, first singles, novelty songs, long number ones, etc . .)

[Norton Canes]

Here's the reverse side, worth seeing for the glorious full list of celebrity involvement...

[Norton Canes]

(30) THE BLOW MONKEYS – Out With Her
Enjoying that Feather, Doc

The Boa Monkeys

[daf]

"Special Thanks to Michael Jackson"

Eh?

[Norton Canes]

Something to do with the royalties?

[fatguyranting]

He owned the Beatles publishing by then.

[daf]

Aha - of course!

(Thought it might have been some shameless pre-emptive bum-kissing by Bushell hoping for an interview - or by Waterman thinking he could produce his next LP!)

[buzby]

19 March 1987: Presenters: Simon Bates & Peter Powell

Smug & Smugger.

(11) BRUCE WILLIS – Respect Yourself (video)

Yeah, this can fuck off. It would have been far better if they had just let June Pointer do the song on her own without Willis honking over it as well.

(25) THE MISSION – Severina

After their U2-esque earlier single, The Mish go full Goth, crushed velvet coat and all. It's a bit waek sauce but the female backing vocal really lifts it, courtesy of ex-Gene Loves Jezebel and then-currnet All About Eve vocalist Julianne Regan (All About Eve ended up getting  record deal on the back of her enhanced profile from appearing on The Mission's God's Own Medicine album).

The female backing vocals idea would be nicked by their arch enemy Spiggy Eldritch for the next Sisters Of Mercy album.

(15) ERASURE – It Doesn't Have To Be

Once again, Vince throws a curveball with a Yamaha PF80 piano synth (it's got that same gear hire company label on it seen on synths previously, so it's not his). It was a combination of a clavinova-style realistic piano keyboard with DX synth engine derived FM sounds (though with twice the number of FM operators found in the DX7). We also get the 'no visible means of support' suspended keyboard stand (a bit of a risk with the considerable weight of a PF80 on it, and presumably why Vince wasn't willing to use one of his own keyboards this time).

(19) GENESIS – Tonight Tonight Tonight (Montreux clip)

Pull the other one Bates - BBC cameras at Montreux? We all know the festival filmed their own performances to sell to TV companies around the world (and were one of the first to adopt the HDTV standard). It seems Smitty was there backstage though

Genesis go full 80s - twin Simmons SDS kits, Steinberger GL-series guitar (Rutherford was later  responsible for the design of their more guitar-shaped M-series guitars) and Banks has the ubiquitous DX7 and a bit of a throwback with a Roland Juno 106.

26 March 1987: Presenter: Mike Smith

(22) TERENCE TRENT D'ARBY – If You Let Me Stay

Inevitable DX7 ahoy (Martyn Ware probably used one for the parping brass on the record too). Not sure who the two blokes on backing vocals are, but on the record it was Lance 'Son of Ray' Ellington and Tony 'impersonating Marvin Gaye for Levi's and the voice of Um Bongo' Jackson.

(4) U2 – With Or Without You (video)

Bono developing into peak sucking-America's-cock pompous arsehole mode.

(6) ALISON MOYET – Weak In The Presence Of Beauty

Bellend guitar miming alert! Standard triple 80s assault with the Simmons kit, DX7 and that rental Oberheim OB-8 makes a reappearance. This was a cover of the title track from Sheffield pop-soul no-hit wonders Floy Joy's second and final album, released in 1985 (it reached no. 85 in February 1986) . Alison recorded this cover purely because she thought it would be a hit, rather than it being a song that she liked (and it did become a hit, to be fair to her).

(15) PETER GABRIEL – Big Time (video)
Sledgehammer 2 : The Repeatening

A bit unfair, daf - the animation is a lot more inventive and varied on this one, but it's always overshadowed by it's predecessor. Stephen R. Johnson returned as director, with his Pee Wee's Playhouse colleagues Wayne Walsh and David Daniels providing the animation, including Daniels' trademark 'stratacut' clay animation. Gabriel plays less of a part of the video as he was on tour and was only available for 2 days of shooting.

PP Arnold, Coral Gordon and Dee Lewis return on backing vocals, and Stewart Copeland guested on drums (though the kick drum was overdubbed with a Linn, which no doubt pleased him). The bassline was played by Tony Levin fingering the notes on the fretboard of his bass and Gabriel's regular drummer Jerry Marotta hitting the strings with a drumstick.To recreate the effect for live performances, Levin created 'funk fingers' - cut-down drumstick ends that he velcro'd to his fingers:

(24) CLUB NOUVEAU – Lean On Me (video / credits)

Christ this is rotten - ripping off the Art Of Noise's sampled vocal effect was well past it's sell-by date by 1987.

[The Culture Bunker]

I've always enjoyed 'Big Time' more than 'Sledgehammer', as the latter basically runs out of steam* after the second chorus (that being the best part, obv) and then bums around for two pointless minutes.

*deliberate Gabriel reference

[DrGreggles]

I've always enjoyed 'Big Time' more than 'Sledgehammer', as the latter basically runs out of steam* after the second chorus (that being the best part, obv) and then bums around for two pointless minutes.

*deliberate Gabriel reference

Steam is my favourite Gabriel song.

Same goes for East 17.

[buzby]

Steam is my favourite Gabriel song.

Another Stephen R.. Johnson video too, but we are getting ahead of ourselves.

[Satchmo Distel]

As an aside, PP Arnold was on 'Poor Boy' by Nick Drake and did a cracking cover of God Only Knows for Andrew Loog Oldham's label:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6NuANF66Qs

And she is on 'Tin Soldier' here (Immediate Records labelmates):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvRap1uVH2g

[monkfromhavana]

As an aside, PP Arnold was on 'Poor Boy' by Nick Drake and did a cracking cover of God Only Knows for Andrew Loog Oldham's label:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6NuANF66Qs

And she is on 'Tin Soldier' here (Immediate Records labelmates):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvRap1uVH2g

Was also the vocalist on Altern 8's 'E-Vapor-8'.

[buzby]

Was also the vocalist on Altern 8's 'E-Vapor-8'.

And The Beatmasters' 'Burn It Up', as well as session work for The KLF with Katie Kissoon (for which she said she wasn't paid her contracted royalties) that ended up being sampled and used across most of their releases from Burn The Bastards onwards.

[DrGreggles]

And she is on 'Tin Soldier' here (Immediate Records labelmates):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvRap1uVH2g

And occasional writers/producers: https://youtu.be/rKoOL9bmDp4

Love that song.

[daf]

A bit unfair, daf - the animation is a lot more inventive and varied on this one, but it's always overshadowed by it's predecessor.

Steam is my favourite Gabriel song.

Oops! - it's another daf cock-up of the week :

It was STEAM that I felt (back in 1992) to be a bit of an attempt to re-create Sledgehammer (the song - rather than the video) - not Big Time. Gah!

I do really like Big Time - particularly that amazing bass.

[Uncle TechTip]

I thought the video was by Aardman? Can't be arsed looking, may as well just ask Buzby.

[Mr Banlon]

Simon Bates having the absolute time of his life there clapping and thinking about the Zeebrugge ferry disaster. I've seldom seen a man look more delighted.

It's no 'Doctor In Distress', is it?

Ah, so that's what this is about then : https://youtu.be/CTWRdYvhBt8?t=1945

[daf]

I thought the video was by Aardman?

Seem to have used mainly American based animators that had previously worked on Pee-wee's Playhouse:

The visual style was very similar to the "Sledgehammer" video, using stop motion claymation by David Daniels and strata-cut animation. The larger video was supervised by director Stephen R. Johnson and produced by Prudence Fenton. It was shot at Peter Wallach Studios. Artist Wayne White contributed to the creation of the video.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Time_(Peter_Gabriel_song)#Music_video

[buzby]

I thought the video was by Aardman? Can't be arsed looking, may as well just ask Buzby.

Seem to have used mainly American based animators that had previously worked on Pee-wee's Playhouse:

Ahem...

Stephen R. Johnson returned as director, with his Pee Wee's Playhouse colleagues Wayne Walsh and David Daniels providing the animation, including Daniels' trademark 'stratacut' clay animation. Gabriel plays less of a part of the video as he was on tour and was only available for 2 days of shooting.

Johnson was the director of the first series of Pee Wee's Playhouse, for which he had commissioned animations and artwork from Daniels and Walsh. Johnson had also directed the Sledgehammer video, which had animation by The Brothers Quay and Aardman (and Johnson himself) and he returned for Steam, but that was mostly created via digital compositing and morphing (and has dated a lot worse than the two videos he did from So).

You should really check out the link to Daniels' showreel in my quote, as it's pretty spectacular. Here's another video of him demonstrating how he makes his stratacut animations.