28 January 1988: Presenters: Gary Davies & Mike Smith
(17) DEBBIE GIBSON – Shake Your Love
Twin Roland D50s, a Yamaha KX6 keytar and an extraneous drum kit (it's clearly a LinnDrum on the track). She looks just like Michaela Strachan doesn't she? As for the song, it's entirely forgettable. I never understood the competition between her and Tiffany either - Tiffany is quite clearly the better singer of the two, and a much less awkward performer.
(18) BILLY IDOL – Hot In The City (video)
At least there's no keyboard player for him to molest in this video.
(21) 2 MEN, A DRUM MACHINE & A TRUMPET – Tired Of Getting Pushed Around
Another KX5.Ex Beat-sters and current FYC members Andy Cox and David Steele decide to jump on the house music bandwagon, accompanied by one-time UB40 and current FYC trumpet player Graeme Hamilton. The anonymity angle is ruined by appearing on TOTP (though they do seem somewhat reluctant). As far as the song goes, it does sound slightly 'inauthentic' and bandwagonesque.They did one further single (minus Hamilton) as Two Men And A Drum Machine, but we'll come across that in a future episode.
(25) JERMAINE STEWART – Say It Again
what's that alongside the DX7? A late appearance by a Roland Jupiter 8! The piano solo definitely wouldn't have been played on it though.
- - - - - - - - - - - - (breakers) - - - - - - - - - - - -
(24) TAYLOR DAYNE – Tell It To My Heart
Fuck me, how tinny does this sound? something must have gone wrong in the audio dubbing for that VT.
(19) JACK ‘N’ CHILL – The Jack That House Built
Yay!
Starglider on the Spectrum!. One of only two singles the duo recorded before splitting after the follow-up
Beating The Heat just failed to crack the Top 40 (a bit of a lost gem IMO).
(33) T’PAU – Valentine
The obligatory DX7 + D50 combo. I like this song more than China In Hour Hand as it allows Decker to show off her vocals. it still can't beat Heart & Soul though.
(1) TIFFANY – I Think We’re Alone Now
L
Speaking of vocals - LIVE, and in the UK! Take that Gibson you fraud!
(8) THE BEATMASTERS featuring THE COOKIE CREW – Rok Da House (video / credits)
I love this track - it just sounds very raw and full of energy, with none of the edges knocked off by working with an established producer. The Beatmasters were also good friends with The KLF too.
4 February 1988: Presenter: Mike Smith
(16) KYLIE MINOGUE – I Should Be So Lucky (video)
Her first track recorded with S/A/W. This video was shot specially for Noel Edmond's Christmas 1987 Post Office Tower show (which is presumably why TOTP are using it instead of the official video) and features Kylie riding round in one of the oddball (and rare) Baur BMW E30 3-series cabriolet conversions.
(28) THE SCREAMING BLUE MESSIAHS – I Wanna Be A Flintstone
Dave Bowie (of Dave Bowie and the Dave Bowie Band fame) professed these as his favourite band throughout 1987 and 1988, and they even supported him on his Glass Spider tour UK dates. They had been knocking around the London rockabilly scene since the early 80s (originally as motor Boys Motor), garnering a bit of a cult following for their intense live shows. They recorded a few indie singles and a Peel Session in 1985 and were asked to appear on Whistle Test.
The resulting buzz around them prompted WEA to offer them a deal, and accepting is possibly the worst thing they could have done as WEA never really knew what to do with them. They recorded Gun Shy, thier first album for WEA in 1985 which was critically lauded but did nothnig commercially. This track was recorded for their second WEA album Bikini Red, and wa sa reworkng of an old Motor Boys Motor track Here Come The Flintstones (recorded for their 1982 album for Albion Records).
Despite the unlikely chart success of I Wanna Be a Flintsone, touring constantly just to pay off their advance and recording costs (and having to sell gear and do normal jobs to survive when they weren't touring) eventually took their toll, and they only recorded one further album, 1989's Totally Religious. By this time relations between the band and label had collapsed ,and no singles would be released to promote it, the album was pulled from shelves a month after it's release and the band were dropped and split soon afterwards.
"It's a shit business"
