Top of the Pops on BBC Four - Thread Three

[Captain Z]

Did they even play "The Grease Megamix"? It sounded like just a slightly edited version of Summer Nights.

[Norton Canes]

13 December 1990: Presenter: Simon Mayo

(and his mum, by the looks of it)

(34) | SHAKIN' STEVENS – The Best Christmas Of Them

Disappointingly restrained curtain call, expected him to land at least one knee drop for ol' times sake.

(14) | YAZOO – Situation (Remix) (video)

How did Vince Clarke and Alison Moyet feel about Yazoo being remixed and put on TOTP in 1990?

Don't know, but disappointed not to see them in a cameo.

(32) | SEAL – Crazy

Hope he's put some talc in those breeks. Sorry, but this is actually the dullest song ever, any interesting edges it might have completely rounded off by Trevor Horn's lacquered production. That little tribal bit in the middle eight always sounds to me like the stunted remains of an attempt to do something interesting with it. Utter Radio 2 fodder.

20 December 1990: Presenter: Bruno Brookes

Not much to say about this one is there. Nice of Snap to turn up, I see the dancers are sporting my leisurewear look. Isn't this the second time there's been footage of Stalin in a Jive Bunny video? [edit: oops]

[A Hat Like That]

The movie Ghost

Unchained Melody was Ghost, number 1 a few weeks ago in TOTP land

You've Lost That Loving Feeling was (presumably) re-released in the wake, it gets quite high up the chart, but I think its also related to Berlin getting to #3 after Top Gun got its terrestrial premier on ITV.

The 1990 vinyl of You've Lost That Loving Feeling I own does state "as heard on the Top Gun soundtrack" on the sleeve. 

[Better Midlands]

The 1990 vinyl of You've Lost That Loving Feeling I own does state "as heard on the Top Gun soundtrack" on the sleeve.

https://youtu.be/CFT0jGibz80&t=2m45s

[Huxleys Babkins]

Did they even play "The Grease Megamix"? It sounded like just a slightly edited version of Summer Nights.

I don't think I can overstate just how lazy the Grease Megamix was. Summer Nights, You're The One That I Want and Greased Lightnin', edited for time, played one after the other. Made Jive Bunny look like DJ Shadow. They used to play it at our middle school discos and it would empty the floor until the Greased Lightnin' bit. Wretched.

[Johnboy]

Wicked Game - great performance!

[Captain Z]

I don't think I can overstate just how lazy the Grease Megamix was. Summer Nights, You're The One That I Want and Greased Lightnin', edited for time, played one after the other. Made Jive Bunny look like DJ Shadow. They used to play it at our middle school discos and it would empty the floor until the Greased Lightnin' bit. Wretched.

I only (vaguely) remember the Grease megamix from 1998, which Wikipedia suggests was just a re-release of this 1990 version, but sheesh you're right about the laziness. I guess TOTP did play it, but starting around halfway through just after it switches to Summer Nights.

[buzby]

13 December 1990: Presenter: Simon Mayo

(14) | YAZOO – Situation (Remix) (video)

Bit of an odd one this - Situation was released in the UK as the B-side to Only You, but it was released as a single in 1982 in North America and Japan with an extended 12" mix (and dub version) by François Kevorkian in the US (engineered by John Potoker, who later made the abberation of Blue Monday 88). An edit of Kervorkian's mix was used for the 7", replacing Miller's shortened edit. The song famously featured Alison Moyet's laugh, which ended up getting sampled by everybody and their dog. It did relatively well, getting to #73 in the Billboard Top 100 and topping the Dance chart.

By 1990, Vince was getting into doing dance remixes for other artists (it started in 1988 with him being approached to remix W.F.L. for the Happy Mondays, which became a big club hit) so I can only assume he was OK with this remix project (which seems to have been Daniel Miller's idea), and the track had not previosuly been released as a single in the UK.
Kervorkian was asked to have another go, and he came up with the Deadline Mix (which edited form became the A-side of the 7" and the version heard on the radio and TV). He also made a new Space Dub version, which features almost no elements of the original track. There was also the Aggressive Attutude Mix by that chancer Martin Glover (trading off his unearned rep from Blue Pearl - for this he seems to have discovered the Amen Break) which was used as the A-side of the 12". The B-side of the 12" featured the Madhouse Mix of State Farm by Paul Dakeyne, with an edit of this being the B-side to the 7" release (the original track had been the B-side to Nobody's Diary in 1983).

Like most of these contemporary remixes, I don't think they work any better than Kervorkian's original 1982 12" mix, and have arguably aged worse than it. It wouldn't be the last time Situation was subjected to some unnecessary remixes either.

(15) | MALANDRA BURROWS – Just This Side Of Love

Just dreadful. The production is about 5 years out of date (right down to the 'Take My Breath Away' DX7 fretless bass preset) and she puts on the hammiest attempt at miming since Liza Minelli's last appreance.

(27) | ENIGMA – Sadness Part 1 (video)

Ah the Emulator II Shakuhachi sample rears it's ugly head again (from the same library disk as the other notorious EII sample, the Pacific Loon). Slapped together by veteran German producers (and Frank Farian alumnus) Michael Cretu (under the alias Curly M.C.)and Frank Peterson (aka. Frank Gregorian), with the female vocals coming from Cretu's wife Sandra. The chants were sampled off the 1975 album  Paschale Mysterium by the German choir Capella Antiqua München, which he was later sued over (this became a bit of a pattern for Enigma). The keyboard melody in the choruses is also 'heavily inspired' by Lewis Martinee's riff from Domino Dancing by the PSBs. Cretu had moved to Ibiza with Sandra in 1988 and set up his studio there, so he was presumably picking up on all the 'post-E comedown chillout vibe' and decided he cash in on a bit of that (at amost exactly the same time The KLF had moved away from it, in fact)

It was initially released in Germany at the end of October and topped the charts in it's second week. It then got rush-released around the rest of Europe and topped the charts in virtually every country. The UK release was unusual as the title and sleeve art was censored to remove the reference to the Marquis de Sade, so here it became 'Sadness Part I' (we have covered that on CaB before).

(32) | SEAL – Crazy

I quite like this as a single, though as others have mentioned it could do with a bit less of Trevor Horn's overpolished gloss. He's giving it the beans for this performance though.

(22) | BLACK BOX – The Total Mix (video)

Total Mince, more like

(10) | CHRIS ISAAK – Wicked Game

A great song and performance. Not sure on the sans serif vinyl letters for his name on the guitar though - they look totally incogruous on a 1950s- style semi-acoustic archtop.

( 1 ) | VANILLA ICE – Ice Ice Baby (video)

Yes, he's a total berk and the song is pish, but at least he performed live for his studio appearance a few weeks ago, unlike most rappers so far.

[The Culture Bunker]

A great song and performance. Not sure on the sans serif vinyl letters for his name on the guitar though - they look totally incogruous on a 1950s- style semi-acoustic archtop.

Last time I was in America, he was on TV playing an acoustic adorned with his name in pretty much the same font. Seemed a cheap way to ruin a perfectly good guitar to me.

[buzby]

I must say, this live version of Killer is an absolute banger (despite Seal's voice seeming a little hoarse).

[A Hat Like That]

I think that's the second time they've had footage of Stalin in one of their videos. He was a laugh from the past, wasn't he, old Stalin? Right up there for nostalgic giggles with people jumping off diving boards dressed as aeroplanes and some holiday camp game where you have to try and catch a frog. It cut off before the images of forced labour camps and Jive Bunny popping up and making a sarcastic "hard at work" face.

That's the last we'll see of Shaky, by the way. He only had one song I genuinely like in his ten years of TOTP appearances but I think I'm gonna miss him.

Shakey reprise!

[daf]

(despite Seal's voice seeming a little hoarse).

A bit pony?

[Egyptian Feast]

Status Quo's drummer looks the spit of a guy who wore a hideous flesh coloured PVC outfit in a German grot film I once saw and every time I see him I feel dirty.

[Better Midlands]

Francois Kervorkian mixes of Situation

You're quite right about his original mixes dating better than these ones. I read in an interview with FK that the original dub was a killer on the NY dancefloors and moved his remixing career up several notches almost overnight, it's very proto house.

Enigma - Sadness

Cretu also produced Sandra's Maria Magdalena solo hit which was an absolute smash across Europe but only reached #91 in the UK in 1985.

Edit: Didn't we have thread on here before discussing the whole Sadeness/Sadness thing?

[buzby]

You're quite right about his original mixes dating better than these ones. I read in an interview with FK that the original dub was a killer on the NY dancefloors and moved his remixing career up several notches almost overnight, it's very proto house.

It probably helped him secure the gig mixing Electric Cafe with Kraftwerk.

Edit: Didn't we have thread on here before discussing the whole Sadeness/Sadness thing?

Yes, I mentioned in my post it had been discussed on here before. It was in the Musical Mandela Effects thread - the first post in the Sadeness/Sadness discussion was yours in fact!

[Chicory]

Just watched the Xmas 1990 episode and due to Turner's manic shouting being drowned out by even more manic studio shrieking, I didn't manage to identify the old-ish weatherman guy in the red jumper. Not familiar to me by any stretch. Anyone?

[Better Midlands]

Yes, I mentioned in my post it had been discussed on here before. It was in the Musical Mandela Effects thread - the first post in the Sadeness/Sadness discussion was yours in fact!

Ha, thanks, I thought I was repeating myself - any opportunity to mention the the Maria Magdalena track. I see that it was sampled in this vaporwave album too.

猫 シ Corp.東京 HAZE (Extended Tape Version)
SANDRAWAVE]

[daf]

I didn't manage to identify the old-ish weatherman guy in the red jumper. Not familiar to me by any stretch. Anyone?

Bernard Davey - not one of the more memorable weather forecasters.



I expect they asked Michael Fish first (to rip the piss out of him for his storm balls-up), and got told to stick it where the monkey keeps his nuts!

[daf]

25 December 1990: Presenter: Mark Goodier & Anthea Turner

(27) | KIM APPLEBY – Don't Worry
- - - - - - - - - - (1990 No. 1's) - - - - - - - - - -
NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK – Hangin' Tough (video)
KYLIE MINOGUE – Tears On My Pillow (video)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
( - ) | BEATS INTERNATIONAL feat. LINDY LAYTON – Dub Be Good To Me
- - - - - - - - - (Vintage No. 1's) - - - - - - - - -
SLADE – Merry Xmas Everybody (1974)
MUD – Lonely This Christmas (1974)
ST. WINIFRED'S SCHOOL CHOIR – There's No One Quite Like Grandma (1980)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
(55) | THE BEAUTIFUL SOUTH – A Little Time
- - - - - - - - - - (1990 No. 1's) - - - - - - - - - -
ENGLAND/NEW ORDER – World In Motion (video)
PARTNERS IN KRYME – Turtle Power (video)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
( - ) | BOMBALURINA – Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini
- - - - - - - - - (Vintage No. 1's) - - - - - - - - -
BONEY M – Mary's Boy Child – Oh My Lord (1978)
THE HUMAN LEAGUE – Don't You Want Me (1981)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
( - ) | ELTON JOHN – Sacrifice
- - - - - - - - - - (1990 No. 1's) - - - - - - - - - -
SNAP – The Power (video)
( 2 ) | VANILLA ICE – Ice Ice Baby (video)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
( - ) | KYLIE MINOGUE – Better The Devil You Know



( - ) | ADAMSKI – Killer
- - - - - - - - - - (1990 No. 1's) - - - - - - - - - -
STEVE MILLER BAND – The Joker (video)
THE B52'S – Love Shack (video)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
( - ) | SINEAD O'CONNOR – Nothing Compares 2 U
- - - - - - - - - (Vintage No. 1's) - - - - - - - - -
SHAKIN' STEVENS – Merry Christmas Everyone (1985)
CLIFF RICHARD – Mistletoe And Wine (1988)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
( - ) | LONDONBEAT – I've Been Thinking About You
(12) | THE RIGHTEOUS BROTHERS – Unchained Melody (video)
- - - - - - - - - - (1990 No. 1's) - - - - - - - - - -
ALANNAH MILES – Black Velvet (video)
MARIA McKEE – Show Me Heaven (video)
- - - - - - - - - (Vintage No. 1's) - - - - - - - - -
THE FLYING PICKETS – Only You (1983)
PET SHOP BOYS – Always On My Mind (1987)
JOHNNY MATHIS – When A Child Is Born (1976)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
( - ) | MADONNA – Vogue (video)
(82) | STATUS QUO – The Anniversary Waltz Part 1
( 1 ) | CLIFF RICHARD – Saviour's Day (credits)

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
 
 

[Norton Canes]

25 December 1990: Presenter: Mark Goodier & Anthea Turner

Didn't watch this last night as I ended up watching Octopussy with Mrs Canes. "I need refilling..."

Anyway caught up with some of it today. I see we finally get the return of Cypher graphics, but these in-house BBC efforts are sadly lacklustre compared to the inspired and ingenious brio of their earlier, proprietary incarnation. Also their Quantel appears to be on the blink, with the shots that are set to 'dissolve' not filling the entire screen. And the malfunctioning Anthea-bot frankly needs trashing altogether.

Oh look, Andi Peters. That's almost like seeing The Watcher in Logopolis.

SLADE – Merry Xmas Everybody (1974)

Curious how this seems to go from being Top of the Pops to some kind of early incarnation of Later with Jools Holland, with various celebrities lounging in the background. Would have been nice to have seen them for a bit longer, and try and work out who they were. I wonder why they cut it so suddenly?

Ah, okay.

( - ) | ADAMSKI – Killer

Yeah this is pretty good, albeit slightly weird now that Seal has moved into his mankini'd solo artiste phase. And what's that vocoder-y sample running through most of it? Sounds like Adamski trying to smuggle in a dirty word.

Bernard Davey is quite the fister.

( - ) | LONDONBEAT – I've Been Thinking About You

Cha-ba-ba!


Quo, Cliff, credits. Thanks, 1990.

[matjam13]

Back in 2017 when the Top Of The Pops reruns were on 1983 we lost a cover of The Doors Riders On The Storm performed by Annabel Rider because they didn't allow the BBC to play their songs on TV (or in July 2015 radio) including covers.
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/jul/09/dont-play-neil-young-or-the-doors-bbc-tells-djs-and-programme-makers
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/jul/27/the-doors-and-neil-young-cleared-to-be-played-on-bbc-radio

In 1991 The Doors appear twice, affecting these two editions

30-5-91: Presenter: Anthea Turner

(12) TECHNOTRONIC feat. REGGIE – Move That Body
(21) M.C. HAMMER – Yo! Sweetness (video)
(25) POP WILL EAT ITSELF – 92 Degrees
(28) SONIA – Only Fools (Never Fall In Love)
(27) KRAFTWERK – The Robots (video)
(32) SIOUXSIE & THE BANSHEES – Kiss Them For Me
(5) AMY GRANT – Baby Baby
(10) KYLIE MINOGUE – Shocked
(1) CHER – The Shoop Shoop Song (It's In His Kiss) (video)
(29) THE DOORS – Light My Fire (video) (and credits)
>> After presenting 23 editions, Anthea Turner makes her last appearance on TOTP.

13-6-91: Presenter: Jakki Brambles

(11) SONIA – Only Fools (Never Fall In Love)
(2) AMY GRANT – Baby Baby (video)
(22) GLORIA ESTEFAN – Remember Me With Love (video) (and charts)
(36) ALL ABOUT EVE – Farewell Mr. Sorrow
(20) DIVINYLS – I Touch Myself (video)
(28) LENNY KRAVITZ – It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over
(7) THE DOORS – Light My Fire (video)
(37) MASSIVE ATTACK – Safe From Harm
(27) ROD STEWART – The Motown Song (video) (Breakers)
(26) EXTREME – Get The Funk Out (video) (Breakers)
(25) BETTE MIDLER – From A Distance (video) (Breakers)
(24) LATOUR – People Are Still Having Sex (video) (Breakers)
(1) COLOR ME BADD – I Wanna Sex You Up
(19) SKID ROW – Monkey Business (video) (and credits)
>> The chart rundown is scrapped, and is ran along the screen during a video instead.

Unless things have changed in the last four years i expect the first show will either be edited down or not aired and the second one to be edited down.

[monkfromhavana]

Aside from Kraftwerk and Massive Attack, we're really not going to be missing all that much looking at the line-up. One (two) for the completists.

[buzby]

Aside from Kraftwerk and Massive Attack, we're really not going to be missing all that much looking at the line-up. One (two) for the completists.

And even then it's the poor relation 'The  Mix" rerecorded version of The Robots.

[steveh]

Unless things have changed in the last four years i expect the first show will either be edited down or not aired and the second one to be edited down.

Still the case according to BBC music clearance advice:

It should be specifically noted that songs/music by the Doors (Jim Morrison/Ray Manzarek/John Densmore/Robert Krieger), Journey (Cain/Perry/Schon), Michael Jackson  (Mijac Catalogue), Neil Young and Mark Knopfler are NOT included in this blanket agreement (including cover versions and tracks using samples) and cannot be used.

If a song or piece of music is not registered with PRS for Music an individual licence will need to be negotiated with the composer directly, and paid for from your production budget. The productions BBC music copyright contact will negotiate this on behalf of production.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/delivery/archive-rights-clearances

Channel 4 has a longer list:

Certain  artists  are  exempt  from  the IPC  scheme.  Please  do  not  use  their  repertoire.    These are entire catalogues for: AC/DC, The Arctic Monkeys, The Last Shadow Puppets, The Band (Sony published  tracks),  The  Beatles  (including  Paul  McCartney  &  George  Harrison),  Bruce Springsteen, Arthur Brown(inc Crazy World), Bob Dylan(inc Travelling Wilburys songs he co-wrote),  Metallica, Kurt  Cobain  / Nirvana,  Queen(all  writers  &  solo  work),Rod  Temperton (including  Michael  Jackson  songs), Prince  (inc  co-writes  Nothing  Compares  2  U,  Manic Monday,  Feel  For  You  (Chaka  Khan)  Kiss  (Tom  Jones)etc)  and  Michael  Jackson  (please check  with  Rights  if  you  wish  to  use  any  of  his  repertoire  as  we  expect  him  to  be  fully excluded  within  the  next  12  months).Jeff  Lynne  /  ELO  is  also  expected  to  go  on  this exemption list soon so please check with Rights if you want to use any of their repertoire.

Some  artists  exclude  only  certain  tracks  from  their  available  repertoire.  These  include:  Kate Bush  (Wuthering  Heights,  Babooshka,  Running  Up  That  Hill,  Hounds  of  Love),  Carole  King (Tapestry songs), Jim Martin (Fatso's World by Newsted (Metallica) and Martin, Procul Harum (Whiter  Shade  of  Pale),  The  Ramones  (I  Need  Your  Love  by  Robert  Waxman), Lou  Reed (Transformer tracks),Vangellis (Chariots of Fire) andThe White Stripes (currently just Seven Nation Armybut please check with Rights if you wish to use any Jack White songs as we are expecting more of his repertoire to be excluded over the next12 months).

Other  notable  artists  that  have  withdrawn  from  all  blanket  licensing  schemes  (non-MCPS members)  are  Neil  Young,  The  Doors,  Jackson  Browne,Bonnie  Raitt,  Journey, Janelle Monaeand  Michael  Jackson.Also  withdrawn  is  Rough  Trade  Music  includingtheir  artists John  McIntyre, Tindersticks,  Trans  Am,  Tortoise,  Animal  Collective,  Black  Lips,  Black Mountain,  Magnetic  Fields,  Robert  Wyatt,  The  War  On  Drugs  etc). Please  do  not  use  their repertoire.

There are also certain artists / performers who are sensitive about their work. Please always check with Rights regarding tracks / content usage if you are unsure whether your production could be deemed to be contentious, in order to prevent any copyright infringements / claims.

http://www.channel4.com/media/documents/commissioning/DOCUMENTS%20RESOURCES%20WEBSITES/C4MusicGuideFeb2017.pdf

[buzby]

Yeah this is pretty good, albeit slightly weird now that Seal has moved into his mankini'd solo artiste phase. And what's that vocoder-y sample running through most of it? Sounds like Adamski trying to smuggle in a dirty word.

The live version for TOTP was based on the KIlleRemix that was released alongside the original 12". The vocodered vocal sample is used in the intro of that mix.

[matjam13]

How the charts are presented on Top Of The Pops changes quite a bit during 1991.
- 3/1/91 to 31/1/91: Full Top 40 Chart Rundown
- 7/2/91 to 6/6/91 : Only Climbers and Non-Movers are featured in the Chart Rundown.
- 13/6/91 to 26/9/91: Chart Rundown of the Top 40 done over a video (Unlike 1986 no presenter voiceover)
- 3/10/91 into 1992: Chart Rundown only features the Top 10.

[Pancake]

Can't remember the title but that lesser Jason Donnervan song is the worst thing I've ever heard

[Pancake]

Bloody love those Enigma songs tho, almost certainly mostly for nostalgic reasons, 1990 mmm, isn't it, Master System with Lemmings, oh no that was 91, ok Hornby Flying Scotsman, all set up for me on Xmas day, the smell of freshly cut chipboard, pine scented tree, it's all plastic now isn't it, not as many people are alive either

[sweeper]

Are the 'Story of ...' docs gone, then? I see they're progressing straight to 1991 this week.

Probably not a bad thing if they are, though I do enjoy the 'he looks/strangely doesn't look old' speculation I indulge in.

[Captain Z]

Are the 'Story of ...' docs gone, then? I see they're progressing straight to 1991 this week.

Probably not a bad thing if they are, though I do enjoy the 'he looks/strangely doesn't look old' speculation I indulge in.

See the previous page - it's been filmed but just not scheduled yet.