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March 28, 2024, 11:06:42 PM

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Top of the Pops on BBC Four - Thread Four

Started by daf, June 06, 2022, 05:52:08 PM

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Chicory

Sinister James Bond villain bloke is in fact Mr Tasmin Archer (badger).  As semi obscure follow-ups to huge one-off number one hits go, it's certainly not the worst.  It's no 'Sun Of Jamaica'.

kaprisky

I must have watched that second episode on original transmission because I remember Brett saying his voice was fucked, which denied us a studio performance of Animal Nitrate, and it was also the first time I'd heard of Runrig.

Didn't realise it also contained Cook, Cribbins, RATM, and a Jesus Lizard/Nirvana split single. In a little over a year's time, Kurt is dead, grunge is dead and Diana Ross misses a penalty.

Norton Canes

The worst thing about that performance of In Your Care is that the drummer has one of those brilliant hanging metal strips things that go 'fring-ing-ing-ing-ing-ing' when you run run a metal bar across them, and frustratingly he never uses it.

Not sure there's much more that's especially worthy of scrutiny. Respect to Marxman for bagging a well-deserved studio slot, remember seeing them supporting Depeche Mode at the G-Mex in 1993. It's not a particularly dynamic turn but, you know, props and that. There are quite a few worthy if slightly dull songs in that second show, in fact - cf. Constant Craving, where k d lang appears to be singing along to a tinny tranny, and Runrig's Wonderful, which always reminds me that their keyboard player was the second Pops performer to go on to become an MP after our neighbouring constituency Morecambe and Lunesdale's member-in-hiding the detestable David Morris, who pretended to play keyboard for Rick Astley and now pretends to serve the needs of his constituents. 

Actually thought Bryan Ferry gave one of the least egregious performances I can remember in what's now firmly established as the just-before-the-number-one heritage slot. Though all that Sapphic French hotness looks like it's getting the better of him as he appears to spend most of his act in the throes of the vinegar strokes. I've actually got that Jesus Lizard/Nirvana split 7" - for my money (probably £1.99 at the time) Oh, The Guilt is the best song they ever recorded.

I don't think there's any doubt, however, that the most noteworthy thing over both shows was that in the week Depeche Mode's I Feel You, the first release from their soon-to-be number one album Songs Of Faith And Devotion enters the top 10 there's no Breakers section and it's not played under the 40-11 chart rundown (thanks, Michael) meaning we get nothing more than a tantalising glimpse in the top 10 rundown. Of course none of this would've been a problem if the band had made themselves available for studio (or satellite) performances, but there you go, as it is we're denied the chance to see Lysette Anthony's steamy sprawl and Dave Gahan's recently acquired junkie chic.

That's about it, then. Oh, some exciting news - my comments on next week's shows is going to be a special live event, held in my kitchen, with a Q+A session afterwards. Ticket details to follow

daf

4 March 1993: Presenter: Mark Fr@nklin

(13) | RIGHT SAID FRED – Stick It Out



(04) | LENNY KRAVITZ – Are You Gonna Go My Way? (video and charts)
(28) | MARXMAN – All About Eve
(07) | SUEDE – Animal Nitrate (video)
(21) | K.D. LANG – Constant Craving (via satellite)
(29) | RUNRIG – Wonderful
- - - - - - - - - - - (Breakers) - - - - - - - - - - - -
(25) | RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE – Killing In The Name (video)
(20) | BRYAN FERRY – I Put A Spell On You (video)
(13) | THE JESUS LIZARD – Puss (video)
(11) | MADONNA – Bad Girl (video)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
NEW | DIANA ROSS – Heart (Don't Change My Mind)
(01) | 2 UNLIMITED – No Limit (video)

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




Virgo76

Two weak episodes redeemed only by KD Lang and Suede video.
Emotional angst of Lang's performance somewhat undermined by idyllic Caribbean backdrop.

Norton Canes

#95
I'm so disappointed about the non-appearance of the I Feel You video on the first show last week that I'm off to see a Depeche Mode covers band tonight. Though ironically that'll mean I miss Depeche Mode at the BBC after the episodes.

daf


Icehaven


Icehaven


Icehaven


Icehaven

Sorry, got a bit excited there but I fucking love Therapy?.

Jasha

Quote from: Icehaven on July 08, 2022, 08:45:49 PMSorry, got a bit excited there but I fucking love Therapy?.

Masturbation saved your life?



Screamager is absolute tune. As the camera pans over, there's one lad in the crowd who recognises the intro. Kid goes wild.

Otherwise, shabba!, comedy hats, shaggy and Bernard Cribbins spitting bars.

Chicory

#105
'Stick It Out' has to be the worst in the sweetcorn studded history of terrible Comic Relief singles.  The admittedly inventive tomato themed red nose of 1993 brings back memories of vomit and TCP scented corridors of early 90s state school horror my puny eleven year old body somehow managed to survive.  To this day, it's a wonder I still even look at tomatoes, let alone eat them.

Alas, it's a record by Right Said Fred and a record by Right Said Fred it unavoidably is.  It's absolute fried dog eggs, even by their dubious standards.  They aim for goofy but end up with gormless.  Even Hugh Laurie can't save it.


Norton Canes

Out of the blue a couple of the most entertaining episodes for months, in both real time and the Pops temporal continuum. Reading the TV Cream preview last week mentioning Sister Sledge, Cliff, Hue and Cry and Big Country didn't fill me with optimism but turns out there was something to love in pretty much all the live performances this week... if not always for the right reasons. Certainly very little that flew under the radar and plenty to talk about, which is a bit annoying 'cause it's a proper scorcher outside right now and the pergola won't creosote itself

Norton Canes

Though it might do if it watched Shaggy's dancers

daf

18 March 1993: Presenter: Mark Fr@nklin

(25) | HUE & CRY – Labour Of Love (remix)
(08) | SNOW – Informer (I lick your boom-boom down)
(04) | RIGHT SAID FRED – Stick It Out (video and charts)
(09) | THERAPY? – Screamager
(24) | BIG COUNTRY – Alone
(27) | THE GRID – Crystal Clear
- - - - - - - - - - - (Breakers) - - - - - - - - - - - -
(31) | HOT CHOCOLATE – It Started With A Kiss (video)
(26) | ALICE IN CHAINS – Them Bones (video)
(22) | SYBIL – When I'm Good And Ready (video)
(13) | UGLY KID JOE – Cats In The Cradle (video)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -



(18) | MONIE LOVE – Born 2 B.R.E.E.D.
(01) | SHAGGY – Oh Carolina

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



kalowski


Norton Canes

#111
Poignant sight of the evening: that long shot during Big Country's performance of Alone when the camera pulls back to show the audience drifting away to watch The Grid setting up. S'pose it would've have helped if the song, about loneliness and alienation had been a bit better. And also if Therapy? hadn't just driven a rusted nail right through the heart of the same subject with a hundred times more emotion and intensity. But in the end, who knew more about loneliness and alienation? Therapy?, or Stuart Adamson? Aaah.

Cliff's turn is so Partridge it hurts. Watched through the Comic Relief Kate Bush medley three times just now because I swear he does the exact same 'wheels of fortune' action, I know it's there. Is it just me or on the opening sweep did every member of his band, and the backing singers, look deeply ashamed to be on stage with him? Understandable I guess. Also, how come he's never duetted with Paul McCartney? Peace In Our Time is very much in the same ballpark as C'mon People the other week. Oh, turns out he doesn't like him very much. Ah well, I suppose you need a bit of acrimony to spark your creative juices. You give us Jet, I'll give you Power To All Our Friends. You give us Silly Love Songs, I'll give you Devil Woman. You give us Coming Up, I'll give you Wired For Sound.

Think I made more visits to Genius.com this week than ever before. First off for the syllable-packing Informer, of course, where the website helpfully informs me that a more correct version of "A licky boom-boom dem" would be "I lick he boom-boom down" which I can only imagine Snow eschewed for fear those unfamiliar with Jamaican patois would think he'd administered some form of man-on-man oral satisfaction. Though he does go on to mention a quite detailed anal analysis. It's all bottoms with these rappers. I seem to remember Mark Lamaar on Never Mind The Buzzcocks proudly reciting the chorus of Informer like it was some proof of his street credentials. The Shabba takedown was enough, Mark! Seen it claimed somewhere that with Snow, Shaggy and Shabba (ha, if you mix their names up you get Shabby and Shagga) present this was the first time there'd been three reggae songs in the top ten but if you ask me, Informer is about as reggae as The Wombles' Banana Rock. Oh Carolina knocks Mr Loverman into a crock o' shit tho' - proper sleaze, dirty uncle stuff.

Having been reminded it was a Prince joint I also had to check out the lyrics for Born to B.R.E.E.D. With it being a song where the recently be-symboled one once again writes from a female perspective I imagined it might contain profoundidites similar to those in If I Was Your Girlfriend such as "If I was your girlfriend, would you remember to tell me all the things you forgot when I was your man?", but after the promising "So who are you to tell me how to run my family? I can plan it by myself, I need nobody planning me" it descends to stuff like "Maybe it is safer to stay within your home, protecting yourself from getting a bullet within your dome". Yeah thanks there Prince, thanks Prince mate. Sadly it's the last time on the Pops for Monie Love, at least according to the TOTP Archive, which also asserts that her only other studio appearance was for Grandma's Party. I'm sure she did Ring My Bell not so long ago?

So what else? Bryan's back for a largely redundant re-run of I Put... but at least this time he won't be distracted as they've moved the saucy dancers to the stage behind him. I found Hue and Cry's Labour of Love re-tread profoundly sad, for reasons I can't immediately identify. Obviously I mean sad as in tragic of itself, not sad as in acutely moving. The whole studio just seems to be struck by a massive sense of inertia, ennui even, like the audience have sussed them in the opening bars and have decided they should be in the just-before-the-number-one heritage act spot where they belong, despite the fact (actually scratch that, substitute because) the original single only came out six years earlier. Pat Kane seems to sense this and gets visibly sweatier as their performance progresses, and not even his attempts to exhort the crowd to excitement can turn the ugly mood. Also, I was catching up with these episodes on Saturday morning, in between the Kenny Everett Video Show re-runs on That's TV - I always thought Sid Snot was the worst, most ill-informed approximation of a punk that ever appeared on television, but after seeing Hue and Cry's guitarist I've had to revise that opinion.

Oh, and okay was this just me, or did anyone else think the most raw and exciting part of the whole two shows was when the camera closed in on Tony for the very first link and he's got the kid next to him in the Spurs shirt looking as 1993 as anything and then out of nowhere, the sneering face of a ginger suedehead appears over his shoulder like something out of a strip in 1970's ultra-violent kids' comic Action? I swear, that's the ghost of some unfortunate youth who met their end in an accident in the very same studio in 1976. The only thing that's missing is a contemptuous V-sign to the camera and possibly a cry of "Get lost, copper!!"

Which pretty much just leaves Jamiroquai. Tony has a hit rate marginally worse then Keith Starmer when it comes to landing verbal barbs but "Modelling this year's Ascot look" was as pithy a way as any of doling out the requisite ridicule to their frontman's risible headgear, perched on head like a bearskin flattened cartoon-style by a huge shovel. Nice to see he adhered to Sting's rule of giving your guitarist a marginally less silly hat, at least. Look... it's easy to take the piss as he stands there in a Tibetan test-card with his legs sticking out like he's been animated by the creators of Pigeon Street and perhaps we should do the decent thing and recognize Jamiroquai maybe were to Stevie Wonder what Suede were to David Bowie and rightly hail them as such but... nah, state of it. Besides, you can't beat a bit of Jay Kay trolling (J.K. Rowling)

Yeah I'm gonna leave it there, happy with that

gilbertharding

Quote from: Norton Canes on July 10, 2022, 10:27:42 PMbI found Hue and Cry's Labour of Love re-tread profoundly sad, for reasons I can't immediately identify. Obviously I mean sad as in tragic of itself, not sad as in acutely moving. The whole studio just seems to be struck by a massive sense of inertia, ennui even, like the audience have sussed them in the opening bars and have decided they should be in the just-before-the-number-one heritage act spot where they belong, despite the fact (actually scratch that, substitute because) the original single only came out six years earlier. Pat Kane seems to sense this and gets visibly sweatier as their performance progresses, and not even his attempts to exhort the crowd to excitement can turn the ugly mood. Also, I was catching up with these episodes on Saturday morning, in between the Kenny Everett Video Show re-runs on That's TV - I always thought Sid Snot was the worst, most ill-informed approximation of a punk that ever appeared on television, but after seeing Hue and Cry's guitarist I've had to revise that opinion.

I too was agog at Hue and Cry's flailing attempt to get with the modern times by *checks notes* wearing leather trousers and hair gel - but I don't think I can remember what they looked like originally. They're bald now, of course...

I also remember being torn apart for saying that I thought Sid Snot was supposed to be a punk in this thread:

Quote from: gilbertharding on September 23, 2019, 02:40:20 PMI was a bit confused by Gizzard Puke when he first appeared, because I was labouring under the (apparent) misapprehension that Sid Snot was a punk - and why would Kenny invent two punk characters?

Meanwhile:

Norton Canes

Roy Corkhill showing the right way to upstage your lead singer with a Mohican


daf

Absolute banger from Sybil - PWL really pulling their tripe out here!

daf

. . . and introducing Errol Flynn on the fiddle!

daf


daf

You're always going on about Jesus. Let it go Cliff, you're never going to meet him!

daf


daf