Top of the Pops on BBC Four

[daf]

6 February 1986: Presenters: Simon 'no chemistry' Bates & Paul 'Fine Yoghurt Cannibals' Jordan

(18) THE DAMNED – Eloise
a) Vampire . . . b) Ghost . . . c) Vampire Ghost?
(6) FIVE STAR – System Addict (video)
Look at the muck in 'ere!
(21) OZZY OSBOURNE – Shot In The Dark
Dressed in the Dark
- - - - - - - - - - - - (breakers) - - - - - - - - - - - -
(25) BELOUIS SOME – Imagination
(20) PUBLIC IMAGE LTD – Rise
(19) WHITNEY HOUSTON – How Will I Know?
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
(14) DOUBLE – The Captain Of Her Heart
Doo-blah? . . Doo-blee? 



(1) BILLY OCEAN – When The Going Gets Tough The Tough Get Going (video)
Roly-poly Honk-mimer
(8) JAMES BROWN – Living In America (audience dancing / credits)
Left twisting slowly in the wind

[buzby]

6 February 1986: Presenters: Simon 'no chemistry' Bates & Paul 'Fine Yoghurt Cannibals' Jordan

It really is no wonder Jordan was packed off back to Liverpool in the near future - he's been consistently dire with his flubbing of lines, odd 'jokes' and lack of personality and shows no signs of getting better. He was in danger of making Bates look good here.

(18) THE DAMNED – Eloise

Who would have thought The Damned would be supplying some synth interest in 1986? Paul Shepley has brought his own rig iwhich consists of an Emulator II and a couple of DX7s (inevitably). I love this version of the song, but ironically it's the synth strings and brass that I think spoil it. If ever there was a song that screamed out for a full orchestra it's this one. They did record a version accompanied by the Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra for Dave to sing along to on the Rock Around The Dock Granada TV concerts at the Albert Dock, celebrating the opening of their new studio there, but the audio has never been released. This TOTP performance is also the official video too, which is a bit odd, especially as the Albert Dock performance was available and was sold as part of a  home video and laserdisc release of the concerts

(6) FIVE STAR – System Addict (video)
L

Going for the Alien/Aliens look for the video. Cameron's sequel hadn't been released yet, but similar plastic pallets to those used for the walls were used to make the floors of the LV426 base and USS Sulaco. The ejection seats could have come straight out of the Nostromo. The rest of the set consists of a few 14" portable TVs on loan from Rumbelows (complete with loop aerials) and a load of scrap 1970s computer tape drives and terminals, including the charmingly-retro IBM Model 3277:

The look would be copied wholesale a few years later on Red Dwarf (including exactly the same plastic pallets).

It was directed by Sebastian Harris, who other than a few Five Star videos was responsible for The Quo's
flatbed truck tour of London for The Wanderer in 1984.

(25) BELOUIS SOME – Imagination

An edited for TV version of the racy full length promo video (NSFW), directed by Storm Thorgerson of Hipgnosis. It's a decent enough song (though some of the lyrics might be considered dodgy these days), but the video screams 'desperation measures' from Parlaphone trying to get the band noticed (Imagination never cracked the Top 40 on it's initial release in 1985) while presumably putting them massively in debt at the same time.

(20) PUBLIC IMAGE LTD – Rise

Nice to have Mr. Lydon back, and with a great song. II bought the single at the time, grabbed by seeing this clip of the video on TOTP and then finding out it had the clever 'Single' artwork.

(19) WHITNEY HOUSTON – How Will I Know?

Classic early Whitney pop (a lot better than the syrupy dirge of Saving All My Love For You), but by gum the video is awful in all respects. Brian Grant (director of Kim Wilde's early videos, Peter Gabriel's Shock The Monkey and ABC's The Look Of Love, amongst other classics) should be ashamed of himself.

(14) DOUBLE – The Captain Of Her Heart
Doo-blah? . . Doo-blee? 

Doo-Blay, Simon 'Mediocre' Bates can't even get that right. Smooth China Crisis-esque sophisti-pop from the Swiss multi-instrumentalist duo of Kurt Maloo (on vocals and guitar) and Felix Haug (on piano). It was a big hit for them around Europe and the US, but they never managed to replicate it's success. They split in 1989, with Maloo releasing his first solo album Single (ISWYDT) and Haug composing film soundtracks. They reunited at the end of the 90s and started recording tracks for a new album, but Haug died of a heart attack before they were finished.

(1) BILLY OCEAN – When The Going Gets Tough The Tough Get Going (video)

I love the way the director (Maurice Phillips, also responsible for the frankly bizarre Star Wars/Dark Crystal tinged video for Ocean's Loverboy) kept his powder dry, only giving the slightest hints of the star cameos until the full reveal at the first chorus..

[Gulftastic]

I enjoyed seeing the full fat version of the Billy Ocean vid. The Musician's Union will come a knocking shortly...

[daf]

13 February 1986: Presenters: Gary Davies & Steve Wright

(22) BELOUIS SOME – Imagination
Korg Wrangler
(10) WHITNEY HOUSTON – How Will I Know? (video)
Frizzle Mop
(24) LATIN QUARTER – Radio Africa
Little Bit of Politics
(9) SU POLLARD – Starting Together (video)
Divorced, Beheaded, Died . . . Divorced, Beheaded, Hi-de-Hi!



- - - - - - - - - - - - (breakers) - - - - - - - - - - - -
(25) PAUL HARDCASTLE & CAROL KENYON – Don't Waste My Time
(15) SURVIVOR – Burning Heart
(14) DIANA ROSS – Chain Reaction
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
(23) SHAKIN' STEVENS – Turning Away
Heterosexual Rockpile 'N Roll
(1) BILLY OCEAN – When The Going Gets Tough The Tough Get Going
BOOO! We! Want! DeVito! . . . We! Want! DeVito!
(2) MADONNA – Borderline (audience dancing / credits)
Eastenders Plug

[DrGreggles]

(18) THE DAMNED – Eloise

Love that version.
One for the Covers Better Than The Original thread.

[daf]

Yes a really great version - they totally made it their own.

Here's Barry Ryan's original video, and Barry and Dave chatting on the Good Morning Britain couch with Anne & Nick.

This version LOOKS, great but, sadly, is totally out of synch (possibly with sound from a completey different performance?).
Check out those sideburns though - magnificent!

[daf]

Very odd - that Barry Ryan clip is actually in synch - except on the clapped out Safari web browser I usually use - Firefox and Chrome are OK.

So . . some stuff about web browsers there.

[Uncle TechTip]

I love the Billy Ocean video. Simple idea with the cast of the film but they all look like they are having a brilliant time.

[Vodka Margarine]

Who are the couple in the Su Pollard video? Why are the couple in the Su Pollard video?

[daf]

Stars of an early reality TV series from Desmond Wilcox - Super Lard did the theme tune for it.

WHEN Marc and Karen Adams-Jones wed, 15 million viewers tuned in as they starred in Desmond Wilcox's pioneering fly-on-the-wall documentary The Marriage.

Broadcast two years after it was filmed, The Marriage was the ultimate '80s love story of a Welsh nurse and a rugby player. Starting Together, the programme's theme tune sung by Su Pollard, reached number two in the charts, pipped to the post by Billy Ocean's When The Going Gets Tough then Diana Ross' Chain Reaction. The silver disc still has pride of place in the family's toilet in their Cardiff home.

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/lifestyle/showbiz/for-better-and-for-worse-2075115

[Vodka Margarine]

Cheers daf!

[buzby]

Who are the couple in the Su Pollard video? Why are the couple in the Su Pollard video?

Christ, I forget how young some of you are sometimes.

[daf]

20 February 1986: Presenters: Janice Long & Mike Read

(13) PAUL HARDCASTLE & CAROL KENYON – Don't Waste My Time
Green Screen
(4) DIANA ROSS – Chain Reaction (video)
Bee Gees Bee Vees
(23) DEPECHE MODE – Stripped
Motorcycle Randomness
(8) SURVIVOR – Burning Heart (video)
The Rise of The Spider
(11) PUBLIC IMAGE LTD – Rise
The Glowering Inferno


https://www.flickr.com/photos/51106326@N00/sets/72157660834332742

(1) BILLY OCEAN – When The Going Gets Tough The Tough Get Going
When the MU get's Tough the Tough Re-shoot the Video
(3) THE DAMNED – Eloise (audience dancing / credits)
Right Shambles

[Satchmo Distel]

Chain Reaction is a great track. I can remember that, even though I was going off the charts at the time, I really loved Chain Reaction and the Eurythmics "There Must Be An Angel" as No. 1s and they are still two of my favourite tracks to get there.

Pretty sure I've never seen the performance or video of Chain Reaction; only know it from Radio 1, but that's true of any No. 1 after around 1984 because I never watched TOTP, Chart Show etc but have Radio 1 on for background to homework.

Hated 'Eloise' - just seems to be a gimmick. Rise is Pil's best single since their debut one of 1978.

[Norton Canes]

(23) DEPECHE MODE – Stripped

Their best song, the only serious competition being Behind The Wheel, World In My Eyes, In Your Room, Something To Do, Love In Itself and, er, about half a dozen tracks from the Black Celebration LP from which this was the first single. Let's revel for a moment in the glory of the extended mix:

Stripped (Highland Mix) (no, I'm not sure either)

It was ages before I discovered that the colossal 'shhk-bdmmmff' sounds at the start of that mix were fireworks - they always sounded like waves crashing against cliffs. It's Dave's Porsche they sampled for the ignition in the intro. Harder to get a Porsche in the TOTP studio, I guess.

Then there's this extraordinary remix - or complete reconstruction, really:

Breathing In Fumes

What a rhythm track. The treatment of "I taste when we kiss...", and that indescribable noise like a convulsion of the inner ear, incredible.

[Dr Rock]

Hated 'Eloise' - just seems to be a gimmick.

What do you mean by gimmick?

[Brundle-Fly]

Barry and Dave chatting on the Good Morning Britain couch with Anne & Nick.

Poor Dave Vanian. He looks like a well behaved schoolboy perched on the sofa; dragged along by his parents to his boring Uncle Nick and Auntie Anne's house. Later they watch a slideshow of this year's holiday in Menorca and the neighbour, Mr Greaves pops round to return some pruning shears.

[Satchmo Distel]

What do you mean by gimmick?

"a novel device or idea designed primarily to attract attention or increase appeal, often with little intrinsic value."

It was an attention seeking cover that added nothing to the original.

[daf]

I think it's a cracking cover myself - not an obvious choice for a 60's cover either (I'd certainly never heard of it before).

btw, what do you think of the other 60/80's goth covers : 'Dear Prudence' and 'Spirit in the Sky'? (I like them myself)

[Brundle-Fly]

"a novel device or idea designed primarily to attract attention or increase appeal, often with little intrinsic value."

It was an attention seeking cover that added nothing to the original.

It's not as if they were ever averse to celebrating sixties music seen through a Goth punk prism as their spin off band, Naz Nomad & The Nightmares at the same time testifies.

[Dr Rock]

And The Damned loved a cover, up until Eloise they had done Help! (B-side of first single New Rose, I Feel Alright (cover of The Stooges 1970), Ballroom Blitz (b-side), Looking at You (MC5 cover),White Rabbit (A-side single), (Rolling Stones' Citadel (b-side), and Jet Boy, Jet Girl(b-side) - not to mention the Naz Nomad stuff, er, mentioned already.

[buzby]

20 February 1986: Presenters: Janice Long & Mike Read

<MRA> Janice 'Groper' Long commits a sexual assault live on air, yet the biased feminazis at the BBC take no action but the likes of DLT get crucified. It's PC gone mad blah blah blah....</MRA>

(13) PAUL HARDCASTLE & CAROL KENYON – Don't Waste My Time

Hardcastle has a Yamaha KX5, Fairlight IIx,, PPG Wave 2.3 and it's WaveTerm expander. None of the mare his though, or were used on the track. On 19 he used a borrowed Emulator to do the stuttering samples, and he went from that straight to a full Synclavier system with the royalties. The Synclavier isn't exactly portable though, hence the rented set dressing.

Unlike Heaven 17, Paul must have had no qualms about paying Carol Kenyon (swoon!) to appear. I like the way they had obviously worked out a routine for the show, rather than Paul going down the Faltermeyer/Hammer approach of geeky looking bloke awkwardly stood behind some keyboards.

This appearance was also directly responsible for the future TOTP theme The Wizard - while he was there, Michael Hurll asked Paul to compose a new theme tune (Don't Waste My Time does seem to have been used as a basisl for The Wizard, to my ears).

(4) DIANA ROSS – Chain Reaction (video)

I clearly remember this episode, seeing this video for  the first time and thinking Miss Ross (never call her Diana, as the video's choreographer Arlene Phillips famously found out) looked absolutely gorgeous in it. Later I came to appreciate the work David Mallet put into the video, particularly the 60s American Bandstand-aping black and white sections, which have a very realistic '405 to 625 standards conversion' look to them just like you see on transfers of old 405-line VT recordings.

The song itself is basically The Bee Gees with someone replacing Barry on lead vocals. It sounds so much like their prime late 70s disco era stuff it could have been an unused track from then. Apparently it was almost not used on the album Eaten Alive, as they thought it sounded too much like a 60s Motown track and she would turn it down (if you look closely, Mallet referenced this by having photos of The Supremes on the back wall of the studio gallery)

(23) DEPECHE MODE – Stripped

Some semblance of equality at last for Alan Wilder - we barely see either him or Fletcher on this performance  Instead the cameraman seems obsessed with trying to find early evidence of gak abuse up Dave's hooter.. I agree with Norton that this was easily the best track of the Black Celebration era.

(8) SURVIVOR – Burning Heart (video)

Meow, Janice! When the TOTP presenter can safely call you out on brazenly retreading your last hit it's safe to say it's a pile of shite.

(11) PUBLIC IMAGE LTD – Rise
The Glowering Inferno

Quite - Lydon certainly knows how to sell a performance. Here he's accompanied by a scratch band of his old mate Don Letts miming on the DX7, synchronised drummers Hugh Burnham (of Gang of Four) and Bruce Smith (of The Pop Group, and who became a full-time member of PIL), Leo Williams (like Letts, of Big Audio Dynamite) on bass, Kevin Armstrong on guitar (who was going to be part of the new PIL alongside Smith for the tour to promote Album, but left to tour with Iggy Pop instead and so was replaced by John McGeoch) and an unidentified female violinist.

(3) THE DAMNED – Eloise (audience dancing / credits)

Whose stupid idea was it to play this for the audience dancing?

[Satchmo Distel]

I think it's a cracking cover myself - not an obvious choice for a 60's cover either (I'd certainly never heard of it before).

btw, what do you think of the other 60/80's goth covers : 'Dear Prudence' and 'Spirit in the Sky'? (I like them myself)

I just don't like covers. Entirely my problem and pure prejudice.

[daf]

Ah, I get you - fair enough.

I think sometimes a good cover can occasionally improve on the original - eg Girl's Talk

Original : Elvis Costello
Cover : Dave Edmunds

Although there's some dispute which is the original, and which is the cover:

For the last time, my version is not a 'cover', it is the original, first recorded and first released version. I arranged and produced it.

As I recall, I recorded the first version of Girls talk. Costello gave me a very rough cassette with just acoustic and vocal. It was twice the speed of my version...really had to work at it, and I put some Don Everly type acoustic gtr bits in it. * Costello recorded his version some time later

Nick Lowe and I added the line "More or less situation..." because Costello's version was a line short, making the verse asymmetric. I pointed this out to him but he gruffly replied that "that's the way I wrote it.: He's made it quite plain that he doesn't like my version, which I find inconceivable

I used a Martin D45 that Eric Clapton gave me. I also used it on Queen of Hearts, Baby Ride Easy, with Carlene, the Everly stuff Nick and I did, and most of the records I made around that time. It sounded great, but it wasn't the easiest acoustic I've ever played...He had promised to give me a J200. I spent the weekend with him and Patti down at Hurstwood Edge, then, searching through his vast collection, he realized the J200 was in store in Miami, so he gave me the D45 instead. Ronnie wood arrived to tell us the news that he'd just been invited to join the Rolling Stones, so we had a party. Great memories!!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqVP3d4wCSQ

Costello's version clearly isn't a cover of Dave's arrangement though - so maybe both should be seen as 'parallel' originals?

- - - - - - - - -
* Think this may be the source of the 'Don Everly type acoustic gtr bits' :
Problems

[Satchmo Distel]

Costello wouldn't have had as big a hit with it because he didn't have that pop feel that Edmunds puts in. Oliver's Army got to No. 2 because of the piano part Steve Nieve borrowed from Abba and he got a Sam and Dave cover to No. 4 but Costello was a bit too rough-edged for Top 5 hits.

http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/16558/elvis-costello/

[Brundle-Fly]

Costello wouldn't have had as big a hit with it because he didn't have that pop feel that Edmunds puts in. Oliver's Army got to No. 2 because of the piano part Steve Nieve borrowed from Abba and he got a Sam and Dave cover to No. 4 but Costello was a bit too rough-edged for Top 5 hits.

http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/16558/elvis-costello/

Never looked at it like that before. True.

[batwings]

(23) DEPECHE MODE – Stripped

DM doing stripped on Wogan around the same time:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBqW8Sq7BEM

I was just starting to really get in them by this point and remember this Wogan performace  because, for about 5 years afterwards, my Dad used to rip the piss out of me by crooning, 'come with me, into the trees' like it was my favourite lyric of all time or something.

[Satchmo Distel]

Those leather trousers must have been murder on the balls.

I never heard 'Stripped' at the time (I'd temporarily abandoned contemporary music for old jazz, as per my username) but it sounds in that performance like a song that never gets going. Lethargic.

[Norton Canes]

Just had a quick look for their performance of Stripped on Joan Rivers' chat show, but no luck. The only other contemporaneous UK studio performance I can find on YT is from Jim'll Fix It, unfortunately. It looks like it includes a chat between the band, Savile and the lucky woman whose Fix It was to meet them but to be honest I don't feel like watching it.

After a string of hits from New Life onward including five top ten places, during which Love In Itself was the only release not to make the top 20, the singles from Black Celebration and the subsequent album Music For The Masses didn't perform too well in the UK charts. The epic sweep of Stripped marked the band's transition into a more mature prospect and signaled the start of their stadium-conquering phase.

[yesitsme]

Watched one of Friday that had old bands singing old songs.

At what point as a performer do you become a parody of yourself?

The Quo, Roxy Music, the Bee Gees all singing their hits but singing them like they'd only heard the songs once before and were told to 'do that'.  Barry Gibb was by far the worst, for someone who gets uppity when people take the piss out of them he's certainly giving them plenty of ammo.

I love the BG's but this was painful to see. 

Brian Ferry, with his uniformily jet black hair was awful and Francis Rossi couldn't carry the tune and kept turning around to talk to his drummer (which I FUCKING hate to see).

I know they like money and if people keep giving it to them then why should they stop but by Christ that was a tough watch.

Plus it had that twat Steve Wright talking over it.