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Top of the Pops on BBC Four - Thread Three

Started by daf, November 05, 2020, 08:25:18 PM

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DrGreggles


bigfatheart


Egyptian Feast

Initially mistook the opening line of that Cliff stinker as "I wish I was in Hell for Christmas".


Quote from: Better Midlands on November 02, 2021, 10:10:51 AMShaft - Roobarb and Custard was live, the Richard Briers vocal was redone by Richard Easter (Steve Wright Posse/Arnee and the Terminaters).

yeah, bloke reading from a book wasn't quite what I'd hoped for.

So far, I do think trying to make the dance acts do it live actually works more often than not ...

Norton Canes

#1985
Quote from: daf on November 22, 2021, 05:56:35 PM19 December 1991: Presenters: Steve AndersOn & Adrian ROse

Quote from: A Hat Like That on November 23, 2021, 09:10:41 AMSo far, I do think trying to make the dance acts do it live actually works more often than not ...

Whether they work well or not, the dance acts' studio performances have been the absolute highlight of the post-Year Zero shows - especially since there appears to be a sudden dearth of indie groups willing or able to take to the stage. I guess we're in the fallow years between baggy and Britpop, and the received wisdom that most of the decent alt rock was coming from the States really was accurate.

Two dance acts this week (not you Mixmasters, sit down) and you'd have to put both their appearances down as brave but unsuccessful efforts. Shaft are on a hiding to nothing anyway since R'n'C is a horrible mess but another shall we say interesting take on live vocals doesn't help. Not to say that ripped-off raucous riff mightn't have sounded great in a better track - I'd have whacked it straight into a massive Schaffel beat banger but I suppose that would have defeated the whole cheesy novelty rave point. Human Resource meanwhile bring a stone cold slab of Dutch hardcore but floor themselves with that turn by flouncy Dave Vanian looky-like Guido Pernet.

Oh go on then, let's talk about Mix(masters). Presumably Gary Wilmot was in panto, or decided he would rather die than partake of this shambles. Gary Martin was an actor with a few small TV roles to his name at this point. According to IMDb he's quiet after this until 1993, when he establishes himself as a prolific and successful voice-over artist with credits including a few Doctor Who Big Finish productions and Judge Dredd in Radio 1's 90's audio dramas - one can't help but suspect his move behind the cameras might have been prompted by the fear of recognition after this debacle.

Anyway

Bit lazy but I think I'll just go through the rest in bullet point fashion...

  • Seemed a bit rude to release Driven By You in the wake of Freddie Mercury's AIDS disclosure and subsequent death, even if it did have his blessings
  • "Our next lady's literally just stepped off a plane to be here tonight, and all she wants for Christmas is a good long frozen sh[it's probably not true so better redact]"
  • Another super-poignant lyric from Neil Tennant:

"I reserve the right to live my life this way, and I don't give
A damn when I hear people say I'll pay the price that others pay..."


That's it, then - two Rose episodes down, thirteen to go. Ooh, I've just noticed that Shaft's performance on the next one is new and not a repeat. To the downloads!

Quote from: Norton Canes on November 24, 2021, 12:48:58 PMHuman Resource meanwhile bring a stone cold slab of Dutch hardcore but floor themselves with that turn by flouncy Dave Vanian looky-like Guido Pernet.

Muzikxpress do a "Story Behind" Dominator with Guido Pernet
[close]

Norton Canes

Cool. Actually I think I started watching that once. Will have to do the whole thing now.

monkfromhavana

Frank De Wulf's Remix (#1) is by a mile the best version.


Egyptian Feast

I agree the dance acts are a highlight of recent editions, cutting through the crap like the soul bands did in 70s editions. People used to complain that TOTP went downhill when it did partly due to 'faceless techno acts', but that doesn't appear to be borne out by the evidence so far.

Quote from: Egyptian Feast on November 24, 2021, 03:05:34 PMI agree the dance acts are a highlight of recent editions, cutting through the crap like the soul bands did in 70s editions. People used to complain that TOTP went downhill when it did partly due to 'faceless techno acts', but that doesn't appear to be borne out by the evidence so far.

Good or bad they're very charming, a definite element of "if you'd told me six months ago I'd be on TOTP..." to them.


Norton Canes

#1992
They're doing it again this Friday, on the 1991 Christmas show. Also 'Controlling Me' gets featured as a Breaker on the 13th June '92 show but a certain Mr. A. Rose Esq. has made it difficult to see that.

buzby

#1993
    Quote from: A Hat Like That on November 23, 2021, 09:10:41 AMSeemed a bit rude to release Driven By You in the wake of Freddie Mercury's AIDS disclosure and subsequent death, even if it did have his blessings[/li][/list]
    It was written and recorded for a pan-European advertising campaign for Ford (Emma Freud doing a corporate gig, there) to promote the new Mk5 Escort, and released as cross-promotion (nearly a year before the album it was eventually included on). As such, there was probably a lot of pressure to carry on with it's release the day after Mercury's death.

    The 1:30 advert version with the alternate lyrics was only released on the B-side of the 12" single.

    The Mk5 Escort was soon regarded as a massive lemon by the motoring press (famously getting a one-star review in Autocar) and buyers alike, a low point in Ford's history.

    Sebastian Cobb

    There was some rich kid who got transferred into our school and it was known that their dad had a Cosworth, I can still remember the collective disappointment when they got picked up in it and we discovered it was a blue Escort Cosworth and not a Sierra.

    gilbertharding

    Quote from: Sebastian Cobb on November 25, 2021, 03:26:23 PMThere was some rich kid who got transferred into our school and it was known that their dad had a Cosworth, I can still remember the collective disappointment when they got picked up in it and we discovered it was a blue Escort Cosworth and not a Sierra.

    At the risk of coming across like William Woolard, you and your chums were wrong to be disappointed. The Escort Cosworth had all the same good stuff as the Sierra predecessor, but in a smaller lighter shell - which was all it had in common with the normal mark 5 Escort.

    Sebastian Cobb

    Not as cool though was it? The whale tail was dog tods.

    buzby

    #1997
    Quote from: gilbertharding on November 25, 2021, 03:39:20 PMAt the risk of coming across like William Woolard, you and your chums were wrong to be disappointed. The Escort Cosworth had all the same good stuff as the Sierra predecessor, but in a smaller lighter shell - which was all it had in common with the normal mark 5 Escort.
    Not even the shell was common between a Mk5 3-door and an Escort Cosworth. It used a shortened Sierra Sapphire Cosworth 4x4 floorpan and the shells were hand-assembed by Karmann in Germany. Only the roof panel, doors and front and rear screens came from the Mk5 parts bin - every other exterior and interior panel was either modified or bespoke.

    Quote from: Sebastian Cobb on November 25, 2021, 07:51:14 PMNot as cool though was it? The whale tail was dog tods.
    The Escort's whale tail and boot spoiler was a development of what was used on the original 3-door Sierra Cosworth RS500 and was necessary to counteract rear-end aerodynamic lift at high speed (something that all hatchbacks suffer from). After the initial 2500 'homologation special' examples were built to qualify for Group A rallying, a lot of the motorsport-only parts were deleted to save money (these later cars are known as 'small turbo' models, as a smaller turbo was fitted instead of the original large one used for motorsport) and the upper tail spoiler became optional (though not many were ordered without it, as the car was less stable at high speeds).

    It's the Escort Cosworth and the original 3-door Sierra Cosworths that are worth serious money now (a mint 'large turbo' Escort Cosworth goes for about £100k now). The Sierra Sapphire Cosworth saloon is very much viewed as the runt of the litter, as it was primarily a road car and had relatively little success in motorsport.

    monkfromhavana

    Where's Mikee Freedom? Instead we get Damon "Birds of a Feather" Rochefort looking like a budget Steven Seagal rapping and having to cut off the "Mikee" bit of the "Take it down Mikee" vocal.

    Icehaven

    Haha they're all having to sing live having not had to when they were on earlier in the year. Tbf no one's really fucked up yet although Seal didn't do his coat throw dance, obviously didn't have the puff with singing too.

    Icehaven

    Kenny Thomas is like a smarmy Bob Mortimer.

    Icehaven

    All these decades later and I still have no idea what Right Said Fred were or who they were aimed at but it seemed to land so fuck knows.

    Norton Canes

    TOTP Xmas '91 party chez Canes this evening


    Norton Canes

    Sorry that looks like the seediest thing ever doesn't it

    daf


    bigfatheart

    "The bassline on that Candi Staton record is so wicked it gives me goosebumps!"

    I'm increasingly convinced Tony Dortie is a robot fed with a few slang terms, and programmed to regurgitate them in the most unnatural way. He's comfortably my favourite thing about these episodes, although I'm not sure that's positive.

    monkfromhavana

    Quote from: bigfatheart on November 27, 2021, 01:02:14 AM"The bassline on that Candi Staton record is so wicked it gives me goosebumps!"

    I'm increasingly convinced Tony Dortie is a robot fed with a few slang terms, and programmed to regurgitate them in the most unnatural way. He's comfortably my favourite thing about these episodes, although I'm not sure that's positive.

    He certainly pulls it off in comparison to Mark Franklin, who frankly, is a chasm of charisma.

    Egyptian Feast

    Quote from: monkfromhavana on November 27, 2021, 07:44:43 AMHe certainly pulls it off in comparison to Mark Franklin, who frankly, is a chasm of charisma.

    Now we've met the other new presenters and he's stopped walking on stage after the performances to do awkward interviews, I have less of an issue with Big Fun.

    Rose is such an awkward looking fucker. The shape of his head reminds me of Boni from The Trap Door. I had a theory that he'd rather forget this time in his life because whenever he's told people he used to be a TOTP presenter they don't believe him. I remember watching that episode with Nirvana at the time (this was my first encounter with them and I mainly remember my mum complaining about how dreadful they were) and I've never heard of the cunt before.

    Dr Rock

    Quote from: monkfromhavana on November 24, 2021, 01:26:09 PMFrank De Wulf's Remix (#1) is by a mile the best version.



    I much prefer this one



    This was the tune everyone wanted and went mental for. It kicks ass.

    bigfatheart

    Quote from: monkfromhavana on November 27, 2021, 07:44:43 AMHe certainly pulls it off in comparison to Mark Franklin, who frankly, is a chasm of charisma.

    It really does amaze me that Franklin's one of the two who'll be kept on. The only advantage he has over, say, Adrian Rose is that he doesn't look like he's shitting himself. He's just as bland and, as you say, uncharismatic.