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March 28, 2024, 08:28:39 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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daf

Quote from: Icehaven on August 05, 2022, 07:49:39 PMI'm not sure what that thing Utah Saints frontman is playing is but it might count.

Etch-a-sketch?

daf

"The Man's got style" - Tony just taking the piss now!

daf


Icehaven

I was aware Kingmaker existed but am astonished they got on Top of the Pops.

daf

Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr Bryant and May!

daf


buzby

Utah Saints continue grinding their one idea into the ground.

They used the RATM BBC2 Late Show live performance footage for Bullet In The Head, but cut it off just before one of the f-bombs. Zack was wearing the 'Fuct' Ford logo t-shirt though, which got through pre-watershed unpixellated.

Hmm Tony, "don't believe all you read in the papers about the danchall scene" eh? I wonder if that was a response to Jimmy Somerville's T=shirt last week.

This Elton John song sounds like an INXS cast-off.

buzby

Quote from: daf on August 05, 2022, 07:51:51 PM
Quote from: Icehaven on August 05, 2022, 07:49:39 PMKeytar watch: 2 Unlimited so far, and I'm not sure what that thing Utah Saints frontman is playing is but it might count.
Etch-a-sketch?
It was a Stepp DGX MIDI guitar controller.

t was launched in the 1986 NAMM show (a year after the DG1), and the company would be bankruot by the end of 1988, due in part to Roland and Casio's cheaper guitars with MIDI converters occupying that niche of the guitar market.

It was last seen on TOTP in October 1987 when the Bee Gees were on for You Win Again (Maurice ws involved in the promotion of them, I think).

daf

That's the sort of kit they should have had on Star Trek instead of Riker and his frigging Jazz Trombone!

Dyl Spinks

Quote from: daf on August 05, 2022, 07:48:07 PMMorrissey's Rockabilly backing band

(does this count as Britpop?)

Which Moz song was it?

daf

#220
Just that vintage 50s look they had (Boz Boorer etc.) around the 'Your Arsenal' time.

Quote from: buzby on August 05, 2022, 07:59:43 PMUtah Saints continue grinding their one idea into the ground.

It wasn't even their idea, it was KLF's.  I still kinda liked them though.

bigfatheart

Oh, Elton! That whole set-up couldn't have been designed to humiliate him any further, could it? Besides the wig, there was the decision to stick him alone in a black void, only we can tell it's basically just the corner of wherever he was set to play that evening, so he looks dwarfed by the darkness around him, which all just emphasises how small he is. That's not helped by the oversized microphone they've given him, so he looks like a premonition of Little Britain's Dennis Waterman sketches. But the worst thing is letting him go on without his piano. I know it wasn't a particularly piano-heavy number, but surely getting him to pretend he's tinkling away at some ivories is better than leaving him stood there awkwardly? He tried gamely to get some moves going, so it was more Tiny Dancer than I'm Danding Dill, but still... an unedifying sight.

Good of them to play the exact bit of Rage Against the Machine likely to make your Dad tut and say "I bet this took a while to write!" Inner Circle's (or Spin Bowling for Soup, going by the guitarist) song was one of those "Oh, this song!" moments for me. And since I seem to remember it coming up on some CaB 'common misconceptions' type thread before, who else spent years thinking that Ace of Base were coating down single mothers?

Right, what else? Good of Dance 2 Trance to let us know that Native Americans are a great bunch of lads. Should have carried on in that vein, giving a series of musical thumbs up to every race. Could have followed it up with "I'm All In Favour Of Polynesians".

Kingmaker showing up was basically the indie equivalent of when the Little Angels or some other completely forgotten glam metal band appears, wasn't it? Ah well. And the best bit of the whole Queen Five Live business was Roger Taylor evidently getting bored of Days Of Our Lives halfway through and deciding to launch a mini solo right before the last chorus. Well Brian gets to show off, why can't he?

daf

29 April 1993: Presenter: Mark Fr@nklin

(19) | D:REAM – U R The Best Thing
(09) | REM – Everybody Hurts (video and charts)
(21) | SWV – I'm So Into You
(25) | DANCE 2 TRANCE – Power Of American Natives
(20) | INNER CIRCLE – Sweat (A La La La La Long)
- - - - - - - - - - - (Breakers) - - - - - - - - - - - -
(29) | BIG COUNTRY – Ships (Where Were You) (video)
(28) | BLUR – For Tomorrow (video)
(27) | P.J. HARVEY – 50ft Queenie (video)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
NEW | ROBERT PLANT – 29 Palms
(22) | SONIA – Better The Devil You Know



(01) | GEORGE MICHAEL & QUEEN – Somebody To Love (video)

Quote from: daf on August 05, 2022, 07:21:39 PMShakin' Cilla

yes.

While the Elton bit was funny and all, I did not get with that pair of episodes at all.  George Micheal's Someone to Love is great, on the surface, but there's no depth and you don't get Bryan May's expression on the CD, do you? The Robert Plant/Sonia outro proper did me in.

Just a little flag up of Blur's second album. We won't see much more of it. Not sure if shame or not.

QuoteRight, what else? Good of Dance 2 Trance to let us know that Native Americans are a great bunch of lads. Should have carried on in that vein, giving a series of musical thumbs up to every race. Could have followed it up with "I'm All In Favour Of Polynesians".

If you liked that, you'll love the opener of the next one ...

Norton Canes

#225
Quote from: Icehaven on August 05, 2022, 07:42:36 PMBrilliant editorial decision there to show the Everybody Hurts video with the chart rundown at the bottom of the screen so it was covering the video's subtitles














daf


Norton Canes

Thanks : )

Just want to point out, that does constitute my whole and entire analysis of the first show. I've nothing else to say!

Norton Canes

#228
Except, to emphasize how gut-wrenching it was to see For Tomorrow and 50ft Queenie passed over in short order. Gut-wrenching in 2022, at least - back in 1993 the Modern Life Is Rubbish singles pretty much passed me by and similarly PJ Harvey weren't on my radar (unlike my mate who claims to have bought their first single Dress on the day of its release and done the same with every one of their singles and albums since, meaning there hasn't been a full day when his record collection hasn't contained the entire commercially-available works of PJ Harvey). In fact I'm sure I remember thinking 50ft Queenie sounded like something of a novelty record the couple of times I heard it played by Lamacq. Impeccable judgement, me. In retrospect of course I realize how galling it was for songs by two of the most influential up-and-coming indie bands of the era to be overlooked. Oh well, with Top of the Pops it was ever thus.

Glebe

2 Unlimited, you wouldn't get away with them jungle 'savages' now!

non capisco

Spent all of the Ace of Base appearance wondering which of the two blokes was the neo-nazi. The Zak Morris/Mark Franklin-esque one pretending that's an actual saxophone on the record or the leering into camera guy. Latter, I reckon.

Elton's performance reminded me of my several failed attempts to be a frontman in various bands through the ages despite being quite the self conscious type. In the bits where you're not singing and start thinking "What the fuck am I meant to do in this bit?" simply waggle the microphone in the air like it's some kind of percussion instrument. Understand that impulse only too well, Elton. There with you every step of the way, my old son.

non capisco

Quote from: Glebe on August 06, 2022, 08:02:44 PM2 Unlimited, you wouldn't get away with them jungle 'savages' now!

Also the bit at the start after the sample of some African language vocalising and then it cuts to Ray going "Say that again?". Might as well have been "WOSS SHE ON ABAHT? COULDN'T UNDERSTAND A FACKIN WORD OF THAT!"

Glebe

Quote from: non capisco on August 06, 2022, 09:03:40 PMAlso the bit at the start after the sample of some African language vocalising and then it cuts to Ray going "Say that again?". Might as well have been "WOSS SHE ON ABAHT? COULDN'T UNDERSTAND A FACKIN WORD OF THAT!"

It's them next door in the ToTP studio!

non capisco

Quote from: A Hat Like That on August 06, 2022, 04:11:32 PMGeorge Micheal's Someone to Love is great, on the surface, but there's no depth and you don't get Bryan May's expression on the CD, do you?

I love that performance. George giving it some proper whallop and I disagree that there's no depth, I think he's living every word of it. 

daf

6 May 1993: Presenter: Tony DOrtie

(04) | 2 UNLIMITED – Tribal Dance
(02) | JANET JACKSON – That's The Way Love Goes (video and charts)
(12) | UTAH SAINTS – Believe In Me
(05) | ACE OF BASE – All That She Wants
- - - - - - - - - - - (Breakers) - - - - - - - - - - - -
(27) | SOUNDS OF BLACKNESS – I'm Going All The Way (video)
(22) | DEPECHE MODE – Walking In My Shoes (video)
(16) | RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE – Bullet In The Head (video)
(15) | SHABBY CRANK & MAXI PRIEST – Housecall (video)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


http://selectmagazinescans.monkeon.co.uk/?cat=686

(20) | KINGMAKER – 10 Years Asleep
NEW | ELTON JOHN – Simple Life (via satellite)
(01) | GEORGE MICHAEL & QUEEN – The Days Of Our Lives (video)

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



Quote from: daf on August 06, 2022, 05:17:08 PMBrilliant!

yeah, absolutely spectacular analysis of the first episode there.

Norton Canes

#236
TOTP: "Okay Indie fans, sorry for not playing Blur or PJ Harvey properly last week. But don't worry, we're going to make up for it this week! Here's Kingmaker!"
Indie fans: Whatever facepalms were called in those days

Were Utah Saints indie too? (Consults London Records Wiki - it looks complicated). Bless them and their epic Pops performances! Always trying to build something frankly a bit run of the mill and ramshackle into something accomplished and impressive. A bit like me, in fact.

Quote from: buzby on August 05, 2022, 07:59:43 PMUtah Saints continue grinding their one idea into the ground

Yeah, one-trick ponies for sure but TBF this one's a banger, maybe their best effort even. Smart choice of samples, mixing an 80's classic with 70's disco kitsch. When I watched this on Friday I was trying to remember where I recognised the 'oh-oh oh oh-oh' sample from - ended up Googling it, discovering I'd never heard Crown Heights Affair's You Gave Me Love, and realising the answer must be from this song. The TOTP production team certainly pulled out all the stops too, with their video trickery - nice to see the washing machine camera lens thing back in action after its trial with the Jade-to-Robin S transition the other week. Jesus, there are some real screams from the audience towards the end of the song. Like real injury type screams. Intense. And... it's a big finish! Excellent.

Mute's Depeche Mode were indie too of course, Walking In My Shoes getting one over on I Feel You by at least bagging a spot on the BReAKers. Decent, but more of an album track really; it's second up on Songs of Faith and Devotion and serves better as a kind of mood-setter, after the opening salvo of I Feel You, than it does fending for itself. IIRC the band liked Martin's basic demo version but couldn't agree how to work in up in production, and this was the slightly sludgy compromise. I'm sure the rest of them ended up blaming Alan Wilder ("You had one job, Alan!"). Oh well, at least the video does look good for Corbyn, to coin a phrase, with some vivid colours in place of his usual grainy monochrome lending a luridly macabre aspect to the bizarrely-beaked masks and ghoulish cast. Although if it's a truly gruesome performance you want obviously you can't get much more grotesque than Elton's horrific turn, a nightmarish scene of Lynchian proportions which makes Eraserhead's The Girl in the Radiator sequence look like something from X-Factor. Literally all it needs are some grisly alien meat creatures dropping from the ceiling for him to squelch underfoot.

"And you're sure my all-black outfit won't blend into the all-back backdrop, leaving only my head, hands and the yellow spongy bit of my microphone visible, like I'm on one of those Japanese mime artist shows pretending to play with a mischievous tennis ball..?"
"Um... no, we're fairly certain it won't look like that..."

Jesus but there are some dreadful cultural stereotypes in that 2 Unlimited opener. Dutch music isn't just about cheap novelty rave songs with shockingly bad rap, you know. This is 1993, get with it. I feel like there might be a separate thread in 'Acts who turned to shit immediately after their biggest hit'?

Anyway let's not pretend that this episode was about anything other than the glorious arrival of All That She Wants, which fortunately I'll be able to comment on at my leisure.

PammySpacek

God, the proto-centrist-dad smugness coming off that Select letters page...

Quote from: non capisco on August 06, 2022, 09:10:53 PMI love that performance. George giving it some proper whallop and I disagree that there's no depth, I think he's living every word of it. 

The bit I do absolutely love is Brian May's grin just after the audience sing "Love" back.



KennyMonster

Kingmaker had some good singles*.

IIRC their final studio album had quite an interesting Rockabilly feel but it wasn't the proto Brexit music of the 90s known as Britpop so the massess followed the mundane.

*waaah waaah but we didn't get Blur going "la la la la la la la la la la la la la la for tomorrow"