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Post by raliverpool on Feb 18, 2017 14:39:09 GMT 1
3 March. Peel & Kid in tribute knitwear. We start with Icehouse for no adequately explored reason. It was boring as f*** before, it's boring as f*** now. God knows what they're are doing with the chyron at the end. Seems to be trying to make KK. Forrest with a pointless cover of "Rock The Boat". This came a bit out of nowhere. The video showcasing the best of the technology available in 1977. Turns out he died in 2013. Blimey. Most interesting fact about the video is that it features that shameless famewhore Sinitta. OMD. This is one of THE great singles. I remember being amazed that this had only got up to no. 25. No sign of Maureen on stage to do her bits. Martin seems almost embarrassed to get a vocal role. And he's not convincing anyone with that loudhailer. Could they not get the rights to have a Speak & Spell on stage? For some reason this was not on the Best Of OMD vinyl. This still sounds astonishing now. Stark, cold, vital. Not sure the balloons are really fitting. That synth sting is begging to be sampled. McCluskey is wearing the Stewart tartan. Inconsistent. Mal giving the drums the beans. Don't think the tartan was a good move. For this one they should really have gone full Kraftwerk. But, my God, what a single. The finish is like a downbeat Dr Who episode. Back to the start, the instruments dying out one by one... Top 30. David Joseph. Who? Oh God. Modern Romance are in the 30. They're going to get played, aren't they? The Nanas are at 21 so they get a play. Would they have missed out had they been at 22? Oh, Keren. Their dancing has a very Pipettes vibe. There is a joy in it not being so choreographed and professional. The Beyonces of this world are too perfect, too sterile, too created. This is "let's do the show right here", the charging the stage because the main act is hopeless and giving it a go. This is joie de vivre, triumphant, in yer face, vibrant. Don't get any of that with Bouncy. Back to the charts. Phil Everly and Cliff Richard? Has he fallen out with his bro? Depeshay. Back to 18. Austin & Ingram. Sounds more like a firm of solicitors than a chart-bound duet. This is gash. The top 10 video show. People wanted to see it again. OK, who dropped out THIS week? Otherwise it is a very short and lacking show. Albeit high quality. Anyway. 10. FB3. Very black and white yet is not really noir. It's an interesting role reversal to have a backing group of women and fronted by men. Reverse Pipettes. 9. Thompson Twins. Alannah with her mad hair. 8. Madness. Just seen it. 7. TFF. Ditto. 6. Musical Youth. Tritto. 5. Back to the androgyny as we see Eurythmics. Bit of a change from The Tourists. I remember at the time thinking that this needed more lyrics. It is brilliant, of course. 4. Toto. They all look like someone else. Chas of 'n' Dave, Cliff Richard, Lol Creme. Perhaps they were a supergroup without us knowing? 3. The Googs are already off the top of the chart. No wonder. Emperor's new clothes. Just bloody boring and repetitive. 2. Bonnie Tyler. Wow, that's out of nowhere. It's one heck of a song, but the video is RIDICULOUS. Fortunately someone did a better version of it... Presumably this was on last week too? Hence its rise to 2? Which means the Video Show might have had an impact - more people saw it a second time than would otherwise have done. Means it's looking good for next week... Playout is the number 1 again. Even more good omens for Tyler... I'm as ever behind with these but this is the latest which I have just watched today. So far no one has mentioned the mysterious rise of Kajagoogoo. No not because of the connection to Duran Duran's Nick Rhodes who co-produced their debut single & album; but their links to the former Rolling Stones journalist, come Radio 1 DJ, and pop guru Paul Gambaccini. Christopher Hamill (aka Limahl) rented a room off "The Great Gambo"; and he was coincidentally also gay himself. Gambaccini’s Channel 4 music show ‘The Other Side of The Tracks’ played a major role in launching the band, with Paul remarking publicly that he “hadn’t been so excited about a single since ‘Don’t You Want Me‘…” ........ about the follow up single!; whilst following this then unknown band around for 6 weekly 10 minutes segments of the show. (With this being the concluding part: Praise indeed. Or rather "Sheena Easton-type" hype. Pure & Simple.
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vya
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Post by vya on Feb 18, 2017 17:22:20 GMT 1
23 March 1983 The Kid and Peel, in flat caps, live. Wednesday evening, because the "Song For Europe" will be taking up Thursday eve. They're never giving up, not giving in, if there's a slightest chance that they can win.
Jo-Boxers - "Boxer Beat" Aggressive post-punk attitude, laddish. Addictive, catchy, instantly appealling, only time will tell whether they just got lucky here of it there's more ahead. Dancers with big red boxing gloves add to the effect. Loadsa cheerleaders too.
David Bowie "Let's Dance" on video Fairly uncomplicated number by Bowie norms ,video filmed in Oz, a mixture of Duranie-style exotic landscapes, city roads, a bar, it's sufficient evidence in support of the case that he still had it
Orange Juice - "Rip It Up" A taut presentation from Edwyn Collins' outfit with added chunkier electronic sounds alongside carefully considered lyrics. Good. Dancers ripping up bits of cloth or pretending to. Over-literal.
Leo Sayer - "Orchard Road" - video, the track is from a BBC series, says Kid. Sayer hovers by an oversized red phone box to act out the lyrics. Again, over-literal. Moody, plaintive tale of lost love, story with lots of details. Maybe a masterpiece of its genre, it's really looking for a musical to adopt it. Melodrama, but kind of likeable melodrama., for a bit ,anyway.
Big Country - "Fields Of Fire (400 Miles)" Very Scottish-sounding intro to this track that abounds with energy, and many tartan shirts being worn, too a effusive performance all round. A very promising start for a new act to the charts. The martial air that often characterised their music is evident here. Great, even. Set dancing from the TOTP dancers who presumably haven't mastered the arts of the ceilidh.
Chart
Nick Heyward - "Whistle Down The Wind" The post-Haircut 100 age has dawned for Heyward. This has similar charm to the contents of their brief catalog, a gentle sophistication and pleasing intonation. The song could do with a bit more sharpness though on its lengthy journey to a climax though.
Chart Altered Images "Don't Talk To Me About Love" Perhaps the highlight of their too-short career, this is as close as can be to being perfect pop music. Seductive dancing in the verses from Ms Grogan. All the best music here tonight is coming from Scotland.
Now Kid and Peel have tartan hats on, perhaps kind of acknowledging the point
Charts No 1 New Entry - Duran Duran "Is There Something I Should Know" A bit of a no 1 by default - or rather, on the back of past effort over its own merit - one feels, being their first release after some time away, and in the aftermath of several excellent 1982 singles. This has the classic Duranie sound, but doesn't hang as well together as their very best numbers. Nonetheless perhaps by dint of repetition it seems it has become part of the staple of mid-80s classic, though... Shirts and ties on TOTP though. Have been done better by others.
dance out to David Joseph (in the studio) - "You Can't Hide (Your Love From Me)" Post-funk: seems to be booking itself a trip to Rare Groove Central. Not dislikeable. And certainly danceable to.
Pretty good show, with the contributions from the Glaswegian and Fife acts being best of all.
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Post by o on Feb 18, 2017 17:28:17 GMT 1
Big Country = Brill, #31 on this chart I think, nice climb next week.
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vastar iner
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I am the poster on your wall
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Post by vastar iner on Feb 19, 2017 9:34:03 GMT 1
17 March. Tony Blackburn claiming to have been on TOTP last when it didn't actually exist. With Gary Davies. Bananarama on the 360 stage to start. Under a golden shower. Fun.
Style Council. Weller post-Jam on an open top bus in freezing weather. This is a great single, it follows the organ-dominated themes of the later Jam material. Although if he's going to do the same things as before why split up The Jam? Indeed with Tracie on vox it is as much a Jam single as "Silly Thing" was a Pistols single. I'm not sure those girls are actually playing those trumpets. Style Council is a rubbish name. Very yuppie.
Band from Iceland making their debut. Hm. Allegedly this costs £15 to buy in Iceland. I'm not so sure that's true, given that in 2003 even CDs were "only" £20. This is Mezzoforte. On the Steinar label, which, like other Icelandic labels, was run out of a record shop. Odd that this instrumental jazzfunk became a hit. Not my tasse de the but life's a rich tapestry.
Ultravox next. They're becoming masters of the video on the QT. Young ladies washing each other. Very nice. Starts off like a ballad and bursts into a sort of synth Steinmann epic. Hm, that seems to have been cut off very short.
Top 30. The background thing now is a set of confused arrows. Armatrading up 1 to 28. Seems a bit odd. Depesh. Band AKA at 24? Don't remember them. OMD going down. Sad face. 21, Bucks Fizz, and, whoop de doo, here they are. Cheryl and Jay aree dressed, which is a downside. The song is brilliant for the first four seconds and then goes into that Camera Never Lies staccato nonsense. Chorus is better when the notes actually run together. Bucks Fizz, as good as ever, according to Davies. That's a backhanded compliment.
20-11. David Joseph is at 16. I still don't remember him. Otherwise everything's going down. Big top 10 upheaval then. Back to 28 for someone who hasn't been on since 1976. Joan Armatrading, whose surname is something the Greens want to ban. "Drop The Pilot" is a bloody great single, it deserves to be a huge hit, but given it's only gone up 1 place that's unlikely. Great voice too.
So, top 10 next? Here we go. Orange Juice at 10. Deserved. Modern Romance? f*** OFF. Eurythmics rising to 2. Will Style Council stop them? Bonnie Tyler at no. 1. Thankfully it's a studio performance. Missing out part of the first verse. Dramatic. Is that really Rory Dodd on the backing vox? Doubt it. Drummer has a hipster beard avant l'heure.
Jensen & Peel are going to be on next week, which means the Beeb will show it. Play-out is Forrest. Ina total non-stereotyping move, the dancers on stage are all black.
Actually, a very good show. Oh, we are LIIIIIVE next, er, Wednesday.
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vastar iner
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Post by vastar iner on Feb 19, 2017 10:20:09 GMT 1
And let's get right up to date with 23 March. Wearing flat 'ats. Jensen in St Mirren merch. Starting with JoBoxers who have the image of coming from a boxing club in 1930s New York. Loud drums. This is raucous fun. Vision mixer is not sure whom to follow. This is basically Subway Sect with a new vocalist.
Highest new entry at 5 is Bowie. Not heard from him in a while. Introduction sounds like "Twist And Shout" and then it breaks sown into something rather interesting. "Put on your red shoes and dance the blues." That's almost pure poetry with such simple words. Interesting video with aboriginal Australians, red shoes and a proper story arc. Bowie looks about 22 in this vid. Brilliant stuff.
And we continue with the brilliant stuff with Orange Juice. "The Rain"? No, different Juice. This making the top 10 is a throwback to 1981 when all sorts of random stuff made the top of the charts, it's far too left-field to have become a hit. The chyron makes a glass.
But we come to a screeching halt to the brilliance with Leo Sayer. Interesting that he had a prime time television show but it had eff all effect on the charts. The one thing I remember about it is that Gary Numan duetted "Broadway" with blue hair. (Well, with Sayer, but Numan had blue hair.)
Pace picks back up with Big Country and their bagpipe guitars. Not many groups outside the death metal scene whose name fits their sound so well. They seem to be a bit of a forgotten act, perhaps because U2 overwhelmed them with their stadial successes.
Top 30. Background looks like Christmas crackers. Nick Heyward. Hm, have Haircut 100 vanished? "Love On Your Side - uncomfortable but fun". Back to Heyward at 26, he's looking very confused, like "where are my waders and my band?" Oh, we can see why now, he can't work out when to come in to mime. This is a very, very good single. Wistful.
20-11. "She means nothing to me" just before Ultravox. Seems somehow familiar. 12. ALTERED IMAGES!!!!!! And we're going back there. "Don't Talk To Me About Love". Oh my God, this is the perfect single. Yet again. This is just begging to be used for a film theme. The streamers fit the 1981 Ims, not the 1983, Clare as a petite Hepburn gone bad, and, my God, the song. Melancholic start, high verse, then the chorus builds up from below. There is a Shangri-La element to this, the girl back in her bedroom weeping into her pillow because it's all gone wrong, yesterdays shatter, tomorrows don't matter, two verses, two choruses, basic guitar solo, and, oh. Oh my f***ing God. The bridge kills it, Clare whispers, over the top with her descant, and it restarts. If your heart does not melt at that instant you are not a human being. f***ing a.
The top 10 can only be an anticlimax after that. Bowie is the second-highest new entry now. Hm? Tyler at 2. So the highest new entry must be at no. 1. And it is. Duran Duran with a deliberate pitch for the top spot because they kept missing it. It's not their best single but the hype machine is in full effect.
We are on Wednesday, apparently, because we are counting down to Eurovision tomorrow. David Joseph on the playout. He's in the studio for it which seems a bit of a waste. I still don't remember it. Sort of like Linx. Oddly they caption it with artist and title. We still have Zoo. This goes on a bit. Piped cheers to finish it.
That was a very, VERY good show. Some bona fide classics on there.
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Post by suedehead on Feb 19, 2017 10:35:18 GMT 1
I saw the 23 March show on Friday evening so was spared Leo Sayer1 That made for a pretty good show with Orange Juice and Bowie as the highlights.
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Post by Earl Purple on Feb 19, 2017 20:33:38 GMT 1
Back to 28 for someone who hasn't been on since 1976. Joan Armatrading, whose surname is something the Greens want to ban. "Drop The Pilot" is a bloody great single, it deserves to be a huge hit, but given it's only gone up 1 place that's unlikely. Great voice too. Yeah, her 1980 hit "Me Myself I" fell in that summer strike period. It was one of those that featured on the "episodes" I made for that gap.
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Post by suedehead on Feb 23, 2017 21:00:19 GMT 1
We’re at the end of March 1983 with Richard Skinner and Steve Wright (who seems to have got up in a bit of a rush) sharing presenting duties. Something tells me it must be close to Easter.
The good news is that we start with New Order’s Blue Monday. The bad nes is that it can only go downhill from here.
On to The Style Council, an inevitable drop in quality but it could have been far worse. Indeed, it will probably get far worse later.
Mari Wilson has a go at Cry Me A River. Somewhere back in 1983 a budding architect was wondering what 21st century London might look like.
Time for some U2. Bono still without his trademark specs but he is insisting on wearing a hat indoors. His haircut looked relatively normal for the age he was then, At his current age it looks ridiculous.
The first part of the chart comes complete with Easter bunnies.
Kajagoogoo with a song whose title makes as much sense as the band name. Limah’s trousers make even less sense.
The next bit of the chart with more bunnies.
A jolly little number from Tracey Ullman. Wright’s lame “joke” is best ignored. Let’s just dwell on the hairbrushes instead.
Duran Duran in questioning mood are at number one.
Kenny Everett turns up to plug a new series of his show and his single. Speaking of which,...
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Post by Earl Purple on Feb 23, 2017 22:23:41 GMT 1
It's my birthday and I'm 18 years old. So I should be out at the pub having my first legal drink but of course Pesach is early this year and I can't. At least it's Chol Hamoed so I can sit at home and watch Top of the Pops instead.
New Order performing live. And then Paul Weller's new band with Mick Talbot and Tracie Young. She's about the same age as me. And I had a bit of a crush on her. Brilliant song, got to #1 in my chart, sandwiching a week in there after Bonnie Tyler made it to 6 weeks. WTF was the follow-up though, as well as who was that female singing on it? PW dumped Tracie?
Mari Wilson was supposed to be fun but her cover is dull. Nice sax at the start but that's about it.
U2 were still cool in 1983. Kajagoogoo follow up "too shy shy, hush hush eye to eye" which made some sense with "Ooh to be ahh" which makes none. Stupid title. Flopped in my chart.
Another Tracey.... she's on 3 of a kind and singing an old 60s song. Jackie De Shannon did the original, I think. Later on in the year she would cover another song that I listened to the original of today. The original singer decided to blow on us today.
I hated Duran Duran for knocking Bonnie Tyler off. Especially going straight in at #1 to do so. And with such a boring song too. I did chart it but not that high.
Kenny Everett interviewed and also has a hit. This time a comedian actually doing his comedy sketch in the chart, not being a straight singer.
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Post by o on Feb 23, 2017 22:44:04 GMT 1
New Order to start the show, absolute brilliance, singing and performing live, just love that bass, enjoyed U2 and Tracey Ullman as well. Cant wait til we get to the reentry of Blue Monday as well.
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Post by suedehead on Feb 24, 2017 21:16:24 GMT 1
We’ve reached April 1983 and Simon Bates and Peter Powell are our hosts. Powell shows his usual dress sense.
Dexys Midnight Runners get proceedings underway.
Culture Club are up next. After the alleged joke in the last episode it’s just as well that Steve Wright isn’t on.
On to a bit of JoBoxers.
Yet another less than incisive interview. The previous ones haven’t been worth mentioning so I didn’t.
Time for some Twisted Sister. Well, some people might think so; others may disagree.
Good grief, it’s another interview. These two clearly taught Alan Partridge everything he knows.
Michael Jackson with the second song to have the word beat in its title. Make of that what you will.
First bit of the chart so we’re spared another interview.
Tracie has been cut.
Tunisia is represented this week by F R David. I don’t think Sidi Bou Said (the band, not the town near Tunis) ever made it onto the show but Bardo (the band, not the museum in Tunis) did.
The middle bit of the chart is next.
Nick (or Nicky according to Bates) Heyward with another solo effort. What happened to the old look? What’s that suit all about?
The chart rundown ends in style with David Bowie at number one.
Big Country play out over the credits.
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Tom
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Post by Tom on Feb 24, 2017 21:19:35 GMT 1
Icehouse peaked at #17, boo OMD peaked at #20, boo I remember hearing that Icehouse song on my local commercial station must be about 15 years ago now and have loved it ever since. Took a while I think but ended up downloading it. This is the first year of the old TOTP episodes I've bothered to watch on BBC4. I won't watch every episode from 1983 but should see most of them. I'm rather behind atm, though did see tonight's. A couple of things have stood out, why were they only featuring the top 30 on the charts? Also, why was it sometimes 40 mins long rather than 30 mins? Never knew that Pat Sharp was one of the presenters!
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vya
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Post by vya on Feb 26, 2017 19:20:40 GMT 1
31 March 1983 Steve Wright & Richard Skinner. Wright has an unfortuanate moustache and is being opportuned by a mad march hare with Easter eggs.
New Order "Blue Monday" playing live Deadpan staring at keyboards by the Other Two, moody looking Hook, singing not always in tune Barney, not sure this playing live malarkey was the best idea, nerves seem to be kicking in a bit Some of the instrumentation is superb though. Added instrumental breaks. A rather understated and to be frank imperfect performance of a classic. A curious start to the show.
Skinner on a merry-go-round. Style Council "Speak Like A Child" - ah, the Style Council before they went Cappucino-Kid crap. Something to treasure, greatly. Weller still seems angry here. And not just because of the school bully haircut.
Mari Wilson - "Cry Me A River" Big beehive time. But it's a slightly pedestrian cover that lacks the retro charm of "Just What I Always Wanted". There is an appealing vulnerability here, though.
Sid Snot aka Kenny Everett already in evidence next to the presenters.
U2 "Two Hearts Beat As One" Much self-assurance evident in the on-stage posture, indeed, posturing. Star quality in evidence, but if their career is going to endure, they'll need stronger songs than this one. Bono going into dance with the audience and singing "Let's Twist Again". Hmm.
Wright wearing a Mallett's Mallett before there were such Charts. Hmm, ah Sid Snot there too.
Kajagoogoo - "Ooh to be Ah" Limalh in pink plastic trews and lemon yellow half-undone shirt. Not without charm, but "Ooh to be Ah" essentially takes the same ingredients as their recent big no 1, rearranges them slightly and waters them down a bit, in the fashion of any number of chancers who make it unexpectedly big too soon in their careers. Fun, but maybe too quick a follow-up to "Too Shy". I suspect quite forgettable too.
Charts
Wright introduces "the funniest lady on TV, other than Boy George" Tracey Ullman "Breakaway" A short song taken at a breakneck pace, much hand-waving. I think the word is frenetic. This would have made a better follow-up for Mari Wilson than what we heard from her earlier. This is better than a "TV star's record" anyway.
Charts Orange Juice, Altered Images, JoBoxers all in the top 10.! No 1: Duran Duran "Is There Something I Should Know" on video - oddly tghe first one of the night. Still relatively poor by the standards of their recent form. It's aged reasonably well though. Remarkably well, even.
Sid Snot wheedling up to the presenters, although busy snogging a woman in the audience, one might say in the old TOTP tradition - and promoting the Kenny Everett Video Show that is following immediately after the show
Dance out to "Snot Rap". Which unlike the Tracey Ullman track really is just a TV star's record. He seems to be imitating George Michael more than anyone else. Well, and the Firm. Hmm. "you can chuck in words like circumcision, cos we ain't goin in for Eurovision. It's a rap". yeah....
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Post by o on Feb 26, 2017 20:25:19 GMT 1
More Big Country, woohoo, and wtf at Twisted Sister, blimey, although I think I did like and buy their next single!
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Post by o on Feb 26, 2017 20:43:05 GMT 1
Bits of that Tracie song sounded like J Geils Band - Centerfold!!!!
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vya
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Post by vya on Feb 26, 2017 21:28:37 GMT 1
7 April 1983 Powell 'n Bates Dexy's Midnight Runners - "The Celtic Soul Brothers" Second time out for this one. Not their best.
Leroy from "Fame" promoting the show Culture Club - "Church Of The Poison Mind" on video London always looks so grey and grim in early 80s pop videos...BG is a spot of colour and life and brightness. Then they take to the skies. Third fab single in a row form them, this is looking really promising.
Someone else from "Fame" promoting her show, going to Brighton and then to Israel.
JoBoxers - "Boxer Beat" More raucous than Dexy's, youthful male aggression in abundance. Wouldn't care to meet this lot down a dark alley. Brilliant in its simplicity and repetition, this is a sparkling debut single. They are playing in Dunstable tongiht.
Someone else from "Fame" promoting their show
Twisted Sister - "I Am (I'm Me)" Their appeal always passed me by, and it still does. They are playing in Nottingham tongiht.
Someone else from "Fame" promoting their show
Michael Jackson "Beat It" on video Hot on the heels of "Billie Jean", gotta admit Jacko is still on top form here.
Someone else from "Fame" etc Tracie - "The House That Jack Built" Style Council colloborator getting a bit nearly red wedge maybe. We own the house that he bulit! Simple and quite addictive, this could very easily get irritating on repeated listening, but would be great to dance to just the once. She comes from Chelmsford. Thanks Batesey.
Charts
FR David - "Words" In shades,there is a synthpop cool side to this. His only other top 75 hit (one week at no 71) was called "Music". This is good fun.
Charts Nick Heyward - "Whistle Down The Wind" Moody and sensitive, turbulent emotions balanced with restraint. Lovely piano tinkles. Pleasing, charming and lovely, but would it be controversial to say that The Colour Field did this sort of thing slightly better?
Charts Good grief Snot Rap already no 10. JoBoxers at no 3 blimey No 1 - David Bowie "Let's Dance" on video The master of reinvention reinvents himself again.
Dance out to Big Country - "Fields of Fire (400 Miles)" in the studio - which is an astoundingly superb track to close the show with.
A pretty decent show all in all, plugs for "Fame" apart.
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vastar iner
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Post by vastar iner on Feb 26, 2017 23:41:56 GMT 1
31 March. Steve Wright showing the humour for which he is known. New Order performing live. Hooky is on drums. The Other Two look comatose. Ah. Hooky has a low-sling bass for when he's finished faffing around on the drumpads. Barney is standing in front of neon tubes that look like they are attacking him in certain camera shots. Still baffles me how this track of all tracks became so iconic; I'd rate "Temptation" much higher.
Audience is bemused. This would have been a great SnubTV performance. In the party atmos of Ver Pops, it comes across as a bit like the Kraftwerk Priests.
And that's a Good Thing.
Anyhoo. Richard Skinner trying to look cool. Style Council so they're not number 1. Tracie is apparently part of the band. Weller is dressed like a partner at KPMG on dress-down day. Tracie looks well gorge. Camera needs to show her instead of dad dancing. Are the golf pullies meant to be ironic? Tracie could walk down a street today looking like that and she would still be a la mode. Chyron shows they are at no. 4. Hm. First time it's had a chart position other than 1. Didn't even have it for New Order.
Mari Wilson and her beehive, but without Kurt, Hank and Wilbur, sitting on a very high stool to perform "Cry Me A River". I remember from 1983 showing the first two performances, but not this one. This is a song to sell an album, not singles. Not sure about this. The Neasden nightingale is of course on form, but she can't rescue a dull as intercourse track. Really a urine poor choice as a follow-up single - destroyed the momentum she had spent years building up. Perhaps to get her to an audience that didn't really exist...the very basic chyron shows she is at 30.
One of FGTH seems to be on the balcomy with Wright & Skinner. It's U2 on the show. Don't remember this one either. Audience seems to think they are punk. The Edge is close to the edge. Bono looks a right berk in daft titfer and Miami Vice sleeves. This is basically "Cry Boy Cry" without the chorus. Odd sound mix, Bono's voice is barely discernible. God, it goes on a bit. Chyron has lots of Us and 2s. That can't be at no. 2, surely?
Wrighty is now wearing a novelty hat. God, he is a total pr**k. Easter bunnies flashing behind the charts. Kenny Everett? Blimey. Band AKA is a good name. Oh, U2 are at 24. Most things are going down. Kajagoogoo are at 20 with "Oooh To Be Ahhh", which is about as senseless as the song is gash. f*** me, this is CHRONIC. It's "Too Shy" with the chorus stripped out and replaced by b****cks. There seems to be a theme here. Surely literally the only reason for anyone to buy this sh*t was because they fancied whoever was on the picture sleeve.
Chyron once more has the chart position on it. Now from 19 to, presumably, 11. Tracey Ullman? This is sleb central. At 14, you can't hide David Joseph. No indeed, he's right there in the pic. Joan Armatrading didn't make the top 10, sad face.
Funniest lady on television, apart from Boy George, according to Steve Wright. Is there any way I can stop paying my licence fee on the basis that the BBC still employs this w**ker? Ullman with a glorious, riotous, Pipettous cover of the Irma Thomas classic. Wag those fingers. Shame Trace and the girls aren't dressed as schoolgirls miming into hairbrushes, for, er, personal reasons. This would get more people on any dancefloor than Calvin Harris playing with his ipod.
Top 10. Altered Images are at 7. Getting there. The Durannies with their publicity stunt are still at the top though. Video this time. Song title is too long. Video is not exactly in an exotic location, it's all very 1984 credit card design. Naked baby in it. Daily Mail OUTRAGE. Homage to Buggles perchance? Bored with this now. Finish up, Simes.
Kenny Everett is present for the playout. Wearing a rude tie. And he's on after this. As well as on now as the Snot Rap is indeed the playout. Still one of the better domestic hip-hop singles we've had. Cuddly Ken's been Otwayed into being a two hit wonder. Who would have guessed? Also how many other top 10 hits have had the word "circumcision"?
The songs all seemed to be rather long this week. Curate's egg show. But quite varied. And also all British Isles. Encouraging.
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SheriffFatman
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Post by SheriffFatman on Feb 27, 2017 11:11:07 GMT 1
Is it only me who just had to Google "chyron"? Out of interest, how did Blue Monday achieve such a bizarre chart run? I know it's brilliant and should have been number one etc, but to say this is unconventional for 1983, or indeed any other time, is something of an understatement 37-24-17-14-14-12-13-17-18-26-32-45-51-57-65-62-62-79-82-77-78-74-57-60-53-44-37-20-12-10-9-12-15-18-25-38-50-58 Officially it peaked in its 31st week on the chart, but that hides the fact that it was really a decent sized top 20 hit on two separate occasions in the same year. What was going on? Did the strange Top of the Pops performance kill off its initial chances but people kept finding out what a great track the recorded version was after it left the charts? Or was there something more simple going on like distribution problems? Either way such an unusual and epic chart run seems extremely fitting for such an unusual and epic single. That wasn't the end of it of course - it left the top 100 altogether but then re-entered several times in 1984 spending a further 27 weeks in the bottom rungs, as well as 2 more weeks in 1985, 1 in 1986 and 1 in 1988, before the digital era gave it another 5 weeks in 2006. All of that is excluding remixes in 1988, when it achieved its all time peak of number 3, and 1995 when it reached 17.
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Post by Earl Purple on Feb 27, 2017 11:44:03 GMT 1
7 April 1983. Pesach already over, I have had my first legal drink.
Dexy's with Celtic Soul Brothers. The sensation has worn off a bit and Helen is wearing sandals again which she has done throughout and obviously that annoys me a lot. She didn't wear sandals when I saw her when she made a guest appearance with Skinny Lister in 2015.
Culture Club with Church of the Poison Mind. Interesting song with Bob Dylan-esque harmonica, and Helen Terry adding some female "echo" vocals.
The Jo-Boxers have moved up from #6 to #3. Wah! and Toto made that climb earlier in the year only to regress back to #4 the following week but maybe this one being on TOTP can at least let it hold its position even if Culture Club do make an expected climb above it into the top 2 next week (having entered at #9).
Twisted Sister. Some glammy rock stuff from the USA with a man in drag. Michael Jackson goes a bit more rock too - he's hired I think Eddie Van Halen to play a guitar riff on Beat It. As a result he gets to be played on US rock radio shows too. This after complains that such radio stations didn't play music by black artists. Michael Jackson still has black skin in 1983.
Next on a solo Tracie with The House That Jack Built. Isn't she pretty and fanciable? Note she is wearing white stilettos when they were still cool. I know someone else here had a crush on Clare Grogan but Tracie was my age and far more my thing...
There's something special about being #21 in the chart as if you are still climbing and weren't on last week, you always get this slot on TOTP. FR David with "Words". Not a cover of the Bee Gees song. Or the Monkees song, but an original song. I still don't think that much of it.
20 to 11 but so many singles in this lot going down, and they go back to a non-mover at #15 for Nick Heyward.
Into the top 10 and for the second time in 4 months, a single entering at #1 couldn't last more than 2 weeks on top. Duran Duran are replaced by David Bowie who had entered the same week but has the far superior single. However his will be on his new album of the same name, Duran Duran purposely avoided putting this single on an album to get it to #1. Lots of red shoes in the video, which are closed and have a small heel. Near the end, the very pretty dark-skinned woman is treading on the shoes then walks barefoot. In the middle there is a man on a main road dragging something heavy along as the traffic passes him.
Play-out used to be just a short snippet of something to put the credits over, but Big Country are in the studio and perform nearly all of Fields On Fire whilst the audience dance. Instrumental bit samples bits of "Guns Of Navarone" but it's a great song.
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Post by o on Feb 27, 2017 14:23:55 GMT 1
I'm glad someone else thought there was someone from FGTH on the balcony with the dj's as I noticed that as well. Regards Blue Monday, I don't know if there were production problems, and so it slowly dropped until more became available, or whether it just kept on growing as it got played more. I just love it, and love that TOTP performance as well, I wonder if they were on again, in the next chart run?
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