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Post by Earl Purple on Feb 27, 2017 15:28:48 GMT 1
I don't think there was any kind of production issue with Blue Monday, just that there was something that gave it a new lease of life.
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SheriffFatman
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Post by SheriffFatman on Mar 1, 2017 22:48:30 GMT 1
I love the fascinating, informative Fame interviews.
"Are they filming another series, Leroy?" "Yes" "Great, here's Culture Club..." 😀😂
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Post by suedehead on Mar 2, 2017 20:58:28 GMT 1
Gary Davies and Andy Peebles are our hosts fro this edition from mid-April 1983.
Eurovision is on the way so we start with the UK’s entry from Sweet Dreams. They didn’t win.
Next up is a band whose next (and biggest) hit was a song called Sweet Dreams - it’s Dave and Annie, the Eurythmics.
Bauhaus are next. Why can’t bands like this have hits any more?
On to a band named after a term sometimes used by snooker commentators, Kissing The Pink. They’re a bit strange with a superfluity of drummers but decent enough. Apparently the singer was involved with that PJ and Duncan song.
Time for the first bit of the chart.
Now it’s another one I can’t remember now, it’s Sunfire. Who? I think I’ll have forgotten them again soon. Hope so anyway. Phew, it’s finished at last.
The middle bit of the chart followed by Kajagoogoo again. On video this time, but it doesn’t make the song any better. Even the presence of Kenny Everett can’t save it. There’s a John Major lookalike too.
The top ten rundown ends with David Bowie still at number one.
A great number one is followed by an even better song as we play out with Blue Monday.
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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 Mar 2, 2017 22:18:29 GMT 1
7 April. Master Bates and Peter Powell in an extraordinary number which resembles a drag queen entering the London Marathon.
Dexy's to start with "Celtic Soul Brothers", definitely more Celtic than soul. It seems a bit quiet though. The vocals are totally buried in the playback. Dexy's have had two number ones, both followed up by top tens, and then followed up by comparitive flops. This is not going to break the run, too many singles off Too Rye Ay.
Leroy from Fame. Isn't that his character name? Gene Anthony Ray? Culture Club with a video homage to Madness. Their best single to date. Helped in no small measure by a spectacular backing counterpoint from Helen Terry, who doesn't half give it some.
Ooh, Lori Singer. They're going to Brighton then Israel. JoBoxers come in over the top. Not great timing there. Hm, there's definitely something up with the sound mix as again the backing overwhelms the vocals. Zoo are stage front doing a literal interpretation.
Carlo from Fame says the fans are great. Incisive. Twisted Sister. This is great fun. Pop is so bloody po-faced these days. And this is a great single. A real up yours to the world and a terrific repeat-chord riff to climax the chorus.
Debbie Allen now. She also likes the fans. She is the most professional of the Famers so far. "Beat It", boooooooring.
Tracie Young now. Hm, no charts yet. She really was a sweetheart. Shame her solo track is so sh*te. Prefer "The Jack That House Built", frankly. Hm again. KC & The Sunshine Band blatantly stole that synth riff for "Give It Up". Never noticed that before.
Charts now? Yes. Top 30s flashing behind the top 30. New entries at 30, 29, 24 and 23, and they've all been on. 21, F R David. Segue into him. Europap in the extreme. No wonder we voted Brexit.
Top 20. Jackson is at 20 and 30. Chart hog. Nothing new here. Nick Heyward sticks to 15. Big Country likewise to 13. Altered Images are at ELEVEN?!?!?!? What the actual eff?
We go back to "Nicky" Heyward. Will he get his cue this time? Yes. Underratedly lovely song but he has the look of "leaving Haircut 100 was a very, very bad mistake" in his eyes. I note incidentally that the promos had this single called "Hello, Hello, Hope You're Feeling Fine".
Top 10. Culture Club at 9, wow. Kajagoogoo at 7 because people are thick as sh*t. Non mover at 5 and 4. DD are OFF the top. Replaced by Bowie. This is a definite step up. It comes across as "yeah, I can stand the pretenders for a while, now it's time to bring back the A game". Old people dancing is never not funny/tragic.
Playout is back to another non-mover. Big Country. That seemed to be quite a packed show. They ended up playing everyone who had gone up/come in and who had not been on last week, I think; so fairly easy to sort out the line-up. Maybe they should have gone to no. 97 that week.
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vastar iner
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Post by vastar iner on Mar 4, 2017 11:14:56 GMT 1
14 April. Thing says Sweet Dreams with a pic of Eurythmics. Confused dot com. Davies and Peebles. Oh, it's Eurovision Sweed Dreams. Carrie Grant as the cute brunette. We've gone from two blokes, two girls via one bloke, one girl to one bloke, two girls. They're going through the mathematical options. OK. I adore this track. Gorgeous sweet simple pure pop. Nice nod to Waterloo. "The battle may be lost but I can win the war." What could be more eighties than their clothes? And the answer is none. None more eighties.
I don't recall ever seeing Peebles before, he looks like a cut-price aged Steve Wright, but seems to be a lot more sensible. Eurythmics on video. Annie's grown her hair back. Or, given that this is a re-issue, took a rather brutal crop for "Sweet Dreams". This is another great single. Very good start to the show. Oh, wait, it's a wig. Amazing how different they are to The Tourists. Exponentially more sophisticated, more interesting, and better.
What now? No intro. Oh, here is Davies. Siouxsie opening but it's Bauhaus. First discernible word is "graveyard". Not as good as the first two songs, but still interesting. They've knocked the party atmos down for this, quite right too, it's all monochromatic.
Now for a band making their debut. Kissing The Pink. Is that name rude? Another fantastic single. Multiple drummers. Usually a good sign (c.f. Sweet, the Ants). Lead singer looks as if he is being electrocuted. More Scots-lite from some sort of synth whistle. Keyboardist looks like Donald Stott. I now need some marzipan. This is such a bizarre single, it's like they've thrown all sorts of stuff at it to see what sticks, then taken away all the bits that would normally make a song a song. Love it to bits.
Chart time. That was quick. Charles Rennie Mackintosh behind the numbers. Sunfire? Who the eff? Everything else is going down. Hot girl dancing on screen. Oh, this must be Sunfire. Again the introduction comes after the song intro. This is a big step backwards. Dull fake soul by numbers. Dated in 1976. Had to FF that, it was getting on my tits.
Charts. Everything going down again. Must be quite a change around in the top 10. Tracie is at 12 and 11. We go to 7 with Kajagoogoo. Christ alive. Everyone who bought this should be executed. I mean, there's different musical tastes, and then there is people whose taste actively reduces the achievement level of the entire country. And why did they play that when Ullman is at 4? "The Culture Club" is at 2. Bowie at the top again. Playout is New Order.
Great start that ran out of steam. Why was Tracey Ullman not on? She was entitled to be and was higher than the non-moving gash of Kajagoogoo. Indeed even on the playout it had more right than New Order, though it was rather fun to see the party atmos to such a melancholic song.
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Post by o on Mar 4, 2017 12:58:40 GMT 1
Kissing the Pink is excellent, I have that on 12", adored it and it still sounds great, and the performance was excellent!
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Post by suedehead on Mar 4, 2017 13:36:34 GMT 1
Somehow I seem to have missed Kissing The Pink at the time. I'm sure I would have bought it if I'd heard it.
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Post by thehitparade on Mar 4, 2017 13:37:59 GMT 1
Kissing the Pink is excellent, I have that on 12", adored it and it still sounds great, and the performance was excellent! Do I dare to search YouTube for "Kissing The Pink 12 inch"?
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Post by o on Mar 4, 2017 14:43:30 GMT 1
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Post by Earl Purple on Mar 4, 2017 22:39:22 GMT 1
ok, lets go through those episodes:
14 April.
First band are called Sweet Dreams but they look a bit like Tight Fit. Well the curly haired woman does, and there's a blonde woman but she's ugly compared to the Julie and guy is not as hunky, and they are our Eurovision act and it's rather cheap throwaway pop but that's what Eurovision was then and it did ok, albeit it didn't win. The UK still doesn't understand in 2017 that Eurovision has moved on and continues to enter inferior stuff like this instead of sending Ed Sheeran or similar.
But then in 1983 we had bands a lot better than Ed Sheeran and we had the Eurythmics, who of course also did a song called "Sweet Dreams" and that's their best rated track but I always loved "Love Is A Stranger" more. This song is actually the highlight of the show for me, wonderful to hear this again.
Bauhaus, having covered Bowie (who himself is doing quite well in the chart) have their own song this time. Ok rock stuff but doesn't appeal to me that much really. Everyone else thinks they're great though.
Kissing The Pink on with The Last Film I Ever Saw. The band name is a double entendre, as not only does it mean kissing on the lips but, as they point out, is a term from snooker, where Cliff Thorburn will shortly get his 147.
After the chart rundown from 30 to 21 we get a song that was rather influential on presenting DJ Gary Davies, as it's called "Young Free And Single" by Sunfire. A soulful ballad (some would call it R&B), it's ok but nothing memorable other than its title, a term Gary Davies would use for several years.
20 to 11 sees nothing to play that isn't going down or played last week so they go up to #7 for Kajagoogoo's "Ooh to be Ah" which still sounds silly, and then the chart countdown up to #1 with David Bowie.
Playout from New Order but although this held at #14 wasn't it #12 a couple of weeks ago and normally they only play songs in their peak position?
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vastar iner
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Post by vastar iner on Mar 5, 2017 9:30:03 GMT 1
21 April. Long and Skinner. No Sharp. Did he ever present TOTP again? Culture Club are Chart Expert Richard Skinner's tip for the top next week. Davy Crockett brings the song in via harmonica. Chyron at the start with act, song and chart position. Helen Terry looks like she's just done cleaning the bogs. She's shoved miles away at the back. There is some very lame sub-Shadows guitar choreography going on. And with Jon Moss joining in at times. Curiously bloodless performance. New entry at 16. Not a tip for no. 1. Human League exchanging vocals throughout, with even Jo Callis getting a go. Must have taken ages to pain that house. This is BRILLIANT. Video focusses on the group more than previous outings which were basically Phil 'n' the girls. Jonathan King was responsible for this one. Oooh, they left that in. F R David. Next. Twisted Sister. Ah, this is much better. This is still the era in which some American acts can make it much bigger in Britain than in America. Soon the thing will shift. Back to Skinner. A very attractive young lady in dreads is looking at him as if he is a giant porcupine. Toto. Nowhere near as good as "Africa". Seems to go on forever. They cut it short when the synth noodling starts. Heaven 17. Same show as Human League (in joke there). Max Zorin on lead vox looks delighted to be on Ver Pops. Another brilliant single. Like the graphics on the pooter screen. Charts from 30-22. So they're playing 21. DNA strands backing the pics. And at 21 is Thompson Twins. "We Are Detective". Accordion. This has number 1 hit written all over it. My older cousins hate this though. I'm ambivalent about it. Back to the charts. Sunfire actually went up? Cliff Richard is at high new entry. But the highest is Spandau Ballet with "True". No, no, no. Back to the charts. Er, again. And Bowie is still on top, as well as still not in the studio. Janice Long suggests Spandau Ballet will nick the top spot. The playout is wasted on some back-to-form Jackson rubbish. Someone on the credits is called John Wadge. For real?
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Post by Earl Purple on Mar 5, 2017 12:30:14 GMT 1
Ok, 21 April.
Culture Club start the show, they are stuck at #2 this week behind David Bowie. Perhaps they will get their revenge later in the year.
New entry at #16 by the Human League, and the video starts with something that looks like it came from google maps several years ahead of its time, focusing on an orange building with them all inside. The first few notes of the intro is "Let's Groove" by Earth Wind & Fire but in a major key. Then it changes into the main part of the song (which sounds nothing like Let's Groove) and they switch vocals around Kids From Fame style. It's a great song but has entered 7 positions lower than their previous hit which couldn't make #1 and 6 places lower than the highest new entry hyped up to be the next #1 so it will probably end up at #2. Or maybe #3 given what's coming up from some of their ex-members...
I wouldn't however expect FR David to pose much challenge even though his single has somehow made it up to #4,
Twisted Sister on again with "I Am, I'm Me". This was their big UK hit, their big US hit was "We're Not Going To Take It" and both were hits in my chart.
Toto's "Rosanna" which is musically ok but the video starts with a focus on a woman in sandals and focuses more on those than her face, in fact I'm not sure we even see her face. I used to have a neighbour called Rosanna too. This is actually a re-issue, after the success of "Africa" although that wasn't their first major UK hit, "Hold The Line" was a UK top 20 hit in 1979.
Heaven 17. They were on the show a while back but weren't that good. However this one is a cracker, and is certainly competing with John Gregory's old band. A woman who turns out to be Carol Kenyon sings some of the vocals with Max Zorin.
There's something magic about being #21 as it often gets you into this slot and it's the Thompson Twins with "We Are Detective". Very catchy song.
Next section is 20 to 11 but then it runs to the #10 for the highest new entry by Spandau Ballet, which has been much hyped as the greatest thing they've done. Not sure, it's slow, quite nice and has a very nice break with a saxophone, however the wondrous "Chant #1" had all the spirit of what made 1981 such a great year. I guess this band deserves a #1 but really should it be with this song?
Somehow the Jo-Boxers fell all the way to #7 having climbed from #6 to #3 last week and they were even on the show. That allowed FR David to climb to #4 and Michael Jackson to #3 with the top 2 unchanged.
David Bowie is still #1. Neither DJ thinks it will make it 4 weeks, with Spandau Ballet and Culture Club being given as choices. I don't think Culture Club will, Spandau Ballet might. Maybe even Michael Jackson, who sings out the end credits. As long as it isn't FR David...
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Post by o on Mar 5, 2017 13:30:43 GMT 1
Spandau Ballet is awful, always hated this and Gold with a passion! Yep Human League and Heaven 17, excellent, and Thompson Twins entertaining.
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SheriffFatman
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Post by SheriffFatman on Mar 5, 2017 16:21:16 GMT 1
"Why do I find it hard to write the next line...?"
Sounds to me like he found it quite hard to write all of them
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vya
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Post by vya on Mar 5, 2017 22:29:26 GMT 1
14 April 1983 Wooh Gary Davies and Andy Peebles, who I'd never have recognized. Not sure if he's done this before, it looks like he's not, not sure if he will do it again.
The UK's Eurovision entry: SWEET DREAMS - "I'm Never Giving Up" A great piece of post-Bucks Fizz synth-backed vocally driven pop music, Very 80s clothing in evidence. And synchronised dancing around and on stools. Rather brilliant. Pop like it should be done. Even with that late key change. And associated jumping off the stools to accompany.
EURYTHMICS - "Love Is A Stranger" on video A reissue, and a well worthwhile one. Haunting, obsessive, determined. Some of the keyboard parts sound very dated now, but don't quite distract from the overall focus of the song.
BAUHAUS -" She's in Parties" The band start playing the intro before Davies comes in an introduces them. Not sure about that. The track is quite poppy as this lot go. A singalong chorus, even. Atmospheric weird goth with star quality. Very decent.
KISSING THE PINK - "The Last Film" Shaky dancing from lead singer, pipes and drums, is this a renegade orange march band that have fled Portadown for the Big Time? The keyboardist doing the same mad "I wanna be Ian Curtis" dance as the singer. They all are, including a bloke in a bowtie. On-screen nerves? Threats from the Shankill? Ties and suits abound. Then an angelic chorister bit. This is quite insane. While the whistling could get annoying, the syncopation gives it all a kick. Then the brass section enters. Brilliant. Mad. But Brilliant.
Charts SUNFIRE - "Young Free and Single" "About me" says Wooh Gary Davies (Afterwards, Andy Peebles says it's about him too), doing the same intrusive mid-intro intro he did with Bauhaus. Late night languid soul or R&B or something. And "single" really is made to rhyme with "mingle". It's really nothing special or out of the ordinary.
Charts KAJAGOOGOO - "Ooh To Be Ah" on video The "London in the 80s" videos are always enjoyable (nice scene with carphones of the age too). I suspect Limahl knows this track on the topic of social climbing and fame is just a little bit lame, and that his career has not long for this world - but this is pleasant enough while it lasts....I don't mind it at all.
Charts No1 David Bowie "Let's Dance" on video. Less avant garde than one might like, but a really strong song and performance. Let's just hope he doesn't increase the commercial pop of his output going forward.
dance-out to New Order "Blue Monday"
Mostly rather good music. Cut out Sunfire and everything else is at least a 7/10.
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vya
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Post by vya on Mar 5, 2017 23:05:15 GMT 1
21 April 1983 Richard Skinner and Janice Long
CULTURE CLUB - "Church Of The Poison Mind" Skinner's tip for next week's no 1. And, yeah, everything about this is a tonic, musically, lyrically and visually. Helen Terry deserves a special mention for her powerful vocals.
HUMAN LEAGUE - "(Keep Feeling) Fascination" on video Oh this is sing-a-long pop (irriating synth horns be gone though) and has its moments. But for a group as monumentally talented as the League, this is very slightly second order.
FR DAVID - "Words" Jonathan King revealed as having put this on the UK airwaves, and the song is "now at one of the highest positions a Frenchman has ever been at". Serge Gainsbourg might have something to say about that, from several positions. Fun, cool, sharp, aspiring to be sophisticated. Pointing the way to late 80s sophistipop, in retrospect.
TWISTED SISTER - "I Am (I'm Me)" A catchy chorus among lots of HM cliches. There has been worse hair rock.
TOTO - "Rosanna" on video. Kind of mid-70s-style AOR that has somehow hung on into 1983. It passes the time as decent background wallpaper music, more or less. Not as good as "Africa"
HEAVEN 17 - "Temptation" Better than the Human League track we had earlier, a bit of totalitarian futuristic aestetics here - only to be expected with a band from the Korova Milk Bar. Yeah, this is really good.
Charts THOMPSON TWINS - "We Are Detective" on video A bit of wackiness and post-indieness about this. Their differing vocal styles compliment each other well, in the verses at least. Not a classic for all time, but for April 1983 - yes.
Charts SPANDAU BALLET - "True" More polished, more mainstream pop than previously, immaculately polished. One might regret the ironing out of the grit - but well, enjoy the oysters while they are fresh. This is pretty tasty, still. And masterful in its restraint and command.
Charts no1 DAVID BOWIE "Let's Dance" on video as before
dance-out to Michael Jackson "Beat It"
Not quite a brilliant show, but a good representation of "essence of 1983 pop music in Britain"
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Post by Earl Purple on Mar 6, 2017 2:29:48 GMT 1
I'd say throw out FR David on 21 April and we have a great show. Especially if we could swap it with the Eurythmics from the previous week.
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Post by Earl Purple on Mar 6, 2017 12:39:28 GMT 1
FR DAVID - "Words" Jonathan King revealed as having put this on the UK airwaves, and the song is "now at one of the highest positions a Frenchman has ever been at". Serge Gainsbourg might have something to say about that, from several positions. Fun, cool, sharp, aspiring to be sophisticated. Pointing the way to late 80s sophistipop, in retrospect. One of the highest positions, not the very highest positions. Charles Aznavour was, at this point, the only totally French act to get to #1 as Serge Gainsbourg had got there in a duet with Jane Birkin. Several French artists did well in 1977. Jean Michel-Jarre, a Frenchman, reached #4 with Oxygene whilst instrumental group Space were #2 at the same time with Magic Fly and later on Frenchwomen La Belle Epoque peaked at #2.
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Post by suedehead on Mar 9, 2017 21:02:32 GMT 1
We’re up to the end of April 1983 and it’s the Peel / Jensen team again presenting show number 999.
Not a great start as Phil Fearon & Galaxy get things underway. This is even more boring than I’d remembered. NEXT!
Now we get Jensen in Singapore and someone called Paula Tsui. Ho him. Oh, there’s more. We’re on to China Dolls. Now their best-seller from Lam. Who thought this ws a good idea?
Sweet Dreams have been dropped so it’s on to a big improvement now with The Creatures.
Back to the international theme with John Peel on a cross-channel ferry and an outfit called Cook Da Books. Good grief. Apparently the frontman is Digsy of Diner fame. Dear lord, Hoffmann & Hoffmann are terrible.
Now we have a rundown of the European top ten featuring Mirielle Mathieu and Patrick Duffy. This is all most odd. Anyway, more of the Euro chart (in pseudo-French) and it’s Nena with the original German version of her song. Sheer quality.
On to the European number one from David Bowie.
Back to the studio and the British charts. No Ed Sheeran as he hasn’t been born yet.
Some great stuff now from Tears For Fears.
The next bit of the chart now followed by another chance to see the rather wonderful (and bizarre) Kissing The Pink, multiple drums and all. For another band named after a snooker term, see Q-Tips.
The chart rundown ends with Spandau Ballet, the new number one. I liked this song at first, but it suffered from massive overplaying. As a result their better songs are generally overlooked.
We end a very strange episode with a plug for those Fame people. Yawn. Thankfully it is only a short clip.
An unmentionable bloke from Leeds will have been on show 1,000 so we skip a week for tomorrow’s dose.
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Post by Earl Purple on Mar 9, 2017 21:05:58 GMT 1
All those weird charts instead of the great British charts. Still, I discovered one good song in there, that German rock song that is #2 in the European chart. Perhaps they should release it in the UK, maybe translate it to English first to appeal to our market.
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