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Post by raliverpool on Aug 31, 2017 21:32:52 GMT 1
We’ve skipped two episodes so we’re now up to the beginnng of June 1984. Our hosts once again are John Peel and David Jensen. Sadly this is their last episode together. When this programme was first shown the continuity announcer probably had very little to say. Nowadys we get a full-length speech. We start with Spandau Ballet so there is plenty of room for improvement. Of course, there is also plenty of scope for worse. The mediocrity continues with Howard Jones. We take a break from the mediocre with some rubbish from Evelyn Thomas. Not even the bassline from Relax can save it. A weak joke precedes the first chart bit. Bananarama are up next with a song I’ve forgotten existed probably because it’s so nondescript. The best of the night os far – and probably altogether – comes from Bronski Beat. Yes, it’s Ian Hislop’s TOTP debut. Panel show regualr (not yet Rev) Richard Coles looks somewhat younger here. The top ten countdown brings us to Wham at number one. Two gay singers in a row. The Daily Mail would have been horrifed if they’d known. A generally poor programme ends on another low note with Sister Sledge. Let’s hope for better tomorrow. Unless I'm mistaken was this not the "historic" episode where Wham!'s Andrew Ridgeley met Bananarama's Keren Woodward; & Spandau Ballet's Martin Kemp met Wham!'s backing singer Shirlie Holliman?
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SheriffFatman
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Post by SheriffFatman on Sept 5, 2017 23:31:45 GMT 1
It's a bit quiet in here lately!
Wham! at number 1 with Wake Me Up Before You Go Go. It's the most horrifyingly vacuous, meaningless, empty headed nonsense, and yet a phenomenal work of irritating pop genius at the same time. For 33 years now people have been dancing to this while drunk, and then thinking about it the next day and feeling just a little bit dead inside.
I was just spoken to very sternly by the Mrs because my joining in with Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now risked waking the kids. I had to finish the dance in silence.
Two Tribes' message of impending nuclear doom seems oddly topical this week. Here's hoping we get through nine weeks of it being at number one without it coming true in 2017.
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Post by raliverpool on Sept 7, 2017 19:35:31 GMT 1
Boo at the BBC dropping the 21/06/84 episode hosted by Simon Bates & Gary Davies ......
I know those two presenting together is a fairly unsavoury prospect, but come on is that a good enough reason not to show it ....
Anyway here is that "banned" episode opening, with the first act and studio performance:
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SheriffFatman
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Post by SheriffFatman on Sept 7, 2017 21:45:02 GMT 1
Did they skip a whole episode just because it had Gary Glitter in it? Couldn't they just have edited him out?
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Post by o on Sept 8, 2017 10:14:58 GMT 1
I meant to comment on Bananarama and Rough justice, one of my fave songs by them, obviously it bombed as it was social comment. Also FGTH - Two tribes straight in at #1, presented by Mike Read, how poetic!
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Post by suedehead on Sept 8, 2017 13:13:50 GMT 1
I meant to comment on Bananarama and Rough justice, one of my fave songs by them, obviously it bombed as it was social comment. Also FGTH - Two tribes straight in at #1, presented by Mike Read, how poetic! He even had to pretend to like it
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Tom
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Post by Tom on Sept 8, 2017 22:04:08 GMT 1
I always record the late show, I want the FULL effect! Yeah, I generally watched/recorded the early shows for 1983 but I've been recording the late shows for 1984 as I was looking forward to it and didn't want to miss anything. I read somewhere that when Eastenders started in 1985 that was when the show became 30 mins on a regular basis. So I imagine the later editions won't be any different from that point on.
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vastar iner
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Post by vastar iner on Sept 12, 2017 23:18:30 GMT 1
17/5. Catching up. Bates and Powell with a present and future no. 1. Hm? Break Machine with a deservedly forgotten follow-up single. This time in the studio breakdancing. It's utter crap.
Deniece Williams trapped in a triangle. I think when this came out I had had no idea that she had had a no. 1 hit. Quite milfy. Song is now overplayed and it sounds so plasticky with a background that has all the soul of a fatberg. Whither the Wrecking Crew? Bates says it's going to no. 1.
We go to a Denim advert. Oh, no, it's Marillion. Having gone all Visage. This week Mr Fish is going to be Wayne Mardle. They seem to have ditched the more excessive elements of barmy old cack in favour of being Simple Minds. Not sure the bandanna works.
Hazell Dean. Bloody hell, it's electronic crap night. The standards have plummeted in an astonishingly short time. No wonder I had more or less given up on music by now.
Charty McChartface. EBTG at 33 is the most interesting thing there. Womack & Womack at 25 and they're up. He's a southpaw. Best track so far. Interesting single. The chorus seems to lurch up out of nowhere.
We go back to 29, which we did not do when the Cocteaux were there. We are however seeing a brilliant song and video from U-vox. Billy Currie looks like Tricky Dicky in Eastenders. Vertical hi-fi, retro. Bates and Powell have the look of someone who has never seen the video before.
Top 10. Back to the studio performance of DD. The playout is Kenny Loggins. Christ alive, was someone from Footloose sleeping with the TOTP producer?
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Post by o on Sept 13, 2017 10:05:59 GMT 1
I always record the late show, I want the FULL effect! Yeah, I generally watched/recorded the early shows for 1983 but I've been recording the late shows for 1984 as I was looking forward to it and didn't want to miss anything. I read somewhere that when Eastenders started in 1985 that was when the show became 30 mins on a regular basis. So I imagine the later editions won't be any different from that point on. My brother insisted all TOTP episodes were 30 minutes!
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vya
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Post by vya on Sept 13, 2017 21:13:53 GMT 1
28 June 1984
Skipped a week, not because of paedo DJs but because of paedo glam rock musician who, as the opening act (despite not being in the top 40) couldn't be edited out. A pity, as that edition had a good line-up. Lloyd Cole! The Associates (also not in the top 40)!
This one...hmm.
Bluebells start off with their best known and best remembered song. It's alright.
Nik Kershaw, with a video that mixes live performance with a rather 80s video illustrating the bit about "Old men in stripy trousers [ruling] the world with plastic smiles". Am increasingly being won round to the view that Kershaw was the most capable AND interesting of those mid-80s synth poppers.
Human League, a brilliant pop band with kind of indie roots, conversely, on a bit of a low point in their career. Melancholy, of course, but really I'm getting a Sheffieldian sense of Pulp on a Bad Day.
Bob Marley and the Wailers on video for a rerelease that was never a big hit, and not this time either, but with a crackingly good song still.
Billy Idol pops up for a quick chat.
Tina Turner on video with a song that has become if not a classic at least memorable by sheer dint of repetition. Over-emoting and the most banal of instrumentation are not attractive things.
Alison Moyet up with her debut solo single. Quite a change of direction from the fantastic Yazoo, but this bodes well for her future career.
Scritti Politti with a largely forgotten single. Mainly because it is forgettable, and sounds very similar to other more memorable songs they came up with. Smoothly polished and classy, and not as dull as your average forgettable China Crisis single.
FGTH at number one doing the mid-80s apocalyptic thing (just as the charts show "Relax" is not far behind it). Not my cup of irradiated tea.
Quick and obvious cut to remove reference to paedo DJ who was presenting next week's edition, then dance out to a sunny and carefree number from Michael Jackson.
Overall not a terrible episode.
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Post by suedehead on Sept 13, 2017 21:30:44 GMT 1
Some of the cuts - e.g. the reference to a persona non grata DJ as mentioned above - are indeed rather clumsy. Therefore, they could also have shown the programme with Gary Glitter and had another obvious cut.
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vastar iner
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Post by vastar iner on Sept 14, 2017 21:13:30 GMT 1
14/6. A rather subdued Powell and Read. Perhaps because they know next up is Eurotrash. Art Company, who have been no. 1 in the country that grassed Anne Frank, and the song itself is as reprehensible. Singer is dressed as a parody of Paul Rutherford and the song is like a schlager version of the Third Man Theme. Audience seems to be into it unless they are taking the mick. It occurs to me that many of those in the audience then must now be in their late fifties. Prime Brexit voter age. Perhaps this song tipped them over the edge?
Elton John's latest attempt to snag a solo no. 1 is at no. 8. Still with the titfer rather than the syrup. Lots of men in vests in the video. Is it around this time that Eltonius was getting married? Quite like this one. Hello, is that Suggs in the video? Weird.
The Smiths are in the top 10. At the time they were like gangbusters at school, but I never really got them, Mozza came across as too much of a whinger. I was more keen on Echo & The Bunnymen. Hearing aid alert. I'm not convinced by this one at all. Comes across as a bit Andy Williams.
Read unconvincingly praises the song. We go to Rod the Mod at 27. No, don't remember this track at all. His opening vocals are startling, it's like he's woken up from a drunken stupor and found himself in a skip. It sounds like a spiked up version of "Intuition". Never seems to end.
And when it does we get political writings. Green got fed up of living in a squat so gave up on writing what he wanted to write and instead wrote hit singles. Principles. This is basically yuppie muzak. Nothing to it.
Read gives a plug for Pop Quiz. Ozzy in the top 30? Blimey. Even more, this sounds like Pale Fountains. Thought his hit last year was a one off. But this is...weirdly...the best thing on the show so far. Unexpected.
Top 40. OMD at 39 with their weakest single. "Mel Mel"? Heh. Nick Heyward with an almost Haircut 100 reunion. Again though it's just nothing.
Charts. David Sylvian at 25. Missed out on that one. Duran Duran at 19, shows how much we have missed. Madness at 17 with a classic. "Relax" is at 11? WTF? Who the frig is buying it now? Nik Kershaw at 18 with a dull song. Can't be bothered, let's skip to the ten. Bronski Beat? That's a new name. Wham! down to 2, we missed all their time at no. 1. And it's a new entry at the top. FGTH with "Two Tribes". This is loads better than "Relax". Bit of Patrick Allen there. But there's not that much depth to it.
We finish with Michael Jackson, who needs the publicity a LOT more than all the British acts in the top 40.
Pretty rubbish show.
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Post by suedehead on Sept 15, 2017 21:10:26 GMT 1
John Peel is back this week but with a new sidekick. David Jensen has gone and he is now accompanied by Tommy Vance. On the day this was shown Gareth Gates was born.
We start with Shakatak. I thought we’d seen the last of them.
Tina Turner is next. She would have been about 96 at the time.
Nigel Planer (aka Neil) has been dropped - a wise choice.
Some quality at last with Alison Moyet. If she made this video today she would probably be questioned at the airport when she arrived home.
Phil Fearon & Galaxy bring the quality back down again.
The chart graphics have changed again.
A great song from Echo and the Bunnymen now. Maybe this is where Flaming Lips got inspiration for their gigs.
Back to the chart.
The Bluebells are back again.
The chart rundown ends with Frankie Goes To Hollywood still at number two and number one.Two Tribes still sounds great.
Peel gets a chance to boast about playing Two Tribes two years earlier before the closing credits accompanied by a (justifiably) forgotten Jackson 5 song.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 19, 2017 5:15:35 GMT 1
Did they skip a whole episode just because it had Gary Glitter in it? Couldn't they just have edited him out? I rememeber a 1970s episode on BBC 4 with one of his performances left in, I couldn't believe it and thought they would edit it out at least. This episode had David Soul on it, so it might have been late 1973. Why didn't they do the same with that and of course this episode?.
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Post by suedehead on Sept 21, 2017 20:00:21 GMT 1
We’ve reached mid-July 1984 and our hosts are Peter Powell and Richard Skinner. Powell’s dress sense is the same as ever.
Wah! are back and are now mighty. Not as good as Story Of The Blues but they did set the bar rather high with that one.
“An American artist called Prince” next with his first top ten hit.
On to Billy Idol so we’re still waiting for the first rubbish of the evening.
The Kane Gang have missed the cut. That must be why their tweet only mentioned the late repeat.
Next up is a great Abba cover from Blancmange, Twitter is about 2-1 in favour.
Charts - the first bit.
Ah, it’s rubbish time. Here’s Divine without the Comedy.
Chart - the next bit.
On to the Thompson Twins. Sisters Of Mercy never did get round to recording a song called Thompson Twins.
The top ten rundown ends with another week at the top for Frankie Goes To Hollywood complete with guns.
We could have ended on a high with the number one but we get Shannon instead.
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Post by suedehead on Sept 22, 2017 19:59:18 GMT 1
OK, here we go again, this time with Simon Bates and Gary Davies in charge. We’ve missed another episode so we’re into August already.
The bad news is that we start with Black Lace. The good news is that it cannot possibly get any worse. The introduction - “We’ve got some great music coming up, but first here’s Black Lace”.
A Prince repeat. Oh, it’s finished already.
After being left out yesterday, The Kane Gang survive the cut this time. I think dull sums it up pretty succinctly.
Tina Turner as boring as ever.
The “Oh, did they have another hit?” slot is filled by Flock Of Seagulls and their haircuts. Actually, the singer’s haricut is almost normal by his standards. Naff, but almost normal.
Chart time. Oh look, it’s Nicola Bryant, aka Doctor Who’s Peri.
On to Trevor Walters. We all remember him don’t we? You know, Trevor wotsisface with that thing. No? Me neither.
More chart.
Time for a George Michael classic and a world exclusive. Was that Andrew Ridgeley saying “Thanks George” I heard just now?
And, guess what? Frankie Goes To Hollywood are still at number one.
Oh dear, Divine is in the uncuttable playout slot.
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Post by o on Sept 22, 2017 20:33:18 GMT 1
Neil Arthur looked a bit annoyed at those balloons that kept going in his face while he was singing! Big smile at the end though, and yeah FGTH said they did the guns thing because it was live, and knew they could get away with it!
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Post by Deleted on Sept 22, 2017 22:54:34 GMT 1
5th July 1984 with Mike Smith & Jimmy Savile
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vastar iner
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Post by vastar iner on Sept 23, 2017 9:42:39 GMT 1
28.06. Wright, dressed like the tw*t he is, and Peebles, looking like Colin Hunt. We start with the original Bobby Valentino's violin riff and The Bluebells dressed like Oasis. This is, indisputably, a great single. If there is a regret about this performance, it's that it's not the video with Clare Grogan. Who knew at the time that Siobhan Nana had co-written it?
At no. 2. Recorded live in concert. Nik Kershaw. He was a popular chap, wasn't he? Other than the bit with the city gents in bowlers looking like a gang of thugs. I like that idea, remind me to write a script about it. Is one of them Lance Percival? Not quite sure what they were trying to do with that bit. Could have been a lot better.
Human League with something I don't recall. Not surprising, it's a good song in search of a chorus. Phil Oakey is looking startlingly like Conchita Wurst. There's a middle-aged languor about this one. They sound like they're bored of it all. Not their highest achievement.
We go back to no. 33 and Bob Marley's label has flown a kid out to Hawaii. I want that gig. It's rather startling that Legend has been such a gigantic success for so long. Given that it is far less mainstream than all of the other big hit albums. Funny bit in the video when old chap shows pic of lost love to a parrot, which has a good shufti at it. Fun video, boring song.
Hello, Billy Idol is in the studio, trying to look menacing but failing. No real reason for that, but we go to Tina Turner with an overplayed song. Tremendous voice but I can't really be doing with this one any more.
Top 40. Lloyd Cole at 30 is the most interesting. Until we stop with Artist Formerly Known As Alf From Yazoo at 28. Yeah, this is better.
Back to the charts. They mention Glitter at 27. Edgy. Change at 17. Who the hell are they? Were they on before and I've already forgotten? We go back to 19 for Scrits Polits. Not again. The audience for this one seems to be in their mid-thirties.
Top 10. "Relax" is at three? Why the absolute f***? Almost the definition of sheeple there. Is anyone playing that piano? Remember the Spitting Image book. FRANKIE SAYS WHATEVER PAUL MORLEY TELLS THEM TO SAY. Ped Gill is the most Scouse person who has ever lived. He has the look of someone thinking "I can't believe I'm getting paid for this". After all there are no real drums on this track. Or bass or guitar. Basically FGTH are window dressing. Even Rutherford had more input. Should have credited this to Buggles with Holly Johnson.
We have 75 records in the chart and we play out with the complete, total, and utter unexpurgated sh*t that is Michael Jackson's "Farewell My Summer Love". Most overrated act ever. This would have sounded weak and pathetic in 1970. It can f*** right off.
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vastar iner
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Post by vastar iner on Sept 23, 2017 10:13:06 GMT 1
OK. We miss a week so this one might have lots of repeats. twelvetyseven. "Yellow Pearl" still sounds brilliant. Vance and Peel. We start with Shakatak. Because yuppies. Preferred Tracy when she was imitating Debbie Blondie. This is perhaps the most smug single ever released. It has an overwhelming sense of "how sophisticated we are, pop plebs". Tina Turner. Can't be bothered again. neil with Stewart & Gaskin. Singing live to start with. Funny that the professional "singers" don't actually do that. "Listen to the lyrics, Paul Weller." Comedy on Ver Pops rarely works (see the Ray Stevens audience for starters) but this time the Poppers seem to like it. Did I hear a homage to The Rutles in the fade-out? Alison Moyet, this time on video. This is quite rude on the quiet. A warm injection? Grow in my hand? What's going on with the video? Excuse for hollygogs? Clever though on the closing chyron to use pyramids for the A and M. Galaxy. God almighty, who the f*** bought this? Top 40. Hello, what's happened to the graphics? They've gone all wacky. We now have a cross effect with an oversized canton to hold the artist pic, the name of the artist on the horizontal, the up, down or new entry on the vertical, and the number where they cross over. And the background looks like Matisse cutouts on a black background. That's quite startled me. To the extent that I've forgotten what's in the charts. Echo & The Bunnymen. Ian didn't get the memo to dress up as some oceanic creature. Don't say I blame him. There do not seem to be enough Bunnymen on stage. Which is a shame, as this is an intercoursingly BRILLIANT song. The chime into the chorus is a touch of genius. Back to the charts. Vance misses the entire point of the Wham! song title. We go back to 14 for The Bluebells. Crowd approves. This week they've come as Jacob Rees-Mogg in cazh. El charto. Well, I know what the no. 1 is going to be. They spell neil with a capital N. Why the f*** is "Relax" at no. 2? I think anyone who is buying "Relax" now has the intelligence of a lobotomized donut. Seriously, you ****s, it's going to be on a f***ing album. Better staging this time for their "performance". Dark and sinister with Holly doing the rock god thing looking like a manic dictator. We play out with The Jacksons. IN THE NAME OF GOD WHY?
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