SheriffFatman
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Been spending most our lives living in the Cheshire countryside
Posts: 10,949
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Post by SheriffFatman on Apr 8, 2017 23:05:21 GMT 1
I'm really enjoying the camaraderie between John Peel and Kid Jensen, they really seem to be enjoying themselves and their friendship comes through. The other presenters come across as both embarrassed and embarrassing, they're so wooden.
I'm glad they've started using captions to show the artist and title, I've been rewinding to listen again to the mumbling presenters ever since the 1977 repeats started. Half the time people watching the original broadcasts probably had no idea what was on.
I'm coming round to the idea that Double Dutch by Malcolm McLaren is a great track. That video is simple but spellbinding.
Cruel Summer is just low key pop perfection, brilliant. In the same episode, did the parents of that girl in the tiny bikini top standing next to Peter Powel know she was going out like that? It's terrible but with all the back stage stuff we've heard about regarding Top of the Pops I see a member of the audience dressed like that and fear for them...
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Post by Earl Purple on Apr 10, 2017 14:05:13 GMT 1
The "skipped" week had Jimmy The Hoover - Tantalise Eurythmics - Who's That Girl Shakin' Stevens - "It's Late" Roman Holliday - Don't Try To Stop It Freeez - I.O.U
countdown to #21 where we find Gary Byrd & the GB Experience - The Crown (Zoo dancing to it) countdown 20 to 11: then back to #12 for The Cure - The Walk countdown 10 to 1 where we find Paul Young - Wherever I Lay My Hat
Apparently The Police should have been in there somewhere, presumably with Wrapped Around My Finger which entered at #14.
Singing out is that mash-up of Do It Again / Billie Jean by Clubhouse. Do It Again was originally a Steely Dan song.
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Post by o on Apr 10, 2017 15:53:05 GMT 1
No great loss then apart from the excellent Cure.
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Post by Earl Purple on Apr 10, 2017 17:00:30 GMT 1
Yeah, Jimmy The Hoover. But unfortunately we also had Jimmy the DJ as one of the presenters..
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vya
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Posts: 8,776
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Post by vya on Apr 14, 2017 18:05:06 GMT 1
14 July 1983
Powell and mysterious Peebles
Elvis Costello & the Attractions - "Everyday I Write The Book" An imposter no more, Zoo dancing intrusively while waving folding bits of card labelled "The Book". No wonder they are not the most loved or remembered of TOTP dance acts. The songs lyrics are substantially better than the musical accompaniment. All in all a bit middling for Costello.
Malcolm McLaren - "Double Dutch" on video Video with skipping ropes. Surprised how astoundingly dated this seems now and how vaguely creepy the "commentary" part sounds. Some fine chanting parts though.
Paul Young "Wherever I Lay My Hat (That's My Home)" Such a 1983 gelled haircut, such a 1983 grey jacket-white shirt-pink tie combo. The song transcends such narrow focus. Zoo drawing attention to themselves again. I wish they'd stop it.
Heaven 17 "Come Live With Me" The way Peebles is filmed introducing this, almost deadpan, and just like his introduction of Costello early on, is so sharp - it's as if he's said something really filthy (or maybe just mentioned JS) that had to be cut out immediately before what we see of him. Don't think that is so - just that he doesn't do the banter thing. Which in a sense in refreshing. Meanwhile, this song is quietly magnificient, lyrically, musically, tonally. Zoo...oh nuff said.
Echo and the Bunnymen "Never Stop" Nice sound, metallic strings, impassioned, stringent vocals, especially in the shouty chorus. A bit underwhelming though.
Charts
Bananarama "Cruel Summer" Enjoying the seemingly carefree relaxed attitude here. Love the still quite home-spun sound and look that the Nanas still had. I might admit to preferring the sharper 1989 remix, but this is still good. Usual comments about Zoo.
Charts
Sylvian & Sakamoto "Forbidden Colours" (from the film "Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence") (on video) Serious, thoughtful, introspective, a complete change of pace, from a WWII-themed film. Beautiful, too,.
Charts No 1 Rod Stewart "Baby Jane" on video again being ridiculous as only Rod can (still just about) get away with.
What is definitely a sharp cut before Powell does the final greeting - almost certainly a reference to next week's presenters.
Dance out to Donna Summer "She Works Hard For The Money",. Zoo now using skipping ropes like extras in the McLaren video. The song is pretty fine but we don't hear much of it.
Not an overwhelmingly brilliant episode in any sense
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Post by suedehead on Apr 14, 2017 18:10:28 GMT 1
Oops, I forgot to post this yesterday...
We’ve missed another episode and are now into mid-August. Our hosts are Richard Skinner and Tommy Vance.
It’s a poor start with David Grant. Do they use this as the theme tune to Gogglebox?
The Style Council give us the weather forecast. Tommy Vance doesn’t seem to know the difference between a new entry and a climber. It’s a video with a topless Paul Weller.
More sun now from Level 42. I don’t remember this one at all. It’s utter dullness is probably the cause of that.
Coinciding with the first World Athletics Championships, here’s some gold from Spandau Ballet.
The first bit of the chart with this week’s graphics and with another former member of The Jam.
The Creatures and some classic 80s pop from The Lotus Eaters have been cut.
We do, however, get some classic Essex pop from Depeche Mode (or Depesh-ay Mode if you prefer). Dave Gahan seems to have turned into Julian Clary. And we get another bare torso.
Back to the chart.
Robert Plant is up next.
A dreadful number one (a big log you might say) from KC and the Sunshine Band. Still, it’s a return to the sun theme I suppose.
Herbie Hancock over the end credits.
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vastar iner
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Post by vastar iner on Apr 14, 2017 18:18:01 GMT 1
Fourteenth of the seventh. Peebles and Powell. No big intro, straight into it with Peebles introducing his lookalike Elvis Costello. Meh, not my type. PC backing singers. Can't be doing with this.
Peebles continues introducing with Malcolm McLaren & The World's Famous Supreme Team and the double-dutch skippers. Video. Looks like they've put this together with stock footage, slo-mos. Oh, no, it's just spend up. It's kind of mesmerising how double dutching actually works. Oh, it's not stock footage after all. McLaren is directing the video on camera as well. He had a sort of Tourette's which meant he was literally incapable of keeping to a beat. Now THIS is how do mash up African sounds with pop sensibilities.
Now we have Powell presenting a t-shirt, looking like he's just emerged from Belsen. Paul Young. Bored.
From one shiny suit to another. Heaven 17. Peebles says "back to our chart". So they've cut out the Septic top 10, it seems. Hm, Double G isn't actually wearing his shiny suit. Wonder if he tossed up with Paul Young to see who would wear it. Not sure the cage dancers are appropriate to this song. And if they are, they're too old. Terrific stuff.
OK. A band that did a tour in reverse, starting in the Scots isles. Rad. It's Echo & The Bunnymen. Ian McCulloch has been to the Terry Hall school of miming. Also the Terry Hall school of barnet. This is a galloping single. Not much else to it other than the rhythm though. Until we get to the key change in the bridge. Shows the value of branding; the likes of Rema Rema were doing stuff like this but didn't break through. E&TB had their name in the charts though so this got the airplay.
Il charto. Summer, Jackson, Bowie. That's quite the power trio. We stop at 21 for Bananarama, with their usual chaotic dancing, this time looking like they are striding down a road in air trainers. This is not that great a single though, it lacks the in-yer-faceness of their oeuvre hitherto.
Top 20. JTH are going up bit by bit. Sylvian & Sakamoto at 18. Are they going to be on? The Cure with the highest new entry. Yes, it is going to be S&S. Ohh, it's THAT song. Rufus Hound in the film, apparently. Is Ryuichi Sakamoto in the video at all? And wonder why they didn't have Bowie do it? He's in the film after all. Anyhoo.
Top 10. "The" Eurythmics at 9. The Funk Masters are in the top 10? Wow, that slipped past me. Oh God, the fake Scot is still no. 1. And the playout is dull landfill Summer.
Curate's egg.
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Post by suedehead on Apr 14, 2017 19:59:49 GMT 1
We’ve skipped two episodes this time so we’re already into September. Unfortunately one of the missing episodes included the wonderful Kinks with Come Dancing.
We’re back to John Peel and David Jensen tonight, dressed as cowboys for some reason. This episode was originally half-an-hour so there shouldn’t be anything missing.
We get off to a dreadful start with Modern Romance. At least things should improve from here. The other good news is that this is apparently their last ever appearance. We even get a caption to announce them although it did come rather late.
It does indeed get better with the return of Madness.
No cuts means we get John Peel’s look at the European charts. It starts with a long-running Italian number one sounding a bit like Guantanamera. Then we get some awful rubbish about Africa the Voodoo Master. Eh? On to an interview with Ryan Paris who is number one in Spain. The song is, shall we say, average. Brighton won again so I’m in a charitable mood. Then it’s a Dutch woman who is number one in Belgium as well as the Netherlands with a flute number. The top five rundown leads to Mike Oldfield at number one.
Oh, Gary Numan has been cut. I suppose BBC4 need the time to show umpteen trailers before the next programme.
That means it’s time for some Genesis, including that brief ET impression.
Now we get the British charts leading us in to Big Country at number 22. It reminds me a little of Gordon Lightfoot’s Wreck Of The Edmund FItzgerald.
The next bit of the chart before a completely forgotten tune from Stray Cats.
The top ten now and while we’ve been away UB40 have reached number one.
We end with some New Order. The programme couldn’t have got off to a worse start but the rest wasn’t at all bad.
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vya
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Post by vya on Apr 14, 2017 20:32:58 GMT 1
28 July 1983 Mike Read, Janice Long
KC in the studio (without his Sunshine Band) - "Give It Up" Not sure about that multicolour stripey jacket. Harmless, if unchallenging, fun. Successful bit of disco revival that seems almost timeless. Ish.
Depeche Mode "Everything Counts" on video DM being a bit less twee than before getting a bit serious, and with a wider range of instrumentation than previously too. Then they appear on the video for the chorus and appear and sound - almost - as choirboys (with very distinctive hair, ginger, red, blonde, some dye being involved). It's a competitive world. Just a small hint of how great they will become. The video is already a long way from Bas.
Elvis Costello & the Attractions "Everyday I Write The Book" I prefered the Imposter single. Yeah, this is a long way from EC's best. Zoo at least keep out of the way this time. Yes, the lyrics (in the verse, not the chorus) are impressive in places.
The Creatures - "Right Now" Big Band retroism mixed with indie panache, Siouxsie on good form vocally, horns. Yes, unusual, a bit impressive.
The Lotus Eaters "The First Picture Of You" Maybe the perfect record. Oh, and some of Zoo are back to justify their presence. Damn. They can't spoil something so sublime though.
Malcolm McLaren - "Double Dutch" The Dynamos doing the full dance in the studio with big and small ropes. And skilfully so. Yeah this is great fun. A real spectacle.
Mike Read pretending to use a skipping rope as a mike. oh dear.
Robert Plant - "Big Log" Soft rock that drags on a bit. Oh, a lot. It's skilfully done and put together, and I suppose it might be a grower after repeated listening - but why take that risk, I might think.
Charts
George "Bad" Benson "Feel Like Making Love" with a dance routine, 70s style, from Zoo, who at least refrain from interpreting the lyrics too literally. Bad did better numbers than this, really.
Charts
Bananarama "Cruel Summer" The Nanas up in the balcony this time, sunglasses on this time. Yeah this song really is a bit of a minor pop gem.
Charts No1 Paul Young "Wherever I Lay My Hat (That's My Home)" on video Oh the days of anguished conversations down the line from red phone boxes. S'alright. No more.
Bit cut out blatantly Dance out to Heaven 17 "Come Live With Me", which is quite superb.
A pretty decent edition, mostly.
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vastar iner
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Post by vastar iner on Apr 15, 2017 8:45:07 GMT 1
28 July. Reid and Long. Mike Reid subtly plugs GBOHS by saying that this is KC & The Sunshine Band's twelfth hit. Mr Casey is wearing an archetypal 80s combo of vajazzled public school blazer, skinny tie and clashing colours. Looks like a maths teacher at a school disco who thinks he's something of a lad. Song is OK. Better than his usual fare.
Depesh Mode. Wow, what's this? It's actually decent. No, scrap that, this is brilliant. Have they hit on something? The music is more complex and interesting, and they've gone social conscience in their lyrics. This is a gigantic step forward.
They seem to cut that short. Elvis Costello is on again even though he's only at 30. I suppose he's local.
The Creatures on video. Siouxsie and Budgie stand out so much with their sparseness. This is like a noir silent film theme.
Lotophagoi at 25. Name is better in the original. Again, OK. Fills a gap. Bit of a meagre production.
Malcolm McLaren. Not him, but the skippers. And Zoo have skipping ropes, God help us.
Robert Plant making his Pops debut, which would be a surprise were it not for Led Zep never making singles. "Big Log" is surprisingly mellow. Stupid title.
Charts. 30-26 are all new. We go back to George Benson, because TOTP needs more for its quota of boring the sh*t out of people. Zoo. Pah. Charts again. They look a bit dull. Club House at 11 because nobody told them the medley craze was over. The Nanas at 10 are segued in. They are appreciably half-baked about miming this one.
Top 10. Even that is pale. Young on video. And H17 on the playout.
Problem with skipping weeks is getting the constant repeats. But this was a fairly dull show...
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Post by o on Apr 15, 2017 13:47:46 GMT 1
I should have some big country, new order and depeche mode to look forward to then when I get back!
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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 Apr 15, 2017 17:37:56 GMT 1
11 August. Oh God, loads of repeats again? Skinner, pimping the t-shirt, and Vance, pimping a golf sweater. We start with David Grant, because he has pictures of Michael Hurll in flagrante. They've got zigzag neon lights now. This is basically an Imagination out-take.
Highest new entry in the charts: Style Council. "A Paris", according to the chyron. Fanbase buy. Video somewhere on the Isis, it seems. This is boring as f***. Mick can't handle a punt. Video is homoerotic.
Back to the studio, and those neon circles/squares/circles that will be there for ever. Level 42. More summer sun. Mike gets a lead vocal on this. That's the only interesting thing so far. This show is Yuppie Central.
And now we have Spandau Ballet's "Gold". Bloody hell. This show is utter dogshit so far.
Top 30. Who is here that should have been on? Per Vance there is only one Funk Master. Tracie is in, she should be on. Phil Fearon's pic has a Milky Way in the background. Kim Wilde is back. But we don't show her. Instead we show Depeshay Mode. Is that the last time their name is pronounced that way?
Back to the 20. Herbie Hancock at 15. Hm. Robert Plant at 11 so we show him. Not Tracie or Kim Wilde because they're women and this show is all about the bloke.
Top 10. Depeshay Mode. And it's still "A Paris" at no. 8. Freeeeeeeeez are not going to be no. 1. Because KC has come a bit out of nowhere to nick it.
And our playout is "Rockit".
p*ss poor show. Mostly yuppie rubbish and not one single female artist.
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Post by Earl Purple on Apr 15, 2017 21:48:44 GMT 1
We all thought watching that aside from David Grant, the 11 August show was a pretty good one.
For all of those who haven't heard it, this is Mel Torme's version of Right Now from 1962.
Back then when you were told that a song in the charts was a cover, you couldn't just go online and find the original and play it. Incidentally, it was originally an instrumental by Herbie Mann who also wrote the tune. Carl Sigman wrote lyrics for it.
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vya
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Post by vya on Apr 15, 2017 22:05:25 GMT 1
11 August 1983 Skinner n Vance (the latter in v questionable red blue and yellow patterned jumper that is all a bit "Tony the Tiger")
David Grant "Watching You Watching Me" Very dull soulless soul (or RnB-less RnB if you prefer) to start with. Very dull. ToTP could do with fewer balloons flying around really too. Slick choreographed dancing is marginally more interesting than the song.
Style Council "Long Hot Summer" on video The Council's third single, each of the three being quite different in character and style from the others. This might be the best of them (it's certainly not the worst). Nice vid of lounging around on and by the Cambridge back waters. it really is a much nicer city than Oxford, if a bit too puritanical. As with Bananarama's contemporaneous hit, there's a case for the 1989 remix being superior, but actually this is damn good. And very unlike anything the Jam did.
Level 42 "The Sun Goes Down (Living It Up)" Still post-funk, and expressing concerns about potentially impending nuclear war, and despite finding some slightly later 42 tracks to be pretty superb, I find this difficult to love. I'm thinking: were these the prime precursors of Jamiroquai? If so how unfortunate.
Spandau Ballet "Gold" on video Yeah, i know. I love it, still. Video a twist on the Duranie love of exotic locations thing. Deserts and sunflower fields and Middle Eastern/Islamic decor. Morocco? (Oh no: Wiki says southern Spain. al-Andalus I guess). One of their signature tunes, deservedly.
The Creatures "Right Now" In the studio this time. Powerful as well as retro - a convincing update, thus. Goth appearance with very un-goth music. Yes. Fab.
Lotus Eaters "First Picture Of You" Yeah there's competition from the likes of Jimmy the Hoover et al, but can we crown them the best one hit wonders of 1983 (at least) and be done with it? Melodious delightfulness. Sweetness and assertiveness perfectly married. The flowers really are screaming their joy.
Charts (hmm don't remember the Bruce Foxton track at all. will have to check it out)
Depech"ay" Mode "Everything Counts" Still so young and boyish, Martin Gore has no shirt on, and discernably little body hair. Musically and lyrically, an enormous step forward for a maturing act of some capability.
Charts
Robert Plant "Big Log" (on video) A song that takes itself very seriously. It might be better if it didn't.
Charts KC & the Sunshine Band "Give It Up" Vastly better than the David Grant record, anyway.
Danceout to Herbie Hancock "Rockit" A proto-Axel F bit of instrumental electro. Far from unattractive. Zoo have no clue how to dance to it any more than the audience do.
Mostly a pretty decent edition, once David Grant was out of the way.
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Post by Earl Purple on Apr 15, 2017 22:21:11 GMT 1
Vince Clarke isn't in Depeche Mode anymore. Just Martin Gore and Dave Gahan and whoever else..
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vya
Member
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Post by vya on Apr 15, 2017 23:06:13 GMT 1
1 September 1983 The Kid and Peel (the best presenting partnership by far) dressed as cowboys,because.
Modern Romance "Walking In The Rain" Mellower, vaguely reggae beat, a bit more characterful than wine bar pap, and less blatantly or exceedingly irritating than, well, most of their other singles. Their final hit though. Thankfully.
Madness "Wings Of A Dove" (on video) Gospel choir bit and steel drums on a plane. Then the nutty boys, literally, like, ON, a plane. On top. Then inside and in the cab. And elsewhere. Wacky good fun, great steel drums bit which must have p*ssed off the NF-affiliated bit of their fanbase. Hardly the best thing they did, but a burst of joyous energy.
Gary Numan "Warriors" Classic Numan sound and ambience, and not a wildly accessible song. Good keyboard bits. His final top 20 hit of the century (excluding two remixes of "Cars"), which suggests the appeal of his shtick was already wearing off (still, the abuse he got from the musical press, in part because of his politics, couldn't have helped.) But this does seem "fans only"
Peel in Paris doing the Eurochart No 9 in Europe Righeira "Vamos A La Playa" - another superficially jolly pop song about nuclear war. We only hear it very briefly, and only the repeated chorus line, but seems OK. No 10 in Europe: Rose Laurens "Africa, the Voodoo Master" Hmm, people complaining about "cultural appropraition" or "orientalism" might maybe just occasionally have a point. No 12 in Europe Ryan Paris "Dolce Vita". Europop, no Europap, in English. Oh dear. Sub-Eurovision. No 8 in Europe Berdian Stenberg "Rondu Russo" Flute much in evidence, instrumental. No 1 in Europe Mike Oldfield "Moonlight Shadow"
Genesis "Mama" (on video) introduced by the Kid pointing a toy gun at the camera. Now this really is a work of art, powerful, haunting, atmospheric. Cut off a bit early.
Charts
Big Country "Chance" Less in your face than their two recent singles but no less rewarding. Brooding, and solemn, joining an honourable list of Scottish rock melancholia.
Charts
Stray Cats "(She's) Sexy + 17" Dull rockabilly revival style that would have better sent to bed long before.
Charts No 1 UB40 "Red Red Wine" In retrospect, the first step on the journey towards a formerly hot and insightful political act becoming an idiot jukebox. But they'll still OK here, and their talents are quite clear.
Dance out to New Order "Confusion" Which is incredibly exciting and futuristic (a wee "football chant" element too perhaps) without being overwhelmingly brilliant.
A curate's egg edition, although the good parts really were good.
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vya
Member
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Post by vya on Apr 15, 2017 23:07:25 GMT 1
Vince Clarke isn't in Depeche Mode anymore. Just Martin Gore and Dave Gahan and whoever else.. Yes, good point. Of course I meant Martin Gore..... oops.....corrected.
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Post by Earl Purple on Apr 16, 2017 3:21:53 GMT 1
We get off to a dreadful start with Modern Romance. They changed their style to a slowish reggae for this one. I didn't really "get" it. What annoyed me most of all (particularly at the time) was that this went up this week having gone 39-30-13 whilst the Kinks went down having gone 45-29-12. However I guess that's simply due to people's buying habits. Level 42 who had gone 21-14 the previous week also climbed this week.
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Post by suedehead on Apr 20, 2017 19:59:45 GMT 1
We move on to the next week in September with Peter Powell and Andy Peebles hositing the show. Powell is dressed smartly, Peebles is dressed for a hike.
Heaven 17 get things going. Younger viewers tonight may have needed to ask their parents what the wheels of industry are.
Rod Stewart and Annabel Lamb have been dropped.
Status Quo give us their latest remix of their signature song. They’ve gone out on a limb and made it (just) recognisably different from the usual mix.
On to JoBoxers. It looks like the singer has been swimming and forgot to take his cap off. Oops. Maybe it was an attempt to distract us from an inferior song.
#TOTP is trending on Twitter already. It normally takes a bit longer.
This week’s dullest offering (at least I hope there isn’t worse to come) is from Peabo Bryson and Roberta Flack. What sort of a name is Peabo? I wonder if he had a brothr called broccolibo.
Anyway, it’s on to the chart rundown, featuring Depeche Mode (no extra ay sound).
After his appearance in John Peel’s European round-up, Ryan Paris gets to perform for us. He even tweeted his 1,000 followers (I’m not one of them) to let them know he was going to be on. How sweet.
The next bit of the chart.
Paul Young following up his number one smash. Apparently he has travelled from Norway to be on the show. His backing singers have got their dancing and marching lessons muddled up.
The top ten rundown, and the actual number one is from UB40 again.
Level 42 accompany the end credits to make it three acts with a number on their name.
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Post by Earl Purple on Apr 21, 2017 1:08:48 GMT 1
Heaven 17: Wasn't that keen on this song.
Rod Stewart. Follow-up to a #1 and although this got to #3 it is not that well remembered among his hits. Quite similar to many of his others, but I do like this song.
Annabel Lamb was dropped from the 00:25 episode too. Don't know why. I can't remember it that well but I think it's better than Amii Stewart's attempt at a Doors cover. My favourite Doors cover though is Pandora's Box doing 20th Century Fox, which samples bits of Light My Fire too.
Status Quo: there's better to come from them within 1983.
Jo Boxers. I didn't even remember they had a 3rd song. Like Heaven 17, inferior to their 2 bigger ones from earlier in the year. Much more inferior. In fact it's awful.
Peabo Bryson & Roberta Flack. And she has done some good songs. This is just a bit too sugary for me though. And far too slow. I liked it more at the time.
Ryan Paris was a Euro-disco song. I'm not supposed to like it but quite do.
Paul Young's best hit from 1983 in my opinion. Cover of a Jack Lee song. He also wrote Hanging On The Telephone, if it sounds a bit similar to that one. It is, when you think about it.
UB40 also with a cover version at #1. And there will be one more cover version to reach #1 in 1983 and only one in the whole of 1984. As a songwriter, it's a gap of 16 years and about 8 months for Neil Diamond between #1s. (Bob Dylan had a gap from 1968 to 1996. There's probably been an even bigger one though).
Level 42 who are still climbing whilst the Kinks have fallen again. But it is a good song. I like the combination of the two vocalists.
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