vastar iner
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Post by vastar iner on Sept 27, 2021 22:32:27 GMT 1
22/8. Brookes, looking like he didn't know he was going to present. Midge Ure, with a cheery upbeat bit of Kissing The Pinkesque McSynth. Shame it's not the video because the girl who played the devil in that was hot as, well, hell.
New in at 9, The Prodigy with the latest bit of kiddiecore. The Charly samples are the worst thing about it. Obviously a novelty act, their fifteen minutes are already halfway through.
Zoe. MTV has been pushing this quite a bit, no wonder as she's very videogenic. They tried last year and it missed. A little bit of tidying up from Youth and we have an outright banger. This really is abso-bloody-lutely fantastic. This is everything great pop should be. Gradual build from the chorus, shoutalong earworm chorus, it is a piece of heaven brought down to earth.
You. Tah. Saints. Sampling Eurythmics. Apparently Lennox wants it banned, Stewart is chill. Stewart is right, this is good fun. It gets a bravo from me. It's no "Something Good", but what is? "Something Good 2008", I suppose.
Jason Donovan Is Alive, And Getting Paid As Well. Now he's genociding Turtles. He can f*** himself with a barbed-wire dildo. Talentless ****. As is his audience. Everyone in the studio clapping along to this should be f***ing deported to f***ing Talibania because that's the music they deserve.
Karyn White. The full version adds nothing to the Breakers extract. She could call herself Janet Abdul. Or they could plug in a mannequin, it really doesn't matter, White adds zilch to this.
Hm, are The Charlatans about to have their biggest hit? Via signing Oceanic to Dead Dead Good? This is sheer euphoria. Remind me to use it as my darts walk-on music. She's a bit overdressed for rave but whooooooooaaaaaaaa TAKE ME INTO INSANITY. Oh yeah baby. This is GOOD TIMES.
There are two records at no. 21 this week, Oceanic is one of them, thanks to the Deee-Lite theft fiasco. Hello, Martika is back and looking alluring. And sounding alluring too. Rather sweet ballad with interesting prod work. Bloody hell, this is a really good show. I wonder if the Oz-trocity felt embarrassed by everything surrounding him? Big climber, that's an outside no. 1 shot.
Breakers. 808 State, sounding more like a Bond theme than an 808 State track. Interesting as ever. David Bowie going back to basics with Tin Machine, who are getting critical pelters but they're actually pretty good, better than Bowie's last throwaway solo album anyway. T-Rex, doesn't need a play but this was when Bolan was in his pomp still.
Badams is still no. 1, because people are thick. Playout is The Farm, with something I totally forgot because it sounds like a cheapass version of "Groovy Train". That creative well ran short pretty quickly.
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vastar iner
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Post by vastar iner on Sept 28, 2021 16:33:24 GMT 1
29/8. Goodier starts us off with "a live rap by Marky Mark". Don't you threaten me. God, this is crap. At least One Ton Of Fun gets a credit. It's a sound engineer disaster area. Markster yelling into the mike does not mix with Loleatta having to mime.
PM Dawn on video, no thanks, never liked "True" (even though it was about Clare Grogan) then, don't like it now.
The Meff, who are monster in the States. Not sure about this one; it's like they were trying to experiment with evolving their sound but didn't dare go far enough. Kudos for trying.
Highest new entry is someone still waiting to top the charts - Prince. This is one of his better works, simply dripping in loucheness. They cut the line of "23 positions in a one night stand@. Bit needlessly puritanical. And unbalances the song.
And at about the twelfth attempt Steve Wright gets a top ten hit. Again a bad sound mix that brings up the vocals too much. Insofar as it's a cheap parody, it does its job. Wears thin pretty quickly but it's way better than bloody Donovan.
Simple Minds with a live video, which betrays a lack of imagination, and a song that is instantly forgettable. The Farm with last week's playout. Can't be bothered to say much about this either.
Tin Machine. Again was on before. Bowie in the TOTP studio? When was the last time? Albeit obviously on a different day to everyone else. Tin Machine was meant to be getting back to a rockier base, but this isn't rock. It's very good though.
Right Said Fred, on video. TOTP seem to be trying to nudge them to the top spot. Can't say I blame them. Had it not been for Badams, there would have been a novelty record topping the chart for over a month.
Breakers. Salt 'n' Pepa, "Let's Talk About Sex", ironic given the Beeb had the heebie jeebies about "Push It". We get basically the songtitle. Dire Straits with an expensive Thunderbirds video. Again a tiny amount of that.
Who the hell is still buying Adams? There can't be a single person in the country who has not heard it. Is there selective shipping going on? Playout is Trex.
Lot of repeats on this one. Still, quite a lot of good there.
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vya
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Post by vya on Oct 2, 2021 8:32:52 GMT 1
6 Sept Brambles
Oceanic - Insanity Didn't realise they were Scousers, thought they were from Oldham for some reason. Maybe that was Digital Orgasm if they were a different act. Still not sure whether this is an effortless pop gem, the sort of thing the charts were made for, or a bit rubbish. Realistically, maybe both. Bad singing and dodgy key change alert.
Prodigy - Charly Most creative use of 70s public safety announcements yet. See it, say it, sorted. Charts: good stuff largely going down
Sonia - Be Young Be Foolish Be Happy "There Ain't Nothing Like Shaggin'" would have been a more daring Tams cover. This probably shows Sonia at close to her best,with her happy bubbly voice and a half-decent song. No reason to buy it or listen to it by choice though.
Salt N Pepa - Let's Talk About Sex Verses are too worthy, the chorus too dull, the beat too unremarkable, a long way from their best.
Zoë - Sunshine On A Rainy Day There's an appealing huskiness in her voice that adds something to this. Best thing on the show so far, at least.
Martika - Love...Thy Will Be Done Mildly hypnotic, with some undertow, now this is the best thing on the show so far. With a stronger musical accompaniment this could have been really special.
Utah Saints - What Can You Do For Me This is a very dancy edition. Surely some KLF influence here. Decent enough.
Kylie Minogue - Word Is Out Still looking back to the 70s disco, this is rather fun and agreeably more mature if a bit too incidental to work as a comeback single. A teaser for better things on the album ahead? Indeed it was.
Breakers Motley Crue - Primal Scream: loud, not well formulated Sabrina Johnston - Peace: insistent and tolerable-ish Crystal Waters - Makin' Happy: annoying but thankfully forgettable Rosette - The Big L: hinting at their continuing pop genius even on second tier tracks
Bryan Adams, week 9 etc
Runrig - Hearthammer Subtle, intriguing, attractive one of those pleasures largely unknown south of the border.
Not a great episode, and too many repeats
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vya
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Post by vya on Oct 2, 2021 21:51:56 GMT 1
12 Sept, Mayo (what is he wearing?)
Bizarre Inc. - Such A Feeling Would be intense and driving if it were not so watered down in the vocal sections for the pop charts. From the warehouse. Woman dancing on tellies on the telly. All in all, enjoyable and promising. But in this version, a bit lightweight.
Marc Boland & T Rex - 20th Century Boy Nothing like Robin Hood, thankfully, in the 1991 context. Charts have very positive things going on, and in. ("Dominator" by Human Resource: that is as uncompromising as the Bizarre Inc track ought to be.)
Rosette - The Big L They are real masters of pop composition and storytelling. This kind of secondary track, which isn't immediately gripping, also suits them well. Enjoyable.
Sabrina Johnston - Peace The groove is infectious. No surrender, even. And the "peace" is clearly being enforced involuntarily, with more efficacy than the UN has ever achieved anywhere. It's all too much, really, other than in a rave-type context.
Stone Roses - I Wanna Be Adored Brilliant opening track of a (itself brilliant) 1989 album. The fact they are promoting it by reusing the video of another 1989 single tells its own story....
Crystal Waters - Makin' Happy Atrocious poor quality photocopy of her tedious cheap and annoying previous single. No thanks.
Cliff Richard - More To Life One of his inoffensive (or rather, here, unchallenging), worthy, but dull and ultimately forgettable, numbers. Weak.
Marky Mark & The Funky Bunch - Good Vibrations As far as this type of thing goes, this is a good example. Difficult to go wrong with "Love Sensation"
Rozalla - Everybody's Free (To Feel Good) Kind of a slightly superior sidekick to the Sabrina Johnston track on earlier. Superior as both the vocals and the lyrics (to some extent) are more subtle. Could easily become irritating on repeated listening
Breakers Julian Lennon - Saltwater. Cos what we need from him is a Beatles psychedelic pastiche. No no no. I suppose a cover of "Imagine" would be more unwelcome. Shabba Ranks ft Maxi Priest- House Call. Slick (and a bit slack) reggae-cum-lovers rock. Good. Bryan Adams - Can't Stop This Thing We Started. Better than the other one, maybe...
Bryan Adams - etc
Right Said Fred - I'm Too Sexy Unfunny and/or delusional
Mayo very annoying to an almost Campbell degree. Music varied but no real lifetime standouts (the over two year old album track doesn't count)
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vastar iner
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Post by vastar iner on Oct 8, 2021 17:50:42 GMT 1
6/9, heh. Fittingly it's Brambles although she seems to be channelling Debbie Gibson. We start with Oceanic, dream tripping up the charts. Is this the best rave record ever? It's up there with Altern 8. It's the sort of song you could add pop verses to and it would still work.
Brambles is on a gantry above the audience where she started. Wonder if she doesn't want to mingle with the plebs? Prodge are up to 3. f***ing hell, still RSF at 2?
Sonia is out to the US shortly, deep joy. But she's here now, alas. Very weakass cover that adds nothing to the store of human achievement. She looks retro cute in that do though.
Saltenpepper. I dunno, it seems a bit too obvious. And poor Spinderella never gets a credit.
Brambles is back up on the gantry because Zoe is below. There's a right bunch of good songs gathering together at the top bit of the charts, just a shame that the no. 1 has long outstayed its welcome. Ms Pollock has a weird dancing style. Like she's picking her way through undergrowth.
Brambles STILL isn't a single pringle ready to mingle. Martika on video. We're top ten heavy this week. How convenient that the one exception is f***ing Sonia. This is lovely though, languorous and dreamy. Great counterpoint to the rave start.
A band from Leeds. Wedding Present? No, Utah Saints. This is their first single? Didn't suss that. They're not really a band either. I am however doing the freshest moves you've ever seen. Another banger. Wow, this is a great episode.
Aaaaaand it comes to a crashing halt with f***ing Minogue. Even by her hitherto abyssal standards this is baaaaaaaaaad. Three monkeys, ten minutes. Literally unlistenable.
Les craqueurs. Motley Crue, which was definitely worthier of a full play than f***ing Sonia. This sounds primally earthy. Sabrina Johnston with another rave-ish belter, this one also sounds pretty good. Crystal Waters repeating her one note. Roxette with something that might have stormed Eurovision in 1978.
Bryan Adams, nine feckin weeks. Surely everyone who wants to buy this has already bought it? Who is STILL getting it?
Is Brambles infected with something? She's been more remote than Pluto. Playout is Runrig, with something that's meant to be split Heart-Hammer rather than Hearth-Ammer, I assume. This is not them at their best, it's a blatant tilt for the charts, very Dire Straits.
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vastar iner
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Post by vastar iner on Oct 8, 2021 18:20:06 GMT 1
XII/IX. Simon Mayo with a weird crack at the start about the Keith Prowse agency. Bizarre Inc. Starts off conventional and dull, but there's some darkwave going on deeper into the song. There's something rather arch going on, we need a bit more of that.
T Rex. It does still sound contemporary. In 2021.
Roxette, and an EXTREMELY laboured non-joke from Mayo about the Lib Dems. That landed as well as the Hindenburg.
Sabrina Johnston with a voice of genuine power and emotion. No wonder f***ing Minogue had to be on last week. Sab's not frightened of doing it live.
Stone Roses finally get a play. Never really thought about it until hearing it afresh, but there's definite shoegaze influence in there. A song to absorb oneself into.
Can safely FF Crystal Waters and I land on Cliff, who looks like someone doing a parody of Cliff. Song isn't bad but it's just by numbers.
Marky Mark. Can't be bothered. "Funky Bunch" is one of the worst names for an act ever.
Second powervoice dance diva tonight. Rozalla. She looks quite serious when dancing, as if she's trying to do it mathematically. Also teases the audience by taking off her cardy.
Breakers. Bryan Adams AGAIN, I assume the label is embarrassed now and is trying to get shot of it. Julian Lennon re-does "I Am The Walrus". The video though is breathtaking. Need to see more of it. "Shaba" Ranks and Maxi Priest. Needs less of the first and more of the second. The Adams one is typical Adams.
Anyway, he gets two in a row, a rare occurrence. The graphics designers have given up and are using the bow and arrow thing all the time now.
Perhaps the Beeb desperately wants a change at the top as RSF are on again, how close are they to the top? It's bad luck that such an obvious one-hit-wonder comes close to a monster hit but misses the top spot because of a film.
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mfr
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Post by mfr on Oct 8, 2021 23:33:50 GMT 1
Right Said Fred's weekly sales never got close to Bryan Adams'. I think Adams outsold them by getting on for two to one most of those weeks. His sales only declined by about 25% between the first week and last week of Right Said Fred's 6 weeks at number 2. The absolute peak came in the fourth week, but it was still selling more than two thirds of that peak 7 weeks later.
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SheriffFatman
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Post by SheriffFatman on Oct 9, 2021 7:16:51 GMT 1
Gezza’s 1991 weekly sales thread is very illuminating on this subject, I remember I’m Too Sexy’d sales getting nowhere near Bryan Adams’ too. Slightly ahead of where we’re up to Top of the Pops wise, but I was particularly astonished to find that on the week Everything I Do finally fell from 1 to 4 it actually had a sales increase!
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mfr
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Post by mfr on Oct 9, 2021 19:32:43 GMT 1
That's school half-term weeks for you.
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vastar iner
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Post by vastar iner on Oct 9, 2021 22:48:03 GMT 1
19/06, Campbell dressed as a hipster and an inane opening. Has he totally given up? Brothers In Rhythm with something that sounds like it had been created by a computer to glom onto every lowest common denominator trend. Even SAW would have thrown this out for being blando dando.
Salt & Pepa, at least he gives a shoutout to Spinderella. On video and it's followed by a Utah Saints repeat, intercut with some video shots. Lazy show so far.
Another inane introduction from Cambo for Prince and another video clip. This is OK, he's capable of so much more, it's a bad contrast to "Gett Off" though.
We finally have a studio act and it's Oceanic, their third go. At no. 4 and wearing 4s. This could be the start of a trend. Still liking this. Might be my darts walk-on music. I also love Jorinde Williams a little bit, she has a girl next door charm. Ooh, shee's taking her top off. Rave on.
Bryan Adams, as if once was not enough. Jeez.
Simply sh*te, with their brand of millionaire socialist winebar muzak. God almighty.
Erasure. The latest to take a tilt at Adams. 7 is not going to be high enough. Fourth time they've entered the top ten, but if "Chorus" couldn't get above its new start then this one is not going to do so. It's a decent enough song and the lyrics are quite clever but it's obviously fanbasey.
Ned's Atomic Dustbin, and they've taken over the Banana Splits studio. Not many bands with two bassists. They say mixed marriages don't work but the Neds have Blues and Vile in their line-up and it's going quite well. They seem to be ramping up the rock in their grebo. I'm amazed this is a hit, there's a lot of US Underground in this and it's not commercial at all. But it's the one new thing on the show that is worth watching. Alas we don't get enough. Breakers. Bros, how are the mighty fallen, in at 38 and reduced to a snippet of something which is wayyy better than the SAWmill sh*te. Tina Turner with a HORRIBLE remix that does nothing at all for the song. REM back to their pre-chartwhoredom and all the better for it.
Our playout is Julian Lennon, this is SO like his dad he could be sued for plagiarism. Only just crept up from last week so will a longer play give it a boost? If you'd never heard of The Beatles you'd think this was a great song.
An uninspired show that was stocked with repeats. And much of that which was not repeat should never be repeated in the history of the universe. And Campbell was treading close to Steve Wright territory.
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vastar iner
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Post by vastar iner on Oct 10, 2021 9:39:42 GMT 1
26/9. Gary Davies promises the end of an era. Totally new look next week. Really? We have the same old look this week, including Davies imitating a golf club president. Starting with PJB & Hannah and her Sisters, which I do not remember one iota. Perhaps because right now I am preparing for uni; perhaps because it's utterly useless, starting interesting as a gospel take and then being 100% ruined by a stupid wanky sh*tty arsetwatty dance beat over it. Why? Just...why?
Highest new entry has been no. 1 in 11 countries and it's the Scorpions. And is one of the worst things that has ever been released. f***ing hell. This new look cannot come too soon.
Rozalla, at least she's turned back up in the studio. Why does she have the air of being a primary school teacher? Not sure that everybody is free, for instance, women in Afghanistan, but nobody demands socio-political reality in rave.
REM, had they released this five years ago it wouldn't have been a hit, they now have the name recognition so that their more musical output now gets the airplay it deserves. It's deceptively simple, there is a lot going on beneath the lyrics. For some reason I am reminded of All About Eve.
Tina Turner. The next person who sticks a stupid wanky sh*tty arsetwatty dance beat over a past classic needs to be eviscerated. Literally. It is subtracting from the sum of human achievements.
Group from Stafford, lol. Bizarre Inc. See before. They've got a girl doing the Altern 8-on-stilts dance but she doesn't have the stilts. I could do with an atom t-shirt. Especially today, Indian summer day.
And the sh*tty dance beat is back. A bit less overt this time. But Marc Almond's cover would be about a trillion per cent better without it. And a trillion cubed per cent better had he done it with Dave Ball and their typical underground synth. But instead of a stone-cold classic we get London Boys.
From Noo Joisy, Sabrina Johnston. See above.
Breakers. Fish, doing...reggae? Huh. Ozzy Osbourne with an homage to shampoo, this is really good, it's sort of 1985 goth. Belinda Carlisle, with a Ford advert. The breakers were a total waste of time, we get about the songtitle of each and f*** all else.
Bryan Adams has broken Slim Whitman's record. Well, at least it's made history. But bloody hell people. Have you never heard of shops until now?
TOTP is moving to a new studio and set in Elstree. Davies looks a bit melancholic. And how do we sign off from this old era? With Bros, who have staggered up to 33. It's a surprisingly good song. Has hints of the funk. The Bros brand is obviously infra dig now. Frankly if you'd stuck the name RHCP on it people would have been acclaiming it.
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TheThorne
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Post by TheThorne on Oct 10, 2021 11:08:29 GMT 1
REM, had they released this five years ago it wouldn't have been a hit, they now have the name recognition so that their more musical output now gets the airplay it deserves. It's deceptively simple, there is a lot going on beneath the lyrics. For some reason I am reminded of All About Eve.
They did and it reached #51 in 1987 so it was close
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vya
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Post by vya on Oct 10, 2021 11:50:19 GMT 1
19 Sept,Campbell
Brothers In Rhythm - Such A Good Feeling As collages go, this is pretty effective,if generic. Tolerable background or dancing noise rather than engaging though. The sound of seaside penny machine arcades.
Salt N Pepa - Let's Talk About Sex Still tedious and annoying Charts: also largely tedious and annoying
Utah Saints - What Can You Do For Me Not as daring as the KLF, nor as experimental as (early) Shamen, nor as wacky as Altern-8, but tolerable.
Prince & the New Power Generation - Cream Funky, but pretty bland considering it's Prince. Tolerable.
Oceanic - Insanity This gets grating on repeated listening as well as being additive. Enough. Would have worked on Cheggers Plays Pop. This is not an insult.
Bryan Adams - Can't Stop This Thing We Started Conventional rocker. Patrick Bateman might have found it dangerously emotional. Not awful (and preferable to the other one).
Simply Red - Something Got Me Started Another contender for the sound of seaside penny arcades. It has a groove and a swing and a persistence, but isn't much of a composition. It holds together as it does. Just tolerable.
Erasure - Love To Hate You Ok the sampled wurlitzer organ intro is more end-of-the-pier theatre. Female backing vox welcome. Pleasant, capable and moderately characterful. Passionate at times, almost.
Ned's Atomic Dustbin - Trust Energy and melancholy and banging grind. Great use of two basses. Adolescent despair has rarely sounded so good. Fun video too. Best thing on the show so far, by far. And cut off far too soon.
Breakers Bros - Try: going funk almost gospelly, might be OK, might not, not sure Tina Turner - Nutbush City Limits (remix). Not sure the remix works but wasn't keen on the original either REM - The One I Love. A rerelease (oddly), but in its way a minor classic.
Bryan Adams, etc 11 weeks, etc
Julian Lennon - Saltwater No need for this at all.
This was not good.
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TheThorne
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Post by TheThorne on Oct 10, 2021 13:00:02 GMT 1
Don’t talk to me about the sound of penny arcades in 1991-1992 that’s where I worked, I was a waiter in a cafe in an Amusement arcade and many of these songs were driving me mad at the time hehe
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vya
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Post by vya on Oct 14, 2021 23:57:35 GMT 1
26 Sept, Davies, yesterday's man
PJB ft Hannah and Her Sisters - Bridge Over Troubled Water A song it is almost impossible to destroy. Which doesn't mean they don't try hard to do so. Perfectly fine until the beat and annoying, unsympathetic, backing track kicks in. Just not after. Maybe one of Hannah's sisters might have a better voice. Woody Allen hadn't been cancelled then.
Scorpions - Wind of Change I have to admit, I find this touching, spine-chilling, even. There is a naiveity and optimism, based in (bearing in mind the act are German, not American) some perception of the reality of Central and Eastern Europe here. (Of course, events had accelerated rapidly after it was recorded, not least in the past month, with the attempted coup in Moscow that really heralded the collapse of the Soviet Union). And I heard this on the radio so much when I lived in Ukraine a few years later. A good thing, truly. Charts: more good than bad going up
Rozalla - Everybody's Free (To Feel Good) Now this is optimistic in a mostly but not entirely trite and superficial way. And her voice is close to being something like a fire alarm announcement on the tube. I suppose it ticks all the boxes for dancefloor enthuisasm adequately. Italo House still breathing in the piano accompaniment.
REM - The One I Love Quality, its chart status long overdue, the ambiguities of the lyrics adding texture. Musically, and atmospherically, brilliant.
Tina Turner - Nutbush City Limits 91 No-one needs this. No-one. Makes that Simon & Garfunkel cover earlier look like a thing of subtlety and beauty.
Bizarre Inc - Such A Feeling Think there is some KLF influence here too, not much less than with Utah Saints. The unpretentious simplicity is attractive, the instrumental sections driving and exciting. The brightest sound of Staffordshire. And beyond. Extended versions even better.
Marc Almond - Jacky Camp, elegant, contemporary, Almond really makes this his own, playing to his strengths with awareness of his weaknesses. Appropriately theatrical, many emotions raised. A very good thing.
Sabrina Johnson - Peace This is just too much. Coercive thrust. And too much chorus and not enough...respite from the chorus.
Breakers Fish - Internal Exile: verging on eightsome reel stuff, enjoyable despite stuff Ozzy Osbourne - No More Tears: : deep post-melancholy Ozzy, not sure about this either way Belinda Carlisle - Live Your Life Be Free: not her best, quite minor but somehow enjoyable
Bryan Adams, week 12
Why would you move a show from London to Elstree, c'mon?
Bros - Try I am often inclined to defend Bros, this is an interesting blend of funk and gospel elements with other things. A fine middle eight too. In 88 this would have been a big hit, but now, probably not. Socially conscious lyrics, this is really rather decent, possibly their best single for at least a couple of years.
Not a bad edition overall all things considered.
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SheriffFatman
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Post by SheriffFatman on Oct 15, 2021 7:11:15 GMT 1
Strange release schedule for Prince, Cream coming out only 4 weeks after Gett Off. His songs do have a habit of disappearing quite quickly, but Gett Off seems to have found a wider audience and Cream has entered below it. Two great singles nevertheless.
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TheThorne
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Post by TheThorne on Oct 15, 2021 8:06:08 GMT 1
Strange release schedule for Prince, Cream coming out only 4 weeks after Gett Off. His songs do have a habit of disappearing quite quickly, but Gett Off seems to have found a wider audience and Cream has entered below it. Two great singles nevertheless. I suspect 'Get Off' wasn't get very much radio play, not that 'Cream' is that much more radio friendly but it was a bit more subtle
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vastar iner
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Post by vastar iner on Oct 15, 2021 23:07:55 GMT 1
The start of a new era. Heralded by a theme tune that is somehow even less memorable than "The Wizard". Not so much a hook as a bedsheet. A disembodied voice introduces Erasure, whose songwriter's first hit was a decade ago. Ooh, new era. No idea why they're accompanied by milking wenches. The studio here though is more like a festival stage. So they're going big rather than going home.
We then see the producers. Tony "who?" Dortie and Mark "who?" Franklin. They're going to reflect the changing musical scene by, er, showing the top 10 via videoclips and the stupid theme. So this move to showcase new things is by ignoring everything that's coming into the charts? They haven't thought this through, have they?
Voice Of The Beehive with a Partridge Family cover. Tracey is wearing a dress that resembles the dolls' heads one but is replaced by hearts. Live vocals btw. This seems to be a new thing. An appealing cover and it gives Melissa a bit more of a go up front. Rare song, where there are different vocalists for verse and chorus. This is way better than David Cassidy. Quick audience shot. They're lumberjacks, apparently. Slight problems with the sound which adds to the sense of an event. Melissa looks like she's having the time of her life. God, why are they not huge?
Segues almost straight into Kenny Thomas, with a song that sounds like every other one of his entries. Nice and smooth voice but it's wasted on this pap.
Belinda Carlisle with something that's obviously a stadium rocker. Which suits this set. Two of the musicians are wearing t-shirts with Terry Gilliam as Conrad Poohs And His Dancing Teeth.
This one works very well indeed with the new setting, Belinda's got a big enough voice to own it. Not sure about the marigolds. What is apparent though is that this is a very grown-up show.
Having had all live, TOTP is deciding to show exclusive videos of the big stars, you know, the sort of people who do not need the free publicity from being on the biggest music show in the world. And the first given the treatment is Stevie Wonder, who is trying and failing to sound back to his Innervisions era. This is woeful. That drives down the atmos. And it's a major mis-step. Nobody remembers the exclusives of big stars (and I doubt anyone will remember this). It's the ones who are made because they come out of nowhere.
Julian Lennon and he gets a bit of an interview. Not a great question though, which is on the basis of "why are you bothered about the environment?" Anyhoo, this is a song that's probably a hit because of its inherent qualities, unlike "Too Late For Goodbyes".
An album chart cut now. Back to the future. Aaaaand it's Status Quo with a needless cover. NEW EXCITING FRESH HAPPENINGS PEOPLE!!!! And to show these new exciting fresh happenings they've thrown out two lower-charting acts who may be exciting and fresh to show Stevie Wonder and Status Quo.
Breakers. DJ Carl Cox, who gets £100k per night to play an ipod. And Monty Python, which may explain the Carlisle attire. About time the Pythons had a chart hit, they have had a few albums. ALBATROSS!
Bryan Adams, sigh. Franklin can't say the number thirteen enough. Is he trying to jinx it?
Playout is the opening theme.
OK. Good points: I like the festival ethos of the studio; I love the live vocals. Maybe not coincidental but there was no dance on this week.
Bad points: for a show that is setting out to be fresh and exciting, showing tired old farts is the diametric opposite. Someone has got totally the wrong end of the stick. Where were the charts as well? Bad omens that they're trying to exclude them, so that the pluggers can get their mates on rather than the ones the people want.
And the theme tune. f***ing HELL. I could knock up something better on a Bontempi.
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vya
Member
Posts: 8,776
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Post by vya on Oct 15, 2021 23:20:13 GMT 1
3 Oct 1991, New graphics, new tune, new studio, new, utterly obscure, presenters, Dortie and Franklin
Erasure - Love To Hate You Range of costumes would have done Ruby Flipper proud, the carefully choreographed and elegant dancing likewise. The song is decent but no timeless classic. Lowkey start to new ToTP, really. New studio seems airier and more spacious.
Presenters seem a bit amateur, still finding their feet, but "crisp biscuits" in the top 10, noh.... Is this all the charts we get now? The backing music is a bit Brass Eye. No indication of what is going up or down, and the number 1 (Bryan bloody Adams) is revealed already. Not convinced.
Voice of the Beehive - I Think I Love You Of course they aren't heading for the top 10, silly. So they are singing live, too, like Erasure. I guess this is part of the new regime. Works here. Great costumes. Better stage area here for sure. Albeit more like an awards show venue than the fun shambolism of old TOTP. And the record (like almost every VoTB single) is a delight and pleasure, of course. Not convinced making live vox compulsory if they have is a good idea across the board. But damn this is a great single.
Kenny Thomas - Best Of You Yes, still live vocals. Kind of enjoying his mid-tempo British soul, more South Essex than North London in feel. In no sense earth-shattering, but it's not intended to be.
New TOTP "can play any record in the US Top Ten". Oh dear.
Belinda Carlisle - "Live Your Life Be Free" (at least in our charts too, but lower) Rocky undertow to this one. Some good syncopation too. Fun, like her outfit (washing-up-style gloves apart), and familiar in style and sound, but really more of the same from her as in the past. If it ain't broke don't fix it...
"exclusive videos from all the big stars"
Stevie Wonder - "Fun Day" Hmm, no-one will remember this (A real talent like Wonder having had terrible treatment from record companies in the 80s, worse even than Bowie or Ross, so much charmless, overproduced, dross not worthy of him). "Exclusive". Inoffensive, and much better than "I Just Called To Say I Love You", but talk about riding on past glories, long past. So the new format is for the benefit of the major record companies and their conglomorate owners, I get it. So only non-live vocals are on videos, ideally film-tie-ins, I see.
Julian Lennon - "Saltwater" Brief interview with JL. Not profound. His dad wrote many, many, worse songs, which (unlike this one) were objectionable or facile in their lyrical posturing, and which were less listenable. This is merely unoriginal and revivalist.
Album chart stuff Status Quo - Rock Till You Drop - "Let's Work Together" Again, get who the record companies want on the show. Nothing wrong with this, they're having fun, but why is it here? They're really going for it, at least.
Breakers (amazed these have survived but the clips are still short) DJ Carl Cox - I Want You (Forever): harder edge of rave, a bit more underground, OK Monty Python - Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life: classic, obviously
Bryan Adams Week 13 etc
No play-out track, just the theme tune.
Not a bad edition overall, but sidelining the charts and favouring big acts with connections will take a lot of the joy and eccentricity out of ToTP, think it will require some fine tuning regardless
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vastar iner
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I am the poster on your wall
Posts: 17,421
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Post by vastar iner on Oct 15, 2021 23:44:43 GMT 1
Ten ten till we do it again. Given they had bloody Quo on last week, why not go back to CCS? Even with one of the stupid remixes that the cretins so adore. We start with someone playing something on a Dansette. This is a waste of time. Other than the live vocals being someone trying to replicate a sample. What sort of sums up the paucity of imagination in production is that the very best bits are when random girl singe "I Want You" and there's nearly no backing. Now that might be intriguing. Less is more.
It's the same presenters as last week and we get the reveal at the start again. Morrissey. It's a great opening, indeed there's even a bit of Twin Peaks about it, but the song itself moves quickly into mehness.
Bloke at a piano, singing and playing live. Marc Cohn. Looks like Kevin Godley's older brother. FRESH AND EXCITING!!! To be fair I've no objection to a new name and it widens the demographic a bit. But this isn't very good.
The exclusive is a new exciting band that is desperate for the one bit of publicity that might give them a chance of making it big. No, it's Queen. And as an exclusive we have a video made up of their other videos. So it's not an exclusive at all because basically Bert in the backroom could have knocked this up with a razor and some sellotape. Albeit am I the only one getting a weird vibe on this? Rumours of Freddie's illness, another video that avoids having the band "live", and...something of a valedictory air?
Cathy Dennis, singing live. Looking a lot more sophistimacated than she did with D-Mob. This sounds like it's aimed at the Stansfield market. It's crap.
Next up we have the album chart no. 1, which in principle is a good idea, but not when it is Simply sh*te.
Breakers. Oleta Adams with a gospel-tinged Elton John cover. Mariah Carey with something that sounds atrocious. Public Enemy with "Don't Truss It" and whoever cut the video for the slot literally only included them going "Don't Truss It". And a rugby world cup theme that could have come straight from a P&O corporate motivational film.
2 Untalented. A song that was so bad that SAW actually took the rap off. Looking forward to the live vocals for THIS one. Turns out it's a Belgian shouting "yeah" while some random tart points. This redefines shitness.
Adams, f*** off, and we get no playout AGAIN.
Well, the first show of the New Era showed a lot of promise. The second was a turdfest from start to finish. The best bit was the six seconds of Oleta Adams. Second into the revamp and already we have a candidate for Worst Episode Ever.
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