Old TOTP (BBC4) (1 Viewer)

VoR said:
Beetlebum is such a Pointless answer of a UK #1.

I do miss the old days when random shit like this could sneak in on the strength of 20,000 sales and a completely blank release schedule though.
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LL Cool J hitting the top with a bland "Ain't Nobody" cover a few weeks later even more obscure.

Sash! could have claimed their elusive number 1 if they'd gone for that week of release instead of I think the 2nd week of "Don't Speak".
 
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On that note, I didn't realise that Professional Widow climbed to #1 in its second week.

Impressive. I think by 1997 that was already becoming a bit of a rarity?
 
VoR said:
On that note, I didn't realise that Professional Widow climbed to #1 in its second week.

Impressive. I think by 1997 that was already becoming a bit of a rarity?
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It was. This first 6 weeks of 1997 with 6 different number ones was the first noticeable instance of how quickly hits were beginning to turn over in the charts, preempting the ludicrous number of chart toppers in 2000.

I was at the peak of my chart watching, listen to & write down the week's top 40 obsession in 1997 🤓
 
VoR said:
On that note, I didn't realise that Professional Widow climbed to #1 in its second week.

Impressive. I think by 1997 that was already becoming a bit of a rarity?
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I was also happy to see Tori get a number 1, no other single was going to do it, although she's a sampled feature on an Armand Van Helden track really.
 
VoR said:
Beetlebum is such a Pointless answer of a UK #1.

I do miss the old days when random shit like this could sneak in on the strength of 20,000 sales and a completely blank release schedule though.
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Beetlebum sold 120,000 copies in its first week. Even in 1997, that was a perfectly respectable total.
 
VoR said:
No memory of this East 17 track. What a stone bore.
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The last hit before Brian's 17-E taking interview torpedoed things (apart from the brief comeback a couple of years later without Tony Mortimer)
 
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I always found it bizarre that Lisa Stansfield and Tori Amos had big hits at the same time with mashups that used the same backing track.

This People Hold On mix doesn't work as well as Professional Widow to me. The two songs just don't gel as well to my ear. But then I've never been a club kid.
 
I get that the Stansfield mix existed, it was hardly the first time the same rift had been used in relatively short succession. See Ride on Time, Higher State of Conciousnes, Keep On Jumpin...

Professional Widow really hit a lot harder than People Hold On, but the latter had merit.
 
Quit Playing Games With My Heart - low key banger. Surprised it didn't have the juice to sneak in a week at #1 considering the relative lack of competition.
 
I found Placebo intriguing at the time, but I suspect they're best left in the 90s.

Before checking, I'm going to predict Brian Molko probably looks AWFUL today. :D
 
VoR said:
Before checking, I'm going to predict Brian Molko probably looks AWFUL today. :D
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Apparently turned into Johnny Depp!

brian-looks-like-he-is-now-lifting-weights-v0-m541nwp34r4c1.jpg
 
VoR said:
I found Placebo intriguing at the time, but I suspect they're best left in the 90s.

Before checking, I'm going to predict Brian Molko probably looks AWFUL today. :D
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He has an exciting moustache these days.

It kinda works.
 
Shame they couldn't tempt Tori into the TOTP studio for her moment of chart-topping triumph. I'm sure the girls who'd just screamed themselves hoarse to Nick Carter would have just LOVED the live version of PF.

GIVE ME PEACE
LOVE
AND A HAAAAARD COOOOOOCK!
 
How on earth did this entirely uncommercial live Orbital track manage a top 3 placing even in the post Xmas clear out period.
 
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I was going to say I might PASS on 1997 but maybe it'll RAISE THE SPIRITS as however grim things might currently be at least I'm not SOFASURFING ON THE DHSS
 
Sardonicus said:
How on earth did this entirely uncommercial live Orbital track manage a top 3 placing even in the post Xmas clear out period.
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Anything vaguely alternative, especially electronic in 1997 was absolutely snapped up. Chemical Brothers, Prodigy, Faithless all helped drag the likes Orbital into the higher reaches.
 
"Say What You Want" took off due to Chris Evans championing it on his breakfast show didn't it - am I remembering correctly?

Texas entering their blatant plagiarism era by ripping off both "Tired Of Being Alone" AND "Sexual Healing" :D
 
Sardonicus said:
"Say What You Want" took off due to Chris Evans championing it on his breakfast show didn't it - am I remembering correctly?

Texas entering their blatant plagiarism era by ripping off both "Tired Of Being Alone" AND "Sexual Healing" :D
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You are indeed correct.
 
VoR said:
Quit Playing Games With My Heart - low key banger. Surprised it didn't have the juice to sneak in a week at #1 considering the relative lack of competition.
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I've just remembered the numerous shirtless shots in the rain in the vid :horny:

No wonder 13 year old me was such an avid viewer of MTV's European Top 20 throughout late '96.
 
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Sardonicus said:
"Say What You Want" took off due to Chris Evans championing it on his breakfast show didn't it - am I remembering correctly?

Texas entering their blatant plagiarism era by ripping off both "Tired Of Being Alone" AND "Sexual Healing" :D
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This is why I could never really get along with Texas. God knows I stan for some reductive nonsense, but every one of their major hits you could literally sing the tune to a better, more famous song over the top.
 
VoR said:
This is why I could never really get along with Texas. God knows I stan for some reductive nonsense, but every one of their major hits you could literally sing the tune to a better, more famous song over the top.
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And still at it fairly recently! I can't remember the name of the song, but it was Donna Summer's "Love's Unkind" with a few minor tweaks.
 
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I can't remember which one it is, but there's a Texas tracks that lifts from Diva.
 
Sardonicus said:
And still at it fairly recently! I can't remember the name of the song, but it was Donna Summer's "Love's Unkind" with a few minor tweaks.
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At least they credited Donna as a co-writer on that one. They didn’t bother with most of the 90s songs.
 
VoR said:
I always found it bizarre that Lisa Stansfield and Tori Amos had big hits at the same time with mashups that used the same backing track.

This People Hold On mix doesn't work as well as Professional Widow to me. The two songs just don't gel as well to my ear. But then I've never been a club kid.
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Oh did it actually?! I was convinced they'd fucked up the sound mixing at TOTP :D
 
Penelope said:
Was it MEANT to be a direct answer song to Missing (Todd Terry Mix)? Either way I'm throwing it a few phone votes :disco:
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The song's Wiki entry has everything https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Where_Do_You_Go_(La_Bouche_song)
I was aware of La Bouche's version, but I thought they covered it from No Mercy. It turns out the latter also covered EBTG.
I do love a bit of Spanish guitar + 90's dance beat; see also Enrique Iglesias' Be With You, Cher's single mix of Dov'è l'amore, and Jlo's Waiting For Tonight :disco:
 
I've taken refuge in 1975 and it's not a lack of WHATNAUTS that ruins the Moments' GIRLS, it's the USELESS BBC ORCHESTRA AS USUAL

Also BOLLOCKS to the BAY CITY ROLLERS
 
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