Old TOTP (BBC4) (1 Viewer)

I do remember that Shakin Stevens song, but certainly not the performance. Goodness.

The Madonna onslaught has well and truly begun now, hasn't it? I think she's pretty much everpresent in the singles chart for about 3 years now.
 
I'm going to catch up now...nothing else to do on this bastard cold day after a shite week.
 
Howard Jones has dated really badly. I really liked his first two albums and the singles at the time but this just feels so thin.
 
WHAT THE FUCK????? is with the Charlie Chaplin dancer? Is that the same bloke he used to have in the plastic chains?

Jeez...I guess he's the original Bez.
 
Is there anything more 80's than Bill Sharpe's keyboard rig. All that "look at me, tv screens and everything!!!" to fucking mime. And now you could do the whole lot on a tablet.
 
That ZZ Top lyric definitely goes "I want her...shit, I've got to have her".
 
I got called a poof at school for liking "Material Girl". If they could see me now...
 
Oh, John Peel "Go West who want to travel and meet people and hit them with blunt instruments" :D
 
"At 35, Russ Abbot with Joy Division's Atmosphere". Oh, bless that man's soul.
 
monsta said:
Also did David Cassidy come dressed as SPAGNA?
Click to expand...
Janice Long - "I'll have you know I had him on my bedroom wall"
John Peel - "That seems to indicate a degree of agility I did'nt believe you capable of"

Don't any of you come to me with your "icons" unless they can match Peel for genius.

Edit: AND he mentioned The Fall at the end...
 
Obscure, I know - but Nik Kershaw's "Wide Boy" had a really gorgeous piano ballad on the b-side that still sounds brilliant. It was called "So Quiet".
 
Paul Young strung it out way longer than anyone thought he would.
 
A shame Billy Bragg's performance of "Between The Wars" doesn't exist in original broadcast quality. Still, as first world problems go...
 
John was always the best presenter, but his pairing with Janice is marvellous. I have an unpleasant feeling that I read somewhere we're heading towards his last episode.
 
I was surprised that these old repeats made me appreciate David Kid Jensen more than I think I did at the time. Hes hardly a great personality, but far less asinine than some of the others.
 
Didn't she say on the 1985 documentary that she was so proud that he would only do TOTP with her? They are a wonderful pairing.
 
Ag said:
John was always the best presenter, but his pairing with Janice is marvellous. I have an unpleasant feeling that I read somewhere we're heading towards his last episode.
Click to expand...

This suggests there are a reduced number of episodes going through 1986 and then just the one in 1987.
 
FetchFugly said:
Didn't she say on the 1985 documentary that she was so proud that he would only do TOTP with her? They are a wonderful pairing.
Click to expand...

Janice Long had taken over David Jensen's evening show which went straight into Peel's and, under her, there was a greater cross over between the two shows - Jensen knew his onions back then but Long really grasped the nettle and played a lot of records she'd first heard on Peel's show. She also had Peel's producer and raconteur in his own right John Walters on her show as a regular guest with a slot called "Walters' Week".
 
FetchFugly said:
This suggests there are a reduced number of episodes going through 1986 and then just the one in 1987.
Click to expand...

They lured Peel back so as to surprise him for This Is Your Life. With typical self-deprecating humour, he introduced himself to the TOTP faithful that night as "The Ghost Of Christmas Past".
 
I know they are wistful bordering on downright twee, but I do have a big soft spot for China Crisis.
 
I'll never understand why "Welcome To The Pleasure Dome" didn't hit no. 1 -the full length album version still sounds amazing but then, they did sell a LOT of albums over Christmas.
 
I meant to post this link a couple of days ago but forgot! The edition of TOTP that has just been shown on BBC4 is from 25 April 1985 but the edition from the previous week has been skipped by BBC4 due to Mike Smith presenting the edition...

From 18/04/85 a co-hosted edition featuring Mike Smith and Peter Powell

https://wetransfer.com/downloads/9fa92e67262c00de625c831ef784f10d20180218133159/89d98b

There's only 3 days left to download it so, again, grab it while you can.
 
octophone said:
I'll never understand why "Welcome To The Pleasure Dome" didn't hit no. 1 -the full length album version still sounds amazing but then, they did sell a LOT of albums over Christmas.
Click to expand...
I never really cared that much for the song though strangely it seems to have become more popular in recent years. To me it just sounded like an album track that was released as a single rather than a single that became an album track. In other words, I thought it was a bit dull...
 
Robbie said:
I never really cared that much for the song though strangely it seems to have become more popular in recent years. To me it just sounded like an album track that was released as a single rather than a single that became an album track. In other words, I thought it was a bit dull...
Click to expand...

Yes, I'd agree. I remember at the thinking that the album was three amazing singles, and a hell of a lot of padding of varying quality.
 
I don't think I've ever really acknowledged Bronski Beat and Marc Almond's I Feel Love which is somehow top 10. It seems entirely unnecessary. I guess they were going for a Hi-NRG makeover, but it's just a bit gash really. The performance however, is straight outta Heaven and I may have to watch it again.

And then we get the Rah Band's ASTONISHING performance, which again is also in the top 10 against all the odds. I'd have put this between 1978 and 1981, not 1985.
 
Jaki Graham and David Grant's miming is so awful. The charts are quite poor at the moment.
 
So much to say about this episode. First of all that We Are the World clip is honestly amazing. So many queens on one stage. MJ phoning it in, nowhere near anyone else also made me smile. Did I spy Bette Midler on the far right of the chorus?

Also I have never HEARD of our Eurovision entry for 1985. Vicki was a real personality artiste wasn't she?
 
MJ never phoned it in. They all recorded it together overnight after the American Music Awards.



The funniest part on the DVD is an almost half hour extra of Bob Dylan failing to get his one line right, then James Ingram and almost everyone else nailing it in one take. It’s still a rubbish song, but Dan Aykroyd’s presence still amuses me.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
Back
Top Bottom