TOTP on BBC4

[evilC]

TOTP on BBC4

I don't know which would have been more wrong - starting a thread which overlapped so substantially with this one as to seem unsporting (and pointless) or to slightly de-rail this one. In the end, I've plumped for the latter.

What do you consider the best 'studio' TOTP performance? (I can't call it 'live'.)

I'd plump for this one:

Thomas Dolby - 'Windpower'

I like the fact they got maximum impact from relatively basic effects: some smoke, some fans, some swirling lights and a minimal bit of superimposing.

The one that originally sprang to mind was the second(?) performance of 'What Time Is Love' by The KLF - the one with King Boy D, the dancers and everything. However, upon investigation, it wasn't that earth-shattering. I think it must have been just the relative lack of other 'special' performances around that time that made the impression it left upon me so great. Actually, The JAMMs' performance of 'It's Grim Up North' - the one with the the two women in army uniforms, oversize WWI-style helmets that made them look like something off of 'Michael Bentine's Potty Time' and the unfurling union flags at the end - was probably better. I stand by my choice of Dolby, though.

[Mumpo]

TOTP on BBC4

The KLF's various performances are always the ones that spring to my mind. Adam Ant's set-straddling effort for Goody Two Shoes was pretty brilliant too.

[Come along, Min]

TOTP on BBC4

The Smiths - This Charming Man.. Gladioli, the lot.

As a kid, I loved all the Wham stuff too, still do really.

[Satchmo Distel]

TOTP on BBC4

Justified & Ancient was brilliant on TOTP IIRC.

Acker Bilk in 1976? WTF? How?

[Sean of the Shed]

TOTP on BBC4

Faith No More always blew everyone else away on TOTP. I hoped I could find Epic or From Out Of Nowhere, but to no avail. I did find Ashes To Ashes and Digging The Grave though. As for the presenters, they make yearn for the days of DLT and Diddy.

[Jah Womble]

TOTP on BBC4

Acker Bilk in 1976? WTF? How?

Yeah, the charts were an odd place in 1976: 'Aria' was a Top Five hit. I remember hearing it on Radio Luxembourg late at night - it put the shivers up me it was so depressing.

[MsD]

TOTP on BBC4

Bowie with Starman for me.

But I also loved Rod's Maggie May, and Pretty Vacant. And Wizzard were great. And AATA Dog Eat Dog, I love how nonchalant young Marco looks, while Matey is doing his prancing around.

Much as I loved early Roxy Music, I'm not sure I liked watching them on TOTP - they looked better as static images.

[Satchmo Distel]

TOTP on BBC4

The Smiths were much better on Whistle Test, The Tube, etc, where they could at least play live. I felt that Morrissey overdid the self-parody on TOTP, and maybe would have better staying off.

It's always a mistake to try to send up or subvert the format because TOTP was already beyond parody in 1984.

[historyman]

TOTP on BBC4

satchmo76 wrote:

Acker Bilk in 1976? WTF? How?

It's Mister Acker Bilk to you, sonny.

I'm going to be more charitable and start watching the series once again. I'd much rather have Acker Bilk than Gallagher and Lyle.

[Commodore]

TOTP on BBC4

Well that was different.

Blinded By the Light could very well describe the whole TOTP feeling, namely that sense that it is a car crash waiting to happen, but it is a fine start to a much improved show. I can even take Cliff's falsetto as some form of novelty, even if it doesn't hold a candle to Barry Gibb.

Edmonds's rambling shtick doesn't grate as much as it should, a reflection of the dross that preceded this week's offering. Also a good ploy in not showing the vid to Don't Go Breaking My Heart, maybe the sight in the distance of a tense, swaying Edmonds in the background might knock it off the top. Will it work? I might stay tuned to find out.

[Come along, Min]

TOTP on BBC4

satchmo76 wrote:

Acker Bilk in 1976? WTF? How?

Well I must say it raised an eyebrow with me too. One of the Ruby Flipper women was doing a weird little dance to it at the same time.

Nowhere near the mouth dropping strangeness of Noel Edmonds introducing Can right after Robin Sarstedt though, just before Penford's finest.

I'm going to make a fantastic mixtape with recordings from those three acts only.

[half century]

TOTP on BBC4

Sitting listening to Blinded by the Light, I was thinking that the verses sounded like a kind of melodic/harmonic template for Born to Run.

I had absolutely no idea that it was actually a Springsteen song until I Googled the lyrics to find out what the "wrapped up like a douche with a roller in the night" thing was really all about...

[Amor de Cosmos]

TOTP on BBC4

The Boss has queried MM's pronunciation of that line himslf.

[Jah Womble]

TOTP on BBC4

I had absolutely no idea that it was actually a Springsteen song until I Googled the lyrics to find out what the "wrapped up like a douche with a roller in the night" thing was really all about...

"Revved up like a deuce, another runner in the night..."

So much more, much more than cars and girls.

Other unlikely Springsteen hitmakers included: Patti Smith ('Because the Night'); Pointer Sisters ('Fire'); Big Daddy ('Dancing in the Dark').

[G-Man]

TOTP on BBC4

IIRC, he passed on the first two before recording them himself (as live version on the live set. His version of "Fire" is really good).

[half century]

TOTP on BBC4

I heard his live version of Because the Night a year or so ago (TV broadcast of a concert) - again without knowing that it was one of his songs - and thought it was horrendous. But then I have a very soft spot for the Patti Smith version for all sorts of nostalgic reasons, which are probably clouding my judgment.

[Commodore]

TOTP on BBC4

Blimey. Eddie and The Hot Rods and a drummer dressed in nothing but his strides. The Wurzels going about Tadpoles and Savile in skimpy shorts (reminding me of that epic bit when Alan Partridge 'pops out' in front of Lynne). Talk about the Filth and the Fury.

Thankfully, Lou Rawls and Kiki Dee added a certain class to proceedings, compensating for yet another shite cover version courtesy of the Bay City Rollers.

Interesting ending too, allowing the No.1 to play almost uninterrupted to the end. Love those outfits; they match Agnetha's eye shadow.

[G-Man]

TOTP on BBC4

That Kiki Dee song was quite lovely. I didn't know it. Have I mentioned that Kiki Dee 1976 vintage and Dexter Norgan's sister are look-alikes.

The ABBA clip was great. I hadn't seen that one before. Synchronised choreography wasn't big in the 1970s. Annifrid is going all rock 'n' roll crazy at one point. At another point, the women are in fact dancing synchronised until Annifrid has enough of that and throws some crazy moves which I presume Elaine Benes took as an inspiration, while Agnetha still does the practised routine.

[historyman]

TOTP on BBC4

I'm reading the 'Crisis? What Crisis?' book of Britian in the 1970s at the moment (it's been mentioned in the Books thread) and there's an interesting point made about TOTP during this era.

According to the author the stranglehold that the unions had during this period extended to the Musicians' Union and the fact that union rules stated that 'no records could be used as the basis of a mimed performance.'

In theory this meant that when a band appeared on TOTP they had to record a new version of the song - paid for by the BBC - so that the people you saw on the screen were the actual people who made the music.

In practice the system was widely abused, with producers pretending to make a new recording whilst actually using a tape of the original single.

"There was a famous Musicians' Union guy who would come to the studio to watch you record, and they'd get him wrecked. He was pissed as a newt by the end of it, and they used to switch the tapes. It was ridiculous, a real farce."

Has anybody else heard this? Maybe that explains why some of the performances seem a bit disjointed.

[Commodore]

TOTP on BBC4

Disco, Disco Duck. Dear God. Actually I do have a recording of this somewhere and it actually mimics the whole disco thing rather well. But nothing prepared me for the horror of Ruby Flipper's take on this.

Still gutted that Gheorghe Zamfir at number 10 has not made an appearance, perhaps for the reasons explained by historyman (I'm presuming it's the Lonely Shepherd in the charts at this time).

Apart from that, it was virtually the same line-up as the last episode, which seems at odds with my abiding memory of TOTP in which songs that featured were on their way up the chart but not played on consecutive weeks unless it happened to be No. 1.

Always liked the beginning of the re-entered Sailing up to the point where Rod starts to sing. I left the room at that point.

[Jah Womble]

TOTP on BBC4

Still gutted that Gheorghe Zamfir at number 10 has not made an appearance, perhaps for the reasons explained by historyman (I'm presuming it's the Lonely Shepherd in the charts at this time).

'The Light of Experience' - which was descending the charts, hence it wasn't played.

[Commodore]

TOTP on BBC4

Sherbet were interesting, if only for the rather subtle medallion/wispy chest combo from the lead singer who looks like the image of Jim Morrison had he faked his own death and taken up hairdressing.

I'm also becoming intrigued by the girl out of Ruby Flipper whose got a touch of the Goldfrapp about her with her Farrah flick/bob combination. B.L.T. was a T.W.A.T. before he had the vanity to wear that sweater, which doesn't even go with his shirt. Couldn't someone have laced one of his food props with Anthrax?

Tina Charles clearly beginning to suffer from follow-up syndrome with her latest offering. Nice dress though, although not as flamboyant as Demis Roussos, whose follow-up was also an anti-climax.

Tell you what, Agnetha and Frida get a bit excited towards the end of Dancing Queen in that vid. Almost sensual in fact.

[historyman]

TOTP on BBC4

I've been unfaithful for a little while, but I knew that I'd have to come home sometime.

So I watched it for the first time in a month or two and at least I've now downloaded my first song after hearing it for the first time on TOTP - Can's 'I Want More' - a great song.

Outside of that it was the usual stench of mid '70s mediocrity. Even Demis failed to lift the gloom despite his being arrayed in purple like an ancient Middle Eastern despot.

At least it wasn't Noel Edmonds, who according to Can's 'I Want More' Wiki page, joked on Can's first appearance on TOTP -

"I wonder if Can will get into the top tin!"

and

"We wanted to have them on at the beginning of the show, but then realised we couldn't have a Can opener."

[wittoner]

TOTP on BBC4

Can't believe even Edmonds would have made the first remark. To my shame I think the second one's rather good.

[torres]

TOTP on BBC4

I watched this last night and found myself sitting on the couch cringing as my 15 year old daughter laughed hysterically at Disco Duck.In the audience people were actually dancing to this shite, I mean the acid we were dropping them day's couldn't have been that powerful could it?