TOTP on BBC4

[Commodore]

TOTP on BBC4

BLT was a bit subdued I thought. No bad thing.

In Zaire? Me like Um Bongo better. And Steve Harley was a knob, ended up doing a duet with Sarah Brightman to introduce the world to Lloyd Webber's Phantom if memory serves. Natural progression I guess.

As much as I love the Man in Black, I could have done without his appearance. And Elton never failed to appal with his dress sense.

Not sure what Ruby Flipper were trying to convey with the Isley Brothers. Should have given them Shake Your Booty...

[Calvert]

TOTP on BBC4

Mumpo wrote:

Calvert W. McCutcheon wrote:

The guitarist had a huge piss stain on his jeans and they had a Derek Smalls- type character cavorting around the front with a rubber mallet for some reason

It was a gourd rattle, you daft racist. And while we're on the Partridgisms, that Dr Kiss Kiss singer was the very epitome of a 40 year old stunner.

Also, did anyone think Johnny Cash had an air of Les Dawson about him?

It was never a gourd, Mumpo, it was luminous and made of rubber.

Hog's eye, yes, that's what I meant.
Apologies.

Hey!
Escape from Alcaraz just said 'Um Bongo!'

[Gerontophile]

TOTP on BBC4

Haven't really kept an eye on any of this recently.

I should point out that the Minnie Ripperton album cover draws the eyes to the lion*, whereas, I looked at the flowers, and although I know bugger all about botany, I am fairly sure they were chosen specifically for their 'spawning' period. And their shape...

*Minnie Ripperton was rather flawless visually too.

[Benjm]

TOTP on BBC4

[half century]

TOTP on BBC4

Alderman Barnes wrote:

5000 Volts woman was neither Mick Fleetwood nor Gabby Logan but clearly Dick Emery.

I thought she was the new woman from Dragons' Den in a previous existence.

[MsD]

TOTP on BBC4

Apologies if someone has already mentioned this ..

5000 Volts had a stand in frontwoman for TV appearances. The true vocalist on some of their hits was Tina Charles, but she was deemed insufficiently glamorous, despite the blokes in the band looking like they should be on some sort of register.

I'm not sure about the vocal on Dr Kiss Kiss though, as Tina Charles had "left" the group by then, but I don't think it was that woman we see on TOTP.

Like Black Box and Ride on Time.

[Jah Womble]

TOTP on BBC4

It had indeed come up before, MsD. And also the fact that the original TOTP stand-in for 5000 Volts was actress Luan Peters - best known as the Aussie 'hayseed' Raylene from Fawlty Towers.

[Purves Grundy]

TOTP on BBC4

Just started watching the latest one on iPlayer. The Chanter Sisters were like one of the drag musical numbers off The Two Ronnies.

[historyman]

TOTP on BBC4

I'm so fed up with how naff TOTP was in 1976 that I can't even be bothered to comment on how awful this week's show was.

Suffice to say that when these re-runs started I expected to compile a list of songs that I'd never heard before that I could download.

Not a single one so far.

[Come along, Min]

TOTP on BBC4

Purves Grundy wrote:

The Chanter Sisters were like one of the drag musical numbers off The Two Ronnies.

There were definitely the cream of the crap in this weeks show.

[George]

TOTP on BBC4

Just what the fuck was Diddy wearing?

[Jah Womble]

TOTP on BBC4

Finally saw this earlier. It really doesn't get any better, it's true.

That Chanter Sisters: That abomination was, for some reason, big in the clubs and was played to death on the radio that summer. The Great British Public (T) remarkably saw enough sense to stop it in its chart tracks at #43.

Jimmy James: Good tune, destroyed by the TOTP orchestra/singers. No change there, then.

Liverpool Express: Always liked that, and their 'other' hit, 'Every Man Must Have a Dream'. (Front man Billy Kinsley was earlier in The Merseybeats. But you knew that.)

Thin Lizzy: Okay, who's going to do the Danny Baker joke this time?

And the way they shot Diddy David in his daft t-shirt made it look as though they'd recorded his bit somewhere else. Which they may well have done.

[Calvert]

TOTP on BBC4

Jah Womble wrote:

Liverpool Express: Always liked that...

You like that 'You Are My Love' thing?
Wow.

What's the Danny Baker joke?

[Come along, Min]

TOTP on BBC4

Calvert W. McCutcheon wrote:

You like that 'You Are My Love' thing?
Wow.

I'll second Jah on this one. I like it too.

[Jah Womble]

TOTP on BBC4

Macca's another who rates it, apparently:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liverpool_Express

Calvert - it's that well-worn follow-up to the (admittedly rubbish) lyric 'tonight there's gonna be a jailbreak...somewhere in this town'. Baker (and many, many others since) suggested that the jail might be the most likely location.

(Edit: Better link.)

[Squarewheelbike]

TOTP on BBC4

Remembering back, at the time I thought "You Are My Love" was pretty much the most insipid, lame piece of guff I'd ever heard. You know what, I was right!

[Jah Womble]

TOTP on BBC4

Get your doctor to install some ears on you, pronto.

[Benjm]

TOTP on BBC4

Liverpool Express have grown on me over the weeks. It was entertaining this time watching the guitarist forcing a sugary smile onto his face while singing the harmonies, his expression rather more brooding in repose.

The comfortably upholstered Jimmy James was not well served by his high waisted trousers this week.

[G-Man]

TOTP on BBC4

I got to see the episode with the stupid dancers ruining "Harvest For The World". My goodness, that was pretty dire. Not so much in terms of the music. I sang along to "Jeans On", enjoyed Dorothy Moore's non-Beyonceéesque appearance, was amused by the soul dudes in their red suits, nostalged with "In Zaire", marvelled at how Kiki Dee looked like Dexter's sister.

But the whole thing was so bereft of atmosphere and, I don't know, life. By comparoson, West Germany's equivalent, Disco '76, was totally rocking. And its presenter used to wear suits or even tuxedos, and present lots of Schlager types.

[Sean of the Shed]

TOTP on BBC4

Ruby Flipper's interpretation of A Fifth of Beethoven was as predictable as it was dire, though I quite liked the costumes.
Quo weren't always naff like I remember them being. Mystery Song is a pretty good tune.
Diddy sports the same Shredded Wheat combover that always adorned Ron Atkinson's head.

[Sean of the Shed]

TOTP on BBC4

That Liverpool Express song is utter shite. Fucking appalling.

[Jah Womble]

TOTP on BBC4

Ha. Who'd've thought a long-forgotten Liverpool Express hit would re-emerge 35 years later as pop's 'Marmite', eh..?

[sw2borshch]

TOTP on BBC4

I take it to be a metaphorical "Jailbreak".

And Dr Hook and their creepy lyrics

"When your body's had enough of me
And I'm layin flat out on the floor
When you think I've loved you all I can
I'm gonna love you a little bit more".

[sw2borshch]

TOTP on BBC4

And I tell you what, Elton's the consummate pro in that video. I've never seen anyone look so comfortable in a recording studio.

I'm a big fan of the song too.

[MsD]

TOTP on BBC4

laverte wrote:

Poor Kiki had to put up with Elton John trying to put his arms around her, squeeze her, touch her hands, and pull silly faces at her all the way through that video. She didn't seem too thrilled.

Yeh. On the one hand, how cross can you be with someone whose just helped give you your biggest ever hit; on the other, that video blew it for her ever looking cool again.

When she had a hit in 1974, all the boys I knew were in love with her.

She had a fantastic soul/rock voice, it's a bit of a puzzle why she didn't achieve more - timing, material, promotion?