We start with a close-up of... some sort of robot. It's being held, it turns out, by Ed Stewart, who pretends it actually is Tony Blackburn before hurredly adding before Oxygene drowns him out "Tony's lost his voice, I'm here instead, so welcome!" It must be some tonsil problem Tony had as he didn't reappear on the show for two and a half months. Unless there's something else... he did seperate from Tessa Wyatt in autumn 1977*, it says here... As for Stewport we saw him cadging for names for the new dance troupe eleven months ago and he did a wiped show in December '76, but this would be his thirtieth and last TOTP fling before concentrating on Junior Choice and Crackerjack, two shows you'd imagine would require quite some concentration.
(* Tony says the famous on-air breakdown was in October 1976 but he seemed quite chipper doing a show that month, even having time to pop down the T-shirt printers, so who knows really)
Rose Royce – Do Your Dance
So none of them are actually half-cleaned Escorts? I feel I've been lied to. No excuse for a file photo any more, they've come mob handed, big horn section, guitarist and bassist grinning madly at each other, Rose Norwalt/Gwen Dickey - one and the same - and her exotic braids seemingly singing into a rose (do you see?) at first, though it's just next to the mike. Backing vocalists sprout up all over the place, from congas to middle trumpet. There's the mark of a band not taking any chances with the orchestra.
David Soul – Silver Lady
Still no sign of him in this country but he's happy enough walking the streets and hills of... somewhere American. In the grand mid-70s tradition we saw Leo Sayer also uphold last week it's a clip made entirely by pointing a camera at the star and getting him to wander aimlessly, pausing at one point to shake somebody's hand. That's how famous he is, and also how casual he slips into his fame. Like Leo, lipsync and matching the edit to the song's rhythmic pace are for other people. Unlike Leo, he's got a motorbike to swank about on for a bit and some well tended gardens to shepherd his lady through.
Bob Marley & The Wailers – Waiting In Vain
Legs & Co, and nothing says Rastafari irie like some waltzing in dresses made from net curtains. Cream jackets offset all the skirt swishing about and transparency. What this has to do with the song or rhythm... maybe they didn't have too much time.
Peter Blake – Lipsmackin' Rock 'N' Rollin'
Not that Peter Blake, but the one who would go on to play Kirk St Moritz in Dear John. You remember. Introduced as "a newcomer to TOTP" for now he's a stereotypical rock and roll revivalist and one who's aware of what that means at this precise moment too - studded leather jacket, pompadour quiff, vintage Levis - to distract from the fact that he's also a poor second to Danny Williams as a song derived from a drink advert. The audience in the round are for their part swaying gladly and Blake's going to play to them, running his hand through one girl's hair in passing, realising that wasn't the wisest option and seemingly slapping another upside the head. Intriguingly, the verse tune is practically identical to the following year's Greased Lightning, pre-chorus pauses and all. You can definitely sing one over the other. There's even a dubious car reference towards the end. Hmmm...
Ram Jam – Black Betty
"Tomorrow Radio 1 is ten years old and so is Radio 2. Welcome Ram Jam at number 18!" Surely there was supposed to be something in the middle there. TOTP did actually have a special edition for the station's fifteenth birthday, from which show the celebrated DJs dancing to Adam Ant clip comes (and Jocky Wilson Said, actually). As for Ram Jam they're playing in someone's garden being watched by all manner of dubious characters, including two girls on a stationary motorbike, one holding a plastic cup, and one man dancing and clapping wildly above his head who seems to have invegilated himself among the band. He's actually standing next to the drum riser. Ram Jam look much as you'd imagine they would. Just before the end we see two men off to the far side having a chat while leaning against some abandoned amps, apparently unaware that rock is occurring just next to them.
David Essex – Cool Out Tonight
The show's moving at a fair old clip tonight, without apparent extra modern editing we're six songs in after twelve and a half minutes. Playing in front of a humungous glitterball and a two thirds as large baseball David's permanently got his guitar on tonight and the saxophonist still isn't touching the instrument that's strapped to him when there's a tambourine to shake instead. The middle eight sees David's head briefly encased in an oval frame, because that's what successful people get. Probably. Something else that happens to famous people is nobody advises them not to ad lib "ba boom ba dum" mid-line. "A good year for David" Stewpot surmises.
The Stylistics – I Plead Guilty
It doesn't bode well that the orchestra turn the intro into contemporary family sitcom incidental music, I know that much. Stewpot's link is entirely off camera, which kind of fits the commercial and critical downslide the band are on - this didn't chart and they'd never make the top 75 again, though being TOTP they'd be back in the studio once more in 1978. Russell Thompkins Jr still looks permanently surprised but he somehow fits the band uniform of canary yellow better. Incidentally the Stylistics are in the country for the whole of November. Two of these five, not including Thompkins Jr, remain. It's unclear whether the one sporting the same hair and beard arrangement as Peter Sutcliffe is one.
Donna Summer – I Remember Yesterday
What at first looks like a video purely of stills turns into Donna in full white suit with bow tie and top hat doing cabaret dancing on the spot in a spotlight. Her miming clarinet playing would do Flick proud. It's all very nice but this isn't the futuro-diva we were promised a couple of months back.
Golden Earring – Radar Love
"A sound with a difference" Stewpot calls this, which is curious for a show that's already featured Black Betty. They may actually be playing live, there's certainly the ballsy commitment and muso concentration to suggest so as singer Barry Hay thrusts forward in his red wrapround shades. The drummer fancies himself for notice in a Bruce Lee (later Kill Bill) replica tracksuit. Of course the audience are unsure what to make of this rhythm and rock explosion. How's he got his hands wet inside the car? Window broken?
Elvis Presley – Way Down
And this week's iteration of Legs & Co sees Sue and Rosie... not there. Maybe they got bored of the same song again and again after weeks of I Feel Love too. The remaining Legs are paired off, one on the stage opposite Toppotron™, one on the nearer side, all in a very thrown together outfit of pink bra and pants with remnants of a grass skirt attached to the latter. We know they're not averse to digging out old costumes but such is the half-light they're performing in it really wouldn't make a difference here. In the audience one couple embark on what looks like the full American Smooth. There's a couple of others pairing off, but the overall dancing message is confused. And that's it? Not quite, as Stewpot has one last guest, a "young man" responsible for both this week's playout and the chart still of the week:
With a shirt on this time, though. That'll be Giorgio Moroder, then, pleased to report it's "number one in the discos in the States" and mentioning he "found Donna in Munich three years ago" like she was lost property. Stewpot hopes he'll be "doing well with her and yourself" before a tremendously camp "OK? Byeeeeee!" flourish to finish his stint. Somewhere Tony Blackburn opens another packet of lozenges and phones his lawyer.
70 comments:
Another pleasing edition, of which I missed quite a lot through scribbling notes. As you’ll see.
Ooh, it’s Stewpot! Is it competition time again? Why is he depicting Tony Blackburn as Thunderbird 6? Still, no leching or stupid puns, a simple Wimbledon FC “Route one” approach to each song (though he should have namechecked the crestfallen gal in the radio 1 T-shirt and did we really need the high pitch “Bye”?), plus that was easily the best interview with a pop artist thus far by a country mile, complete with wonderful innocent innuendo – “you’re also behind Donna Summer”?
As for Giorgio, a superb slab of Euro disco for the end credits, but his chart rundown show was scarier than Johnnie Taylor’s. How much is that per square foot? Mummyyyyy!!! Talking of chart rundowns, another fine slab of French disco accompaniment, though I admit I shouted “W#nker!” when I saw Danny Mirror.
Ah, the old ‘how many people can you fit onto a stage?’ ploy with Rose Royce, complete with intriguing mix of sax / bass singer. At first, I thought Gwen Dickey (great singer) was hearing horn-rimmed glasses – surely those beads affected her eyeline? As for the song, “Car Wash” part 2, and a comparative flop only peaking at 30.
David Soul’s video was weird, starting with the patented Leo Sayer mopey walk, then going at mobility scooter speed on his hog to begin with, then upping the nate big time by pulling twice in the same video (notice the different gal shown for two seconds at the end of the clip?). Loved the street part – “Yo, dude, what are you up to?” “Filming a video. Can’t be arsed to fly over to the studio!”
Legs & Co really should have been decked out in red, yellow and green for the Bob Marley routine, not a strange mixture of Royal Ascot big shouldered jackets and peek-a-boo see-through lacy skirts (though no complaints on that front). Patti got a bit saucy with those faces near the end. Go on, girl!
Decades before Robin Beck’s classic one-hit-wonder status with a three minute Coke ad chart topper, Pepsi make number 40 with the other bloke from “Dear John” who, I thought, gave a great showman performance of a very wordy precursor to “Greased Lightning”. Should have changed his name, though. Peter Blake? Not rock ‘n’ roll enough. How about Pete the Knife?
Too much to put in one comment this week. We’ll be back after this break…
(with huge thanks to the equally awesome TV Ark website)
http://www.tv-ark.org.uk/mivana/mediaplayer.php?id=f4c89c7c1e55ae305b1aa4dfb08fade0&media=pepsicola1974&type=mp4
And welcome back!
Was that Stardust’s bassist moonlighting in Ram Jam? Were they opening a garden fete? Was the bloke far left on mime duties a la that scary chain-clad lad with Howard Jones? Shame they cut it short for some real cack. David with a speech tick that I hate with a passion, the Essex ”L” that sounds like a “W” as used by many from that county. Cool out tonight? Definitely, those Arctic winds they forecast are beginning to kick in. Another bow by the Essex, this time before the song’s even finished. Arrogant brat!
Oh no, it’s the Orville stare again, and The Stylistics give us a surprising choice for turkey of the week (or lemon, judging by those outfits). A highly successful act who, without us knowing, had already left the charts for good and were now reduced to a fast rip-off of “Let’s Put It All Together”. Probably our last sighting of the Ronnie Corbett lookalike and the Kenny Everett-cribbing bloke with mutton chops and no ‘tache.
Punk Donna! Boy, that’s sped up due to the varying film speeds used in the US and the UK. Disappointed Donna didn’t go more for a “Cabaret” look given the breathy nature of her previous work. Maybe the first bow tie we’ve seen worn by an act (ELO, maybe?), and a raunchy female’s wearing it! Awful camera work – why didn’t they tell her which camera to simper into?
It’s the Dutch Ram Jam, complete with the Dutch Bono on vocals! Loved the classic positioning of the snare, angled away from the drummer. I just wish the band had been a bit more vibrant instead of giving us Man at C&A poses. From here, it’s Burger King again, accompanied by Leg & Co – where had the others gone? Should have given more camera time to the woman who turned up dressed especially for Elv in the old jive gear. Now that’s dedication (cue Roy Castle).
It was a "busy old show" as they used to say, rattling through the hits at a fair old lick.
I'd have liked to have seen some more of that Silver Lady video - I did enjoy the rather loose interpretation of the line "I'm lost and alone", which was accompanied by Dave strolling along with a lady in a nice blouse, and he blatantly knew which way he was going, too.
I'm going to have to dig out (ie do a search on Spotify) that Donna Summer album, as it sounds completely bonkers and very possibly amazing. I sneakily quite like I Remember Yesterday, and you can't go wrong with a white top hat.
Loved L&C's routine to Waiting In Vain. I suspected it might have been a bit of a "well, just use your initiative" effort from Flick, such was the amount of skirt-wafting.
I think "being number one in the discos in the States" was a forerunner to being "big in Japan" - nobody ever went there, so nobody ever bothered to check.
Just love the random new acts these reruns throw up. Never knew Peter Blake was a singer before his role on Dear John. Was he a genuine climber or just another cynical attempt to promote the rock'n'roll revival as an acceptable alternative to ABOTSOR? Also curious that Golden Earring's Radar Love should be hailed as a 'sound with a difference' bearing in mind it had been a Top 10 hit only four years earlier. Anyone know why it was back.in the charts. And respect to Giorgio Moroder - proof if anyone needed it that the real genius behind I Feel Love was not the vocalist...
Sorry for the very rushed and erroneous copy. I notice I'd wrongggly spelt three worms (upping the nate, indeed!) and forgot to delete my query if that was the last we'd see of Russell Stylistic's thousand yard stare. Still, you get the idea.
Just thought - was the clip of the bloke in Ram Jam with no instrument the invention of air guitar?
Can't wait to see Ralph Bates on TOTP 1978...
Another cracking episode I thought, quite like Ed Stewarts presenting - he seems quietly dignified.
The music really was changing now wasn't it, a lot of the influence coming from europe.
I'm starting to gear up for Wings now - getting my bagpipes at the ready for a 10 week scottish waltz fest - minus whatever episodes might be lost because of Jim'll Fist It.
Highlight for me was seeing Giorgio Moroder, er, maybe not his aftershave commercial chart photo, but the interview - that early in his career, and still everyone was asking about Donna. From Here to Eternity is a fantastic Eurodisco electropop album, highly recommended if only for the prime cheese of the track titles.
As for Donna, I think she looks really cute in that video, and at least she'd made one this time. IIRC the album it was from was supposed to be about different time periods, so I Feel Love was the future and I Remember Yesterday was the past.
Legs & Co: because when you think of Bob Marley you automatically think of square dancing.
Never made the connection between Peter Blake and the soft drinks ad, but now you mention it... Some really horrible lyrics there. Also some horrible lyrics from the Stylistics, apparently crooning an excuse for wife beating (and were the backing singers out of key?).
Ram Jam were probably better heard and not seen, and they would need a mile of extension cable even for that if this video was to be believed. Surely they were plugged in?
Golden Ian from Golden Earring wasn't going for the high notes for reasons best known to himself. Had he caught Tony's sore throat? Were Sore Throat ever on TOTP? Does anyone even remember Sore Throat? Is this thing on?
@jazzy_andy - I think Radar Love was back in the charts because it was re-released as a live version.
Which also might explain why it sounded like they could be playing live, because it didn't sound exactly like the very familiar studio version?
Shame they didn't allow Golden Earring's song to play to the end so we could see again the drummer's famous leap over the kit that he did on the original 1973 performance. But perhaps four years later he couldn't make it anymore.
Stewpot ? Dreadful,couldn't be more wooden.Hard to imagine a poorer presenter.Great show otherwise.
So we have Stewpot filling for Tony and doing it rather well.
Tony Blackburn says in his autobiography that he was at a low ebb at this point in his life. His wife had left him a year earlier and in September 1977, just before Radio One's Tenth Birthday, he was told that he would be moving from his morning show to the one in the afternoon. And he said that he had started taking valium to help him sleep and had become addicted to them. So the old 'losing his voice' reference may have been an excuse to give him some time off to get himself together. So like Major Tom, Tony was really in 'outer space' or so Ed seems to be hinting at by use of the spaceship.
My grandmother used to live near Tony Blackburn in the early 1970s and would say hello to him when she went past his flat in the mornings. When my brother and I visited her she would point out his flat in Cumberland Gate in Regents Park and I hoped that we would catch a glimpse of him but we never did.
The shirtless Giorgio rundown pic must be where George Lucas got the idea for Chewbacca. The pic of La Belle Epoque shows the lead singer looking a lot younger than she did in the flesh last week.
Don't remember this Rose Royce song at all but then it is very similar to Car Wash, more of a Jet Wash. but we have the wonderful trio of Wishing On A Star, Love don't Live Here Anymore and It Makes You Feel Like Dancing to come.
David Soul in downtown Santa Monica Bit unfortunate that when he shakes hands with the dude on the street the lyrics are saying "Double talkers and back street walkers at every turn". He's either saying the guy is a con man or a hooker. That's not very nice Dave.
I guess the outfits Legs and Co are wearing are supposed to be wedding outfits and Flick thought the song was about being jilted at the alter. Just an idea.
In the 1980s Pepsi employed The Jacksons to sell their product, but in 1977 they had to contend with little Peter Blake. He played an aging rock singer in an episode of Shoestring and was a lot more convincing in that than he is here where he looks like he's auditioning for Grease.
Ram Jam. The people in the background are more interesting than the band.
David Essex wearing a jacket made from British Rail seat covers. I though the girl in the crowd at the start (the one who narrowly misses getting run down by the crane camera) had had her hair done in the same style as Tony Blackburn (long at the back, short at the front) in tribute to the absent deejay.
The Stylistics started off well sounding a bit like Betcha By Golly Wow but lacked a decent chorus and they were a bit flat. They toured the UK in early 1978 with special guest Candi Staton.
The photos at the start of the Donna Summer video include the covers of two of her albums and the Winter Melody single - she was promoting her back catalogue - and looking like Pete Burns in the process.
Radar Love is one of the few chart hits that references another pop song, in this case 'Coming On Strong' by Brenda Lee. The lead singer reminded me of fee Waybill from The Tubes.
Watching these shows has made me realise what a difficult song Way Down is to dance to, no one knows what to do in the slow bits.
Following on from Paul Whitehouse last week Giorgio looked like another Fast Show character. Seemed quite shy and not at all like I expected him to be. Wonder what he made of Stewpot?
As already stated Radar Love was on a live EP, and they'd performed it twice on the show in December 1973. It's far from unusual for big hit singles to receive a second go around this time - in fact in a few weeks we'll see the reissue of a top ten single from five years previously.
I don't think I've ever seen Moroder interviewed before, either then or now. Surely if he was in the country the label could have thrown together a pretend band.
I plead guilty to living in Utopia during that edition, I thought it was one of the better of the recent editions we've had, and Stewpot made a better job introducing it than his previously seen outing.
Some of the tracks seemed to get cut short this week, and the show raced along as a result but I hope we get longer versions as we go though the next few editions.
The show got off to a good start with a piece of superior funk from Rose Royce, and how nice it was to see the lovely Gwen Dickey as lead vocalist. As Bamaboogiewoogie has already pointed out though, their finest hour is yet to come.
I rememebred that David Soul video as soon as I saw it, at least we got to see him this time around. Silver Lady, his third hit, and the resulting album, Playing To An Audience of One, led him to getting voted the best male vocalist of 1977, Silver Lady's follow up, Let's Spend a Quiet Night in, and 1978's It Sure Brings Out The Love In Your Eyes, were relative flops compared to his '77 output, after which Soul never troubled the UK charts again.
That Peter Blake thing was instantly recognisable too, but for some reason I thought it was from a Cresta ad not Pepsi, how the memory plays tricks sometimes.
Ram Jam, great track, as is Golden Earring's Radar Love. Much prefer the 1973 performance though, odd that Stewpot didn't mention it was a reissue though.
I love(ed) The Stylistics, Although at this point in their careers well past their best, which of course was between 1971 to '74 when they were recording with Thom Bell. I can still listen to their earlier albums and enjoy them, but their stuff with Hugo and Luigi I mostly find lacks soul. The album from which I Plead Guilty is taken, Sun and Soul, is certainly not their best.
Elvis on his last week at number one, got fed up of that now, I'll be saying that in a few weeks time when David Soul's had his little run there.
Good to see Giorgio Moroder being interviewed properly for a toppo presenter,and then his sublime, top disco track, From Here To Eternity on the playout, by then I was in Utopia, wonder if we'll get a bit more of it on the later edition?
I wonder if the reason Giorgio Moroder and (apparently, on the lost episode) Jean Michel Jarre were only interviewed is cos it would be too complex, at the time, to re-record their tracks for performance. Same with ABBA a bit, I often wonder if they stopped going on cos they wanted the viewers to hear the finished, polished production (on the video) rather than a possibly substandard Top Of The Pops version.
Ed's hosting duties seemed very perfunctory - safe pair of hands, no jokes, just announce the acts and get on with it. His closing "byeee!" was marvellous. They should have kept him on just for that every week.
Stewpot certainly was a lot slicker than his last appearance though you'd imagine he'd do a better job with his telly experience. Of course he found out he'd been fired from Crackerjack when someone from the Mirror phoned up and asked him for his reaction, and when he said it was the first he'd heard of it, the hack passed the phone over to Robin Nash, who he was having a drink with, who apologised for having forgotten to tell him.
I note the highest-placed British artist in the chart is Elkie Brooks at number ten, no wonder they're having such trouble getting acts in the studio. I'd seen David Essex' guitarist before and spent ages pondering what other band he was in, only to realise we'll see him again soon as part of the fantastic Yellow Dog.
Ram Jam are a rum looking band. I liked the way just before the lyrics how the singer and the fat Freddie Mercury on bass appear to be smacking their buttocks together. The other guitarist is having a whale of a time. The singer looks a right tit, especially when he lifts the guitar up. What difference does that make to the sound?
Never mind Peter Blake doing the Pepsi ad song, I'd have paid good money to see someone in a Cresta Bear outfit singing the "Teddy Bear" rip-off "It's Frothy, Man".
I reckon the late great Ralph Bates would've performed some malanacholy heart string tugging ballad on TOTP given the chance. Don't get me started on the crap US remake of "Dear John" which was shown over here, though Judd Hirsch did hangdog roles very well.
@Arthur: Thunderbird 6 was a biplane, as seen in that blockbuster, er, Thunderbird 6.
Ralph Bates' finest hour was as the doc in Dr Jekyll and Sister Hyde. Either that or getting seduced by Yutte Stensgaard in Lust for a Vampire - they should have released the song Strange Love by "Tracy" from that movie, that would have been a memorable TOTP appearance.
Thx, THX. I didn't realise there was a Thunderbird 6! That's why I gave the robot what I thought was a fictional number. Not my only error - once again, my lack of Spelchek affected my last post. "Malanacholy?"
I had to look up Yutte Stensgaard to see what she looked like. Bloody Hell, that was a tough gig for Ralph. I bet he made several forced errors to have the seduction scene re-shot over and over!
Ooh look - it's Vernon Kay's Dad! (with his fingertip mic-technique that was later adopted by 'Old Matey' from Spandau Ballet)
ROSE ROYCE – Do Your Dance
Guitarist sporting possibly the greatest afro in history - good work that man!
BOB MARLEY & THE WAILERS – Waiting In Vain
The Legs routine revolving around the controversial "I've just dropped one - here, have a waft" move. This isn't what they call Bogling, is it?
PETER BLAKE – Lipsmackin’ Rock ‘N’ Rollin’
Now the King is dead, THIS crawls out of the woodwork (Shakin' Stevens furiously taking notes at home).
Not tempted by his slightly unsavoury offer to 'Check under his hood' I must say (doesn't look like there's much of it anyway!)
RAM JAM – Black Betty
Oh this is the Business! All blokes watching suddenly perk up. Cracking guitar too (bird's eye maple?) - What a bobby dazzler! Pirate on Bass.
Hey, Don't fade it out now - AWWW!
THE STYLISTICS – I Plead Guilty
Yes Headphones bloke - we can see you.
The days of this sort of thing (velvet bowties!) must be numbered, surely - How long before the 'Punk virus' finishes them off?
Definitely one for the ladies - Can't see many blokes 'digging' this.
GIORGIO – From Here To Eternity
Sporting possibly the greatest moustache in history!
Was anything cut from this? - It seemed VERY short, but had a full playout at the end.
NOTE: Writing this while watching the show and prior to reading any other post including Simon's main one. So I'm not being Dim asking questions that have been answered before.
Starts with a Dr Who ship (Although I'm a big Who fan off the top of my head beggered If I remember what it's from, think it was a Pertwee, maybe Frontier in Space, I'm sure I'm wrong and it's a contempery Tom Baker Ship - Ok stop talking Who and get back on subjet...)
JMJ doesn't fit the Rundown
Hang on wasn't Car wash a hit a while back, Oh it's changed... I wonder if she ever hit herself in the eye with her beads, Quality afro on the Guitarist but to be honest a middling track from Rose Royce. Was that Avon from Blakes 7 in the front of shot at the end (oh great another Sci-fi reference!).
Nice link into David Soul's video, the American version of Leo's Thunder video at first - that poor VW - One of those songs that improves with age.
Heavy editing on this show
Legs & co Skank it up to Bob Marley or not as the case may be...Another of those that if you took off the soundtrack and tried to guess what they were doing the last thing you'd suggest was Wait in Vain!.
Isn't that him from Dear john (well in a few years) - Is it a spoof?, Sounds like Greased Lightning which isn't out yet (the film, was it in the play?) - CRAP but the lipsmackin bit reminds me of a Pepsi thing so is this ANOTHER Drink ad song! Avon's there again1
Happy 10th R 1&2!
Ram Jam - Great stuff - never seen the video before - Hang on, why is the one at the back just jigging about without an instrument, thought he would take the vocal but nope doesn't get a close up in the short extract!. Looks like Russell Mael from Sparks too. Always now put's me in mind of the film 'Kung-Pow'.
Essex is back (as is Avon behind Stewpot)- Awful jacket. Not one of his best songs seems a bit strained in the middle section. An artist I dig but his output can be varied. Nice Christmas tree shaped Bass.
the pan to the stylistics reveals a few bit of backround movement and the first crownd shot show the people wandering in shot from I presume the Essex area and a Cameraman.
Which is more interesting than the bland Stylistics - Cleveland Brown on vocals and one of the backing vocalists looks like a black DLT...OK not much good to say on that, sorry.
Donna summer - Making a Top hat and Tails look GREAT!Was this an attempt to 'De-sex' her ala Elvis doing Hound Dog on Steve Allens show there by making her more mainstream?.
Golden Earing - Is this a Re-issue, think it came out around 74 first, classic track. The drummer's in A Bruce Lee GOD suit. Thinking on wasn't there a live GE LP around this time, is it a live single?
Elvis - Only 2 Leg's this time. Much the same as ever Still's of the King on the Toppertron, crowd Jigging and and as I say just the 3 legs this time. notice the back ground people in the shots.
Giorgio get's a live in studio reaction - Till they mentioned Donna Summer didn't guess who it was! - playout to his track which is quite pleasant.
And there you have it!
I can read the rest now!
There was something positive about the newsnight investigation into Sir Jim being dropped last year. We would have been denied seeing the 14/4/77, 12/5/77 & 23/6/77 TOTP episodes. A bit callous I know but so what. BTW with all the clips being shown of him puffing away on massive cigars I'm surprised people aren't also blaming him for causing global warming.
daf: From start to Nash's name fading away was 27:14. Perhaps it's that sort of precise editing down that encourages the show to go for eleven songs (plus countdown and playout) in a few weeks.
Re Moroder, a few people wondered why Stewpot only referred to him by his forename but as you see from the still that was what he went under for now as a recording artist. I'm also assured that the glasses, nose and tache were real and didn't come as a Groucho Marx-style all in one novelty. It wasn't until much later that he'd make Brian Glover go a bit funny.
That Giorgio photo wouldn't have looked out of place in one of the spoof Diddy Hamilton chart rundowns. Didn't realise his real first name is Hansjörg (Giorgio, I mean, not Diddy, though Hansjörg Hamilton does have a ring to it).
... and as others have pointed out, her was surely the model for Micky Disco from The Fast Show.
Even more ersatz rock'n'roll in the top 50 this week back then, with a new entry at 49 for Pratt and McLean with "Happy Days", which stopped one shy of a rundown photo (or, as we must call them from now on, a 'Giorgio').
- or even "he"! And was anybody else thinking "prototype Kings of Leon" during Ram Jam?
I didn't remember "Radar Love" being reissued, live version or otherwise, but it was cruelly cut short so we missed that lovely meaty drum solo and the instrumental buildup to the bit where the singer jumps from the drumkit. Classic track, showing those Hank the Knife types that the continentals really could cut it. Sometimes.
(Arthur, thanks for your tale of shouting "W#nker" when Danny Mirror's picture was shown during the chart rundown, a real coffee-on-the-keyboard moment.)
I'm a Sci-Fi geek too but couldn't identify the spaceship.
It looks like something from Space 1999, in which case it could have also been reused in Doctor Who as they bought a job lot of old Gerry Anderson props in the early 70s. So you could be right, Zygon!
Rose Royce - I see they're making up for not appearing before by putting roses everywhere to emphasise what they're called. In which case we should be thankful David Soul never turned up and followed the same path, no-one wants to see a Dover Sole flapping around by the mic.
Which segues nicely into..
David Soul - A few weeks ago I thought that the video was David 'wandering around in the desert'. Well, I got the first bit right. Definitely more glamorous than Leo's effort in the same vein, but whoever owns that VW Beetle should be ashamed, look at the huge dent in the side!
Legs & Co - Hmmm...did they think they were doing a Country & Western number this week, and then it changed at the last minute?
Good old Stewpot - no groping from him, he's a professional.
Peter Blake - Straight away, the first thing that came into my head was "Any sexual problems?". I didn't recognise the Pepsi connection at all to be honest, even though Simon sort of flagged it up beforehand. It was alright I suppose.
Ram Jam - Now this is proper rock'n'roll Peter!
What a great tune, and nice to see an young Robert Webb on vocals there in one of his comedy character guises. Shame they cut it off, but Ram Jam are available for Garden Fetes, Barbecues and Jumble Sales everywhere I'm told.
Stylistics - Costume choice inspired by the GWR colour scheme by the looks of it (that's the old railway company, not the old radio station)
Song choice inspired by their own back catalogue, and not one of their good ones sadly.
Donna Summer - Well...that's different. I'm not sure what else to say, it's such an odd song. I think it could grow on me though.
Golden Earring - One of those 'rock classics' that I never really got. This wasn't in the Dutch chart that was posted, but surely even this re-release must have been Number 1 for about 10 weeks?!
Elvis - There was a spare podium there in the 2 shot+Toppotron, why was nobody on it?
They could've invited Peter Blake back as a pretend Elvis to stand on it.
Giorgio - A proper interview - what's the world coming to?
Glad he kept the chest wig under wraps anyway, and didn't Stewpot always used to go 'Byeeeee!' at the end of Junior Choice or did I imagine that?
Rose Royce - did the 80s shoulder pads start here?
Legs and Co - what was the set supposed to be? The Batcave?
Peter Blake - if this had been April 1st....
Ram Jam - who was the 'dude' dancing in the background?
Stylistics - don't remember this one at all. Was it me (or my tele), or were the backing vocals a bit out of tune?
Golden Earring - struggled with the vocals a bit...
And finally, I thought Giorgio looked like Freddy Mercury's long lost brother.
Dont know the name of the spaceship model stewpot was holding up,but it was made by matt irvine ,there is a picture of it on his smallspace website http://www.smallspace.demon.co.uk/
Surely Giorgio Moroder was Steve Wright?
Was the early episode edited? They kept cutting the songs off early.
No reference to what that model is on Mat Irvine's website, though in design and livery it looks remarkably similar to the Moonbase 3 models to me...
Giorgio called himself by his first name on his FHT Eternity follow up E=MC2 album too, but was using his surname on his soundtrack work like Midnight Express (and Brian Glover's fave, Electric Dreams). It's not that difficult to pronounce, is it?
I also like the way he would point out on his solo LP covers that only electronic instruments were used in their making. Was that where Phil Oakey got the idea from for his early liner notes?
Both episodes looked the same length to me, my Sky Planner said both were 34 minutes.
Mr Soul looked like he was keen to get away from the dude shaking his hand - who I think was just saying "I've seen you on the telly, my man."
Weren't the videos particularly naff back then, I thought David was going to start singing at the beginning, and I thought he was on a Chopper pushbike at first.
Preferred the original version of Radar Love, was it a different vocalist ?
Ram Jam - how can you film that in an average back garden and make it look good ?
Which two Legs were doing (the same) dance to Elvis ?
Only two mildy funny incidents on the floor this week - man in the headphones looking bemused, and someone ducking down when the camera came there way.
Stewpot was a card wasn't he ? Can't believe someone like that was a national Radio 1 DJ - byeeeeeeee indeed !
Still current TV highlight of the week for me - I do hope they carry on with the 1978 episodes, dodgy DJ's and all ...
The spaceship is linked to the moonbase in Kubrick's film 2001.
The design is a variant of the Discovery spaceship, which travels to Jupiter. On the SmallSpace website, the ship carries the name Clavius, the name of the moonbase (from the Clavius crater). The Aries moonhopper is similar again.
The design was later recycled for the moonbuggy in Star Cops.
I think Moroder sounds better than Giorgio as an artist's name.
Now That's What I Call Music - music wit' nowt teken owt...
There's a mixed reaction to Donna's "I remember yesterday" this week. As far as I know, it's the only official pop video Donna did in the 1970s. Why she didn't even do a quick lip-synch to "I feel love" given how it was hitting number 1 all over the world except the USA (or even wander around Hollywood Boulevard a bit for the cameras) I don't know!
Anyway, I love "I remember yesterday", heard best in its full version just shy of 5 minutes, but actually heard best still in the context of the LP of the same name that it's taken from.
I remember yesterday (1940s) is segued into Love's Unkind (1950s) and Back in Love Again (1960s) before a reprise of IRY. That 15 minutes or so comprises the whole of Side 1.
Then on Side 2, you have three records from the 1970s (Black Lady, Take me, Can't we just sit down and talk it over). The first two are hardly known, but are real dancefloor stompers with some wonderful wah-wah, and among my favourites from Donna's vast back-catalogue. The third track is a ballad, which was the B-side of...
I feel love was the 1980s, as someone mentioned earlier on - a prediction of the future. In fact, I think they sold themselves short, due to the way dance music was shunned in much of that decade; to me I feel love is more like the 1990s!
And of course Can't We Just Sit Down And Talk it Over was covered by David Soul on His Playing To An Audience... album, both tracks recorded as ballads, and both well suited to the vocal talents of each.
I hope people take the trouble to read through all the comments on this blog, I always do and learn a lot from it. There's Arthur's bubbling under chart stats and now Mike's sci-fi snippets. This blog deserves to win an award.
@Fuller - The show can't have been 34 mins, Simon's already established that it's just over 27 although I'm sure we all wish it was 7 mins longer perhaps then they wouldn't have cut so many of the songs ridiculously short.
@THX - Giogio in an aftershave commercial. Come again! Which part of him is shaved? He's covered in hair/fur!
I've been humming that Donna Summer song all day, damn you Giorgio 'Chewbacca' Moroder and your infections melodies.
Golden Earring's single was a double A side - Just Like Vince Taylor (Live) / Radar Love (Live) but just like The Deroit Emeralds instead of playing the new song (in their case Throwing A good Love Away) TOTP chose to promote the old hit but it stalled at no 44. But it didn't work in their native Holland either, it only spent one week in the Top 30 at number 30.
Interesting that Oxygene was already no 4 in the UK. Here's the French Top 30 Singles from October 26th 1977 where Oxygene is only no 14 (up from 24 last week).
1 A Neige Sur Yesterday marie laforet
2 Un Petit Rainbow sylvie vartan
3 Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood santa esmeralda
4 un amiGerard Lenorman
5 don't play that song Adriano Celentano
6 j'aimeMichelle Torr
7 ma bakerboney m
8 Mon Amour Est Comme Le Soleil Enrico Macias
9 way down elvis presley
10 La Java De Broadway michel sardou
11 oh lori alessi
12 Ainsi Soit Il demis roussos
13 Yes Sir I Can Boogie baccara
14 oxygene iv Jean Michel Jarre
15 black is black la Belle Epoque
16 La Derniere Seance eddy mitchell
17 C'est Comme Ca Qu'on S'est Aimes claude francois
18 Y'a D'la Rumba Dans L'air alain souchon
19 Ballade Pour Adeline richard claydeman
20 Salma Ya Salama dalida
21 Toi Et Le Soleil claude francois
22 ettre a france Michel Polnareff
23 silver lady david soul
24 From New York To L.A. patsy gallant
25 Y'en A Marre Du Quotidien joel dayde
26 Pense A Moi eric charden
27 exodus bob marley & the wailers
28 Love me babySheila B Devotion
29 Rockcollection laurent voulzy
30 i feel love donna summer
Talking about the length of the show, I always record the longer late night version. I was committing the later version to my DVD Hard Drive early this evening when just as the title credits were about to end my Sky+ decided the programme was over, ending Giorgio's track in mid playout, I was annoyed to say the least, hopefully Saturday's late night showing won't end the same way.
Thanks for that French chart, Bama. Richard Clayderman, the French Bobby Crush! Santa Esmerelda taking over another country! Being lazy here, sorry, but who was recently after the French charts from Radio Luxembourg, mainly to chart the progress of "Stardance" by John Forde? If it wasn't you, Bama, could you help?
Vince Taylor, as mentioned in the Golden Earring single - now, if I've got this right, wasn't he a hugely popular rock'n'roll singer in France whose backing band was called The Playboys?
Even though this week's episode featured the mighty Ram Jam and wonderful Golden Earring, nothing (NOTHING!) could compete with that storming Rose Royce performance at the start - all downhill after that!
Welcome back Simon!
An awful lot of 'what the fuckery?' about this episode, although all mostly enjoyable. I can only add the following:
What do you mean 'not THAT Peter Blake'? THAT was exactly the Peter Blake that sprung to mind. Never knew he'd been a singer...
A masterclass in 'will this do?' from Flick this week. There's plenty of Legs routines I'll go back and watch again, not this one though.
Highlight of the Stylistics song came from Mrs Applejack. As the chorus came to an end, she carried on with her crochet and muttered "you weaselly c*nt"
Good songs too from Donna Summer, Ram Jam and Golden Earring, and I quite like Silver Lady too, though might get fed up with it soon. Thought Rose Royce were a little so-so. And early 70s David Essex is my man-crush - still just about holding it into the late 70s.
'THAT Peter Blake' was the artist who designed the sleeve of 'Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'.
Thanks Mike for the Spaceship detail :)
This Blog is home to Nerd Power! (The best kind of power).
(P.S. I am a Nerd on Music, Dr. Who, Bruceplotation, Brit sexplotation and so much more so I take Nerd to be a high compliment, which is how I offer it)
Bruce Lee or Bruce Forsyth? ;-)
@Bamaboogiewoogie: I have it on good authority that Giorgio shaves his legs. Ah, not really, you make a good point, I should have written cologne.
Which is 'The' Peter Blake is obviously an age thing :-)
Rose Royce - was surprised to see this proper bit of unadulterated, underground (from a pop chart point of view) disco/funk live on TOTP - they must have been over here on tour at the time. Brass Construction type horns - the lot up - great opener.
David Soul - haven't seen video for 35 years but remembered it straight away - obviously didn't understand him saying no to the drug dealer before.
Peter Blake - remember this advert like it was yesterday. Bit like the advert from around the same time for Golden Wonder 'Rock 'n' Rollers' crisps except that was more heavy metal rock n roll going by the bloke in the advert.
Peter Blake (who can be forgiven anything for his performances as Kirk St Moritz in 'Dear John')had a haircut which had the full rock n roll quiff but obviously being the mid-70s he'd been a bit unsure about having it cut shorter on the sides as so had it sort of hitched up and hanging on the ears.
Love the Stylistics but the post-hit stuff (after they lost Hugo & Luigi)like this doesn't sound too special.
Donna Summer - don't like this at all - someone above said this was a 1940s sound - surely more like 1920's in style. Incidentally David Soul did a similar track on one of his albums called '1927 Kansas City' which was more midtempo but had the same '20s jazz sound.
Giorgio From 'Here To Eternity' part 3 of the mighty triumverate coming from the future along with JMJ and Space (plus Cerrone a few months before)and then not much if anything until Tubeway Army in 1979!
wow - over 50 entries before i get around to adding anything (although i did have internet connection problems this week)...
i actually bought the rose royce LP "in full bloom" that this came from - sadly like many funky disco albums though, mostly a lot of second-rate samey-sounding filler... and a waste of a fiver!
peter blake also starred in the excellent late-70's euston films crime serial "out" as a jack-the-lad type that he later parodied in "dear john" - talking of which, why is that (or "citizen smith") never given a run on the telly when "only fools and horses" is repeated ad nauseum?
i remember that donna summer's "i remember yesterday" was a real let down after the magnificence of "i feel love" with it's naff dixieland horns - i haven't heard it since the day it left the charts, but it still sounds just as twee as it did back then...
i can't remember the giorgio track, although it did sound extremely similar to abba's "summer night city" - did the man alert his brief?
Wilberforce, I can only think the lack of "Dear John" or "Citizen Smith" (two more John Sullivan classic comedies) is due to one of the actors, or the estate of one of the deceased actors, refusing to allow screening for personal or repeat fee reasons.
Aaaaah, 'out'.....Frank Ross is Out
Ooh - since I don't get the chance to drop this name very often, does anyone remember a Manchester band called "The Out"? Their guitarist George Borowski was a friend of my mum's, and was also the very "Guitar George" (who knows all the chords) namechecked in "Sultans of Swing". Nowt to do with TOTP, but a minor claim to fame!
arthur: with regard to tv programmes not being repeated due to contractual problems, apparently martin shaw blocked screenings of "the professionals for many years as he thought it lightweight and blighting his aspirations to be taken seriously as an ac-tor, but eventually relented when informed that gordon jackson's widow was on her uppers and could do with the repeat royalties...
maybe robert lindsey has stopped "citizen smith" being screened for the same reason? however, if so i'm afraid both he and shaw still fall into what i call the "del-boy" syndrome despite their best efforts to escape typecasting - others who qualify include david jason (obviously), john thaw (he'll always be regan to me) and trevor eve (shoestring) - can anyone think of any others?
There was a repeat run of Citizen Smith on BBC1 a few years ago. I assume all that's happened is it's slipped between the cracks of being well admired but not greatly loved as a national treasure in the Dad's Army-Porridge-Fawlty-OFAH sense (see also: Open All Hours, To The Manor Born, Ever Decreasing Circles)
Anyway, let me briefly hijack this for requests, probably with the same lack of success as all my other requests. The week after next is a Sky At Night break (yeah, I know, I know) and what's occurred to me is it's Channel 4's thirtieth birthday on the 2nd November and if they're not going to celebrate it I'll have to. So, suggestions please for great musical moments in C4 history, preferably those to be found on YouTube.
how about some repeats of "the tube" and "the word"? they never get shown either these days despite c4's subsidiary freeview channels that would be ideal for that purpose. i remember racing home on my motorbike on fridays just so i could get back in time to watch the tube and leave another week of hellish drudgery at work behind...
As-expected early mentions fornToy Dolls doiing "Nellie The Elephant" and the clip of the prototype Frankie ("two gays, two strights, two girls - something for everyone").
The chart rundown to "Oxygene" - fantastique!! Strange how Magic Fly & Oxygene IV sat next to each in the charts, and 35 years they still both sound like two of the best instrumentals of all time, pure magic! Factor in From Here To Eternity, and it seems "the future" had well & truly arrived.
Leaving out Black Betty & Radar Love, the rest of the show was decidedly forgettable. The last quarter of 1977 was mainly excellent chart-wise - though sadly we'll be deprived of two more cracking shows (plus the 13/10/77 which isn't that great by the look of it).
The last two Savile-helmed TOTP's were shown on UK Gold in 1993 though, and are "in circulation".
Incidently, as an aside - if you think this SJS hysteria has a peculiar stench about it (and it is certainly casting a shadow over the show and threatening all future repeats), take a look at parts 4 & 5 of this blog. Charade is the word that springs to mind http://www.annaraccoon.com/politics/past-lives-and-present-misgivings-part-five/?replytocom=66166
Three Channel 4 music moments that sprung to mind:
Robert Plant on Wired, claiming Kylie's I Should Be So Lucky is a football chant and to demonstrate singing it in a rendition of Tall Cool One (this IS on YT).
The Chart Show picking Anita Dobson's Talking of Love as the worst video of 1988, the vid's on YT but not in its Chart Show form. Though you can see what they mean, that's some aggressive cheeriness right there.
The bassist from Westworld on a Network 7 episode about phobias claiming to be scared of celery. Imagine's Les on Vic Reeves' Big Night Out and his chives hangup, only real. And with celery. The fact this isn't on YT is a great source of sorrow for the world.
When there was an embargo on them using videos for The chart Show Channel 4 made up some shows called Rewind where they used old clips from ITV and C4 shows. There were some real gems there. They should show them all.
Plus I remember seeing an episode of Jonathon Ross' chat show The Last Resort circa 1988. One of his guests was Billy Bragg but after he had performed an unnamed black singer jumped up on stage and started singing a reggae song. don't know who he was or what the song was called but I'd love to see that show again.
@Chris - if you like electronic music you would want to see the 13/10/77 show for John Forde doing Star Dance (you can hear it on YouTube along with Don't You Know Who Did It). Both superb electro pop tracks.
A mate of mine had videos of (mostly) Chart Show stuff from 1988-1991 which became cult viewing at University.
He bequeathed his collection to me when he went to live in America.
Therefore, although a fair bit of its life was on ITV, I'd love to see some Chart Show stuff. Due to EMI among others being ****s though, it looks like you'll struggle to find any on YouTube!
My all-time favourite Chart Show moments are the worst videos of 1989 and 1990 ('I can't get no Edelweiss' by Edelweiss and 'Crazy for you' by David Hasselhoff) and one moment from 1988 where for some bizarre reason they did the rundown from 10-2 as usual, then did the rewind effect all the way back to.......Climie Fisher at Number 2.
Well...it amused me anyway.
The highlight of this show was Black Betty by Ram Jam. it still sounds awesome today, and a pity that we couldn't see more of the video, and if the next Jimmy Saville edition is not showed where the video has it's second showing, then we are only left with a Legs & Co routine to this song on it last airing.
Ah, The Chart Show. Now your talkin' nostalgia...
Remember once when I was 17, idly watching the 'Chemical World' video from Blur and proclaiming "They're going nowhere!"
Well, given that it was an absolutely abysmal single (can't say I remember the video) I don't think that opinion was entirely unwarranted!
I used to love the made-up graphics for the songs that didn't have videos, Afro Dizzi Act by Cry Sisco and Straight From The Heart by Doolally (first release) being ones that stuck around in the dance chart forever!
The great 'Afro Dizzi Act' one of the few records that was massive on the Acid House Scene in both 1988 and 1989 - THE sound of the M25 parties for me. And made by early 70s pop star Barry Blue!Probably complete lack of understanding and therefore by Radio 1 stopped it being a big pop hit too.
There's a piece on Tony Blackburn's addiction to valium from The Daily Mail (from 2007) here:
[link]http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-484621/Hedonism-addiction-300-nights-stands--confessions-Tony-Blackburn.html[/link]
This must be from when he released his autobiography. It's interesting that when Radio One was 10 years old, Tony was moved to the afternoons signalling the beginning of the end of his career at the station. No wonder he took to drugs.
ANOTHER SHOW TO LOOK FORWARD TO TONIGHT ALAS NEXT WEEK THE SKY AT NIGHT RUINS THE RUN WEEK FOR WEEK WE ARE BACK TO A MONTH BEHIND INCLUDING THE JS EPISODE POOR SHOW HAVE IT ON EVERY WEEK WITHOUT A BREAK COME ON ITV DO IT WITH CHEERS,SWEENY ETC THEY ALWAYS HAVE IT ON TRY TREATING WHAT WAS THEN THE NUMBER ONE SHOW WITH MORE RESPECT 1978 SHOULD BE GOOD WITH MORE BOOMTOWN RATS BLONDIE THIN LIZZY CHRIS REA JILTED JOHN YVONNE ELLEMAN TOM ROBINSON FOREIGNER BLACK SABBATH ETC KEEP IT UP GET BACK ON TRACK FOR THE 1978 EPISODES WATCH THE RATINGS GO HIGHER
It's not my fault.
OK, Ram Jam. Since you've asked, I've rummaged around the internet to find the following. Naturally, I may have made some mistakes.
In the video, left to right: Myke Scavone (lead vocals), Bill Bartlett (lead guitar), Pete Charles (drums), Howie Blauvelt (bass), Jimmy Santoro (rhythm guitar).
Completely manufactured by New York bubblegum-pop producers Jeff Katz and Jerry Kasenetz, to mine the Generic Commercial Hard Rock market.
1976, Ohio: Bartlett (lead vocals & guitar) & his band Starstruck recorded his arrangement of Lead Belly song Black Betty, formed their own label TruckStar and released the single. To nothing.
Kasenetz & Katz hire Bartlett (to get the song) and team him with New York/New Jersey veterans Scavone, Charles & Blauvelt to create Ram Jam.
1977: Record album Ram Jam taking half the songs from Bartlett and half from covers of existing songs (New York bands maybe).
The Starstruck recording of Black Betty has a couple of verses swapped out (with unused verses from original recording maybe) and is the first track on the album. Edited down, it's released as the single with the original Starstruck B-side.
With Santoro added, Ram Jam tour. Hence the video: Scavone, the lead singer on all tracks except the recorded Black Betty, has nothing to do.
1978: Ram Jam record second album Portrait of the Artist as a Young Ram, with Santoro on lead guitar, Bartlett on rhythm guitar. At some point, Bartlett returns to Ohio. Majority of songs from engineer Steve Goldman, co-written with Santoro, nothing from Bartlett. Album released to nothing.
Ram Jam disband.
Apparently, the Starstruck original of Black Betty, here, was never reissued.
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