Ooh, look who's charted! Hope they're on soon!
Meco of previous post discussion fame gets the original drawn poster for Star Wars, dully.
Smokie – Needles And Pins
Feels like they're on every other week with something new, so obviously they'd be down to covers eventually. And roughly seventy seconds in audience member of the week is decided:
Imagine being on the bus to the studio wearing that. Even if it's made out of crepe paper it must still weigh a bit. Not that we're looking for distractions from this fairly straight and anaemic cover of the Searchers hit but VT have bought some new edit equipment in the week that creates rainbow-edged radial and diagonal wipes, the former used in conjunction with fish-eye and that through the bottom of a bottle effect we saw last time Smokie were on, probably not coincidentally. Alan Barton is the only member not on a riser. Certain issues?
The Emotions – Best Of My Love
A return to stealing from Soul Train's bins with all the actually dancing audience members that implies and in doing so shows up our lot somewhat. It's hard to decide who's best - a couple off stage left are doing a very kind of straight-legged foot-in-foot-out routine with both extending their arms out straight while somehow still touching fingers. A gent in a powder blue suit right at the front is bending from the waist. A man stage right is spinning every fourth step. The band meanwhile only take the mikes out of their stands just as they finish. Should have thought about that one.
Danny Mirror – I Remember Elvis Presley
Of course you do, he only died seven weeks ago and you've already been in the top 30 for three. Crooning Dutch grief hawker Danny, like so many, looks a bit like Keith Lemon by way of Mike Flowers, and is wearing a jacket with massive fringed bits and an immense number of shiny buttons on the shoulders with an Elvis T-shirt underneath. The audience are stunned into silence. Noel isn't stunned into silence by the demands of his job but from the way he glances over to the stage he looks about ready to say something.
Giorgio – From Here To Eternity
Noel suggests we get the Christmas decorations out, though what the one down Legs & Co are holding is clearly some sort of mass of shiny streamers. The reason I can't be any more accurate is the whole routine is in silhouette with a projected extreme close-up backdrop, which isn't really reflecting the futuristic nature of the record, electro years ahead of its time, and also fools those who look out for their favourite every week. One of them's Gill. Probably. They do look like they're giving it plenty in terms of energy and exuberance, it's just we can't tell for sure.
Yes – Wondrous Stories
Punk killed prog off in 1977, you know. A live performance video, Jon Anderson clad in an oversized dishcloth, most of the others in adapted Edwardian gear.
Deniece Williams – Baby, Baby My Love's All For You
A lovely lady, according to Noel. No staircase this time so she gets to move about, which for her means sticking one arm in the air and turning round. As the orchestra prove yet again they can ride a coach and horses right through disco if they so choose, sadly Hat Lady looks bored in a sea of interest, turning away from the stage when we catch her. Her friend is wearing a blue beret and what looks like the same top as Jon Anderson, oddly.
The Stranglers – No More Heroes
There's not even that much dry ice down JJ's side of the stage.
Baccara – Yes Sir I Can Boogie
Noel polls two interested ladies on how to pronounce what seems a fairly straightforward name, revealing some thought it was "Bacc-arer". "I thought it was the Osmonds meself!" chortles Noel to no reciprocation. They already did this once on the show and told you in the first verse too.
Steve Gibbons Band – Tupelo Mississippi Flash
Say this for Noel, he gets the audience involved, first chiding them on making noise around him and then sharing reading out the title duties with two women. It's another song about Elvis, one Gibbons, who somehow looks even more craggy than before, begins with some spoken word before falling into rock and roll line. The bassist is wearing a gas station cap and overalls, supposedly signifying trad working man identification. It probably isn't his own.
David Soul – Silver Lady
"Smile! Alright, don't overdo it" Noel commands a whole line of ladies, in his sharp suit looking briefly like a dressed down, swapped sexes version of the Parallel Lines cover. Soul wanders around as before, Leo Sayer sees us out, and in the middle a very strange moment with Noel and a single, unidentified older woman. "Now Kim, tell me about the brand new single you... oh, sorry, we don't have time, we'll find out about that later... she's livid, but it was only a joke. Bye bye." What? How? Why?
48 comments:
SMOKIE – Needles And Pins
One of the mysteries of these repeats, for me, is the regular appearances by Smokie - doing just enough to get on with each new single (none of which I can remember a single note of). That said, 'Old Matey' the singer always seems to have a big old grin on his face, and they're clearly having a great time.
Were they tremendously popular at the time? They never crop up on documentaries about Seventies pop like Slade and Status Quo do . . . (and Gary Glitter used to).
DANNY MIRROR – I Remember Elvis Presley
Aside from the buttons, squinting at his jacket, I can discern tiny lightbulbs poking out of his sleeves, I await the exciting unveiling of the 'Mirror Illuminations' in vain - Come on, switch them on - It's what he would have wanted!
YES – Wondrous Stories
Up Yours Punks!
DENIECE WILLIAMS – Baby, Baby My Love’s All For You
Woah! What's that hat in the audience - some sort of Bo Peep pantomime costume?
STEVE GIBBONS BAND – Tupelo Mississippi Flash
Overly enthusiastic floor manager here - what's he up to at the end? Stop fussing man!
I endured rather than enjoyed this edition, For a start, Noel was way off his game, two of my three faves in the show were cut off in their prime, plus one bloke I wish had been cut off way before his, and one of two cash-ins to boot. Confused?
Oh dear, unmeant but cringeworthy. “You can have any colour chart you want so long as it’s black” says Noel. Cut to the rundown where the first two acts ARE black. The PC police will come knocking soon, Noel.
Dear God, not the house band again! In those days, Smokie were on TOTP a damn sight more times a year than any DJ. The crowd’s headgear was far more interesting than that insipid cover of a cover, The Searchers having been known to knock off US hits and have the UK hit versions. Bad timing by Chris to grin inanely to the group during the line “the tears I gotta hide”.
Now, much more like it. I love “Best Of My Love”, loved the outfits and enjoyed the better-than-Legs&Co choreography. I saw The Emotions once at one of those 1970’s/80’s retro disco shows – they were on with Rose Royce, The Pointer Sisters and Shalamar. Get in! Really glad this was a “Soul Train” clip and Pearson didn’t get the chance to ruin this imperial tune.
When it finished I went for a deliberate pi$$ break, the first time I’ve done that in this re-run. Anything to avoid that smug ba4tard and his vile cash-in. Bob Geldof recently sang about stamping on your face on his mother’s grave. Mirror was doing far worse atop Elvis’s freshly dug coffin. I never ‘got’ Elvis or liked his music much, but he deserved far better than that.
Another cock-up by Noel as he fails to introduce Giorgio’s sublime and truncated Euro disco danced to by...erm, who? A real “guess who’s missing” game. Who had the idea of filling half the screen with silhouettes and blocking any proper view of the dancers or the outfits? Noel then makes it worse by making a DLT-style remark about saucy costumes we couldn’t bloody see properly!
Yes, at last! A mellow babbling stream of a song, and one of the few prog rock songs I liked first time of hearing, but where was Rick’s cape? Was it dress down Thursday? Note the awful editing when Rick’s hands saunter up the keyboards during the part of his solo where the notes actually go lower.
Deniece’s uptempo but Niecy-by-numbers song only reached 32 and was her last solo hit. Nice outfit, and liked the cheeky wink. Was that girl in the audience wearing a Union Jack-cum-mod rosette bonnet for a bet?
Now for the less obvious cash-in song by Gibbons and gang, namechecking Elvis’s birthplace. Horrible spoken intro, enough to kill any radio airplay, a rambling and disjointed effort with a false ending to boot. Almost unlistenable to these ears, and Noel asking the girls around him to cheer up after listening to that dross was most unfair.
The situation was only partly rectified by a bit of Soul and Sayer, though I wish they’d shown Leo’s moody teenager video again – the song isn’t the same without it. As for David, did anyone else see a shop notice in that video which said something like “Moved to 5222½ Santa Monica Boulevard” or was that just me? I tried to look up who that mystery Kim was, but I haven’t the faintest!
I think it's fair to say despite the Yes/Stranglers faceoff this isn't a great show as a demonstration of TOTP77 at its eclectic best, but there's a good run of fascinating shows coming up (after a Sky At Night break, natch) including some entertaining artist debuts and an entertaining presenter debut.
My street cred'll go right out the window but I have to admit Yes were the highlight of tonight's show for me. Danny was the lowlight, and Kim is the show's biggest mystery since we first caught sight of Contempt.
All credit to Deniece Williams for putting her heart and soul into an albeit rather bland song while the audience gossiped to each other or gazed at her, stock still with stoney faces and crossed arms.
Stranglers guy looks a lot like a young Noel Gallagher.
Lovely to see Hutch in his blonde prime with his Silver Lady. Was that Lynne Marta in the video?
Simon's early comment was obviously tongue in cheek, but it's nay, nay and thrice nay for various reasons. The Clash didn't make further than the chart rundown with this hit, we've seen the last of the sublime "From Here To Eternity", and the next edition's another of The Disqualified - so bang goes John Forde, then.
"Alan Barton the only member not on a dry riser."?
Not quite, Smokie's crooner at this point was still founder member Chris Norman. Alan Barton was at this stage hot off a summer season at Skegness and one quarter of BBC Raido Leeds' Yorkshire Band Of The Year as Black Lace geared up to make their chart debut in 1978.
It wasn't until 1986 before he joined Smokie as lead singer, getting to sing the sweary remake of Alice... before regretting boarding the tourbus in Germany.
Liked the Emotions' hand gestures, as if they were doing the hokey cokey of soul. Talk about a vertiginous drop in quality from that to pearly king Danny Mirror, he didn't even sound much like Elvis. At least Candle in the Wind 97 had a relevant artist performing it.
Yes, Giorgio! Highlight for me, as said it sounds like the future has arrived, which is more than can be said for the dog's breakfast of the visuals. Extreme closeups of the back of their heads mashed up with crash zoomed silhouettes didn't do anybody justice.
I think I can hear why Steve Gibbons' follow up flopped, it sounded like exactly the same record only with a spoken intro. More interesting was the bloke herding the audience for no visible reason, he seemed to think he was the resident TOTP sheepdog.
I was hoping the bloke who greets Dave in his video was Huggy Bear, but the chap in question had a beard and Antonio Fargas is a clean shaven gentleman. Big missed opportunity, nevertheless.
At first I thought Kim was Elkie Brooks again, but then Noel called her, well, Kim and I was as baffled as everyone else. I like it when these shows have their little mysteries, I must say. Kim, if you're out there, get in touch (assuming you don't bear a massive grudge).
THX, will this do? A snatch of a cool Giorgio video from what looks like a Dutch video show caled "Top NonStop Pop".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lg1v7mnfYMA
(Getting my remarks in now as I'm off to the south coast for the weekend and might not get near a PC until Sunday - so enjoy the peace and quiet!)
Excellent, thanks for that Arthur! Wasn't there a video made for the full 15 minute version too? Or is that what the 3 minute version is a part of? Thought it was Donna Summer dancing for a second there, but it's just a looky-likey.
Sorry, THX, can't find the 15 minute video anywhere so, hopefully, someone will have done a 'J.R. Hartley' for you by the time I get back from a rain-sodden weekend in Bournemouth!
I didn't meant to be anonymous for post 11 - it was me!
By the way, daf, Smokie were incredibly popular at the time. The problem was that they were very middle-of-the-road and therefore not cool or enigmatic enough to be given docu status.
James: Doh. I think I knew in my head it was Chris Norman too.
Unless anyone can put a name to her I assume Kim was either a friend or just someone plucked out of the audience so Noel could do a bit of comic business with her. She did look a bit like Allo Allo actress Kim Hartman but that would be a long shot.
I couldn't help thinking this was a bit of a perfunctory outing. I wonder if it felt like that at the time.
Still, The Hat was brilliant. I did wonder if someone had got lost on the way to The Good Old Days. I'm guessing it had been left over from the Silver Jubilee, and its owner felt its regal majesty was just the thing in which to pay homage to Smokie.
I quite liked the Legs and Co bit. It looked quite futuristic, in a crap way. I can imagine it being a cheap video for some early '90s faceless dance act and turning up on The Chart Show on a Saturday morning. But it was a bit frustrating for those of us who "like to look out for Sue".
I'm struggling to believe anybody ever thought Baccara were pronounced Back-are-er. Perhaps Noel should have done a tie-in single, 'Baccara Baccara', a la Johnny Morris.
I liked all Noel's standing around with 1970s ladies, though, it reminded me of his British Gas Disco ads. Swap Shop was back on Saturday for its second series, as he informed us, with Harry Secombe and The Great Grape Ape.
And I'm loving all the hate for Danny Mirror.
This was of course the period Noel was on the cover of Radio Times two weeks running, with the DJs for the anniversary cover and then the next week on his own for the new series of Swap Shop.
Sadly this was a bit of a dull edition despite the best efforts of the vision mixer. I like how we now seem to officially have a Smokiecam with all their songs filmed through a fish-eye lens. I also like how the bloke who wore a suit for the last single is now in a denim jacket with no shirt underneath.
Quite liked the Legs and Co routine, it seemed quite exciting, and we got a decent amount of Lulu (who I'm making the most of before she has that horrible haircut in a few weeks). Steve Gibbons' song was probably the kind of jam they'd do for an encore at their shows but the highlight was clearly the frantic floor manager, especially when he cleared away a bunch of people for the camera and the director then immediately cut to another one.
Yes - not a million miles away from Mumford and Sons, depressingly.
It'll be six years before "Owner of a Lonely Heart"...
Damn, Just wrote a long review on here and the Bloody things dissapeared, not writing it again tho'
not much to say about this week other than remark on the chartdown: with regards to noel's pathetic black joke, it looked like the producers took his comments literally with a member of yes in their chart rundown shot - the guy (don't know which one it is) is practically a silhouette! the other thing is that although the track was just the right tempo so the pics lingered a bit longer than their usual blur, they made a big mistake in not editing out the intro as the chart was rundown even before the end of the first verse...
and was danny mirror actually trying to imitate "the king" or was that his usual style? it was difficult to tell... but it's still bleedin' awful all the same (when it comes to "the king" i'm in arthur's boat)
oh yes, according to discogs danny mirror's given name is the most-unshowbizlike eddy ouwens, but why use the surname "mirror"? maybe it's got some meaning in dutch...
Mirror/Ouwens also co-wrote this Eurovision winner, a clip I include just to marvel at the presenting style of Emperor Rosko. If he'd turned up in 1976/77 Twitter would have exploded.
In other Mirror news, he finished ninth in a rundown of the ten worst TOTP-featured songs ever from John Peel's Rock Bottom contribution to 1992's TV Hell theme night.
For those curious, the ertswhile Leg this week was Pauline - having her first episode off in twelve months. What a trooper.
Don't know if it was mentioned during their last performance, but it looked uncannily like Baccara were performing in a giant multicoloured toilet. Nothing can spoil the track though, not even skewed orchestration.
I think that TOTP 1975 rundown is more entertaining that this week's show - there are some ace pictures in there, and 4 classic crooners (well, if you include Telly Savalas) in a row there!
Plus, as I've said before, I think 'Ding-A-Dong' is quite magnificent. Rosko is, as ever, a massive **** though.
So, this week's show then, if I must.
Smokie - "A new take on an old classic" eh Noel? Not really, a by the numbers cover and even more by the numbers performance. Maybe Smokie had bored themselves at this point by being on the show so often.
The Emotions - I don't know why, but I've never really been keen on this song. Good to see some Soul Train though, for the first time since Joe Tex I think.
Danny Mirror - Well...much as I admire the man for half-writing the above Eurovision classic, I can't bring myself to like this even for its comedy value.
As someone I know pointed out, he looks like a bit like a live action version of a drawing of Peter Davison by someone with a publicity still of him from Doctor Who and a vague description of what he looks like.
Giorgio - Wow! This is the best tune on the show. Weirdly, I quite liked the interesting presentation of the tune, I think it fitted it fairly well.
I didn't mention last week that as well as doing this, 'I Feel Love' and 'Together In Electric Dreams' for Formula One fans of a certain age like me, he's also the man who did 'The music for that bit where Murray Walker reads out the grid positions' during most of the 80s/early 90s.
Yes - Another one of many songs this year that I keep forgetting that I really DO know. And I quite liked it.
My Dad once bumped into Rick Wakeman at an airport. Given their relative sizes, there was only going to be one winner and the accidental bump contest, but I'm pleased to say that Rick was very apologetic.
Deniece Williams - Unlike many here, I'm not a fan, so I'm glad that we'll be spared her warbling for a bit.
Steve Gibbons Band - Oh dear, cashing in obviously didn't work in this case. It's almost as if they've added in the rather unnecessary 'Tupelo' to remind people of the previous single even though it's only just left the charts!
I do hope Noel is going to sue the girl who gave him a grope. And the BBC (SATIRE)
I'm not sure what the point of 'Kim' was. I could understand Noel making a joke about the bad interviews we sometimes get on the show, but a week after the best example that we've seen?!
Perhaps he just didn't like Stewpot. Or maybe he was jealous of his spaceship.
Hmm, not one of the better shows, and the audience looked the most bored they have been for a while. I quite liked the Legs & Co. sequence, which felt a lot more dynamic than usual. The Deniece Williams song wasn't too bad, although her endless circling was a bit weird. This wasn't her last solo hit, as she would get to no. 2 with Let's Hear it For the Boy seven years later.
As for Danny Mirror - it was tolerable until it turned into Are You Lonesome Tonight...
Good to hear 'Black Is Black' again - must be a good record as its still growing on me 35 years after first hearing it!And what a favour the Clash did us by agreeing never to appear on TOTP.
I prefer the follow up to this Emotions it - 'I Don't Want To Lose your Love' (as famously sampled on 2 Bad Mice's 'Hold It Down'' rave classic in 1991/92)
As many have said Giorgio Moroder is coming right out of the future here and IMO has inspired the best dance sequence yet -(loved the colours actually looked quite magical and ravey not the usual few girls dancing in a BBC studio).
Yes - 'Wondrous Stories' - you don't get much this good in the Top 10 (Noel doesn't seem to like it though). And in the case of Jon Anderson one of the few singers where you can hear a (real not put on) English regional accent in the singing. In this case being East Lancashire seeing as he's from Accrington.
Aside from her duet with Johnny Mathis is Deniece Williams last TOTP appearance until the mid 80s?
It's ironic that David Soul conspicuous by his absence from any live TOTP appearances eventually moved here and became a British citizen.
Not much to add on the show really - but I've just seen Simon's appeal for great musical moments on Channel 4 and thought I would add anythying that comes to mind here.
It's probably a bit disturbing that the very first thing that comes to mind is "I guess we're playing without the Minipops here?"
What else then? Mark Lamarr calling out Shabba Ranks on the Word?
On the same programme, I remember watching the first airing of Madonna's Justify My Love. In my room. On my own. With the sound turned down.
My Lovely Horse, of course.
Vic Reeves provided some interesting covers at the start of Big Night Out.
I never really watched The Tube I'm afraid, so can't give you anything there.
Bob Geldof doing Love Like a Rocket on Saturday Night Live, introduced by his own Spitting Image puppet.
No idea if any of these are on YouTube mind.
I see the next edition hosted by DLT the edit version is on at two in the morning, whereas the full version is 7:30, work that one out
That can't be right, says here the early hours repeat is 35 minutes long.
Re the bottom pinching. At least we now know why Noel's marriage ended in 2004.
Better (well, funnier) than Mark Lamarr with Shabba Ranks on The Word was Rod Hull setting Emu on Snoop Dogg. That is on YT, though the direction on the original show was so bad you might miss the lunge.
one of the funniest things on "the word" for me (sadly apparently not on youtube) was when they got mr t on, and the guy was clearly bemused by all the antics and zanyness going on - at the end when asked what he makes of the show he responds in utter bafflement, spluttering "the word is weird!", but then remembers he's got a job to do and adds after a pause "...but the word is cool!"
Don't remember the Giorgio tune from 1977, but it's jolly good. Ironic that they silhouette Legs and Co when they're doing their most imaginative dance for ages...
Oops! Well remembered, John G. I forgot about Deniece's other massive solo hit - she was one of those artists who specialised in top five / ten hits and nothing else in the 30.
As for Channel 4 moments, can I nominate Daisy Chainsaw doing the underrated kitsch punk classic "Love Your Money" on "The Word", introduced by some posh tw@ (see what I did there?) called Felix? I'd also nominate L7 playing "Pretend We're Dead" on the same show except the bassist lobs an, er, used fourth-week ladies' article from her outfit into the crowd. As Louis Balfour would say on "The Fast Show"'s Jazz Club - niiiiiice!
"When you walk along with your ding dang dong". Saucy! I hear a segue with Chuck Berry in the making! Teach-In's TOTP performance was the embodiment of a band not believing their luck and going for it with a collective grin. Loved the Benny from Abba stylists in the band and the prototype Alan Davies on keyboards. Intriguingly eclectic chart - tempted to watch the whole ediiton on YouTube. Teach-In won Eurovision despite being the first act on in the final, a feat equalled by The 'Man the following year. Shame we miss a decent BoM flop this week for legal reasons, but I'm sure Simon will fill us in - if not, I'll take on the dirty work after!
Steve Gibbons Band - At the time they were getting a lot of coverage in the music press for the live act. Their live album charted in '77 and a version of "Tupelo Missippi Flash" is on it. However, I don't think that the studio version appeared on any album as their next studio album "Down in the Bunker" - released in 1978 featured "Tulane" and their final minor hit "Eddie Vortex". I'm not surprised as it was an awful follow-up.
'Arthur Nibble gets it wrong again'. Well, Arthur... the tampon incident was at Reading Festival, Donita Sparks merely lowered her drawers on The Word. Anyway, thanks for suggestions, though I'm not entirely sure any of them made tomorrow's post (I'm sure some did, but tbh I'm writing On This Days and can't be bothered to check)
Just YouTubed the majority of that 1975 episode, and I suggest everyone else has a go too. Rosko's a bit offball admittedly, but great performances by The Sweet, The Three Degrees, 10cc (despite Kevin Godley wearing a T-shirt with his face on it), Peter Skellern (dressed like a ventiloquist's dummy but enjoying making the most of his best song) and Pan's People, complete with TOCG, what looks like a long curly haired Sue and some arty camera work accompanying a cracking tune by Jim Gilstrap. Go on, have a look - you'll regret it if you don't!
Arthur thanks for that. The 1975 episode is much more fun than most of the rubbish on the 1977 episode last week.
How did that chap who sang Love Me Love My Dog end up in The Buzzcocks ? (Not.)
re Arthur: I quite like that by Peter Skellern but his earlier "You're A Lady" from 1972 must be one of the most atmospheric songs ever to make the Top 10 - complete with brass band it to me it evokes a certain autumnal English melancholy.One of my favourite ever tunes. And amazingly it was a hit in America too I think!
I might have to take up Arthur's offer, I can't resist a chance to swing my Daddy.
The best bit about that 1975 episode is Rosko referring to 10cc as "the musical merchants from Stockport", which in his voice is possibly the most glamorous Stockport has ever sounded. I also the way Ding-a-Ding turns into Grandstand halfway through. That performance might include the only ever camera shot in the history of television from under a xylophone.
Remembering that notnthe buzzcocks shelley wrote some of alvin stardust's hits, i looked it up. I never knew that he sang coo ca choo ( and even performed as alvin stardust before bernard jewry took over just in time for totp) and jealous mind
I know arthur knows thia as his name ia on the thread where i read this
Two odd thinga
1) he performed himself within a year of deciding he did not like it
2) i listened to coo ca choo and red dress ( really sang by jewry/fenton/alvin ) and i cant tell that it ia a different voice
I've checked out the 75 chart now, and it is pretty fine.
I'd never heard the Peter Skellern tune before but I like it, The Sweet song is superb and it was good to see Pan's People. For me, they are just a much prettier group of ladies than Legs & Co, a much better mix.
As for Yin & Yan...well...Pete Waterman obviously invented viral marketing as well as lots of other things.
Rosko though, dear god. The link at the end reminded me that I had in fact seen this show before, back in the UK Gold days presumably. I was round a mate's house, and immediately after Rosko did his "Top of the pile, super smile" gibberish I instantly retorted with "Silly Yank, load of w*nk!"
I've no idea why I remember this.
And coming very late to the party...
In the rundown I like the fact that Bob Marley is sandwiched between two punk bands, re-enforcing the link between the two genres.
Noel's barnet looks especially ludicrous today, he's clearly modelled it on Dill The Dog from The Herbs.
Needles and Pins, a great song let down by excessive use of the Solina string machine. Never sure about the lyrics though - "I had to run away and get down on my knees and pray, that they'd go away. But still they begin". How can the needles and pins begin if they were already there?
It's ironic that the first line is "I saw her face" when he can hardly see the face of the girl wearing that gigantic hat. What was it about home-made hats in the 70s, like it was the only way to express yourself as a teenager, to make and wear a stupid hat. This was Top of the Pops studio not Ascot.
The Emotions. I like the guy in the flowery shirt in the crowd who suddenly appears half way though. His mad dancing style seems to consist of spinning round and round whilst directing invisible airport traffic and narrowly missing punching other dancers in the face.
Looking at Soul Train clips from 1973 the show has hardly changed its style and look in those four years: harsh lighting, group on a raised stage with SOUL TRAIN in neon letters behind them, an all-black crowd all strutting their funky stuff and at no point acknowledging that the singers are only standing three feet away from them and most important no silly home made hats. Right on.
From the sublime to... Danny Mirror. Has this guy ever looked in a mirror? His poor mum must have been up all night sewing those damned Christmas lights onto the sleeves of his sequined, fringed jacket and the silly bugger forgot to plug 'em in. The lyrics of this song are appalling "Good luck songs we need them ever" and what exactly is "a golden mammary". He ends with the immortal line "'cause in my mind you haven't gone" Danny dear if The King hadn't gone you would be no where near the chart or the TOTP studio, you bowlcut-haired, heavy-lidded, be-sequined buffoon.
From Here To Eternity. The girls should have been done up in hairy Giorgio suits waving fist fulls of hair around.
Yes. Horrible to look at, great to listen to. Fantastic track which was a guilty pleasure for me back then.
I don't recall this Denice Williams track at all but it's not bad although Johnny Pearson & Co's plodding backing leaves a lot to be desired. I love the way home made hat girl manages to keep her face away from the camera no matter which it's pointing or panning, almost as though she didn't really want to be noticed.
The Stranglers. JJ Burnell still hasn't mended that zip on his jacket. He'll take somebody's eye out.
Bacarra. I see David Walliams 'Computer Says No' lady is still in the audience giving the camera the skunk eye.
Question for Simon (which I'm sure has been asked before): When they show repeat clips like The Stranglers and Bacarra do the studio crowd see the footage or just hear it through speakers? Just wondered because even when they use the much-missed Toblerone they aren't actually seeing the footage are they?
Steve Gibbons. I quite liked this in a John D Loudermlik-meets-Chuck Berry sort of way. Nice talkin' blues intro and a clever way to rewrite the last hit without being exaclty the same. I note that bassist Trevor Burton has ditched his gay biker look for an Elkie Brooks petrol pump attendant look while Mr Gibbons is still sporting those ill-advised leather strides with hand-chaffing zipped pockets.
Silver Lady. I keep hoping that when they pan back from the close-up of Dave in his aviator shades that hell be astride a mini lawn mower cutting his front lawn. He's only going about two miles an hour.
And little Leo with his paen to heartburn.
I seem to have stunned everyone into silence with my mega post.
As Mr Nibble said it's a pity that we won't get to see John Ford(e) but I'm looking forward to seeing how Legs and Co deal with a certain space themed song next week. "We are your friends"...
Great to see a few sneaky highlights via you tbe bowie and smokie and a facelift studio nice give it a month or two and its wogan and the floral dance lol
Oh, I already know how Legs & Co deal with that song as they showed it on a TOTP2 'Space' show which I still have on VHS.
It's pretty special, particularly the 'guest alien'.
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