Friday 28 December 2012

Big sounds

By popular demand (two people), a chronological order skirt through what I'd say are the thirty best moments from a year and three quarter of curios, no hit wonders and other remarkable - in that word's many and varied sources - performances from 1976 and 1977 (apart from Diddy's chat with Mike Nesmith, which isn't currently on YouTube):

Hank Mizell, Pan's People and some uncannily lifelike costumes

Paul Nicholas meets rockers uptown, after Noel's forgotten his name

An extraordinary nearly boys-only Ruby Flipper routine to David Bowie's TVC15

Brendon and Mud may have missed this cut but 5000 Volts had to get in for the impromptu talkbox miming

The still remarkable Glamourpuss. Those dresses were restitched and used as quality curtains

The subtle minimalism of 1776, proving you shouldn't go into pop looking like the infamous prisoner Charles Bronson

Percussion and boxing frenzy alike from Johnny Wakelin & the Kinshasa Band, including a guitarist who gets so into his solo his hat falls off

Back to the singular Ruby Flipper, this time finding new ways to operate doors for Wings

Can shrug off Noel's... erm... jokes and the absence of their proper guitarist in favour of one building his part up

Elton John and Kiki Dee and Ruby Flipper and an almost voted down Noel

Floyd Pearce's finest hour, Rick Dees & His Cast Of Idiots

Noel's abortive interview with Chicago, starting with him asking a non-writer how he writes. Terry Kath gets an impromptu chance to show off his smooth moves.

The almost legendary John Christie, and Noel's similarly almost legendary prediction

Sailor from the Christmas show clearly having done what the chorus suggests, ending in a balloon drop that entirely lands on the drummer

Stevie Wonder won't release the correct singles? David Parton to the rescue with his circle-turning elan and pain-etched singing style

Headline-based fun to open Lynsey de Paul and Mike Moran's carefully choreographed routine

If all this run had achieved was to smoke Contempt out (NB. it isn't) it might well have been worth it

Joy Sarney. Another clip of this was uploaded to YouTube a day after repeat with the description "What the hell is wrong with people from the past...."

"Ooooh, the Trinidad Oil Company!" indeed. And a full works outing too

Sue Legs & Co's glory, Piero Umiliani

The exquisitely out of place Martyn Ford Orchestra, the highlight being Ford's forceful point at 1:36

And a fourth from one show! A pimp-dapper Billy Paul is forced to recreate his own samples for a less than interested audience

Neil Innes sucks up in Jubilee year. Afterwards, Tony gives a name to a genre

Imagine turning on the show unawares one night and being confronted with the blackleg RAH Band

We can well believe our eyes, Kid, but Darts are still quite something, Den's crashing about especially

Solving the Irish problem in carnival gear, that's Boney M

Peter Powell got a bit excited on his TOTP debut. How excited? Reaction to The Jam excited.

Very much of their time, The Barron Knights. They get a laugh, good for them.

Sue and Lulu hide under cover of shame from the Legs & Co Jonathan Richman routine

We didn't see the original but the repeat performance of John Otway and Wild Willy Barrett still delivered, unlike Elton.

4 comments:

wilberforce said...

where's simon may? surely the most excruciating "singer" to ever appear on totp...

Arthur Nibble said...

Number 32 - the octogenarian drummer gurning away in Gary Glitter's last stand.

Simon said...

Come to think of it, if any day is best to watch John Christie it's today...

I think the last I eliminated to make the neat round number was Stardust, with their castanet-playing hanger-on and Paul Whitehouseagram singer. Also I didn't want too many dance routines so Lonely Boy, with both a storyline and Floyd, got cut late on.

70's Boy said...

Simon May's dreadfully flat vocal to his 1977 minor hit (I've forgotten the title); the various mini-interviews, the aforementioned Mike Nesmith/David Hamilton being the most memorable; and Boney M coming mob-handed for 'Belfast'. Oh, and Kid's catchphrase.