The Rolling "Top of the Pops" BBC4 Revival thread.

I didn't notice this back in 1987, probably because our TV had mono sound, but for the last few weeks the sound quality has been noticeably worse. They've mixed in some of the crowd noise from the studio and maybe done something else because the music sounds flatter and tinnier and <insert audiophile equivalent of wine taster language here>.

If you've ever wondered why there's no Scottish-based contributors to this thread it's because BBC4 is not available on Freeview in Scotland anymore.

That's not true – it's on channel 82 (SD) and 106 (HD). Though now you mention it I never end up seeing TOTP just because I'm unlikely to casually flick up to these numbers as I would've gone up to BBC4 in the past.

Ah,I see, just after Talking Pictures!

Blue Mercedes - they should have got these guys to represent the UK in last weekend's Eurovision.

Also: Body Glove vest? What is this, the early 90s?

People can laugh all they want at Shaky but I certainly couldn't jump around like that at 39.

Bit of a mish-mash this episode but I've always liked the Housemartins' 'Build' from the first time I heard it.

Yeah, it's one of their better songs. Watching this performance of 'Build' feels strange to me from a 2019 perspective, if only because it feels like two of the singers from the Beautiful South jamming with Fatboy Slim. It'd take 11 years to get from that to 'Perfect 10' and 'Right Here, Right Now' ...

Yes you all heard that right. The Tams ‎single is called "There Ain't Nothing Like Shaggin'". The Shag being a dance.

Also The Proclaimers are name-checking Wester Ross in the Highlands, not Westeros.

Oh it's just Michael Jackson harrassing a woman in the street nothing unusual wait what?!

Here's Mick Hucknall in an ill-fitting suit (quite an achievement in a perverse way for this part of the 80s) making a pompous drawn out mess of this song. There was a story that he was in a restaurant where they played some other singer's version and he threw a massive strop.

Shane McGowan so off his face that he can't even walk mime to this song and chew gum at the same time.

The camera really doesn't know what to do with the rest of the band here. Conspicuously move a camera operator (dressed entirely in white!) in underneath the penny whistle player and then only show the feed from that camera for a few seconds before cutting to something else?

Level 42 - 'Children Say Why Are Mark And The Other Singer The Only Two Band Members In This Video?'

PSB's 'Always On My Mind' probably my favourite cover version ever, precisely because it doesn't even try to sound like Elvis. SPOILERS it's THIS single that was Christmas #1 in 1987.

Hahaha! 'Children Say When Are Level 42 Gonna Fuck Off'? and the answer is "Not long now"!

You can tell this is still quite early PSB by the lack of outlandish costumes, but above all, the fact that Chris can still be arsed to mime.

I like how Neil was trying hard to look casual but couldn't stop tapping his foot in time to the music.

Ha, you just knew he wanted to cut loose!

Climie Fisher with their other big hit single that isn't 'Love Changes Everything'.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9M_bqIB6EU

I'd enjoy this Wham!-on-TOTP programme a heck of a lot more if Mark 'Mark from Mark & Lard' Radcliffe shut the fuck up.

Indeed. Ooh, there's a Kate Bush doc on next!

Loved the 1988 documentary last night which I allowed myself to watch even though I'm a whole year behind on the weekly shows (and had to binge watch a whole load of 1986 ones the other week just to get that close).

Dude from S-Express was the best on that.

Yep. Also good to hear from Coldcut. And Aswad (not that I was a fan, but the first ever gig I went to was a free concert in my town's park by Aswad in the summer of 88). And just a couple of weeks ago I had a conversation where I seemed to be the only person who remembered the Wee Papa Girl Rappers' 'Heat It Up', so it was nice to see it wasn't just a figment of my imagination. I could have done without the reminder of just how much I hated Cliff Richard doing Mistletoe & Wine, though.

I actually turned it off after the acid house/S-Express segment as I was watching the 1.30 edition, was knackered, and didn't think they'd top it. I'll catch up with the end another time, maybe.

even though I'm a whole year behind on the weekly shows (and had to binge watch a whole load of 1986 ones the other week just to get that close).

I admire your meticulousness!

Dude from S-Express was the best on that.

― chap, Saturday, June 8, 2019 10:59 AM (one hour ago)Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Yeah, totally!

Fittingly the first TOTP of 1988 is shaping up to be very 1988.

And what could be more 1988 than Terrence Trent D'Arby?
(also LOL at him miming "baby" instead of "lady" in the video)

Must have made quite an impression on 14-year-old me this week's one, as I bought all four singles they had on live in the studio (Krush - House Arrest, Terrence Trent D'Arby - Sign Your Name, Climie Fisher - Rise To The Occasion and...er...Morris Minor & The Majors - Stutter Rap).

Oh, I just love when the remix makes the debut chart entry, and the act have to mimeperform the samples..

When "Injected with a poison" made it on, they had to do the line live for real. It was rub.

lol, so because of Wimbledon tonight's episode of TOTP was first postponed by 15 minutes and then cancelled.

Nothing changes (much)

It's a two-fer tonight starting at 7:30pm unless, I don't know, someone hits/doesn't hit a small yellow ball across a net in a certain way or something.

"Screaming Blue Messiahs I Wanna Be A Flintstone" excuse me?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGZenzfg3A0
Yeah me neither. This looks like the kind of thing that Beavis & Butthead would have taken the piss out of for 30 seconds.

Is Gary Davis cosplaying as Columbo?

The exuberance of Billy Ocean's performance really makes 'Get Outta My Dreams' work where in someone else's hands these lyrics could be a bit of a crepe-fest.

Talking of crepe-fest lyrics, here's Was (Not Was) with 'Spy In The House Of Love'.

In French class at school we had to translate the lyrics to Vanessa Paradis' 'Joe le Taxi' and boy is it bobbins.

Line two isn't actually "Mars bar and Soda", is it?

It's "Y marche pas au soda" which Google translates as "Do not walk in soda" which doesn't make any sense, although at the time our class thought it was "mange un soda" / "eats a soda" which started an argument about eating a soda being weird.

I think my version makes more sense: taxi driver grabs a quick snack..

“He doesn’t run on soda.” Just like his car, he needs something stronger (like that rum).

Oh that makes sense.

Meanwhile here's racist piece of shit Morrissey.

Rick Astley is such a bad dancer, it's no surprise they nearly always showed him from the waist up.
Sisters of Mercy's 'Dominion'! They appeared on TOTP in late March 1988.