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

But yes I have literally zero memory of them from first time round (I was 11 in 89 and more into Warhammer and 2000 AD than pop music).

'Pink Sunshine' and that Thunderbirds track is the extent of my memory of them. Also I don't remember this Cliff Richard song. Starlight - you'd think they'd have made a proper video. A bit of a precursor to the ITV Chart Show videos from random dance acts who unexpectedly have a hit.

Then Jericho's singer - a preening cockwipe. At least with Mick Hucknall I get the sense that he's at least partially aware that he's a clown.

Black Box - it's a great song regardless of the miming controversy. At least they got a black person to mime to Loleatta Holloway's sampled vocals.

Then Jericho's singer - a preening cockwipe. At least with Mick Hucknall I get the sense that he's at least partially aware that he's a clown.

― Being cheap is expensive (snoball),

Yeah what a nob. Also Hucknall wrote better songs and had a better voice.

The Chart Show! I hadn’t thought about it, but this is now the era of that show too.

I would love to be be able to see a repeat of those shows on the same week too.

If we lose BBC4 befoee we get to the 90s episodes that I grew up with I am going to be so disappointed

xp
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vs-MrHNGBQM

Just a taste! That will do though, I guess there may be full episodes some weeks.

Gary Davies says "live" then immediately afterwards introduces Black Box in the studio.

My favourite bit of TV magic this week was when Alyson Williams was introduced as being “over there”. Abrupt cut to a clip from a previous week.

Jive Bunny's aesthetic really was revoltingly cheap and ugly wasn't it? No one putting in any effort on any level.

It would be my nomination for worst uk number 1 of all time

The third Jive Bunny #1 is the worst one, easily.

Also within a year we have Timmy Mallett.

Abrupt cut to a clip from a previous week.

Same trick with tonight's two episodes - except this time more fittingly with Black Box.

Good to see Technotronic (or their single representative).

Probably the hardest kick drum to feature so far, right?

I've definitely found a new respect for London Boys after their appearances. Maybe 50/50 between the tunes and those dance routines.

BRITISH POLITICIAN SEX!

The mood whiplash there going from Chris Rea to Jive Bunny. 'The Road To Hell' is an odd song because for me it sums up a lot of late 1989, before suddenly the Berlin Wall fell and things changed drastically.

'Oh Well' by Oh Well???
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Z1aP74rtHA

There's a Pet Shop Boys interview where they're in the studio trying to make a 12" mix of 'Discotecha' and with some degree of amused disgust decide that it sounds like Jive Bunny's 'That's What I Like'.

The mood whiplash there going from Chris Rea to Jive Bunny.

Mood whiplash was fundamentally the beauty of TOTP and I miss it.

It’s always entertaining to see forgotten songs by artists remembered for bigger hits. E.g. the 'beautiful song' (boring ballad) by Living in a Box, or Bros and “Whoaaaaaaahhh… Chocolate In The Boxxx. Yeah!”

The singer of Living In A Box fails spectacularly at miming guitar.

I had forgotten quite how shit Living In A Box were.

Their self titled debut single is really good but they fall off hard.

I've said this upthread but Milli Vanilli are crap even in their music videos, which someone must have at least tried to edit to make them look somewhat competant. How did anyone think that these guys sang on their records? Fab looks bored and Rob looks like he's trying to read a Burger King menu while holding in what he fears will be an enormous shart.

Makes me sad seeing Milli Vanilli tbh.

I find Girl I'm Gonna Miss You really poignant, genuinely great single IMO.

Pretty much everything on the first episode tonight had already been on last week, I thought I was watching a repeat-repeat

I'd've bet money the Tina turner song was "simply the best" when it's just called "the best". Its chart career looks surprisingly short given its longevity as a song.

(It's another record, like ride on time, that I never need to hear again)

That queen track, I have never heard.

I had no idea until someone mentioned it on Twitter last week that Bonnie Tyler released The Best as a single the year before Tina Turner. Always thought it was an original Tina Turner song.

That's when you know you're over.

Queen's 'Scandal' is nothing to do with the movie of the same name that came out earlier in 1989, despite the aethetic of the video suggesting otherwise. They look so bored, especially Roger Taylor, drumming while looking off to the side like he was wishing he was off somewhere doing just about anything else. John Deacon's jaunty neckerchief seems oddly out of place in all of that.
In theory there's a lot I should like about Queen, but there are many problems with them that outweigh the good parts. Not least that any humour in their music seems forced and underneath that there's this dull determination to be taken seriously. In a mid 70s interview Brian May said that their original intention was to be "kind of like a heavy group but with good melodies and good harmonies", and if you take away the costumes, props, and videos that's what's left - kind of a heavy group with a few interesting riffs.

Nicky Campbell comparing an italo house producer to SAW is approaching Smashie & Nicey territory.
Janet Jackson looking like a character from Sylvester Stallone's movie version of Judge Dredd.

Janet Jackson looking like a character from Sylvester Stallone's movie version of Judge Dredd.

I thought that! A compellingly dystopian performance.

Nicky Campbell is a smug prick.

The thing is that on his Radio 1 late night show at the time he sounded completely the opposite.

don't remember a lot of this. war of the worlds remix? nope.

but it does appear to be the legendary roses / mondays episode.

(ffwds through happy mondays...)

I taped both roses/Mondays on VHS with the stereo broadcast input from radio 1fm backthen.

I guess now that tape is redundant

interesting viewing tonight, the past month or so has been deeply nostalgic, now it's the 1989 other people remember suddenly. 808 State were brilliant, Roses forgettable, Mondays rhythm section = where the action is.

The Jimmy Summerville song was the other thing I'd never heard. And he was dancing way more enthusiastically than the song warranted.

(As I said above, in 1989 I'd just started my first job and was fed up of chart music so this might be the first time of seeing a lot of this)

I’ve not watched the show yet, but the Mondays always seemed to understand what druggy, dancey, music needs - a solid groove with a lot of repetition. A little bit like a version of The Fall if they took E rather than speed.

One of the tunes that surprised me the most of the recent episodes was the Deboarah Harry track which I kind of recall vageuly from the time, but it’s been a bit of an earworm recently. Written and produced by a couple of members of The Thompson Twins.

Two solid episodes then Queen and Simple Minds do a big shit on proceedings.

Was that the bloke from black adder in the Kate Bush video?

(I ffwd'd through most of the episode tbh, double speed through the Tina turner)

Lol at the 4 new stereo transmitters, see ceefax for details.

Just got to the Queen / Simple Minds cess pool.

Nothing so far that didn't get the ffwd treatment.

(xps) Yes it was Tim McInnerny.