JA
They did leave in the "white n****er" line when they showed Oliver's Army, so maybe they'll leave this one in.
TI
Yes, that's it. I did directly link to that part but I guess it didn't work.
I assume it's the bit at 3:39 where he says "I can write my own sh*t too"
Yes, that's it. I did directly link to that part but I guess it didn't work.
DJ
In advance of tomorrow's episode from
6th February 1986
presented by
Our TuneLord & No, Me Neither
, here's the corresponding Top 100...
http://www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-chart/19860202/7501/
A few highlights down the lower reaches which might get the toes tapping...
#50 Regina - Baby Love
A song rejected by Madonna, at it's peak & later covered by Dannii Minogue with a belting Steve 'Silk' Hurley remix.
Dannii Minogue version (Steve 'Silk' Hurley Remix-1991)
#57 Stevie Nicks - I Can't Wait
Air guitars at the ready!
For me, her best track. This just
rocks
& it reached a frankly
criminal
UK peak of #54 in 1986.
#64 Prefab Sprout - Johnny Johnny
#67 Starship - Sara
After knackering themselves out building a city (and also destroying their credibility), a pleasant enough ditty which is easy on the ear, the visuals containing Rebecca de Mornay who's easy on the eye....
Neatly sidestepping #71 ....
http://images.45cat.com/leo-sayer-unchained-melody-chrysalis.jpg
.....According to the artist pic on the website, Ringo Starr is doing his best Sheila E impression (or is it the other way round?). Either way, the supremely talented mate of the purple one is at #77.
Can't imagine what it's going to sound like...
Now, where have I heard this bassline before?
#83 Alisha - Baby Talk
Mmmmm, this also sounds familiar...
#87 Floy Joy - Weak in the Presence of Beauty
....and finally, Rowlf from the Muppets gives a film star & serial wonky laugher a leg up, creating a soul/disco classic that's hammered on the radio in Vice City...
#89 Eddie Murphy - Party All the Time
http://www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-chart/19860202/7501/
A few highlights down the lower reaches which might get the toes tapping...
#50 Regina - Baby Love
A song rejected by Madonna, at it's peak & later covered by Dannii Minogue with a belting Steve 'Silk' Hurley remix.
Dannii Minogue version (Steve 'Silk' Hurley Remix-1991)
#57 Stevie Nicks - I Can't Wait
Air guitars at the ready!
For me, her best track. This just
rocks
& it reached a frankly
criminal
UK peak of #54 in 1986.
#64 Prefab Sprout - Johnny Johnny
#67 Starship - Sara
After knackering themselves out building a city (and also destroying their credibility), a pleasant enough ditty which is easy on the ear, the visuals containing Rebecca de Mornay who's easy on the eye....
Neatly sidestepping #71 ....
http://images.45cat.com/leo-sayer-unchained-melody-chrysalis.jpg
.....According to the artist pic on the website, Ringo Starr is doing his best Sheila E impression (or is it the other way round?). Either way, the supremely talented mate of the purple one is at #77.
Can't imagine what it's going to sound like...
Now, where have I heard this bassline before?
#83 Alisha - Baby Talk
Mmmmm, this also sounds familiar...
#87 Floy Joy - Weak in the Presence of Beauty
....and finally, Rowlf from the Muppets gives a film star & serial wonky laugher a leg up, creating a soul/disco classic that's hammered on the radio in Vice City...
#89 Eddie Murphy - Party All the Time
Last edited by Dai Jestive on 1 August 2018 5:04pm - 7 times in total
JE
I think there was a consistency, except the BBC have wiped some of the colour prints in the years since.
On BBC4 they've just shown the short 20 minute "filler" edition of TOTP with Tony Blackburn from 27th December 1971 that they have stitched together. I don't know why they bothered really. It had less a feel of an edition of TOTP and more like one of those "At The BBC" compilations. All the performances from T.Rex, Slade, Tams, Rod Stewart, Rolling Stones have been seen in other compilation shows on BBC4 heaps of times previously, so that there was nothing too interesting to watch from a fresh or previously unseen viewpoint. It had all been played to death on the channel over recent years already.
The picture clarity was very sharp however, and in colour. I don't know why but I'd half been expecting it in black and white. The thing about this era around 1971 is that some shows can be in very high quality colour and yet others can be in very poor quality black and white. In the full transition period from B&W to colour there did not seem to be a consistency.
The picture clarity was very sharp however, and in colour. I don't know why but I'd half been expecting it in black and white. The thing about this era around 1971 is that some shows can be in very high quality colour and yet others can be in very poor quality black and white. In the full transition period from B&W to colour there did not seem to be a consistency.
I think there was a consistency, except the BBC have wiped some of the colour prints in the years since.
JA
There's very few episodes that exist before April 76- the point BBC4 started (and that's why they started at that point). And many of those that do are unbroadcastable (even before Jimmy Savile and DLT became no-nos) thanks to being incomplete, having mute links or being on a domestic format.
I might be wrong, but isn't there only something like 40 complete pre-April 76 episodes? And as I said, many of them are mute links or poor quality- or have a now banned presenter at the helm.
I might be wrong, but isn't there only something like 40 complete pre-April 76 episodes? And as I said, many of them are mute links or poor quality- or have a now banned presenter at the helm.
Last edited by james-2001 on 4 August 2018 11:06pm
JE
Some of those episodes like you say have mute links or of poor quality, but without going back to count them all, i'd say the majority of them are in perfect quality, even if occasionally the original colour print has been wiped, and we are left with only a black and white version (post 1969).
I'd certainly rather look back to the pre 1976 episodes (or where we began with the Top Of The Pops 1976 repeats), than start longing for those from the nineties and beyond.
Of course, the stumbling block, of course, is always going to be the Savile and Dave Lee Travis presented shows, which means those won't be considered for showing, but anyone interested in buying them can easily get hold of the vast majority of all the pre 1976 episodes online, and some are even available on youtube.
There's very few episodes that exist before April 76- the point BBC4 started (and that's why they started at that point). And many of those that do are unbroadcastable (even before Jimmy Savile and DLT became no-nos) thanks to being incomplete, having mute links or being on a domestic format.
I might be wrong, but isn't there only something like 40 complete pre-April 76 episodes? And as I said, many of them are mute links or poor quality- or have a now banned presenter at the helm.
I might be wrong, but isn't there only something like 40 complete pre-April 76 episodes? And as I said, many of them are mute links or poor quality- or have a now banned presenter at the helm.
Some of those episodes like you say have mute links or of poor quality, but without going back to count them all, i'd say the majority of them are in perfect quality, even if occasionally the original colour print has been wiped, and we are left with only a black and white version (post 1969).
I'd certainly rather look back to the pre 1976 episodes (or where we began with the Top Of The Pops 1976 repeats), than start longing for those from the nineties and beyond.
Of course, the stumbling block, of course, is always going to be the Savile and Dave Lee Travis presented shows, which means those won't be considered for showing, but anyone interested in buying them can easily get hold of the vast majority of all the pre 1976 episodes online, and some are even available on youtube.
JE
I apologise to anyone who may have seen the post below by me elsewhere!
The thursday episode was better than friday's, although if i were to use the same criteria to judge these episodes, as i did the 1981 shows, in terms of true quality, neither of them would warrant a mark above a three, but in the context of 1985 and 86, a six and a three seem about right. It is a case with me now, as to whether i'd feel inclined to turn off a particular song if it came on the radio, and with the first show, i'd be quite content to listen to all of them, and with the second show, i'd be reaching for the off switch numerous times. The ones i'd class as real favourites, or classic tracks, appear to have evaporated, in the recent months of these TOTP repeats, but a few of the songs aren't without charm.
Double's ''The Captain Of Her Heart'' and Latin Quarter's ''Radio Africa'' are so different to the typical chart sounds of the day, that they can't help but stand out, and they stand out in a really good way, because they contain a level of restraint and refinement. I can remember where i was working at the time, radio 1 used to be blaring all the latest hits all day long, and it seemed a relief when Double and Latin Quarter came on after all the heavily processed and clutter filled sounds that were hogging the charts.
Belouis Some's ''Imagination'' seems interesting on initial listens, but, for me, is seems a strong case of style over substance, because i don't find the song particularly enduring, underneath all its slickness. It kind of reminds me of a much slicker version of David Bowie, but not nearly so interesting.
It must have been difficult for The Damned and John Lydon (Johnny Rotten), to have known where to take their sound, not just after the death of punk, but also after many of its remnants in terms of the new wave and the early eighties more experimental synthetic sounds, had faded. The Damned had flirted with goth, but they do a pretty passable version of Barry Ryan's ''Eloise'', but it was the early version's robust orchestration which gave it so much of its power, which is sadly lacking, although if you are unfamiliar with the original, this later version isn't unimpressive. PIL's ''Rise'' is reasonable but again it has the same message in terms of anger as the Sex Pistols were proclaiming a decade earlier, but it is dressed up in a much more slick mid eighties setting. I think its theme, though, relates to aparteid in south africa, according to Lydon. A good message, perhaps, but i've never considered the song above ok.
Whitney Houston's ''How Will I Know'', while hardly my style, at least seems less forced than her later material. I find Whitney's music more likeable in this period than what she would record in the later eighties and first half of the nineties. Her singing on ''How Will I Know'', like on ''Saving All My Love For You'' seems less harsh, and her visual image is actually a lot more attractive, too. Her musical style, ultimately, though, even on ''How Will I Know'' still seems such a waste for one blessed with a fabulous voice. It has rather a disposable feel about it, which the more authentic black artists/fans took exception to. She was definitely marketed to sell to a predominantly white audience. Whitney had made her name as a model, before she hit big with her music, and she knew how to pose for still pictures. What she was less sure about was how to move effectively in front of a camera, and especially with ''How Will I Know'' she was given plenty of lessons. She always liked her hair cut short, so used a variety of wigs in her videos and live appearances. She was quite opposed to the glamour of it all, and even the necessity of having to wear make up. Clive Davis thought out of her early videos, ''How Will I Know'' was the most impressive in terms of promoting her beauty, and i do think like with early Madonna, she possesses a charm, which would become less evident as the years went by.
The thursday episode was better than friday's, although if i were to use the same criteria to judge these episodes, as i did the 1981 shows, in terms of true quality, neither of them would warrant a mark above a three, but in the context of 1985 and 86, a six and a three seem about right. It is a case with me now, as to whether i'd feel inclined to turn off a particular song if it came on the radio, and with the first show, i'd be quite content to listen to all of them, and with the second show, i'd be reaching for the off switch numerous times. The ones i'd class as real favourites, or classic tracks, appear to have evaporated, in the recent months of these TOTP repeats, but a few of the songs aren't without charm.
Double's ''The Captain Of Her Heart'' and Latin Quarter's ''Radio Africa'' are so different to the typical chart sounds of the day, that they can't help but stand out, and they stand out in a really good way, because they contain a level of restraint and refinement. I can remember where i was working at the time, radio 1 used to be blaring all the latest hits all day long, and it seemed a relief when Double and Latin Quarter came on after all the heavily processed and clutter filled sounds that were hogging the charts.
Belouis Some's ''Imagination'' seems interesting on initial listens, but, for me, is seems a strong case of style over substance, because i don't find the song particularly enduring, underneath all its slickness. It kind of reminds me of a much slicker version of David Bowie, but not nearly so interesting.
It must have been difficult for The Damned and John Lydon (Johnny Rotten), to have known where to take their sound, not just after the death of punk, but also after many of its remnants in terms of the new wave and the early eighties more experimental synthetic sounds, had faded. The Damned had flirted with goth, but they do a pretty passable version of Barry Ryan's ''Eloise'', but it was the early version's robust orchestration which gave it so much of its power, which is sadly lacking, although if you are unfamiliar with the original, this later version isn't unimpressive. PIL's ''Rise'' is reasonable but again it has the same message in terms of anger as the Sex Pistols were proclaiming a decade earlier, but it is dressed up in a much more slick mid eighties setting. I think its theme, though, relates to aparteid in south africa, according to Lydon. A good message, perhaps, but i've never considered the song above ok.
Whitney Houston's ''How Will I Know'', while hardly my style, at least seems less forced than her later material. I find Whitney's music more likeable in this period than what she would record in the later eighties and first half of the nineties. Her singing on ''How Will I Know'', like on ''Saving All My Love For You'' seems less harsh, and her visual image is actually a lot more attractive, too. Her musical style, ultimately, though, even on ''How Will I Know'' still seems such a waste for one blessed with a fabulous voice. It has rather a disposable feel about it, which the more authentic black artists/fans took exception to. She was definitely marketed to sell to a predominantly white audience. Whitney had made her name as a model, before she hit big with her music, and she knew how to pose for still pictures. What she was less sure about was how to move effectively in front of a camera, and especially with ''How Will I Know'' she was given plenty of lessons. She always liked her hair cut short, so used a variety of wigs in her videos and live appearances. She was quite opposed to the glamour of it all, and even the necessity of having to wear make up. Clive Davis thought out of her early videos, ''How Will I Know'' was the most impressive in terms of promoting her beauty, and i do think like with early Madonna, she possesses a charm, which would become less evident as the years went by.
Last edited by Jedikiah on 5 August 2018 9:09am
JT
Just on catch up from last Friday. The presentational styles of Gary Davies and Steve Wright differ so much. One is accomplished, has a great voice on the countdown and professional. The other is Steve Wright. Cringeworthy in how he introduces acts, like an old man trying to be cool. What is startling is how on earth did anyone ever think he could hold his own TV programmes latterly. Was obviously not a natural on the screen.
JA
I can't stand him on the radio, but I must be in the minority, seeing as he's still there... and still using the same music and jingles as when my dad used to force me to listen to him 20 odd years ago.
JM
JamesM0984
I can't stand Steve Wright either.