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"Welcome to the sound of the eighties"

TOTP 80.37 13/11/80

First broadcast 13/11/80
Repeated on BBCFour from 05/11/2015
Presented by Simon Bates
Full chart here.

Preview then:

Iron Maiden  - Women in Uniform
"..they're playing live tonight.." and indeed at least from the vocal it seems as if they really are playing live. Or perhaps it is only the (lead) vocal. Since when did that happen? Anyway, like the man said: new entry at no. 35. Catch them in Uxbridge and Redcar.

David Bowie - Fashion (video)
"..a beautiful thing from the Top Ten.." Thing? Does he mean the video or Bowie or what? Anyway indeed  it is the "film" - at last - for The Dame's newest hit. Not as weird as the Ashes to Ashes one, but in true Bowie you've never seen anything quite like this before.



After calling a young girl in spectacles "four eyes" (look who's talking) Simes presents those two other smarmy creeps from Doctor Hook to hype their new album called 'Razzy' or something. It did rubbishly so Capitol had to rush out a Greatest Hits album to compensate.

Gladys Knight & the Pips - Bourgie Bourgie
Speaking of rubbish American MOR here's a final blast from the 70s for this lot. Another low entry (like iron Maiden) so we do seem to be scraping the barrel a bit this week, n'est-ce pas? This gotone place higher before disappearing into oblivion.

Simes has a handful of new albums ready for Christmas, including the Abba one in case he didn't mention it. But wait here's Bolton's finest comedian who could crush grapes like no other.


Chart rundown 30-20, then

John Lennon - (Just Like ) Starting Over (Legs & Co.)
Still can't comment on thsi one without getting a bit weepy, but suffice to say here's a pretty amazing dance routine from ver Legs, which starts off very minimalist-Japanese, presumably as a homage to Yoko Ono, and then suddenly each pair of Legs is in a differen get-up doing a bit of a jig each on a separate stage. One can't help feeling they were all 'improvising'. Just a little.

Chart rundown 19-11

Liquid Gold - The Night, The Wine and The Roses
Another one form the 30-40 bracket. Pretty rubbish UK-disco as usual although I can't help feeling they would've done better had they emerged circa 1985. Although perhaps they were just as influential on 80s music as, say, David Bowie? Discuss.

Spandau Ballet - To Cut a Long Story Short
"Have a listen to this!" The sound of a new, young Britain no less in the form of Spandau Ballet's TOTP debut. Hot on the heels of Adam & the Ants' debut a few weeks back, here is another new band with funny clothes, perhaps just a touch of make-up and a brand new sound for the nations' dancefloors. Way down at no. 43 but this would shock the record-buying public into getting them up to no. 19 next week, positively p*ssing over all the rest. Plus they have decent haircuts. "I've a feeling we're going to be hearing a lot from these bright young things in the years to come" (he said in a Simes voice).



Abba - Super Trouper
I'd love to know how many had tuned in to see this 'film' for the first time but actually preferred watching Spandau Ballet instead, but no matter as Abba were already at their peak and the record-buying public had been hotly anticipating this new one, and the ensuing album. It is indeed the highest 'jumper' up to no. 13 from nowhere. Feelin' like a (Christmas) no. 1? Possibly.

Top Ten countdown .. 



Blondie - The Tide is High
"A new number one and a great lady" - so what do you know Simes? And just what is it about putting the words "Number One" in your song lyrics these days? Is that in the hope of actually getting to number one? Well it might well be cos this is where Blondie are this week, and a million miles from, say, 'Rip Her to Shreds'. The video is a complete shambles and one wonders what they were 'on' when they made it. Better than Barbara Streisand though.





"Special" guests all reunited on the stage for the party in funny hats outro, the pervily titled:

Young & Company – I Like (What You’re Doing To Me)

See you next week! (sort of..)







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