TOTP 80.18 01/05/80

BBCFour repeat here.
Full chart here.

Welcome to the merry month of May and a new month of Top of the Pops 1980..or is it? Introduced tonight by Tommy Vance, on his TOTP debut (they've even put his name in writing in case you don't know who he is). It's not clear whether the amount of rock/heavy metal on tonight is because Vance wanted to 'push' his preferred genre, or if they got him on because he's the man in the know. Anyway, on with the show...

Leon Haywood - Don't Push It Don't Force It

Chart rundown (NB "special effects" on the writing). Leon's at no. 12 - same as last week. In other chart news, Sky go Top 5 with their classic-prog-pop number, the Undertones shoot up to no. 11 and Irish Eurovision winner Johnny Logan is straight in at no. 15, in the days when Eurovision winners still sold records. Bad Manners and Cockney Rejects go Top 30 after last week's appearances, although there does seem to be an unhealthy amount of heavy rock and disco about. "Sound of the eighties"..where are you?

New Musik - World of Water

Oh here it is! New effort from this lot after Living by Numbers which made it to no. 13 a couple of months back. This would fare less well as perhaps the geeky 'Buggles' effect was already wearing a bit thin. As John Foxx's recent mediocre success had highlighted, the world was still not ready for pop music fuelled by J.G. Ballard novels. Plus the keyboard player is embarrassing.

Narada Michael Walden - I Shoulda Loved Ya

So it's back to the disco, but what's happened to the TOTP studio? It's gone all.... Oh, sorry it's a clip of Narada and his band doing their thang on U.S. pop show Soul Train, which sort of showed how pop shows are done Stateside: bright stage sets, coloured lights, and people dancing and having a good time! Whatever next!

Chords - Something's Missing

Better get back to the grim and gritty world of the BBC Centre and the London suburbs, quick! The Chords really were trying hard to have a hit, after Maybe Tomorrow earlier in the year, but perhaps this time hoping to make the most of the angry young mod vibe set up by The Jam and their smash hit Going Underground. A brave attempt, but alas one wouldn't get them far chart-wise. New album out soon, and cult status assured.

Rodney Franklin - The Groove (Legs & Co.)

But enough of this mob music! Not good for the country ... let's give the masses what they want: banal dance music and scantily clad females! Indeed Legs & Co,'s knickers seem to be getting skimpier by the week and their legs even longer. There's even a huge long sofa featured this week, for rolling about on, hiding behind etc. Not trying to distract us from anything are they? Franklin's 'groove' (if you're paying any attention ot he music) was up to no. 13.

Whitesnake - Fool For You Loving

But enough of this cheapo girlie show, let's have some real men making some real, sweaty, hormone-fuelled music! Yes it's the first of a trio of c*ck-rock numbers, which see Vance in his element. This one was already Top 30 (just) and we get a gritty film of a live performance which looks like it might have been made circa 1973. I must admit I know nothing about this bunch of hairy rockers but wiki reliably informs me that lead singer David Coverdale (I've heard of him) formed the band in '78 after leaving Deep Purple (I've heard of them!). This would become a bit of a classic of its genre and indeed the start of a successful career for Whitesnake throughout the coming decade, and beyond.

Jimmy Ruffin - Hold On to My Love

Who? Well whoever he is they've put him on top of the wobbly tower and set the place on fire possibly in the hope he wouldn't be seen again? Ruffin had actually been churning out the hits since 1966 - his chart debut in that year was What Becomes of the Broken Hearted, soon to be covered by someone else. Anyway he was now getting a new lease of life thanks to the Bee gees, especially Robin Gibb, who co-wrote this number and and a few others on his new album Sunrise. 

Saxon - Wheels of Steel

Back to the c*ck-rock after all that sloppy ballad stuff. Third appearance and slow progress for this lot which has been up and down the charts, and back up again. It won't get any higher than this week's no. 20 though notwithstanding Tommy Vance's plug.

Hot Chocolate - No Doubt About It

...and back to the disco. It's a sad fact that Hot Choc's vocalist Errol Brown passed away just a few weeks ago. Looking back, he was amazingly cool, had a great voice and sang on some really good records. Wiki duly reminds us that the Choc had at least one hit every year between 1970 and 1984 inclusive, and their song "You Sexy Thing" made the Top 10 in three decades. They were also a multi-coloured multi-ethnic band, so what a shame that Vance (and some bright spark in production) has to muster a bevvy of young ladies of evident Afro-Caribbean origin only to introduce the band. Anyway this was an excellent attempt to bring the Hot Chocolate up to date and into the eighties: love the synthy-Moogy intro to this one, which TOTP cameras naturally fail to spot since, as usual, they've put the keyboards way to the back. 

Motorhead - Leaving Here (from 'Golden Years live EP')

But enough smooching already, let's get the greasers back in, eh Tommy? I'm not sure of Motorhead's previous track record but they must have been pretty popular already as this was straight in at no. 23. You can smell the stale beer stains and patchuli oil from here.

The Nolans - Don't Make Waves

Talk about contrasts: after the great unwashed come...the mighty Nolan sisters, in all their squeaky-cleanliness and smiles to the camera. I wonder if they ever met Motorhead backstage? The girls were struggling at no. 25 although could and would do better. Whether we shall see them again remains to be seen....

The Beat - Mirror in the Bathroom

Now this is good. A nice bit of intelligent ska and a worthy follow up to Hands Off She's Mine which in turn had been a worthy follow up to Tears of a Clown/Rankin'.  Perhaps the only let down is that the singer actually holds up a 'bathroom mirror' but they manage to carry off even the cheapest of TOTP props with style. Not exactly the sound of the eighties, but a classic for sure.

Kate Bush - Breathing

Blimey! Just when you thought it was no. 1 time here comes Kate with something even weirder than Wuthering Heights! Kate's inside a kind of plastic bubble doing a bit of 'in-out, in-out, in-out'. With her breathing that is. What's that? She represents a fetus inside the womb, scared of smoking and the nuclear threat? Sounds like great chart material! This was Kate's first new stuff since her big success in '78 and live shows in '79, a preview of the new album in progress. 

Dexy's Midnight Runners - Geno

It's been quite a roller coaster ride of a show and seems to have lasted for ages but here we are at last with the new number 1 folks! Blondie have been sent packing and notwithstanding the big names McCartney and Essex, Dexy's have made it to the top spot and deservedly so. Haven't got much more to say cos I'm knackered after this plethora of popular musics, but best be grateful for what we get every week, while it lasts. Ge-no! Ge-no! Ge-no!

Johnny Logan - What's Another Year? (credits)

He was on last week (despite being nowhere near the charts) so can't appear this week - serves him right.

See ya!

TOTP 80.6 07/02/1980

Repeated on BBCFour as from 19.02.2015
Full chart here: Official charts

First Pops of freeezing Feb, and as promised it's new boy Steve Wright doing the duties tonight, and he's even brought his own groupies

pic: @Phleeper

Jefferson Starship - Jane 
Chart rundown only, thank goodness as we really wouldn't like to see this bunch of tired old seventies rockers 'performing' on TOTP thank you very much. This eventually got a tad higher so best not speak too soon.

The Tourists - So Good To Be Back Home Again (46)
And it's good to have you back again too Tourists! This was their follow up to their rendition of  I Only Want to be With You which went massive around Christmas and had only just dropped out of the Top 30. The lead singer - one Ann Lennox - is wearing some very odd headgear, nay, hairgear. Don't think she'll go too far, and nor will that daft looking guitarist in a red suit in the background. Now that bloke singing with Lennox on the other hand, he looks like a real new-wave star.

Cliff Richard - Carrie 
I wasn't looking forward to this but it was a pleasant surprise, and not half as cheesy as I thought. A really good ballad on the back of his We Don't Talk Anymore renaissance, which had also done well "State-side" as Steve Wright might have said. Steve does of course remind us of how young Cliff (né Harry Webb) still looks etc., although it is amazing to think that he'd already been having hit records for over twenty years. Knighthood due, I reckon.

The Whispers - And The Beat Goes On (Legs & Co.)
A proper dance song for Legs rather than prancing around in tight-fitting lycra, dressed up as wild animals and....ehem, moving swiftly onto this week, it's The Whispers! Who? Well apparently this lot had been going round since 1964 (therefore nearly as long as Cliff) and their patience was now paying off with this snazzy little dance number which despite the demise of disco would actually be a smash. Some credit to Legs perhaps?

The Boomtown Rats - Someone's Looking at You
But enough of disco! Back to New Wave and all that with The 'Rats, enjoying their eighth top twenty single and parent album The Fine Art of Surfacing, of  which this was the opening track, also selling truckloads. It's the repeat recording of a couple of weeks ago, starting off with Fingers and his funny little organ and Geldof looking a lot like the Floyd Pinkerton/Pink character he would later play in the movie version of The Wall, the tour for which opened on this very night in LA as a matter of fact. Small world.

The Nolans - I'm in the Mood for Dancing
And just so the Wright-person can use once more the 'Oirish' connection (cringe) it's The Nolans again, this week switching places with Madness but kept off the no. 2 spot by that fat American bloke, grrr. Commendably, this was yet another new performance for the Pops with live singing, although this time the resident orchestra obviously had better things to do. The lead Nolanette seems to be doing a little less twirling too, so perhaps all that dan-cin' and roman-cin' was already taking its toll.

The Chords - Maybe Tomorrow
New name time, and this week it's The Chords from Sarf Landan who are doing their best not to look like The Jam even though they do sound quite a lot like The Jam, or at least they do to these 21st century non-Mod-tuned ears. This was their second stab at 45rpm stardom and they'd hit the Top 40 with this little number this week, but sadly do little else. Shame - they seemed quite good.

The Regents - 7 Teen  
They're back again from their debut a fortnight hence and have edged up to number 11. The audience do seem a tad more enthusiastic, although the band continue to strut and pout much as they did first time around. The lead singer has obviously anticipated the 80s wide shoulder pad fashion, although perhaps they should actually go inside the jacket so as not to show the sticky tape, mate.

Queen - Save Me
Enough of the youngsters, time for a bit of 'classic rock' to keep all the punters happy. As anticipated in last week's closing credits, this had already made it up to no. 20. Nice little promo film here too mixing live performance, some soppy animation and a, er, dove which Freddie just fails to catch hold of (ie. "save") at the end. Hopefully this one didn't hit the back of the net.

The Selecter - Three Minute Hero
Bringing a bit of energy back into the show, it's more of those fun-loving ska kids who are also rocketing up the charts this week. (Interestingly, chart anoraks, they were one place ahead of Queen last week but are now one place behind). Sadly this would not replicate their On My Radio debut, although the soon-to-be-released album Too Much Pressure would establish them as one of the key bands of the genre/era.

AC/DC - Touch Too Much
Despite having become something of a cult (witness the buzz on Twitter recently when folks started realising they would be on tonight) AC/DC failed to set the singles charts alight at the time, with album sales doing considerably better. I'm no fan but I preferred last year's Highway to Hell. A unique TOTP moment nontheless.

The Buggles - The Plastic Age 
But back to the future... Good to see Buggles back on, even though chart progress was slow for Horn and pals with this one from the soon-to-be-released album. A new performance this week, distinguishable from the one of a fortnight ago only by Geoff Downes' rubber, er no sorry, plastic gloves. The hugely underestimated Plastic Age eventually made the Top 20 although whether we'll see them again on the Pops remains to be seen.

The Specials - Too Much Too Young
Second week at no. 1 for Coventry's finest even though this, the third showing of the live promo film, gets rather short shrift from TOTP makers tonight. Whether that was an excuse for not having to broadcast too many taboo lyrics to the nation or a punishment for not coming to the TOTP studio is anyone's guess. Their days at the top spot were numbered, but they'll be back, mark my words. Try wearing a CAP!


Joe Jackson - Different for Girls (closing credits)
Joe was stable at no. 5 and obviously not worthy of another studio appearance/repeat. Only The Nolans could carry that off.

Well that's all for this week and, sadly, there'll be no Pops on BBC Four next week so you'll have to wait until 5th March for the next show, chums. But do stay tuned for more 1980 music 'n' fun in the meantime.