TOTP 80.35 30/10/80

First broadcast 30/10/80
Repeated on BBCFour from 29/10/2015
Presented by Peter Powell
Guest presenter Colin Berry
Full chart here.

We open up the show with the party already in full swing, with loads of balloons and not a drop of Babycham in sight. Peter Powell in full-smug mode on, light blue T shirt and with him (in dark blue T shirt) is, er, Colin Berry. Who? Apparently some posh geezer from Radio 2 who has been 'getting up early'. How interesting. On with the show please...

Adam and the Ants - Dog Eat Dog
Second performance from Adam and his mates who are up to no. 13 and prepare for world domination. It's a pity they're on first as all the rest is made to look even more rubbish than it actually is.

Watch me Daddy-o!

Odyssey - If You're looking For a Way Out
Boring song, sung by boring people in boring video. Boring. (cit. Rick the Student). At no. 6, obviously.

Bad Manners - Special Brew
Slightly less boring although ska really was reaching its end surely? You know the score - lots of nuttiness and the big fat bloke in a grass skirt. Redeemed only by the ace line "I wanna spend all my money on you". One place above Odyssey and the last we'll see of them for a bit.

David Bowie - Fashion (Legs & Co.)
New in at 20 and Peter Powell shows us he really knows his stuff by telling us the full title of the latest Bowie album. We'll see the proper video for this in a couple of weeks time although while we're waiting for The Dame to make it, here's the luvvly Legs strutting their stuff, although sadly the cameras remain frustratingly distant from the stage/catwalk.

Beep beep!

Sheena Easton - One Man Woman
Our Sheen has been busy making a video for this one so she didn't have to bother about going to the TOTP studio too often. Not a great song but the whole look and feel of it is very Eighties. But that's the only redeeming (max) factor I'm afraid as the song is a bit rubbish. At no 17 but will peak next week at only 14.

I'm sure Phil Oakey is watching this.

Olivia Newton John & Cliff Richard - Suddenly
Oh dear. More dreariness from this perhaps unlikely couple. This is another one from Xanadu although Olivia did more interesting things on that album/film/concept with ELO. This dirge was written by John Farrar who'd also done better things for Olivia on Grease. They'd better hurry up and get physical, physical...

Showaddywaddy - Why Do Lovers Break Each Other's Hearts 
Or indeed why do a band like Showaddywaddy continue to have hits and appear on Top of the Pops? Not very Eighties at all, aside form the coloured streak in the singer's hair. At no. 22 but I don't think we'll ever see them on the Pops again. And why after seeing this do I get the impression they might have been a (closet) gay band? Never mind..

Oh it's Top 10 countdown already.

It's eight fifteen...

Barbara Streisand - Woman in Love
It's the third slow ballad (yawn) of the night but this is obviously way ahead of the rest. At number one for the second (of three) weeks in fact.


Don't forget to order your special T-shirts from the Radio Times and we'll see you next week as the TOTP-Tardis whooshes forward in time! Byeeeee!!

TOTP 80.27 04/09/80

Presented by DLT and Kevin Keegan so not repeated. Keegan's perm obviously considered too offensive in this day and age.

But anyway here's the full chart and the list of acts/songs featured:

Secret Affair - Sound of Confusion
Follow up to the rather spiffing My World, at no. 45 but did no better.

Kelly Marie - Feels Like I'm in Love
There's a new no. this week but this isn't it. up to no. 3.

Nick Straker Band - A Walk in the Park
Catchy summer hit at no. 22.

Hazel O'Connor - Eighth Day
Ironically beating Gary Numan to the No. 5 spot.

Billy Joel - It's Still Rock n Roll To Me - (Legs & Co.)
The Leggies are back after their brief summer holidays, in some exotic location, no doubt. Sadly we didn't get to see their routine to Joel's new one, now at no. 20.

Cliff Richard - Dreamin'
More male solo stuff with Sir Cliff at no. 10.

Sheena Easton - Modern Girl
With 9 to 5 already on its way down, Sheens gets to perform her other hit, now at no. 13.

The Beat - Best Friend
As mentioned last week it was probably Stand Down Margaret that was shifting the units on this 7" but here's the more acceptable and uncensored other A side. (promo video).

Randy Crawford - One Day I'll Fly Away
A touch of class is tonight's rather raunchy homegrown line-up. Have a look at the video recording here cos it's a bit of a classic.

The Jam - Start!
A surprising new no. 1 although the fanbase was huge by this time, which may explain its rather short reign. A lot of us heard Taxman for the first time too.

The Clash - Bankrobber
Up to no. 12 although The Clash were still no-show so you just get the the playout spot and loads of kids going mad on stage again, probably.

TOTP 80.25 21/08/80

BBCFour repeat here.
Full chart here.

In true 1970's/early 80's being on holiday and not having a telly therefore missing TOTP on Thursday night style I was again on holiday last week without a telly (in the year 2015 tut!), and so duly missed Thursday's show. So I've called in guest reviewer Gaztronix to give this week's Pops the once over.
Over to you Gaz!....

***********************************************************

Presented by Steve Wright with a youthful looking Sir Clifford of Richard* by his side all Smashy n Nicey

pic: popscene

We kick off with the Nick Straker Band and massive European holiday song A Walk In The Park. The guy in charge of TOTP FX is having a bit of a freeze-frame meltdown. Mr Straker has the most amazing hair - I'm sure it's inspired a Mighty Boosh skit or two.

Back to Steve n Cliff with some repartee on Sheena Easton. Easton, performing Modern Girl, has thankfully dropped the look that made her look like Gary Numan's younger sister and had opted for a style best described as 'Disco Sue Lawley'. Fair do's. There is a synth solo in this song - it's amazingly bad even for 1980 - I had to play it again. It was THAT bad.

Just Steve now - maybe Clifford has gone to check with his portrait in the attic. We get given what we get which is a video of The Jam performing 'Watch You Give Is What You Get.' Proper 80s vid it is too - intense staring at bright lights through Venetian blinds (what was it about the early 80s Venetian blinds phase?) (ed. the song title is actually 'Start!')

Smashy has gone, so we get Nicey Sir Cliff who looks a lot like Mike Read. Not Runaraaaaaaaahnd Mike Read but Frankie-smashing, slightly racist song writing for UKIP Mike Read. And exclusively for TOTP - Cliff has gone all mockney - well, he's drifting towards mockney, innit. That Cliff eh? Any more of this mockney malarkey and he might go the full Danny Baker. I'll keep you updated. And who's Triff introducing? Why it's only Cliff...sorry Shakin' Stevens. I genuinely can't tell you what the song is called, but he keeps shrieking 'Marie' so I'm guessing it's that. Cliff...Shakey is in Teddy Boy Hot Pink and is performing all on his lonesome tonight - a few fifties moves, hair the glistens and love for the mic stand. (ed. the song title is actually 'Marie Marie')

Back to Wright now and whassat Steve? Legs and Co? Ok. Dancing to what!? The Clash!? Yep - it's Legs and Co - dancing to Bankrobber by The Clash. All stripes, leotards and cages. If the English National Ballet did this, it be classed as 'challenging'. But as it's Legs and Co - no one bats an eyelid.

Smashy n Nicey are back together again. A little bit of Mockney from Smashy and only a smattering this time from Nicey. Oh and Elvis impersonations as the next tune is a bit of Rock n Roll from Shak...no hang on - it's Billy Joel and It's Still Rock n Roll To Me. It's a pop video, so I'm ignoring it to let you know that the best version of It's Still Rock n Roll To Me was performed by Laptop sometime in the late 90s. Seriously - dig it out. Joel gets chopped as soon as the sax solo starts to kick in - wise move Mr. BBC editor bloke - cheers!

Right back with Wright now and the countdown 30-11. Up next it's Hazel O'Connor. Ah at last - it's the eighties with Eighth Day. All that Rock N Roll had me worried for a minute. There is better work by O'Connor - honest, there is - but this isn't it. Cartoon new wave synth sounds are just the half of it - I haven't even got started on the lyrics yet. If Queen had been this melodramatic it would've raised eyebrows. Hey ho - the audience lap it up. And fair do's as it does bounce along a fair rate, O'Connor is an engaging performer and they have just been subjected to large amounts of throwbacks to the fifties.

Sir Cliff now - almost back to normal - only 10% on the mockneyometer.

It's The Piranhas and Tom Hark - one of those jaunty faux Caribbean things that you wished you'd never heard but later gets adopted by the terraces. Odd really, as its lyrics are actually an anti-nuclear war song! Yep - it's political! Not that you'd know from the bands appearance and demeanour. Peel used to love them apparently but dropped them like a stone when this came out.

Steve and Cliff again - no mockney this time and Doo-doo! Doo-doo! It's Kelly Marie and Feels Like I'm In Love. Doo-doo! Doo-doo! Kelly is dressed in a black jumpsuit with gold trim for Blakes 7 or an office party - back then it was impossible to tell. But the dancers either side suggest she may even eschew all of the above for dinner with Liberace.

pic: Gaztronix

Up next it's Steve n Cliff introducing - Cliff! Wow, how'd he do that? He's so smooth. That's not The Shadows though...I think...no idea to be honest, but if Hank Marvin isn't there then I'm guessing it's not. This is modern Cliff. It's a bizarre performance - the BBC FX Dept are having fun with this one. The band fade in and out around Cliff and shedloads of dry ice. I think the song is called Dreamin', so Cliff is dreaming of the band! Wow! D'you see wot they did there? Crazy Cliff, crazy band, crazy times! Paul Young would steal this entire sound a few years later. Cliff has a very loose arrangement with his tie and nonchalantly plays with his jacket which he casually slings around his shoulder as he sashays and dreams and pouts his way along. Rocking a look best described as 'Apollo from Battlestar Galactica on his day off heading to a picnic with friends in a park'

Countdown from 10-2. Cliff has woken up, his band have vanished and all he's got is his mate Steve. The number one and it's the godlike genius David Bowie with an absolute classic Ashes To Ashes. It's the video - Dave probably has better things to do, or maybe Cliff asked him to the picnic and Dave doesn't want to go - could be awkward. It's the whole video n all. Wright says 'some people say it's his best yet...' - he could be right. (ed. - first week at no. 1 for this Bowie single which knocked Abba off the top spot)

Back to our cheeky chappies now - cheers Cliff, who's off on tour. And that's it Folks. No idea what the end title song is - some very weak disco about All Over The World. (ed. Electric Light Orchestra!)

*in memory of the late, great Tom Hibbert


Thanks for that Gaz. We'll be back to 'normal' next week folks with more Pops fun before The Posh Proms (c) kick in. Laters!

TOTP 80.8 22/02/1980

Repeated on BBCFour as from 12.03.2015
Full chart here

A bit late with our Pops commentary this week chums, as we've been having a few technical problems - unlike Peter Powell who's presenting the show all the way from Lake Placid! Wow!

Here's the chart rundown ... in that glorious technicolour yellow they seem to find so eighties.. Unlike the music which is by, er, Rainbow?

Shakin' Stevens - Hot Dog
After last week's lacklustre blues performance by Dave Edmunds, here's the TOTP debut of fellow-Welshman Shakin' Stevens who seems to be presenting rock n roll in a lot more lively eighties kind of way. Shaky is of course a lot better lookin' boyo and it comes as no surprise he'd been making his career as an Elvis Presley impersonator, sorry tribute artist. This was at no. 40 but was already causing a bit of a stir. Better get used to Shaky cos he's gonna be around for quite a bit yet.

Blondie - Atomic
Straight in at no. 3 indeed, although it's hard to fathom out why as this was already the third single off last year's Eat to the Beat album which had probably already sold shedloads. This was a sort of remix however which may have got the punters to buy it again, a technique which would be fully exploited in the coming years. Quality semi-disco/pop/rock from Blondie, which is how we liked 'em, and a vast improvement on the previous rather dour Union City Blue. This one was certainly helped along by the post-nuclear scenario, bin-bag chic promo video too.

The Beat - Hands Off She's Mine
Peter Powell's on quite a roll here, grinning all over his clean-saven dimply face as he comes out of Blondie and into The Beat 'bouncy as ever' with their new one. Yes, much bouncing to be done with the follow up to their debut Tears of a Clown/Ranking Full Stop from last year. It'll be a big year for them although, unlike Shaky, their appeal will wear off pretty quickly.

The Buggles - The Plastic Age
Again!?!?  Time really hasn't been kind to this song which surely needs greater recognition given how long it stayed around. It's a repeat of the 'rubber gloves' performance from a couple of weeks back, although we're not complaining.

The Tourists - So Good to Be Back Home Again
Another bouncy repeat studio performance with Annie Lennox in that kinky rubber helmet thing (not a patch on the Buggles-gloves). Already at no. 10 this week so kudos to them, but make the most of it guys 'n' gals.....

Fern Kinney - Together We Are Beautiful
Phew, after all that bouncing around in the plastic age better get back to some 70s style songstress in a big orange dress to calm us all down a bit. I have no recollection of either song or singer whatsoever and I believe for good reason. Warning: includes organ solo.

The Ramones - Baby I Love You
Pete getting all dreamy and cuddly after that one but hey! It's time to wake up again with The Ramones! Another studio repeat as the song goes Top 10, although  - like the Tourists - it's the last we'll see of them. Ever.

The Whispers - And the Beat Goes On
Blimey! This slice of MOR disco is already at no. 2 and we still don't know what these Whisper chaps even look like! Legs & Co. appropriately (not) get dressed up in post-punk-cum-disco gear to bounce around to this one and wiggle their bottoms a lot..

Cliff Richard - Carrie
Hurrah! He's back! Ace song and loads of Cliff close-ups, which is a shame actually as we don't get to see enough of those glittery lapels. Gross injustice of the week as this is kept out of the Top 5 by Captain Beaky and his wretched band.

Iron Maiden - Running Free
Uh-oh it's heavy metal time, although well done to the lead singer for trying to look a bit post-punk with the stripey T-shirt under his levver jacket, and he does quite a good job of singing live too. Not sure how this one features in the Iron Maiden or even heavy metal canon but it really doesn't do much for me. Not that they'd be bovvered.

Kenny Rogers - Coward of the County
Still No. 1. Sadface. But by way of a retort Pete plays out with Peter Gabriel and Games Without Frontiers....so there!

See you next week.

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.