TOTP 80.40 4/12/80

First broadcast: 4th December 1980
repeated on BBCFour from: 26/11/2015
Presented by Peter Powell
Full chart here

Here we are agin folks and it's December already in TOTP80-land so get ready for some festive previews (the likes of which we now get around mid-October). It's our fave Peter 'Pete' Powell doing the honours this week so let's get started..

Eddy Grant - Do You Feel My Love
Edmond was on a couple of weeks back although we didn't get to see him in post-Yewtree 2015 so justice is done as the long and lanky dreadlocked one goes Top 10 and gets the party started.

Neil Diamond - Love on the Rocks
Let's not get too boisterous though, better get some American AOR in (groan) although we do like it when Pete gets all slowed down and serious.. Some blurb about The Jazz Singer then it's love on the rahcks, now at 27.

Luckily Pete and the studio gang haven't fallen asleep and it's applause and smiles all round as we welcome.....two blokes from Earth, Wind and FIRE!, although we don't get to see one of 'em proper as he's got his back to the camera. New album blah blah blah..Pete wishes them good luck with the single. It got to no. 63. Nice one!

Jona Lewie - Stop the Cavalry
The guys are also treated to the debut od this littel gem which sort of puts us in the festive spirit with, er , grown men dressed in WWI uniforms pretending to play brass instruments. Luckily there's also one on a synth to remind us this is 1980, although he can't help getting his jingle bells out either. Nevertheless this is fine tune which will indeed go on to do well over the festive period and will stay with us to this day. Well, it's on my Xmas CD anyway. Already at no. 15.

Chart rundown 30-22 ....22?

Kenny Rogers - Lady (Legs & co.)
Yes, cos at 21 it's that white-bearded Yank with another slow toon. Legs take it all very literally of course and "Lady, I'm your knight in shining armour.." translates easily into the girls dressing up in medieaval 'Lady' costumes and swan around in a foggy castle setting, occasionally longing after that single golden 'pear' which eventually gets plucked from an otherwise barren tree.Yes, well.. not their best, but perhaps their most bizarre performance of the year.

Charts again 21-17

AC/DC - Rock n Roll Ain't Noise Pollution
..at 17. Here they are agin, not in the Pops studio this time but in a rather unimaginative promo film which could've been made in 1975. Seems like yesterday that they were in the studio but it was in fact February and they've had five non-hit singles out in the meantime. That seems like a helluva lot of noise pollution to us, actually.

Charts again .. 16-11 (Pause: amazing to see how many of the better tracks of the past month or so were fairly plummeting down the charts: Ants, Roxy, OMD, Bowie.... Oh the fickle world of pop..)

St. Winifred's School Choir - There's No-one Quite Like Grandma
"At Christmas all sorts of things happen in the British charts" says wise old DJ Pete. Well, just you wait a couple of weeks mate to see what can really happen. This is one of those Christmas-implicit©
songs which occasionally crop up, especially in a society/chart which is still suffering a hangover from the various Slade/Wizzard/Mus Christmas singles of just a few years ago. I can't and don't really want to remember why this cam to reach the charts and the Great British record Buying Public but there you go. The hard work of 'sound of the eighties' artists like David Bowie, Spandau Ballet, OMD and Adam Ant smashed to smithereens in one fail swoop. At no. 16 and destined to...well, you know.

Break: interview with Mike Oldfield. The erstwhile shy and retiring poly-instrumentalist is now well and truly confident in front of real people, confident enough in fact to wear a lime green tracksuit which he will continue to wear for most of the early 80s. Mike has a new album out and with a couple of flop singles going around he's prime material for a Pops studio interview. Mike also likes flying, playing his many guitars and hopes to go to, er, Israel soon.


The Boomtown Rats - Banana Republic
Well after that unhealthy amount of slosh, better get some punk rockers back in. Or at least what remains of punk rock. The angry sentiment remains however as this song is allegedly a scathing attack on the Rats' native Republic of Ireland from whence the goiys had been banned. To quote their reputable blogspot blog "It is to Ireland what God Save the Queen was to Britain." Blimey!

Top 10. Madness, Spandau, Rats and Grant all going up, Waterman, Kool, Mills and (gulp) Lennon going down.

Abba - Super Trouper
Second week at the top for the Super-Abs who evidently have nothing against their native Sweden but continue to show their world-weary angst "wishing that every show was the last show". Strong words indeed. But just count your lucky stars you're on that stage tonight as your stardom ennui is nothing compared to what is about to happen in New York City.

Playout: Diana Ross - I'm Coming Out

Crowd dancing.

TOTP 80.38 20/11/80

First broadcast 20/11/80
Not repeated on BBCFour  in 2015
Presented by Dave Lee Travis
Full chart here.

This one not repeated for (by now) well known reasons, so thanks again to Popscene for the details.

Motorhead - Ace of Spades
Second performance of this one, now at no. 15, albeit a non-mover from last week. A fitting tribute to drummer Mr. Philthy Animal, RIP.

The Boomtown Rats - Banana Republic
The Rats are back, after their Top 5 Someone Looking at You at the beginning of the year, with soem new material and a 'modernist' sort of video. Sort of. New in at 23.

Diana Ross - I'm Coming Out (Legs & Co.)
Another single from Ms. Ross from her eponymous album, obviously not content with the success of Upside Down and Ol' Piano. No idea what Legs did with this one but I doubt it was anything about being gay. Up to no. 18.

Eddy Grant - Do You Feel My Love
One of those songs that sort of pops up out of nowhere and doesn't seem to be very 1980-ish at all. Anyway here's Eddy (né Edmond Montague) at no. 30.

Rod Stewart - Passion
If anything we should give Rod credit for passing seamlessly from the 70s to the 80s while keeping up the quality of his output, unlike many others (hello Elton and Gilbert). Sort of follows on from 1978's Do Ya Think I'm Sexy in terms of subject matter but hey, sex sells, right Rod?

Kool & the Gang - Celebration
Another one of those you don't necessarily associate with 1980 but here it is repeated, and now at no. 12.

Dennis Waterman & Dennis Waterman Band - I Could Be So Good For You
Now up to a staggering no. 4, selling more than even David Bowie, and Minder was probably top of the ratings.

Top 10 rundown:
(10) Status Quo – What You’re Proposing (down from 5)
(9) Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark – Enola Gay (down from 8, again)
(8) Adam & The Ants – Dog Eat Dog (down from 7)
(7) Bad Manners – Special Brew (down from 3)
(6) Stephanie Mills – Never Knew Love Like This Before (up from 9)
(5) David Bowie – Fashion (up from 6)
(4) Dennis Waterman with the Dennis Waterman Band – I Could Be So Good For You (non-mover, see above)
(3) Barbra Streisand – Woman In Love (dowm from 2)
(2) ABBA – Super Trouper (up from 13)

Blondie - The Tide is High

No. 1 per last week as the world awaits the new album.

UB40 - The Earth Dies Screaming (playout and dancing)

A less than cheery ending, but they were probably a bit pushed for chart risers. Brum's finest (post-ELO and pre-Duran) now at no. 11.

TOTP 80.32 09/10/80

First broadcast 09/10/80
BBCFour repeat here, first shown 08/10/15
Presented by Peter Powell
Guest appearances: Denis Waterman / Paul Jones
Full chart here.

Here we are again, and having skipped another YewTree show, BBCFour have finally got the TOTP-Tardis to land in sync with 1980...and the crowd are already dancing to celebrate! It's Peter Powell's turn to lead the proceedings and although it's October, and never one for the trendy jacket 'n' tie look, Pete looks like he's going on a cruise in the Med or something.

Preview - but why do they tell you who's no. 1 already?

Status Quo - What You're Proposing
Yes, Ver Quo are back, and getting the party started (although perhaps Ottowan had done that already). Despite having had a couple of hits every year recently they hadn't actually played in the Pops studio for yonks. Like most Quo songs it goes on forever and the title is repeated a lot. And it really is like punk never happened.

Diana Ross - My Old Piano
Same old piano, same old song, same old video. Edited out of first 7.30 showing.

Dennis Waterman was  planning world domination thanks to his already cult-status in The Sweeney and now as a recording artist. Here he is to plug himself in a posh accent.

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark - Enola Gay
Hard for me to objective about this (am i ever?) as it was one of those life-changing, jaw-dropping moments for the 16-year old moi on that Thursday night back in 1980, even after seeing Tubeway Army/Gary Numan last year and The Human League and, again, OM(it)D in May. Not sure if it was the song itself, the shiny synthesiser stacks, the new-look short back 'n' sides / tank-top 'n' tie / sensible trousers look, the stand-up syn-drums or a combination of all of these that just blew me away - but even looking back after 35 years and the context of this show perhaps it's not hard to see why. OMD had already made a sizeable dent in the charts with Messages shortly before The Strike and were now back with this new single in at no. 35. As we now all know the song is about the US military aereoplane that dropped the bomb on Hiroshima, although that's all cleverly disguised under the catchiest synth riff since Popcorn, and clever-clever cryptic lyrics ("is Mother proud of Little Boy today?"). Not happy with not having a guitar to zoom in on, the Pops cameras get the wrong keyboard for the solos; redeemed somewhat by getting Mal's drum solo in full though. Lead singer Andy McCluskey's 'embarrassing Geography teacher' image starts here, but who cares? There just wasn't (has never been) anything else quite like OMD and that Enola Gay, and they knew it.

"..never ever gonna fade away.."

Pete informs us that OMD are currently on tour as are Crusaders and The Shadows. Phew! Rock n roll!

30- 19 chart rundown. Sabbath 'n' Sheena both going down.

Coffee - Casanova
Unlike Enola Gay, I have no recollection of this song whatsoever.  Coffee (we like it, erm, black) were apparently one of those 'manufactured' disco groups - a female trio no doubt hoping to replicate the success of Sister Sledge, The Three Degrees and the like. Legs & Co. execute their usual subtle take on the song title and go all Venetian baroque. This one had crept into the charts last week and is now up to no. 19.

18-11 chart rundown. And we have a tweet for you at no. 11

Black Slate - Amigo
Thankfully the sombrero has been down-sized for this new performance although our singer friend has obviously been to Torremolinos to get the full amigo kit. They're up to no. 9 and, yes, it's annoyingly catchy (but not as much as Enola Gay)

Waterman again showing off that there is no end to his talents. He even plays football.

The Nolans - Gotta Put Myself Together
Radio 2 darlings the Nolan Sisters are back with a new single, new LP on the way and, like OMD, a new look, although one gets the feeling they've been having lots of meetings with Sheena Easton's wardrobe assistant, rather than popping down to Foster Bros. They've also discovered the promo-video trick, and that although it might be a bit expensive it saves you having to go on Top of the Pops to do all that singing and dancing live, hoping you don't make any mistakes or hit a bum note. This won't do as well as the more memorable In the Mood for Dancing, but Top 10 here they come again.

Paul Jones also pops in for more shameless self-plugging at the licence-payer's expense.

Linx - You're Lying
A repeat of the studio performance of two weeks ago, even though it hadn't moved an inch since last week. Scraping the barrel a bit.

Peter Powell in an armchair.

Gilbert O'Sullivan - What's in a Kiss
Oh dear - is he still around? Gilbert (né Raymond Edward) O'Sullivan hadn't had a hit single in five years, although apparently he'd be going through a lot of legal issues with previous record company in that time. We'd better take a bit of pity on him then, go out an buy this to help him along with the legal fees. Again, it's like punk never happened. Understandably wiped from the 7.30 showing in the year 2015. O'Sullivan's fan(s) must have been gutted.

10-2 rundown, and a special mention must go to the Specials (see what I did there?) and their Stereotype at no. 6. Like, where did that come from? After Too Much Too Young and Rat Race, I'm wondering if the band had been banned by the BBC or were just being blatantly ignored by them? Powell doesn't even mention the song title. Social commentary in pop was sadly still a no-no, and it certainly won't get any better.

The Police - Don't Stand So Close to Me
Well I suppose at least this lot did sort of come out of punk in some way, and here they are again still at number 1 with that video. They must have been making millions already.

Playout with much dancing and merriment over Ottawan 'D.I.S.C.O'.
Waterman and Jones get the t-shirted blondes. Powell presumably gets back to his armchair.

Well that's all for this week. TOTP80 will be back in two weeks with the 16/10/80 show. One week too late.

TOTP 80.30 25/09/80

First broadcast 25/09/80
BBCFour repeat here, first shown 01/10/15
Presented by Mike Read
Guest presenters: Leo Sayer / Russ Abbott
Full chart here.


We're back! Yes indeed, after a lengthy hiatus due to Proms, BBC programming and other shenanigans your fave programme is back on the telly on a Thursday night where it always should be so to hell with the washing-up and let's get started. Over to you Mike..

No! Wait..! Where's Mike the Presenter? This is The Police thrashing around in school master garb!.. Diana Ross on her ol' Joanna and some other chaps flapping about in garish "carnival" costumes! Oh phew, here's Mike at last, in sensible-yet-trendy jacket 'n' thin tie . .had me going for a moment there.

Black Slate - Amigo
New in the charts at 35 so perfect for the slot of 'quirky' newcomer to open the show. But oh dear, what's with the over sized Speedy Gonzalez sombrero an' ting? Well, apparently according to wiki, it was "their Rastafarian rallying call". Well good for them, even though 'amigo' is actually Spanish for 'friend', no? I suppose that explains the sombrero. Don't want to give any spoilers or anything but this one shot up to no. 10 the following week, presumably on the back of this performance and having rallyed lots of Rastafarians.

Interval (already?) - and up pops chirpy chappy Leo Sayer, and what a splendid opportunity for Mike Read to do his Cliff Richard impression.
Next!

Split Enz - I Got You
Better cool things down a bit after all that Rastafarianism and get some clean white boys on to do a more sensible number. This one was creeping verrrry slowly up the charts although got a further leg-up after this repeat showing. They were Australian of course, but thankfully not a hat with corks on in sight.
Their only hit.

Diana Ross - My Old Piano
Mike Read obviously needed a bit a lie down after that cabaret number cos it's just Sayer to introduce this promo of Ms. Ross and her latest about a piano, in which the chanteuese duly cavorts around a (not so old) piano. Flick Colby take note. Another Edwards/Rogers produced Top 10 success after last summer's excellent Upside Down.

Queen - Another One Bites the Dust (Legs & Co.)
Ooooh! Speaking of ver Legs here they now, in quiet possibly their weirdest dance costumes ever. Actually it's all looking a bit 'New Romantic' even though that hasn't been invented yet. Stage designers have also evidently had a bit more time on their hands this week and have constructed a kind of corridor in a Japanese restaurant for the girls to do their thing in. And if that wasn't enough it's special effects galore to boot! I'd like to think that Bowie's Ashes to Ashes video was a big influence here, but who can say? Queen had indeed gone Top 10 with this John Deacon penned number although sadly this all-out Legs performance did little to aid its chart success. Still an ace track though.

are you ready, are ready for this?

Prior to the 30-20 chart rundown there's a short appearance from Russ Abott who, unlike Leo Sayer, is/was actually genuinely funny. Most singles in the 30-20 bracket going down, save for Bob Marley and the afore-featured Split Enz.

Ottowan - D.I.S.C.O.
Well while Queen were at least trying to do something new with 'disco' this kind of 70s-leftovers was still making it through. Mike Know-All Read has to tell us of course that this single was already a year old and that Ottawan have little or no English. Just one place behind Queen although they went on to effectively leap-frog them to reach the giddy heights of the top 3. Where's the justice?

Rundown 19-11 - quite a few post-Strike big names on the way down: Cliff, Bowie, Berry, Sheena, Sabbath, Jam, obviously leaving for space for new and exciting stuff. Some hope.

Shalamar - I Owe You One
Seems to be some kind of disco 'theme' running through this week's show, much to our chagrin. Wish they'd hurry up and invent the New Romantics. What's that? Get down the The Blitz Club if you want some new styles, new shapes...? But for the moment we're stuck with  this kind of thing. We'll be hearing more from the Shals a couple of years hence, so tune in again around 2017, Shalamar fans as this might be your lot as far as 1980/2015 goes.

Russ Abbot/Teddy Boy introduces...

Linx - You're Lying
And here's some quality Brit-disco at last. Linx were still a fairly labour-intensive soul/funk combo apparently coming out of nowhere, or perhaps from an underground Brit-soul/funk movement which has probably already been featured on a BBCFour documentary. But no matter, this really was rather good and went down well on the dance-floors of the nation, kick-starting a successful career for the David Grant/Peter Martin duo. Some ace state-of-the-art keys on stage here and they were even 'cred' enough to be featured on a future cassette compilation issued by the ultra-cred NME, rubbing shoulders with the likes of Scritti Politti, Cabaret Voltaire and, er, Furious Pig.

Top 10 rundown. and you have to listen very attentively to Read to find out what's going up or down, plus get some really interesting info about each artist. From one clip we even see that Sheena's Modern Girl works in a Chiropody Clinic. Fact.


The Police - Don't Stand So Close To Me
Although they'd done pretty well up to now, mega-stardom status for The Police officially begins here with this single staying at the top for four weeks, and likewise its parent album Zenyatta Mondatta released a week or so later. Love 'em or hate 'em Sting and pals going straight to number one (the seventh in history, right Mike?) with this new song was a due testament to their popularity and sale-ability at the time. That said, perhaps the success of the 'Don't Stand..' follow-up (which we won't mention for now) may also be a testament to the fact that the British public would eagerly snap up any old rubbish with 'The Police' written on it. But credit where credit's due for Sting's semi-autobiographical tale of a wanton schoolgirl trying to get close to 'teach' possibly in the hope of getting a better school report, or perhaps even more. A scholarly reference to 'that book by Nabakov' is somewhat counter-balanced by rhyming said author's surname with the word 'cough', and a rather shoddy promo-film showed how erstwhile 'punk' was becoming mainstream, but of course the New Romantics will be putting a bit of a shine on videos before long.

..the subject, of schoolgirl fantasies..

The chart-topping trio is soon replaced by a shambolic presenter-trio who wrap up the show with a pitiful "sketch" in which Read is suddenly heavily pregnant and nearly knocked over by a psueudo-superhero.

Change - Searching (playout)
Groan. More MOR disco to finish up, although I was surprised and interested to discover that Change actually originated in Bologna, Italy (home of lasagna and the world's oldest university) with a bit of americano/NY sparkle laid over the top like a generous sprinkling of Parmesan cheese. This one features the talents of a fledgling lead-vocalist Luther Vandross, no less, and as well as being a huge success Stateside was also doing quite well UK-side so we might be hearing it again soon.

A pretty spritely play-out with balloons, dancing and streamers! Is this the 1980s?

We might find out next week..t'ra!

TOTP 80.24 14/08/80

BBCFour repeat here.
Full chart here.

Introduced by Tommy Vance and guest Roger Daltrey.

Just a quick runthrough as we're packing our bucket n spade and going on our summer holiday...

Looking at the charts, nearly all the acts that were on last week benefited from their respective performances (save for Bad Manners who remained at 15) so TOTP had definitely given the record buying public a kick up the backside. Amazingly they seemed to have cobbled together a pretty good show from what else of good there was....

Ultravox - Sleepwalk

Openers Ultravox got the party started with their debut as a group and they were already at no. 29. Midge had already been on with Slik though a few centuries ago as had keyboardist Billy Currie who had d been on last year with Tubeway Army/Gary Numan. Midge is oh so slick with the cameras, never losing a moment to give Bowie-esque gazes into the lens. Another jaw-drop moment for me (for the music not for Midge's crafty looks) although surprisingly this did them little good chart-wise. But they'll be back...

David Bowie - Ashes to Ashes

So much has been said about this song/video already as it's become nigh-on legendary. This was apparently the first time it went on telly and duly shook the nation. Bowie's new one had to be featured on TOTP of course because it was straight in at no. 4. That legendary 'video' practically brought the New Romantic movement out of the underground London clubs and into the mainstream. And we now knew that Space Oddity's Major Tom was actually a junkie.

ELO- All Over the World

Brum's best didn't get much of a look in with their only no. 1, albeit with hot blonde lead singeress, because of the Strike. Here's another cracker from Xanadu though which also did them good. Legs & Co. slightly overdressed this week, but you can't mess around too much with national costumes - might start a war or something.

Mike Berry - Sunshine of Your Smile

Who is this and how did he get here? I've no idea and no time to find out either. Life's too short.

 

Grace Jones - Private Life

Another debut and possibly the first time many had seen her. Epic cool performance and a great single. Love the way she flicks the ash without actually smoking. A Marlene Dietrich for our time.

Village People - Can't Stop the Music

Way past their 'YMCA' best and perhaps they really had better stop the music. or re-invent themselves for the 80s. No, forget that.

Sue Wilkinson - You've Got to be a Hustler..

See Mike Berry above, although perhaps slightly more entertaining. A nation asked itself what a 'hustler' was. Get that woman some hair conditioner.

Abba - The Winner Takes It All

Is it all over already? I've missed out the 'guest presenter' banter and the intermittent peacemeal chart rundowns in favour of brevity, plus the fact that Daltrey is an arrogant burke. But still, everyone's favourite Swedish group are still kings and queens of pop. For now.

Must fly! Ciao!

TOTP 80.23 7/08/80

BBCFour repeat here.
Full chart here.

Introduced by Peter Powell....and Elton John. Elton John? 

Well it's back: after a nine week hiatus The Pops was back on our Thursday night screens and the arrival of a 'guest presenter' with the regular Radio 1 DJ already hinted at the fact this was An All New TOTP, folks. Now let's get on with the chart rundown and see who's number one....

Wha? No chart rundown? Only a preview of "what's coming up" over some old 70s rock music? So how are we supposed to know who's no. 1 and know when the show is over when it comes on at the end? Whaddya mean you're not supposed to know? Oh well..let's see if this new-fangled idea works, shall we? A new broom will only sweep well for a bit.

Powell does indeed duly give us a preview of the main acts which are coming up, albeit out of sync. There does seem to be an awful lot of movement .. .lots of dancing and bright lights. Whatever next!

The Piranhas - Tom Hark
OK let's get this thing started. Lots of new features already but starting off with a 'novelty' band/song is an old trick that obviously hasn't been put to bed. Here's a whacky ska-reggae pub band sort of affair miming badly to their instruments. The highlight seems to be a stand-up drummer, bare and oily chested, 'playing' drums with a pair of...cucumbers? He sort of reminds me of Christian Bale in American Psycho which is a tad disturbing, as is this whole set-up. Now at no. 26, it would reach the Top 10 within a couple of weeks. Oh and since we weren't given The Chart Rundown, behold! There's now a futuristic computer graphic at the end of each song telling you name of the band and chart position! Wow!

Diana Ross - Upside Down
The inter-presenter banter continues as both men admit they can't whistle (pah!) and Elton confesses he tried to kill off disco, now "rearing its ugly head" again with Ms. Ross at No. 2. Well shucks to you for not being able to kill off Nile/Rodgers with your pathetic ballads Reg! Bit of a weird grainy, filmic collage promo for Diana, but no matter; this was already a big summer hit based on its radio play only and a bit of a classic in the making. Kept off the top spot only by the mighty .. oops not allowed to reveal anything!

Roxy Music - Oh Yeah
John gives us a bit of useless (and largely incomprehensible) banter about Chic and then states 'onto better things' .. as some of his pals are in the studio. Roxy Music seem to have timed their single releases to coincide with The Strike, as they were on the last programme before It happened and here they are again bang on schedule in The New Pops. The second single off Flesh + Blood album didn't disappoint. Another classic and this time Bryan Ferry has some decent trousers even though he moves as if his feet were stuck to the floor, but i suppose he can get away with that.

Tom Browne - Funkin' For Jamaica 
Elton seems to have gone for a lie-down after all that strenuous presenting work, so Pete's on his own to introduce Tom Browne and LEGS AND CO!! WHY ARE YOU SHOUTING PETE!? Oh .. I see. Not content to give us the odd glimpse of their pants up to know, the Legs are actually performing....IN THEIR UNDIES! Sexy! Raunchy! Hot! ..oh no sorry I mean NO! this is blatant sexist rubbish and should be banned off the BBC! It's disgusting! However we do get to learn each individual's name thanks to that new-fangled computer graphics machine. Good song too. Was it?

This is Sue. Apparently. pic.: BBC cameraman

Oh wait. Pay attention. It's the Charts! Only from no. 30 to 21 though.

Hot Chocolate - Are You Getting Enough of What Makes You Happy?

Phew! A bit steamy this title too innit? Where's Mary Whitehouse these days? Like Roxy, the Chocs were also on the last Pops, but were less successful with this fairly unmemorable number. Perfectly fine to whiggle to though, just look at al the kids! Dancing!

More chart rundown? Oh I get it...it's the charts a bit at a time. Nice idea. Might even catch on.

Kelly Marie - Feels Like I'm In Love

Let's have something new at last shall we? What's this? A wee Scottish red-haired lassie doing the disco thing with two strapping dark-skinned chappies in tight bodywear? Och, the brazen hussie! But the British public loves this kind of singer of course and this song would have Kelly whizzing up the charts all the way up to no, 1, although I really shouldn't be telling you this of course.

GAP Band - Oops Upside Your Head

More wiggly disco stuff , this time from o'er the water. Oklahoma to be precise. Already at no. 6 although didn't get any further on the strength of this poor 'live' promo-video. And no I won't go into that embarrassing eighties dance craze that this song had started off. You know the one where everyone sits on the floor,one behind the other and.....

Gibson Bros. - Mariana

Oh no! More dancing! Live in the studio! With coloured balloons! Can you cope? The Gibson siblings are back with a 'long-awaited' follow up to the Cuba/Salsa thing earlier in the year. They're obviously well in with Flick Colby too as, and not for the first time, there are assorted Legs dancing along, although sadly not in their knickers anymore. Well they are in their knickers but with other stuff as well. But we digress. Do the Eighties start here? 

Elton John has completely disappeared by the way. Probably trying to 'kill off disco' somewhere. But here's a nice interlude .. the ones we missed "while we were away" (see also my very own blogpost below).  More bottom-wiggling to Odyssey, some nice Olivia Newton-John/ELO, plus the woeful Don McClean...

Sheena Easton - 9 to 5

Second wee Scottish artiste of the night although an all together more modern girl (geddit?) compared to red-head Kelly. Easton had been the subject of an episode of the BBC's The Big Time documentary series, which in her case followed the lassie's career up to recording and launch of Modern Girl, which however failed to make any big impression, and indeed 'the big time' back in April (of which we are reminded via a short clip).  Not so this catchy number which shot her to stardom (dragging 'Modern Girl' along with it) making Sheena one of the first big stars of the Eighties. Totally un-p.c. subject matter now of course: woman sings about her successful man out at work while she waits all day for him to come home so that they can 'make love' and 'take off'. Hmmm. Acceptable in the (early) eighties, just like the green jumpsuit with matching white boots. Cute though.

Bad Manners - Lip Up Fatty

Elton's back, although he's obviously been out because he's now got his mac on, or just getting ready to 'take off'? For some reason he's given the arduous task of presenting Bad Manners and their latest one which had been going around for quite a bit, such that it may even had qualified for the whacky newcomer spot on the last Pops before The Strike, had it not been for Liquid Gold. But anyway here they are being 'nutty' or whatever, although sadly still very much stuck in the late seventies I'm afraid. 'Lip Up Fatty' is in no way Eighties, jumpsuit or not.

Chart countdown from no. 10 to no. 2 with a snippet of a performance of each song, Pops studio or other, which is good because we get to see a few seconds of Kate Bush's splendid Babooshka video. Just a tiny bit, mind. Then, at last, it's... No. 1 time!

Abba - The Winner Takes It All

It's not easy to explain how big Abba were at the time or even why perhaps, but there was something already inherently eighties in their pop stardom, even though most of it happened in the seventies. Which is why it's sort of appropriate we should be seeing them at the top spot in this first TOTP eighties-style proper. Does that make any sense? Possibly not, but even though this is a sloppy ballad about a twenty-something couple divorcing and suffering the consequences, as a spotty 16 year old I could somehow totally relate to it. Plus I wanted to marry Agnetha after this of course, knowing that she had now become single, and they had some great eighties clothes in Sweden. First week at no. 1 after a momentary pause at no. 9, and like the song, the video is also now nigh-legendary.

George Benson - Give Me the Night

Elton John decides to adopt a faux-Irish accent when promoting his new single with Pete. I'm sure there must be a reason for that. Somewhere. he even manages to re-state his dislike of disco music before p****ing off to America and Australia or wherever. I'd much rather have stayed on the stage to jig about with all those pastel shades and jumpsuits. I'd really like to know who that girl with hat at the front is/was. Looks like a budding New Romantic..

That was quite a strenuous re-opening night. Better make a cup of tea.

See ya next week!