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Showing posts with label Jimmy Savile. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jimmy Savile. Show all posts

TOTP 80.43/2 25/12/80


..part two..


The Police - Don't Stand So Close to Me


Fern Kinney - Together We Are Beautiful


Johnny Logan -What's Another Year


Abba - Super Trouper


Lipps Inc - Funky Town (Legs & Co.)


Leo Sayer  - More Than I Can Say


Sheena Easton - 9 to 5


Pink Floyd - Another Brick in the Wall Pt. 2


St. Winifred's School Choir - There's No-One Quite Like Grandma

TOTP 80.43/1 25/12/80

First shown on BBC 1 on Christmas Day, 1980
Presented by Jimmy Savile and Peter Powell

not repeated by BBCFour in 2015

...so a huge thanks to Manorak for posting the show on vimeo, and thanks - as ever - to Popscene for the running order. Basically it's a 'The Best of [insert year here]' Christmas Day special, with lots of hits to keep everyone awake during the postprandial blow out and before The Queen comes on.

The Nolans - I’m In The Mood For Dancing


Dexy's Midnight Runners - Geno


Blondie - Atomic


Paul McCartney - Coming Up


Barbara Streisand - Woman in Love


Liquid Gold - Dance Yourself Dizzy


David Bowie - Ashes to Ashes


Marti Webb - Take That Look Off Your Face




(..having trouble with blog-tags so splitting this post into two..)

TOTP 80.36 06/11/80

First broadcast 06/11/80
Not repeated on BBCFour in 2015
Presented by Jimmy Saville
Full chart here.

Well the TOTP Time Machine is racing ahead on BBCFour (save for omitted shows) so we'd better get cracking with a catch-up.. Thanks to PopScene episode guide for the list of artists in this show.


Kool and the Gang - Celebrate
Debut for what would become a bit of a classic of its genre, perhaps because it doesn't really belong to any particular genre. Disco/funk/pop crossover\good-times-are-here song which would get them Top 10. Ya-ho!

Status Quo - What You're Proposing
Keeping the party atmosphere going with this repeat performance. Now incredibly up to no. 2.

Dennis Waterman &  Band - I Could Be So Good For You
He was on a few weeks ago threatening that he was about to release a record, and here it is. A very British kind of record, but one which you wish had never been made. Again a bit of a 'cross-over' as it was the theme tune for Minder which had just been launched on ITV.

Stephanie Mills - I Never Knew Love Like This Before
Quite a fast pace this week with another jaunty number now at no. 18 and, like Kool  and Waterman, was destined to go even higher. Ms. Mills only Top 10/20 song which also won Best RnB song at the 1981 Grammys.

Neil Diamond - Love on the Rocks
Bit of an odd inclusion this as this new single wasn't even near the Top 75 yet. Probably some mooovie mogul paid a lot of money to the BBC to promote the mooovie The Jazz Singer from whence this song comes. I'd rather listen to Status Quo again to be honest.

Roxy Music - Same Old Scene (Legs & Co.)
Third single, and hit, from the Flesh+Blood album, and I won't hide it's my fave one too. I am also rather cross I didn't get to see Legs doing their thang to it, too. Hrrmph.

UB40 - The Earth Dies Screaming
Was this really on TOTP? An anti-nuclear protest song? Wonder what Jimmy Savile, and indeed the British public made of that. It'll reach no. 10 so hope it's on again....

Motorhead - Ace of Spades
This is turning out to be a cracker of a show: here's the 'Head with another raucous heavy-metal stonker which just stinks of pachuli oil and dirty leather. Love it. Again, hope we get a repeat.

Top 10 rundown as follows:
(10) Ottawan – D.I.S.C.O. (down)
(9) Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark – Enola Gay (down)
(8) David Bowie – Fashion  (up)
(7) Odyssey – If You’re Looking For A Way Out (down)
(6) Matchbox – When You Ask About Love (down)
(5) Blondie – The Tide Is High (NEW!)
(4) Adam & the Ants – Dog Eat Dog (up)
(3) Bad Manners – Special Brew (up)
(2)   Status Quo - What You’re Proposing (non mover)

Then,...

Barbara Streisand - Woman in Love (Number 1)
"Life is a moment in space.." etc. etc..



Got a bit of a lump in my throat when I read what the playout track was....Now only if I really did have a time machine...

John Lennon - (Just Like) Starting Over.......



TOTP 80.28 11/09/80

Another one not repeated this time around, hosted by Saville and Richard Skinner, who was in fact already a R1 DJ, but getting his introduction to the TOTP public Steve Wright style.

You can watch the full programme here on Vimeo (via Manorak)
Full chart here

I have a feeling that good and exciting material was pretty thin on the ground for this edition, since most of the songs were in the lower reaches of the chart and struggling to get anywhere. But anyway these things seem to go in cycles so let's just get on with it:

The Skids - Circus Games
And by way of proof of the above statement here's the second outing for The Skids who had crept up just one place to no. 32 from no. 33, which is where they were two weeks ago when featured on the show. They must have been chuffed to have got a second chance although again the Great British public weren't buying it (literally) and they dropped down to no. 40 the week after.

Black Sabbath - Paranoid (promo)
I can't seem to find any information out there as to why this 1970 song from The Sabbath became an unexpected hit again a decade later, so any gen would be gladly accepted. Over the years Paranoid has turned out to be quite an 'evergreen' as it crops up every now and then on films and stuff. Already at no. 17 this week.

Ian Dury & the Blockheads - I Want to Be Straight
Again? Like the Skids' single this had stalled after its TOTP showing a couple of weeks back, yet somehow was miraculously 'rescued' for this week, and then got nowhere. Next!

Elvis Presley - It's Only Love
Again it's an old one re-marketed, perhaps in the wake of Presley's death, which had happened three years hence. HAd someone from Black Sabbath died too? Legs & Co. give it the once over this week so let's break the monotony a bit and watch it over on One For the Dads.

Shakin' Stevens - Marie Marie
Another 'rescued from obscurity' feature, which again hadn't done very much since being on three weeks ago. Now at the dizzy heights of no. 21 it gained another two places next week. Then nothing. A bientot, Shaky. Next!

Judas Priest - United
More p*ss poor strugglers, I'm afraid. And it's even a repeat of two weeks ago. Next!

Splodgenessabounds - Two Little Boys
Oh something  a bit fun and interesting at last, although one wonders why this lot weren't put in the opening 'novelty band' slot. A not-so-good follow-up to Two Pints of Lager.. which had been a hit during the Wilderness Weeks of The Strike. Not surprisingly this song has its origins in English music-hall and this is more or less what we get 'post-punk' style with The Splodge Ones, albeit on a very cramped and overcrowded stage. God knows what they were on but they certainly gave tonight's lacklustre show a kick up the backside. They also went whizzing up the charts after tonight's showing, my lords, laydees and gennle-meeen, but its success was short-lived.

Split Enz - I Got You
Maybe it was a new TOTP strategy to save the best bits til last, after wading through the drudgery? That would certainly seem the case this week. Colourful Australian cousins Split Enz make their TOTP debut with this number, which is actually a bit creepy, but a well-crafted song nonetheless, somewhat in the style of say, Squeeze. This one had already made it to no. 27 and would deservedly go on to do better.

Kelly Marie - Feels Like I'm in Love
It's a new number one folks, and full marks to Kelly for hangin' on in there and getting to the top after six weeks grafting and sweating (enough of these short lived 'instant hits' already!). It must also have been a big satisfaction to have out-done fellow females Sheena 'I've Got Two Singles Out Actually' Easton and Hazel 'I'm a Film Star Too Actually' O'Connor, and beating both to the top spot (can you imagine the backstage bitchin'!!?). Randy Crawford also hot on her heels, so we'll see what happens next week folks.

Queen - Another One Bites the Dust (playout)
You'd have thought that Queen going all disco would've deserved more pops attention, but there obviously wasn't even a decent promo-video around, so just unleash the kids!

Back next week with a proper Pops showing, at last. T'ra!




TOTP 80.16 17/04/1980

Full chart here.
This show was not repeated on BBC4 in 2015, as it was presented by J*mmy S*vile, but here's the line-up anyway, courtesy of Turn it on Again > Top of the Pops 1980:

Leon Haywood – Don’t Push It, Don’t Force It (chart rundown)
Not a terribly exciting chart this week, the highest new entry being Sky's Toccata, as featured last week. There are however are couple of big movers who make fairly unlikely bedfellows in the battle for the top spot before long....

Phil Lynott – Dear Miss Lonely Hearts
Thin Lizzy leader had obviously got a bit peed off with working with bandmates so decided to embark on a solo career à la John Foxx. Unlike Foxx however, Lynott continued to stay in Thin Lizzy at the same time and even have his band mates guest on the album Solo in Soho. Confused? Well never mind cos this will get nowhere. Lynott's biggest solo hit would be Yellow Pearl, co-written with Midge Ure for said album, which would later become the TOTP theme tune. Midge Ure of course replaced John Foxx in Ultravox - see what I did there?

Barbara Dickson - January February
Stable at last week's no. 11, but somebody obviously decided she needed to a leg-up. Which she didn't get.

Girl – Hollywood Tease
Blimey! Who's this? Some kind of glam-rock outfit who don't want to join the new heavy metal movement? Reminds one of early Japan (David Sylvian's band, not the country) but more Led Zeppelin than Roxy Music. I swear I'd never heard this before in my life, and probably never will again either.

Blondie – Call Me (Legs & Co)
This one is already at no. 2 - yes number two - guys n gals, without so much of a Pops' credits run-out up to now. Still no sign of Debs and the boys though so one will have to make do with the Legs, dressed a kind of ska suit affair with coloured tops, Pauline Black wouldn't be seen dead in.

B. A. Robertson – Kool In The Kaftan
Tiresome and thankfully here for the last time with this one.

The Selecter – Missing Words 
Again, struggling somewhat chart-wise but they won't need to make the trip down from Coventry again for a bit.

The Ruts – Staring At The Rude Boys
New in at, er, no. 51 folks. Not a patch on Babylon's Burning but this wouldn't do too badly for them.

The Pretenders – Talk Of The Town
Top 10 again after their no. 1 smash, but we won't have to endure this tedious video no more. Still a great tune though.

Dexy's Midnight Runners – Geno
Geno! Geno! Geno! This one's up to no. 12 this week and obviously causing a bit of a stir up and down the country as the single is bought by young punters who had no idea who Geno Washington was. And to think Record Mirror called this "a turgid eulogy with few redeeming features". Stay tuned.

The Nolans – Don’t Make Waves
Bubbling under the Top 30, and we still have I'm in the Mood for Dancing still ringing in our ears. Lovely ladies with a lovely dance routine and a lovely live vocal. Lovely.

UB40 – Food For Thought
Up one more place for the Brummie boys who were hitting their peak with this one at no. 4.

Sham 69 – Tell The Children
More fag-end of punk rock, although would fare much worse than, say, The Ruts. But Sham 69, you may now disband.

The Detroit Spinners – Working My Way Back To You
My colleague Angelo has reminded me that this is actually a medley with Forgive Me Girl. Still at no. 1 but I think that's quite enough of the '70s for now thank you very much.

Bobby Thurston – Check Out The Groove
Oh no! More seventies?