TOTP 80.42 18/12/80

First shown 18th December 1980*
Repeated on BBCFour from 10/12/2015
Presented by Simon Bates
Full chart here

*wee note: I've chosen the exact original date in 2015 to publish this post.

Bates is back and will do us the honours for this, the last 2015-repeated TOTP80. Over to you Symes...

Wow! Quite a party going on here, funny hats and Stray Cats in the background...


The Beat - Too Nice to Talk To
It's been a great year for The Beat, now having had four hit singles (five if we include tears of a Clown from late last year) and a cracking album which remained top 30 for five months. Alas it seems as if the magic was over with this last one as they are swept away with the new-new wave in '81. Perhaps the Soviet soldier-chic was a bad move?

St. Winifred's School Choir - There's No-One Quite Like Grandma
Stuck at no. 2 having been somewhat cheated out of the top spot by the cruel hand of fate. All is not lost however, not for the wee clones at least. Symes must have a niece or nephew or something at St. Winifred's as he clings on to the fact that it might still get to no. 1 for Christmas and yah boo sucks to John Lennon.

The Barron Knights - Never Mind the Presents
Funny hat back on Symes and since this is Great Britain so we couldn't have a Christmas without having a 'novelty' 'Christmas record, could we. I remember this lot being quite popular at the time although being more of Monty Python / Not the Nine O'Clock News man myself, I duly poo-pooed their populist humour. In hindsight however their Pink Floyd "we don't need no educayshun" piss-take is actually quite funny.

More japes now with special guests Little and Large....steps back in amazement...

The Specials - Do Nothing
Such was The Specials' hardcore following that they seemed to get hit after hit with almost no effort, and little radio play, involved. Third single from their 'lounge' influenced More Specials album, which was surprisingly short-lived Top 30-wise. Nice Christmas jumpers, and more dress sense than The Beat and Little & Large put together. The 'second vocalist' who jumps around doing nothing, not even singing much would later be adopted by

Symes plugs some BBC records, then gets so excited about the next artist he gets the song title wrong and also misguidedly tells us it's 'live'.

Gary Numan - This Wreckage
Talking of hardcore followings, here's another artist who had already become a bit of a cult within the space of just over a year, with mega-selling albums, a handful of top 10 singles, sell-out tours etc. Hard to believe we're only just a year after Cars though as this synth-durge with lyrics about God being dead, and "I leave you" in Japanese and all that is hardly TOTP or even hit-radio material. As you're retiring Gaz, might as well get back to the drawing board. Nice festive 'snowman'-chic jumpsuit though.

Robert Palmer - Looking For Clues
Perhaps it was Numan himself who managed to pull a few strings and get his mate Robert Palmer back on the Pops. Palmer recorded a version of Numan's I Dream of Wires for his Clues album: "you scratch my back mate and I'll call someone at the BBC...". Symes reminds us that PAlmer's last single wasn't "a massive hit" and thereby puts the jinx on this one too: stuck at no. 33, the third of five weeks in that hallowed chart position.

Symes reminds us that Christmas Day is coming up next Thursday (who knew??) and that the Pops will be on at 2 pm and not in the usual slot, so that makes a change.

Chart rundown 30-18.


Chas & Dave - Rabbit
The first appearance of the cheeky Cockney duo since '79's hit Gertcha (Cockney rhyming slang for 'gertcha') and now they're back with this song about some lady friend and her 'rabbiting' ie. the art of catching rabbits, which may seem like a strange thing at this time of year. Should've been 'turkeying' perhaps? Unlike Gary Numan, Chas 'n' Dave sing live.

Charts 17-11. Bates is keen to show us what's going up this week. Erm, only Quo & Queen, actually Symes.

The Nolans - Who's Gonna Rock You
In a desperate effort to get some female artists onto the show (despite Chas n Dave's sexist ranting) The Nolans sisters are grabbed by the skin of their teeth at no. 39 and dragged on to brighten the place up a bit and keep the Dads, and indeed The Parents, happy.  Complete with backing band, this is/was a rather feeble attempt at 'disco' and not their best but it'll keep the Nolan ball rolling. And 'rock' isn't meant to be a euphemism for something else, by the way.

Top Ten Time.

Jona Lewie - Stop the Cavalry
Like Symes said, now at no. 3 with his Moog-tuba brass backing band, and of course sleigh bells and the "wish I was at home for Christmas" (clang!) festive bits thrown in. Repeated studio performance.


John Lennon - Just Like Starting Over
"..number one, of course.." cit. Symes. Legs & Co. were absent last week because they were apparently busy rehearsing for the Christmas & New Year's specials. But it looks as though they had to quickly put together a Christmas-themed routine for the deceased Beatle's single...of course. One can always speculate on how the new Lennon/Ono material would have fared had it not been for The Tragic Incident: sceptics may say they would have re-faded into oblivion and faded rockstar sadness, while  others may say that it was a return to form with Lennon's retro-style fitting in with the new 50s/60s nostalgia (although way outclassing the likes of Stray Cats, Matchbox et al), while Ono's more avant-garde pop has already been absorbed into the new wave mainstream. I'd go for the latter theory. Whatever you think, Lennon was brutally murdered and his assassination by an obsessed "fan" was a cruel, illogical consequence of pop-stardom in the modern world.

Hate to have to finish TOTP80 on such a sad note - the omission of the Christmas show in BBCFour repeats here in the year 2015 also another sad consequence of how just a small number of leading figures in 'show business' and public broadcasting spoiled the party for everyone. Hopefully, hoever, said Christmas special will be made available by someone, somewhere and we can bring you the line-up and the usual commentary just for completion's sake.

Until then, it's good night from me.

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..)

TOTP 80.29 18/09/80

Full chart here

Presented by Simon Bates and Olivia Newton-John (phwoar).

and what's so funny about my nose then?

Well not sure what "small problems" The Pops were (still) having, but it seems to mean that we have Simes and Olivia in a studio with just one cameraman with some repeated footage and promo videos edited in, and no Legs & Co.!. Which all makes for a very dull show and not very 'eighties' at all. Not to mention Bates wearing the worst jacket/suit/tie combo ever worn on the telly. Ever.

Somewhat wearily, we press on...

XTC - Generals and Majors
Fortunately this new single from The Partridge Boys had one of those new-fangled promo-videos (films) to go with it, so at least we get the novelty opener albeit in a new format. Virgin were wont to pumping a lot of funds into XTC, as can be seen from their often extravagant (ie. expensive) singles sleeves (picture sleeves, fold-outs, free games..the lot). As Symes rightly points out there was even a special documentary made about the band making their new album ("Black Sea"). I remember it being particularly interesting seeing how they got that clanging sound in Towers of London. Again a very expensive way to launch a new single, but Branson was paying so who cares. Somewhat undeservedly this failed to make the Top 30. Keep trying guys.

Randy Crawford - One Day I'll Fly Away
Repeat of a previous performance but emotional, nonetheless. Randy had also beat Elvis (Presley) to the no. 2 spot, so extra kudos to her.

Stevie Wonder - Masterblaster (Jammin')
Where did this come from? Wonder has seen his way (ehem) to no. 4 already with his first hit of the 80s and indeed for quite a long time. Nice summer hit, even though it's already September and raining.

Sheena Easton - Modern Girl
Here she is again .. I've lost count of how many times our Sheen's been on but she's now at her peak of no. 8 and we won't be seeing her again for a bit. But credit where credit's due - she's probably about the most 'eighties' thing about the show. I hadn't seen this before but there's a classic Pops moment when Sheens gets camera-bombed by a po-go-ing punk in the audience!

Sheena....

...bombing!

Nick Straker Band - A Walk in the Park
This was stuck at no. 20 (and continued so for another week) but we're a bit short of material so Nick and pals get a re-run before falling into oblivion. Did Simes just say he's "hanging on for grim death"? Pwahahahahaa.

Just to liven things up a bit here's Bill Gates, er no sorry, Jonathan King with a not-so-subtle advert for the Rubrik's cube:

separated at birth

Madness - Baggy Trousers
They're back: the band that kicked off the 80s Pops are with us again with some new material. They haven't lost they're 'nutty' edge (yet) with this one, their response to Another Brick in the Wall, since it's a more light-hearted throwback to school days and (no) edu-cayshun. A taste of their forthcoming album Absoloutely.

..and another guest! It's Wonder Woman! In a Chinese jacket!

Billy Joel - It's Still Rock n Roll To Me
Enough of Camden Town already, let's go Stateside. Another non-mover at no. 14 and it didn't get much higher, although another step towards Joel's Uptown Girl god-like status.

Kelly Marie - Feels Like I'm in Love
Phew, it's no. 1 already and here's Kells to put us all out of our agony, even though Simes seems to have enjoyed all the attention, possibly because that's what being a DJ is all about.

Queen - Another One Bites the Dust
Hasn't this been a playout one before? Queen may have updated their sound (a bit) but obviously still hadn't caught on to the new-fangled video malarkey. These 70s dinosaurs will never last.


Hey ho, another show over. The BBCOne site rather dourly tells us that there are "no upcoming debut broadcasts" ..debut?....as BBCFour makes way for The Posh Proms (c) which is possibly just as well as we all need a break.

See you some time in the future, by which time The Pops will have sorted out its "small problems". We hope.

TOTP 80.15 10/04/1980

Introduced by Simon Bates
BBCFour repeat here
Chart here.

Liquid Gold - Dance Yourself Dizzy
Charts: Dexy's and Selecter just manage to creep into the Top 30 after last week's performances, although it's giant leaps for The Pretenders and Madness after theirs. Blondie are back big time, as is, surprisingly, Mr David Essex. Messrs. Doctor Hook and UB40 both make Top 5 and there's a new No. 1 ...

Undertones - My Perfect Cousin
Surprisingly (The) Undertones had only made the Top 30 once in the one and a half years since their debut, the seminal Teenage Kicks, being perhaps too strongly linked to their champion John Peel to be accepted into the mainstream. Five singles later however and here is what would become their biggest hit, and quite rightly so. Notable for its witty lyric which name-checks Sheffield synths-only band The Human League, cleverly rhyming 'advise her' with 'synthesiser'. As a homage, the NME ran the feature "The Human League's Guide to Synthesisers" later in the year. Fact.

David Essex - Silver Dream Machine
Wow! He's back! Looking at David's wiki page, he seems to go back further than we'd like to think. He did of course reach his peak around 1973-75, when he was endowed the enviable mélange of 'dishy' looks (or so my sister used to tell me) and some damn fine songs to make into hit singles. Later in the seventies he'd had to rely on the Evita musical to get another top-5 single (namely with Oh What A Circus in 1978) but since then ..naffink. This one put him back on, er, track for a few weeks though and was taken from/made for the feature film Silver Dream Racer, starring Essex himself. Apparently it was a complete flop although the single would do better.

Dr. Hook - Sexy Eyes (Legs & Co.)
Uh-oh, it's getting complicated again. The girls form a circle and so a kind of folk dance round thing, although "special effects" has to quadruple up the screen for some reason, they we get a close up of each dancer in turn, each doing more or less the same things over and over, with the occasional flash of knicker, and then we get some silk scarf slow motion pseudo-ballet dancing too. Hmmm. Last week's thing is going to be very hard to beat.

Saxon - Wheels of Steel
..and following on from David Essex and his motor-cycling saga, here's Barnsley band Saxon, originally named 'Son of a Bitch', fact fans with their new offering. While the rest of the country was getting excited and hot under the collar about punk rock, new wave and all that, these lads were waving the 'heavy metal' flag and indeed continued to do so through much the eighties, bless 'em. Rousing stuff.

Sky - Toccata
It's about time we had a novelty instrumental band/single back in the charts after The Shadows let us down a bit earlier in the year. Emerging from the classical-cum-progressive scene in the early seventies, this mixed Ossie-UK outfit (guitarist John Williams their most famous member) had enjoyed a big success with their debut eponymous album in '79 and were now ready to for the Pops with this adaptation of Bach's "Toccata and fugue in D minor", as a preview of their second album, adventurously named Sky2. Great stuff.

Judas Priest - Living After Midnight
More rock/heavy metal à la Saxon, and those tight trousers are now up to no.12

Siouxsie & the Banshees - Happy House
Another slow mover and another repeat although we're obviously a bit short of material this week to be able to show anything better and more exciting. Except for David Essex.

Sad Café - My Oh My
Somebody obviously thought this one needed a push too. Strangely it went up one place the week after this but then up seven more places the week after, which probably means we'll be seeing them again. Groan.

Bodysnatchers - Do Rocksteady
It's the ska band slot and the all-female Bodysnatchers are slowing climbing up so it's their turn. They won't get any higher though, not with this or anything else. Ever.

The Buggles - Clean Clean
Well after a run of four slow movers, it's about time for something new! With scary intro (see above)! The Buggles hardly seem to have been away two minutes but  they're back with another single, lifted from their Age of Plastic album. Hardly sound of the eighties material this one though. Since Video Killed, chart performances are getting progressively worse and this, I fear, is the last we'll ever see of them on the Pops.

Detroit Spinners - Working My Way Back To You
..and they've worked their way up to the no. 1 spot, knocking The Jam  down two places. A good song but hardly no. 1 material, one thinks. Not really what the kids want.

Secret Affair - My World
Quite frankly I'd have expected Blondie and their new smash Call Me to me to have been played here, Secret Affair having climbed just one place after last week. But no matter.

See you next week!

TOTP 80.7 15/02/1980

Repeated on BBCFour as from 05.03.2015
Full chart here

For those reading in 2015 welcome back to TOTP '80 after a week's break, and if you're reading in 1980 then you'll have realised that the Pops wasn't in the usual Thursday slot this week but moved forward a day 'cos of the Winter Olympics, which have just opened.
So anyway, put your skis and padded anoraks away for the moment, and enjoy this week's show, presented by Simon Bates. There's something for everyone tonight, including no less than five cover versions - can you spot them all?

Kool & the Gang  - Too Hot (chart rundown)
Promoted from the "OK, get the kettle on" run-out credits spot a couple of weeks ago, they're now promoted to the "come in, sit down, shurrup, it's on" chart rundown spot. Good work.
Chart notes: The Rats have jumped up to number 4, the Nolans are stable at No. 3, despite all their dancing and romancing in the TOTP studio of late, and there's a new No. 1, more's the pity. TOTP going all out on the 'special' effects with double image for each position. Oooh! Clever!

Matchbox - Buzz Buzz a Diddle It
Well let's get the party started albeit with a blood curdling banshee-like cry from a Matchbox wannabe cowboy. Slow progress for our nutty rockabillies, so someone thought they needed a bit of a boost by placing them in the prime first act on slot. They slipped down again after this no. 22 peak, but they'll be back.

Keith Mitchell - Captain Beaky
And here's the little kids' favourite nice and early so they can go to bed before any lunatic punk rockers come on to traumatise them. This novelty record had already reached no. 5. So much for the punk revolution. Nul points Simon Bates for the 'feathered-friend' co-presenter but top marks for Mitchell for the live vocals and that jacket.

Flying Lizards - T.V.
Oooh! Hang about a bit longer kids, it's the novelty punk/new-wave band slot! Hopes were high after the bizarre yet catchy version of Money last year, and Simes shows us he's really 'with it' by having this as his record of the week. This original composition was nowhere near as good as Money though and didn't even make it into the Top 40, making the Lizards effective one-hit wonders. Nice try, and probably one of the bizzarest TOTP performances ever. Very, very, very ...Dada.

Elvis Costello - I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down
Seasoned new-waver Elvis Costello and his Attractions were straight in at no. 15 this week with htis stomper. It had been almost a year since their smash hit Oliver's Army but this tune was certainly up to that high standard and an excellent taster for his new album Get Happy!! which was also just out. Nice early promo too, possibly filmed on a wet day in South of France. This how to be bizarre and successful - Flying Lizards take note.

Michael Jackson - Rock With You (Legs & Co.)
It's Jacko! No, actually it's only Legs & Co. "as you've never seen them before!". Up from 35 to no. 12, just one place ahead of Cliff Richard whose Carrie possibly gave him inspiration for the future hit Billie Jean - we can but speculate. But back to now, and God knows what Flick Colby had been on this week to have dreamt this one up.

Dave Edmunds - Singing the Blues
Bit of an odd one this bluesy boyo, who had a number 1 hit - I Hear You Knocking - back in 1970, and seems to have lived off the success of that ever since. He did quite well with Girls Talk and Queen of Hearts in 1979 (I challenge you to whistle either of 'em) and this new one would also give him the same medium-sized/mediocre success. As Simes quite rightly points out Nick 'Breaking Glass' Lowe also features on gee-tarr, as does another bloke who looks like Keith Chegwin.

Jon & Vangelis - I Hear You Now
Back to the 'sound of the eighties', or almost. This seems to have been around for ages already. Video features a bloke in a leotard jumping out of a synthesiser. Don't ask. Moving swiftly along..

The Shadows - Riders in the Sky
'Simes' has to remind us that this next group are really famous and successful by showing us a big record in a frame. Again, it was slow progress for Cliff's former mates but amazingly they did get even higher than this week's no. 22 spot. The band are all modern now because they've got four (count 'em) syndrums and even a Moog hidden in the background. It was, alas (snigger), their last top 20, nay 40, hit. I'm not even going to mention what they did next.

Marti Webb - Take That Look Off Your Face
Andrew Lloyd Webber and co were obviously trying to follow up the success of Don't Cry for Me Argentina from Evita, although he would do better with Cats a year or so into the future. A nice enough song though and a good one for wives and girlfriends to shout into the faces of cheating partners. Webb is even more chilling and motionless than John 'Underpass' Foxx a couple of weeks back. Does she even blink? Scarey! Features TOTP orchestra and...tubular bells!

Stiff Little Fingers - At the Edge
It's punk rock time, and this week it's Stiff Little Fingers all the way from Belfast. They were only just bubbling under the Top 40 although someone obviously thought it was time they had their prime time break (at a suitable distance from Capt. Beaky) after being championed by the likes of John Peel. I had this down as being suitably shambolic yet it wasn't really, although compared to Marti Webb even The Wombles would have seemed energetic.

Kenny Rogers - Coward of the County
It's No. 1 but Rogers hasn't even bothered to come to l'il ol' England to go on Top of the Pops and it's that awful live promo film instead. Interestingly that makes it the second no. 1 in a row featured only via a live promo film. As far as I can make out this one isn't about teenage preganancy and contraception though. Not that I've ever listened to it properly.

Ramones - Baby I Love You (credits)
Well at least we're left with a slightly sweeter taste from another kind of American act. It's all been a bit rushed tonight becuase of the Friday slot and you won't be able to discuss it with your mates tomorrow morning either. Tough.

Did you spot all five cover versions? Answers next week!

TOTP 80.3 17/01/1980

Repeat showing: 29.01.2015

pic: @DamoIRL

Presented this week by the rather more irksome Simon Bates (turn that collar down man!), and a show which must hold the record for the highest number of non-chart or low-placed songs. Most of the big movers had already been featured last week (KC, Nolans, Dollar), while other high climbers were now falling in the post-Xmas lull. Plenty of room then for some new sounds. Let's get cracking:

Bee Gees - Spirits Having Flown (chart rundown)
In at no. 26, the title track from the eponymous album which had been released almost a year earlier. Wiki informs that it was released as single in conjunction with the Bee Gees Greatest album which had come out before Christmas, and furthermore was the last Top 40 hit the band had in the UK for almost eight years. I can believe that.

New Musik - Living By Numbers
And new music it was indeed, brought to you by Tony Mansfield and his band. Peter Powell had announced "the sound of the eighties" two weeks ago although perhaps this really was the first hint of the new electronic-based pop music we would soon be seeing the likes of in the new decade. A spritely sing-along tune with a catchy synth-riff, electronic snare drum sound, but backed with skin-and-bone drummer and guitars. Still outside the charts at this point, it would become their biggest hit.

Billy Preston & Syreeta - With You I'm Born Again
Here we go again. This hadn't been on last week so it was one of the few high-flyers who were on this week. Justifiably so as it was already at no. 2.

Sad Café - Strange Girl
Another non-charter by 'a band from Manchester' although a far cry from fellow citizens Joy Division and Buzzcocks. The song is actually a bit pervy: "Little girl who lives down the lane...".. eh? Their previous single Every Day Hurts had been a hit although this one failed to make the Top 30. "Sad" on many levels.

Sister Sledge  - I've Got to Love Somebody
More sadness here too I'm afraid which is a shame as their 1979 hits (look 'em up) have become disco classics. Seeing this rather shabolic studio performance makes you realise we were at the fag end of the genre however, and probably just as well.

Madness - My Girl
It would seem that there's always room for Madness in the 1980's TOTP line-up and this studio performance repeat makes them the most featured band and song to date, making it onto the playlist for three weeks running. The nutty boys from Camden had at this point made it to no. 4.

Positive Force - We've Got the Funk
Back to disco again, more's the pity, with this number which was just on the threshold of the Top 30. Signed to the Sugarhill label, these "two young ladies" (sic.) had made a contribution to the Sugarhill Gang's Rapper's Delight hit, also in the charts. Despite getting the studio audience animated, this TOTP performance did little to help their no. 32 chart position

Dexy's Midnight Runners - Dance Stance 
I'm sure there's a wonderful story about how Dexy's ("some people from Birmingham") first got onto TOTP without yet being in the charts, although I have failed to find anything along those lines. But it's a significant debut nonetheless, and good to know that TOTP producers still kept their eye on the 'alternative' scene. Dance Stance only made it to aplatry no. 40, although they'd do better next time.

Doctor Hook - Better Love Next Time
From the sublime to the ridiculous. TOTP couldn't keep this 'alternative' nonsense up for too long though and it's back to repeat showing of this frankly embarassing maracas-shaking performance. The song had shot up to 14 from no. 13. Groan.

Amii Stewart - Paradise Girl
Here's an interesting one. Although better known for her disco hits Knock on Wood and Light My Fire, Amii tones things down a bit (although not in the costume dept.9 with this little number, which sadly time seems to have forgotten. Artificial tweets aside, the song highlights Ms. Stewarts vocal talents with a live performance. The song scrpaed into the Top 40 the following week, deserved to do better.

Styx - Babe
Judging by the promo-film this hairy lot were obviously already hugely popular in 'the States'. Thankfully, this would be their only UK hit.

Booker T. - Green Onions 
Bates' appreciation of 'little dresses' and sexist nuance towards Legs & Co. was embarassing enough at the time, so now it all seems just so wrong. However, the in-house dance troupe do indeed seem to have modelled their mises on Thereza Bazar's fetching number from last week in order to showcase the vintage ska-esque number of the moment. Impeccable as ever, perhaps it would have been even more effective if they'd filmed it in black and white.

Rupert Holmes - Pina Colada Song
Another low placed number is given the prime prior-to-the-number-one spot. And just because this is number 1 in 'the States' it also has to be inflicted upon us. The raised platform / spiral staircase is put to full use for this dreary anti-health food song. Actually called 'Escape' (but who really cares?), it would hang around the charts for an unhealthy seven weeks.

Pretenders - Brass in Pocket 

pic: Like Punk Never Happened

New Number 1! No more Pink Floyd! Hurrah! The combined efforts of (The) Pretenders, Madness, KC and Preton/Syreeta had brushed away the cobwebs from the post-Christmas lull knocking The Floyd, Abba and, yes, Fidler's Dram down a few notches. A repeat studio performance for the Herefordians plus one in their moment of glory, but no-one's complaining. Although not strictly UK home-grown, Chrissie Hynde was "our" Debbie Harry for a bit. You can't get more English than 'brass' in the sense of 'money' though. Said Hynde of her lyrics (in Smash Hits). "I don't want to tell you what they're about because what they're about is what they sound like to you". Whatever you say, miss.


Jon & Vangelis - I Hear You Now (closing credits)
More early-electronica sublimeness from the edges of the Top 30 and it makes for nice closing music with those very special TOTP lens/lights effects. Fun fact: Vangelis (né Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou) auditioned for (Jon) Anderson's band Yes in 1974, but was turned down.

See you next week.

Full chart here: Offical Chart Company