Top Of The Pops 1978 - BBC4

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  • eurofandaveeurofandave Posts: 430
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    I enjoyed last thursday's edition and Peter Powell's enthusiasm especially after BOM's 'Figaro' performance :)

    I thought Martin from BOM looked the typical 70's man.I could just imagine him splashing himself with Brut aftershave before going on stage lol
  • Mrs MackintoshMrs Mackintosh Posts: 1,870
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    I enjoyed last thursday's edition and Peter Powell's enthusiam especially after BOM's 'Figaro' performance :)

    I thought Martin from BOM looked the typical 70's man.I could just imagine him splashing himself with Brut aftershave before going on stage lol

    Yeah, Pete seemed very happy about something didn't he?

    As someone said upthread, it's really hard to believe they were only in their mid 20s at this time, they all look about 45.
  • 80sfan80sfan Posts: 18,522
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    It was funny seeing Sandra out of BoM sporting Abba's Agnetha's hairstyle two years before Agnetha herself! A rare occasion of Abba copying the BoM rather than the other way round! :D
  • Robbie01Robbie01 Posts: 10,417
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    80sfan wrote: »
    It was funny seeing Sandra out of BoM sporting Abba's Agnetha's hairstyle two years before Agnetha herself! A rare occasion of Abba copying the BoM rather than the other way round! :D
    I was thinking that myself when I was watching! And I thought she looked quite nice, possibly the first and only time I've liked anything in, or from, BoM :D
  • UrsulaUUrsulaU Posts: 7,239
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    ?

    As someone said upthread, it's really hard to believe they were only in their mid 20s at this time, they all look about 45.

    I think due to the drab nature of 1970's fashion MOST people looked middle aged with their tank tops and sideburns! :(

    Infact the only artists on TOTP who didn't look older than they were - were Kate Bush (for obvious reasons), Debbie Harry, Agnetha Faltskog - oh and Cliff Richard of course! :D
  • Mrs MackintoshMrs Mackintosh Posts: 1,870
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    UrsulaU wrote: »
    I think due to the drab nature of 1970's fashion MOST people looked middle aged with their tank tops and sideburns! :(

    Infact the only artists on TOTP who didn't look older than they were - were Kate Bush (for obvious reasons), Debbie Harry, Agnetha Faltskog - oh and Cliff Richard of course! :D

    Yeah, Debbie Harry bucked the trend, she was about 35 and looked 15 years younger than she actually was.

    I was explaining to my daughter that back then there were no products for your hair and nobody got beauty treatments, not even eyebrow waxing which is why most people looked like utter hounds (including me ha ha).

    I can't remember the name of that guy who was on TOTP this week, but someone said he looked like Kevin Eldon with a wig on. He was a case in point...frizzy hair and a terrible monobrow.

    Mind you, these days everyone's orange and botoxed up the ying-yang with blindingly white teeth. Sometimes I prefer the natural look of the old days.
  • UrsulaUUrsulaU Posts: 7,239
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    Yeah, Debbie Harry bucked the trend, she was about 35 and looked 15 years younger than she actually was.

    I was explaining to my daughter that back then there were no products for your hair and nobody got beauty treatments, not even eyebrow waxing which is why most people looked like utter hounds (including me ha ha).

    I can't remember the name of that guy who was on TOTP this week, but someone said he looked like Kevin Eldon with a wig on. He was a case in point...frizzy hair and a terrible monobrow.

    .

    Yeah - the audience make me laugh too - no makeup or dyed hair in those days!!
    - You wouldn't get a single teenager these days appearing on TV without makeup, hair extensions, false nails the lot!!! - How times have changed! - Even in schools you would think the teenagers are dressed for a night out clubbing - rather than double maths!! :eek:

    And regarding that singer with the curly mop - just wait until you see Exile - Kiss You All Over later on in the year! - I think the dictionary definition of "unattractive" was written for their singer!! ;)

    Thank goodness the music back then was so good - as TOTP would be slightly unbearable to watch otherwise!! :D
  • Mrs MackintoshMrs Mackintosh Posts: 1,870
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    UrsulaU wrote: »
    Yeah - the audience make me laugh too - no makeup or dyed hair in those days!!
    - You wouldn't get a single teenager these days appearing on TV without makeup, hair extensions, false nails the lot!!! - How times have changed! - Even in schools you would think the teenagers are dressed for a night out clubbing - rather than double maths!! :eek:

    And regarding that singer with the curly mop - just wait until you see Exile - Kiss You All Over later on in the year! - I think the dictionary definition of "unattractive" was written for their singer!! ;)

    Thank goodness the music back then was so good - as TOTP would be slightly unbearable to watch otherwise!! :D

    Oh Lordy, I remember him. He clearly fell out the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down.
  • UrsulaUUrsulaU Posts: 7,239
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    Oh Lordy, I remember him. He clearly fell out the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down.

    :D - Poor bloke!
  • AZZURRI 06AZZURRI 06 Posts: 11,173
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    Poor old Brotherhood of Man seem to get it in the neck for being bland. Well better to be bland with a decent tune than being controversial whilst making an awful noise like the Sex Pistols or Jam.
  • Phoenix LazarusPhoenix Lazarus Posts: 17,305
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    UrsulaU wrote: »

    And regarding that singer with the curly mop - just wait until you see Exile - Kiss You All Over later on in the year!

    Love that song! One of my faves!
  • ServalanServalan Posts: 10,167
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    AZZURRI 06 wrote: »
    Poor old Brotherhood of Man seem to get it in the neck for being bland. Well better to be bland with a decent tune than being controversial whilst making an awful noise like the Sex Pistols or Jam.

    Some hilarious defence of Brotherhood of Man now surfacing - they are allegedly better than Althea & Donna, the Sex Pistols or The Jam ... OK, fine, if that's the kind of music some FMs prefer - but it's not a very convincing argument to compare them to a sassy reggae single that dared challenge the male-dominated establishment, or two rock groups that have proved massively influential.

    BoM don't get it in the neck for being 'bland' - they get it in the neck for being a cynical, cheapo Abba rip-off with way less talent.
  • faversham saintfaversham saint Posts: 2,535
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    In my mid-teens I paid £1 for a ticket to see a band billed as 'Johnny Sox' on Friday, 3 February 1978 at the tiny club in the small South Cumbrian market town (population circa 12,000) where I grew up. Johnny Sox was in fact a pseudonym for 'The Stranglers' who had previously played there on 11 March 1977. This was the first of six "secret" gigs in their short mini-tour of smaller venues picked from a hundred or so they had performed at over the past twelve months. The group had released two albums since their first visit and many of the punters queuing up outside had brought along their LP covers to be autographed. Unbeknown to them the Stranglers had adopted a policy of refusing to sign their names for fans on a point of principle. On entering the bar many people made a beeline for Jean Jacques Burnel but only a few had brought pens with them so my black felt tip was in great demand. I hung aroung JJ as he doodled and wrote well-rehearsed captions on the various sleeves presented to him. Just before he handed the pen back to me a girl with nothing to sign approached JJ - when she turned round and told him to "write whatever you like" on the back of her white blouse JJ smirked and then wrote in block capitals between her shoulder blades I AM A SHIT :eek:. Hugh Cornwell wished me a 'Happy New Bile' on my scrap of paper and Dave Greenfield wrote 'No more heroes, No more autographs, DG' which basically summed up their stance on the issue. Although the regular clubbers failed to get their album covers signed they came in useful as makeshift fans once the band took the stage and began their set as everyone was wafting their sleeves in front of their faces "mid-pogo" to try and keep cool in the hot, sweaty atmosphere of the club which was packed to the rafters. Six days later Peter Powell introduced the 'Five Minutes' video on TOTP.
  • 80sfan80sfan Posts: 18,522
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    AZZURRI 06 wrote: »
    Poor old Brotherhood of Man seem to get it in the neck for being bland. Well better to be bland with a decent tune than being controversial whilst making an awful noise like the Sex Pistols or Jam.

    The problem for BoM was they were bland.

    And cheesy. And looked dated even in 1978. And were an Abba rip-off.

    Sorry.
  • AZZURRI 06AZZURRI 06 Posts: 11,173
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    Servalan wrote: »
    Some hilarious defence of Brotherhood of Man now surfacing - they are allegedly better than Althea & Donna, the Sex Pistols or The Jam ... OK, fine, if that's the kind of music some FMs prefer - but it's not a very convincing argument to compare them to a sassy reggae single that dared challenge the male-dominated establishment, or two rock groups that have proved massively influential.

    BoM don't get it in the neck for being 'bland' - they get it in the neck for being a cynical, cheapo Abba rip-off with way less talent.

    Some of these influential groups got famous by playing the same two or three chords over and over again whilst shouting some clap trap about the establishment, which most of them would have given their eye teeth to join. Some did and ended up flogging butter. At least BOM sang proper songs and they DID win Eurovision! I never really saw them as an ABBA tribute band, there was never any pretence that they wrote their own songs or anything like that.
  • Leicester_HunkLeicester_Hunk Posts: 18,316
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    80sfan wrote: »
    The problem for BoM was they were bland.

    And cheesy. And looked dated even in 1978. And were an Abba rip-off.

    Sorry.
    http://www.virginmedia.com/music/features/eurovision-stars-where-are-they-now.php?page=2

    They're still going ^^ :eek::eek::eek:
  • Phoenix LazarusPhoenix Lazarus Posts: 17,305
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    Nothing wrong with nice light pleasant pop, like BOM. I remember thinking how aggressive and grim and outrageous for the sake of it a lot of the punk stuff was, when that era first began, and finding it and the culture it engendered quite disturbing. However, I did grow to like some of the lighter new-wave music from the same mould, which punk soon evolved into.
  • 80sfan80sfan Posts: 18,522
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    I couldn't believe they were still alive, then I realised they weren't even in their 30s in 1978 ;)

    I wonder how they sound singing the same three hits now?
  • ServalanServalan Posts: 10,167
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    AZZURRI 06 wrote: »
    Some of these influential groups got famous by playing the same two or three chords over and over again whilst shouting some clap trap about the establishment, which most of them would have given their eye teeth to join. Some did and ended up flogging butter. At least BOM sang proper songs and they DID win Eurovision! I never really saw them as an ABBA tribute band, there was never any pretence that they wrote their own songs or anything like that.

    Why is 'Figaro' more of a 'proper song' than, say, 'Down In The Tube Station At Midnight'? They're very different in style and, from what you say, clearly one is not to your taste - but they are both perfectly valid and proper songs.

    I never said - nor would I say - that BoM were a 'tribute band'. They were, from the off, a cynical exercise in replicating Abba, but without their songwriting prowess, production skills or vocal abilities. They even mimicked the Abba women's movements from their videos in some of their performances (not for 'Figaro', I would add).

    They may have got a brace of hits off the back of Eurovision - but they aren't in the same category as Bucks Fizz, who achieved more, with greater songwriting sophistication.
  • darren1090darren1090 Posts: 211
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    80sfan wrote: »
    I couldn't believe they were still alive, then I realised they weren't even in their 30s in 1978 ;)

    I wonder how they sound singing the same three hits now?

    In July 2007 my wife, 1 year old daughter and I arrived at Challaborough Bay Caravan Park (Parkdean) in South Devon for a week's holiday. My first ever caravan park holiday and first time in any kind of UK holiday park for decades (we were more used to exotic long-haul destinations, but when you've got children your horizons change).

    Imagine my surprise to see on the entertainment schedule, on our first night in the caravan park - this tiny little caravan park in the middle of nowhere with no mobile signal on any of the main networks and only 4 TV channels - the BROTHERHOOD OF MAN!

    As a big Eurovision and 70s pop music fan, this was one not to be missed, and we managed to get my daughter to sleep in the pram before it started. Anyway, I really enjoyed the show, and being as it was a small caravan park, it was a small venue and the four of them were literally about 10 feet away from me during their show. They can still sing all the songs, and were really gracious and humble.

    I've subsequently had five more weeks in Parkdean caravan parks around the country (with a sixth coming up this May) and never seen anyone else on the entertainment schedule that I've even heard of, let alone an act with three number ones and a Eurovision win to boot!
  • AZZURRI 06AZZURRI 06 Posts: 11,173
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    Brotherhood of Man Forever!!!
  • AZZURRI 06AZZURRI 06 Posts: 11,173
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    darren1090 wrote: »
    In July 2007 my wife, 1 year old daughter and I arrived at Challaborough Bay Caravan Park (Parkdean) in South Devon for a week's holiday. My first ever caravan park holiday and first time in any kind of UK holiday park for decades (we were more used to exotic long-haul destinations, but when you've got children your horizons change).

    Imagine my surprise to see on the entertainment schedule, on our first night in the caravan park - this tiny little caravan park in the middle of nowhere with no mobile signal on any of the main networks and only 4 TV channels - the BROTHERHOOD OF MAN!

    As a big Eurovision and 70s pop music fan, this was one not to be missed, and we managed to get my daughter to sleep in the pram before it started. Anyway, I really enjoyed the show, and being as it was a small caravan park, it was a small venue and the four of them were literally about 10 feet away from me during their show. They can still sing all the songs, and were really gracious and humble.

    I've subsequently had five more weeks in Parkdean caravan parks around the country (with a sixth coming up this May) and never seen anyone else on the entertainment schedule that I've even heard of, let alone an act with three number ones and a Eurovision win to boot!

    Brilliant story! :D
  • mickmarsmickmars Posts: 7,438
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    darren1090 wrote: »
    In July 2007 my wife, 1 year old daughter and I arrived at Challaborough Bay Caravan Park (Parkdean) in South Devon for a week's holiday. My first ever caravan park holiday and first time in any kind of UK holiday park for decades (we were more used to exotic long-haul destinations, but when you've got children your horizons change).

    Imagine my surprise to see on the entertainment schedule, on our first night in the caravan park - this tiny little caravan park in the middle of nowhere with no mobile signal on any of the main networks and only 4 TV channels - the BROTHERHOOD OF MAN!

    As a big Eurovision and 70s pop music fan, this was one not to be missed, and we managed to get my daughter to sleep in the pram before it started. Anyway, I really enjoyed the show, and being as it was a small caravan park, it was a small venue and the four of them were literally about 10 feet away from me during their show. They can still sing all the songs, and were really gracious and humble.

    I've subsequently had five more weeks in Parkdean caravan parks around the country (with a sixth coming up this May) and never seen anyone else on the entertainment schedule that I've even heard of, let alone an act with three number ones and a Eurovision win to boot!

    My wife wishes she had married you after reading this,you.Sir,are a Legend :)
  • GulftasticGulftastic Posts: 127,193
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    AZZURRI 06 wrote: »
    Brotherhood of Man Forever!!!

    The tenth Circle Of Hell revealed!
  • AZZURRI 06AZZURRI 06 Posts: 11,173
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    Gulftastic wrote: »
    The tenth Circle Of Hell revealed!

    :D:):o
This discussion has been closed.