I'd missed that about the Glitter Band at No10 from the 1976 chart. Yes it went down, but so did other tracks played in the top ten. I think it is about time there was an answer for this. POTP is definitely avoiding their records, even when they go up within the top ten. I'm no particular fan of their songs, but as far as I know they are not guilty of anything themselves and these Glitter Band singles have absolutely nothing in connection with Gary Glitter himself, so why are they blacklisted on the mere basis of the same name? Gary Glitter himself was in the chart at No40 but now doing a lot less well than the band with his name. Maybe a brief answer why the group appear blacklisted via twitter Tony?
I thought Hot Chocolate put out a couple of really ordinary and nondescript singles in 1976 between their really well known ones. The one played on POTP and the next is Disco Queen, but they were reasonable sized hits despite being rather forgettable.
The Marmalade song barely sounds like it could be the same group that had the 1968 Christmas No1 with Ob-La-Di-Ob-La-Da does it. Falling Apart At The Seams comes across as totally MOR music to me. Didn't Tony mention the POTP producer had a hand in this single? Not a patch on the beautiful duet We Do It that he did earlier in the year. Beatles had quite a few singles in the charts in the spring of 1976. I recall on TOTP with Back In The USSR being danced to by Ruby Flipper early in the BBC4 showings. Paperback Writer was also in this chart, rising up to No27, and Hey Jude was rising to No22 also. Not sure why this was happening at the time.
John Miles, Music is an overblown and even slightly pompous production but still a great record. Whenever I hear it I always imagine him in the studio with the producers probably thinking they had recorded a surefire No1 single with it. I wonder if I am close in that thought?
Billy Ocean's debut UK chart hit single, a full 10 years almost to the month since he would eventually top the charts. He had 2 distinct charting hot spells, 1976-7 and 1984-8.
The Black Legend version of You See The Trouble With Me is best forgotten. It sounded bad at the time it was a hit, and I heard it again a while ago and it was even more appalling. It really annoys me when such inferior versions of songs do better than the vastly superior originals.
Nowadays I think the 1976 UK Eurovision winner by Brotherhood Of Man (aka Primark Abba) sounds like a rather babyish nursery rhyme. Very interesting how the song had already entered the charts, and risen to No1 where it had been for 2 weeks already at the point when they actually won the Eurovision Song Contest on 3rd April that year.
Regards the songs not played, Peters & Lee Hey Music Man is a song I'd forgotten and I think I quite like. As incredibly young as I was at the time of their success I do recall them both vividly for some reason, this being their final effort to chart and I was only 6 still.
Convoy. If DLT has to be charged with any offences from the 1970's and found guilty then I'd suggest his parody of this track is on the charge and conviction sheet!
This chart was also the week that their was a handover of power in the UK from one PM to another, pipe smoking Harold Wilson handed over to sunny Jim Callaghan at the time of this chart. There is a John Craven's Newsround on TV Ark from 5th April 1976 telling us children about it, although I'm not sure I was watching it that early on. ;-)
I loved all of the hits from Marmalade from 1968 - 1972, and was pleasantly suprised when they returned to the chart in 1976 with this hit. Thought it was great. The album "The Only Light On My Horizon Now " features a track where snippets were played from it in between tracks on POTP during the Dale Winton reign ( I believe the technical term is "stings" ). That track is called "What You Need Is A Miracle", and used presumably as Marmalade was one of Dale's favourite groups. I'm remembering all them TV themes he used aswell now while I am writing this!
I remember at the time "Music " by John miles was compared to "Mcarthur park" by Richard harris ,because of its production with the orchestra and big dramatic sound, DLT convoy was just like a lot of novelty records in the 70s an example being " King of the cops " by Billy howard.
I think its wrong the "The Glitterband don't get played they had great songs out in the 70s the BBC seem to like to wipe out history when it suits them the Glitterband did no wrong and they don't get their songs played.
As I have said before I have a massive music collection( ex mobile dj for more years than care to remember) from the 50s to almost the present and most of these tracks were hits and a lot get missed out on POTPS, I even remember Tony playing "Falling apart at the Seams " on his mid-morning show on good old 247 ! its on the "Target " record label
I'd missed that about the Glitter Band at No10 from the 1976 chart. Yes it went down, but so did other tracks played in the top ten. I think it is about time there was an answer for this. POTP is definitely avoiding their records, even when they go up within the top ten. I'm no particular fan of their songs, but as far as I know they are not guilty of anything themselves and these Glitter Band singles have absolutely nothing in connection with Gary Glitter himself, so why are they blacklisted on the mere basis of the same name? Gary Glitter himself was in the chart at No40 but now doing a lot less well than the band with his name. Maybe a brief answer why the group appear blacklisted via twitter Tony?
I thought Hot Chocolate put out a couple of really ordinary and nondescript singles in 1976 between their really well known ones. The one played on POTP and the next is Disco Queen, but they were reasonable sized hits despite being rather forgettable.
The Marmalade song barely sounds like it could be the same group that had the 1968 Christmas No1 with Ob-La-Di-Ob-La-Da does it. Falling Apart At The Seams comes across as totally MOR music to me. Didn't Tony mention the POTP producer had a hand in this single? Not a patch on the beautiful duet We Do It that he did earlier in the year.
Beatles had quite a few singles in the charts in the spring of 1976. I recall on TOTP with Back In The USSR being danced to by Ruby Flipper early in the BBC4 showings. Paperback Writer was also in this chart, rising up to No27, and Hey Jude was rising to No22 also. Not sure why this was happening at the time.
John Miles, Music is an overblown and even slightly pompous production but still a great record. Whenever I hear it I always imagine him in the studio with the producers probably thinking they had recorded a surefire No1 single with it. I wonder if I am close in that thought?
Billy Ocean's debut UK chart hit single, a full 10 years almost to the month since he would eventually top the charts. He had 2 distinct charting hot spells, 1976-7 and 1984-8.
The Black Legend version of You See The Trouble With Me is best forgotten. It sounded bad at the time it was a hit, and I heard it again a while ago and it was even more appalling. It really annoys me when such inferior versions of songs do better than the vastly superior originals.
Nowadays I think the 1976 UK Eurovision winner by Brotherhood Of Man (aka Primark Abba) sounds like a rather babyish nursery rhyme. Very interesting how the song had already entered the charts, and risen to No1 where it had been for 2 weeks already at the point when they actually won the Eurovision Song Contest on 3rd April that year.
Regards the songs not played, Peters & Lee Hey Music Man is a song I'd forgotten and I think I quite like. As incredibly young as I was at the time of their success I do recall them both vividly for some reason, this being their final effort to chart and I was only 6 still.
Convoy. If DLT has to be charged with any offences from the 1970's and found guilty then I'd suggest his parody of this track is on the charge and conviction sheet!
This chart was also the week that their was a handover of power in the UK from one PM to another, pipe smoking Harold Wilson handed over to sunny Jim Callaghan at the time of this chart. There is a John Craven's Newsround on TV Ark from 5th April 1976 telling us children about it, although I'm not sure I was watching it that early on. ;-)
Jus to touch on a couple of things you mentioned
There was an informative post on the excellent yesitsnumberone blog about the Beatles reissues at the time - The Beatles 9 year contract with EMI had ended in February that year and they were free to release any of their material. The released their 23 singles and all made the top 100.
I shall have to check out Hot Chocolates chart positions to see if my recollection of their hits equates to how high they reached in the charts. I certainly didn't know the follow up - Man To Man.
On the Glitterband name, does anyone know if Gary's Gang is a reference to Glitter? If they chose the name as a homage to him, then I'm surprised they're not banned too!
For some reason I keep finding myself singing Falling Apart At The Seams. I can't recall if Tony mentioned "the collector" being involved with it, but I believe it was written by Tony "Don't Give Up On Us Baby" McCauley.
BTW, in 2 weeks time we're getting the charts from 1970 and 1980. So it does seem like there are being less 50/early 60s charts and 90s charts.
BTW, in 2 weeks time we're getting the charts from 1970 and 1980. So it does seem like there are being less 50/early 60s charts and 90s charts.
1970 was featured on 15 Feb and 1980 one week later. There have only been three sixties charts featured this year so far. The week after next we get 1969. YIPPEE. Pity we get 1987 to go with it.
It would be great if they played 1954 or earlier. You might not know but at the end of last year a book was published called "The Missing Charts". These are based on sales figures from record companies and cover January 1940 to October 1952. I have found many of the tracks on Spotify and it makes for great listening. During this period Doris Day had huge hits including several number ones. Some of the big band records from this time are as energetic as any rock and roll and the charts are full of huge names like Sinatra, Crosby and Nat King Cole.
You say you think that playing music that old might turn listeners off. I think it would broaden their musical knowledge. I know in the past when Tony has played 1957 and 58 charts he has said the number of texts from listeners goes through the roof. You also need to remember that Radio 2 is supposed to cater for people 35 upwards. That means 1954 and even 1944 are well within the era that would be of interest to the majority of the demographic.
Also 1993- early 00's which is in radio 2's demographic but we don't hear any of these years. I would love pick of the pops to cover 40's- 00's. I love a bit of variety.
Commercial radio really only targets 25-40 as it is the only age advertisers are interested in.
People who were in their teens in say 1970 are in their early sixties but many feel that R2 is too young for them.
If you consider R2 demographic remit. The majority of people with in the remit are older than 55 and are not being served very well.
The cause of all of this is the refocus of R1 in the early 90s. This means that R2 has to try to please everyone older than 35. An impossible task. In the 70s and 80s Radio 1 audience was from 18 to 80. The whole family listened from school kids to grannies.
So do you think Radio 1 should go back to doing this? Surely that would be even more of an impossible job?
1970 was featured on 15 Feb and 1980 one week later. There have only been three sixties charts featured this year so far. The week after next we get 1969. YIPPEE. Pity we get 1987 to go with it.
I remember contacting POTP several years ago when Dale Winton was presenting it, regarding that 90s charts were appearing nearly every other week while 60s charts were happening a lot less. The reply was that Sounds Of The 60s catered for that period ! But shortly after that it reverted to mainly 60s/70s/80s again and the occasional 90s charts. Maybe that way of thinking is coming back again? I hope not, as the beauty of POTP is having 20 tracks to relate to from one week in one year from the 60s, not a miscellaneous collection like on SOTS.
[QUOTE=Mr&MrsRR;72119296]I think its wrong the "The Glitterband don't get played they had great songs out in the 70s the BBC seem to like to wipe out history when it suits them the Glitterband did no wrong and they don't get their songs played.
Even Gary Glitter was on in person on the BBC TOTP re-runs. And why can't the Glitter Band be played on BBC Radio 2, when they can on BBC Norfolk, this very day funnily enough as I read these posts!
The cause of all of this is the refocus of R1 in the early 90s. This means that R2 has to try to please everyone older than 35. An impossible task. In the 70s and 80s Radio 1 audience was from 18 to 80. The whole family listened from school kids to grannies.
Yes, although the problem with the Radio 2 demographic has only been really highlighted since the departure of Wogan on daytime and the arrival of Evans on the Breakfast Show, a massive culture shift for the older listeners and a turn off for many.
Also 1993- early 00's which is in radio 2's demographic but we don't hear any of these years. I would love pick of the pops to cover 40's- 00's. I love a bit of variety.
Agree, discovering the 40's would be like discovering 'new' music, although they might have a problem with the 00's, much of it is just not Radio 2 friendly or even memorable....
Considering sounds of the 60's started in 1983 it could be argued that there now should be a sounds of the 90's.
Absolutely! If Sara Cox must grace the corridors of Radio 2 give her the job of presenting it and leave Sounds Of the 80's to someone who knows what they're talking about...
I remember contacting POTP several years ago when Dale Winton was presenting it, regarding that 90s charts were appearing nearly every other week while 60s charts were happening a lot less. The reply was that Sounds Of The 60s catered for that period ! But shortly after that it reverted to mainly 60s/70s/80s again and the occasional 90s charts. Maybe that way of thinking is coming back again? I hope not, as the beauty of POTP is having 20 tracks to relate to from one week in one year from the 60s, not a miscellaneous collection like on SOTS.
The eighties are being played to death on POTP at the moment. Now that we have SOT80s, I wonder what the reason is for that.
Yes, although the problem with the Radio 2 demographic has only been really highlighted since the departure of Wogan on daytime and the arrival of Evans on the Breakfast Show, a massive culture shift for the older listeners and a turn off for many.
Agree, discovering the 40's would be like discovering 'new' music, although they might have a problem with the 00's, much of it is just not Radio 2 friendly or even memorable....
Absolutely! If Sara Cox must grace the corridors of Radio 2 give her the job of presenting it and leave Sounds Of the 80's to someone who knows what they're talking about...
You will be surprised about the 00's. If the right charts can be picked there could be some quite memorable tracks. The only time a 00's chart was done was in 2012 when 2001 was done and most tracks were memorable and Radio 2 friendly. Infact many tracks were played on Radio 2 when they were new. Also on that day when 2001 was done 1958 was done in the 1st hour and I must admit I quite enjoyed the variety in one show. Shame it just doesn't seem to happen now.
You will be surprised about the 00's. If the right charts can be picked there could be some quite memorable tracks. The only time a 00's chart was done was in 2012 when 2001 was done and most tracks were memorable and Radio 2 friendly. Infact many tracks were played on Radio 2 when they were new. Also on that day when 2001 was done 1958 was done in the 1st hour and I must admit I quite enjoyed the variety in one show. Shame it just doesn't seem to happen now.
We also must consider that 1996/1997/1998/2000 have never been featured on POTP, although 1999 has featured on 3 occasions.
You will be surprised about the 00's. If the right charts can be picked there could be some quite memorable tracks. The only time a 00's chart was done was in 2012 when 2001 was done and most tracks were memorable and Radio 2 friendly. Infact many tracks were played on Radio 2 when they were new. Also on that day when 2001 was done 1958 was done in the 1st hour and I must admit I quite enjoyed the variety in one show. Shame it just doesn't seem to happen now.
If you take this week, and look back very recently to just 2006, 2008 or 2009 then those charts are pretty decent and have plenty of memorable hits in them to choose from the Top 20, and if you go to 2005 the No1 single is Tony Christie for weeks on end, with Elvis Presley at No2!
Mention was made about Radio's 1 and 2 and their demographics, especially that Radio 1 used to cater for 8 to 80's. Not sure quite how truthful that ever genuinely was, but I get the point all the same. What I think would make more sense is for Radio 1 to become the proper premier radio station again, and go back to those values, like Radio 2 tries to be Radio 1 of the 1980's nowadays. Radio 2 could then go back to its older style of broadcasting like it used to. So where does that leave the output from the current style Radio 1? Shoved onto 1Xtra, that's where! Nowadays I just think of Radio 2 as the grown ups Radio 1 anyway. But let's face it, even in 1974 or 1984 were there really many 50, 60, 70 year old people listening to Radio 1 back then? I doubt it very much somehow.
Now here is a funny little anecdote while on this subject. When I got my first ever personal transistor radio, a Harrier Pilot (you could pick up plane pilots overhead too with it!), for my 11th birthday in 1980, it was not Radio 1 that I started listening to, but Radio 2, with Jimmy Young and some of their output. Do not ask me why, I cannot explain looking back. Later in the year in the school summer holidays I recall changing to Radio 1 during the afternoon period when Mr POTP himself, Tony Blackburn was on, so I'm guessing he had the afternoon show at that time. But I kept returning back to Radio 2 for quite a few months, aged 11. I also have memories of a lot of very late night dreamy jazz music playing on 2 at the time if I dared to listen undercover!
I was 22 back in 1980:o and I think it was about 1977 that Tony moved onto afternoons on Radio 1 , I remember Radio 2 back then it was M O R format a lot of sport on it as well, it was not my cup of tea but it seemed to have had a lot of listeners a lot of request shows like Pete Murray, jimmy young , Terry wogan Sam costa, Tony Brandon
Sing something simple before Radio 1 top 40 every Sunday shared the Radio 2 vhf frequency with Tom Browne doing the Radio 1 top 40 show on a Sunday( cassette recorders at the ready!) Then the pips at 6 oclock cue tom saying " 6 oclock on radios 1 and 2 and this is the top 30 compiled for the BBC by the British market research the the first hour of the top 40 went out on Radio one 247 mw only! at 5pm
The eighties are being played to death on POTP at the moment. Now that we have SOT80s, I wonder what the reason is for that.
Could it be because they were great years with good tracks to choose from?
I'm probably at the younger end of the potp audience and am in.my late 30's and to be honest I never bother with the first hour and only listen to the second hour if it's 85 onwards. 87, 88, 89 and 90 are the best years for me. The hit factory stuff was great and was what I listened to when I was at school. There was also some good rock stuff around then.
I like the mix on potp and think it does ok at marrying the older and younger listeners but should do more 90's years.
To be honest, I'd just be happy if they changed the format. I know I keep saying this, but one hour for a chart is just not enough to give the full picture. This was really brought home to me when POTP did the chart from 1981 back in January, and The Wireless did the same chart that week. I'm glad there are shows online that do this, and I have to say I'm starting to enjoy them more than POTP. While Tony is great DJ, for me it's about the music and I'd sooner hear all the top 40 records of a chart, or a replica of the original countdown.
Now here is a funny little anecdote while on this subject. When I got my first ever personal transistor radio, a Harrier Pilot (you could pick up plane pilots overhead too with it!), for my 11th birthday in 1980, it was not Radio 1 that I started listening to, but Radio 2, with Jimmy Young and some of their output. Do not ask me why, I cannot explain looking back. Later in the year in the school summer holidays I recall changing to Radio 1 during the afternoon period when Mr POTP himself, Tony Blackburn was on, so I'm guessing he had the afternoon show at that time. But I kept returning back to Radio 2 for quite a few months, aged 11. I also have memories of a lot of very late night dreamy jazz music playing on 2 at the time if I dared to listen undercover!
You weren't listening to Tony Blackburn in the afternoons during the summer of 1980, he left in January. It would have been Andy Peebles.
27 HAVE YOU EVER HAD IT BLUE - STYLE COUNCIL - This is one of theirs I do like, though not as good as You're The Best Thing.
20 E = MC2 - BIG AUDIO DYNAMITE - I do like this, thought don't remember it much from the time. Great energy. Didn't they get in trouble for the samples they used on the records?
17 OVERJOYED - STEVIE WONDER - I love Part Time Lover but this, which I think was the follow-up, passed me by. It seems quite old-fashioned by contrast, though it is a nice ballad.
14 SECRET LOVERS - ATLANTIC STARR - Oh, love this! I think it's great how it's a sickly sweet love duet, but about two people who are cheating.
13 KYRIE - MR MISTER - Nah, not keen on this at all, or their other hit Broken Wings.
12 MANIC MONDAY - BANGLES - Don't dislike this, but would've preferred it to have been their other hit from 1986 - Walk Like An Egyptian.
10 ROCK ME AMADEUS - FALCO - I'll admit to liking this, and it was certainly different to other records in the charts. I'm sure most people think Falco was a one-hit wonder and forget his top 10 hit Vienna Calling.
09 PETER GUNN - ART OF NOISE FEAT. DUANE EDDY - Great guitar playing, of course, but I'm generally not a fan of instrumentals. I like something I can sign along to.
08 ABSOLUTE BEGINNERS - DAVID BOWIE - I can't make up my mind if I like this or not, but it certainly isn't Bowie's best song. I was surprised when I discovered it got to no. 2.
07 A KIND OF MAGIC - QUEEN - Good song, but I prefer the hits from their Works album in the 80s.
06 CHAIN REACTION - DIANA ROSS - Totally overplayed, but one I never tire off. I don't understand why the Bee Gees were giving away such great songs to other artists.
04 A DIFFERENT CORNER - GEORGE MICHAEL - Although I've always been a Wham!/George Michael fan, I don't think I appreciated this as much at the time as I do now. It seemed a bit boring and I didn't like his image in the video. I'm not surprised it's one of his hits he chose to do on his Symphoncia tour.
03 TOUCH ME (I WANT YOUR BODY) - SAMANTHA FOX - Catchy tune, though the lyrics are dreadful and she's not a very good singer. I'm not sure how she came to be more than just a one-hit-wonder and, I think, charted in the US.
02 WONDERFUL WORLD - SAM COOKE - The song used in the first Levis' ad (although not this version, I believe). I suppose it was good that the ads brought a lot of classic 60s songs to a younger generation, but they did overdo it.
01 LIVING DOLL - CLIFF RICHARD AND THE YOUNG ONES - I've only ever seen clips of The Young Ones, but I loved Neil's Hole In My Shoe and this one. The first, and by far the best, Comic Relief single, imo.
Not played
19 LOVE COMES QUICKLY - PET SHOP BOYS - Let down after West End Girls, but far better was to come that year with the excellent opportunites,
18 DIGGING YOUR SCENE - BLOW MONKEYS - This get its fair share of plays on the radio, but I wouldn't have minded hearing it again.
16 MOVE AWAY CULTURE CLUB - Without checking, I'm thinking this was their last big hit, and I think its one of their best yet hardly ever gets played on the radio.
15 KISS - PRINCE AND THE REVOLUTION - Give me the Tom Jones/Art Of Noise version any day. The bit where he starts screeching hurts my ears.
11 HI HO SILVER - JIM DIAMOND - If Jim Diamond had any other hits between I Should Have Know Better and this one, then they've completely passed me by. Does its job as a catchy TV theme tune, but I never watched Boon.
05 YOU TO ME ARE EVERYTHING (THE DECADE REMIX) REAL THING - Prefer the origingal version. Another reminder of those TOTP repeats also, a long-running discussion on the blog as to whether the lead singer is Eddie or Chris Amoo. I'm still not sure.
I definitely know I was listening to Tony at least a few times in summer 1980 in what must have been the afternoon some point. So I decided to check out from a few sources and they seemed to concur that he left the afternoon show on Radio 1 in August 1980, which would mean I caught it at the very end as I recall. There seems to be some disagreement among a number of other sources. Could it also have been holiday cover in the afternoon I heard? It was definitely Tony and I heard Xanadu getting played loads!
Could it be because they were great years with good tracks to choose from?
I'm probably at the younger end of the potp audience and am in.my late 30's and to be honest I never bother with the first hour and only listen to the second hour if it's 85 onwards. 87, 88, 89 and 90 are the best years for me. The hit factory stuff was great and was what I listened to when I was at school. There was also some good rock stuff around then.
I like the mix on potp and think it does ok at marrying the older and younger listeners but should do more 90's years.
I contacted Tony yesterday via Twitter and he replied confirming that there are 1950s and early sixties charts coming up soon on POTPs.
(4) RINGO STARR – Back Off Boogaloo (crowd dancing) (and charts)
(26) VICKY LEANDROS – Come What May
(28) MIDDLE OF THE ROAD – Sacramento ®
(19) ELVIS PRESLEY – Until It’s Time For You To Go (video)
(21) MARMALADE – Radancer
(NEW) MARVIN, WELCH & FARRAR – Marmaduke
(NEW) CHRIS MONTEZ – Loco Por Ti (Crazy For You)
(5) THE CHIFFONS – Sweet Talkin’ Guy (danced to by Pan’s People)
(24) JOHNNY NASH – Stir It Up
(1) ROYAL SCOTS DRAGOON GUARDS – Amazing Grace (video)
(12) TYRANNOSAURUS REX – Debora (crowd dancing) (and credits)
33 . Daniel Boone - BEAUTIFUL SUNDAY
18 . Olivia Newton John - WHAT IS LIFE
17 . Jo Jo Gunne - RUN RUN RUN
16 . Don McLean - AMERICAN PIE
14 . Supremes - FLOY JOY
13 . Lindisfarne - MEET ME ON THE CORNER
12 . T-Rex - DEBORA / ONE INCH ROCK
11 . Labi Siffre - CRYING, LAUGHING, LOVING, LYING
10 . Neil Young - HEART OF GOLD
8 . Gilbert O'Sullivan - ALONE AGAIN (NATURALLY)
7 . Tom Jones - YOUNG NEW MEXICAN PUPPETEER
6 . Argent - HOLD YOUR HEAD UP
5 . Chiffons - SWEET TALKING GUY
4 . Ringo Starr - BACK OFF BOOGALOO
3 . New Seekers - BEG, STEAL OR BORROW
2 . Nilsson - WITHOUT YOU
1 . Pipes And Drums And The Military Band Of The Royal Scots Dragoon Guard - AMAZING GRACE
Comments
I loved all of the hits from Marmalade from 1968 - 1972, and was pleasantly suprised when they returned to the chart in 1976 with this hit. Thought it was great. The album "The Only Light On My Horizon Now " features a track where snippets were played from it in between tracks on POTP during the Dale Winton reign ( I believe the technical term is "stings" ). That track is called "What You Need Is A Miracle", and used presumably as Marmalade was one of Dale's favourite groups. I'm remembering all them TV themes he used aswell now while I am writing this!
I think its wrong the "The Glitterband don't get played they had great songs out in the 70s the BBC seem to like to wipe out history when it suits them the Glitterband did no wrong and they don't get their songs played.
As I have said before I have a massive music collection( ex mobile dj for more years than care to remember) from the 50s to almost the present and most of these tracks were hits and a lot get missed out on POTPS, I even remember Tony playing "Falling apart at the Seams " on his mid-morning show on good old 247 ! its on the "Target " record label
Jus to touch on a couple of things you mentioned
There was an informative post on the excellent yesitsnumberone blog about the Beatles reissues at the time - The Beatles 9 year contract with EMI had ended in February that year and they were free to release any of their material. The released their 23 singles and all made the top 100.
I shall have to check out Hot Chocolates chart positions to see if my recollection of their hits equates to how high they reached in the charts. I certainly didn't know the follow up - Man To Man.
On the Glitterband name, does anyone know if Gary's Gang is a reference to Glitter? If they chose the name as a homage to him, then I'm surprised they're not banned too!
For some reason I keep finding myself singing Falling Apart At The Seams. I can't recall if Tony mentioned "the collector" being involved with it, but I believe it was written by Tony "Don't Give Up On Us Baby" McCauley.
BTW, in 2 weeks time we're getting the charts from 1970 and 1980. So it does seem like there are being less 50/early 60s charts and 90s charts.
1970 was featured on 15 Feb and 1980 one week later. There have only been three sixties charts featured this year so far. The week after next we get 1969. YIPPEE. Pity we get 1987 to go with it.
I remember contacting POTP several years ago when Dale Winton was presenting it, regarding that 90s charts were appearing nearly every other week while 60s charts were happening a lot less. The reply was that Sounds Of The 60s catered for that period ! But shortly after that it reverted to mainly 60s/70s/80s again and the occasional 90s charts. Maybe that way of thinking is coming back again? I hope not, as the beauty of POTP is having 20 tracks to relate to from one week in one year from the 60s, not a miscellaneous collection like on SOTS.
Even Gary Glitter was on in person on the BBC TOTP re-runs. And why can't the Glitter Band be played on BBC Radio 2, when they can on BBC Norfolk, this very day funnily enough as I read these posts!
Yes, although the problem with the Radio 2 demographic has only been really highlighted since the departure of Wogan on daytime and the arrival of Evans on the Breakfast Show, a massive culture shift for the older listeners and a turn off for many.
Agree, discovering the 40's would be like discovering 'new' music, although they might have a problem with the 00's, much of it is just not Radio 2 friendly or even memorable....
Absolutely! If Sara Cox must grace the corridors of Radio 2 give her the job of presenting it and leave Sounds Of the 80's to someone who knows what they're talking about...
The eighties are being played to death on POTP at the moment. Now that we have SOT80s, I wonder what the reason is for that.
We also must consider that 1996/1997/1998/2000 have never been featured on POTP, although 1999 has featured on 3 occasions.
If you take this week, and look back very recently to just 2006, 2008 or 2009 then those charts are pretty decent and have plenty of memorable hits in them to choose from the Top 20, and if you go to 2005 the No1 single is Tony Christie for weeks on end, with Elvis Presley at No2!
Mention was made about Radio's 1 and 2 and their demographics, especially that Radio 1 used to cater for 8 to 80's. Not sure quite how truthful that ever genuinely was, but I get the point all the same. What I think would make more sense is for Radio 1 to become the proper premier radio station again, and go back to those values, like Radio 2 tries to be Radio 1 of the 1980's nowadays. Radio 2 could then go back to its older style of broadcasting like it used to. So where does that leave the output from the current style Radio 1? Shoved onto 1Xtra, that's where! Nowadays I just think of Radio 2 as the grown ups Radio 1 anyway. But let's face it, even in 1974 or 1984 were there really many 50, 60, 70 year old people listening to Radio 1 back then? I doubt it very much somehow.
Now here is a funny little anecdote while on this subject. When I got my first ever personal transistor radio, a Harrier Pilot (you could pick up plane pilots overhead too with it!), for my 11th birthday in 1980, it was not Radio 1 that I started listening to, but Radio 2, with Jimmy Young and some of their output. Do not ask me why, I cannot explain looking back. Later in the year in the school summer holidays I recall changing to Radio 1 during the afternoon period when Mr POTP himself, Tony Blackburn was on, so I'm guessing he had the afternoon show at that time. But I kept returning back to Radio 2 for quite a few months, aged 11. I also have memories of a lot of very late night dreamy jazz music playing on 2 at the time if I dared to listen undercover!
Sing something simple before Radio 1 top 40 every Sunday shared the Radio 2 vhf frequency with Tom Browne doing the Radio 1 top 40 show on a Sunday( cassette recorders at the ready!) Then the pips at 6 oclock cue tom saying " 6 oclock on radios 1 and 2 and this is the top 30 compiled for the BBC by the British market research the the first hour of the top 40 went out on Radio one 247 mw only! at 5pm
I'm probably at the younger end of the potp audience and am in.my late 30's and to be honest I never bother with the first hour and only listen to the second hour if it's 85 onwards. 87, 88, 89 and 90 are the best years for me. The hit factory stuff was great and was what I listened to when I was at school. There was also some good rock stuff around then.
I like the mix on potp and think it does ok at marrying the older and younger listeners but should do more 90's years.
You weren't listening to Tony Blackburn in the afternoons during the summer of 1980, he left in January. It would have been Andy Peebles.
http://www.frequencyfinder.org.uk/r1_sched_80_82.html#s80
27 HAVE YOU EVER HAD IT BLUE - STYLE COUNCIL - This is one of theirs I do like, though not as good as You're The Best Thing.
20 E = MC2 - BIG AUDIO DYNAMITE - I do like this, thought don't remember it much from the time. Great energy. Didn't they get in trouble for the samples they used on the records?
17 OVERJOYED - STEVIE WONDER - I love Part Time Lover but this, which I think was the follow-up, passed me by. It seems quite old-fashioned by contrast, though it is a nice ballad.
14 SECRET LOVERS - ATLANTIC STARR - Oh, love this! I think it's great how it's a sickly sweet love duet, but about two people who are cheating.
13 KYRIE - MR MISTER - Nah, not keen on this at all, or their other hit Broken Wings.
12 MANIC MONDAY - BANGLES - Don't dislike this, but would've preferred it to have been their other hit from 1986 - Walk Like An Egyptian.
10 ROCK ME AMADEUS - FALCO - I'll admit to liking this, and it was certainly different to other records in the charts. I'm sure most people think Falco was a one-hit wonder and forget his top 10 hit Vienna Calling.
09 PETER GUNN - ART OF NOISE FEAT. DUANE EDDY - Great guitar playing, of course, but I'm generally not a fan of instrumentals. I like something I can sign along to.
08 ABSOLUTE BEGINNERS - DAVID BOWIE - I can't make up my mind if I like this or not, but it certainly isn't Bowie's best song. I was surprised when I discovered it got to no. 2.
07 A KIND OF MAGIC - QUEEN - Good song, but I prefer the hits from their Works album in the 80s.
06 CHAIN REACTION - DIANA ROSS - Totally overplayed, but one I never tire off. I don't understand why the Bee Gees were giving away such great songs to other artists.
04 A DIFFERENT CORNER - GEORGE MICHAEL - Although I've always been a Wham!/George Michael fan, I don't think I appreciated this as much at the time as I do now. It seemed a bit boring and I didn't like his image in the video. I'm not surprised it's one of his hits he chose to do on his Symphoncia tour.
03 TOUCH ME (I WANT YOUR BODY) - SAMANTHA FOX - Catchy tune, though the lyrics are dreadful and she's not a very good singer. I'm not sure how she came to be more than just a one-hit-wonder and, I think, charted in the US.
02 WONDERFUL WORLD - SAM COOKE - The song used in the first Levis' ad (although not this version, I believe). I suppose it was good that the ads brought a lot of classic 60s songs to a younger generation, but they did overdo it.
01 LIVING DOLL - CLIFF RICHARD AND THE YOUNG ONES - I've only ever seen clips of The Young Ones, but I loved Neil's Hole In My Shoe and this one. The first, and by far the best, Comic Relief single, imo.
Not played
19 LOVE COMES QUICKLY - PET SHOP BOYS - Let down after West End Girls, but far better was to come that year with the excellent opportunites,
18 DIGGING YOUR SCENE - BLOW MONKEYS - This get its fair share of plays on the radio, but I wouldn't have minded hearing it again.
16 MOVE AWAY CULTURE CLUB - Without checking, I'm thinking this was their last big hit, and I think its one of their best yet hardly ever gets played on the radio.
15 KISS - PRINCE AND THE REVOLUTION - Give me the Tom Jones/Art Of Noise version any day. The bit where he starts screeching hurts my ears.
11 HI HO SILVER - JIM DIAMOND - If Jim Diamond had any other hits between I Should Have Know Better and this one, then they've completely passed me by. Does its job as a catchy TV theme tune, but I never watched Boon.
05 YOU TO ME ARE EVERYTHING (THE DECADE REMIX) REAL THING - Prefer the origingal version. Another reminder of those TOTP repeats also, a long-running discussion on the blog as to whether the lead singer is Eddie or Chris Amoo. I'm still not sure.
I definitely know I was listening to Tony at least a few times in summer 1980 in what must have been the afternoon some point. So I decided to check out from a few sources and they seemed to concur that he left the afternoon show on Radio 1 in August 1980, which would mean I caught it at the very end as I recall. There seems to be some disagreement among a number of other sources. Could it also have been holiday cover in the afternoon I heard? It was definitely Tony and I heard Xanadu getting played loads!
I contacted Tony yesterday via Twitter and he replied confirming that there are 1950s and early sixties charts coming up soon on POTPs.
Hour 1 chart to follow.
Tony also presented the TOTP equiv.
13-4-72: Presenter: Tony Blackburn (Wiped)
(4) RINGO STARR – Back Off Boogaloo (crowd dancing) (and charts)
(26) VICKY LEANDROS – Come What May
(28) MIDDLE OF THE ROAD – Sacramento ®
(19) ELVIS PRESLEY – Until It’s Time For You To Go (video)
(21) MARMALADE – Radancer
(NEW) MARVIN, WELCH & FARRAR – Marmaduke
(NEW) CHRIS MONTEZ – Loco Por Ti (Crazy For You)
(5) THE CHIFFONS – Sweet Talkin’ Guy (danced to by Pan’s People)
(24) JOHNNY NASH – Stir It Up
(1) ROYAL SCOTS DRAGOON GUARDS – Amazing Grace (video)
(12) TYRANNOSAURUS REX – Debora (crowd dancing) (and credits)
18 . Olivia Newton John - WHAT IS LIFE
17 . Jo Jo Gunne - RUN RUN RUN
16 . Don McLean - AMERICAN PIE
14 . Supremes - FLOY JOY
13 . Lindisfarne - MEET ME ON THE CORNER
12 . T-Rex - DEBORA / ONE INCH ROCK
11 . Labi Siffre - CRYING, LAUGHING, LOVING, LYING
10 . Neil Young - HEART OF GOLD
8 . Gilbert O'Sullivan - ALONE AGAIN (NATURALLY)
7 . Tom Jones - YOUNG NEW MEXICAN PUPPETEER
6 . Argent - HOLD YOUR HEAD UP
5 . Chiffons - SWEET TALKING GUY
4 . Ringo Starr - BACK OFF BOOGALOO
3 . New Seekers - BEG, STEAL OR BORROW
2 . Nilsson - WITHOUT YOU
1 . Pipes And Drums And The Military Band Of The Royal Scots Dragoon Guard - AMAZING GRACE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7WzrG4zYXk - New Seekers
Wombling Merry christmas - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JhVkWNHaU4