Boney M's 'Gotta Go Home' was really a Double 'A' Side with 'El Lute'. The UK was
one of the few Countries where the Record Company chose 'Gotta Go Home' as the
main Track. It ended a UK 'Run' of 9 consecutive Top 10 Hits - Peaking at No.12.
Globally 'El Lute' was a far bigger Hit. It is about a Spanish Outlaw, & many felt that
the backing music owed a lot to 'Fernando' by ABBA.
'El Lute' became their 6th, (& final), No.1 Hit in the Pan European Chart, & their
8th, (& final), No.1 Hit in Germany. It spent 8 Weeks at No.1 in Germany.
The title didn't ring a bell with me at all, and after having listened to the song, I'm genuinely not sure if I've heard it before or not. It's SOOO like 'Fernando'. What a shameless rip-off!
Those clips were fabulous, and they very much reflect the terrific loss those wiped episodes represent. It's maybe too hopeful to believe somewhere, and someday in the not too distant future, a stack of those lost episodes will be unearthed. I love those two episodes from January/February 1970 (29/1/1970 and 5/2/1970) that remain, and i consider them pretty much as good as any of the later ones (including those from 1979) i have seen. Although they seem to remain only in black and white i believe they were filmed in colour, as i have seen a colour clip of Rare Bird performing 'Sympathy' on YouTube. I would imagine that colour footage may still exist, because it had been used elsewhere.
The trouble with that period of 1970 or thereabouts is that in cost terms it was a bit of a double whammy period. Not only was the cost of keeping recorded shows considered exorbitant but at the same time as that the colour technology itself was proving costly in the initial stages. I suppose it seemed to make a great deal of sense at the time but obviously looking back it seems such a shame that there are now massive gaps in the BBC's archives, and of course not just with TOTP in that era.
Boney M's 'Gotta Go Home' was really a Double 'A' Side with 'El Lute'. The UK was
one of the few Countries where the Record Company chose 'Gotta Go Home' as the
main Track. It ended a UK 'Run' of 9 consecutive Top 10 Hits - Peaking at No.12.
Globally 'El Lute' was a far bigger Hit. It is about a Spanish Outlaw, & many felt that
the backing music owed a lot to 'Fernando' by ABBA.
'El Lute' became their 6th, (& final), No.1 Hit in the Pan European Chart, & their
8th, (& final), No.1 Hit in Germany. It spent 8 Weeks at No.1 in Germany.
Even the German's had the good sense to give Cliff's We Don't Talk Anymore a No1 position, for a week longer than in the UK infact, later in 1979. However I cannot believe that Thom Pace's Maybe spent 10 long weeks as the final No1 of '79 and into the new decade.
Here, out of curiosity value are the German No1's of 1979, a European country comparable with the UK in size and record buying potential after all.
23 Dec 78 - YMCA...................................................Village People. 3 weeks
13 Jan 79 - MARY'S BOY CHILD......................... Boney M. 1 week
20 Jan 79 - YMCA....................................................Village People. 7 weeks
10 Mar 79 - HEART OF GLASS..............................Blondie. 6 weeks
21 Apr 79 - DSCHINGIS KHAN..............................Dschingis Khan. 4 weeks
19 May 79 - BORN TO BE ALIVE..........................Patrick Hernandez. 5 weeks
23 Jun 79 - POP MUZIK..........................................M. 6 weeks
4 Aug 79 - SO BIST DU...........................................Peter Maffay. 3 weeks
25 Aug 79 - EL LUTE...............................................Boney M. 8 weeks
20 Oct 79 - WE DON'T TALK ANYMORE..........Cliff Richard. 5 weeks
24 Nov 79 - MAYBE.................................................Thom Pace. 10 weeks
I bet NOBODY on here knows those 2 classic German No1's of 1979 by Peter Maffay and Dschingis Khan! ;-)
The trouble with that period of 1970 or thereabouts is that in cost terms it was a bit of a double whammy period. Not only was the cost of keeping recorded shows considered exorbitant but at the same time as that the colour technology itself was proving costly in the initial stages. I suppose it seemed to make a great deal of sense at the time but obviously looking back it seems such a shame that there are now massive gaps in the BBC's archives, and of course not just with TOTP in that era.
Colour came to Top Of The Pops in November 1969, although the only remaining complete 1970 shows are in black and white, because the BBC had wiped the coloured versions, i presume. The Noel Edmonds presented Top Of The Pops from 1/2/1973, is i think the final saved Top Of The Pops show that exists only in black and white. I feel very privileged to have most of the remaining early Top Of The Pops episodes that haven't been wiped, and for me, the early seventies shows especially, represent the show's golden era. The look of the show was never bettered than the 1972-74 era in my opinion (although i'm going on maybe only a couple of 1972 episodes i have seen). I'm unsure as to why Ed Stewart had a patch on his eye during a December 1971 edition.
Errr.......actually Dschingis Khan was a Eurovision song of some repute !
(Eurovision repute that is.....)
I've just checked them out, only to be horrified to discover that they aren't confined to Europe, but a year later during the late summer of 1980, when the UK had the sense to put Abba, Bowie & The Jam at the top of the charts, down under in Australia this peculiar group Dschinghis Khan went to No1 there for 6 long weeks as Genghis Khan with something called Moscow, which obviously coincided with the Olympics from that city at the same time.
I see that the song Dschinghis Khan came 4th at the Eurovision 1979 and that the UK jury gave it huit (8) points.
That has certainly taken the shine off 1979 somewhat! Thank heavens the UK stuck with Chaka Khan and not Dschinghis Khan in '79. Atrocious, and I now wish I could un-discover them again.
er, sorry? Saying that 70s genres punk and disco were fantastic is 'dismissing a whole decade's music'?? What I did say was that 70-75 in my view wasn't a golden era and I wouldn't be lone in saying so. I certainly wouldn't like to be trapped listing to the charts of that period on an endless loop..especially when instead I could have the second half of the 70s or either half of the 80s.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion, of course, but i'm not sure you are particularly well informed where the early seventies are concerned. There were so many truly classic albums from that period, it is hard to know exactly where to begin.
Here are a few:
Marvin Gaye - 'What's Going On'
Rolling Stones - 'Sticky Fingers' and 'Exile On Main Street'
Carole King - 'Tapestry'
John Lennon - 'Imagine'
Joni Mitchell - 'Blue' and 'Court And Spark'
The Who - Who's Next'
David Bowie 'Hunky Dory' and 'Ziggy Stardust'
If i was to choose, say, between the years 1970-73, and 1977-79, despite 1979 being a true favourite of mine (and pretty much up with the early seventies), i think the 1970-73 period as a whole is more consistent. I find the music of the early seventies to be a little more lyrical, where use of language is concerned. The no 1 singles of 1973 are fine, although i'm not sure acts like Peters and Lee, Suzi Quatro, Gary Glitter, and David Classidy, truly reflect the richness and variety of the music of the period.
Boney M's 'Gotta Go Home' was really a Double 'A' Side with 'El Lute'. The UK was
one of the few Countries where the Record Company chose 'Gotta Go Home' as the
main Track. It ended a UK 'Run' of 9 consecutive Top 10 Hits - Peaking at No.12.
Globally 'El Lute' was a far bigger Hit. It is about a Spanish Outlaw, & many felt that
the backing music owed a lot to 'Fernando' by ABBA.
'El Lute' became their 6th, (& final), No.1 Hit in the Pan European Chart, & their
8th, (& final), No.1 Hit in Germany. It spent 8 Weeks at No.1 in Germany.
'El Lute' was only listed on the chart for the last 4 weeks of an 11 week chart run and when the record had dropped from number 13 to number 22. It looks like the record label decided to officially make the single a double A side to try and boost the fortunes of the single but if that was the case it didn't work.
Even the German's had the good sense to give Cliff's We Don't Talk Anymore a No1 position, for a week longer than in the UK infact, later in 1979. However I cannot believe that Thom Pace's Maybe spent 10 long weeks as the final No1 of '79 and into the new decade.
Here, out of curiosity value are the German No1's of 1979, a European country comparable with the UK in size and record buying potential after all.
Just to point out that in 1979 there were two German states and the list of number 1 hits you posted are for West Germany.
A bit pedantic I know but I've noticed in recent years that people are increasingly referring to Germany in the era when they really mean West Germany.
I bet NOBODY on here knows those 2 classic German No1's of 1979 by Peter Maffay and Dschingis Khan! ;-)
I just listened to 'So Bist Du'. It's a pretty good power pop tune, rock ballad, whatever you want to call it. He seems to be a big star still:
Altogether, Maffay has sold over 40 million records, which makes him one of the top selling artists in Germany. Since 1980, each of his 13 tours (roughly every 2 years) has ranked among the three most visited attractions each season in Germany, with nine of them ranked first in that category. The first leg of his next Tour (19 Arena shows) in 2015 is sold out nearly a year before.
Bit of a shock. Not one of the greatest TOTP presenters or Radio DJ, but he was part of some pretty big events.
I know he gave me and a couple of autograph hunters the brush off in 1986, but I wouldn't want this to happen to him and he was good on the television.
One TOTP performance I would like to see is where Lynsey de Paul peforms Won't Somebody Dance With Me and where Ed Stewart says " may I have the pleasure of this dance", she starts dancing with Tony Blackburn.
Yeah, I'd certainly have never thought he'd be the next former Totp presenter to pass away.
Yeah, it will be sad watching Smitty on the BBC Four reruns if they make it that far knowing he's since passed on, another reason why the repeats should have started years earlier, quite a number of acts we've seen now sadly up in the sky.
Bit of a shock. Not one of the greatest TOTP presenters or Radio DJ, but he was part of some pretty big events.
I remember him from the golden era of Capital Radio, 1979-81 - he mostly used to fill in when the likes of Graham Dene were on holiday, but I think he got a show in his own right eventually. A good DJ.
Very shocked to suddenly hear this news about Mike Smith. Very much a face for a particular decade to me, the 1980's. He wasn't particularly stand out in any particular way and I'd like to think of him as simply a workmanlike presenter on TOTP and on radio, he was there one minute, then a classic "where are they now" presenter the next. I recall the helicopter crash in 1988 that nearly did for him and Sarah Greene. Always recall him being Noel's lackey on The Late Late Breakfast Show in the mid 80's too, before tragedy ended that suddenly. Amazing to think it was as far back as 1982 that he began doing TOTP.
Seems he had major heart surgery and didn't pull through. Very sad indeed.
Thought I had missed a TOTP edition that wasn't listed, Rich Tea is naughty!!
Mentions of Germany in above posts, I have a vinyl single of the Bowie classic Heroes.
He sings it in German......'Helden'
Also a French version.....'Heros'
Great to see a few of those brief clips of TOTP way back in 1970 Fave St, and in glorious colour too. When I think of the TV in 1970, especially TOTP I only imagine it in black and white. The transition period from B & W to full colour was a messy one seeming to last quite a few years.
IIRC in 'I Love 1972' it was claimed this was the year in which sales of colour televisions overtook sales of monochrome sets - although it doesn't necessarily follow that over 50 per cent of the country were watching in black and white at the start of the year as a lot of people used to rent colour TVs back in those days from high street shops like DER (Domestic Electric Rentals) and Rediffusion.
I love those two episodes from January/February 1970 (29/1/1970 and 5/2/1970) that remain, and i consider them pretty much as good as any of the later ones (including those from 1979) i have seen. Although they seem to remain only in black and white i believe they were filmed in colour, as i have seen a colour clip of Rare Bird performing 'Sympathy' on YouTube. I would imagine that colour footage may still exist, because it had been used elsewhere.
I believe every edition of TOTP from November 1969 onwards was filmed in colour. Colour footage of Jethro Tull performing 'A Witch's Promise' on the 29-01-70 edition featured on both 'Sounds of the Seventies' and 'Prog Rock at the BBC' (the latter compilation originally included Jimmy Savile's introductory link in glorious colour but this will no doubt be edited from any future showings). A colour clip of Badfinger miming to 'Come And Get It' from the same show was shown on TOTP2 a couple of years ago.
Colour came to Top Of The Pops in November 1969, although the only remaining complete 1970 shows are in black and white, because the BBC had wiped the coloured versions, i presume.
A third complete show from 15 October 1970 presented by Tony Blackburn survives in colour - was that episode not shown on UK Gold?
I feel very privileged to have most of the remaining early Top Of The Pops episodes that haven't been wiped, and for me, the early seventies shows especially, represent the show's golden era. The look of the show was never bettered than the 1972-74 era in my opinion (although i'm going on maybe only a couple of 1972 episodes i have seen).
It is tragic that only two complete episodes from 1972 remain in the BBC archive and one of these is a black and white print. It's small consolation but (thanks in large part to ZDF) I estimate an additional 28 colour performances and one black and white insert, plus 10 or more promotional videos (official/BBC produced) from 1972 still exist, the bulk of which are available on YouTube. I anticipate at least one of these - 'You Wear It Well' may be included in 'Rod Stewart at the BBC' next Friday on BBC Four. A few days ago I noticed a clip of Sweet from October 1972 had been uploaded to YouTube just over 4 months ago which IMO reflects the "fun" atmosphere and general jollity in the TOTP studio during the glam period; although I have seen it several times before, the picture quality looks significantly better than previous uploads (it can be adjusted up to 1080 HD with the 'Settings' icon at the foot of the screen):
There is also a print of an incomplete Ed Stewart hosted edition from June 1972 which turned up at BBC Glasgow a few years ago which includes a number of full performances.
Comments
The title didn't ring a bell with me at all, and after having listened to the song, I'm genuinely not sure if I've heard it before or not. It's SOOO like 'Fernando'. What a shameless rip-off!
Even the German's had the good sense to give Cliff's We Don't Talk Anymore a No1 position, for a week longer than in the UK infact, later in 1979. However I cannot believe that Thom Pace's Maybe spent 10 long weeks as the final No1 of '79 and into the new decade.
Here, out of curiosity value are the German No1's of 1979, a European country comparable with the UK in size and record buying potential after all.
23 Dec 78 - YMCA...................................................Village People. 3 weeks
13 Jan 79 - MARY'S BOY CHILD......................... Boney M. 1 week
20 Jan 79 - YMCA....................................................Village People. 7 weeks
10 Mar 79 - HEART OF GLASS..............................Blondie. 6 weeks
21 Apr 79 - DSCHINGIS KHAN..............................Dschingis Khan. 4 weeks
19 May 79 - BORN TO BE ALIVE..........................Patrick Hernandez. 5 weeks
23 Jun 79 - POP MUZIK..........................................M. 6 weeks
4 Aug 79 - SO BIST DU...........................................Peter Maffay. 3 weeks
25 Aug 79 - EL LUTE...............................................Boney M. 8 weeks
20 Oct 79 - WE DON'T TALK ANYMORE..........Cliff Richard. 5 weeks
24 Nov 79 - MAYBE.................................................Thom Pace. 10 weeks
I bet NOBODY on here knows those 2 classic German No1's of 1979 by Peter Maffay and Dschingis Khan! ;-)
Colour came to Top Of The Pops in November 1969, although the only remaining complete 1970 shows are in black and white, because the BBC had wiped the coloured versions, i presume. The Noel Edmonds presented Top Of The Pops from 1/2/1973, is i think the final saved Top Of The Pops show that exists only in black and white. I feel very privileged to have most of the remaining early Top Of The Pops episodes that haven't been wiped, and for me, the early seventies shows especially, represent the show's golden era. The look of the show was never bettered than the 1972-74 era in my opinion (although i'm going on maybe only a couple of 1972 episodes i have seen). I'm unsure as to why Ed Stewart had a patch on his eye during a December 1971 edition.
Errr.......actually Dschingis Khan was a Eurovision song of some repute !
(Eurovision repute that is.....)
I've just checked them out, only to be horrified to discover that they aren't confined to Europe, but a year later during the late summer of 1980, when the UK had the sense to put Abba, Bowie & The Jam at the top of the charts, down under in Australia this peculiar group Dschinghis Khan went to No1 there for 6 long weeks as Genghis Khan with something called Moscow, which obviously coincided with the Olympics from that city at the same time.
I see that the song Dschinghis Khan came 4th at the Eurovision 1979 and that the UK jury gave it huit (8) points.
Here it is;
http://youtu.be/B_ZKxA25nk8
That has certainly taken the shine off 1979 somewhat! Thank heavens the UK stuck with Chaka Khan and not Dschinghis Khan in '79. Atrocious, and I now wish I could un-discover them again.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion, of course, but i'm not sure you are particularly well informed where the early seventies are concerned. There were so many truly classic albums from that period, it is hard to know exactly where to begin.
Here are a few:
Marvin Gaye - 'What's Going On'
Rolling Stones - 'Sticky Fingers' and 'Exile On Main Street'
Carole King - 'Tapestry'
John Lennon - 'Imagine'
Joni Mitchell - 'Blue' and 'Court And Spark'
The Who - Who's Next'
David Bowie 'Hunky Dory' and 'Ziggy Stardust'
If i was to choose, say, between the years 1970-73, and 1977-79, despite 1979 being a true favourite of mine (and pretty much up with the early seventies), i think the 1970-73 period as a whole is more consistent. I find the music of the early seventies to be a little more lyrical, where use of language is concerned. The no 1 singles of 1973 are fine, although i'm not sure acts like Peters and Lee, Suzi Quatro, Gary Glitter, and David Classidy, truly reflect the richness and variety of the music of the period.
A bit pedantic I know but I've noticed in recent years that people are increasingly referring to Germany in the era when they really mean West Germany.
How did Greg Edwards come to be presenting an edition of TOTP:? He didn't work for R1 in the 1970s did he?
If Dschingis Khan was the one that was in Eurovision, I remember it
EDIT: sorry, just noticed somebody said that a few posts up
I just listened to 'So Bist Du'. It's a pretty good power pop tune, rock ballad, whatever you want to call it. He seems to be a big star still:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Maffay
I bet we'd know him if he sang in English!
Bit of a shock. Not one of the greatest TOTP presenters or Radio DJ, but he was part of some pretty big events.
apparentally he did ...
http://z6.*****************/popscene/index.php?showtopic=9264
aarrgghh,link wont work !
he did a soul show in the early 70s.
i dont recall it either but loved soul spectrum on capital in the 80s .
I know he gave me and a couple of autograph hunters the brush off in 1986, but I wouldn't want this to happen to him and he was good on the television.
Yeah, I'd certainly have never thought he'd be the next former Totp presenter to pass away.
Yeah, it will be sad watching Smitty on the BBC Four reruns if they make it that far knowing he's since passed on, another reason why the repeats should have started years earlier, quite a number of acts we've seen now sadly up in the sky.
I remember him from the golden era of Capital Radio, 1979-81 - he mostly used to fill in when the likes of Graham Dene were on holiday, but I think he got a show in his own right eventually. A good DJ.
Seems he had major heart surgery and didn't pull through. Very sad indeed.
Seem to remember an interview over that Noel never spoke to Mike after that 'incident'.
Mentions of Germany in above posts, I have a vinyl single of the Bowie classic Heroes.
He sings it in German......'Helden'
Also a French version.....'Heros'
IIRC in 'I Love 1972' it was claimed this was the year in which sales of colour televisions overtook sales of monochrome sets - although it doesn't necessarily follow that over 50 per cent of the country were watching in black and white at the start of the year as a lot of people used to rent colour TVs back in those days from high street shops like DER (Domestic Electric Rentals) and Rediffusion.
I believe every edition of TOTP from November 1969 onwards was filmed in colour. Colour footage of Jethro Tull performing 'A Witch's Promise' on the 29-01-70 edition featured on both 'Sounds of the Seventies' and 'Prog Rock at the BBC' (the latter compilation originally included Jimmy Savile's introductory link in glorious colour but this will no doubt be edited from any future showings). A colour clip of Badfinger miming to 'Come And Get It' from the same show was shown on TOTP2 a couple of years ago.
A third complete show from 15 October 1970 presented by Tony Blackburn survives in colour - was that episode not shown on UK Gold?
It is tragic that only two complete episodes from 1972 remain in the BBC archive and one of these is a black and white print. It's small consolation but (thanks in large part to ZDF) I estimate an additional 28 colour performances and one black and white insert, plus 10 or more promotional videos (official/BBC produced) from 1972 still exist, the bulk of which are available on YouTube. I anticipate at least one of these - 'You Wear It Well' may be included in 'Rod Stewart at the BBC' next Friday on BBC Four. A few days ago I noticed a clip of Sweet from October 1972 had been uploaded to YouTube just over 4 months ago which IMO reflects the "fun" atmosphere and general jollity in the TOTP studio during the glam period; although I have seen it several times before, the picture quality looks significantly better than previous uploads (it can be adjusted up to 1080 HD with the 'Settings' icon at the foot of the screen):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyBFxjmJPqk
There is also a print of an incomplete Ed Stewart hosted edition from June 1972 which turned up at BBC Glasgow a few years ago which includes a number of full performances.