So much different to when the re runs started from the spring of 1976. In 1976 shows it was disco, pop, novelty songs, country and hard rock, and all the singers wore big flares and had long hair. By 1979, while hard rock/heavy metal is undergoing a second wave with new acts like Motorhead, the dominant trends are post punk, Two Tone, the mod revival, the start of synth pop and rockabilly. Also by 1979 short hair is back in fashion after ten years and flares are seriously passe.
I think someone did say that a while back but I couldn't tell you what program it was. You may have to siv your way through some old posts! As for 1977/78 dvds, message me to let me know what episodes you're interested in and i'll see what I can do. I'll let you know price etc.
I think someone did say that a while back but I couldn't tell you what program it was. You may have to siv your way through some old posts! As for 1977/78 dvds, message me to let me know what episodes you're interested in and i'll see what I can do. I'll let you know price etc.
Will have a think on it. ;-)
The two and a half years since TOTP 1976 began with April 1976 to the imminent TOTP 1979 and that years January is such a short period of time historically speaking but is infact a generation in terms of the musical difference.
Sorry Rich Tea but LittleGirlOf7 beat you to starting the official 1979 thread so really this thread should be merged with the other - DS usually let the oldest thread survive when there is a duplication and a merge needs to take place.
Until the threads are merged I'm not going to post in either (other than making this post) as it's a bit pointless having two threads on the go and posting replies in both of them!
I'm really looking forward to 1979 as it is one of my favourite years for music and I have such vivid memories of the whole year. It was also the year that I fell in love (or should that be more like infatuation as nothing became of it - I got turned down though I have to say she did turn me down nicely!) for the first time. So I've got plenty of memories (happy and sad) of the year and the year got better as it it progressed.
Seeing as there are now two threads for Top Of The Pops 1979 I guess it's up to either the mods or the posters to decide which carries on.
This one was set up first though, so y'know...wink wink.
Both threads have now been neatly merged and all the posts shuffled into correct position thankfully.
Must admit that I doubted we'd even get 1978 never mind 1979 and am pleased that these weekly TOTP editions have managed to survive the Jimmy Savile affair and continue like this on BBC4. We might even be lucky and get DLT back early in the year. I think we may have to be very lucky however.
If I had to commit to one year as the best ever then for me it would have to be 1979.
Both threads have now been neatly merged and all the posts shuffled into correct position thankfully.
Must admit that I doubted we'd even get 1978 never mind 1979 and am pleased that these weekly TOTP editions have managed to survive the Jimmy Savile affair and continue like this on BBC4. We might even be lucky and get DLT back early in the year. I think we may have to be very lucky however.
If I had to commit to one year as the best ever then for me it would have to be 1979.
DLT was briefly on BBC Four on Boxing Day night. There was a brief clip of him presenting Top Of The Pops on the excellent "Never Mind The Baubles: Xmas 77 With The Sex Pistols" documentary produced a few months ago by Julian Temple and broadcast for the first time on Thursday. The clip was taken from the Boxing Day 1977 edition of Top Of The Pops which we never got to see last year as BBC Four had made a decision to drop DLT hosted editions. If I recall it was a clip of him introducing the second song on the show 'The First Cut Is The Deepest' by Rod Stewart. So it shows the BBC will show clips when either it suits them, or most likely in this instance, they had no choice but to show him as he was name checked by one of the Pistols in one of the interviews Temple was conducting and so had to keep his clip in the documentary for the comment to make sense.
It was a great documentary and in it John Lydon admitted he liked Boney M!
Both threads have now been neatly merged and all the posts shuffled into correct position thankfully.
Must admit that I doubted we'd even get 1978 never mind 1979 and am pleased that these weekly TOTP editions have managed to survive the Jimmy Savile affair and continue like this on BBC4. We might even be lucky and get DLT back early in the year. I think we may have to be very lucky however.
If I had to commit to one year as the best ever then for me it would have to be 1979.
there some good points there to make about totps.i think we should have a poll should totps come back? i will bet 10 to a dosen people will vote YES it should come back. but with JS in the way whats the relataty of this?
there some good points there to make about totps.i think we should have a poll should totps come back? i will bet 10 to a dosen people will vote YES it should come back. but with JS in the way whats the relataty of this?
Normally I would say yes, bring it back, but chart music is so bad at the moment, I really think they might end up with the same problem of no one watching. If they brought it back they would have to try and attract older viewers aswell, by mixing chart music with music older viewers might like, not necessarily chart music. And put it on primetime when everyone can watch. It would be a risk, and also an expensive risk for the bbc, which they obviously don't want to take.
Normally I would say yes, bring it back, but chart music is so bad at the moment, I really think they might end up with the same problem of no one watching. If they brought it back they would have to try and attract older viewers aswell, by mixing chart music with music older viewers might like, not necessarily chart music. And put it on primetime when everyone can watch. It would be a risk, and also an expensive risk for the bbc, which they obviously don't want to take.
they did that a while ago with totps mixing chart with classic chart
The two and a half years since TOTP 1976 began with April 1976 to the imminent TOTP 1979 and that years January is such a short period of time historically speaking but is infact a generation in terms of the musical difference.
Yes the period between 1976 and 1979 saw a massive change in music and fashions and you could argue the period between 1979 and 1982 saw even bigger changes. 76 to 79 saw the rise of the new wave, the disco boom, then NWOBHM, 2 Tone, the mod revival and post punk. Also there were minor trends towards rock and roll, country and soul. All in all, a very exciting period for music.
It would be interesting if all the TOTPs going back to 1970 had been saved as seeing a 1970 TOTP and then a 1979 one would have been interesting as the music would be largely different. In 1970 long haired rockers, cheesy pop, reggae, American soul and novelty songs were all the rage.
So much different to when the re runs started from the spring of 1976. In 1976 shows it was disco, pop, novelty songs, country and hard rock, and all the singers wore big flares and had long hair. By 1979, while hard rock/heavy metal is undergoing a second wave with new acts like Motorhead, the dominant trends are post punk, Two Tone, the mod revival, the start of synth pop and rockabilly. Also by 1979 short hair is back in fashion after ten years and flares are seriously passe.
No - the dominant trend is disco. And, in the UK, it doesn't die this year. At all.
The mod revival was a flash in the pan: one Top 20 single (Secret Affair) and a handful of minor hits (Merton Parkas, Chords, Purple Hearts). Which hardly makes it a 'dominant trend'. And no, The Jam, had nothing to do with the mod revival.
And rockabilly? You mean Matchbox? Again, not a dominant trend.
Sorry to burst your bubble, but you are massively wide of the mark. There is plenty of pop, novelty songs and country in 1979. And MOR. Or maybe you'd erased Racey, Dollar, BA Robertson, the Dooleys, Cats UK, Fiddlers' Dram, the Charlie Daniels Band, Lena Martell, Iris Williams and The Shadows from your memory?
In terms of weeks on the chart, 1979's biggest singles chart acts are Abba, Blondie, Earth Wind & Fire and, most impressively, Chic who, as writers and prdoucers, were behind a wopping nine Top 30 hits.
DLT was briefly on BBC Four on Boxing Day night. There was a brief clip of him presenting Top Of The Pops on the excellent "Never Mind The Baubles: Xmas 77 With The Sex Pistols" documentary produced a few months ago by Julian Temple and broadcast for the first time on Thursday. The clip was taken from the Boxing Day 1977 edition of Top Of The Pops which we never got to see last year as BBC Four had made a decision to drop DLT hosted editions. If I recall it was a clip of him introducing the second song on the show 'The First Cut Is The Deepest' by Rod Stewart. So it shows the BBC will show clips when either it suits them, or most likely in this instance, they had no choice but to show him as he was name checked by one of the Pistols in one of the interviews Temple was conducting and so had to keep his clip in the documentary for the comment to make sense.
It was a great documentary and in it John Lydon admitted he liked Boney M!
Makes me wonder if they'll show DLT in the 1979 documentary even though he was edited out in later repeats of the 1978 one.
And no, The Jam, had nothing to do with the mod revival.
Hmmm, not sure this is a valid statement. A quick google images search shows up the 'Jam' logo against the roundel symbol, classic mod revival imagery. Not only that all my mates who were mods at the time cited the jam as being mod and had a lot of their records too.
Comments
Yes, I thought of TOPT whilst listening to POTP today and thought the same as you.
So much different to when the re runs started from the spring of 1976. In 1976 shows it was disco, pop, novelty songs, country and hard rock, and all the singers wore big flares and had long hair. By 1979, while hard rock/heavy metal is undergoing a second wave with new acts like Motorhead, the dominant trends are post punk, Two Tone, the mod revival, the start of synth pop and rockabilly. Also by 1979 short hair is back in fashion after ten years and flares are seriously passe.
The two and a half years since TOTP 1976 began with April 1976 to the imminent TOTP 1979 and that years January is such a short period of time historically speaking but is infact a generation in terms of the musical difference.
Until the threads are merged I'm not going to post in either (other than making this post) as it's a bit pointless having two threads on the go and posting replies in both of them!
Problem of where to post solved, both threads have now been merged!
Both threads have now been neatly merged and all the posts shuffled into correct position thankfully.
Must admit that I doubted we'd even get 1978 never mind 1979 and am pleased that these weekly TOTP editions have managed to survive the Jimmy Savile affair and continue like this on BBC4. We might even be lucky and get DLT back early in the year. I think we may have to be very lucky however.
If I had to commit to one year as the best ever then for me it would have to be 1979.
It was a great documentary and in it John Lydon admitted he liked Boney M!
1978 is dead. Long live 1979.
Well...until 1980 anyway.
there some good points there to make about totps.i think we should have a poll should totps come back? i will bet 10 to a dosen people will vote YES it should come back. but with JS in the way whats the relataty of this?
Normally I would say yes, bring it back, but chart music is so bad at the moment, I really think they might end up with the same problem of no one watching. If they brought it back they would have to try and attract older viewers aswell, by mixing chart music with music older viewers might like, not necessarily chart music. And put it on primetime when everyone can watch. It would be a risk, and also an expensive risk for the bbc, which they obviously don't want to take.
they did that a while ago with totps mixing chart with classic chart
Yes the period between 1976 and 1979 saw a massive change in music and fashions and you could argue the period between 1979 and 1982 saw even bigger changes. 76 to 79 saw the rise of the new wave, the disco boom, then NWOBHM, 2 Tone, the mod revival and post punk. Also there were minor trends towards rock and roll, country and soul. All in all, a very exciting period for music.
No - the dominant trend is disco. And, in the UK, it doesn't die this year. At all.
The mod revival was a flash in the pan: one Top 20 single (Secret Affair) and a handful of minor hits (Merton Parkas, Chords, Purple Hearts). Which hardly makes it a 'dominant trend'. And no, The Jam, had nothing to do with the mod revival.
And rockabilly? You mean Matchbox? Again, not a dominant trend.
Sorry to burst your bubble, but you are massively wide of the mark. There is plenty of pop, novelty songs and country in 1979. And MOR. Or maybe you'd erased Racey, Dollar, BA Robertson, the Dooleys, Cats UK, Fiddlers' Dram, the Charlie Daniels Band, Lena Martell, Iris Williams and The Shadows from your memory?
In terms of weeks on the chart, 1979's biggest singles chart acts are Abba, Blondie, Earth Wind & Fire and, most impressively, Chic who, as writers and prdoucers, were behind a wopping nine Top 30 hits.
Makes me wonder if they'll show DLT in the 1979 documentary even though he was edited out in later repeats of the 1978 one.
Hmmm, not sure this is a valid statement. A quick google images search shows up the 'Jam' logo against the roundel symbol, classic mod revival imagery. Not only that all my mates who were mods at the time cited the jam as being mod and had a lot of their records too.
I wonder if there were any predictions in the music press about what would happen and who would be big in 1979 that were wide of the mark?