The other day I came across a POTP recording on my ipod that I'd not listened to for years - one from 2000 after Dale had taken over , covering the years 1980 and 1990. Funny to think that would be like Tony playing 1995 and 2005! Throughly enjoyable it was too.
One the tracks played in the 1980 chart was Rabbit by Chas and Dave and to my ears it certainly sounded like the single version and not the re-recorded version that is played now. This got me thinking about the re-recording of just another year. Doing some checking the oldest POTP I've got that played this is from 2008 - the same chart Tony played last week. Sadly it was still the same re-recorded version played. I wonder if the proper version has ever been played on POTP.
Well Clare you have laid down a challenge and I will try and find out by listening through my collection which goes back to 1998 with Alan Freeman and see if he ever played the original What's Another Year. Watch this space!
I also think it is time for a little tweak with POTP, not sure what though, as it is so popular. When Unique was producing Alan Freeman POTP from 1997-2000, I loved the clever use of a 5 second segment from another similarly titled track to be played before the designated one. That would be good to include occasionally, but still use Tony's quips some of the time. ( He was funny this week to be honest ) !
Do you mean like when he often played a short clip of Rolling Stones 1974 hit It's Only Rock 'n' Roll before a particularly rock orientated act?
Well, as a young child was always into music, and had a really good 4 track reel to reel tape recorder that I used from 1966, aged 8, through to around 1971. It was late 1970 that I really got into wanting to know everything about the charts and the artists, so kinda agree with your view of '69 and '70 Rich. I guess my most memorable time was summer 1971 when I was a late starter in buying my first 45 record. Sad to admit it now, but it was Ken Dodd's When Love Comes Round Again, followed by Nancy & Lee's Did You Ever, Tams Hey Girl Don't Bother Me, Dave & Ansil Collins Monkey Spanner, Dawn What Are You Doing Sunday, Hot Chocolate I Believe In Love, to name but a few, and then usually at least two records a week for years after that, and still have them all, plus all of them replaced on shop bought CD's in later years. When I bought Ken Dodd's Greatest Hits on CD from a local store, the manager asked if I wanted it in a brown paper bag to save my embarrasment, very funny I thought to myself!
Funny you mention Ken Dodd because when he got played on POTP on Saturday during 1966 I was with my mum having lunch and spoke about him and said "do you know he's actually had 18 top forty hit singles!". Rather an amazing fact that. Beats many "proper" artists for a chart career. Long may he continue....well in comedy anyway.
PICK OF THE POPS THREAD - 2 YEARS OLD TODAY.......and doing very well.
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Tony's had a good stint I think Chris Moyles would give POTP a good refresh, he always enjoyed presenting the Golden Hour so would make a good fist of a retro show as he is enthusiastic about older music, would give him a good foot in the door at R2 with the possibility of a daytime gig in a few years when someone else steps down.
If moyles took over i would never listen again :-)
Do you mean like when he often played a short clip of Rolling Stones 1974 hit It's Only Rock 'n' Roll before a particularly rock orientated act?
No. He's not talking about that clip that he played.
Ian's talking about before playing, for example, "Could it be Magic", Fluff would play a clip of another song with magic in its title. Or before playing, for example, "Like a Prayer", Fluff would play a clip of another song with prayer in its title.
If moyles took over i would never listen again :-)
Some listeners will move on but new ones may join, problem is Tony is only really into the 60s and 70s, possibly a bit of 80s. But POTP needs to move on and it should give equal billing to all decades right up until the 00s. 2009 was 6 years ago so deserves to feature occasionally on a retro chart show yet it's rare for POTP to even cover the 90s, 1990 was 25 years ago, let alone the 00s.
The way to resolve this is a new presenter and producer who'll pick the best of the last 60 years not just restrict it to 3 decades. Moyles is passionate about playing older music as demonstrated with the amount of effort he put into the Golden Hour scheduling the music himself rather than leaving it to a producer. In fact I think Moyles could fill the presenter and producer role adding a nice little cost saving for the BBC at the same time.
Tony's had a good stint I think Chris Moyles would give POTP a good refresh, he always enjoyed presenting the Golden Hour so would make a good fist of a retro show as he is enthusiastic about older music, would give him a good foot in the door at R2 with the possibility of a daytime gig in a few years when someone else steps down.
Sorry pjex, I probably didn't make my post very clear, what I was trying to say was maybe the format of POTP could be revised in some way, and NOT that Tony should be replaced.
Well Clare you have laid down a challenge and I will try and find out by listening through my collection which goes back to 1998 with Alan Freeman and see if he ever played the original What's Another Year. Watch this space!
Do you mean like when he often played a short clip of Rolling Stones 1974 hit It's Only Rock 'n' Roll before a particularly rock orientated act?
Funny you mention Ken Dodd because when he got played on POTP on Saturday during 1966 I was with my mum having lunch and spoke about him and said "do you know he's actually had 18 top forty hit singles!". Rather an amazing fact that. Beats many "proper" artists for a chart career. Long may he continue....well in comedy anyway.
PICK OF THE POPS THREAD - 2 YEARS OLD TODAY.......and doing very well.
If you are still reading Tony then give us a namecheck on your twitter sometime!
The "It's Only Rock & Roll" clip and similar ones were very good, but I actually meant for instance when Fluff once played "There Goes My First Love" by the Drifters, he played a segment of the Walker Brothers just prior to it , singing, "you were my first love, and first love never ever dies". Then straight into the Drifters intro.
I definitely think it wouldn't hurt to refresh the show a bit as it seems we're just getting the same thing repeated year upon year - the same charts from around the same time of year.
I know the subject of what years POTP does has been done to death but it really did make me think when I listened to that show from 2000 playing a chart from only 10 years previously. I'd certainly say that the station was still in a transition period at that stage, and the average age of the listener was probably older back then than it was now, but yet it wasn't considered they'd not be interested in a chart only 10 years old whereas late 1990s chart aren't being played now let alone anything after 2000.
I definitely think it wouldn't hurt to refresh the show a bit as it seems we're just getting the same thing repeated year upon year - the same charts from around the same time of year.
I know the subject of what years POTP does has been done to death but it really did make me think when I listened to that show from 2000 playing a chart from only 10 years previously. I'd certainly say that the station was still in a transition period at that stage, and the average age of the listener was probably older back then than it was now, but yet it wasn't considered they'd not be interested in a chart only 10 years old whereas late 1990s chart aren't being played now let alone anything after 2000.
People grew up in the 90s are now over 35 so are in Radio 2's demographic so why is this decade ignored, no Sounds of the 90s show and never featured on POTP?
I was 12 when the 90s started and am 38 this year so what is Radio 2 doing to attract me, Radio 1 is awful now and I'm well past that and mainly listen to Radio 2 who have Radio 1 presenters from the 90s like Mayo and Evans, but the weekends are lacking apart from Dermot's Indie disco, we even used to have Jonathan Ross who probably appealed to my generation but Graham Norton's show seems to aim for an older audience which is odd as is TV show is popular with my age group and younger.
I also find it odd that a Radio 1 DJ who made her name in Radio in the 00s presents sounds of the 80s, Coxy or Moyles should have Sounds of the 00s, whilst Mayo or Evans Sounds of the 90s, Sounds of the 80s needs a Simon Bates or Steve Wright.
Sounds of the 70s and 60s has presenters who were big in the decade they cover so why not the 80s?
The problem with Blackburn is his refusal to play 90s or 00s, no problem with hime staying if he'll play those years but if he refuses he needs to go. POTP has had a number of presenters over the years and has always moved with the times it is currently in danger of letting the presenter become bigger than the show which cannot be allowed.
Thanks Ian for your clarifiation. Something else to listen out for when I dig the old editions out. Although I am digitising slowly but surely, very slowly infact, I am not really listening to the shows as such.
Chris Moyles on POTP, forget it. I'd be off if that happened, like Darnall.
Hard to believe in the early 90's that when POTP was on Radio 1 Alan Freeman would play the "old" charts from just 2 years previously at times. Which at the current time would mean listening to Daft Punk's Get Lucky topping the charts thereabout. Infact knowing the chart runs of some songs nowadays it might still be lingering in the current one! Infact over 20 years ago when POTP was on Radio 1 it was playing up to about 1990, which over 20 years later is still exactly the same year that it roughly stops playing at still. That seems very odd when you think about it.
I will finish with a slap for Tony when he finished the show on Saturday with Rivers Of Babylon and what sounded like a half heartedly made joke yet again about "that has a nice flow to it". Save it just for Mississippi Tony eh!
I do like Tony but it would be nice for 90s and 00s to be included. Does he refuse to play these years? If the audience keeps rising I doubt they will alter the format much as it seems more popular than ever now. The problem is making sure you hold onto the audience, if you did 1974 and then say 2000 you would lose quite a few people after 74.
Thanks Ian for your clarifiation. Something else to listen out for when I dig the old editions out. Although I am digitising slowly but surely, very slowly infact, I am not really listening to the shows as such.
Chris Moyles on POTP, forget it. I'd be off if that happened, like Darnall.
Hard to believe in the early 90's that when POTP was on Radio 1 Alan Freeman would play the "old" charts from just 2 years previously at times. Which at the current time would mean listening to Daft Punk's Get Lucky topping the charts thereabout. Infact knowing the chart runs of some songs nowadays it might still be lingering in the current one! Infact over 20 years ago when POTP was on Radio 1 it was playing up to about 1990, which over 20 years later is still exactly the same year that it roughly stops playing at still. That seems very odd when you think about it.
I will finish with a slap for Tony when he finished the show on Saturday with Rivers Of Babylon and what sounded like a half heartedly made joke yet again about "that has a nice flow to it". Save it just for Mississippi Tony eh!
I remember one occasion where Fluff was featuring 1964, and before he played It's Over by Roy Orbison, he stuck the Rolling Stones at the beginning singing "I used to love her, but IT'S all OVER now". Then later in the same chart before he played the Rolling Stones It's All Over Now, he stuck Roy Orbison at the beginning singing the two words "It's Over". That scenario only ever happened once that I can remember. Very clever, and very effective. Would love that to be introduced again.
Just to maintain balance, as we're revisiting this issue...
How about using the 'new' charts from 1940 to 1952, Tony? And more 50s in general. And more early 60s rather than middle and late 60s. After all, if Radio 2 isn't meant to cater for fans of music from the 40s and 50s, who is?
Just to maintain balance, as we're revisiting this issue...
How about using the 'new' charts from 1940 to 1952, Tony? And more 50s in general. And more early 60s rather than middle and late 60s. After all, if Radio 2 isn't meant to cater for fans of music from the 40s and 50s, who is?
The trouble is that the pop era is now a very long one, as we reach the rock 'n' roll era as we know it being 60 years old. Although I'm not sure there is much rocking and rolling in recent charts! When you talk about going back and beyond 1952 then that gives a massive 75 years and it's just far too wide a dynamic to appeal to everyone at the same time who would listen, certainly the casual listeners.
The "unknown" charts from 1940 to 1952 as published in that book would probably make a quite interesting Bank Holiday Show instead, like the ones Tony does regularly under certain themes. But maybe 2 or 3 hours of music from that period would be deemed far too old for even the oldest Radio 2 listeners, not to mention scratchy. That's if the BBC even have them in modern formats at all.
The trouble is that the pop era is now a very long one, as we reach the rock 'n' roll era as we know it being 60 years old. Although I'm not sure there is much rocking and rolling in recent charts! When you talk about going back and beyond 1952 then that gives a massive 75 years and it's just far too wide a dynamic to appeal to everyone at the same time who would listen, certainly the casual listeners.
The "unknown" charts from 1940 to 1952 as published in that book would probably make a quite interesting Bank Holiday Show instead, like the ones Tony does regularly under certain themes. But maybe 2 or 3 hours of music from that period would be deemed far too old for even the oldest Radio 2 listeners, not to mention scratchy. That's if the BBC even have them in modern formats at all.
An interesting thought. However the later you get after the 80s, the more inaccessible an entire Top 20 is. Yes there are good records here and there in any chart ever, but I would suggest that a Top 20 chart of a particular week of the 40s and early 50s is more listenable (is that a word) to than one from the late 90s, 00s or 10s. I'm sure a 90s / 00s fan here could cherry pick one or two good weekly charts, although, tbf, when that's been tried here before it has looked dire, but I'm sure it's possible. But not enough to sustain regular trips there. Which probably means Tony & Phil are right to focus on the times they do.
Just wondering why 2001 was selected out of the blue on just one occasion on POTP, never to be repeated, and also 1999 once during Tony's reign. Poor feedback maybe? I didn't mind those particular weeks that were selected as they "picked" mostly radio friendly tracks and were quite enjoyable, considering 60s/70s are my preferred era. It is definately good to have a change occasionally, and some early 50s would make a nice change, if even just once a year to break up the regular pattern.
Just wondering why 2001 was selected out of the blue on just one occasion on POTP, never to be repeated, and also 1999 once during Tony's reign. Poor feedback maybe? I didn't mind those particular weeks that were selected as they "picked" mostly radio friendly tracks and were quite enjoyable, considering 60s/70s are my preferred era. It is definately good to have a change occasionally, and some early 50s would make a nice change, if even just once a year to break up the regular pattern.
Curious I agree, especially as when 2001 was played the other year was 1958 so that must be the only ever edition of POTP ever broadcast that did not feature the 60's, 70's, 80's and 90's. In that case I suppose it might not have proved as popular as usual.
As far as I can tell the millennium year 2000 has never been featured, even with Dale Winton. I did actually buy quite a few singles in that year even though the actual chart was a joke in the way it behaved and lost true meaning for any respectable chart watcher.
I do like Tony but it would be nice for 90s and 00s to be included. Does he refuse to play these years? If the audience keeps rising I doubt they will alter the format much as it seems more popular than ever now. The problem is making sure you hold onto the audience, if you did 1974 and then say 2000 you would lose quite a few people after 74.
POTP is an independent production for the BBC produced by Phil Swern.
I think it's his dislike for anything later than 1990 which is why the show very rarely features 90's charts.
Just to maintain balance, as we're revisiting this issue...
How about using the 'new' charts from 1940 to 1952, Tony? And more 50s in general. And more early 60s rather than middle and late 60s. After all, if Radio 2 isn't meant to cater for fans of music from the 40s and 50s, who is?
Interesting that today's Radio 2 breakfast show was dedicated to the Arctic Monkeys who have a great back catalogue of music, yet I bet they've never featured in a single episode of POTP, why not?
I think the way forward is to have two shows in future on with Tony focusing on the earlier years and then for those of us that want 90s etc why not bring in Mark Goodier or Bruno Brookes?
I think the way forward is to have two shows in future on with Tony focusing on the earlier years and then for those of us that want 90s etc why not bring in Mark Goodier or Bruno Brookes?
I'd leave Tony as he is and have Paul Burnett doing the 40s and 50s. He did a brilliant job on the Wireless.
I know of someone who'd be brilliant for POTP. They've a track record of both doing chart and gold, old enough to appreciate the oldies, young enough to remember the 90's and 00's stuff, and what's more, they're one of Tony's mates. And its not who you think it is...
All I would say it is that it would be a landmark appointment, and a groundbreaking one for Radio 2 if they took charge.
I know of someone who'd be brilliant for POTP. They've a track record of both doing chart and gold, old enough to appreciate the oldies, young enough to remember the 90's and 00's stuff, and what's more, they're one of Tony's mates. And its not who you think it is...
All I would say it is that it would be a landmark appointment, and a groundbreaking one for Radio 2 if they took charge.
Comments
Do you mean like when he often played a short clip of Rolling Stones 1974 hit It's Only Rock 'n' Roll before a particularly rock orientated act?
Funny you mention Ken Dodd because when he got played on POTP on Saturday during 1966 I was with my mum having lunch and spoke about him and said "do you know he's actually had 18 top forty hit singles!". Rather an amazing fact that. Beats many "proper" artists for a chart career. Long may he continue....well in comedy anyway.
PICK OF THE POPS THREAD - 2 YEARS OLD TODAY.......and doing very well.
If you are still reading Tony then give us a namecheck on your twitter sometime!
Ian's talking about before playing, for example, "Could it be Magic", Fluff would play a clip of another song with magic in its title. Or before playing, for example, "Like a Prayer", Fluff would play a clip of another song with prayer in its title.
Some listeners will move on but new ones may join, problem is Tony is only really into the 60s and 70s, possibly a bit of 80s. But POTP needs to move on and it should give equal billing to all decades right up until the 00s. 2009 was 6 years ago so deserves to feature occasionally on a retro chart show yet it's rare for POTP to even cover the 90s, 1990 was 25 years ago, let alone the 00s.
The way to resolve this is a new presenter and producer who'll pick the best of the last 60 years not just restrict it to 3 decades. Moyles is passionate about playing older music as demonstrated with the amount of effort he put into the Golden Hour scheduling the music himself rather than leaving it to a producer. In fact I think Moyles could fill the presenter and producer role adding a nice little cost saving for the BBC at the same time.
Sorry pjex, I probably didn't make my post very clear, what I was trying to say was maybe the format of POTP could be revised in some way, and NOT that Tony should be replaced.
The "It's Only Rock & Roll" clip and similar ones were very good, but I actually meant for instance when Fluff once played "There Goes My First Love" by the Drifters, he played a segment of the Walker Brothers just prior to it , singing, "you were my first love, and first love never ever dies". Then straight into the Drifters intro.
I know the subject of what years POTP does has been done to death but it really did make me think when I listened to that show from 2000 playing a chart from only 10 years previously. I'd certainly say that the station was still in a transition period at that stage, and the average age of the listener was probably older back then than it was now, but yet it wasn't considered they'd not be interested in a chart only 10 years old whereas late 1990s chart aren't being played now let alone anything after 2000.
People grew up in the 90s are now over 35 so are in Radio 2's demographic so why is this decade ignored, no Sounds of the 90s show and never featured on POTP?
I was 12 when the 90s started and am 38 this year so what is Radio 2 doing to attract me, Radio 1 is awful now and I'm well past that and mainly listen to Radio 2 who have Radio 1 presenters from the 90s like Mayo and Evans, but the weekends are lacking apart from Dermot's Indie disco, we even used to have Jonathan Ross who probably appealed to my generation but Graham Norton's show seems to aim for an older audience which is odd as is TV show is popular with my age group and younger.
I also find it odd that a Radio 1 DJ who made her name in Radio in the 00s presents sounds of the 80s, Coxy or Moyles should have Sounds of the 00s, whilst Mayo or Evans Sounds of the 90s, Sounds of the 80s needs a Simon Bates or Steve Wright.
Sounds of the 70s and 60s has presenters who were big in the decade they cover so why not the 80s?
The problem with Blackburn is his refusal to play 90s or 00s, no problem with hime staying if he'll play those years but if he refuses he needs to go. POTP has had a number of presenters over the years and has always moved with the times it is currently in danger of letting the presenter become bigger than the show which cannot be allowed.
Chris Moyles on POTP, forget it. I'd be off if that happened, like Darnall.
Hard to believe in the early 90's that when POTP was on Radio 1 Alan Freeman would play the "old" charts from just 2 years previously at times. Which at the current time would mean listening to Daft Punk's Get Lucky topping the charts thereabout. Infact knowing the chart runs of some songs nowadays it might still be lingering in the current one! Infact over 20 years ago when POTP was on Radio 1 it was playing up to about 1990, which over 20 years later is still exactly the same year that it roughly stops playing at still. That seems very odd when you think about it.
I will finish with a slap for Tony when he finished the show on Saturday with Rivers Of Babylon and what sounded like a half heartedly made joke yet again about "that has a nice flow to it". Save it just for Mississippi Tony eh!
I remember one occasion where Fluff was featuring 1964, and before he played It's Over by Roy Orbison, he stuck the Rolling Stones at the beginning singing "I used to love her, but IT'S all OVER now". Then later in the same chart before he played the Rolling Stones It's All Over Now, he stuck Roy Orbison at the beginning singing the two words "It's Over". That scenario only ever happened once that I can remember. Very clever, and very effective. Would love that to be introduced again.
How about using the 'new' charts from 1940 to 1952, Tony? And more 50s in general. And more early 60s rather than middle and late 60s. After all, if Radio 2 isn't meant to cater for fans of music from the 40s and 50s, who is?
The trouble is that the pop era is now a very long one, as we reach the rock 'n' roll era as we know it being 60 years old. Although I'm not sure there is much rocking and rolling in recent charts! When you talk about going back and beyond 1952 then that gives a massive 75 years and it's just far too wide a dynamic to appeal to everyone at the same time who would listen, certainly the casual listeners.
The "unknown" charts from 1940 to 1952 as published in that book would probably make a quite interesting Bank Holiday Show instead, like the ones Tony does regularly under certain themes. But maybe 2 or 3 hours of music from that period would be deemed far too old for even the oldest Radio 2 listeners, not to mention scratchy. That's if the BBC even have them in modern formats at all.
An interesting thought. However the later you get after the 80s, the more inaccessible an entire Top 20 is. Yes there are good records here and there in any chart ever, but I would suggest that a Top 20 chart of a particular week of the 40s and early 50s is more listenable (is that a word) to than one from the late 90s, 00s or 10s. I'm sure a 90s / 00s fan here could cherry pick one or two good weekly charts, although, tbf, when that's been tried here before it has looked dire, but I'm sure it's possible. But not enough to sustain regular trips there. Which probably means Tony & Phil are right to focus on the times they do.
As far as I can tell the millennium year 2000 has never been featured, even with Dale Winton. I did actually buy quite a few singles in that year even though the actual chart was a joke in the way it behaved and lost true meaning for any respectable chart watcher.
POTP is an independent production for the BBC produced by Phil Swern.
I think it's his dislike for anything later than 1990 which is why the show very rarely features 90's charts.
Radio 3?
I can't remember the last time I heard Radio 3, but I thought it was mostly classical with a little jazz and drama.
I'd leave Tony as he is and have Paul Burnett doing the 40s and 50s. He did a brilliant job on the Wireless.
All I would say it is that it would be a landmark appointment, and a groundbreaking one for Radio 2 if they took charge.
Get your thinking caps on..
Surely not Pat 'Funhouse' Sharpe ??