[highlander1969]

Originally Posted by Servalan

United with 'I Feel Love', 'Oxygene Part IV' and 'Magic Fly' form a fantastic trio of electronic pop singles that sounded totally different and quite ground-breaking at the time - and very much the shape of things to come ... Add Kraftwerk's non-charting 1977 single 'Showroom Dummies' and you have synth heaven from that year!

Yes Servalan. I love Kraftwerk. They were so ahead of their time! 'The Model' may have been a UK No.1 in 1982 but of course it was from 1978.
The first time I heard Trans Europe Express I was hooked!

[faversham saint]

On 16 July a rare clip was uploaded to YouTube from the 6 July 1973 edition of TOTP. This was Slade's second week at No. 1 with 'Skweeze Me Pleeze Me' and rather than repeat an earlier band performance for whatever reason a decision was made to feature the crowd strutting their stuff to the song instead. Host Noel Edmonds can be seen bopping away (after a fashion) and both he and two girls in the audience are sporting Supernoel T-shirts (basically a cartoon of Mr. Tidybeard flying through the air in a cape a la Superman). Unfortunately intrusive graphics punctuate the clip at frequent intervals and there's a lot of superfluous twiddling with and rotation of the picture (Edmonds appears upside down at one point) and split-screen effects but it provides an interesting snapshot (albeit in grainy black and white) of a typical mid-1973 TOTP audience and there's a lively atmosphere in the studio.

The clip is bookended with presenter links by Kenny Everett but these are from the 22 June 1973 edition when Slade first performed this new release in the studio (Noddy Holder and Dave Hill are visible on stage in the background during his introduction); the following week the record entered the chart at No. 1 where it remained for three weeks.

For anyone who might be interested here's the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0ncm...feature=relmfu

[highlander1969]

Originally Posted by Rich Tea.

Not Noel's finest hour.

Ma Boney! Hahaha.

Cliff, sorry Noel but that was one of Cliff's lowest ever charting singles!

Totally the wrong end of the Top Ten for Mr Miles too, no No1 there Noel.

No wonder he didn't fancy these being shown once with all the errors and mis-judgements he was making.

That was a classic Rich! We had to rewind that to see if he actually said it, (My brother has Sky so you can do a rewind on a programme as it goes out).

Like you say not one of 'Mr. Tidy Beard's' finest moments.
I was expecting him to pop out and hand himself a 'Gotcha'!!!

[chemical2009b]

Originally Posted by faversham saint

On 16 July a rare clip was uploaded to YouTube from the 6 July 1973 edition of TOTP. This was Slade's second week at No. 1 with 'Skweeze Me Pleeze Me' and rather than repeat an earlier band performance for whatever reason a decision was made to feature the crowd strutting their stuff to the song instead. Host Noel Edmonds can be seen bopping away (after a fashion) and both he and two girls in the audience are sporting Supernoel T-shirts (basically a cartoon of Mr. Tidybeard flying through the air in a cape a la Superman). Unfortunately intrusive graphics punctuate the clip at frequent intervals and there's a lot of superfluous twiddling with and rotation of the picture (Edmonds appears upside down at one point) and split-screen effects but it provides an interesting snapshot (albeit in grainy black and white) of a typical mid-1973 TOTP audience and there's a lively atmosphere in the studio.

The clip is bookended with presenter links by Kenny Everett but these are from the 22 June 1973 edition when Slade first performed this new release in the studio (Noddy Holder and Dave Hill are visible on stage in the background during his introduction); the following week the record entered the chart at No. 1 where it remained for three weeks.

For anyone who might be interested here's the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0ncm...feature=relmfu

Fantastic, more recoveries even though they're black and white!

[highlander1969]

Originally Posted by faversham saint

When X-Ray Spex disbanded in 1979 guitarist Jak Airport (a play on JFK Airport?) and drummer B. P. Hurding formed the New Romantic act Classix Nouveau with singer Sal Solo.

I remember seeing Classix Nouveau perform their hit record 'Is It A Dream?' on TOTP in 1982. At that time I had no idea these effete looking poseurs in frilly shirts, make-up and eye-liner were the same down and dirty "upstarts" responsible for the ferocious buzzsaw and biscuit tins barrage that characterised X-Ray Spex's musical output just a few short years earlier.

Sadly Jak Airport (real name: Jack Stafford) died from cancer in 2004 while still in his forties, seven years before his former bandmate Poly succumbed to the deadly disease.

That's right. Who could forget "Is It A Dream"? Great track. But have to admit I didn't realise it was the guys from X-Ray Spex with Sal Solo!

Of course Poly also changed sounds quite drastically. I've heard some tracks from her 1980 "Translucence" album and it's a far cry from her X-Ray Spex days. Quite hippyish and childlike music. I find those tracks really fascinating though.

[highlander1969]

Originally Posted by faversham saint

On 16 July a rare clip was uploaded to YouTube from the 6 July 1973 edition of TOTP. This was Slade's second week at No. 1 with 'Skweeze Me Pleeze Me' and rather than repeat an earlier band performance for whatever reason a decision was made to feature the crowd strutting their stuff to the song instead. Host Noel Edmonds can be seen bopping away (after a fashion) and both he and two girls in the audience are sporting Supernoel T-shirts (basically a cartoon of Mr. Tidybeard flying through the air in a cape a la Superman). Unfortunately intrusive graphics punctuate the clip at frequent intervals and there's a lot of superfluous twiddling with and rotation of the picture (Edmonds appears upside down at one point) and split-screen effects but it provides an interesting snapshot (albeit in grainy black and white) of a typical mid-1973 TOTP audience and there's a lively atmosphere in the studio.

The clip is bookended with presenter links by Kenny Everett but these are from the 22 June 1973 edition when Slade first performed this new release in the studio (Noddy Holder and Dave Hill are visible on stage in the background during his introduction); the following week the record entered the chart at No. 1 where it remained for three weeks.

For anyone who might be interested here's the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0ncm...feature=relmfu

Thanks for the link. That's great. Such a shame that most of the complete episodes of this era are lost.
I absolutely love Slade and of course 1973 was such a huge year for them.

That's put me in the mood to go and watch their cheeky 1977 'Pops' performance of "Gypsy Road Hog"...before the ban!!

[Rich Tea.]

Originally Posted by highlander1969

That was a classic Rich! We had to rewind that to see if he actually said it, (My brother has Sky so you can do a rewind on a programme as it goes out).

Like you say not one of 'Mr. Tidy Beard's' finest moments.
I was expecting him to pop out and hand himself a 'Gotcha'!!!

For half a second I though Noel was just being deliberately mis-leading, but no way, that was certainly a bad mistake full stop.
It's my favourite Boney M track.
His record of the week by Cliff turned out to be just about the least successful of Cliffs hits, missing the Top 40 completely, and starting one of his driest hit spells of his career, so we won't be seeing him again for another 2 years until he comes back to massive form with his fabulous No1.

The Classix Nouveau thing is a revelation. Love the song Is It A Dream, think they did it on Cheggers Plays Pop! Needless to say, I made sure to get it tomy iPod the moment I could, although I don't know any other songs of theirs, apart from the solo effort that the bald lead singer Sal Solo did a couple of years later. I also don't know any X-Ray Spex, so maybe I ought to check them out.

Funny that 2 days before the Olympics we got EL&P playing in the Montreal Olympic Stadium, that notoriously expensive white elephant that they only paid for about 5 years ago!

Jesse Green seems to have popped up on TOTP so many times in the past year, despite having had no really high charting songs, and nothing that stands out notably so. Someone seemed to like him on the production crew.

It was a better than average TOTP tonight I'd say.

[Rich Tea.]

Originally Posted by Neil_Handerson

I too missed most of "Top of the Pops 1976" on BBC 4, and I'm gutted! I just failed to realise, at the time, that they were doing it. I'd hardly ever seen BBC 4 anyway, not having very good digital reception until the switchover.

I finally started watching it at the time when they were inviting viewers to suggest names for the new dance troupe.

My only hope is that some more of the complete 1976 editions will get uploaded onto Youtube!

Checkout a performance that was shown from last summer on BBC4, of the August 1976 editions with 5000 Volts doing Dr.Kiss Kiss. This is one of my favourite all round song and performances of last years shows. It's on You Tube I think.

Also during the summer months there were numerous references to that years scorching record summer weather, and I recall an outdoor performance by Ruby Flipper where the ground sure looked parched.

[Servalan]

Originally Posted by Rich Tea.

Checkout a performance that was shown from last summer on BBC4, of the August 1976 editions with 5000 Volts doing Dr.Kiss Kiss. This is one of my favourite all round song and performances of last years shows. It's on You Tube I think.

Also during the summer months there were numerous references to that years scorching record summer weather, and I recall an outdoor performance by Ruby Flipper where the ground sure looked parched.

Yes - their unforgettable routine to the Champs Boys' discofying of 'Tubular Bells' ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59BK9aNpPEw

[Servalan]

Originally Posted by faversham saint

On 16 July a rare clip was uploaded to YouTube from the 6 July 1973 edition of TOTP. This was Slade's second week at No. 1 with 'Skweeze Me Pleeze Me' and rather than repeat an earlier band performance for whatever reason a decision was made to feature the crowd strutting their stuff to the song instead. Host Noel Edmonds can be seen bopping away (after a fashion) and both he and two girls in the audience are sporting Supernoel T-shirts (basically a cartoon of Mr. Tidybeard flying through the air in a cape a la Superman). Unfortunately intrusive graphics punctuate the clip at frequent intervals and there's a lot of superfluous twiddling with and rotation of the picture (Edmonds appears upside down at one point) and split-screen effects but it provides an interesting snapshot (albeit in grainy black and white) of a typical mid-1973 TOTP audience and there's a lively atmosphere in the studio.

The clip is bookended with presenter links by Kenny Everett but these are from the 22 June 1973 edition when Slade first performed this new release in the studio (Noddy Holder and Dave Hill are visible on stage in the background during his introduction); the following week the record entered the chart at No. 1 where it remained for three weeks.

For anyone who might be interested here's the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0ncm...feature=relmfu

BIB - I think I'm correct in saying that the reason for Slade's non-appearance that week was linked to Don Powell's car crash in which he was seriously injured and his girlfriend died. If my memory serves me well (and it doesn't always ...), he was in quite a bad way and there was a bit of a question mark over whether he'd make it. Whether the decision to show the crowd dancing came from TOTP, Polydor or the group itself, we shall probably never know - but I'm pretty sure there's a link between these two events.

[colinb]

Originally Posted by Rich Tea.

Actually Gary Numan had his two biggest hits, the No1 hits Are Friends Electric? & Cars before the 1980's even began. Both sound like that decade but are 70's tracks.
When I used to catch the Absolute 80's Radio, it used to wind me up that they kept playing both these tracks for some reason!

This is the problem with trying to shoehorn history into decades. Those Gary Numan tracks are part of that 79-84 period that most people think of as "The 80s". The other end of the 80s is that over-processed dance-influenced cheesy pop style epitomised by SAW which gives the 80s a bad name, I think, and that bled into the 90s. Hard to characterise the 90s and Noughties with specific music the way it was possible (however inaccurately when you look more closely) with 60s/70s/80s

[Robbie01]

I'm currently watching TOTP that was broadcast last night (I forgot it was on a Wednesday for a few weeks!) and at the moment 'Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy' by Queen is playing. I first noticed this when it was shown two weeks ago, but the song is only playing out of what you would hear on the right speaker on your hi-fi. The music and vocals from the left speaker are missing... very strange! Especially as TOTP wasn't broadcast in stereo back then.

Good episode so far, much better than the lame songs that were on last week. Now Cliff is on, even this one isn't too bad.

[Robbie01]

Having now watched the entire programme I must admit that was one of the best editions I've seen for quite some time. There wasn't a single record I disliked. And the number 1 by Hot Chocolate is quite excellent.

[faversham saint]

Originally Posted by eyeblink

I was there at the start - the first one they showed was 1 April 1976, presented by Tony Blackburn, with Brotherhood of Man at Number 1.

They started there because it was the beginning of a consistent run of surviving shows, and the point where there were more existing than wiped. However, a certain online site says that the one immediately before (25 March 1976) exists - is that one of the ones that survives as a David Hamilton video recording?

The 25 March 1976 edition is one of three home video recorded TOTP shows from that particular year presented by Diddy which he donated to the BBC (the others are from 22 January and 26 February 1976).

Only the opening chart rundown from the 25 March 1976 show has surfaced to date and that is available on YouTube. The TOTP clip is preceded by the end of a special Scottish edition of Tomorrow's World which features a long haired Andrew Neil (current presenter of The Daily Politics and This Week), Michael Rodd (of Screen Test fame) and anchorman Raymond Baxter discussing North Sea oil. When the BBC1 globe appeared I was struck by (i) how twee the continuity presenter sounds; (ii) the total absence of trailers between the two programmes.

[faversham saint]

Originally Posted by Servalan

BIB - I think I'm correct in saying that the reason for Slade's non-appearance that week was linked to Don Powell's car crash in which he was seriously injured and his girlfriend died. If my memory serves me well (and it doesn't always ...), he was in quite a bad way and there was a bit of a question mark over whether he'd make it. Whether the decision to show the crowd dancing came from TOTP, Polydor or the group itself, we shall probably never know - but I'm pretty sure there's a link between these two events.

Thanks for that illuminating insight. I had clean forgotten about the car crash when I typed 'for whatever reason' and you have obviously put your finger on it. I checked Don Powell's Wikipedia entry and the accident occurred on 4 July, probably the day before the relevant show was recorded when he was still unconscious in intensive care and no one knew for sure if he would pull through. He finally came round on 10 July, presumably a couple of days before the next edition of TOTP was recorded and the 13 July show had a repeat performance by the band.

[Arch.Stanton]

Best opening to a programme of the repeats for me with T-Connection and an audience dancing like it was (TOTP) 1971 - well closer than usual. Still cut it off before we reach the famous break - probably 75% of what the tune is about!

Except for Noel Edmonds who veered from here's normal just annoying to actually offensive.

Oh if only complete episodes from the classic era of 1968-73 were available to be shown. I still dream that one day in some dusty tv station warehouse in central Europe a cache of borrowed and never-returned full episodes from then will be found.

Musicwise I also like the era 1980-83 but unfortunately although I love the music I don't think synth-pop/New Romantic stuff transfers well to a live setting and it was the era of the awful forced party atmosphere on TOTP.1977-79 (some disco/soul and early electronic stuff aside) I don't really like on a musical level so I'd agree with those who preferred the 1976 repeats to these from 1977.

[chemical2009b]

This is the first time since the repeats started that I thought there was not one bad song even without the new wave and punk. Emerson, Lake and Palmer again my favourite one of the show.

[Servalan]

Originally Posted by Arch.Stanton

Best opening to a programme of the repeats for me with T-Connection and an audience dancing like it was (TOTP) 1971 - well closer than usual. Still cut it off before we reach the famous break - probably 75% of what the tune is about!

Glad I'm not the only fan of 'Do What You Wanna Do' on here ...

For me, that 12" single is one of the year's finest tracks - and, along with Rose Royce's 12" of 'Do Your Dance', a prime example of just what could be achieved with an extended single format. A funk symphony ...

Probably a bit too much for the more conservative TOTP - but a groundbreaking song, nevertheless ...

[faversham saint]

Originally Posted by Arch.Stanton

Oh if only complete episodes from the classic era of 1968-73 were available to be shown. I still dream that one day in some dusty tv station warehouse in central Europe a cache of borrowed and never-returned full episodes from then will be found.

When the family of the late Bob Monkhouse donated his substantial private television and film collection to the BFI in December 2008 it included two off-air black and white recordings of missing episodes of TOTP from 18 November 1971 and 2 December 1971. I understand the BBC are now in possession of these tapes.

On 2 July fleeting glimpses of three performances from the 02/12/71 edition surfaced on a TOTP Compilation on YouTube (starts at 6.40):

(1) Slade - Coz I Luv You (No. 1 record)
(2) Deep Purple - Fireball (danced to by Pan's People - with Flick Colby)
(3) Labbi Siffre - It Must Be Love (covered by Madness in 1981)

The same clip contains brief snatches of four performances presumably from the colour home recording of the 26 February 1976 show donated to the BBC by David Hamilton (starts at 1.52):

(1) Guys'n'Dolls - You Don't Have To Say You Love Me
(2) Tina Charles - I Love To Love
(3) Billy Ocean - Love Really Hurts Without You
(4) The Stylistics - Funky Weekend (danced to by Pan's People)

As far as I know this is the first time any part of any performance from either of these two programmes has been made accessible to the general public. I wonder how the poster got hold of these clips and if he has copies of the complete shows in his possession.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEGqz55ttiU

[mrbernay]

Bump for tonight at 7.30 :-)

[Rich Tea.]

Hi, evening everybody!

We have the edition for the lovely date of 7/7/77 tonight!

I'd love to think they showed it at 7pm and not half past at the time. Likely not.

Sounds like another good one I think.

[alcockell]

hi all..

[Gulftastic]

Greeting pop pickers!

[mrbernay]

Originally Posted by Rich Tea.

Hi, evening everybody!

We have the edition for the lovely date of 7/7/77 tonight!

I'd love to think they showed it at 7pm and not half past at the time. Likely not.

Sounds like another good one I think.

ONJ, BoM and HC, and your 1K post

[mrbernay]

Originally Posted by Gulftastic

Greeting pop pickers!

Hi, again, Gulfie