[ClareB]

Yeah, just been watching the stuff that was cut from the early showing, and I can't get Farmer Bill's Cowshed out of my head! Is it me, or were some of the girls in the audience looking at the Wurzels as if they fancied them?!

[BrambleRamble]

Originally Posted by ClareB

Yeah, just been watching the stuff that was cut from the early showing, and I can't get Farmer Bill's Cowshed out of my head! Is it me, or were some of the girls in the audience looking at the Wurzels as if they fancied them?!

Lol! Theres only so much about "bein with the band"!

[Rich Tea.]

Originally Posted by Erithian

Rich - over on "Popular" we noted that Grundy's co-presenter on "Today" was Eamonn Andrews, and we had fun speculating on what would have happened if the rota had given the Pistols interview to Andrews, always a gentleman but an Irish boxing champion in his younger days. Maybe Eamonn would have punched Rotten's lights out once he started to get stroppy!

Yes, for anybody unfamiliar with Neil Innes, there was such a lot more to him - the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band, Rutland Weekend Television and the superb Rutles film, and the genius of The Innes Book of Records. Only his wicked way with a rhyme was on show in the Silver Jubilee song...

Eamonn "This Is Your Life" Andrews. I'm learning a lot here! Firstly he would never have egged them on and certainly would not have been borderline tipsy (allegedly). Bill Grundy had a son in presenting called Tim, who I heard some while back saying how much he resented the Sex Pistols for ruining his fathers career, which I thought was a bit much. Both are now no longer about.

I knew little about Innes. I wondered if that track (throws up) was infact simply a commissioned piece for that Jubilee TOTP and not a proper release, but good old wikipedia lists it as a single release, amongst 14 other tracks by him, none of which troubled the chart compilers. That doesn't include the Bonzo lot whose Urban Spaceman was a top five in the late 60's which I am to presume he had input into then.

I thought Tony Blackburn gave one of the best presenting jobs on any TOTP since I began watching them a year ago, striking just the right balance all round.

(technical point! On the ChartStats.com website when I looked up Honky, it listed the track we saw on TOTP, but then a string of other hits in the 1990's, but they didn't much look like the original group so I am presuming they have an error on that one. They did the same with another recent 1977 group, Mr.Big and their 90's namesake)

[Mrs Mackintosh]

I always admired Neil Innes. I loved the Bonzos, The Rutles and The Innes Book of Records. I'll never, ever understand why he made that Jubilee song and did that horrible performance on TOTP.

[highlander1969]

Originally Posted by Robbie01

Apologies RT, yes it was the 4th week at number 1 for Rod Stewart. I'm not sure why I thought it was the fifth week he had been at the top - he only spent 4 weeks there...

It's funny Robbie, I always used to think that Rod was a 5 weeker as well. Don't know why that got into my head!!

Come to think of it there was a documentary a few years ago talking about "God Save The Queen" and the 'controversy'.
The person being interviewed (can't remember who it was) was going on about how it was a fix and made a big deal that it was convenient that Rod held at No.1 that week after he'd already been there for 4 weeks.

I think that's why I always had it in my head that he was there for 5 weeks!

[highlander1969]

Originally Posted by darnall42

Just watching the uncut 1.35am repeat on my sky plus box and the wurzels were good fun

I ran and hid behind the sofa!!!

Nah, I did chuckle all the way through it though! I think it was their last hit.

[Rich Tea.]

Originally Posted by highlander1969

I ran and hid behind the sofa!!!

Nah, I did chuckle all the way through it though! I think it was their last hit.

I think they were lucky not to be one hit wonders really. To have followed up with another top three was surprising, but to expect a third was to be drinking too much cider I think, and the public clearly thought so too.

[Gulftastic]

Originally Posted by Mrs Mackintosh

I always admired Neil Innes. I loved the Bonzos, The Rutles and The Innes Book of Records. I'll never, ever understand why he made that Jubilee song and did that horrible performance on TOTP.

It was an awful song and performance. Especially when you consider what was the nation's second* favourite song at the time.


*I know, I know.

[highlander1969]

Originally Posted by Rich Tea.

I think they were lucky not to be one hit wonders really. To have followed up with another top three was surprising, but to expect a third was to be drinking too much cider I think, and the public clearly thought so too.

Yeah, they were the epitome of what you would expect one hit wonders to be. Perhaps it was the nature of that era that gave them a couple of other hits.

I'm still trying to get over Demis Roussos and Neil Innes!

[highlander1969]

Originally Posted by Mrs Mackintosh

I always admired Neil Innes. I loved the Bonzos, The Rutles and The Innes Book of Records. I'll never, ever understand why he made that Jubilee song and did that horrible performance on TOTP.

I loved The Rutles but geez, that song!!!!

[highlander1969]

All in all, I thought last nights episode was pretty good.It was good fun with the mixture of novelty and credibility.

[Robbie01]

Originally Posted by highlander1969

It's funny Robbie, I always used to think that Rod was a 5 weeker as well. Don't know why that got into my head!!

Come to think of it there was a documentary a few years ago talking about "God Save The Queen" and the 'controversy'.
The person being interviewed (can't remember who it was) was going on about how it was a fix and made a big deal that it was convenient that Rod held at No.1 that week after he'd already been there for 4 weeks.

I think that's why I always had it in my head that he was there for 5 weeks!

I had to check it up last night as I could have sworn it had a 5 week run at the top! But it seems like it just managed 4 weeks at number 1...

[Misty08]

Originally Posted by Rich Tea.

I knew little about Innes. I wondered if that track (throws up) was infact simply a commissioned piece for that Jubilee TOTP and not a proper release, but good old wikipedia lists it as a single release, amongst 14 other tracks by him, none of which troubled the chart compilers. That doesn't include the Bonzo lot whose Urban Spaceman was a top five in the late 60's which I am to presume he had input into then.

He wrote it (and Paul McCartney produced it).
Innes is on Twitter, and he has just described the Jubilee song as "a dare"!

[Erithian]

Blimey, I've just looked up the Wurzels' discography on Wiki and it's worse than we thought! I remembered hearing a couple of theirs in 1980 - the double A side "I Hate JR" b/w "I Love JR" and the follow-up "I Shot JR" - but they've carried on to the point where there are two 2010 singles on download only. Would anyone like to listen on our behalf to "Wurzel Rap", "Sunny Weston-Super-Mare", "I Want To Be An Eddie Stobart Driver" or "Peter Crouch in Lederhosen"?

[Gulftastic]

Originally Posted by Erithian

Blimey, I've just looked up the Wurzels' discography on Wiki and it's worse than we thought! I remembered hearing a couple of theirs in 1980 - the double A side "I Hate JR" b/w "I Love JR" and the follow-up "I Shot JR" - but they've carried on to the point where there are two 2010 singles on download only. Would anyone like to listen on our behalf to "Wurzel Rap", "Sunny Weston-Super-Mare", "I Want To Be An Eddie Stobart Driver" or "Peter Crouch in Lederhosen"?

Scrumpy & Western lives on!

Oo-ar!

[Arch.Stanton]

Re The Wurzels - and as I said upthread if you count positions in the 40s as hits they or the more authentic Adge Cutler & the Wurzels had another hit in 1967 with "Drink Up Thy Zider". One of my favourite party tunes always brings out my inner yokel. The Wurzels at their peak always gave a great night out. And still legends in the West to this day.

[Erithian]

One of those download-only songs was "Ode to Adge" which sounds like it might be worth a listen.

[WaveCrest]

Always best to record the programme shown after the extended edition of Top of the Pops: 1977 as well. But this week Top of the Pops finished before the end of the recording.

What was the title of the Osibisa music track at the start of this week's extended edition?

Electric Light Orchestra's Telephone Line was cut off again. Frankie Miller's track was good but Bernie Flint's follow up music single was terrible (as was The Wurzels music track). Then my favourite part of last night's extended edition, with the Gladys Knight & the Pips track. Other highlights were The Stranglers, Legs & Co.'s routine, Bob Marley & the Wailers and Emerson, Lake & Palmer.

[darnall42]

Originally Posted by WaveCrest

Always best to record the programme shown after the extended edition of Top of the Pops: 1977 as well. But this week Top of the Pops finished before the end of the recording.

What was the title of the Osibisa music track at the start of this week's extended edition?.

The Warrior was the osibisa track

[ClareB]

[quote=WaveCrest;59192698]Always best to record the programme shown after the extended edition of Top of the Pops: 1977 as well. But this week Top of the Pops finished before the end of the recording.

I only watched the 3 missing performances from the extended version, so after reading your post I doubled checked my recording to see if it cut off before the end. It hadn't, but I was glad for the heads up. I would've been mad if I realised after the repeat tonight that I'd got an incomplete show.

Going slightly OT, but nothing annoys me more than when shows you record cut off before the end. Over Christmas there was a (don't laugh!) Westlife show which must have been repeated about 3 or 4 times and yet I never managed to get a complete recording of it.

[Servalan]

Originally Posted by highlander1969

All in all, I thought last nights episode was pretty good.It was good fun with the mixture of novelty and credibility.

I have to say that edition was quite an accurate representation of TOTP of that time, with credible acts - four of whom would be major players in the years ahead (Bob Marley, ELO, The Jacksons/MJ, The Stranglers) - standing shoulder-to-shoudler with oddities and novelties that ranged from the jaw-dropping to the excruciating.

Yet again, Robin Nash's eye on future hits is proved to be deeply flawed and some genuinely strange choices are made with the line-up (why have Legs & Co dance to 'Show You The Way To Go' when there is perfectly good studio footage of The Jacksons? ).

A very literal Legs & Co were shown up by The Pips - - and Tony Blackburn delivered some genuinely hilarious moments introducing Honky and especially The Stranglers ('Now for some ... rock music', or words to that effect - obviously steering clear of the 'P' word!) ...

[Rich Tea.]

Originally Posted by Servalan

I have to say that edition was quite an accurate representation of TOTP of that time, with credible acts - four of whom would be major players in the years ahead (Bob Marley, ELO, The Jacksons/MJ, The Stranglers) - standing shoulder-to-shoudler with oddities and novelties that ranged from the jaw-dropping to the excruciating.

Yet again, Robin Nash's eye on future hits is proved to be deeply flawed and some genuinely strange choices are made with the line-up (why have Legs & Co dance to 'Show You The Way To Go' when there is perfectly good studio footage of The Jacksons? ).

A very literal Legs & Co were shown up by The Pips - - and Tony Blackburn delivered some genuinely hilarious moments introducing Honky and especially The Stranglers ('Now for some ... rock music', or words to that effect - obviously steering clear of the 'P' word!) ...

I thought exactly the same about Show You The Way To Go being done by Legs & Co, when they had just had the legendary Michael Jackson in the TOTP studio with his brothers, and even though this was before all the superstardom that began a couple of years later, he was still a massive catch for TOTP surely, so not showing what they had in the can from a couple of weeks earlier was noticeable.

Listening to Tony Blackburn right now on POTP I just love the way that he hasn't changed a bit in his delivery on these shows, so much so that those 35 years from what I saw on Thursday and today on the radio really does feel like just 2 days.

[eurofandave]

I am also listening to Tony Blackburn on Pick Of The Pops now.I do like him presenting POTP as well as Top Of The Pops

[Westy2]

Did they only have rights to show certain performances a certain number of times?

(Could explain Legs & Co & The Jacksons)

[faversham saint]

Originally Posted by eurofandave

I am also listening to Tony Blackburn on Pick Of The Pops now.I do like him presenting POTP as well as Top Of The Pops

A programme shown on BBC Four last weekend called 'David Bowie at the BBC' (?) included the much-vaunted TOTP performance of 'Starman' from 1972. Whenever this footage is shown on TOTP2 etc. it always cuts off as the camera starts to move away from the stage but on this occasion the clip was slightly extended and the camera panned round the studio to the presenters podium and there was Tony Blackburn in a dark purple jacket - I'd never seen that before. In my view TB was privileged to witness so many classic studio performances during his time on TOTP although he didn't always appreciate them.