[Rich Tea.]

I have decided to show my confidence that we will be seeing Top Of The Pops 1978 come the new year on BBC4, and so have decided to kick off the thread ready and waiting!

[AdamDowds]

One of my favourite years outside the 1980's.

Will make more of an effort to watch these. Some of my favourite ABBA songs were released in this year (The Album is my second favourite album) and in my opinion, the peak of Blondie's output started in 78 (minus Maria in 1999). Not forgetting the rise of The Police.

[hello.member]

What's wrong with Maria? Great track!

[AdamDowds]

Originally Posted by hello.member

What's wrong with Maria? Great track!

Nothing! It's my favourite track of theirs. What I meant was that 1978 was when Blondie was at their best apart from Maria. Fantastic tune.

[hello.member]

Oops sorry Adam, misread that! haha

[Tele_addict]

Good to have you back Rich Tea! Fingers crossed for '78

[The Gatherer]

Originally Posted by AdamDowds

One of my favourite years outside the 1980's.

Will make more of an effort to watch these. Some of my favourite ABBA songs were released in this year (The Album is my second favourite album) and in my opinion, the peak of Blondie's output started in 78 (minus Maria in 1999). Not forgetting the rise of The Police.

If only we could! Some decent early material, absolute rubbish from 1980-2, but at least a decent album and singles in 1983.

[Rich Tea.]

Originally Posted by Tele_addict

Good to have you back Rich Tea! Fingers crossed for '78

Thanks Tele Addict, I hadn't gone far, just my bed for a spell! Funny that Highlander hasn't posted for a similar amount of time too at exactly the same time as me. I know we've got loads in common, age and memories etc, but this is ridiculous! At one point the pair of us were both hogging the TOTP 1977 thread all to ourselves for a day or two!

I hate the bagpipes, so there will have to be a lot of perseverence over the next couple of months if we get that far!

[SgtRock]

This is the year I started taping selected hits from the Top 40 show on Sundays. Still have some of the tapes, although not exactly hi-fi, being recorded from medium wave through a condenser mic on a cassette recorder!

[darnall42]

Apperently someone on another forum who has digiguide says TOTP 78 is starting on thursday 17th january 2013 7.30 - 8pm ,if the info is true it will most likely it will be the 5th January 1978 peter powell hosted episode - bit of a poor show to start the year with terry wogan and brotherhood of man (but it's not all bad as there are eddie and the hotrods and Tonight on the show too )

[ROBERT129]

Originally Posted by darnall42

Apperently someone on another forum who has digiguide says TOTP 78 is starting on thursday 17th january 2013 7.30 - 8pm ,if the info is true it will most likely it will be the 5th January 1978 peter powell hosted episode - bit of a poor show to start the year with terry wogan and brotherhood of man (but it's not all bad as there are eddie and the hotrods and Tonight on the show too )

yeah confirmed scheduled thurs 17th jan is 5/1/78 30 minutes long but no late night repeat though, hopefully more will follow.

[James2001]

Does no late night repeat mean we'll be deprived of the unedited versions?

[darnall42]

Originally Posted by James2001

Does no late night repeat mean we'll be deprived of the unedited versions?

Maybe we'll get a saturday night repeat (Hopefully at a decent time )

[Richupton]

Originally Posted by ROBERT129

yeah confirmed scheduled thurs 17th jan is 5/1/78 30 minutes long but no late night repeat though, hopefully more will follow.

I hope that this does herald a continuation of TOTP and isn't merely a placeholder

[Glenn A]

1977 was a good year, but 1978 was even better with Kate Bush, The Boomtown Rats, Blondie, ELO and some excellent disco tracks.

[Rich Tea.]

Originally Posted by Glenn A

1977 was a good year, but 1978 was even better with Kate Bush, The Boomtown Rats, Blondie, ELO and some excellent disco tracks.

I agree because 1978 does always seem to be a regular and particular favourite on retro chart shows such as Pick Of The Pops and Smooth's Double Top Twenty, both which I listen to. Darts, who we have just seen with their debut late 1977 hit on TOTP 1977 were probably the unluckiest group of 1978 in chart statistical terms, reaching No2 with each of their three consecutive releases throughout the year and never achieving a chart topping single.

[Nick G]

I'd go further. 1978 was, arguably, the greatest year in the history of pop. It had everything - new wave's commercial peak (Denis Denis, Rat Trap, Rhythm stick climbing at the end of the year), disco's peak (Night Fever, Le Freak), all time classics (Baker Street, Wuthering Heights) and some of the biggest selling singles of all time. Just the argument to put at any management meeting that was thinking of stopping these re-runs!

[Rich Tea.]

Originally Posted by Nick G

I'd go further. 1978 was, arguably, the greatest year in the history of pop. It had everything - new wave's commercial peak (Denis Denis, Rat Trap, Rhythm stick climbing at the end of the year), disco's peak (Night Fever, Le Freak), all time classics (Baker Street, Wuthering Heights) and some of the biggest selling singles of all time. Just the argument to put at any management meeting that was thinking of stopping these re-runs!

.....and the record I bought in 1978? ahem....Brian & Michael's Matchstalk Men & Matchstalk Cats & Dogs! My first, age almost 9. To think it knocked Kate Bush from the top, one of my all time fave artists. How could I have helped that happen? Being under the age of criminal responsibility is no excuse.

[keicar]

Originally Posted by Nick G

I'd go further. 1978 was, arguably, the greatest year in the history of pop. It had everything - new wave's commercial peak (Denis Denis, Rat Trap, Rhythm stick climbing at the end of the year), disco's peak (Night Fever, Le Freak), all time classics (Baker Street, Wuthering Heights) and some of the biggest selling singles of all time. Just the argument to put at any management meeting that was thinking of stopping these re-runs!

78 was good but 79 was even better, all the genre's you quote but also the real arrival of mainstream electronic music in the guise of Gary Numan/Tubeway Army.

Has there ever been a more varied selection of Number Ones?

Village People - Y.M.C.A.
Ian And The Blockheads - Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick
Blondie - Heart Of Glass
Bee Gees - Tragedy
Gloria Gaynor - I Will Survive
Art Garfunkel - Bright Eyes
Blondie - Sunday Girl
Anita Ward - Ring My Bell
Tubeway Army - Are 'Friends' Electric?
Boomtown Rats - I Don't Like Mondays
Cliff Richard - We Don't Talk Anymore
Police - Message In A Bottle
Buggles Video Killed The Radio Star
Lena Martell - One Day At A Time
Dr.Hook - When You're In Love With A Beautiful Woman
Police - Walking On The Moon
Pink Floyd - Another Brick In The Wall (Part II)

[grimtales1]

Originally Posted by AdamDowds

Nothing! It's my favourite track of theirs. What I meant was that 1978 was when Blondie was at their best apart from Maria. Fantastic tune.

Maria is an awesome tune

[darnall42]

Bit of a spoiler (but it wont ever be shown on TV again ) But there is a savile hosted show from 27th April 1978 on the bbc motion gallery http://www.bbcmotiongallery.com/gall...f%2Cthe%2Cpops worth it to see rafella carla singing do it again

[Zimbo78]

Originally Posted by keicar

Has there ever been a more varied selection of Number Ones?

Village People - Y.M.C.A.
Ian And The Blockheads - Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick
Blondie - Heart Of Glass
Bee Gees - Tragedy
Gloria Gaynor - I Will Survive
Art Garfunkel - Bright Eyes
Blondie - Sunday Girl
Anita Ward - Ring My Bell
Tubeway Army - Are 'Friends' Electric?
Boomtown Rats - I Don't Like Mondays
Cliff Richard - We Don't Talk Anymore
Police - Message In A Bottle
Buggles Video Killed The Radio Star
Lena Martell - One Day At A Time
Dr.Hook - When You're In Love With A Beautiful Woman
Police - Walking On The Moon
Pink Floyd - Another Brick In The Wall (Part II)

You missed out Cars by Gary Numan, which was there for a week between Cliff and Message In A Bottle

[jake1981]

Originally Posted by darnall42

Bit of a spoiler (but it wont ever be shown on TV again ) But there is a savile hosted show from 27th April 1978 on the bbc motion gallery http://www.bbcmotiongallery.com/gall...f%2Cthe%2Cpops worth it to see rafella carla singing do it again

Thanks. Just watched rafella.

[Glenn A]

Originally Posted by Rich Tea.

I agree because 1978 does always seem to be a regular and particular favourite on retro chart shows such as Pick Of The Pops and Smooth's Double Top Twenty, both which I listen to. Darts, who we have just seen with their debut late 1977 hit on TOTP 1977 were probably the unluckiest group of 1978 in chart statistical terms, reaching No2 with each of their three consecutive releases throughout the year and never achieving a chart topping single.

Darts were part of a big fifties revival that would continue into the eighties, much of it inspired by Grease, which came out that year( although I think they were more talented than John Travolta).
Also you had the second generation of punk, the rumblings of a mod revival started by The Jam, the height of the disco scene and also the Rolling Stones cashing in on this scene with Miss You. Not as well known, that popular staple of music shows in the early and mid seventies, The New Seekers, had their last chart hit in 1978 with a more edgy song called Anthem.

[darnall42]

Great that today Kate Bush has been given the CBE ,It's going to be great to see the Debut of kate to top of the pops in 1978 In Digital quality in a few weeks time