[Rich Tea.]

Originally Posted by giftednumber10

Long time lurker but first time poster

Welcome GiftedNumber10!

I got a pleasant surprise when I heard the Gordon Giltrap hit Heartsong on TOTP last Thursday. It was one of those elusive instrumentals that I had often wondered what it was. I also recalled it being the tune to Holiday on Sunday nights despite being very young. They must have been using it into the 80's? Was it a hit because of the Holiday show on BBC, or vice versa? I bought it that very night, so even these 35 year old repeats are selling the records still!

I firmly agree that it was a minor miracle that Althea & Donna managed to knock Wings off the top after the shocking backing they were given by the TOTP orchestra. I actually played the original version as soon as the show ended just to remind myself how decent it actually was, and how badly that backing was done. Absolute true, bona fide one hit wonders in the purest sense. One hit, one No1, one week on top. Still sounds contemporary today.

The ending of that Yellow Dog song is always highly amusing and it was great to see the way they did it on TOTP. I was anticipating a cut off. Mind you, on the radio at the time it must have worn a bit thin after a while!

Back to the subject of instrumental tracks, and if anyone can identify this theme music that was used for a BBC show in 1989 with Noel in the Concorde cockpit I'd be real pleased as I like the sound of it and want to get hold of it. I have heard it elsewhere before too.

http://youtu.be/x1GYmenU-Rohttyou

It is in the first minute of the clip after the ident.

[darnall42]

Originally Posted by Rich Tea.

I bought it that very night, so even these 35 year old repeats are selling the records still!

i bought about 20 tracks last year from amazon/Itunes after watching the TOTP77 repeats (i was after yellow dog's one more night,but can't find it anywhere legal )

[The Gatherer]

Originally Posted by UrsulaU

I think he was hosting up to about 1984 - about the same time as the charts started going downhill! - He only does 2 or 3 a year though if that!

If the BEEB had kept the DLT shows running we would hardly notice the missing episodes!

Surely you mean uphill? 1980-2 were pretty dire.

[andyneilg]

Rich Tea, that theme music from Noel's Concorde show is called 'Sirius', from The Alan Parson's Project album 'Eye in the Sky', from 1982. It's only 2 mins long though!

I know this because I was trying to find it after hearing it on 'Frasier' (Niles' basketball shot). I managed to Shazam it and when Shazam id'd it I exclaimed 'Alan Parsons, of flippin' course'!!

[Rich Tea.]

Originally Posted by andyneilg

Rich Tea, that theme music from Noel's Concorde show is called 'Sirius', from The Alan Parson's Project album 'Eye in the Sky', from 1982. It's only 2 mins long though!

I know this because I was trying to find it after hearing it on 'Frasier' (Niles' basketball shot). I managed to Shazam it and when Shazam id'd it I exclaimed 'Alan Parsons, of flippin' course'!!

Brilliant, thanks very much, I wasn't expecting an answer that fast, if at all. I was even wondering if it was just a generic piece made by the BBC radiophonic workshop of the time, who made some decent sounding instrumentals. I didn't have any song recognition software set up on my phone either to try and find out! Thanks!


EDIT; Just bought it no trouble from the original 1982 album on iTunes!

[Rich Tea.]

Originally Posted by darnall42

i bought about 20 tracks last year from amazon/Itunes after watching the TOTP77 repeats (i was after yellow dog's one more night,but can't find it anywhere legal )

Thank your lucky stars that we live in the download era now then, because you definitely would not have been able to pop down to Woollies or wherever and get yourself a vinyl copy years later would you!

Talking "Lucky Stars" there is a later in 1978 guilty pleasure record by Dean Friedman that I must get too, that went top 3.

Anyway, I have found it, just incase you haven't. No idea if the site is totally legal but I have used it for those "difficult" tracks now and again, and I found Yellow Dog on;

www.prostopleer.com

I think it allows up to 15 downloads a day.

As for iTunes, I am continually surprised at how many decent sized UK hit singles they do not appear to have, considering the boast about millions of tracks. A lot of the ones I have been unable to find have been relatively recent, 1980's hits that went Top 20, or even 10.

[faversham saint]

Originally Posted by tortfeasor

That's one of my favourite songs and clips. I have that clip on the video of 'Marc Bolan and T. Rex - The Ultimate Collection.'

BIB - I looked this up on Amazon; is the 'Metal Guru' clip on this tape the colourful performance from the wiped 11 May 1972 edition of TOTP which I rediscovered on YouTube just last night (see link below)?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADx4qZ73jiA

I believe the only clip of 'Metal Guru' left in the BBC archive is from the 28 December 1972 show, as featured in the recent 'Ultimate Number 1s at the BBC' compilation on BBC Four.

[Zimbo78]

Originally Posted by ramraider1

Was given a timely reminder by my pod this morning that 1978 was the year when ELO milked the wonderful Out of the Blue for 3 consecutive number 6 hits - all of them belters. What a prolific group ELO were bearing in mind the quality of their output the previous year ( the classic New World Record) and the slightly inferior Discovery 1 year on. I look forward in anticipation... Cannot remember ELO featuring in the story of 1978 programme - though someone may put me right on this.

Like a lot of music documentaries, they make you believe that punk was the only music that happened at this time.
ELO didn't feature in the documentary, though Mr Blue Sky wa shown in the Big Hits compilation.
I wonder why 'Turns To Stone' wasn't a bigger hit. Only reaching number 18.

[The Gatherer]

Originally Posted by Zimbo78

Like a lot of music documentaries, they make you believe that punk was the only music that happened at this time.
ELO didn't feature in the documentary, though Mr Blue Sky wa shown in the Big Hits compilation.
I wonder why 'Turns To Stone' wasn't a bigger hit. Only reaching number 18. :confused:

Yes, a big mystery, great track and the first single from the double album, plus it's not as if ELO weren't popular at the time as they'd had three big hits from their previous album in the past year. I remember at the time Jonathon King saying that they made a mistake releasing "Turn to Stone" and that they should have released "Sweet is the Night". In the end, the latter was never released as a single (very good track though).

[merrim01]

Even if the older shows from the late 60s/early 70s were in the archive many would feature Saville and therefore wouldn't be broadcast. I really would of like to see more of the 60s/ early 70s stuff too, can't believe how little is left from this period.

[UrsulaU]

Originally Posted by The Gatherer

Surely you mean uphill? 1980-2 were pretty dire.

Well it's all a question of taste!

- For me in 1984 there was a lot more soul and dance records and a lot less of the great New Wave and Electronic music!.. Plus the dreadful Stock, Aitkin & Waterman were just around the corner!

[barbeler]

It's great watching some of the early clips of Siouxsie & The Banshees and The Cure, but then along came the Boomtown Rats to spoil it all.

[ramraider1]

Originally Posted by The Gatherer

Yes, a big mystery, great track and the first single from the double album, plus it's not as if ELO weren't popular at the time as they'd had three big hits from their previous album in the past year. I remember at the time Jonathon King saying that they made a mistake releasing "Turn to Stone" and that they should have released "Sweet is the Night". In the end, the latter was never released as a single (very good track though).

Agree with you Gatherer and Zimbo about 'Turn To Stone' - so underrated. Must dig out the 'sweet is the night' track again. Did not know about JK's opinion on TTS to be honest. Always had a soft spot for the album track 'Jungle' , likewise on 'Out of the blue'. I wonder if a musical award were ever to be awarded for the best 2 consecutive albums released within a year of each other - would A new world record and out of the blue claim the award for ELO ? Who knows... ?

[mesonychid]

did wire ever get on totp....i doubt it
but check out chairs missing album by wire from 1978.....enjoy !

[Phoenix Lazarus]

Originally Posted by ramraider1

Agree with you Gatherer and Zimbo about 'Turn To Stone' - so underrated.

That is one of my two favourite ELO tracks!

The other is the totally sublime Telephone Line.

[giftednumber10]

Originally Posted by ramraider1

Agree with you Gatherer and Zimbo about 'Turn To Stone' - so underrated. Must dig out the 'sweet is the night' track again. Did not know about JK's opinion on TTS to be honest. Always had a soft spot for the album track 'Jungle' , likewise on 'Out of the blue'. I wonder if a musical award were ever to be awarded for the best 2 consecutive albums released within a year of each other - would A new world record and out of the blue claim the award for ELO ? Who knows... ?

BIB For me that would have to be "Rubber Soul" and "Revolver". Unbelievable to think there were just 8 months between those two classics.

[faversham saint]

Originally Posted by merrim01

Even if the older shows from the late 60s/early 70s were in the archive many would feature Saville and therefore wouldn't be broadcast. I really would of like to see more of the 60s/ early 70s stuff too, can't believe how little is left from this period.

BIB - Even if the older shows from the early 60s were in the archive many would feature Savile and therefore wouldn't be broadcast.

A few years ago Jarvis Cocker presented a programme on Channel 4 (as far as I recall) titled 'The Ultimate TV Pop Show' during which he interviewed a BBC employee who had taken the initiative of copying isolated TOTP performances from the master tapes before they were wiped. Had it not been for him most of the 1960s clips shown on TOTP2 etc. would never have survived (which could possibly explain why they often look grainy - i.e. because they are copies - not the original masters). With the exception of two complete shows (Boxing Day 1967 and 15 February 1968) the BBC would to all intents and purposes have purged the entire sixties TOTP archive.

Several classic TOTP performances from the early 70s glam rock period only exist because they were licensed to the German ZDF channel. These include two by Slade (Gudbuy T'Jane & Cum On Feel The Noize); three by The Sweet (Poppa Joe, Little Willy & Wigwam Bam) and (I think possibly) seven by T. Rex (Hot Love, Get It On, Telegram Sam, Metal Guru (see post #907 above), Children of the Revolution, Solid Gold Easy Action & Twentieth Century Boy) all of which were originally wiped by the BBC.

I wonder why the BBC have never bought these clips back from ZDF in order to show them on TOTP2.

[barbeler]

Originally Posted by mesonychid

did wire ever get on totp....i doubt it
but check out chairs missing album by wire from 1978.....enjoy !

They produced one of the best pop songs ever in Map reference 41' N 93' W, but it was a title guaranteed to ensure that most DJs avoided it like the plague.

[Phoenix Lazarus]

Originally Posted by barbeler

They produced one of the best pop songs ever in Map reference 41' N 93' W, but it was a title guaranteed to ensure that most DJs avoided it like the plague.

And in case anyone's wondering, that title's an atlas coordinate for a place called Des Moines, in Iowa state. Yes, I am geeky enough to look it up in my atlas!

[Lab]

Originally Posted by barbeler

They produced one of the best pop songs ever in Map reference 41' N 93' W, but it was a title guaranteed to ensure that most DJs avoided it like the plague.

Agreed. They were a superb pop band. Not afraid to sacrifice tunes for punk credibility. i still play Pink Flag, Chairs Missing and 154 to this day. Document and Eye Witness, not so much

Their influence on indie guitar pop cannot be underestimated. For all the lo-fi production on their early records, there was nothing hiding the melodies, which certainly weren't lost on many, more successful, bands of the 80s and 90s.

Anyone remember the plagiarism / tribute debate re Wire's 'I Am The Fly' vs Elastica's 'Line Up'?

[The Gatherer]

Originally Posted by UrsulaU

Well it's all a question of taste!

- For me in 1984 there was a lot more soul and dance records and a lot less of the great New Wave and Electronic music!.. Plus the dreadful Stock, Aitkin & Waterman were just around the corner!

Congratulations, you've beaten Rich Tea to being the first person in a thread about 1978 to go off topic to have a go at the wonderful SAW!

[The Gatherer]

Originally Posted by ramraider1

Agree with you Gatherer and Zimbo about 'Turn To Stone' - so underrated. Must dig out the 'sweet is the night' track again. Did not know about JK's opinion on TTS to be honest. Always had a soft spot for the album track 'Jungle' , likewise on 'Out of the blue'. I wonder if a musical award were ever to be awarded for the best 2 consecutive albums released within a year of each other - would A new world record and out of the blue claim the award for ELO ? Who knows... ?

They'd get my vote!

[The Gatherer]

Originally Posted by giftednumber10

BIB For me that would have to be "Rubber Soul" and "Revolver". Unbelievable to think there were just 8 months between those two classics.

Actually 8 months is quite a long time for that era - most artists were releasing 2 albums a year. Also, a lot of albums of the time were a lot shorter than CDs of today.

[UrsulaU]

Originally Posted by The Gatherer

Congratulations, you've beaten Rich Tea to being the first person in a thread about 1978 to go off topic to have a go at the wonderful SAW!

- They were WONDERFUL at making money!!

[The Gatherer]

Originally Posted by UrsulaU

- They were WONDERFUL at making money!!

And good music!