Good Luck to Wales! Fingers crossed

Good to see a young Steve Cram dancing down the front in the red shirt.

John Peel next week!

Well after last night's excellent edition that was absolutely dire

His first full show since the 60s. Great show tonight, and best of luck to Wales!

Great track. It also featured 'Centerfold' too. I always think of JK when I hear 'Centerfold' for some reason.

Not the best of episodes tonight but not bad.

Come on Wales!!

It's the best intro of 1982, on a decent system it sounds great

Golden Brown, and a dire Rea song.

I remembered about TOTP being on tonight just before the number 1. I've not seen the one broadcast last night either so that will be two to catch up on over the weekend.

They won it for Shaky!

Shaky was definitely on the slide, i'd say, despite ''Oh Julie'' making No 1. All of his previous singles were better, despite ''It's Raining'', his last single, only reaching No 10. I tend to put that down more to the change of pace to Shaky's more uptempo numbers, than ''It's Raining'' being a more mediocre track. ''Oh Julie'' though seemed very slight by comparison, and was a taster for the type of going-through-the-motions type singles he would release from now on. Its No 1 placing does seem to give the song a misleadingly high profile, as if it may rank alongside his best, which i think is not deserved. I would imagine Shaky would have got a kick out of it reaching No 1, though, especially as he wrote it himself.

Songs like ''Oh Julie'', alongside Elkie Brooks ''Fool If You Think It's Over'' and Alton Edwards ''I Just Wanna'', aren't perhaps the most inspiring of tracks, but they also aren't truly bad. In the context of those previous appearances, they did shine brighter, because those shows as a whole had more highpoints, and they were carried along by the flow somewhat. In the context of this episode, where there was plenty of true mediocrity, i don't think these songs were quite strong enough to drag the show out of its slump. Perhaps only the great Stranglers track ''Golden Brown'' from the whole of the show managed that, and that was only momentary.

It seems unbelievable to think Tight Fit's ''The Lion Sleeps Tonight'' actually managed to reach No 1, and stay there for three weeks, when the charts were still fairly inspiring, on the whole. It seems like an early example of the charts becoming dominated by disposable pop, as they have been in the last decade or two. Haircut 100's ''Love Plus One'' is ok, and certainly not mediocre, but i prefer the more funky previous single, ''Favourite Shirts'', from them. Stiff Little Fingers ''Listen'', from the EP of the same name, struck me as being the weakest song they had promoted, in their Top Of The Pops appearances, up to that point. I think their more pure punk sound suited them better, although, of course, times do change, and they wouldn't want to be seen as standing still. Olivia Newton John's ''Landslide'' wasn't a great choice for a single. It wasn't anywhere near as irritating as ''Physical'', mind, but also nowhere near as catchy. Olivia had really come to the end of her days as a successful singles artist around this point, and her very contemporary 80s style video, couldn't disguise the song's lack of hit potential.

The one big positive to this episode was that Simon Bates wasn't anywhere near as irritating as he has been at times.

5.5/10

Is the series record for Top of the Pops on the iPlayer download not working for anyone else? It's stopped automatically downloading the episodes?, and I have to do it manually now.

The lyrics of The lion sleeps tonight have annoyed me for a long time - lions live in savannahs not jungles. On a less serious note - Tight Fit's singer looks like Cristiano Ronaldo I think.

I have been listening to OMD's "Architecture And Morality" album, and the atmospheric intro to "Maid Of Orleans", fits in really well with the overall feel and concept of the album. Although "Souvenir' possibly stands out most in a commercial sense, it is "Joan Of Arc" which seems the highlight for me over repeated listens.

Yes, there is still the question of whether he is really the singer, though. I think those who seem to be promoting the song have little to do with the recording.

A superb single and the Stranglers at their best. Very popular on Radio 2 which was a surprise at the time, gotta love that harpsichord.

On Thursday's ep it doesn't half look like Anita Dobson in the red outfit topped off with the leather bit and studs and leather skirt which we see at the end. She's stood next to the Kid in a few links.

Three models hired to be the faces of tight fit who I think were producers who used session musicians.It was common practice back then before the milli vanilli scandal years later.

Wasn't the one later married to Pete Waterman? I think i can recall reading that somewhere.

Really enjoyed Thursday's edition aside from Gillan. Good to see Senses Working Overtime and Maid of Orleans, both excellent singles. I also love Arthur’s Theme which featues my favourite mis-heard lyric. At the start of the second verse Christopher Cross appears to sing

"Arthur he does as her pleases. All of his life he's messed his trousers".

The Land of Make Believe is just a brilliant pop record and Jay looked absolutely stunning.

The Simon Bates hosted show wasn't nearly as good, featuring two of 1982's worst number ones in Tight Fit and Shakin Stevens. I did enjoy, though, Golden Brown (apart from the awful dance routine from Zoo) and the Stiff Little Fingers song which I wasn't familiar with.

More than likely the correct lyrics, I've done that a time or two after a few sherbets and the lack of decent local shrubbery. Didn't have John Gielgud to mop up afterwards though

Yes, Denise Gyngell was married to Pete in the 1990s.

'Physical' and 'Waiting For A Girl Like You' were numbers 1 and 2 for only 9 weeks though! The first week that 'Physical' was at number 1, number 2 was 'Private Eyes' by Hall and Oates, on its way down from the top. Foreigner were at number 3 and climbed to number 2 the following week. The tenth week 'Waiting For A Girl Like You' was at number 2 was when 'I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)' by Hall and Oates was at the top, climbing from number 4 to 1, leapfrogging Foreigner who had their last week at number 2. Olivia Newton-John fell from number 1 to 4 that same week.

I agree - great intro - as is 'Messages' too!