You'll soon be needing a new Little Black Book at this rate.

Don't tell her your name Michael_Thomas 1!

Hardly a cult song, it was voted Number 3 favourite Abba single of all time by the Great British Public (or, at least, the ITV viewers amongst them). You're quite right about the 70s and 80s though, it's just an artificial distinction.

Thanks also from me.

Such a shame (and shame on the BBC) that this cannot be broadcast because of the wishes of a non entity of a presenter who no-one was interested in. Having watched this, he had the personality of a slug so I can see why he didn't want these episodes re-shown.

Oh shame we missed Imagination from the early edition.

Peter Powell is dressed for whale watching off the coast of Iceland tonight.

Kool and the Gang... another US act for whom the 80s have yet to begin

I think Spandau Ballet, Culture Club and Sharon Redd are going to be my favourites tonight. But it is a rather disappointing episode.

Have the BBC got something against Should I Stay Or Should I Go by the Clash? (Unless it's the playout tonight). It's been in the charts for a few weeks and they haven't shown it.

Sharon Redd was always delightfully barmy. This is a seriously great dance record, though.

All through their career the Clash boycotted TOTP so that's why you wont be seeing it

Sharon Redd, Melba Moore and Evelyn King seem to form a trio of American dance music singers in the charts at the moment with similar sounding songs, although Love Come Down is easily the best of them IMO.

Helen Terry one of Culture Club's backing singers tonight. Would have a hit in her own right in 2 years

One reason it wasn't a great show was that there weren't that many new performances in the studio. Culture Club, Bauhaus and Spandau Ballet were repeats from earlier shows. I think the new ones were Piranhas, Toyah and Sharon Redd. Not quite as bad as the Savile show from October 1981 where it was all videos apart from This Year's Blonde IIRC.

Interesting. Why did they refuse to appear on the show?

Thats assuming no one puts in a copyright claim & gets them taken down, which would make her reply invalid.

LittleGirlOf7:

Don't be ridiculous.

I posted a perfectly polite request that I would have also posted to a man.

No 'bugging' took place.
Last edited by Michael_Thomas1 : 09-12-2016 at 07:07

I'm not sure about the repeat performances having any bearing on this episode being mediocre. It just lacked truly memorable songs, in my opinion. Toyah's ''Be Loud Be Proud (Be Heard)'' and Imagination's ''In The Heat Of The Night'', just seemed to drag, and i was just longing for them to be over so we could get onto the next song. In a sense, Toyah and Imagination's diminishing chart fortunes was due to the later material just not quite matching their earlier songs. I certainly believe by late 82, the audience was still willing to lap them up, it is just that what they were offering fell a little short. They both sounded a little like a spent force.

Spandau Ballet's ''Lifeline'' showed them perhaps concentrating more on the strength of the material, than their songs off the 'Diamond' album, but with Swain and Jolley producing, their sound was becoming much more slick. I find them becoming a little bland sounding around this period, but certainly more accessible to a wider audience. I am not the biggest fan of ''Lifeline'', mind, and i find the backing vocals on this track, and their follow up, ''Communication'', both irritating, and rather wimpy. They would have been better leaving the whoo whoo-ing off.

I was never a fan of the Piranhas ''Zambezi'', either, and i think their cover of ''Tom Hark'' was much more enjoyable. The girl vocalists from Paul Young's future backing band do seem to be in evidence on this Piranhas Top Of The Pops clip, too.

The Kids From Fame's ''Starmaker'' did seem a little too sickly, although there is a very moving background story to the song, concerning the actor who was central to the video, only having months to live in reality. The song, though, traded on the story, and also the theme of the particular episode really well, but that perhaps seems the only reason it was such a major hit, because for me, it also does appear rather vomit inducing.

I don't believe Shakin' Stevens ''I'll Be Satisfied'' to be quite as bad as some on here think. Shaky did release a number of singles in this period (''Shirley'' and ''Give Me Your Heart Tonight'' included) which i think work on their own terms reasonably well, but they just don't seem quite as memorable as his 1980/81 releases. They lack the edge, or some of the bite, so to speak of his most successful singles, but i do feel at least Shaky wasn't recording straight copies in the style of what had already proved successful. There was a bit of a French vibe on ''Give Me Your Heart Tonight'' and ''I'll Be Satisfied'' does feature some thundering drum sounds.

Sharon Redd's ''Never Give You Up'' may just have been one of the highlights, of the show, because there were a few interesting elements to this song. It certainly has a very contemporary 1982 sound, but i'm not sure how it rates with the best dance tracks from 82. I haven't made my mind up on that score!. It is very catchy, mind, and as i have previously mentioned, in the context of this episode, it may be one of the better moments. I certainly prefer it to Kool And The Gang's ''Ooh La La La (Let’s Go Dancin'’), which for me, was one of their less impressive single releases.

Bauhaus would have been better to have left ''Ziggy Stardust'' well alone, because they add little to it. However, it did manage to at least raise their profile for a while.

4.5/10

Because they're The Clash and they were far too cool to lower themselves to TOTP. I doubt that the Legs & Co "routine" to Bank Robber helped matters much...

its down to personal taste and whether you like the style or not.

personally the mid 60's cannot be beaten. i generally couldnt stand glam rock in the early/mid 70's. i liked music again after punk re-introduced (via new wave) the style i liked.

i dont think any one style can represent a decade, as early 70's (60's 80's 90's too) had totally different styles to those that were popular later in these decades.

but i disliked glam, i disliked sweet soul/philly, i disliked prog, so the early/mid 70's for me were a wasteland .

Re The Day Before You came by Abba, I think it was covered by Blamange , not sure when though.

The line "..... the latest book by Marilyn French, or something in that style" replaced by "Barbra Cartland". Very funny at the time.

I'd totally forgotten the Toyah and Sharon Redd songs and have always preferred Karma Chameleon to their first No.1.

Agree that Tom Hark is far better than Zambezi.

The early seventies, i believe, was the era of music sometimes existing to be listened to, and not just heard. Not that the other eras aren't of course, but some of the material by the likes of Joni Mitchell, Carole King, and John Lennon's early solo material strike me as perhaps a little more profound. I would make the same comment for some of music from the latter half of the sixties, too, although if we are talking strictly in terms of single releases, the mid sixties do take some beating. Yes, the Punk/New Wave era appears less indulgent in some ways, and i enjoy listening to many of the songs, but it is albums like The Plastic Ono Band, Exile On Main Street, Tapestry, Court And Spark, What's Going On, John Wesley Harding...... that i keep coming back to.

Saw her tonsils

But 1978 called to tell her than Punk died 4 years ago

Shakey just back from winning best 1982 North of England Elvis impression at Pontins in Southport

maybe thats down to taste though, as i think theres always been music to listen too... well maybe not nowdays so much!

tbh i get more out of the mid 60's then any other time - see my friends - shapes of things - mr youre a better man then i - .