Well. The annual Christmas parties mean I missed last night's episode. I've just watched now & let me tell you - Cry Boy Cry isn't the song to be listening to when you want to get to sleep!! Here is my multi quote:-



- Yes - what was that closure all about?





Yep!


I have the Cry Boy Cry 7"!! - Think I got it for 40p after it had dropped out the charts!


I still think of her as ancient - even at my age!!


Yes - I like that bit too (if you're being serious)!


In a fantasy world - If it was a toss up between choosing between Michael Jackson or Paul McCartney for a date - I would have to pick Paul!! - Sorry Michael!


Yep!


I never really understand why "his" hairstyle was so infamous! - It was just a floppy mohecan! - it wasn't even brightly coloured!


Yes Stevie Wonder is on it I think!


You & my mum!


I remember thinking that couldn't be Enya's sister - but looking at it now - if she had a haircut - she would look like Enya's double!!


Yessss!! - That was their best period! Love that soundtrack album - Robin the Hooded Man!


Ooh - must check it out! - I wonder if anyone in their family has a Painting & Decorating business - they should have with a name like that!

Well a 6/10 from me. Flock of Seagulls & Blue Zoo were definitely the highlights this time!

[quote=Servalan;84889385]This is the Larry Levan remix of 'You Can't Hide Your Love' …

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfhpE0yvEGE

It's on this compilation …

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Journey-Int.../dp/B000CQJYZ4

… which I think is on iTunes.[/QUOTE

I love the original but this is a stunning remix, I'm dancin' in me living room and it's only 10am. Larry did some amazing remixes around 82/83, The Peech Boy's 'Don't Make Me Wait' & the sublime 'Seventh Heaven' by Gwen Guthrie being just a couple!

I think this episode has to rate as possibly the best for several weeks, and one where there exists numerous highlights, and for the the first time in a while, there appeared more songs with real substance, than background, or rather throwaway sounds.

Marvin Gaye's ''Sexual Healing'', A Flock Of Seagulls ''Wishing'', Donna Summer's ''State Of Independence'' and Clannad's ''Theme From Harry's Game'', were my highlights, although the others weren't exactly bad. Both Marvin Gaye and Dionne Warwick hadn't had the luxury of a chart hit for several years, so it was good to see them both back with decent material (even if i do believe ''Heartbreaker'' to be a little bland). Marvin Gaye's ''Sexual Healing'' perhaps stands favorably alongside his very best material, and it would be his last major hit before his unfortunate death in 1984. Donna Summer's ''State Of Independence'' was also a much better song, for me, than her last hit, ''Love Is In Control'', and also a much bigger hit than Jon And Vangelis original version. A Flock Of Seagulls debut hit, ''Wishing'', may just be their best, too. Clannad's ''Theme From Harry's Game'' brought something very different, and quite unique as far as chart sounds go. Pretty haunting, i feel, too.

I can remember the response to Michael Jackson's duet with Paul McCartney, ''The Girl Is Mine'' as being a little muted at the time. Maybe that is because traditionally acts do have a habit of dealing their best hand, as a first single from their latest album, and the song hardly seems innovative like ''Don't Stop Till You Get Enough'' that introduced the 'Off The Wall'' album. I think many started to wonder whether 'Thriller' would prove hugely disappointing. However, all that would change with the release of his follow up single, ''Billie Jean''. In retrospect, i don't think ''The Girl Is Mine'' is terrible, just not at all cutting edge. The Zoo male dancers hardly helped its cause, either. I am still of the belief that 'Off The Wall' was the better album of the two, but MTV really did give Michael opportunity to exploit his visual skills, with the 'Thriller' album, which no doubt contributed greatly to its record breaking success.

This week's No 1 song ''I Don't Wanna Dance'' by Eddy Grant, was perhaps my least favourite of the night, although i have to say i'm not too struck on the opening song by Blue Zoo, either (sorry Ursula!). Raw Silk's ''Do It To The Music'' made for a reasonable track to close.

Much better show, though, generally.

7/10

BiB - Whaat!!!


I agree about 'Off The Wall' - the hits from there were so much better than the ones on 'Thriller' (except for the wonderful Billie Jean)! I never realised 'The Girl is Mine' was it's first single to be realised either! - What a poor choice! 'Say Say Say' would've been a better inclusion for the album. Mind you it didn't affect the album sales!

Will always have time for Heartbreaker by Dionne-don't know why (probably because we share the same birthday!)

Do prefer State of Independence by Donna Summer compared to The Pretenders' version-one of those songs I'll gladly listen to if it's ever on the radio/CD but wouldn't necessarily go out of my way to purchase.

Wishing (If I Had A Photograph of You) is one song I could listen to non-stop however.

Yes, we are in agreement there!

I can recall reading somewhere that Paul McCartney originally wrote ''Girlfriend'' with Michael Jackson in mind, although he did record it first for his 'London Town' album. I think their relationship crumbled somewhat when Jackson bought up the rights to The Beatles songs - an idea which was given to him by Paul initially, when he was chatting with regards to obtaining the rights to Buddy Holly's songs.

Do it to the music is a fine single - but the best part of the single is the introduction which they by-passed. Typical!

What a surprise I got when I heard it. I couldn't believe how good it was. No idea how CBC passed me by.

Me too. Original is best in this instance.

Preferred the remix of Electric Avenue.
Original not the best this time.

Marks like this seem to be prevalent on this thread of late and yet posters claim to have 'eclectic' taste.

I honestly don't know why some posters still watch TOTP as they clearly dislike the majority of the music, the DJ, the sounds of the crowd, Zoo etc.

Boz is correct about all the negativity on here. I have enjoyed almost every edition since April and even like Shaky, Gaz Numan, Shakatak ( to name 3 who never seem to get any positive comments).

I'm dreading the comments on here about 1983 as most posters seem to prefer 80-82 to the later years ( Boz and a few others excepted).

Maybe I'm easily pleased. Or maybe I actually do have 'eclectic' taste.

At the start of the year when David Bowie died, the BBC News Channel showed a clip of David Jenson introducting Little Drummer Boy on the 23/12 episode, of course we'll be getting the full edition on BBC Four next week.

Was Dione a live vocal? Not my favorite song then or now but great voice.

Loved Wishing by A Flock, still sounds good. Also like I ran. Quite an under rated band really.

Clanadd , lovely. I didn't watch Harry's Game, but read the book, its very powerful and knowledgeable about Northern Ireland.

Had a giggle at Marvin Gaye's song being called ' ....... Healing' in the rundown.

Just waiting for The Jam to knock Eddy Grant off number one now.

Perhaps he decided to call himself Andy O in 1982 because he got ribbed about his surname at school.

There are a number of old family photos on his Facebook page including this one probably taken in the living room of his parents home around 1973/74 (note the seventies curtains, the bright orange lampshade and the wooden TV casing).

No prizes for guessing who he wanted to be at that age.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...type=3&theater

For anyone who is interested, Pick Of The Pops is now counting down 1982. I just have an awful feeling that an awful record is at number 1...

I noticed that Blue Zoo's 'Cry Boy Cry' was a bit of a slow burner chartwise and had a similar run to Talk Talk 'Today'.

Blue Zoo: 'Cry Boy Cry'
-65-39-35-34-21-21-13-22-30-41-

Nice multi-quote Ursula. You trying to challenge Rich's epics?

I'm the same - I heard the remix back in 1983 in a club and it blew me away, even though I'd bought the original single earlier. But Island never released it here at the time - it later popped up as a bonus track on a 1987 12" single ('No Turning Back') and then started appearing on compilations in the 90s (I think it may be on the first Mastercuts album).

Although a troubled soul in many ways, Levan was a genius who could take an already great track and lift it to an even greater level. That Peech Boys single is indeed fantastic - with its echoing handclaps stolen for Rockers Revenge's 'Walking On Sunshine' and Sharon Redd's 'Never Give You Up' but he also scored in 1982 with his remix of Central Line's 'Walking Into Sunshine' (another one that got away from that year).

But it's his work with Gwen Guthrie that's really outstanding - not only 'Ain't Nothin' Going' On But The Rent' but also the Padlock mini-album that features that version of 'Seventh Heaven' that you refer to. Awesome stuff.

At the time, I wondered if 'The Girl Is Mine' being released as the first single from Thriller was driven by the duet - Epic thought it would be an immediate way of getting attention for the album.

I subsequently wonder, however, if they also worked out that it wasn't actually the strongest track, so they could put it out but then have a stash of other potential hits that they could then milk - and I think I'm right in saying Thriller set, at the time, a new record for the number of tracks released as singles (and the US had one more than we did).

I am pretty sure that 'Say Say Say' was rushed out because EMI wanted a slice of MJ, and was payback for letting McCartney appear on 'The Girl Is Mine'. Actually, considering the two talents on both tracks, I don't either deliver anywhere near their best.

Slightly off topic, but I thought there was Totp Xmas related compilations on both Bbc 2 & Bbc 4 the same night. (Sure I saw it listed in Radio Times?)

All I can find on the Sky Epg is a repeat of Totp 2 Xmas 2015!

According to the Radio Times a brand new 'TOTP Christmas Hits' show will be broadcast on Christmas Eve between 9.00 and 10.30pm on BBC Four which includes the first ever repeat showing of a recently unearthed performance by The Rolling Stones which has not been seen since its original transmission in 1967 - I assume it will be either Ruby Tuesday or 2000 Light Years From Home as the group only appeared three times in the TOTP studio that year.

http://www.radiotimes.com/tv-program...christmas-hits

Twenty minutes after that finishes there is a repeat of the 90 minute Christmas 'TOTP2' from 2014 on BBC 2 starting at 10.50pm.

http://www.radiotimes.com/tv-program...christmas-2014

TOTPS 2 Xmas on Gold right now, what did they blur out in the speech box while Adele was singing Chasing Pavements?

Yes Dionne Warwick's vocal was live. I know TOTP got slated for many mimed performances *but* it's the odd rarity like that makes me think sometimes, just sometimes, that's an unfair statement.

What on earth has Chasing Pavements got to do with Christmas?

I've tried to stay loyal to watching the Christmas Day edition Top of The Pops every year on BBC1. But over the past 10 years or so I've found the episodes vary from OK-ish, to not very good, to utter rubbish. We watched last year's episode, unimpressed from the start, but we persisted on continueing to watch. However after 15 minutes when Justin Bieber came on, we all said "Oh god. What a load of rubbish this is!!". We couldn't take any more of it. So switched off, and put the big Christmas Day film on DVD 45 minutes earlier than planned!

This year we're not going to bother watching the Christmas Top of the Pops on BBC1. Waste of time watching it usually. Instead I'm going to put a DVD on at 1:50pm(the same time the Christmas Top of The Pops starts), of the two episodes from 1982 that will be screened on BBC4 this Friday!! I'm sure we'll all enjoy these two episodes a LOT more than the Christmas Top of the Pops 2016!! Anyone else thinking of doing the same?

That Clannad song is so boring.