K-Tel always boasted that the songs on their compilation LPs were by the 'Original Artists' - it was Hallmark's 'Top of the Pops' and MFP's 'Hot Hits' albums which featured the cover versions.


City Boy's drummer Roy Ward (who sang the lead vocal on their 1978 hit 5-7-0-5) did the vocal on Tight Fit's version of 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight' - NOT Lol Mason, their regular lead singer who later fronted The Maisonettes.

When City Boy appeared on TOTP in 1978 the guitarist mimed to Roy Ward's vocal, presumably because the band thought his looks would be more appealing to teenage girls, and Roy Ward kept a low profile behind his drum kit.

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

Haha I was just about to post a link as well. It really is awful.

I'm speechless. That was blooming awful. I see they came 16th with 8 points. They were lucky to get them. The Millionaires were robbed!

I didn't know that. I have both 5705 and Maisonettes Heartache Avenue on single

It was a weird selection process in The Netherlands that year, 3 artists sang the same 3 songs and a jury decided which song was best.....then the 3 artists sang that song and they picked which one did it best so The Millionaires lost out twice

Just home now & watching the recording of TOTP - forgot the wonderful Music For Chameleon's was on!!!

Now you mention it - it does sound a bit like Japan!!

As I keep saying - they sounded & looked very middle aged by the end!


Me too, surprisingly!


- You've just spoilt my Angelic vision of Agnetha that I've held for over 40 years!!


Nooo - I couldn't watch ABBA as they are today - best remembered as they were (in the 70s preferably)!

I won the Deutscher Girls single when I was at Razzzamatazz - I remember my school friend wanting to buy it off me on the bus home!!

http://www.numanme.co.uk/numanme/iassassin.htm


Karn played on Numan's Dance LP.

No it's this year & it's a GREAT song!!

I wonder if the Ants voted Bremain!!

I'd pay 10k to see that classic stack again Frida did on the black ice outside her apartment in the video. The look on her face! Priceless!

At least they were singing it in their own language. I find it a bit silly how most of them sing in English these days.

Sounds like a right palaver. Ultimately all they did was come up with a very mediocre song from an equally mediocre performer. Plain weird they chose that song over 'Fantasy Island' which to me has always sounded very Eurovision. And in a good way.

Out of curiosity I just googled 'famous Dutch pop stars', that proved to be a bit of a fruitless search though.

There arent many Dutch artists that make it outside of The Netherlands but just off the top of my head there is Mai Tai and Golden Earring and of course Father Abraham

Yeah, I see now. Seems my personal memory recollection time line is a bit 'out'.... as per. Prior to checking, in my head I would have placed them about late '83/early '84'ish. And also, image wise I would have accused them of being Kajagoogoo copyists, but, now seems it was possibly quite the reverse.

Great song indeed Ursula. I just sneaked a peak at their debut TOTP performance with said song which we'll hopefully see at some point as 'Mr Inept' himself (Bates) seems to be the presenter. One hit wonder wise, I remember Blue Zoo better than many from this period. I thought they were pretty good and in retrospect am surprised that they only managed one top 40 single. I have 3 of theirs on my ipod. Cry Boy Cry of course plus it's predecessor 'I'm Your Man' and 'Cry Boy's' follow up 'Loved One's An Angel' which I've always liked, but it seems many others didn't as from what I can tell it never charted. Just done a quick Wiki search on them. Seems they re-formed and done their first concert in 28 years in 2010 and followed that up in 2013 with 'a successful short tour of the Philippines' , presumably 'as you do'.

Possibly the worst episode in a long time.

I have the 'Cry Boy Cry' single - still sounds great today!

I made a comment about it on YouTube the other year & the singer messaged me back - he must've read my comment - anyway - he mentioned they were doing some live dates as you said!

On the last live edition, the Xmas eve 1981 edition, there was a lighting cockup on one of the links as well. Obviously on pre-recorded editions they'd re-record those links things and sort of the camera angles in performances, but when it's live you get what you get!

Oh, yeah! My quick search bought up none of them. Father A I think we should consign to history. But, I remember Mai Tai, 1 hit wonders I think with 'Your Love is History' and Golden Earing of course(!) with 'Radar Love' which whoever wrote it probably still lives off the royalties quite comfortably to this day. Put any radio rock station on and you'll inevitably hear that within an hour or so.

Dutch prog rockers Focus scored a couple of UK hit singles in 1973 with 'Sylvia' and 'Hocus Pocus'. There was Mouth and MacNeal whose 1974 Eurovision entry 'I See A Star' (which came third to Abba's 'Waterloo') became a top ten UK hit that year (the following year Teach-In representing Holland won the contest with 'Ding-a-Dong' which entered the UK Top Twenty); also rock guitarist Eddie Van Halen was born in the Netherlands.

And Pussycat - don't forget Pussycat!! My very first single I got for Christmas was the No 1 song 'Mississippi' by the Dutch group Pussycat!!

Mai Tai had two Top 10 hits in 1985, History and Body & Soul.

eek!! I forgot that one. "I want your..'body and soul', I need your love tonight not just a hand to hold...". I remember that now, just from the title. My mistake, they were '2 hit wonders'. And actually two reasonably good one's!