The Top of the Pops Thread

[Rio]

Not sure if this exists in this current form.

Last few weeks I’ve been catching up with old episodes of TOTP on BBC4. A real nostalgia trip and for the most part fantastic.

Highlight of last nights collection was this absolute banger



Among the guff there’s some real class

[Rio]

[last.caress]

I always watch the TotP episodes on a Friday. The early eighties episodes are often cracking but I always find myself bitterly disappointed with the nineties episodes. I feel like the nineties was very much "my" time having turned 20 in 1992 but TotP rarely reflects any of my interests from that time. Still, Wendy James was indeed a big highlight from last night's batch.

Anyway this monstrous earworm was on a couple of weeks ago and it's been squatting in my head ever since. Can't get rid of it. Might have to just decapitate myself. I posted it to another thread a week or so ago but it was a TotP appearance so it belongs here:

[Rio]

I was looking for that one myself Else.

If you don’t shout ‘go on girl give it some welly’ during that performance you ain’t alive

[Greatest Cockney Rip Off]

There was some decent punk and oi! on there over the years ...

[WCpete]

[Bend it like Repka]

I always watch the TotP episodes on a Friday. The early eighties episodes are often cracking but I always find myself bitterly disappointed with the nineties episodes. I feel like the nineties was very much "my" time having turned 20 in 1992 but TotP rarely reflects any of my interests from that time. Still, Wendy James was indeed a big highlight from last night's batch.

I've been watching all the TotP for ages now, and it's amazing how it falls off a cliff after about 1983

All the 1990s stuff is truly dreadful. I usually end up ffwding it and watching the whole show in 5 mins.

We are currently in the glory period of Wet Wet Wet being number 1 for about 4 months.

[Bend it like Repka]

Also noted in the 1982 show, Bananarma and FB3 video, Karen get's her arse pinched (lucky bugger).

Today that would be a lawsuit.....

[southbrishammer]

All the 1990s stuff is truly dreadful. I usually end up ffwding it and watching the whole show in 5 mins.

Likewise. Julian Cope last week was hilarious. I'm sure they cut him off early because he was so wasted.

[last.caress]

All the 1990s stuff is truly dreadful.

Every other tune on 90s TotP is a manufactured insipid pop-reggae cover of a number that was already **** 20+ years previously. It's the sort of sanitised crap you'd play at a 5yr-old's birthday party during Musical Statues or Pass the Parcel. If you hated the kid, music, and life in general.

[Shy Ted]

Heavy Metal Kids were a great band live.

Gary Holton

[OFT]

Heavy Metal Kids were a great band live.

Gary Holton

They were indeed Ted, saw them twice live, Gary Holton is right up there in my fave frontmen (With Alex Harvey) Remember him standing on top of one of the large P.A stacks waving that cane around, in Shrewsbury Town Hall(IIRC) think his leg was in plaster.

Much missed.

Also vaguely remember TOTP briefly having an 'album' section in the 70's and recall The Groundhogs playing tacks off 'Split' but I can't find any evidence of it on you tube so I could be imagining it.
Edit. Cherry Red , April '71 according to 'Past Daily Soundbooth' (and no, never heard of that site before either)

[prophet:marginal]

[pablo jaye]

Every other tune on 90s TotP is a manufactured insipid pop-reggae cover of a number that was already **** 20+ years previously. It's the sort of sanitised crap you'd play at a 5yr-old's birthday party during Musical Statues or Pass the Parcel. If you hated the kid, music, and life in general.

What is happening with the world?? Elsie and Bendy in musical agreement??

Some memorable performances on ToTP but outweighed by the dross - the Jockey Wilson backdrop to Dexys Midnight Runners and the tar/feathering at the end of King Kurt’s performance!!





And then there were Zoo, Pans People, Legs and Co and their crap school drama class dancing.

[last.caress]

What is happening with the world?? Elsie and Bendy in musical agreement??

Well, there are a few types of music I don't like. Not many, but a few. But Bendy - who, remember, is far, far older and more confused and crotchety than me - basically hates real music of any form. So if I mention anything I'm not keen on, Bendy is almost guaranteed to agree (exceptions: Military tattoos, The Blues Brothers and Stevie Wonder's output from the eighties onwards, none of which I like but all of which Bendy considers the only music worth playing).

[Monkeybubbles]

I was totally thrilled when this happened.




The first punk band on TOTP. Also, probably still the best song ever on TOTP. Also, the band who least look like they wanted to be on TOTP.

[simonpaulthomas]

Effortlessly cool;

[woodgreenspur]

Heavy Metal Kids were a great band live.

Gary Holton

Superb band.
Not given the credit they deserve.
Influenced a good few bands I have been into down the years.
Never saw them with GH,but seen reformed later line ups,one with John Altman(nasty nick cotton) as frontman. Good,but nowhere the same.

[The Old Man of Storr]

I miss Stuart Adamson -

Dunfermline rocks Top of the Pops in 1979 - I was 23 - Stuart Would have been 21 .

[The Old Man of Storr]

Ok , not quite Top Of The Pops , this is The Damned appearing on Supersonic in 1977 , funny as hell .

Neat Neat Neat -