Thought we should have a place to discuss TOTP!
I am greatly enjoying the 1983 repeats (what we get to see of them anyway...)
I am greatly enjoying the 1983 repeats (what we get to see of them anyway...)
Top of the Pops BBC4
- Thread starter idratherjack
- Start date
It's on twice this week. Look forward to talking about those episodes. No Sky At Night to bugger up the schedule!
One thing that's also annoyed me is that they've edited out Jonathan King's USA segments. I know why they have, but I used to really enjoy them.
Did you see that really odd segment the other week about the Asian and European charts? Very peculiar and that clip of Patrick Duffy was quite frankly terrifying!
I'd have thought Patrick was too busy doing Dallas to have a 'singing' career. They looked like they were singing that song at gunpoint!
In stark contrast, Victoria Principal's duet with Andy Gibb, All I Have To Do Is Dream (a U.K. flop of course) is a thing of joy.
I'm transported back to being 12/13 and being giddy with excitement for the 'rams, Belle Stars and Altered Images. And Phil Fearon's 'Dancing tight', what a bop!
I may have to seek that out!
I only started watching the TOTP repeats with 1983 when I stumbled across Laura Branigan singing Gloria (my first ever single of course!) and have stuck with it since. It is mad how many all time legendary songs were in the charts at the same time like Sweet Dreams, Billie Jean, Let's Dance, Total Eclipse of the Heart etc etc.
It started with 1976. It was fabulous then because the Savile story hadn't broke.
1983/4 were fabulous years for pop. The top 40 was constantly packed with classics.
Madam Bonnie honking and screeching her way through Total Eclipse was life changing.
Sign Of The Times was incredible then they went straight down the dumper. That song they did last week was godawful!
I only really got into music in 1987 (well someone had to) so a lot of these songs have been a revelation.
I love the random little things that pop up too like that year's Eurovision entry Sweet Dreams which I had on 7" as a kid and the Kids From Fame doing the links!
That Sweet Dreams song was classic Eurovision and should have made the top 5.
But it's not as good as Bardo's One Step Further from the year before...
I've always preferred I'm Never Giving Up to Making Your Mind Up but have always been too afraid to say.
I do like the Fizz song. It was a total classic at the time. I loved the 'choreography' and their cheap outfits!
The choreography is of course iconic.
I just prefer Sweet Dreams as that has the honour of being the first Eurovision song I ever bought! It's been totally forgotten in the mists of time so it was such a treat to see it on TOTP the other week.
Yes, I'd forgotten about it. I loved most of the UK 70s and 80s Eurovision songs, though.
Just as I love most of the 80s and 90s ones. It all went tits up after that of course...
Yeah. I don't even watch it now. Shame.
Did you ever hear Mistress Olivia's 1974 entry Long Live Love? The poor thing gritting her teeth through a dreadful oom pah pah song celebrating 'the Sally Annie band'. It was both hilarious and tragic. Olivia admits to hating the song and she generally likes everything!
Oh yes, I have that on my Ultimate Eurovision CD.
I'm glad Olivia hates it as I do too!
Yeah, at first I was 'Oh my God!' but yeah, it was a crappy follow up, and they never came back from it.
I have that 2 CD set. It's good but misses too many off. Sweet Dreams being one of them!
This is where I lament the lack of most UK eurovision entries being on CD anywhere, and wonder why someone doesn't compile something...and not from crackly old vinyl either. I'd love to have the Sweet Dreams single in HQ, even if it's probably a bit naff now. I loved the Fizz, my favourite band of the early 80s once Adams & The Ants split in '81, so even a blatant copycat band were up my street back then.