great rundown commentary as always!

 

agree with it all too, though I'd note Summer Night City is a proper forgotten dancefloor gem, that & Three Degrees sound exciting played loud in a club. Oddly enough it's not me reminiscing about days gone by in discos (I never did that) it's from a current retro club in London slotted in between stuff like Killers & Bowie & Stones & Buzzcocks... B-)

Summer Night City is a forgotten gem, so much so they didnt even put it on their Gold Greatest Hits compilation..

Summer Night City is a forgotten gem, so much so they didnt even put it on their Gold Greatest Hits compilation..

 

 

It's on More Abba Gold but should have been on Gold.

So last week's was from 21/09/78. They skip 28/9 as DLT presents so this week it's 05/10/78 with The Jacksons, Dean Friedman, Boney M, Marshall Hain, Sham 69, the Boomtown Rats and a Legs & Co dance sequence which I assume will be for Summer Nights as the video clip will be too expensive to show. Only 9 episodes remain to be broadcast between now and Christmas as 3 more will be skipped, another with DLT and two with Savile.

Edited September 17, 201311 yr by Common Sense

Looks like a great show tonight - Lucky Stars, Hurry Up Harry and Rat Trap I'm assuming?

Looks like a great show tonight - Lucky Stars, Hurry Up Harry and Rat Trap I'm assuming?

 

Yes and Rasputin!!!! :w00t:

So, between the last programme and this one I had turned 18 and started watching the programme in the television room at Ifor Evans Hall in Camden along with lots of other students. Scary stuff!

 

Abba over the chart rundown. The song seemed to get much love from here last week.

 

Mick (not Michael) with a rather insipid (original) version of Blame It On The Boogie. Not that I was a fan of the Jacksons’ version (out at the same time) either.

 

Dean Friedman with a slug on his upper lip. He and his uncredited co-singer had interchangeable hair.

 

Third World accompanied by Legs & Co, bizarrely dressed as ever. Althea & Donna did better reggae than this.

 

Buzzcocks and Elaine Page missing from the edit.

 

Time for a history lesson from Boney M. Ra Ra Rasputin, lover of the Russian queen… Some more lovely colourful costumes from them.

 

Marshall Hain unable to repeat the success of Dancing In The City. This one just scraped into the top 40.

 

Sham 69, ah this is better. Not one of their best but an improvement on Marshall Hain. I suspect I may have acted on the “We’re going dahn the pub” line after this. After all, beer was 38p a pint in those days.

 

I suspect this may have got the biggest cheer in Ifor Evans Hall on the night - Boomtown Rats with the wonderful Rat Trap. We all know what happened later. Don’t we? In the meantime, Bob has a real saxophone rather than the candelabra.

 

Before we get to “what happened next” we have to endure Travolta & Newton-John at number one again. Some long summer nights to come.

 

And we play out with some ELO. At this point I probably tried to pretend I didn’t like them much. First impressions and all that.

So, between the last programme and this one I had turned 18 and started watching the programme in the television room at Ifor Evans Hall in Camden along with lots of other students. Scary stuff!

 

Abba over the chart rundown. The song seemed to get much love from here last week.

 

Mick (not Michael) with a rather insipid (original) version of Blame It On The Boogie. Not that I was a fan of the Jacksons’ version (out at the same time) either.

 

Dean Friedman with a slug on his upper lip. He and his uncredited co-singer had interchangeable hair.

 

Third World accompanied by Legs & Co, bizarrely dressed as ever. Althea & Donna did better reggae than this.

 

Buzzcocks and Elaine Page missing from the edit.

 

Time for a history lesson from Boney M. Ra Ra Rasputin, lover of the Russian queen… Some more lovely colourful costumes from them.

 

Marshall Hain unable to repeat the success of Dancing In The City. This one just scraped into the top 40.

 

Sham 69, ah this is better. Not one of their best but an improvement on Marshall Hain. I suspect I may have acted on the “We’re going dahn the pub” line after this. After all, beer was 38p a pint in those days.

 

I suspect this may have got the biggest cheer in Ifor Evans Hall on the night - Boomtown Rats with the wonderful Rat Trap. We all know what happened later. Don’t we? In the meantime, Bob has a real saxophone rather than the candelabra.

 

Before we get to “what happened next” we have to endure Travolta & Newton-John at number one again. Some long summer nights to come.

 

And we play out with some ELO. At this point I probably tried to pretend I didn’t like them much. First impressions and all that.

 

Getting more hilarious by the week! Loved the slug quip:lol:

 

I was in bedsit blarhdy shtudents land, 2nd year, and the girls just loved Grease. One or two boys did too. Well, OK, one. OK, it was me. My mates refused to go to the pictures. Just re-watched it tonight in tribute. It's so tongue-in-cheek it's halfway down the throat.

 

Third World = O' Jays cover, so good it was a hit all over again in the 80's (and somewhat less subtly in the 90's by Heavy D)

 

Rat Trap and ELO were big shtudent faves at the time (boys, that is, the girls found them all a bit noisy). Number Ones for me! Hooray!

A classic mix of the good, the very good, the bad and the downright diabolical (a song I had banished from memory and hope to do so again before too long) tonight.

 

Rat Trap over the chart rundown - yeah!!!

 

And on to Showaddywaddy - yes, they were still going. Performing their usual trick of taking an old song and making it sound just like all their other singles. This was their last top ten single.

 

Boney M’s Russian history lesson again. Such a convincing beard. It seems to be a night for colourful outfits so far.

 

John Travolta on his own. Oh joy, double Travolta. Actually this is even worse than I remembered.

 

On to the Stolling Rones back in the days when they had the occasional hit single - even with songs like Respectable which, frankly, isn’t that good.

 

Some band called Colorado with an atrocious version of California Dreaming. Your chance to witness a classic song being brutally murdered. It wasn’t a big hit (it reached number 45) so this should be its one and only outing.

 

Thankfully The Buzzcocks are here to provide an antidote to the previous abomination.

 

Frankie Miller feeling lonesome. Perhaps because he started singing to an unsuspecting audience.

 

As a reward for enduring that rubbish, it’s The Jam.

 

And so yet another week at number one for Travolta and Newton-John (who celebrates her 65th birthday today). I suppose it’s fitting that The Jam are followed by a song with the line “Weller, Weller, Weller”.

 

And some Public Image Limited to play out. One of those eponymous songs.

 

The missing songs Sham 69, Three Degrees and Donna Summer’s mauling of McArthur Park.

 

A classic mix of the good, the very good, the bad and the downright diabolical (a song I had banished from memory and hope to do so again before too long) tonight.

 

Rat Trap over the chart rundown - yeah!!!

 

And on to Showaddywaddy - yes, they were still going. Performing their usual trick of taking an old song and making it sound just like all their other singles. This was their last top ten single.

 

Boney M’s Russian history lesson again. Such a convincing beard. It seems to be a night for colourful outfits so far.

 

John Travolta on his own. Oh joy, double Travolta. Actually this is even worse than I remembered.

 

On to the Stolling Rones back in the days when they had the occasional hit single - even with songs like Respectable which, frankly, isn’t that good.

 

Some band called Colorado with an atrocious version of California Dreaming. Your chance to witness a classic song being brutally murdered. It wasn’t a big hit (it reached number 45) so this should be its one and only outing.

 

Thankfully The Buzzcocks are here to provide an antidote to the previous abomination.

 

Frankie Miller feeling lonesome. Perhaps because he started singing to an unsuspecting audience.

 

As a reward for enduring that rubbish, it’s The Jam.

 

And so yet another week at number one for Travolta and Newton-John (who celebrates her 65th birthday today). I suppose it’s fitting that The Jam are followed by a song with the line “Weller, Weller, Weller”.

 

And some Public Image Limited to play out. One of those eponymous songs.

 

The missing songs Sham 69, Three Degrees and Donna Summer’s mauling of McArthur Park.

 

Colorado were actually tried and convicted of murder in their absence. Guilty I say!

 

Miller quip: arf!

 

Ohhhh, you took my line - I was going to say Weller Weller...ugh. Tell me more:)

Colorado- they're not a million miles away from Chicago... :lol

Interesting to see Ivor Biggun at #30 in that week. That name is perhaps better known for the episode of Blackadder III "Dish and Dishonesty", when Ivor "Jest Ye Not Madam" Biggun stands against Baldrick in the Dunny on the Wold by-election for the Standing at the Back Dressed Stupidly and Looking Stupid Party.

 

According to Wikipedia, the song got into the chart thanks to the support of Johnny Rotten, and was banned by most radio stations, perhaps because it was called "The Winker's Song (Misprint)".

Interesting to see Ivor Biggun at #30 in that week. That name is perhaps better known for the episode of Blackadder III "Dish and Dishonesty", when Ivor "Jest Ye Not Madam" Biggun stands against Baldrick in the Dunny on the Wold by-election for the Standing at the Back Dressed Stupidly and Looking Stupid Party.

 

According to Wikipedia, the song got into the chart thanks to the support of Johnny Rotten, and was banned by most radio stations, perhaps because it was called "The Winker's Song (Misprint)".

 

Yes, one I never got to hear (unsurprisingly). Just youtubed it, basically George Formby-esque dubiously lyric-ed ode to "winking". Marginally funnier than Hylda Baker Arthur Mullard as long as you hear it just the once and ignore the references to bestiality... :o

You'll be pleased to see this unshown show:

 

https://vimeo.com/75401543

 

That's 12th Oct. But don't be fooled by the closing track. The show was taken from Australian TV & someone obviously had a sense of humour. A good dedication to a certain ex-detective & he is too.

 

The 5th Oct is also in there, if you follow the arrows at the top.

Aha, says here that Ivor Biggun was a nom de plume of Doc Cox (not to be confused with Dr Fox) of That's Life 'fame'.

The usual mixed bag with a particularly notable debut this week. We’re up to the end of October already with all the missing episodes.

 

The O’Jays sending half the audience to sleep over the chart countdown.

 

Elvis Costello ups the quality after the opening dross.

 

Chris Rea and ELO cut from the short version.

 

Public Image Ltd with their eponymous hit. There’s a thread about such matters in the chart chat forum.

 

Jonathan King made the cut. The BBC obviously don’t want any more angry missives from him - even though they could justify their decision by stating that the song was shite. Apparently that colourful hair was a wig.

 

Boomtown Rats to help us wipe that last performance from our collective memories.

 

Dollar - half of Guys & Dolls but just as bad. Half of Dollar is, of course, 50 Cent.

 

The Jacksons with their boogie blaming. Who knew Michael Jackson used to be black? And alive. They were not in the studio so Michael won’t have been able to have a little chat with Jonathan King.

 

Legs & Co “performing” to Dan Hartman. Awful song, awful routine. No change there then.

 

Now this is much better, The Undertones with the magnificent, brilliant, superb Teenage Kicks and their first TOTP appearance. Take a minute to remember John Peel.

 

And then we get one of the 37 songs preventing Teenage Kicks being number one that week. It’s those two again.

 

And playing out with Father Abraham to make JT / ONJ sound good.

Now this is much better, The Undertones with the magnificent, brilliant, superb Teenage Kicks and their first TOTP appearance. Take a minute to remember John Peel.

 

How that song never made any higher than #30 in the charts astounds me (as far as I'm aware, there's been no cover versions of Teenage Kicks to make the chart, and anyone who says otherwise is a liar). Will use this as an excuse to mention the wonderful Good Vibrations film about the punk scene in Northern Ireland (including The Undertones) which stars everyone in Belfast as extras (apart from myself), and is now out on DVD.

Well, Teenage Kicks has charted much higher than 37 in my charts on more than one occasion. Now you know John's 1978 charts are the definitive charts :P

 

OK Jonathan King also charted higher than the BBC charts, but I was young, I bought his records as a kid and when his American listeners were looking for penpals he sent me a nice letter back. Frankly, taking on 10CC on his record label makes all his novelty records at least forgiveable if not loveable necessarily. That wig, incidentally, has failed to be erased from this collective memory in 35 years...just a word of warning there!

 

Public Image, now I hear it again (and I loved it at the time and still) strikes me very much as an early template for U2. I think that's a good thing, but Johnny probably doesn't.... :huh:

 

Dollar, nicely produced pop, but David Van Day's unpleasantly tight pants have always made me ponder: "a little pr**k?". Apparently, Cheryl Baker has the same thoughts since he tried to steal the Bucks Fizz name rights.

I'll take Dollar over 50 Cent anyday, mind you, twice the value, if only on the grounds that they grunt in tune and don't have a sideline business called Rentarappa for those average pop songs that need a rap break to get radio play. Allegedly!

 

I of course found Rat Trap to be very much my "lyrics set to life" theme tune of the 80's, so it was ahead of it's time for me..!

Well, Teenage Kicks has charted much higher than 37 in my charts on more than one occasion. Now you know John's 1978 charts are the definitive charts :P

 

OK Jonathan King also charted higher than the BBC charts, but I was young, I bought his records as a kid and when his American listeners were looking for penpals he sent me a nice letter back. Frankly, taking on 10CC on his record label makes all his novelty records at least forgiveable if not loveable necessarily. That wig, incidentally, has failed to be erased from this collective memory in 35 years...just a word of warning there!

 

Public Image, now I hear it again (and I loved it at the time and still) strikes me very much as an early template for U2. I think that's a good thing, but Johnny probably doesn't.... :huh:

 

Dollar, nicely produced pop, but David Van Day's unpleasantly tight pants have always made me ponder: "a little pr**k?". Apparently, Cheryl Baker has the same thoughts since he tried to steal the Bucks Fizz name rights.

I'll take Dollar over 50 Cent anyday, mind you, twice the value, if only on the grounds that they grunt in tune and don't have a sideline business called Rentarappa for those average pop songs that need a rap break to get radio play. Allegedly!

 

I of course found Rat Trap to be very much my "lyrics set to life" theme tune of the 80's, so it was ahead of it's time for me..!

Jonathan King also played a major part in launching the career of Genesis (the Peter Gabriel version) so he was by no means all bad.

Shooting Stars maybe wasnt one of David Courtney's best songs, Dollars follow up Who Were You With In The Moonlight was better I thought!

 

Unertones nice song but now it has a habit of reminding me of One Direction argh!!