Public Image and Teenage Kicks on the same show? Wow, I need to iPlayer this one (and obviously for Father Abraham too...)

Blondie over the chart rundown making a great start to the show. Hanging On The Telephone regularly appears in lists of “Songs you didn’t know were a cover version”.

 

The “don’t remember this at all” slot is filled by Dandy (without the asterisk).

 

Then we get the equally forgotten Patrick Juvet. A UKIP supporter (Mike Read) introducing a song called I Love America sung by a Swiss bloke. I Love Belarus was better - at least that was funny.

 

Olivia Newton-John with added Legs & Co. She’s on again later. Oh joy.

 

Boomtown Rats to improve the quality. We get the classic performance next week.

 

The obligatory appearance of Darts but no Den Hegarty. One of the first things Thatcher did when she came to power the following year was to repeal that law. She always was a cow. Mind you, this song is not one of their best.

 

And so on to Cars with their first hit. Their other top ten hit (Drive) returned to the top ten (and one place higher than the original peak) after being used at Live Aid.

 

X Ray Spex with another one of their classics (or should that be classix?)

 

JT / ONJ number one yet again. The good news is that this is the final week.

 

Playing out with The Jacksons still blaming it on the boogie. Mike Read obviously disapproves of this song. He prefers Blame It On The EU.

ah back in the 70's who'd ever think we'd all be saying thank god for mike reid and tony blackburn. without them no old eps of totp! tone's a legend these days, mike's mostly the bloke who failed to Relax, don't do it!

Only switched it on towards the end and was rewarded with the excellent X Ray Spex. Don't think I missed too much else :)

John Travolta will join the likes of The Beatles, John Lennon, Madonna, Frankie Goes To Hollywood in having the top two singles of the week, with Your The One and Sandy!

Some classics, some dross and not a lot in between this week.

 

Three Degrees over the chart before some proper music from The Buzzcocks.

 

Elton John follows with a bloke in an anorak sort of dancing. I wonder if he’s watching.

 

Back to the good stuff with Blondie.

 

Showaddywaddy, Elvis Costello and Heatwave cut from the edit.

 

Dean Friedman with some slush. What a lovely ‘tache he’s sporting.

 

Streetband with one of the oddest songs of the era as Paul Young sings an ode to toast.

 

Queen with some nonsense. Freddie letting us all know he’s got a hairy chest.

 

Child with their follow-up to It’s Only Make Believe. Despite Kid Jensen’s confident prediction, it was not a hit. Thankfully.

 

And so that moment has finally arrived. In one of the most memorable of all TOTP performances Bob Geldof celebrates the first vaguely punk number one by tearing up a picture of John Travolta (to much cheering at my student hall of residence) and playing the candelabra. Jensen did not predict that Geldof would end up with a knighthood. He always was rubbish at predictions.

 

We end with Rod Stewart and a question to which the answer is NO.

 

This episode was good - Queen, Blondie and Elton John being the highlights for me.

just watched this (been on holiday) - great episode, lots of new wave, soul, pop (we'll be kind to Chas n Dave and the godawful slice of Toast, Paul Young took 5 years to recover from that one!)

 

Of course everyone else is far too young to have heard of the 60's goddess Cathy McGowan, host of the cooler than cool Ready Steady Go - well, there she is, sat down next to Elton while he looks like a cast-off from A Clockwork Orange. Both facts coloured my view of the record at the time and since, it's good ol pop.

 

Ah I wish Ready Steady Go could be repeated!!

We wondered who was sitting next to Elton, she did seem too cool to be there (mind you, some very interesting fashion among the dancing kids).

 

Pretty poor looking line-up tonight: Racey, Olivia Newton-John, Elkie Brooks, Emerson Lake & Palmer, Sarah Brightman & Hot Gossip, David Essex, the Boomtown Rats and dance sequences by Legs & Co.

 

Hmm...wonder if Dave's doing Evita or War of the Worlds? And...I lost my heart to a Starship Trooper....actually, might be ok.....

We wondered who was sitting next to Elton, she did seem too cool to be there (mind you, some very interesting fashion among the dancing kids).

 

Pretty poor looking line-up tonight: Racey, Olivia Newton-John, Elkie Brooks, Emerson Lake & Palmer, Sarah Brightman & Hot Gossip, David Essex, the Boomtown Rats and dance sequences by Legs & Co.

 

Hmm...wonder if Dave's doing Evita or War of the Worlds? And...I lost my heart to a Starship Trooper....actually, might be ok.....

 

to be perfectly honest I have purchased records by all of the above, and ol Starship Troopers seemed all sci-fi fantasy fun, so much that it hit my number one as Kenny Everett was all the rage on TV. :lol:

Watching this week’s show as it went out was a mistake. It would all have been over in less than ten minutes if I’d recorded it.

 

Some disco rubbish I’d forgotten from Musique over the chart.

 

The first proper song is no better as Racey reminded us why they only had four hits. This (Lay Your Love One Me) was the first.

 

This week’s Grease slot goes to Olivia Newton-John on her own. It’s not getting any better.

 

Oh dear, it’s getting even worse with Sylvester. If I watched this on the day, I might have headed for the pub by now.

 

Elkie Brooks up next. Not great but an improvement on the dross so far.

 

Rod Stewart cut from the edit. At least that’s one thing to be grateful for.

 

Emerson Lake & Palmer attempting to get a second hit. They failed.

 

Sarah Brightman and Hot Gossip. It’s not getting any better.

 

On to David Essex. This was not a hit, probably because it was dire.

 

Boomtown Rats still at number one. Something decent at last.

 

And we end with Chic including, of course, Mr Nile Rodgers. I still hate this record.

 

Well, it has to be said, that was something of an ordeal. Surely it has to be better in two week’s time - The Sky At Night next week.

Do we miss Rod's sole week at No.1 then or is it in a fortnight?

Do we miss Rod's sole week at No.1 then or is it in a fortnight?

That's the next programme (as long as it had an acceptable presenter).

That's the next programme (as long as it had an acceptable presenter).

 

 

Okay, thanks. It's one of my fave Rod songs.

Edited November 1, 201311 yr by Common Sense

Not surprised that the songs by ELP and David Essex weren't hits. Both were boring and dire. Not bad last night but I need to watch the full 40 minute show. Racey had a catchy song.

Which David Essex song was it?

Which David Essex song was it?

A song called Goodbye First Love, produced by Mike Batt. It really was excruciatingly boring.

haven't seen it yet but 3 of them were John Number Ones at the time (so I'm biased in favour of course :lol:), and Chic hit 2 with the influential and revered disco classic US number 1. Mass appeal records are often big because they're very good (albeit favoured by the female part of the population more than the male, perhaps). Not always though, Musique, err, hmm, well, yes, err...!

 

Back after a Sky At Night break.

 

Village People over the rundown with a song that became a camp classic. Start doing the actions YYY M C A.

 

Rezillos with the follow up to Top Of The Pops. Destination Venus wasn’t heading for Destination Top 40.

 

Boney M next. Yes, it’s almost Christmas already. Christmas songs were released earlier in those days (we’re up to the end of November). Oh, we’ve got to the bit where they forgot the words. Mmmm Mmmmm Mmmmm....

 

Legs & Co accompanying Chic. Who’d have thought that Nile Rodgers would still be having hits 35 years later?

 

Heatwave with another piece of dullness. Yawn.

 

Buzzcocks cut - unforgivably. Still, they’ll be on later. Buzzcocks? Later? They might make good names for music based programmes one day.

 

Leo Sayer ruining a Buddy Holly classic. Are we going to get multiple Leos again? Answer - never more than two this time.

 

Barron Knights. They cut the Buzzcocks for this?

 

Darts back again - hurrah! Sadly they were never the same once Den Heggarty left.

 

And it’s a disco Dr Who from Mankind. Only nine days until the 50th anniversary special. And Brian Cox on the science of Dr Who. He has also been on TOTP.

 

And Rod Stewart takes over at number one. No, Rod, I have never found you sexy. And you really should give Dusty Springfield her hair back. Kenny Everett’s spoof version was far better.

 

The Bee Gees to play us out and send us back to sleep.

It's unforgiveable they cut Buzzcocks for Barron Knights, yes absolutely, one of the candidates for most worthless 3 minutes committed to vinyl ever. Not funny, not even on first hearing, and no musical merit whatsoever. It's not often I loathe a record, but....

 

still, I rather like sweet, well-produced soul myself, so Heatwave and Bee Gees a plus for me, Chic a must - all 3 writers went on to success in the 80's, 90's, 00's and 10's as writers if not artists.. Rod Temperton, Brit from Oop North I think, Thriller and all that Jacko stuff B-) Kerching every halloween I think...

 

Darts, yes never quite the same without mad Den, though this one has aged well.

 

I have never found Rod sexy either, Kenny was hilarious, but the synth riffs in the record and the chorus are delicious. I hope the Everett spoof is on youtube.... :lol: