After Whams first appearence on TOTPs 1982 last week it so sad he has passed away!

Edited December 27, 20168 yr by Steve201

Didnt realise Pat Sharp was ever on R1

 

Just saw the episode there - 3 new presenters - Pat Sharp, Greg Davies & Janice Long. With these additions you feel we are really moving into the mid-80s now - they replace Saville and DLT & John Peel if I'm right?

Just saw the episode there - 3 new presenters - Pat Sharp, Greg Davies & Janice Long. With these additions you feel we are really moving into the mid-80s now - they replace Saville and DLT & John Peel if I'm right?

 

Gary Davies - not Greg! I think all three said they had really early or really late timeslots, but they would all go on to be big names - Pat Sharp moved quickly to commercial radio though I think. Didn't Janice Long do the Evening Session before Mark Goodier?

Not sure I know Janice is on the midnight show on radio 2!

Anyone watch the most recent episode? It was the Christmas chart episode - was quite good. Does anyone know whether the Christmas Day show can't be shown because Saville presented it? It was advertised as being on at 2pm on Xmas Day - lol things don't change much on BBC 1s Xmas day structure does it??

I'm not sure if they've shown any of the old Christmas Day specials so far. Maybe they've all been Saviled or Travised off the schedules. I'm looking forward to 1983.

I'm a few weeks behind, but hoping to do a quickie review of the broadcast ones when I get round to watching 'em. 1983 will be fab, so many great records, and video was very much becoming the promo art form...

a special comeback of Pop Quiz with Mike Read is on tonight (Wednesday) (BBC4 9.30pm) 2nd part, i missed the first part didnt know it was on

Edited January 4, 20178 yr by fiesta

I'm not sure if they've shown any of the old Christmas Day specials so far. Maybe they've all been Saviled or Travised off the schedules. I'm looking forward to 1983.

 

I remember watching one from 1976/77 when Noël Edmunds presented clips from the years biggest hits from a cutting room style scene, maybe that wasn't the Xmas day episode though!

I was hoping to catch up on the late 1982 TOTP's that are on my hard drive, but unless I get a free day it's looking more distant...

 

so let's just skip to 1983...

 

It's my fave DJ double act of the 80's Peelie and the "likeable Canadian" Kid J, hosting, and we're off with UK/Chilean band Incantation's Cacharpaya, a trad Bolivian fishing tune says Peelie. Some may lament the comeback of pan pipes, some 13 years after Paul Simon introduced them to pop music in a big way (El Condor Pasa, massive Bridge Over Troubled Water album), but I've rather enjoyed 30-odd years of South American street buskers, and this track.

 

Men At Work get a debut UK hit (US started earlier) with Down Under, the very famous Aussie theme tune. I loved it then, I still am very fond of it and the good-natured video. I went to see them in Concert in Nottingham in 1983, and a good night out it was.

 

In The Name Of Love, and standard club disco fare under the guiding hand of the TOTP orchestra, from Sharon Redd who battles on bravely regardless, and the lads do the impossible - they make Orville's Song sound even worse than the recorded version. I loathed that duck. Where's a handy public spike with his head on it when you want one!

 

The Belle Stars, Sign Of The Times, their best record, farrrrrr and away. Fabulous pop. After their rubbish cover versions, this self-written gem promised much - and failed to deliver sadly. I saw them support The Police at Leeds that year. The band not the forces who were soon-to-be-busy coal-miner-bashing. I wouldn't have paid to see that.

 

A Gallup LP chart run-down, back in the days when compilations were included, before the terrific John Williams is up with one of his best in a career of movie classics - yes ET was huge news, biggest-movie-ever (in terms of money - biggest movie ever in bums-on-seats is, and always will be, Gone With The Wind). Lots of movie clips to plug the film, fine by me, I loved it, I worshipped Speilberg, and I admired John Williams. Result!

 

Top 30 rundown, and Eddy Grant is off down Electric Avenue, complete with that odd farty noise. I liked it, but didn't rate it as much as his earlier big singles, solo, or with The Equals. The video, though, helped it become massive everywhere as MTV took off and needed some white-friendly videos, other than Jacko, to counter accusations they weren't entirely behind black music. Given this one wasn't reggae like a normal Eddy record, really, it was synth rock, it fit the bill.

 

21 to 11, mentioning Joe Jackson's Steppin Out, which is in the Itunes top 200 this week (and not at discount) for some reason. Maybe TOTP? Whatever, it gives me an excuse to rechart it. The track opted for though is The Maisonettes, aka City Boy, and the wonderfully 60's retro (but new) Heartache Avenue. Adored this record, still do. Pop perfection, and anything 60's-reviving was always going to get my deep love...even if they do look like a gang of debt collectors, as says John P.

 

Top 10, and number One, Phil Collins does The Blues Brothers, and does it well, The Supremes motown classic wasn't ruined, it was a pretty decent cover with a great multi-Phil video. I always felt he should have done it as three versions of The Supremes though, frocks and all. Chicken! I'm not quite sure why this edition of TOTP soundtrack is out of alignment with the visuals, cos it certainly wasn't like that on broadcast (I videod a few performances from it at the time). Happily no dancers until the fade-out, the classic Donna Summer ground-breaking I Feel Love, 6 years on and still sounding newer and fresher than anything else in the charts, that's how far ahead of it's time it was (albeit in space-ship lasert-blast inferior remix format).

 

 

The first chart compiled by Gallup, who took over from BMRB. They will compile the chart till 1994, when the current compilers Milward Brown take over.

 

Love Sign Of The Times and Electric Avenue

Was Donna Summer rereleased in 1983 hence the play of it? Really was a fantastic track!!

 

Why was Orville on the first TOTPs of the new year when it was clearly aimed at the Xmas market? There was even an Xmas tree in the background, so I assume it we even a recorded performance?

Was Donna Summer rereleased in 1983 hence the play of it? Really was a fantastic track!!

 

It was released on 12" for the first time in 1982 I think with an extended mix, so a lot of DJs contributed to the sales. It amazes me that I Feel Love will be 40 years old this year and still sounds fresher than 99% of the current top 40.

 

Why was Orville on the first TOTPs of the new year when it was clearly aimed at the Xmas market? There was even an Xmas tree in the background, so I assume it we even a recorded performance?

 

It carried on selling beyond Christmas, which is rare for a novelty track. Keith and Orville were probably either finishing the panto season or basking in the success of their Christmas TV special, hence the repeat and the controversial sign of a Christmas tree in January.

 

It just confused me lol - it did happen quite a bit in the 80s with the week after Xmas being the 'stalled' chart and even on this chart David Essex Winters Tale peaked this week and in 1984 we had Pipes of Peace and last year Bucks Fizz with The Land of Make Believe!

 

Thanks for the Donna Summer explanation - such a great track!

One of the reasons Christmas songs continued to sell in January was that people assumed that it would be their final chance to buy it. There was no guarantee that it would be re-released the following Christmas or, indeed, any Christmas.

Plus they would often get reduced along with the other Christmas tat that didn't sell before the 25th!

Well that's a good point - was looking through my cd single collection from the 90s and noughties and have a load of Xmas CDs that I got in the week after Xmas day - Status Quo, Slade, The Pogues (2005 rerelease), Andy Williams and Rod Stewart!

and off we go with Kajagoogoo. Limahl sporting one of the worst haircuts in 80's pop, and these were the A Flock Of Seagulls years. Mind you, Nick Beggs too..... Too Shy is a better record than I gave it credit for at the time, I just couldn't get past the image!

 

Janice Long giving girl DJ Power a try a mere 19 years into TOTP's broadcasting history, and introduces the fab Stepping Out, Joe Jackson's best single. Cool, smooth, classy. I got to hear pop music like this loads at the time, driving around the roads of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and further afield delivering photos, listening to Steve Wright on Radio One - Steviw was the hottest DJ in the country at the time, hard to believe these days, but his show was fab. He still plays the same tracks on his Radio 2 show, only without the fun and humour...

 

Echo & The Bunnymen entering their purple period, The Cutter was fab. Kudos to the lads for playing live (admittedly miming to the live track) most bands avoided that option by 1983. Ian M's haircut has worn better than Limahl's. That'll be the lack of highlights helping...

 

Talking of purple patches, what is Janice wearing?! U2 up next, from when they were a cool hot Irish punk-styled rock-band on a mission. New Year's Day. Bono's haircut is somewhere between Limahl and Ian McCulloch, but their clothes have weathered much better than other bands on the show. New Year's Day is great, I liked U2 right from hearing and buying Fire, and they were really soaring with the guitars by this stage. Who would have thought one would duet with Frank Sinatra, 2 of 'em write a movie theme tune, and another the theme tune to an animated Batman TV series? No-one!

 

Suddenly Gary Davies turns up doing the chart rundown and introducing sparkly cat-suited Laura Branigan. Sadly not the brilliant 1984 hit Self Control from the sadly late singer, it's the mildly-annoying Gloria. A European 70's hit, I actually bought the 1980 Jonathan King version of it, for my sins, though to be fair to me (as I always am :P ) I was actually after the other single in the double-pack, Everyone's Gone To The Moon.

 

Janice on chart-rundown duties, and The Stranglers' European Female making for a quite rock-themed show this week. Jean-Jacques on vocals, never a good move unless he's in shouty-oik mode, Hugh should have done the whole track, it would have had a bit more oomph. A bit languid, overall, if pleasant enough.

 

Gazz n Janice together, top 10 rundown and the best track in the chart is at 3 - and not on the bloody show! Story Of The Blues from the mighty Wah! Wiley Outrageous! Phil is fab on top, of course, but it never topped my chart, I had my priorities right, my topper was Wah! Hard to believe both Phil and Bono were once beloved of the nation, oh how fickle folk are...

 

Billy Griffin on fade-out for a bit of forgettable MOR dance....

 

 

 

 

I was only a few days old when this was shown - born on the 15th Jan 1983 - Phil Collins was my no1 at birth!

 

Will we see more shows in 1983 or did JS do this whole year?

Story Of The Blues, particularly the 12 inch version, is indeed a fabulous record. I also agree about the Bunnymen's Purple Patch. The Cutter was great, as were The Killing Moon and Seven Seas which are still to come.