Gary Davies and Andy Peebles are our hosts fro this edition from mid-April 1983.

 

Eurovision is on the way so we start with the UK’s entry from Sweet Dreams. They didn’t win.

 

Next up is a band whose next (and biggest) hit was a song called Sweet Dreams - it’s Dave and Annie, the Eurythmics.

 

Bauhaus are next. Why can’t bands like this have hits any more?

 

On to a band named after a term sometimes used by snooker commentators, Kissing The Pink. They’re a bit strange with a superfluity of drummers but decent enough. Apparently the singer was involved with that PJ and Duncan song.

 

Time for the first bit of the chart.

 

Now it’s another one I can’t remember now, it’s Sunfire. Who? I think I’ll have forgotten them again soon. Hope so anyway. Phew, it’s finished at last.

 

The middle bit of the chart followed by Kajagoogoo again. On video this time, but it doesn’t make the song any better. Even the presence of Kenny Everett can’t save it. There’s a John Major lookalike too.

 

The top ten rundown ends with David Bowie still at number one.

 

A great number one is followed by an even better song as we play out with Blue Monday.

I don't recall Sunfire either, though I didnt dislike it. Bauhaus, though, never did much for me, oops! Sorry :lol:

 

Eurythmics, pure class, Bowie at his poppiest best, and I'm probably alone in preferring the Quincy Jones remix of Blue Monday to the original, though thats fab too.

 

Sweet Dreams I'd pretty much forgotten, Kajagooglies I havent forgotten no matter how I try... :D

Extended version from friday starts with a prediction from Richard Skinner that Church Of The Poison Mind will be next week's number for Culture Club. Oops! deserved to be tho, it was fab gospel pop, assisted by Helen Terry, future BRITS organiser. Boy George at his very pop peak with the lads.

 

Fascination - Keep feeling the Human League and the fab video for the fab single, and another track that should have topped the chart. If ever a band needed to grab the moment and release an album with this track and Mirror Man on it... they would have been even bigger.

 

Janice Long brings back F R David, and his words - still got his sunglasses on I see. It was always a soppy synth pop track, but y'know what? I liked it a lot. Still do. Not quite sure he's playing that guitar. Or singing.

 

Up next it's Animal and the rest of the Muppets. They were using a pseudonym (Twisted Sister) and it was a step down from Mah Na Mah Na. Frankly not even half as good as Don't Dilly Dally On The Way or Halfway Down The Stairs.

 

Toto are back with their other MOR rock hit, Rosanna. Not a patch on Africa. Or Hold The Line.

 

Back to classics with Heaven 17, the former Human Leaguers plus Glen Gregory, for the utter brilliance that is Temptation, and THAT show-stopping vocal performance from Carol Kenyon. SO good. Also should have topped the chart. I have a friend who swears 1983 was a rubbish year for pop music and that's the year he lost interest in pop. So wrong! 3 classics in this show alone.

 

Thompson Twins up next with a quirky number, We Are Detective. Endearing. They always liked to vary the singles in mood and genre-influence. More chart rundowning, and then we get one of the most overplayed songs of the 80's. True? My name is Spandau Ballet if I'm lying! Give me PM Dawn anyday, Set Adrift On Memory Bliss. Dressing very smartly these days, no more New Romantic rags, sadly.

 

Top 10, and Bowie keeping off all-comers with the very fab Let's dance video. Ziggy did good (even if he never saw it that way).

 

Beat It says Jacko, on Van Halen-ish playout, en route to world domination by the end of the year. Not one of my faves of his, but rocky enough.

 

 

 

 

We’re up to the end of April 1983 and it’s the Peel / Jensen team again presenting show number 999.

 

Not a great start as Phil Fearon & Galaxy get things underway. This is even more boring than I’d remembered. NEXT!

 

Now we get Jensen in Singapore and someone called Paula Tsui. Ho him. Oh, there’s more. We’re on to China Dolls. Now their best-seller from Lam. Who thought this ws a good idea?

 

Sweet Dreams have been dropped so it’s on to a big improvement now with The Creatures.

 

Back to the international theme with John Peel on a cross-channel ferry and an outfit called Cook Da Books. Good grief. Apparently the frontman is Digsy of Diner fame. Dear lord, Hoffmann & Hoffmann are terrible.

 

Now we have a rundown of the European top ten featuring Mirielle Mathieu and Patrick Duffy. This is all most odd. Anyway, more of the Euro chart (in pseudo-French) and it’s Nena with the original German version of her song. Sheer quality.

 

On to the European number one from David Bowie.

 

Back to the studio and the British charts. No Ed Sheeran as he hasn’t been born yet.

 

Some great stuff now from Tears For Fears.

 

The next bit of the chart now followed by another chance to see the rather wonderful (and bizarre) Kissing The Pink, multiple drums and all. For another band named after a snooker term, see Q-Tips.

 

The chart rundown ends with Spandau Ballet, the new number one. I liked this song at first, but it suffered from massive overplaying. As a result their better songs are generally overlooked.

 

We end a very strange episode with a plug for those Fame people. Yawn. Thankfully it is only a short clip.

 

An unmentionable bloke from Leeds will have been on show 1,000 so we skip a week for tomorrow’s dose.

Q Tips , arf!

 

I always liked Phil Fearon, and the back flips show him to be very fit. In more ways than one.

 

Now that Singapore visit was a dose of nostalgia for me, all recognisably still as was in 1971 round the river/harbour and Raffles - by 1995 things looked very different! The music was rubbish though, so largely pointless choices. The European one at least had Nena. Folks were so impressed they rushed out to buy the English lang version - 12 months later!

 

The Creatures were always fab this one is in my itunes basket as I type, Tears For Fears at their best, and heavily sampled to great effect on The Weeknd's Secrets, off his new album and should have been the 3rd single as it's the top track on it.

 

Kissing The Pink, fab, though they should have covered Ringo's Snookeroo as a follow-up.

 

Spandau, I need at least a decade not hearing this again. Fat chance!

On we go to edition number 1,001 with our hosts Mike Read and Tommy Vance. Ooh, we’ve got some new opening titles.

 

We start in things can only get better mode with Modern Romance. Good grief, there’s a tap dancer. Not a very good one.

 

I suppose Hall & Oates represent an improvement but not by much.

 

The Belle Stars and Pink Floyd have been cut.

 

On to Hot Chocolate with one of their lesser-known hits although it did make the top ten.

 

Phil Fearon and Galaxy are back. That’s not good news.

 

The chart rundown starts with the two songs cut from the early evening version, complete with The Pink Floyd over a decade after they dropped the definite article. There’s a remix of Yellow Pearl in the background. Sounds like the BBC Radiophonic Workshop in Dr Who mode.

 

Another chance to see The Creatures. That is good news at last.

 

Back to the charts.

 

Men At Work fill this week’s “Oh, did they have another song?” slot. Interesting use of a baseball bat.

 

The chart rundown features Heaven 17 and the Human League in adjacent positions but Spandau Ballet are still number one.

 

We end with another airing for the splendid Kissing The Pink. I assume Mike Read vetoed the European chart slot this week.

Here's the 1000th edition of TOTP from 5th May 1983 which BBC Four didn't show

 

"Miss the Girl" is really one of those songs that wouldn't get a look-in in the charts these days, being just vocals & marimba, an instrument that doesn't feature as much in modern pop music these days, 1/2 of White Stripes' "Get Behind Me Satan" album aside.

 

"Overkill" has had some sort of pop culture renaissance in recent years, after being memorably featured in the TV Series "Scrubs", sung by Colin Hay himself.

first time I've heard any other song by Men At Work other than that Down Under :lol: , you'd be forgiven in thinking they were one hit wonders

 

Never like The Banshees much but the Miss The Girl track is quite good

 

Hall & Oates song is good, only discovered recently that it is a cover version, unusual for them as they normally write their own stuff. Probably more surprising (to me anyhow) it was originaly by Mike Oldfield!

Extended version from friday starts with a prediction from Richard Skinner that Church Of The Poison Mind will be next week's number for Culture Club. Oops! deserved to be tho, it was fab gospel pop, assisted by Helen Terry, future BRITS organiser. Boy George at his very pop peak with the lads.

 

Fascination - Keep feeling the Human League and the fab video for the fab single, and another track that should have topped the chart. If ever a band needed to grab the moment and release an album with this track and Mirror Man on it... they would have been even bigger.

 

Janice Long brings back F R David, and his words - still got his sunglasses on I see. It was always a soppy synth pop track, but y'know what? I liked it a lot. Still do. Not quite sure he's playing that guitar. Or singing.

 

Up next it's Animal and the rest of the Muppets. They were using a pseudonym (Twisted Sister) and it was a step down from Mah Na Mah Na. Frankly not even half as good as Don't Dilly Dally On The Way or Halfway Down The Stairs.

 

Toto are back with their other MOR rock hit, Rosanna. Not a patch on Africa. Or Hold The Line.

 

Back to classics with Heaven 17, the former Human Leaguers plus Glen Gregory, for the utter brilliance that is Temptation, and THAT show-stopping vocal performance from Carol Kenyon. SO good. Also should have topped the chart. I have a friend who swears 1983 was a rubbish year for pop music and that's the year he lost interest in pop. So wrong! 3 classics in this show alone.

 

Thompson Twins up next with a quirky number, We Are Detective. Endearing. They always liked to vary the singles in mood and genre-influence. More chart rundowning, and then we get one of the most overplayed songs of the 80's. True? My name is Spandau Ballet if I'm lying! Give me PM Dawn anyday, Set Adrift On Memory Bliss. Dressing very smartly these days, no more New Romantic rags, sadly.

 

Top 10, and Bowie keeping off all-comers with the very fab Let's dance video. Ziggy did good (even if he never saw it that way).

 

Beat It says Jacko, on Van Halen-ish playout, en route to world domination by the end of the year. Not one of my faves of his, but rocky enough.

 

Must be Bowies biggest hit in years with Let's Dance.

 

Always swore Temptation was a no1 single!! Great track!

 

1983 was still early enough for the New Romantics not to have totally been overtaken by Waterman style pop. As for Spandeu Ballet -

I would say their dress change was more of a move towards the Thatcherite yuppie sense unfort!

 

 

Simon Bates and Gary Davies host this edition from May 1983. On a beach somewhere they are missing a deck chair.

 

D-Train get things started. This may have been before some idiot decided that detrain was a verb.

 

New Edition and David Grant have been dropped. Smart move.

 

Time for Blancmange. This isn’t as good as Waves, but it’s still pretty damned good.

 

The Beat - also not with their best song, but still decent enough. At least someone has made an effort in dressing for the occasion. No deck chairs here.

 

On to George Michael and his old school pal on video. Not one of George’s favourites.

 

It’s Cup Final day on Saturday so we get some players from the mighty Brighton & Hove Albion. The match against Man Utd ended 2-2. I can’t remember what happened in the replay.

 

Jo Boxers show that they had more than one song.

 

Another guest now. It’s Sting and Stewart Copeland with one of the least enlightening interviews ever. Then the first bit of the chart.

 

Another brilliant song from Yazoo is up next. Great haircut Vince.

 

The middle bit of the chart and a little bit more.

 

Fun Boy Three next. This programme started badly but has definitely improved now.

 

We end with the top six countdown and Spandau Ballet enjoying yet another week at number one. By this stage it’s beginning to get rather annoying that True has done so much better than their superior earlier songs. Besides, would you really want to listn to Marvin all night long? “The first ten million years were the worst. The next ten million years, they were the worst too. After that I went into a bit of a decline.”

"Life? Don't talk to me about life...."

"Brain the size of a planet and...." etc.

 

:lol:

 

Fab episode for me. The D Train is one I'd half-forgotten but it sounds quite House-y for 1983 and is likely quite influential.

 

I'll resist commenting on teenybop soulsters Bobby Brown, Ralph Tresvant & co who all went on to bigger success outside the band. They also had much better records than the Jackson 5 rip-off that was Candy Girl.

 

Blancmange: blindingly fab.

 

The Beat: my second fave Beat record, and should have come out as the follow-up to Mirror In The Bathroom in 1980 but they chickened out - and it rejuvenated their failing career 3 years later, briefly. Reggae Andy williams, what's not to love!

 

Bad Boys also not one of my fave Wham or George songs either, but still OK.

 

Joboxers best record by far, Yazoo and one of Alf's songs - odd she never really wrote many, as it's pretty fine.

 

Fun Boy Three's classic Go Go's cover (co-written between Terry and Jane Wiedlin) and what a way to end a career (they split up right after), one of the best tracks of 1983, just classic.

 

There's still a tedious track on top....

I thought you'd appreciate the Douglas Adams reference :D

That 1000th show had the whole hog lol

We’ve skipped a week, bringing us up to a programme broadcast on a Wednesday, the day before the General Election. Perhaps they were worried that John Peel might say something controversial on polling day. His co-presenter, as usual, is David Jensen. Both of them received the memo about it being loud shirt day.

 

Twisted Sister get things going in their understated way. Noel Fielding seems to have joined them. No sign of Sandi Toksvig.

 

David Bowie is next with another great song.

 

Ultravox, Irene Cara and H2O have all been axed from the early evening version.

 

George Benson attempts to send us all to sleep.

 

Ah, this song wouldn’t have been included if the programme was shown in the usual Thursday slot. Here’s The Imposter, aka Elvis Costello, with a highly political (and brilliant) song. I’m surprised by the number of people on Twitter who don’t remember it. I used to play it a lot at the time.

 

Peelie does the first bit of the chart with the odd sarcastic comment.

 

Shakatak - introduced after a lengthy intro - next with a prediction of what might happen the following night. That Twisted Sister bloke is back but is now pretending to be a woman.

 

The next bit of the chart is done in a Canadian accent.

 

Big Country give us a geography lesson. Oh, and we get that Peel joke.

 

The countdown ends with The Police at number one.

 

Rod Stewart plays us out.

my fave Peelie episode ever :cheer: (just for the gag alone) :lol:

We’re up to the end of June and a programme fronted by Tommy Vance and Richard Skinner. Judgung by the badge, Skinner borrowed his shirt from a hotel employee.

 

Shalamar are on first, leaving plenty of scope for improvement.

 

Here would have been that improvement with Heaven 17 but they have been cut.

 

Nick Heyward, still looking about fourteen here, is next.

 

Oh dear, a turn for the worse. It’s Irene Cara. Why have we missed Heaven 17 so they can this again? We are even being subjected to an interview by one of the “stars” of the film.

 

A debut solo appearance for Paul Young, last seen telling us about toast.

 

On to the first bit of the chart.

 

Tom Robinson returns to the show after a few years away. A very welcome return it is too.

 

The next bit of the charts, telling us that the song that was cut is the week’s highest new entry.

 

Bucks Fizz with a song whose title is a lot more appropriate now. Have they been listening to German pop?

 

The last bit of the chart and somehow Rod Stewart has got to number one. Yawn.

 

The Truth (who?) play us out.

 

It is classic Rod to be honest so a deserved no1 imo. Does the current totps 1983 Elton hit - That's why they called it the Blues not peak at no1?

 

Are we missing at episodes due to Saville/DLT at this stage?

my fave Peelie episode ever :cheer: (just for the gag alone) :lol:

 

The comment after Shakataks performance was the best lol

It is classic Rod to be honest so a deserved no1 imo. Does the current totps 1983 Elton hit - That's why they called it the Blues not peak at no1?

 

Are we missing at episodes due to Saville/DLT at this stage?

We are also missing Mike Smith's programmes because he withheld permission for them to be shown. Nobody seems to know why.