There I was, all geared up for tonight's episode, and they've dropped it for the tennis. Ah well, there were a lot of repeats in it. The big loss (assuming they don't show it tomorrow) is OMD's magnificent Maid Of Orleans (The Waltz Joan Of Arc).

Funnily enough, #totp is still trending on Twitter :lol:

The extended edition is still on tonight :)

We reach the end of January and an episode fronted by Simon Bates. If my memory is right, January 1982 was exceptionally cold, with rather a lot of snow in London. I think it was the year that the BBC had to make some new stickers for their weather map because they didn’t have any with temperatures low enough. Later in the evening viewers could see a now largely forgotten Richard Briers sitcom called Goodbye Mr Kent. Hannah Gordon was also in the cast. Whatever the weather, the week this was broadcast saw unemployment go above three million, not that the PM cared.

 

Tight Fit get things going with a singer who sounds like he’s wearing tight-fitting trousers.

 

Olivia Newton-John continues to try to sound up-to-date.

 

Haircut One Hundred are up next. Nick Heyward’s mum handed the lads some sweaters on the way out, but they didn’t want to wear them.

 

On to The Stranglers with their song about a man who went on to be Prime Minister.

 

Stiff Little Fingers continue the punk-ish theme.

 

Elkie Brooks with a cover of a Chris Rea song which was a hit a few years earlier.

 

The first part of the chart rundown is very purple. UKIP’s Mike Read would be thrilled.

 

Alton Edwards is next. What happened to his brother Basingstoke?

 

The top nineteen rundown ends with another number one from Shakin’ Stevens.

 

We end with the Four Tops and a song which Europe might have tried singing to us last month. Talking of Europe, it’s time to watch Wales (even though they gave us Shakin’ Stevens). Next week’s presenter - John Peel!

This was the week the chart compilation day changed which gave us bloody Shaky on top instead of The Stranglers, I think.

 

The change made the TOTP influence more pronounced and from hereon some records went up, dropped, and then climbed higher than they would have under the old system.

 

Landslide benefitted. Livvie didn't, it was her last new hit.

 

Unusually, I dont recall that Alton Edwards single at all!

 

Ah Nick Heyward, his best record.

Don't worry Maggie would get the Falklands before summer to help you guys forget the unemployment guys :/

 

Explain more about the chart day change and how it changed things?

Going to watch this week's episodes back to back from 12.25 am tonight as I missed Thursday's. Checked at 7.30 and didn't know it was going to be on at 8.30!

Don't worry Maggie would get the Falklands before summer to help you guys forget the unemployment guys :/

 

Explain more about the chart day change and how it changed things?

 

Well I was one of the 3 million until well after the Falklands War, so yeah, didn't really help me forget. Helped me loathe and hate Thatcher though, and refuse to be fooled by politician lies ever, so glass half full :lol:

 

The chart day was Tuesday, but the week sales were from the previous sat to fri, I think. So TOTP effectively only had one days sales effect on the next week chart, most of it was the week after. My hazy memory is that changed around the time of Oh Julie and The Model getting on top (I always felt the Stranglers were robbed). I THINK (but dont quote me, I'd have to dig out my old Record Mirror's from then to confirm) that the days changed for the chart week sales - prob to Tues-Mon or Mon-Sun. Record chart movements for some more minor hits became more erratic afterwards (climb drop big climb drop) is how I recall it.

 

Sorry, got no actual facts to back that up :lol:

I see, don't worry about examples lol I'm sure in 30 years I will have forgotten the David Zowie no1 :lol:

 

Did the unemployment make you a Labour man? I meant the more right wing working class in England lol.

I see, don't worry about examples lol I'm sure in 30 years I will have forgotten the David Zowie no1 :lol:

 

Did the unemployment make you a Labour man? I meant the more right wing working class in England lol.

 

I come from Mansfield, an ex-coal-mining community (though travelled a lot dad joined the RAF) so, yeah, very working-class. My brother was on strike for the duration of the miner's strike, it's fair to say the Tories were loathed by most people. Those who became "scabs" to work against the strike got their comuppance within a few years as every single coal mine round Mansfield was closed down, despite Thatcher assurances they wouldn't. There were no jobs.

 

My family is now split, half live in Mansfield, half live in Dorset - the half that moved to get jobs, my parents, me, my brother, and half his kids & grandkids, my Aunty & Uncle & their kids and grand-kid and great grand-kid.

 

Basically we are migrants who had to move to get jobs :P

 

 

Fair play it's sad to hear the real personal stories of the effects of politics and decisions by people and changing technologies.

We’ve reached February 1982, and the long-awaited debut as a presenter of the late, great John Peel. Be prepared for some barbed comments about the acts. Another much-missed figure, Liberal MP David Penhaligon, appeared on Question Time later that night.

 

Now, here’s a song I haven’t heard for ages, from Theatre Of Hate. I’ve got it on 12” vinyl somewhere. In case you missed it, Theatre Of Hate are not Belgian.

 

On to another song in my collection, from OMD. This is probably the 80s song I currently play the most. Not enough Dad dancing from Andy McCluskey here.

 

The Jets are up next. Those cardigans are very yellow. Apart from the green bits.

 

Back to songs in my collection as we move on to Soft Cell. Another one from the 12” section.

 

Oh, the albums chart is back with a Barbra Streisand collection at number one.

 

I own nothing by Gillan. Or Shakatak. Or AC/DC. They have all been cut leaving time for some XTC.

 

The first bit of the singles chart at dictation speed.

 

I only like one George Benson song. This isn’t it. Zoo take the opportunity to chuck themselves about a bit. Isn’t it great to have a presenter saying something quotable?

 

The next bit of the chart before we are subjected to Chris Cross’s whining again. Somehow, Peelie didn’t sound quite so enthusiastic when introducing this song. I wonder why.

 

The top six rundown leads up to an unexpected number one from Kraftwerk. Its climb to the top was even more unexpected after it fell one place the previous week.

 

Meat Loaf and Cher get yet another airing over the end credits. Time for France v Germany. If only the other presenters had thought to take some lessons from Mr Ravenscroft.

hooray, the best TOTP host ever, by far, is on. John Peel, legendary wit. My fave is still "the band who put the tree back into Big Country". It took 14 years for him to appear on TOTP again because he got the name of the song wrong back in 1967: Cast Your Fate To The Wind became Cast Your Wind To The Fate. True story, the producer said "I'll make sure you never work on TOTP again!" Some people just don't recognise talent....

 

Mixed episode. Adore OMD, Soft Cell, Kraftwerk. Don't mind or tolerate the rest, except for wimpy Arthur's Theme, which isn't a patch on his Ride Like The Wind, or even Sailing. Not the Rod song.

 

Ooh, you like a Benson song!? I can only assume it's Nature Boy, the old standard he covered nicely. Certainly the best thing he did IMHO :lol:

 

 

No, the only Benson song I like is The Greatest Love Of All :lol: They should have re-released it when Ali died.

 

I agree that Ride Like The Wind is a decent song. I wasn't particularly keen on Sailing, but that was better than Arthur's Theme.

 

The great thing about Peel's presenting skills is that it would still have been a good programme even if the acts were mediocre. The fact that we got Soft Cell, Theatre Of Hate, OMD, XTC and Kraftwerk was just a bonus.

 

 

 

 

After last night’s John Peel episode, we return to more mediocre presenting skills tonight with Tommy Vance.

 

A cheerful start to the programme with Fun Boy Three and Bananarama.

 

A repeat performance from The Stranglers.

 

Bow Wow Wow with a song far better than anything Lil Bow Wow has managed. Thanks to Twitter for pointing out that Annabella Lwin is still under 50.

 

Adrian Gurvitz with one of the naffest rhymes ever recorded.

 

Time for some Hall & Oates for people who like that sort of thing.

 

An awkward edit precedes the first bit of the chart.

 

That edit means we missed Depeche Mode, the J Geils Band and Modern Romance.

 

The editor has, on the other hand, given us another chance to see Elkie Brooks.

 

The middle bit of the chart takes us into Haircut 100, which is a good thing.

 

We get the top eleven this time, and it ends with a great number one from The Jam.

 

The show could have ended on a high, but we get Alton Edwards instead.

dropping J Geils and Depeche shows dubious music awareness...

 

I always saw the lyrics to "Gonna write a classic" as ironic. I originally found it a bit bland, but I learned to truly loathe it within a short time. The years have sped by, nostalgia has shot it's rose-tinted bloom into the 80's, and here I am...still loathing it.

 

Love almost everything else, especially Hall & Oates, cool soulfunk with that helluva bassline and a melody that flows.

 

Oh and there's Alton Edwards forgotten at the end.

Quick changeover of no1s in this part of 82 with shaky kraftwerk and now the jam - unfortunate The Stranglers couldn't get there with Golden Brown - fantastic track!

Just the one episode this week as last night was stargazing night. It’s Mike Read’s turn again.

 

Madness get things underway. After seeing some of their Glastonbury performance a couple weeks ago, they look even younger now.

 

A repeat of George Benson’s dullfest.

 

UB40 and Jets have been dropped. Sadly, so have ABC.

 

So, we move on to Robert Palmer before he became rubbish. Even longer before he became dead.

 

Another chance to see Tight Fit. Can someone find Mike Read’s off switch please?

 

The first bit of the charts with a display of UKIP purple just for Mike Read.

 

Toni Basil with some fairly naff pop. Toni Basil is now 72.

 

Another chunk of charts. Numbers 20-11 followed by fairly lengthy clips of the top ten. This week that is mostly a good thing.

 

We end with a moment of TOTP history as The Jam perform both sides of their double a-side at number one. We even get a bit of Pigbag at the start of Precious. As opposed to the precious of Start.

 

The Proms start next week, so I suspect we will only be getting one programme per week until September.

Quick changeover of no1s in this part of 82 with shaky kraftwerk and now the jam - unfortunate The Stranglers couldn't get there with Golden Brown - fantastic track!

 

 

Sure is. The only Stranglers track that I like.

Sure is. The only Stranglers track that I like.

 

I dont really know their stuff but there are some absolute classics in this era that are still known alot today - The current No1 must be one of the best chart toppers of all time by The Jam.