December 18, 20196 yr I noticed The Hollies turned up to perform in the studio for three consecutive weeks and singing live each time. They must have been so proud to have been no.1,twenty three years after their first no.1.
December 18, 20196 yr Yeh I thought that was a second live performance from them the way Gary introduced it. Fair play to them other artists don't bother. I see we have Richard Skinner back for the first time in years. I think he returned to radio 1 after a period away. Good to keep the oldies in there after Peter Powell left. Although we still have Mike Read for over a year!
December 20, 20196 yr I see in the tv listings totp has 2 episodes tomorrow night - one on from 25/12/1988 followed by the 22/12/88 episode 🤔
December 21, 20196 yr I see in the tv listings totp has 2 episodes tomorrow night - one on from 25/12/1988 followed by the 22/12/88 episode 🤔 Yeah back to front. :D
December 21, 20196 yr So that's it for 1988. Friday January 3rd at 8.30pm we get The Story Of 1989 followed at 9.30 by Big Hits 1989.
December 21, 20196 yr Yeah back to front. :D Was it actually broadcast like that? We miss the nye episode from 1988 due to certain presenters but back for the first show of 89!
December 22, 20196 yr Top of the Pops 6/10/1988 Presented by Simon Mayo & Richard Skinner Pasedenas Riding On A Train No13 Bobby McFerrin Don't Worry, Be Happy (Video) No11 Wee Papa Girl Rappers Wee Rule No17 **Breakers Spear Of Destiny So In Love With You (Video) No36 NE **Breakers Beatmasters With PP Arnold Burn It Up (Video) No35 NE **Breakers Kim Wilde Never Trust a Stranger (Video) No32 Erasure A Little Respect No12 Rick Astley She Wants to Dance with Me No7 ***No1 U2 Desire (Video) No1*** 1st ever No1 Duran Duran I Don't Want Your Love(Video) No14 z8rQ575DWD8 Great to see one of the old presenters back for this episode in Richard Skinner after 3/4 years away. We start with this cheesy Pasadenas track. Now there's the Classic track by Bobby McFerrin there thought it was an old song remade but it was actually first released in 1988 and no1 in the US Billboard charts and will peak at No2 in the UK. Next we have the Wee Papa Girls, I'm not sure if they're a novelty act or not which tells you my thoughts on them. The lead singer is lovely looking is the most I took from it. We follow this with three breakers from Spear of Destiny, Beatmasters & another slice of the wonderful Kim Wilde(Pop will be delighted with). Things pick up in the second half of the episode with Richard Skinner getting better at meeting his promps and we get to see a classic live performance of 'A Little Respect by Erasure. This is followed by a repeat from Rick Astley, did you know he wrote it all himself?! And what must be one of the best No1s of 1988 with U2 Desire replacing The Hollies at the top just before Rattle & Hum came out. We end the show with another viewing of the new Duran Duran single from the upcoming greatest hits called 'Decade' even though their first hit came in 1981 I assume this referenced the fact the group had been together since 1978. This song didn't chart as well as ALOT of their others mainly due to its poorer quality but also they were too big to come in and perform it in the studio. Edited December 22, 20196 yr by ChristmaSteve201
December 22, 20196 yr Inner City - Good Life in the 15/12/88 episode - still an iconic dance track. U2 - Angel Of Harlem is a classic too from that episode.
December 22, 20196 yr Inner City - Good Life in the 15/12/88 episode - still an iconic dance track. U2 - Angel Of Harlem is a classic too from that episode. Sounds quite like their first hit!
January 2, 20206 yr Top of the Pops 13/10/1988 Presented by Bruno Brooke's & Gary Davies Beatmasters with P P Arnold Burn It Up No16 Sabrina All Of Me No31 T'Pau Secret Garden No19 **Breakers Enya Orinoco Flow (Video) NE No29 **Breakers The Christians Harvest For The World (Video) No21 **Breakers D Mob We Call It Aceeed (Ft Gary Haisman) (Video) No20 Kim Wilde Never Trust A Stranger No15 Sinnita I Don't Believe In Miricles No25 ***No1 Whitney Houston One Moment In Time (Video)***No1 Bananarama Love Truth & Honesty No23 96aAx0kxVSA A return to totp for PP Arnold with some house background beats as was the way in 1988, this sound is becoming very common on a lot of record in 1988, guess that's what's popular at the time. Burn It Up sounds quite good anyway up to 16 this week. Sabrina is next in the studio still showing off her assets in the follow up to the summer hit Boys and this sounds pretty similar to it with the Euro pop style hi-energy beats which sort of sounds dated alongside Beatmasters - more akin to sonthingg rom pre-1985. Three studio performances, this must be a better episode! We have T'Pau back with a new single and it sounds decent. We have three decent breakers that will become huge in the coming month with future no1 contender Enya with the beautiful Sail Away as I always called it, D Mob showing acid house ruled and The Christians with a well known cover. Next in the studio is the wonderful Kim Wilde again, didn't realise how much of a high profile she had i the 87-90 period. Another performance from a girl popstar this time Sinitta (there were a lot of them about in 1988) and another SAW style pop song, not my cup of tea. Whatever happened to the quality pop music by Kim Wilde, Bow Wow Wow & Kate from the early part of the decade? And so Whitney gets her second No1 with the anthemic Olympic song One Moment In Time, she would return to this anthemic ballad in the next decade too.... We finish with a performance of Bananarama Love, Truth & Honesty. Edited January 2, 20206 yr by ChristmaSteve201
January 6, 20206 yr Top of the Pops 20/10/1988 Presented by Steve Wright & Caron Keating D Mob Ft Gary Haisman We Call It Acieed (Video) No3 The Christians Harvest Of The World (Video) No9 Enya Orinoco Flow No5 ❤️ **Breakers Deacon Blue Real Gone Kid (Video) No29 NE **Breakers Milli Vanilli Girl You Know Its True (Video) No20 Erasure A Little Respect No4 Kylie Minogue Je Ne Said Pas Pourquoi No11 ***No1 Whitney Houston One Moment In Time***No1 (Video) 2 Weeks Wee Papa Girl Rappers Wee Rule No6 96aAx0kxVSA We have old stalwart Steve Wright and newbie from Blue Peter Caron Keating presenting this episode and start strangely with a video. Strange but Stranger is its a house record about taking drugs called We Call It Acieed, maybe the BBC didn't get it at the time? The videos continue with argueably The Christians biggest hit and it's a cover. It's a classic though and the version I remember most. Are we ever going to get a studio performance tonght? Well no, it's the chart rundown 40-31! We finally get a studio performance of the surely soon to be No1 by Enya, its genius stuff. Steve Wright proclaims it is being played a lot on radio 1. And when the song started I thought it was another video as it was a mixed performance. Two more videos now but they are breakers by the brillant Deacon Boue with arguably their biggest hit Real Gone Kid and the not so good Milli Vanilli. And a studio performance wilhich is a repeat from a couple of weeks ago of Erasure but since it's the wonderful A Little Respect il forgive them. U2 down from 2-17 with Desire - WTF? Kylie in the studio with her new single Je Ne Sais Pas Pourquoi. And Whitney is no1 for 2 weeks with One Moment In Time, it's as if the song was made for her power vocal. We finish with a repeat performance of the terrible novelty track by the Wee Papa Girl Rappers. Edited January 6, 20206 yr by ChristmaSteve201
January 6, 20206 yr When I watched this episode I thought it was asbestos in the studio again. They never start with a video. My guess is that D Mob were booked to perform in the studio but they never turned up and so the video was shown instead. I don't know why they considered Enya to be so boring that they had to intersperse her performance with clips from her video. They went to quite a lot of trouble surrounding her with red flowers.
January 7, 20206 yr When I watched this episode I thought it was asbestos in the studio again. They never start with a video. My guess is that D Mob were booked to perform in the studio but they never turned up and so the video was shown instead. I don't know why they considered Enya to be so boring that they had to intersperse her performance with clips from her video. They went to quite a lot of trouble surrounding her with red flowers. I Always assumed the artists dressed the stage not totp? Yeh D Mobs video was shown the week before in the breakers too so must have been something like that. Surprised the track wasn't banned by BBC at that point lol.
January 7, 20206 yr Top of the Pops 27/10/1988 Presented by Simon Mayo & Anthea Turner Milli Vanilli Girl You Know Its True No10 **Breakers Tanita Tikaram Twist In My Soberity (Video)No29 **Breakers Robert Palmer She Makes My Day (Video) No18 **Breakers Yazz Stand Up for Your Love Rights (Video) NE No11 Art of Noise Kiss Ft Tom Jones No19 Royal House Can You Party No17 Deacon Blue Real Gone Kid No21 ***No1 Enya Orinoco Flow (Video) ***No1 The Beatmasters & PP Arnold Burn It Up No14 654tlKKI_Ys Is this Antheas first appearance? Her partner leaves and she begins, nice that. We start with Milli Vanilli and there was def a bit cut at the start there when they were introduced, maybe it's just the old footage. I know the track though, def heard it before. We then unusually go straight into the breakers section with three crackers the best being from Tanita Takarim. And two others by Robert Palmer and Yazz returns without the Population the time. Another studio performance with a dance version of Kiss ft Sir Tom, class stuff as the legend climbs on the piano to be heard properly in the studio!! Next more dance of the house kind now with Can You Party. Some nice dance moves but sounds like the bass to Pump Up The Volume, maybe Snake can help with that. It is very modern for 1988 though. Back to the 'real' music now with a classic Deacon Blue single Real Gone Kid performed live in the studio. Some great pop in the chart in 1988, could you even say this is indie? We will see more of that as we enter the 90s. What we do know is that this is Deacon Blues biggest hit so far and possibly ever. Whitneys time at no1 comes to an abrupt end as she falls to 3 to be replaced by the dreamy beauty of Enya and Orinoco Flow, an absolute classic! We end the show with a repeat performance from a few weeks ago of the Beatmasters, that's too much house for me thanks! Edited January 7, 20206 yr by Steve201
January 9, 20206 yr Top of the Pops 3/11/1988 Presented by Nicky Campbell & Mark Goodier Gloria Estefan & The Miami Sound Machine 1-2-3 No24 Robert Palmer She Makes My Day (Video) No8 Tanita Tikaram Twist In My Sobriety No26 **Breakers Brian Ferry Lets Stick Together 88 (Video) No28 NE **Breakers Robin Beck First Time (Video) No17 Kylie Minogue Je Ne Sais Pas Pourquoi (Video) No2 Yazz Stand Up For Your Love Rights No4 ***No1 Enya Orinoco Flow***No1 2 Weeks at the top Guns N Roses Welcome To The Jungle (Video) No25 O809otb7uaA We start the show with the beautiful Gloria Estefan - think this is her third appearance on totp, not bad considering she is american. That's probabaly more performances than some Brits. Next up we have the video of Robert Palmers current top 10 single 'She Makes My Day'. It's not one Im fond of to be honest, but Ive definately heard it before. We get another live performance now from Tanita with the fantastic Twist In My Sobriety, this is one of the best tracks of 1988 imo, sounds like something hip and indie sounding from the last 10 years. Ridiculous it only peaked at 22, even more ridiculous it was her last top 40 hit. We move onto our breakers next with only two this week one from Brian Ferry who we haven't seen in a while and Robin Beck. I was interested in hearing this track when it entered the top 40 last week but turns out it's a terrible American pop track that i have here before, was thinking it was something completely different. Another video next which for some reason isn't a breaker probably because it's already a hit. They musnt have been able to get Kylie in the studio this time. Next in the studio it's the new single by Yazz with all the terrible fashion that comes with it. It's nowhere near as good as her no1 from earlier in the summer, maybe she need the Population back on board. At no1 for a deserved second week is Enya with the masterpiece that is Orinoco Flow. Can you tell I like it? We end the show with the rather wonder Guns N Roses with the classic 'Welcome To The Jungle'. Edited January 9, 20206 yr by Steve201
January 12, 20206 yr Top of the Pops 10/11/1988 Presented by Bruno Brooke's & Sybil Ruscoe Brother Beyond He Ain't no Competition No8 Bryan Ferry Let's Stick Together (Video) No12 Robin Beck First Time No5 **Breakers Salt N Pepa Twist & Shout (Video) NE No22 **Breakers INXS Need You Tonight (Video) NE No18 Chris are Burgh Missing You No15 Deacon Blue Real Gone Kid No10 ***No1 Enya Orinoco Flow ***No1 3 Weeks at No1 Prince I Wish You Heaven (Video) No26 PQXz0bQkihI We have another new Presented this week following Anthea Turner now it's Sybil Ruscoe and the old hands fall away. I think these newbies are replacing Peter and Steve Wright. The quality starts low tonight with Brother Beyond, beyond awful as usual, can we just skip this boy and era and go to Take That three years early? Next we have another showing of the Bryan Ferry single rereleased after peaking at 4 in 1976 this is the highest it will get in 1988. Next in the studio we have from NYC Robin Beck with a great performance of what could be no1 in the coming weeks. We again have two breakers with a terrible new single from Salt N Pepa after the all kinds of wonderful first hit they e done a remix of Twist & Shout. The second is INXSs signature hit. Wonder if they'll be in the studio performing it? The quality once again goes up a notch with Deacon Blue performing the wonderful Real Gone Kid in the studio. Then the quality stays at a high level as we have Enya at no1 for a third week. We end the show with a random gatecrasher in Donny Osmond who got cut off quite quickly by Bruno Brooke's. Wonder why he didn't perform if he was there. We end with the new Prince video for one of his lesser known tracks. Edited January 12, 20206 yr by Steve201
January 16, 20206 yr Top of the Pops 17/11/1988 Presented by Gary Davies & Susie Mathis Yazz Stand Up For Your Love Rights No2 All About Eve What Kind Of Fool No29 INXS Need You Tonight (Video) No4 Mica Paris Breath Life Into Me No28 Tanita Takarim Twist In My Sobriety No22 ***No1 Robin Beck First Time No1*** Salt N Pepa Twist and Shout (Video) No12 S9ehWW2mhKI Another new Presenter this week in Susie Mathis. It's actually her first appearance since appearing in 1968 as a 7 year old with the Paper Dolls. We start off with the new Yazz single again without the Population. It's at No2 so she must be trying to get a second no1 of the year. Next we have a return to the studio for the wonderful All About Eve - did you know they are performing live!! She sort of reminds me of Florence Welsh, lovely stuff anyway. Up next it's a video of the new INXS single their biggest UK hit that Professor Green did his own version of last decade. I'm worried about our breakers - is there none. Mica Paris is next with her new single Breathe Life Into Me. Sounds fairly average RnB to me with that distinctive 80s beat. Next up again live in the studio the wonder Twist In My Sobriety - still only stuttering up to 22 and this it's second performance, did people only like SAW nonsense in the late 80s, this deserves much better imho. And we have a brand new no1 as Enya falls 1-5. I like this Robin song but I wouldn't go too mad about it, pretty sure it's had a dance version in the past 20 years. Oh Yes Sunblock in 2005. It does sound like a real 80s power ballad! We finish with a poor cover from Salt N Pepa. Edited January 16, 20206 yr by Steve201
January 16, 20206 yr The Robin Beck song was popular because it was used in a Coca Cola commercial with slightly altered lyrics.
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