Yeh it's an absolute classic, I still love Johnny Come Home though.

Wow into 1989 already, a better year than 1988 in my opinion for chart music with some great defining songs to end the 80s on. 'She Drives Me Crazy' is certainly on of them, easily my favourite from them. FYC had a bit of a revival in 1989 before Londonbeat, who were certainly influenced by them I think, had some hits in 1990.

 

That Holly Johnson song is good, not that well known these days but his follow up 'Americanos' is still an occasional radio fave.

Edited February 18, 20205 yr by The S***e

You not following the old episodes any longer Snake?

You not following the old episodes any longer Snake?

 

I had stopped for a while but I am going to restart again.

Good stuff, I'm still a couple of months behind! They're in March 89 on Friday nights.

Top of the Pops 26/1/1989 Presented by Gary Davies & Anthea Turner

 

Then Jerico Big Area No21 NE

 

Adeva Respect No20

Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock Get On The Dancefloor No14

Mica Paris & Will Downing Where Is The Love? No19

 

**Breakers Bobby Brown My Perogative (Video) No27

**Breakers Level 42 Tracie (Video) No28

**Breakers Sheena Easton The Lover In Me (Video) No34

 

Ten City That's The Way Love Is No17 ^^

 

 

Brother Beyond Be My Twin No15

***No1 Marc Almond & Gene Pitney Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart ***No1

Milli Vanilli Baby I Don't Forget My Number (Video) No16

 

 

Tonight we have Anthea Turner joining Gary Davies presenting for the first time from the new look set and as Gary says it's a fast moving totp these days with more music. We start with the highest new entry from Then Jerico not a band I know much about. This is a nice slice of indie pop though to start the show. This was only their second top 40 hit.

 

Next up we have a second studio performance from American rnb singer Adeva. This was her first hit of a career that would be hit and miss but would continue right up until 1996. After a quick chart rundown we have Rob Base and his DJ crew back into to perform their dancefloor filler again, wonder if this will finally help them into the top 10!

 

A fourth studio performance in a row this time by Mica Paris and Will Downing with the soppy but nice Where Is The Love.

 

We are back to our average of three breakers this week which suits me fine as we see the 3rd single from Level 42s current album Staring At The Sun, we hear Bobby Browns biggest hit so far with My Perogative & finiah with Sheena Eastons new hit. Following this we have this weeks highest climbed by Ten City.

 

Next in the studio next we Brother Beyonds new single Be My again has the teenagers in the studio going wild even with a solo sax stint in the middle of things, the first since T'Pau was at the top of the charts.

 

We count down the final part of the chart and find out that Marc Almond & Gebe Pitney have climbed all the way to the top spot following last weeks performance. Probably one of the most unlikely No1s of the year but it sounds great with the classic chrooning of Pitney alongside the wonder voice of Marc his biggest hit since 1982.

 

We finish with the new video by Milli Vanilli at 16 it's Baby Don't Forget My Number.

Edited February 22, 20205 yr by Steve201

Top of the Pops 2/2/1989 Presented by Simon Mayo & Steve Wright

 

Holly Johnson Love Train No5

Roy Orbison You Got It (Video) No3

Robert Howard & Kim Mazelle Wait No10

Sheena Easton The Lover In Me No23

 

**Breakers Michael Ball Love Changes Everything (Video) No24 NE

**Breakers Yazz The Fine Time (Video) No27 NE

**Breakers Hus & Cry Looking For Linda (Video) No32 NE

**Breakers Samantha Fox I Only Wanna Be With You (Video) No29 NE

 

Simply Red It's Only Love No22 ^^

Roachford Cuddly Toy No4

***No1 Marc Almond & Gene Pitney Something's Gotten A Hold Of My Heart (Video)***No1 week 2

Bobby Brown My Perogative (Video) No15

 

 

It's the first show of February and Steve Wright joins Simon Mayo for the show. It's must be one of Steve Wrights final shows as the old guard fall away quickly in 1988/89. Can anyone shed any light on that?

 

Anyway we start with Holly Johnsons first solo hit being performed for a second time in the studio as it edges towards the top 5 in the chart. What a wonderful purple outfit and hat that he was wearing too. Moving onto another track moving closer to the summit of the chart the fantastic video for 'You Got It' by the legendary Big O. Probably one of my favourite songs in the chart at the moment, thanks to King Rollo for advising this was an original hit for 1989 as I thought like so many others in the late 80s it was a rerelease.

 

Next up it's the great house track 'Wait' performed live in the studio white piano and all. I like the direction dance is taking in 1989 as it sounds very much like the stuff we hear 30 years later. This is a great track.

 

Next in the studio it's the new Sheena Easton single, standard late 80s pop/rnb in the American Whitney fashion with the big drop beats and lyrics. Not for me and it sounds old fashioned and of it's time. We show some breakers now starting with a man who was recently top of the album charts getting actual singles chart relevancy with an opera song from the Andrew Lloyd Webber show Aspects of Love. This is followed by decent new tracks from Hue & Cry, a follow up from Yazz & an actual cheesy classic from Samantha Fox with another europop hi energy number.

 

Next in the studio is the decent new single from Simply Red. He was coming for a successful third era and it was only 1989. More hits were to come through the 1990s. Another live performance from Roachford with Cuddly Toy taking its position in the top 5.

 

Onto the no1 now and it's a second week for the wonderful Almond/Pitney combo in fact the top 2 stays the same with Mike Rutherford and his Living Years staying at 2. We finish it with the new Bobby Brown video for My Perogative.

Edited February 27, 20205 yr by Steve201

Top of the Pops 9/2/1989 Presented by Mike Read & Sybil Ruscoe

 

Samantha Fox I Only Wanna Be With You No20

Rick Astley Hold Me In Your Arms No26 NE

Yazz Fine Time No11 ^^

Hue & Cry Looking for Linda No23

 

 

**Breakers Def Leppard Rocket (Video) No31 NE

**Breakers Poison Every Rose Has Its Thorn (Video) No33 NE

**Breakers Texas I Don't Wanna Lover (Video) No34 NE

 

 

 

Michael Ball Love Changes Everything No12

Bobby Brown My Prerogative(Video) No9

Morrissey The Last Of The International Playboys No6 Highest NE

 

 

***No1 Marc Almond & Gene Pitney Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart No1*** 3 Weeks

Mike & The Mechanics The Living Years (Video) No2

 

 

A decent combo of Mike Reed and Sybil this week who I don't think have been together before. We start with the overall terrible Samantha Fox destroying Dusty Springfields classic. Even the Bay City Rollers version was better!! Next we have Rick Astley in the studio with his quite nice new single which is a ballad, with the hits drying up since his 1987 breakthrough it'll be interesting to see where SAW bring him next.

 

Following the 40-31 countdown we have Yazz performing her new single 'Fine Time' in the studio - this weeks highest climbed in the chart, sounds ok but the inevitable ballad release isn't as goood as the uptempo smashes of 1988. We are being spoilt tonight with a 4th consecutive studio performance this time the new single from Hue & Cry. Really a discovery for me watching totp as I hadn't heard of them before that, the lead singers vocals are lush.

 

We have a trio of chart breakers next from Def Leppard, Poison which sounds like a big rock/metal country ballad and the first chart sounds from the wonderful Texas with what I regard as their signature track 'I Don't Wanna Lover'.

 

Next in the studio is a bit of a musical moment with the fantastic 'Love Changes Everything' from the then relatively unknown Michale Ball. Such uniqueness to the charts back then. The closest we get to that now is a viral you tube video by Babyshark.

 

Next we have a unneeded THIRD play in as many weeks for the new Bobby Brown single riding high in the charts. I can imagine this being A Listed on radio 1 at the time and getting rinsed as it does sound like a Michael Jackson B- Side.

 

Next it's by far the best performance of the week with the new single from Morrissey and the first release since Suedehead last year. Fantastic track and as Sybyl said a radio 1 record of the week, they still have them 30 years later!!

 

And at no1 for a third week it's the fantastic 'Somethings Got A Hold Of My Heart' by Marc Almond & Gene Pitney.

 

We end a decent episode with a big kiss for Mike Read from Yazz and the classic Mike & The Mechanics.

Edited March 1, 20205 yr by Steve201

Top of the Pops 16/2/1989 Presented by Mark Goodier & Andy Crane

 

Def Leppard Rocket No20

Simple Minds Belfast Child (Video) No2 NE

Gloria Estefan Can't Stay Away From You No33 NE

Poison Every Rose Has It's Thorn (Video) No24

 

**Breakers Edie Brickell & New Bohemians What I Am (Video) No37 NE

**Breakers Pop Will Eat Itself Can You Dig It (Video) No38 NE

**Breakers Debbie Gibson Lost In Your Eyes (Video) No34

 

Texas I don't Want a Lover No21

Sam Brown Stop No17 ^^

The Style Council Promised Land No32 NE

***No1 Marc Almond & Gene Pitney Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart (Video)***No1 4th Week

S'Express Hey Music Lover (Video) No29

 

 

We join Mark Goodier and Andy Crane for more top 40 hits from February 1989 who are still feeling the love two days after Valentines Day and Def Leppard are in the studio performing their new single 'Rocket'. I'm sure this is their first appearance in the studio. Next we have a taster of the new singles video from Simple Minds, performed in front of Harland & Wolfe - Belfast Child should be a future No1 with a NE as high as No2. Great band, great song!

 

Next up in the studio is Gloria Estefan looking beautiful and singing live as Andy made sure he told us. This is the first single that doesn't have the Miami Sound Machine attached. Correct me if I'm wrong the third totp appearance! Next it's a second outing for the video of the new Poison single, fairly typical 80s metal power ballad. Just not as catchy as some of the huge hits imo.

 

After two videos we go into three breakers which a videos now the highlight is Edie Brickell & New Bohemians which I always thought was a Alanis Morrisette song but hey, it's well known now still. Next live and again actually singing as Andy boasts is the fantastic first appearance on totp for Charlene Spiteri and Texas with their signature track 'I Don't Want A Lover'. Scottish acts were huge in the 80s - Texas, Simple Minds, Big Country & Altered Images to name a few.

 

After the chart rundown we have another well known song but not a well known artists with 'Stop' by Sam Brown. Great vocals!! Next we divert away from the usual jump into the top 10 and feel like we've diverted into a different dimension with The Style Council and Paul Wellar going are piano house with the new single, a far cry from the Jams punk bashful first performance on the tops 12 years earlier, a dancefloor filler!! Have they totally jumped the shark?

 

And at No1 for a 4th week once again it's the wonderful Marc Almond and Gene Pitney. I only discovered this wonderful song on totp as it's not played much today but it's a treat to see it sold so much at the time. Great song!

 

We end with the video of the new S'Express single Hey Music Lover.

Edited March 7, 20205 yr by Steve201

I didn't know Texas started to make the charts that early :o I Don't Want A Lover sounds way more early to mid 90s than late 80s, surprised to see it was a 1989 single.

 

'Promised Land' and its house sound perhaps isn't that unusual a move for The Style Council considering their single Soul Deep back in 1984 was kind of proto-house in sound

 

In my opinion, that Hue and Cry track is such a step down from 'Labour of Love'. Labour of Love was unique and stood out in the charts whereas Looking For Linda is cheesy and rather generic in comparison.

Edited March 8, 20205 yr by The S***e

Thanks for it commenting Snake. Yes thanks for reminding me of 'Soul Deep' back in 84, remember them performing it when it was shown. The Style Council definately were more of a cross genre based band but their best moments for me were the indie/new wave moments which sounded more The Jam. Think this is their last era before Weller went solo, end of an era too and didn't realise they would perform on totp as late as 1989.

 

Yeh Hue & Cry def were best in their first era in 1987, I do like this new track as well though.

I Don't Want A Lover is my favourite Texas song. They struggled to follow it up. Their next five singles all missed the top 40.

I take it the follow ups are all from the first album? Strange when their first hit was pretty big the follow up didn't chart because of that momentum.

 

Yeh IDWAL was their signature track for me.

Not all of them. Just checking,their next top 40 hit in 1992 was the third single to be released from their second album but they didn't have another top 10 single until 1997. The record company did well to keep faith with them.

Seems that was the case, seemed to be like pop royalty by the noughties!

Top of the Pops 23/2/1989 Presented by Bruno Brooke's & Susie Mathis

 

S'Express Hey Music Lover No14 ^^

Michael Jackson Leave Me Alone (Video) No4 NE

Edie Brickell & The New Bohemians What I Am No32

Rick Astley Hold Me In Your Arms No10

 

**Breakers Tyree & Kool Rock Steady Turn Up The Base (Video) No33 NE

**Breakers Living In A Box Burn The House Down (Video) No31 NE

**Breakers Tone Loc Wild Thing (Video) No30

**Breakers Dusty Springfield Nothing Has Been Proved (Video) No28 NE

 

Hue & Cry Looking For Linda No16

Michael Ball Love Changes Everything No5 aspects of Love

***No1 Simple Minds Belfast Child (Video)***No1

Bananarama Lananeeneenoonoo Help (Video) No12 NE

 

We have Bruno and Susie in the presenting positions tonight and what a jacket that is Bruno is wearing, just back from the club obviously. We start with the new single from S'Express, I like the production but nowhere near their no1 from last year. That was the highest climber and we move into the highest new entry with what I count as the 5th (?) single from the Bad album by Michael Jackson, Leave Me Alone. Surprised it debuted so high compared to some earlier releases, maybe it was the video.

 

Next up in the studio we have What I Am by Edie Brickell & The New Bohemians, probably my favourite song in the top 40 at this time. Surprised they are performing as I checked the chart run last week and it only peaks one place higher than This,clearly radio 1 could see the potential. Sounds very 90s!!

 

We have a repeat performance from last week by Rick Astley now which is in the top 10. Next we have four breakers this week by Tyree, Living In A Box, Dusty Springfield & Tone Luc. The Dusty effort was from the film Scandal. Next in the studio is another performance from the new single by Hue & Cry who are still Looking For Linda.

 

Michael Ball gets another performance of Love Changes Everything, he obviously thought he had a good shot at the top spot. It was the main song from his current musical Aspects of Love. Good song though.

 

At the top spot up one place for Simple Minds with their first no1 in the chart with their 17th release for the wonderful 'Belfast Child'. Pity they didn't come into perform it in the studio though.

 

We finish with the 1989 comic relief single from Bananarama. A remake of the Beatles classic Help!

Edited March 8, 20205 yr by Steve201

II'm about 5 years behind on my totp watching, though recording them :)

 

The catch-ups here are very handy reminders! Texas were great, loved them right away and a lot of their early 90's singles were so under-rated, they deserved to go top 5 but were just out of step with the musical climate. They finally hit the big time with Chris Evans heavily plugging them on his breakfast show with Say What You Want and they became an antidote to the dance and manufactured pop that predominated at that time, along with Robbie.

Tyree & Kool Rock Steady Turn Up The Bass what a tune - it's properly ravey with the yeah woo sample!

 

The chorus of Hey Music Lover is great but overall not as good as Theme From S'express or Supafly Guy, sounds a bit more dated than those two imo.

Edited March 9, 20205 yr by The S***e

II'm about 5 years behind on my totp watching, though recording them :)

 

The catch-ups here are very handy reminders! Texas were great, loved them right away and a lot of their early 90's singles were so under-rated, they deserved to go top 5 but were just out of step with the musical climate. They finally hit the big time with Chris Evans heavily plugging them on his breakfast show with Say What You Want and they became an antidote to the dance and manufactured pop that predominated at that time, along with Robbie.

 

 

You must have a lot of recordings :P , I feel like I have loads and I'm only 2 months behind lol.

 

I enjoy your comments and they are highly valued!!

Please can someone nudge me when this gets to 1990? Will join in with watching there :D