Top of the Pops 2/3/1989 Presented by Gary Davies & Anthea Turner

 

Living In A Box - Blow The House Down No17

Sam Brown - Stop No4

Jason Donovan - To Many Broken Hearts (Video) No9 NE*

 

 

**Breakers Depeche Mode - Everythintg Counts (Live) (Video) No23

**Breakers Deacon Blue Wages Day (Video) No26 NE

**Breakers Donna Summer This Time I Know Its For Real (Video) No30 NE

**Breakers WASP Mean Man (Video) No28 NE

 

 

Tyree & Kool Rock Steady - Turn Up The Bass No16 ^^

Gloria Estefan - Can't Stay Away From You No10

Texas - I Don't Want A Lover No8

***No1 Simple Minds - Belfast Child (Video)***No1 2nd Week

Poison - Every Rose Has It's Thorn (Video) No14

 

 

We get the show started tonight with a live performance from Living In A Box with the fantastic Blow The House Down from their upcoming sophomore album 'Gatecrashing' as it climbs into the top 20. It's pure cheese and they don't even try not to mime, not sure what type of bracket you can fit this band into like a lot of late 80s pop/indie they all just blurr into one until we get cooler bands later in the year. Next up Gary introduces the great record 'Stop' by Sam Brown, now into the top 5, he points saying she's playing over there but I sure this is a repeat performance.

 

After the chart rundown from 40-31 we get a video performance of the brand new single from Jason Donovan, following up his no1 with Kylie, introduced by Anthea as 'To Many Lonely Hearts'. Il let her away with that mistake as she's only introduced a handful of programmes and she was being pushed about a little too easy by the crowd in the studio!! I have a feeling this could be a no1 in the coming weeks....

 

Next four fantastic breakers from Depeche Mode, Donna Summer, WASP & Deacon Blue. Following this the highest climber with a studio performance by Tyree and Kool Rock Steady, this is stereoptypical early 90s hip hop/house but sounds new and fresh at this time. New sounds people!!!

 

Next again I'm sure this is a repeat performance from the new Gloria Estefan single as it enters the top 10 for the first time, no sound machine are apparent on the song. Next a second performance for one of my favourites in the chart at the time by Texas!!

 

No 1 for a second week and well deserved is 'Belfast Child by Simple Minds. Im glad they got a no1 on their chart legacy although it's not their best by a long way. Don't You Forget About Me should have hit there in 1985 imo, and Promised You A Miricle was my favourite by the band.

 

We finish the show with the video for Poison and the new single, another heavy metal ballad.

Edited March 19, 20205 yr by Steve201

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

 

I will!!

 

Why 1990? Feel free to comment now :P

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.

 

Indeed the Rock Steady Skng is decent as I said in the next episode it does sound quite early 90s start of the 'Boom Shake The Room' style songs! We haven't really heard this type of track before totp up to this point, we've had the rap, and the dance/house but not really together.

Edited March 16, 20205 yr by Steve201

Belfast Child is one of Simple Minds' best songs. It's a pity that every time TOTP showed the video,they skipped the first two minutes. They did the same with Like A Prayer by Madonna which you'll get round to soon. Both songs were a bit too long to be shown in full.

By and large this era of totp seemed desperate to show as many acts as possible in the 35 mins.

Sam Brown was great, Joe Brown's daughter following in the footsteps of Kim Wilde/Marty Wilde - I was disappointed she didnt get a long run of hits - but then she didn't have a handy brother and father writing the hits for her...

Who was Joe Brown?

Who was Joe Brown?

 

British pop star of the 60's, still touring, still fab in concert, a musicians musician as they say. A sort of loveable Cockney chap who had some big hits with good pop songs like A Picture Of You, and he got a minor hit single version of the Beatles With A Little Help in the charts back in 1967, ahead of all those chart-topping versions :) He was on TV loads when I was a kid.

Cool, never heard of him, must check him out!

Top of the Pops 9/3/1989 Presented by Nicky Campbell & Lenny Henry

 

Reynolds Girls I'd Rather Jack No17

Dusty Springfield Nothing Has Been Proved No16

 

 

Womack & Womack Celebrate The World No24

Deacon Blue Wages Day No18

Paula Abdul Straight Up No15 ^^

 

 

Bananarama/Lananeeneenoonoo Help (Video) No3

Donna Summer This Time I Know It For Real No11 ^^

***No1 Jason Donovan Too Many Broken Hearts (Video)***No1

W.A.S.P Mean Man (Video) No21

 

 

We have regular Nicky Campbell tonight being joined by Lenny Henry. We must have a special Comic Relief feel to tonight's episode. Everyone is basically wearing red noses and Hale & Pace are alongside them too. Nicky and Lenny are both wearing very flashy red and gold suits and enjoying the party atmosphere.

 

We start with a performance by the Reynolds Girls with Id Rather Jack. The Reynolds Girls hailed from Liverpool and the younger sister Debbie played Katie Rogers in Brookside from 1987-89. This was fairly standard late 80s cheesy pop with some house influence, of course it was produced by SAW. They were quite hit and miss by this stage. This was the Girls one hit in the chart, they got dropped after. It was apparently a hit at radio in the uk who apparently shunned SAW pop in favour of more mature older acts. Loving the camera work here lol we even have the crew up on the balcony with a scared looking audience feeling in the way. We need Zoo back for some atmosphere.

 

Next I'm gobsmacked to see a genuine legend in the studio Dusty Springfield performing her 17th top 40 hit in the uk from the film 'The Scandal'. It was a thank you from the Pet Shop Boys for her help on their 1987 No2 'What Have I Done To Deserve This' Great to hear her on totp.

 

Next up in the studio it's the new single from Womack & Womack - can't help but feel like this sounds like their big hit from 1988 'Teardrops'. This seems to be their final top 40 appearance.

 

We are being spoilt this week with a fourth live performance in a row with the wonderful Deacon Blues new single 'Wages Day' definately one of my favourite bands from this pre-brit pop era.

 

Next something completely different with the highest climber by Paula Abdul, not sure you could suggest she's singing live though. Just joking Paula this is quite a decent up beat peace of pop/rnb which is well known today. You might know Paula from being on the X-Factor panel and she looks like she hasn't aged a day either.

 

Next up we get our first non studio performance with the video of the comic relief single by Bananarama, no3 seems to be a bit of an underperformance for this looking back. Love French & Saunders in the video though! We are back in the studio next but with a repeated performance from last week of the wonderful Donna Summer comeback. She did seem to have a few huge hits in the second half of the 80s. This is quite nice and I expect it to rise into the top 10 in the coming weeks, God help us in 15 years when we have the Kelly Llorenna version to look forward to.

 

We have a tight race to the top with Simple Minds falling 5 to 6 and Michael Ball shuffling up to 2 but Aussie Neighbour Jason Donovan leaps above them all to the top spot with his second no1 in as many months with this great slice of SAW pop. The sucking of the chart looks very 2020 this week with the no1 having a huge ACR style fall some songs moving up 1/2 places but a big new no1 outselling then all.

 

We end with some very heavy metal in the new single by W.A.S.P, 'Mean Man'. This was their third of 7 top 40 hits.

 

Just realised with all the Red Nose Day hilarity we had no 'chart breakers' for the first time in ages.

Edited March 28, 20205 yr by Steve201

Top of the Pops 16/3/1989 Presented by Simon Mayo, Sybil Ruscoe & Rod McKenzie

 

New Order Round and Round No22

Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine Can't Stay Away From You No7

Chanelle One Man No22 ^^

 

 

**Breakers Alyson Williams Sleep Talk (Video) No28 ^^

**Breakers Elvis Costello Veronica (Video) No31

**Breakers Kim Wilde Love In The Natural Way (Video) No36 NE

**Breakers New Model Army Vagabonds (Video) No37

 

Fuzzbox International Rescue No23

Madonna Like A Prayer (Video) No2 NE*

Soul II Soul Ft Caron Wheeler Keep On Movin No15 NE

 

 

***No1 Jason Donovan Too Many Broken Hearts (Video)***No1

Guns N' Roses Paradise City (Video) No21 NE

 

 

Three presenters tonight with Simon, Sybil and Rod McKenzie from the equilvant of Newsbeat in 1989. And what a start we have with the new single by New Order who were already fairly legendary by this stage and still singing live. Round and Round was their 13th of 26 top 40 hits so far in the uk chart. Although that doesn't count their only no1 in 1990 World In Motion. It's was the second single from their 5th album 'Technique'.

 

Next we have Gloria Estefan and she's introduced with the Sound Machine this week, I'm pretty sure this is the third performance of this overall and the second repeat showing. They must really loved it!

 

Next up following the first part of the chart all the way from New Jersey, Chanelle. Can't say I've heard this or of her before. This was her only top 40 hit in the uk. This is fairly typical 80s pop/rnb trying to be Whitney but not quite being as good.

 

The breakers return next with some Crackers from the highest climber Alyson Williams, New Model Army, Kim Wilde and the legendary Elvis Costello all looking to rise the chart next week.

 

Next in the studio is the sound at number 23 from Fuzzbox. The song isn't overly memorable but goodness me that leadersinger 😍. A quick glance on Polyhex shows that they had 6 top 75 hits overall but vary in names between Fuzzbox and 'We've Got a Fuzzbox and We're Gonna Use It'. Confusing! Anyway this would turn into their biggest hit peaking at 11. Not sure whether they should be described as a novelty band which says it all really.

 

Next we have the new Madonna video and highest new entry and let's face it the best song of the week and the chart. Madonna had been away for 15 months from the chart which for her in the 80s was a lifetime but this felt like a real up turn in quality and showed that she would be around for a lot longer. The only shock was that it didn't debut at no1 - ah well there's always next week.

 

After the middle section of the chart we have a studio performance from the second highest new entry by a new London rnb act with the wonderful 'Keep On Movin'. They would excel even further with future releases but this was a glimpse into 90s sounding rnb for me, sounds great.

 

Somehow Jason Donovan fends off the Madonna surge this week to claim a second week at the top spot. We again get the video, the 4th week we don't have a studio performance from Jason and Simple Minds.

 

We end with the fantastic classic 'Paradise City' video. The third single from the legendary 'Appetite For Destruction' album which did take some months to get going.

Edited March 29, 20205 yr by Steve201

good rundowns :) Re Fuzzbox, they were great fun, the early stuff was more punkish, Rules & Regulations was a goodie, as was the Vindaloo Summer Special single (acts on the indie label) Rockin' With Rita, then they went major label, got glammed up and pure pop-ped. Pink Sunshine was the best track on a decent album, but sadly they didn't happen as a big thing.

 

I'm wondering whether we could a similarly styled Random Record Rundown feature - people taking an album out of their collection at random that they havent listened to for yonks and reviewing it as they listen to it again with fresh ears... :)

Thanks!

 

I would be up for that idea with the albums. One thing watching the old totp does for me is help with what old albums to purchase for my vinyl collection. Purchased the first albums by Human League, Depeche Mode & Tears For Fears due to this.

Edited March 29, 20205 yr by Steve201

International Rescue by Fuzzbox was a great track,its sound always reminded me of Propaganda.

 

Great idea about the album reviews. I've got plenty that I haven't listened to for a while.

Top of the Pops 23/3/1989 Presented by Mark Goodier and Andy Crane

 

Reynolds Girls I'd Rather Jack No10

Alyson Williams Sleep Talk No16

Donna Summer This Time I Know Its For Real (Video) No3

Coldcut Ft Lisa Stansfield People Hold On No24 NE

 

 

**Breakers Pat & Mick I Haven't Stopped Dancing Yet (Video) No34 NE

**Breakers Roachford Family Man (Video) No29 NE

**Breakers The Bangles Eternal Flame (Video) No33 NE

**Breakers Kym Mazelle Got To Get You Back (Video) No35 NE

 

 

Kim Wilde Love In The Natural Way No35

Paula Abdul Straight Up No4

***No1 Madonna Like A Prayer***No1 (Video)

Bobby Brown Don't Be Cruel (Video) No27 NE

 

 

Mark and Andy are on presenting duties tonight and it must be Easter in 1989 and we start the show with another performance by the Reynolds Girls as it enters the top 10, they must have thought it was in with a shout of the top spot in the weeks ahead. Is one of the lines actually 'I'd Rather Jack, Like Fleetwood Mac'??

 

Next up is Alyson Williams with her current top 20 hit 'Sleep Talk' Sounds like fairly standard late 80s pop/rnb with the standard beats. This is the first of 3 top 40 singles for Williams all within the next year and the first release from the New Yorkers album 'Raw' which would be a top 30 album in the UK.

 

After the first part of the chart rundown we have the video for the current Donna Summer sound as it enters the top 3, a good cover produced by guess who SAW even legendary artists like Donna were calling on them to get a hit by this stage, thankfully we will only have another 12-18 months of SAW domination as they fade a bit as the 1990s get going.

 

One of the reasons they thankfully faded is because of much more professional and experimental producers like our next performer came to dominate and make better sounding tracks like this one from Coldcut and we get a first look (and listen) to the wonderful sound of Lisa Stansfield. She would have many more hits in the next decade. This was Stanfields 1st of 17 top 40 hits between 1989-97 including 2 No1s.

 

Next up we have breakers from Pat & Mick, Roachford, Kym Mazelle & by far the best quality from The Bangles with the pop classic Eternal Flame, yes the Atomic Kitten No1 for all those millenials.

 

Next in the studio a totp 80s favourite with Kim Wilde performing her new single, she's had somewhat of a revival hits wise since 1987 after a bit of a lul mid decade 1983-85. I would watch her every week, lovely voice!! As Mark says she's one of britains favourite pop ladies.

 

After the countdown from 30-11 we have a repeat performance from Paula Abdul, pity I would have liked to hear the highest climber from Kon Kan!!!

 

Moving up to the top spot enevitably is Like A Prayer by Madonna. What a pop song!!

 

We end the show with a NE for Bobby Brown jumping on the success of 'My Prerogative' by re-releasing 'Don't Be Cruel' which was his first release in August 1988 but stuttered around the top 75 for 6/7 weeks.

Edited April 6, 20205 yr by Steve201

Lisa Stansfield is fab, good to see her starting her chart days. I love that she talks with a Rochdale accent and sings with an American soul accent. I'd have paid good money just to hear her once do her signature tune in her speaking accent:

 

"Av bin aroun t'worrld an I cant find mi behhhbih...!"

 

Mark and Andy are on presenting duties tonight and it must be Easter in 1989 and we start the show with another performance by the Reynolds Girls as it enters the top 10, they must have thought it was in with a shout of the top spot in the weeks ahead. Is one of the lines actually 'I'd Rather Jack, Like Fleetwood Mac'??

 

Not quite!

 

Who needs Pink Floyd, Dire Straits?

That's not our music, it's out of date

Demographic stereo

They never play the songs we know

 

Golden oldies, Rolling Stones, we don't want them back

I'd rather jack than Fleetwood Mac

No heavy metal, rock'n'roll, music from the past

I'd rather jack than Fleetwood Mac

Edited April 6, 20205 yr by Toilet Rollo

Haha so pretty much SAW having ago at decent music then lol.

Lisa Stansfield is fab, good to see her starting her chart days. I love that she talks with a Rochdale accent and sings with an American soul accent. I'd have paid good money just to hear her once do her signature tune in her speaking accent:

 

"Av bin aroun t'worrld an I cant find mi behhhbih...!"

 

I love her accent :wub:

Top of the Pops 30/3/1989 Presented by Gary Davies & Bruno Brooke's

 

Pat & Mick I Haven't Stopped Dancing Yet No16

The Bangles Eternal Flame No13 ^^

Roachford Family Man No25

 

 

**Breakers Brother Beyond Can You Keep A Secret (Video) No34 NE

**Breakers Paul Simpson Ft Adeva Musical Freedom (Video) No30 NE

**Transvision Vamp Baby I Don't Care (Video) No33 NE

 

The The The Beat(en) Generation No26 NE

Guns & Roses Paradise City(Video) No6

Fuzzbox International Rescue No11

 

 

The Cult Fire Woman No22 NE*

***No1 Madonna Like A Prayer(Video)***No1

Kon Kan I Beg Your Pardon(Video) No10

 

 

 

 

We start it with the cheese fest that is Pat and Mick including former totp presenter Pat Sharpe with a novelty style hit with backing men and woman dancers to boot. And with all that dancing of course Mick had to wear a suit and tie, how very 80s.

 

Next the quality increases massively with the video of the fantastic pop classic that is 'Eternal Flame' the the Bangles, the highest climber in the chart. Much better than the Atomic Kitten remake over a decade later. It did well here and would be a future month long No1 and deservedly reached no1 on the billboard charts. It was the second single from their third album 'Everything'.

 

Following the 40-31 rundown there a performance by Roachford with 'Family Man' looking to follow up his big hit from earlier in the year. I quite Ike this as well, nice to see him comeback in 2020 with some radio 2 support. Bruno looked like he was enjoying it too singing along at the end.

 

Some decent breakers this week with the best being Transvision Vamp and their signature track 'Baby I Don't Care, alongside Paul Simpson and Adeva & another cheesefest from the Brothers Beyond.

 

Next up and as Gary says their first appearance in the studio for a strangely named band The The. This is alright Mor pop with indie elements, quite different for the totp studio in 1989. A quick check on polyhex shows this band has been on the go since the early 80s with the first top 75 hit in 1982 and first top 40 in August 1986. This would be their biggest hit until a No17 hit in 1994.

 

Another classic more heavier rock next with another viewing of the classic Guns & Roses track 'Paradise City'. Getting the coverage it deserves.

 

Fuzzbox get a second outing in the studio with their ode to Thunderbirds, my word that lead singer is something else lol.

 

The highest new entry is next live in the studio with the return of the heavy metal band The Cult. This was the lead single from their fourth album 'Sonic Temple'. And a 9th of what would be 17 top 75 singles from the band with this bein the final big era. 'She Sells Sanctuary' from 1985 would be their best known release.

 

The top 10 countdown will show only one new entry and a non-moved top 5 quite unusual for the time with Like A Prayer No1 for a second week. Classic!

 

We leave a chaotic totp studio with the video for a forgotten classic by Kon Kan, heard this before but didn't know what it was and it's hard to know if it was an early indie track or a cheesy dance track. Great stuff though and it was a one hit wonder too!

Edited April 28, 20205 yr by Steve201