blackcat

Thanks for your info., robbie, I notice that there is a good top of the pops thread on the ukmix forum, in fact, more informative than this one (he says through gritted teeth :angry: ) Can you do me a favour, and ask posters like CZB and graham76man to get their collective as*es over here, please! ;) Could do with some more background on this thread, although everyone seems to enjoy contributing to it. It is a shame that these DLT shows are not being shown as, under British law, he has not actually been found guilty of anything as yet! Petty red tape at the beeb, in my view.

Thanks to suedehead for doing the points of view this week, I am in agreement, NOT a vintage edition! :w00t: What a contrast in Scottish pop this week, from the sublime Baker Street, to Andy Cameron's football dirge.How did the Scots do in the World Cup in '78? I remember them losing to Peru, I think they drew with Iran, and then I remember them beating Holland, but still being eliminated on goal difference. If I remember correctly, the match against Holland saw Archie Gemmell score one of the best goals in world cup history. Agree with richie, World In Motion with a great song by New Order, but Three Lions was still the best football song in my book. Trivia question for this week - Elvis Costello's real name, and as many of his hits as can be recalled by the grey matter. All the best BC B-)

Thank you for the feedback, will continue the same way, then, trivia questions and all! However there is a complication - because of extra work activities, I personally might not be able to comment on the Thursday night reruns on a Thursday anymore; I may have to wait until I can see it on the interactive service, probably on a Friday evening or Saturday morning. So if anyone else feels brave enough to offer a few opinions off the cuff directly after the programme on Thursday nights, then please feel free! (I wonder if suedehead is brave enough to do it............. :unsure: ) Would be nice to hear some other viewpoints in that respect! I cant be the only one drooling over Legs & Co. every week, afterall! :P

Yes, well done all, Gerry had folk group connections with Billy Connelly, who went onto other things. Baker Street a great song, and so is "Stuck In The Middle With You", which was used in the gangster film "Reservoir Dogs". And belated thanks to suedehead for his "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" football charity record answer, which was number one about three months ago, by the Justice Collective. Good fun these questions, but I am thinking of knocking them in the head! Reason being - no one ever seems to talk about the actual programme anymore, I get more feedback from these trivia queries than I do about the programme! I personally think that the last few editions have been excellent, showing a wide variety of music, and class music in many cases. We all have different tastes, of course, I feel that everyone on here should have found something to savour from the last three or four reruns of top of the pops 1978. Horses for course, of course, horses for courses.

Something for everyone in tonight's edition, really pleased with it. Suzy Quatro had her best record out for some time, so something for the glam rock fraternity there, you could say. That was followed by one of the best records of the era, in my view, Gerry Rafferty's Baker Street, more about Gerry soon. A classy middle of the road ballad from Dan Hill, Sometimes When We Touch, followed Gerry Rafferty, a bit Barry Manilow-ish, but still memorable enough. Good reggae track, as usual, from Bob Marley and the Wailiers after that, and then Elvis Costello with one of his early and most spunky songs, which I suppose contrast directly with Gerry Rafferty, who wanted to sing about Baker Street. Elvis did not want to go to Chelsea! Uptempo soul was Earth Wind And Fire's trademark during this period, and I thought that Fantasy was a great song from them. Bit of white soul from Manhatten Transfer, very well done and sung, much preferred this 1978 offering to their big hit of 1977. The Vibrators added more punk for those of a rebellious spirit, Kate Bush sang her brilliant number one, and Donna Summer added a touch of disco at the end. So something for everyone, top of the pops tonight showed the whole spectrum of pop music, which is surely how it should be. Trivia for this week centres on the late great Gerry Rafferty. As many of his UK hits as possible - he did not have many, but the ones he did have seem to be quite well known. Also the name of his old band, and their biggest hit from the early 1970's. And also which 1990's gangster film did that hit feature in? Finally, Scottish born Gerry worked with another Scottish artist in his very early days, and that other artist later became very famous in other entertainment fields not connected with music. Please name that other Scotsman (who, like Gerry, also had an Irish sounding surname). Alll the best, BC B-)

That answer took me by surprise, Richie! Steve Archibald, appeared on top of the pops twice, eh? I remember him as a great striker, helped Spurs win the cup in 1982. Wonder what he is doing now? Always thought that he would have made a good manager, can't recollect whether he ever went into management. There must be other examples, though, like he ones already mentioned. He surely can't have been the only person to appear twice in one edition on two songs.

Yes, that was my way of thinking was well, Brett, Richie has not yet confirmed the answer. Tony Burrows must be the favoured number one answer though. As well as being the number one voice of Edison Lighthouse, he was in about a million different groups in the early 1970's!

What a great trivia question, Ritchie. And no, I don't know the answer, off the top of my head. If it isn't Tony Burrows, as Fiesta suggests, I would go for someone like Robert Smith, who was a member of The Cure, but also of Siouxsie and her Banshees. If not, then next guess would be someone like Michael Jackson, who would have had hits under his own name and also under the Jackson banner. But I am only guessing. Going back to football songs, there have been some truly atrocious attempts at singing by professional players, of course, including questionable efforts from Kevin Keegan, Waddle And Hoddle, and various Liverpool players on the anfield rap.

Yes, right in all aspects, as usual, Suedehead. Three Lions has been an awful lot more successful than the national football team it implies support too! And I suppose it is my favourite football song. As a follow up trivia question, there have been at least two charity records ( maybe one or two more I can't think of myself off the top of my head) that have been very successful in terms of raising money for victims of football disasters. Could you name those records, and at least some of the artists involved in those projects. One of them should be no trouble, as I highlighted it on the Haven forum last Christmas myself! Always wondered why there was no really well known football song from the 1966 World cup, staged in England and won by England. Considering the amount of pop talent that was about in this country at that time, I find it astounding that no commercial pop song was recorded for England's winning home tournament. Maybe it was just simply that football and successful pop songs had not yet been associated with each other at that time. Finally, Suedehead, I get the impression, from one of your previous posts, that you are a bit of a Blondie man. If so, good on you! I loved Debbie at that time, even if she was a bit old for me! :heart:

You know, when you are only a teenager, 16 years old in my case in 1978, and you are discovering things like good rock music - a lot of that about then - and also discovering girls, with your hormones playing funny tricks, then what better vision is there than to set eyes on sexy Debbie performing Denise on top of the pops! Not that I thought that it was a great record, there were better sounds ahead for Blondie, but I really did have a crush on her, and I ended up loving Blondie's later work. Maybe even the last really great "pop" group to come out of the States. And other good things on the programme this week. Free with Alright Now - a reissue I assume - good punk from Generation X, and from The Jam, with Bruce Foxton taking the lead vocal, unusually. Good soul song from Eruption, and the usual sexy dance routine from Legs & Co. We had Hot Chocolate with their own quality brand of rocky soul, and Elkie with a very good MOR song, Liliac Wine. Never a big fan of Tina Charles, but her sound was inoffensive, if not memorable. Besides, the very original and very talented Kate Bush more than made up for the few bits of cheese on tonight's episode. As has been said, there was no one anywhere that sounded like Kate Bush before she came along. A complete one-off! Brian and Michael would not have been everyone's cup of tea, of course, but I had never heard of that particular painter until they had a hit with their eulogy to Lowry, so the record served its purpose in that respect. I personally was very happy with tonight's edition. Two football records on the show this week, one for the Scottish national team, and one for Nottingham Forest. So trivia for this week - as many hit football records over the years in the British charts as one can think of. And also, what was the most successful football record ever made? All the best, BC B-)

Yes, the film was the multi-guest Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, which was made just after the much more successful Saturday Night Fever film. The Sgt. Pepper film featured The Bee Gees performing Beatles songs, although not all songs were from the Pepper album, some were from The Abbey Road album. In spite of the Bee Gees appearance, and the appearance of many other guests in the film, including Alice Cooper, Peter Frampton, George Burns, Billy Preston, the film was indeed panned, and although it did not exactly bomb at the American box office, it did not exactly fare very well either. Never seen the film myself, not sure if it has ever been shown on British television. The Saturday Night Fever film did very well indeed, by way of contrast. That film also featured The Bee Gees, although this time they were just heard, not seen, and they were singing their own songs. At one stage the soundtrack album to SNF was the biggest selling album of all-time, before Michael Jackson's Thriller album achieved mega sales. So thanks to Grebo and Suedehead, and to Fiesta for his Andy Gibb insights. Quite a few interesting things on BBC Four tonight, including a film on Lemmy (the singer from Motorhead, I assume), and various programmes on seventies music. In terms of historical musical presentation, BBC Four would seem to be the station to watch these days.

Thank you to suedehead and, in particular, to popchartfreak for the Bee Gees answers, there seems to be a division of opinion here. Personally, I liked them, great songwriters, appealed to people of all ages, wrote for and helped other artists along the way. Similiar to their heroes The Beatles in that respect, although it has to be said that he Bee Gees were considerably more MOR than The Beatles ever were. No programme on this week, its The Sky At Night time once again. Just to keep the thread chugging along, another trivia question for Bee Gee pundits - they were involved in two film projects, in terms of writing and performing, in the mid to late 1970's. Name both projects, both films, and also give the christian name of the younger brother who had some success of his own, his own solo career, but who sadly later passed away. Best wishes, BC B-)

This week's re-run was from 2nd March 1978, which means that they skipped a week, presumably the previous edition was either a Savile or a DLT presented show. Which meant that a couple of songs, at least, were from the previous show broadcast last week, from Tom Robinson and Kate Bush. Nevertheless, it has to be said, great show this week as well, in my view. Good MOR stuff from Rita Coolidge and Samantha Sang - both Gibb brothers compositions, I think that I right in saying - good play in music from Bob Marley, and great play out music from Gerry Rafferty and his excellent Baker Street classic. Andy Williams provided something for the mellow music fan, great track from Earth Wind And Fire, Legs & Co providing every man's fantasy! Don't know about breaking glass, but I love the sound of Nick Lowe! And ABBA provided one of their best promo film's for Take A Chance On Me. So very happy, things are getting better musically for top of the pops 1978. Trivia for this week, well, bit of a Bee Gees feel to the show with two compositions featured, so as many Bee Gees songs, and indeed Bee Gees compositions, as possible which were UK hits for Isle Of Man's finest threesome and for other artists. Should be a long list! All the best! BC B-)

Not bad at all, suedehead, well done. And yes, Kate was the first female songwriter to get her own self sung and self written song to number one in Britian. Surprisingly it is still her only number one single in the UK, although she has had chart topping albums. She was involved in the Ferry Aid single, a cover of Let It Be, which got to number one in the UK charts in 1987. And yes, Fiesta and others, Dusty was great, looking forward to the programme.

Thanks to popchartfreak for his pet shop boys feedback, good edition this week, great record from Kate Bush, of course, good punky sounds from The Tom Robinson Band and Magazine, good number one from ABBA, Rolls Royce had a great record featured, and also good stuff from The Sweet, The Bee Gees. Good MOR from Billy Joel and Elkie Brooks, all in all, a much better edition for the music fan. Trivia question - as many Kate Bush hits as possible,and also what was particularly unique about Wuthering Heights getting to number one? (thinking of gender and composition here). All the best, BC B-)

Can't really help, too young to remember their Hamburg days, and don't know much about those days. I am a 'Beatles fan, though, and was saddened to hear of Tony Sheridan's passing away over the weekend. He certainly helped kick start their musical career, a very talented guitarist and song writer. I have a question for you - liked both the Birth Of The Beatles and Backbeat films, how accurate would you say those two flicks were? I would have thought that they both had severe historical inaccuracies, even if ultimately they were both entertaining movies. Talking of movies, there are currently two Brian Epstein movie projects in the pipeline, which should highlight their Hamburg days a little, I would have thought. They did do at least one Hamburg stint even after Love Me Do had been released. Best of luck with the project.

Yes, "I'm Not Scared" a great song.

Ah, you know it all suedehead. Yes, in 1989 The highly talented Pet Shop Boys worked with Liza on a great album called "Results", which saw some great songs, like Losing My Mind, and Love Pains. So TPSB worked with two great female vocalists during the late eighties and early nineties, Liza and Dusty.

Could be, I only have it on hearsay that he changed his name himself. Whatever the story, Reg Presley does sound more exotic and rock and roll than Reg Ball!

Thanks to popchartfreak fro the Sweet hits, must have been great seeing them play live, something like Ballroom Blitz must have gone down incredibly well live. And thanks once again to davetaylor for the link, great material once again dave. Which is more than can be said of this week's edition :w00t: Some good highlights for me, The Stanglers, always my favourite punk band, with five minutes, Tonight had a good sing-along punkish sound with Drummer Man, and Yellow Dog were moderately funny with One More Night. But lots of middle of the road otherwise, including the number one from Brotherhood Of Man. Other middle of the road sounds from the lovely Baccara, David Castle, Gordon Giltrap, bit of classy MOR from ABBA, and Lulu and Dusty Springfield would not have been out of place in a 1968 show, nevermind 1978. So somewhat disappointed with this week's show. Trivia question concerns the late great Dusty - her real name, and as many of her hits as one can think of off the cuff. All the best B-) BC

Have not yet seen the Danny Baker programmes, Feista, will do on the iplayer at some stage. No top of the pops this week, its The Sky At Night time, which now has two presenters, I note, one female, one male. Still can't replace good old Sir Patrick, in my opinion. ;) Some good music ahead, as has been pointed out already, I remember 1978 as a good time for a wide range of music, from new wave to disco to novelty sounds. Also a boom year in terms of big selling singles in the UK. Lots to look forward too.

Thank you for the replies. Actually someone has said to me that you cannot define The Troggs as having come from the west country, as Andover, where they were born, is not technically in that part of the world. Fair point, I just think that their accents made them sound as if they came from the west country! Reg Presley was actually born Reg Ball, and perhaps rather arrogantly changed his name to Presley later on! Typical of the man and his style, a great British eccentric. Wild Thing did top the American charts, at a time when music was maybe getting a little soft again - a gentle and firm reminder of what rock was originally about, as indicated by its title. And yes, Jimi Hendrix did some terrific versions of the song. In spite of having some big hits on both sides of the Atlantic their chart career was still very brief, and I would define The Troggs as yet another of those sixties bands that could and should have been a lot bigger than they were. You could say that it took that Scottish band, and a well known film soundtrack, to enhance the name of Reg Presley. But it is a name that deserves to be enhanced. RIP for all time, Reg.

The Troggs were one of those groups from the sixties who, although only having a comparatively brief spell of sales success, are seen as important and influential, in much the same way as Van Morrison's Them, for example, or The Pretty Things. Their big hits, mostly achieved within an 18 month time span in the mid sixties, reek of attitude and rawness and, if you like, of a punkish feel, indeed their lead singer, who has just passed away from cancer, Reg Presley, often equated the early Troggs with the pioneering of punk rock. Their big hits included Love Is All Around, which was later turned into a mega UK success story by Wet!Wet!Wet!, a UK number one "With A Girl Like You", "I Can't Control Myself" (banned in some quarters because of its apparent sexual explicitness), and, of course, ""Wild Thing", a favourite of many an aspiring up and coming live band to this day. Not bad for perhaps the most talented band to ever come out of the UK's west country, not usually an area associated with energetic British rock. All of these tracks are accessible on youtube for anyone not familiar with this great band's music, and also available on youtube, if you type in something like "The Troggs swearing session" is an exert from a recording session that they did in the seventies, a session in which the language of all the band members was somewhat too colourful for me to repeat on a forum as decent as this one! That session was almost certainly a big influence on some of the ideas for the later iconic rock spoof film, "This Is Spinal Tap". In more recent years many acts have cited The Troggs as a big influence, in particular REM - Michael Stipe has always enthused about the quality of Reg Presley's talented outfit. Reg himself has never really disappeared out of the headlines. In recent decades he seemed to become a spokeman for those who believed in crop circles created by aliens! He even invested a great deal of his royalty money from the aforementioned Love Is All Around into looking inot the crop circle phenomenon. And he has often appeared in tv documentaries on sixties music and rock music in general. RIP Reg, and let's never forget the delightful and attitude filled music of The Troggs.

Correct Suedehead, and I assume that would have been Fiesta's answer as well. Chapman and Chinn wrote and produced a lot of hits for various glam rockers of the seventies, they were kind of like the Stock Aiken and Waterman of the glam rock era!