Friday 20 April 2012

20th April

1978: The errant joys of picture-in-picture! Squeeze's second visit sees, as well as an elevated Chris Difford and far too many rack toms, endless layered shots of keyboards and Glenn Tilbrook over other instrument close-ups, all to little effect other than the director having something new to play with. There's a version with Dan Hill where it's combined with the tried and tested kaleidoscope of lenses, which only foregrounds the fact Hill looks rather too like a vagrant. Bob Geldof, who usually manages that as a matter of course, by this stage had a vocal style so much his own that even Peter Powell takes the piss introducing the Boomtown Rats. Look at him, not even Jimmy Pursey ever carried on like that, and he'd never pick a jumper that makes him look like Orville The Duck taking up parks rugby either. Meanwhile Legs & Co end up in their nighties for the Bee Gees, another triumph of the literal reading will, and then because that was far too sensible greet The Michael Zager Band with pom-poms, except they were supposed to wave them, not wear them.

1989: After Sybil Ruscoe shouts in a very mannered way Transvision Vamp kick off, Wendy turning out in her bra as she was always likely, odds on at times, to do. Is it my imagination or 1:22 into The Cure does someone observing Robert Smith's eyeliner, lippy and topiary shout "come on girl!"?

1995: Bjork would occasionally turn to TOTP with a new idea of how to represent the song everyone had bought, and with the not entirely borrowing itself to live performance Army Of Me she brought Skunk Anansie with her for an industrial reworking that carries until Skin takes over vocals, at which the song's importantly subtle force is set upon by a chainsaw.

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