Tuesday 4 September 2012

4th September

1975: There's that Bimbo Jet/Dangermouse logo again. As well as alarming photos of Mike Batt, of whom more shortly, and Jasper Carrott is 5000 Volts, three shirtless blokes, one of whom is still wearing his scarf - not as big a scarf as Dan McCafferty's, but a scarf nonetheless - and a not a little frightened woman. It's not the same woman as on the record, the face here Luan Peters but the voice on the record Tina Charles'. Wonder how that played with the Musician's Union. Jonathan King was already a cause celebre of sorts, "the one and only" in fact, but this is most worthy of observation for Jimmy either dancing or suffering a stroke. One hates to go from King to The Glitter Band, but one must point out the wallpaper chart designs that have made their way onto their suits. Not the most alarming of the week, though - after Jimmy has proved Hugh Dennis has been lying to you, Showaddywaddy's Buddy Gask teams the all-round yellow drapes with impractical shades. The actual style icon of '75 was evidently Peter Wyngarde, going on a hopelessly out of place Procul Harum's evidence. Back to Mike Batt, here played by Charlie Drake in an ill-fated guitar god stance. This was one of Babs' last stands, leaving two wiped weeks later to enjoy married life with Robert Powell, and they're still together.

1980: This show appears to have two celebrity co-hosts, as before Cliff Richard we see Hank Marvin risking his health, and after he's been on his short walk there's Kevin Keegan as uncomfortable as we'd see him until about 1996. "What's the matter with the clothes I'm wearing?" asks Billy Joel and Legs & Co are in the wrong place to answer.

1986: Another one retrieved in full, and a varied one too: part one alone has Jimmy Somerville going walkabout, meaning a consignment of dry ice just wasted to go with the expense on flags. That's followed by the notorious MC Miker G & Deejay Sven, who, it bears repeating, weren't a comedy act, we just didn't understand what hip hop was quite yet. Part two features maybe the smallest stage Bon Jovi have ever played and Richie Sambora playing up to camera for all he's worth. That's followed by a genuine breakthrough performance for house music in the UK, Farley Jackmaster Funk and moreover the mighty live vocal, presence and shoe inaccuracy of the late Daryl Pandy. The edit annoyingly cuts it in half, so here's the whole thing, and note how the audience never really respond until Pandy starts shouting at them. Part three has a glimpse of Frankie Goes To Hollywood in their hard leather and cycle short men phase. UK Gold's competition at the end is now closed.

1998: The lighting director evidently fancied a raise, using Mansun as his guinea pig.

2005: C&W covers band of brief repute Hayseed Dixie covering Green Day. This isn't your family show any more, or your chart pop show come to that. Pussycat Dolls were busy reinventing the modern girl group by wearing whatever they found in an off-cuts basket.

1 comment:

Steve Williams said...

That's my favourite chart rundown of them all in 1975, it looks like those made-up ones from the other month. Chris Spedding looking the coolest man alive in his picture. An odd show from 1986 with the top ten, then Frankie Goes To Hollywood and then the number one, almost as if Frankie were so famous they had to be in the number one spot even if they weren't number one.