Wednesday 5 September 2012

5th September

1974: This is one of those shows which is officially wiped but bits of which exist online in dubious circumstances and not exceptional quality. They knew how to stage a performance then, as you'll see in the double header of Paper Lace and 10cc, the former on mopeds, the latter full of crash zooms and retilting. Elton John has been placed miles away from his band, which can't be entirely helpful, but the kids are hanging off his every word metaphorically and piano lid actually.

1985: Not quite sure what Madness' "new whistles" are, especially as this is hardly one of their hellzapoppin' performances of old. There's a demonstration here of the difference between someone who has star quality and otherwise, as while Rebecca Storm is just a woman with a home perm while the similarly housewife star-resembling Bonnie Tyler is wearing all her necklaces at once and exudes confidence. Not quite as much as her overactive keyboard player, though.

1997: Quick, you're missing Breed All About It! In the meantime, Ocean Colour Scene are lost in the corner of an MC Escher work. All Saints here give us a prime example of something Pops played with for a while, getting girl groups to do double lipsync work for their day, though they've spoilt it by putting decks in front of Shaznay. As if to make up for it towards the end of Shaznay's first solo look at the screen, as Nicole seems to be joining in. Leave it to Ginuwine to work the crowd, in between the red curtains of sophistication. Maybe those were hiding Hanson's enormous backdrop, playing to an audience who think it's a particularly restrained rock gig.

3 comments:

Chris Brown said...

"new whistles" = rhyming slang for suits, surely?

Steve Williams said...

That 1997 episode was the last Top of the Pops I ever missed, before then watching every single show, God knows why, for the next nine years. The reason, of course, is because it was Diana week and I'd gone out and put the tape on only for it to be moved to BBC2 at the last minute for the moving. No repeat, neither.

Steve Williams said...

Er, the moving of the coffin, that is.