Friday 12 October 2012

12th October

1967: Does Ray Davies want us to vote for him? An uncommonly enjoying themselves The Kinks, including Dave Davies in the widest scarf possible and Pete Quaife adopting a "ceci n'est pas une pipe" approach to his bass.

1978: Olympic Runners liked their half-open tracksuit tops and their uncoordinated grooving during one of disco's few ragtime piano solos. Clearly it was a look Jimmy could go for too. Rather more assured hoofing came with a double dose of Legs & Co, even though the BBC costumiers could only afford two glittery outfits for The Jacksons and given one of them to Rosie, who really couldn't get the subtle-expressions-to-camera facet right. Gill takes centre stage for Crystal Gayle in an actual set, one with minimalist furniture design and something someone should tell her isn't actually a mirror.

1995: Somehow hiring a jazz band, before hiding most of them off to one side, and wearing ties didn't make PJ & Duncan look any more palatable. Suggs is, according to Nicky Campbell, performing "in a colourful Camden Town manner", the streets there thronged with game but out of place dual dancers and horn sections in Hawaiian shirts. A distinct lack of either pervades Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, even with Kylie's help, and especially not with Campbell taking the piss. Nobody who hosted Wheel Of Fortune can take the cultural high ground. Cave, because he can, does away with the simmering sexual tension right at the end and goes in for the full snog.

2001: Ash's intention is presumably to resemble a show band in their bow ties and wine waiter jackets, it's just semes they couldn't get any in women's sizes and Charlotte Hatherley ends up in cords. Though the title of Jean-Jacques Smoothie's hit suggests such an adjustments, it's rare when latter day Pops had to bring dancers in due to producers being far too anonymous and reticent that they actually thought much about the routine.

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