Reviewed by Chris Arnsby. Simon
Bates: "It's exactly 7.25. Welcome to studio 3 for a live presentation of Top of the Pops. Now, all the bands are
here, though some of them may be miming tonight." Peter Powell: "But
we start off! For starters! Right! We give you The Celtic Soul Brothers! This
is Dexys!"
[24] Dexys Midnight Runners:
The Celtic Soul Brothers. Two weeks of
data are missing from BBC Genome. Hold me. Radio Times went unpublished
in the weeks of 2nd and 9th April due to industrial action. This is only
relevant because I use BBC Genome to give me a heads up on what editions of Top
of the Pops were broadcast live. I wouldn't normally rely on Simon Bates to
tell me the time and yet here we are. This is the second time round for The
Celtic Soul Brothers. It was first released just over a year ago and peaked at
number 45. Now, in the wake of Come On Elieen, it's been given a second chance.
Watch out for the mystery man who kneels down at the edge of the stage, just
beyond where violinist Helen O'Hara, is standing. He's wearing a smart shirt
and tie, so I guess he's a member of the production team, but what is his job?
He's there for the whole performance. He's not holding a camera although there
is a cameraman lurking in the same general area. Maybe his job is to stop the
audience becoming tangled in the camera cable? Or, it could be a sighting of
the elusive Floor Manager Tony Redstone.
[9] Culture Club: Church Of The
Poison Mind. "It's a very special
night on Top of the Pops because we're joined by a lot of the people from
Fame," gushes Simon Bates. "Are they shooting another series
Leroy?" "Yes*," confirms actor Gene Anthony Ray; who is
professional enough not to look cross when called his characters' name.
"Great, here's Culture Club," says Simon Bates wrapping up yet
another in depth Top of the Pops exposé.
[3] JoBoxers: Boxerbeat. Next up it's Lori Singer who played Ariel Moore. She
gets slightly more time to reveal that the Kids From Fame tour goes to
Wembley, Birmingham, Brighton, and Israel. Who organised that itinerary? (John- Would be difficult if Israel was the
second date between Wembley and Birmingham) Unfortunately this slice of Fame
is interrupted by the start of Boxerbeat and it's time to break out the boxing
gloves and stamping. Leader singer Dig Wayne repeats his trick of dragging the
microphone stand around the stage but this time he avoids letting it fall into
the audience.
[29] Twisted Sister: I Am (I'm
Me). Look it's Carlo! You know Carlo, he
played [checks IMDB] "the role of tender tough guy Danny Amatullo."
Carlo thinks a lot of things are great; the tour, the fans. Sadly there's no
time to find out his opinion of Twisted Sister. It's quite a performance. The
lead singer looks like a frightening pantomime dame Bette Midler and he
headbangs away while BBC safety approved thunderflashes detonate behind the
stage.
[30] Michael Jackson: Beat It. Unsurprisingly Michael Jackson is on film. Top of the
Pops cuts out all the bits of the promo with smoking and knives which would
have played awkwardly at 7.25 in the evening.
[23] Tracie: The House That
Jack Built. "This is Lee from Fame,"
says Simon Bates. For anyone keeping track I've glossed over Peter Powell's
chat with Debbie Allen because... we'll let's just say I think we're all
grateful that Simon Bates doesn't attempt the same level of eye contact with
Lee. "Hi. How you doing. It's great to be here," is all Lee from Fame
gets to say before Simon has to hand over to Tracie who wants to know "who
owns the house that Jack built?" Apparently she does, and it's crumbling
away, and it's the devil, and it's also sliding away. That's why you commission
a surveyor's report. POP FACT: the 12'' version of the single went into a lot
more detail about Tracie's attempt to hire a structural engineer for the
subsidence, a priest for the devil, and a team of solicitors who specialise in
property law. (John- Chris – is that
actually a POP LIE?)
[21] F.R. David: Words. Stage left of F.R. David is a blond-haired bloke who has
snuck in a homemade sign. He obviously feels this live edition of Top of the
Pops is his chance to get a message to the nation. Unfortunately he hasn't
figured out how to tell when he's on camera. His first attempt comes when the
camera is miles away on the far side of the stage. Attempt two is better but
mistimed. The camera which was heading in his direction pans towards F.R. David at the last moment. Will it be
third time lucky? Yes. During a close-up off the bored looking dancer in black
he flashes his sign again. What does it say? Damn this low resolution standard
definition. "I love you Caroline... something... love always...
something." Well that's sweet. Caroline, if you're reading this, let us
know how you got on. (John- She married FR David).
[15] Nick Heyward: Whistle Down
The Wind. The presence of Nick Heyward
explains Simon Bates' gnomic comment about some bands miming tonight. The boy
Heyward does good this evening and manages to remember when his own song
starts.
[1] David Bowie: Let's Dance. I was obsessed with this promo film and the shots of the
bar and people dancing; especially the slightly older man in shorts who dances
with an ecstatic expression on his face and waggles his elbows. I thought this
was the funniest thing I'd ever seen. Apparently I was so fascinated that I
don't remember any of the other scenes with the Aboriginal couple, or the bit
where a nuclear bomb explodes for some reason. Either I left the room once I'd
seen the old man dancing, or I was too busy amusing myself by pretending to
dance like him.
[13] Big Country: Fields Of
Fire (400 Miles). Zoo are briefly wheeled
out for more faux country dancing.
* I have been asked to point out,
in the interests of fairness, that Gene Anthony Ray actually says," Yes,we
will be doing another one."
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