Top of the Pops 16th August 1990

 Words: Chris Arnsby

 Nicky Campbell: “Welcome to the most fun you can have in half an hour with your television on. Another rip-roaring rollicking frolic through the nation's favourite sounds. What a show and what a start, one of the great British bands. They are back. The Human League.”

[29] THE HUMAN LEAGUE: Heart Like A Wheel. Paul Ciani is only listed as Producer this week. Tony Newman gets a very carefully worded “Directed by” credit. My best reading of this, he sat in the gallery and directed the recording according to a camera script already worked out by Paul Ciani. Certainly this looks like a Paul Ciani episode, check out the spinning Quantel effect on the “heart like a wheel” chorus; extra bonus points to Dave Jervis (Video Effects) and Hilary Briegel (Vision Mixer).

Also, take a look at the final tracking shot back from Main Stage to Nicky Campbell. It wobbles about quite a bit and I get the impression the camera operator is struggling to move the camera and make sure that Nicky Campbell is properly in focus when he appears on screen.

[22] MARIAH CAREY: Vision Of Love. Promo VT.

CHARTS: 40 TO 31

[31] TINA TURNER: Look Me In The Heart. Promo VT.

[14] JIVE BUNNY AND THE MASTERMIXERS: Can Can You Party. Promo VT.

BREAKERS

[34] STEVE MILLER BAND: The Joker

[36] WILSON PHILLIPS: Release Me

[37] SONIA: End Of The World

[23] LINDY LAYTON Featuring JANET KAY: Silly Games. Nicky Campbell is amazed by the passage of time: “This is incredible. July the twelfth 1979, Janet Kay... actually did the next song on Top of the Pops. Here we are thirteen years later to the very day...”

Nicky Campbell always gives the impression he thrives on being seen as the smartest guy in the room (check out his introduction to tonight's show) so it's always a delight to take him down a peg. Janet Kay's performance of Silly Games on 12/07/1979 was a repeat of her second appearance, which took place on 28/06/1979. Also, it's August Nicky so clearly your definition of “to the very day,” is different to mine.

Then there's his guess that it's been 13 years since 1979. That would be (counts on thumbs) two years out. However, I'm being extremely charitable here because actually it sounds a lot like he says 30 years; which would suggest he thought the year was 2009.

For myself, I feel like there should be some big long German compound word that encompasses the sense of the inevitable slow circular movement of time. I could then use this word to describe how I feel realising I've watched an 11 year span of Top of the Pops in real time, twice. Once from 1979 to 1990 and then again from 2014 to 2025.

Alongside Lindy Layton and Janet Kay is a dancer wearing a tight-fitting green stretch-velvet catsuit. She's really going for it with a selection of dance moves which suggest someone attempting to stamp out an invading army of ants while drowning. (John- Now that would be a silly game)

[17] CLIFF RICHARD: SILHOUETTES. Promo VT.

CHARTS: 30 to 11

[11] DEACON BLUE: Four Bacharach And David Songs. Promo VT.

TOP 10

[1] BOMBALURINA: Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini. The Turtles are dethroned by Timmy Mallet.  O tempora, o mores.

Richard Marson, writer, television producer and director, was working for the BBC in 1990 and made this comment about the Bombalurina single over at Roobarb's DVD Forum: “This one nearly caused a punch up between TM and the egregious Nicky Campbell who wanted to introduce it with a particularly sneery link. It was incredibly unprofessional.” That's now two people Nicky Campbell has made me warm to, Timmy Mallet and Rick Astley (22/09/1988), and if my memory is correct, we can add Steve Miller in a few weeks.

[32] DEEE-LITE: Grove Is In The Heart. Promo VT. Mark Goodier next week.

 Performance of the week: The Human League, Heart Like A Wheel.