Top of the Pops 9th and 16th August 1990

 

Words: Chris Arnsby

 09/08/1990 

Gary Davies: “Hello. Very good evening to you. Welcome to Top of the Pops we are live tonight on BBC1 and also in stereo on Radio 1FM. In the studio, Craig McGloclan and Check 1-2, Hothouse Flowers, but first we start off with that Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini, Bombalurina and Timmy Mallett.”

 [11] BOMBALURINA: Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini. In the summer, the real hazard for me watching these old episodes of Top of the Pops is, do I close the windows and overheat to death or do I keep the windows open and risk the neighbours thinking I'm some sort of lunatic? Reader, I took the coward's way out. I kept the windows open and turned the sound down.

I didn't think much of this single in 1990. You might be amazed to learn I haven't re-evaluated it. Fair play to Timmy Mallett for turning up to perform the single on a live edition. He seems nervous at first but warms up when he realises the audience isn't going to eat him alive.

[2] DNA Featuring SUZANNE VEGA: Tom's Diner. Promo VT. Surely the name of the artist should be SUZANNE VEGA featuring DNA?

CHARTS: 40 TO 31

[4] BLUE PEARL: Naked In The Rain. Promo VT.

[23] CRAIG McLACHLAN AND CHECK 1-2: Amanda. Judging by the configuration of the scenery round the Triangle stage this was recorded in the same studio session as Craig McLachlan's performance of Mona. One change of clothes from denim to black leather is all it took. It must have been odd for the audience watching Craig McLachlan sing two different songs about two different women.

BREAKERS

[21] ROXETTE: Listen To Your Heart

[24] JON BON JOVI: Blaze Of Glory

[26] STING: Englishman In New York

[15] TRICKY DISCO: Tricky Disco. Promo VT.

[5] THE SOUP DRAGONS: Featuring JUNIOR REID: I'm Free. Promo VT.

CHARTS: 30 to 11

[3] M.C. HAMMER: U Can't Touch This. Promo VT.

[29] HOTHOUSE FLOWERS: I Can See Clearly Now. Nope, nothing to say.

TOP 10

[1] PARTNERS IN KRYME: Turtle Power. Promo VT. Watch out for the shot towards the end of the video where the Mayor of... Somewhere tries to put a medal over Michelangelo's head but because no one checked in advance the medal ribbon is too short to fit. Well done to the Mayor for doing the best he could and not blowing the take.

[17] TOGETHER: Hardcore Uproar. Promo VT. Anthea Turner next week.

 Performance of the week: Bombalurina, Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini is clearly the most memorable performance in what has been yet another thin summer edition.

16/8/1990

Anthea Turner: “Hallo!! And welcome to Top of the Pops on BBC1 and on Radio 1 in FM stereo!! We've got a great show lined up for you tonight!! Got Betty Boo, Roxette, AFM, we've got Sting, Jon Bon Jovi, and to start off for us it's Go West at twenty four!!”

 [24] GO WEST: The King Of Wishful Thinking. Is the summer drought coming to an end? After a run of very thin shows, tonight's Top of the Pops features four acts in the studio. And, yes. It does sound like Anthea Turner says one of the featured acts tonight will be AFM. I assume she means the KLF but she was probably looking at the assistant floor manager when the wrong set of initials comes to mind.

[18] STING: Englishman In New York. Promo VT.

CHARTS: 40 TO 31

[25] THE AFM KLF: What Time Is Love? The resources of Top of the Pops are chucked at this song to make it look good. Ron Bristow is flashing every single light in the studio while Ian Simpson (Video Effects) and Sue Collins (Vision Mixer) roll out the electronic effects and make sure there's a good selection of camera angles; we get a lot of handheld work; a lovely crane move across the studio which starts all the way behind the dangling Christmas tree thing; and audience shots. Meanwhile KLF have brought along a lady who can do impressive high kicks, and someone's been given a keytar to play. It's great. A real palette cleanser after some of the more anaemic performances of the summer months.
“Wow they were raving!!” beams Anthea Turner at the end with all her best jolly-hockeysticks enthusiasm.

[6] NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK: Tonight. Promo VT.

[12] TOGETHER: Hardcore Uproar. Promo VT.

CHARTS: 30 to 11. “Maria Karee,” at [27] apparently.

[17] BETTY BOO: Where Are you Baby? The Betty Boo dancers (the Booettes? I'm going to call them the Booettes.) have a new routine for the chorus of Where Are You Baby? It's not as effective as the one for Doin' The Doo. There's a lot of arm folding, as if they are making the sign of the Eye of Horus, and then a these-Romans-are-crazy twirling fingers gesture on the relevant line. The routine for Doin' The Doo was more elegant.

Ron Bristow makes good again. He's lit the Film Strip stage in purple and blue, and shone a load of flickering lights on the background. It gives the stage an electric glow. On a couple of occasions when the depth of field is correct you have Betty Boo in the foreground against a blurred, shifting blue, purple and white background which looks fantastic.

[13] JON BON JOVI: Blaze Of Glory. Promo VT, Anthea Turner gets quite excited talking about how Jon Bon Jovi “looks just as good from the front as he does from the back,” as a result she spoonerises his name to Bon Jon.

[9] ROXETTE: Listen To Your Heart. More clever tricks with lights. A smoke machine has been bolted to the back wall of the stage and blasts smoke straight up. This is caught by the beams of the spotlights and produces abstract moving blobs and beams. Clearly everyone is back from their holidays and full of energy and ideas.

TOP 10

[1] PARTNERS IN KRYME: Turtle Power. Promo VT. I don't know where the video was recorded (and it's really bugging me, if you know please leave a comment). I can tell you it was cold. You can see everyone's breath, including at one point Michelangelo; these turtles are warm blooded! It makes sense, otherwise they'd go into a torpor when it got a bit chilly.

[26] PRIMAL SCREAM: Come Together. Promo VT.

 Performance of the week: An embarrassment of riches this week. The KLF, What Time Is Love?