Words: Chris Arnsby
Gary
Davies: “Hello. Very good evening to you. Welcome to Top of the Pops in stereo
on Radio 1FM. In the studio tonight we have Sonia, and KLF, and Bass-O-matic,
and Maria McKee but we start off with a new entry at twenty seven, a song
that's been number one in Holland for the last three weeks. I've Been Thinking
About You. It's Londonbeat.
At the back of the stage is an extensive range of percussion, including a gong. Clearly it's going to be struck. The question is, when? Never is the disappointing answer. Surely the gong wasn't just on stage to give the handheld camera operator something to hide behind.
Chekhov's
gun rules innit? You don't put a gong onstage unless someone is going to bang
it. Marc Bolan leaves the studio disappointed.
[15]
JANET JACKSON: Black Cat. Promo VT.
CHARTS: 40 TO 31
[18]
SONIA: End Of The World. Visually, dull. It feels like 90% of this is just a big close up
of Sonia's face. The song just isn't interesting enough to carry that sort of
presentation. Some small amusement comes when I notice a audience member at far
stage left is wearing a white jumper with the word “WHY” printed on the front.
Why indeed.
[16]
INXS: Suicide Blonde. Promo VT.
[22]
BASS-O-MATIC: Fascinating Rhythm. The keyboard player has his instruments set up on a sturdy frame
of scaffolding poles. It's the same piece of kit used by Adamski last week. A
piece of Top of the Pops stage furniture with quite a long history but
alas I'm not the person to tell it because I can't remember when it was first
used. However, I can say with some confidence that Orbital refused to use them
during their... memorable... studio appearance of 22/03/1990. Paul Hartnoll
told NME.com so in December 2023: “They didn’t let us bring our own equipment,
and had to get tables from the BBC canteen because we refused to use their
fancy keyboard stands.” Relax guys. It's only Top of the Pops.
Towards
the middle of the song, as the rap starts, the picture cuts to one from a
handheld camera operator. They start on a lovely shot looking through the
curved element of the Film Strip Stage (good choice) and walk along the stage
front. Then the camera operator turns to focus on MC Inna Onestep and slowly
moves backwards. And then the picture lurches and goes all wobbly and there's a
quick cut away. I think the camera operator tripped over one of the stage floor
lights.
Gary
Davies' link at the end: “That's Bass-O-Matic and Fascinating Rhythm. That's
gone up... er... a lot this week.” Nicely rescued Gary. What a pro.
CHARTS:
30 to 11. In
the pre-recorded chart countdown, Gary Davies is able to tell us that
Bass-O-Matic have gone up sixteen places.
[5]
THE KLF: What Time Is Love? BBC VT, from 30/08/1990.
[26]
MARIA McKEE: Show Me Heaven. Another slow ballad but the performance manages to be
considerably more interesting than Sonia's. Maybe it's a better song, or maybe
it's just that Martin Kempton has more opportunities to show off his lighting
design. He's got very sharp edged intense blue lights which look laser-like and
project circles onto flat surfaces. It looks very nice.
TOP
10
[1] STEVE MILLER BAND: The Joker. Promo VT. The story is, this sold 8 more copies than Groove Is In The Heart. That's got to hurt. Regardless of sales volume. Why would you use this live version to promote the single? It's not very good. (John- Perhaps it is a joke? He is, after all, a Joker)
Brace
yourself, here comes a theory. I think this is footage from a 1982 concert in
Michigan at Pine Knob (behave yourselves). It was shown on BBC1, 23.25 on
Wednesday 19/10/1983 as Late Night In Concert. In other words it may not
be an official video, it may be footage the BBC has already paid the rights to
use. BBC VT, in other words.
The
video cuts out midway through Steve Miller's guitar solo, which neatly omits
the point where someone offers him a joint and is bundled offstage by security;
as seen in the 30/08/1990 showing.
[29]
FAITH NO MORE: Epic. Promo VT. Nicky Campbell next week.
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