Top of the Pops 1 November 1990

 Words: Chris Arnsby

Simon Mayo: “Hi. Good evening. This is Top of the Pops. Only seven more before Christmas, believe it or not. Before seven thirty we've got some great artists, almost all of them wearing kinky boots. We've got a new Number One and a great return performance at number sixteen. Will you welcome back please, this is great, Kim Appleby. Yeah.”

[16] KIM APPLEBY: Don't Worry. Simon Mayo's kinky boots comment refers to the 1964 single by Patrick Macnee and Honor Blackman which he was constantly playing on the Breakfast Show around this time. It's going to get a release at the end of the month and make its way into the charts, so we've got that to look forwards to.

Paul Ciani's back, as if you couldn't tell from the Quantel transition at the end of the song's introduction. He's on good form tonight. Lots of dynamic hand held camera shots although at least one of them doesn't come off. Right at the start of the song, on the second “don't worry,” the picture cuts to a low angled shot looking up at Kim Appleby. The picture wobbles around and never stabilises, the camera operator is clearly being jostled by dancers in the crowd. Vision Mixer Denise Foley cuts away from the unsatisfactory shot as quickly as possible.

[19] ROBERT PALMER & UB40: I'll Be Your Baby Tonight. Promo VT.

CHARTS: 40 TO 31

[21] BLACK BOX: Fantasy. A couple of black drapes have been hung around the sides of the Film Strip stage. Have they always been there? Yes, is the answer but something about the lighting tonight makes them especially noticeable. They might have been hung in a slightly different way to add definition to the spinning blue light effect.

There's more nice hand held camera work as lyrics begin, there's a cracking big close up of Katrin Quinol which gives us a 360 degree rotation around her head. Later, during the Pan Pipes break, the picture cuts to one of the studio bridges and the camera operator spins around to give us a look at the audience clapping away.

[5] WHITNEY HOUSTON: I'm Your Baby Tonight. Promo VT.

[22] ROXETTE: Dressed for Success. A pre-recorded performance so, as always, the question is can I work out when it was taped?

There are no Quantel effects which points to it being the work of Stanley Appel. However, it clearly wasn't recorded in October because the Lighting that month was handled by Chris Kempton and he lit the studio in his preferred shades of blue and purple; here Roxette are lit like a funfair, reds, yellows, and a hint of green.

Commenter mumu03  to the rescue. He told me about the unsuccessful 1989 release of this song when the single staggered to a peak of [48] in the week of 29/07/1989. He also pointed me to a performance of London Nights, by the London Boys, in the studio for the week of 20/07/1989 which shares identical lighting. Case Closed!

CHARTS: 30 to 11

[11] RITA MacNEIL: Working Man. Promo VT.

[15] THE CURE: Close To Me. Promo VT. That's one terrifying looking octopus. Simon Mayo gets Robert Smith confused with Karen Carpenter and decided this song is called Close To You.

[9] KYLIE MINOGUE: Step Back In Time. Another unusual camera angle with a view from backstage, looking through the gap between the edge of the Main Stage and the scenery flat that hides the stairs up to the Crows Nest (which has people in it this week).

TOP 10

[1] THE RIGHTEOUS BROTHERS: Unchained Melody. NBC VT, The Andy Williams Show 1965.

[26] GEORGE MICHAEL: Waiting For That Day. LWT VT, The South Bank Show 02/09/1990. Gary Davies next week.

Countdown to Year Zero revamp: 48

Performance of the week: Kylie Minogue, Step Back In Time.