Reviewed by
Chris Arnsby. Peter
Powell: “Hello! Welcome to another edition of Top of the Pops! We've got some
wonderful tracks on the show tonight! We've got Vanessa Paradis, we've got, er,
Eddie Grant, we've got The Mission, and making his debut, Mark Goodier!”
Mark Goodier:
“Thank you very much indeed Peter! Here's a band from Coventry who make their
first appearance on Top of the Pops tonight! It's the Primitives and Crash!”
[29] PRIMITIVES: crash. Eric Wallis is on Lighting and he takes an early opportunity to shine. Look how the studio lights are shut down in the first seconds of the camera pan from the hosts to the Primitives. By the time the camera reaches the band the stage is in darkness apart from a couple of strategically angled white spotlights and a few pulsing red lights. It looks great when all the lights burst back into life as the song begins.
Down at the far
right of the screen someone chucks a handful of glitter as the lights come back
on. It's too small a moment to be part of the performance. If Paul Ciani had
organised it as a moment to start the show then more people would be taking
part. So who is it? A member of the audience trying to make their mark on the
show? Someone from the record company or band being silly? We'll never know.
And, two new
hosts in two weeks. Nicky Campbell last week and now Mark Goodier who stands
all scrubbed and neat in his shiny suit and radiating bland enthusiasm. Looking
at Mark Goodier standing next to Peter Powell is weirdly like watching footage
from bring your son to work day. The pair aren't related, obviously (lawyers
for P.Powell and M.Goodier put their pens away, disappointed) but they share a
similar vibe.
[6]
MORRISSEY: suedehead.
On video. The past couple of weeks have seen the second slot of the show used
for repeat performances; Billy Ocean last week and before that a repeat of
Debbie Gibson singing Shake Your Love. The week before was the Top of the
Pops “exclusive video” for I Should Be So Lucky. The last time a “proper”
music video was shown in the second slot was 28/01/1988, Billy Idol and Hot In
The City.
TOP 40 FROM
40 TO 31. The Top 40 is
split, is this a permanent format change? Michael Hurll's chair is still warm. Mark
Goodier and Peter Powell alternate on chart voiceover. Is this because last
week's countdown, given over to new bug Nicky Campbell to do solo, was... not
very good?
[14] VANESSA PARADIS: joe le taxi. Brace yourself for a Proustian Rush. I've got a clear memory of watching this performance, mainly because I remember the two saxophonists doing the silly sideways dance in time to the flatulent rump-a-pump-pump of their instruments. Also, for reasons which never became clear my younger brother hated this song. For a while it became a running joke that I could squeak “Joe Le TaxI! Joe Le Taxi! Joe Le Taxi!” at him and he would pretend to get annoyed. Ah nostalgia. Eric Wallis really leans into the orange and blue colour scheme to light this performance. Everything is orange, except for the third saxophonist who is lit blue and remains stationary. POP FACT: Translated to English, Joe Le Taxi means Ian Le Taxi.
TOP 40 BREAKERS: With scrolling captions.
[NEW ENTRY no 9
RICK ASTLEY together forever]
[NEW ENTRY no
17 THE SISTERS OF MERCY dominion]
[19 EDDIE
COCHRAN c'mon everybody] with almost frightening levels of gum chewing from
Eddie's audience. I think only one kid isn't chewing gum. He must be one of
those Commie-unists they had in the fifties. He starts pretending to chew gum
when he realises the camera is on him but it's too late. Senator Joseph
McCarthy has got that kid's number.
[25 GEORGE
HARRISON when we was fab.] Now with added Ringo Starr!
[12] THE
MISSION: tower of strength. Back
for a second performance but this time The Mission aren't allowed to hang up
their double-headed eagle banner.
TOP 40 FROM
30 TO 11
[8] EDDY
GRANT: gimme hope jo'anna.
“A quite wonderful track! With a great message!” is how Peter Powell introduces
the song. Eddy, and The Mission, both appeared first on the 11/02/1988 edition.
Top of the Pops reuses the Eddy Grant caption from last time, the one
with the stick figure representations of people of all nations.
“A really
worthy song to be a hit for Eddy Grant!” is shiny Mark Goodier's verdict. What
is it with BBC presenters feeling the need to give their political opinions?
Dear Points of View...
TOP 10.*
[1] KYLIE
MINOGUE: i should be so lucky. Top
of the Pops has worn
out it's exclusive video, so here's a chance to see the official one. Weirdly
it's not as good. The pace is quite slow and it's surprisingly dull.
[20]
BANGLES: hazy shade of winter. Simon
Mayo and Gary Davies next week.
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