Words: Chris
Arnsby.
Gary Davies:
“Hello. Good evening. A very good evening to you. Welcome to Top of the Pops.
Not only on BBC1 but also in stereo on Radio 1.”
Mark Goodier:
“And a special hello to you if you're in south Wales, or the south west, because
you've got Top of the Pops in stereo for the first time tonight on 98.7. That's
your frequency. Check it out”
Gary Davies:
“And what a show we've got for you. We start off with a new entry at number
thirty eight. I Don't Belive in Miracles. Here's Sinitta.”
So, who is this new man? His first BBC job in 1984 was directing Crackerjack, produced by Paul Ciani. Then some Blankety Blank with producer Stanley Appel. At the end of 1985 he works on a Christmas special called Roland's Yuletide Binge; produced by Stanley Appel and Executive Produced by Michael Hurll. Then, in May 1986, he works with the previous regime, veteran Top of the Pops producer Robin Nash on The Guinness Book of Records Hall of Fame. He does manage some non-ToTP adjacent Light Entertainment work; Bob's Full House, Every Second Counts and Wogan, lots and lots of Wogan.
Rod Litherland
is back on Lighting and he's decided the colour of I Don't Believe in Miracles
is yellow. This seems appropriate for the bland Panda Pop on offer here.
Welcome listeners in south Wales and the south west. This is what you've been
missing
[3] U2:
desire. On video.
TOP 40 FROM
40 TO 31
[29] HAZELL
DEAN: turn it into love. Listeners
in south Wales and the west thump their stereos in confusion. Didn't we just
have this song? U2 turns into the filling in a Stock Aitken and Waterman
sandwich. This must be the peak of their conveyor belt pop (please god let it
be the peak).
It's really
weird. I've just gone back to the Wikipedia page for Mr Stock, et al, and I've
blinked in surprise at the songs they were responsible for which I though were
fantastic; Divine's. You Think You're a Man;
You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)" by Dead or Alive; Venus, by
Bananarama. How did we end up here?
I've just
switched from watching Hazell Dean's performance to writing this and I couldn't
repeat any of the song to you. In fact I think I've already got it mixed up
with her earlier, better song Whatever I Do (Wherever I Go) (also by Waterman
Stock and Aitken).
God bless her.
Hazell Dean's a trooper. She gives this performance everything she's got, and
the crowd are having a whale of a time which is lovely for them, but she could
have sent in a CD player set to play whatever Sinitta's single is called and it
wouldn't have affected the programme.
BREAKERS: [24 ALEXANDER O'NEAL fake '88];
[20 DURAN DURAN i don't want your love]; [19 ERASURE
a little respect].
[8]
WHITNEY HOUSTON: one moment in time. On video.
TOP
40 FROM 30 TO 11.
[28]
BANANARAMA: love, truth, and honesty.
Oh come on.
TOP
10.
[1]
THE HOLLIES: he ain't heavy, he's my brother. Second week at Number one. The Hollies had better all be ordering Miller Lite in the BBC bar. If not
they are the worst kind of hypocrite.
[37] T'PAU: secret garden. Thus ends one of the least inspiring Top of the Pops I've sat
through. Before we go, Gary Davis tells me that tomorrow (that's tomorrow then,
obv) is Radio 1's 21st birthday and they made an album to celebrate.
It's called Ones on 1, “containing no less than 32 number one hits.” Surely 21
songs would be more appropriate for the occasion? Then, because this is a brave
new multimedia world and Top of the Pops is thrusting its way into it,
Mark Goodier holds up... a video! “A day in the life of Radio 1 called “One on
One,” and you can watch at least a bit of it here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PCBKLHtnQk
Who's on next week? Simon Mayo and... Richard
Skinner! Cripes. It's been three years since he hosted.
PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK: The Hollies, He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother
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