Top of the Pops 10 August 1989

 Words: Chris Arnsby

Bruno Brookes: “Good evening. It's Thursday night. Top of the Pops night of course. Europe's number one TV pop show. Five live acts on the show this evening.”
Sybil Ruscoe: “Now the Jackson's did it in the seventies. In the eighties it's Big Fun. In at twenty five with Blame It On The Boogie. Down there.”

[25] BIG FUN: blame it on the boogie. Derek Slee is having fun with the Lighting. He's conspired with the visual effects assistant to work out a little routine for the chorus. “Don't blame it on the sunshine” studio lights darken, a thunderflash is set off. “Don't blame it on the moonlight,” studio lights colour the stage midnight blue, another thunderflash. “Don't blame it on the good times,” bring the studio lights back up, tinted red. “Blame it on the boogie,” flash the lights a bit.

It doesn't work every time. I guess the studio lights can't cope with too much turning on and off. And the VFX Department isn't made of thunderflashes.

[37] LISA STANSFIELD: this is the right time. Promo VT.

CHARTS FROM 40 TO 31.

[26] DOGS D'AMOUR: satellite kid. Bruno Brookes, “they've done as many as 200 gigs this year.” Then why aren't they better?

[23] READHEAD KINGPIN & THE F.B.I: do the right thing. Promo VT.

[13] SHAKESPEAR'S SISTER: you're history. Paul Ciani occasionally treats the end of show video as a preview for the following week. 13/07/1989 ended with Bobby Brown and On Our Own, which was duly played for longer the following week. Same thing for 27/07/1989, Alice Cooper with Poison got repeated seven days later in the body of the show. Then last week, Top of the Pops ends with the video for You're History and here are Shakepear's Sister in the studio.

It's not a foolproof system. The Cult and A Guy Called Gerald both failed to have enough chart momentum to be used again the following week.

CHARTS FROM 30 TO 11

[32] ASWAD: on and on. Check out Brinsley Forde's suit. Baggy, shiny, wide and padded at the shoulders, narrow and high cut at the waist. That's an eighties suit.

[35] THE BEATMASTERS/BETTY B00: hey DJ i can't dance to, that music you're playing. Promo VT. The operator of the caption generator has spilt tea all over the keyboard. How else to account for the caption's weird sized letter O and the rogue comma.

Meanwhile, in the video. Watch out stuffy businessmen. Betty Boo does not have time for your nonsense.

[24] LIZA MINNELLI: losing my mind.  Liza Minnelli stands on stage in a theatrical pose as if she's about to launch into a monologue; which she kind of does when the lyrics start. The camera crane slowly moves towards her across the crowd and when it gets close Liza Minelli locks her eyes to it and her gaze follows the camera as it tracks around her. It's like she's watching the viewer at home. It's hypnotic, an effect helped by the extraordinary length of the shot (by Top of the Pops standards). Over 60 seconds.

I wish Paul Ciani had held that single shot for longer but it might have made the performance seem interminable.

TOP 10

[1] JIVE BUNNY & THE MASTERMIXERS: swing the mood. Promo VT. Come friendly  Myxomatosis and fall on Jive Bunny's warren.

[3] LIL LOUIS: french kisses. Anthea Turner and Nicky Campbell next week, in that order.

Promo VT. Look! Actual research. The Evening Standard, Monday 7 August 1989 page 29: “The BBC has banned the top five hit from Top of the Pops.” Going on to quote a Top of the Pops spokesman : “It's the programme producer Paul Ciani's decision... it just isn't suitable for family viewing.”

None of which goes to explain why the video is shown here. Although it's obviously an editorial compromise. The end of show promo normally plays all the way to the end, in case BBC1 is inexplicably running 4 minutes behind schedule and needs something to keep the viewer's attention. It's notable that doesn't happen here. After just over 100 seconds the video is faded out to make sure no potentially rude sounds of female pleasure are broadcast to Mr and Mrs Average watching at home.

 Bonus mastertape bit: After the fade to black the mastertape cuts to a brief shot of an artist waiting their cue. (see below) Commentor mumu03 suggests it's a flash frame from an unused pre-record of Yebo! by The Art Of Noise featuring Mahlathini and the Mahotella Queens. I think they are right, looking at this Wogan performance (www.youtube.com/watch?v=8aKOp5Ddt2w).

Then the mastertape blurs again and suddenly I'm watching the Always On My Mind promo. It's the final moments of the 31/12/1987 Top of the Pops. Was the broadcast edit of the 10/08/1989 edition recorded over the 31/12/1987 one? Or was this confusion caused by the person who digitised the tapes.

 Performance of the week:  Liza Minnelli, Losing My Mind.