Top of the Pops 31 August & 7 September 1989

 

Words: Chris Arnsby

31/08/1989
“Stand by luvvies. Have a good show.” With that and a short snippet of music that I, and Shazam, cannot identify we're off into the titles for a live edition.

 Gary Davies: “Hello. A very good evening to you. Welcome to a special Top of the Pops. Special because we are live from Television Centre. Special because it's a year ago tonight that we first started to broadcast Top of the Pops in stereo on Radio 1FM. It's special because we've got Jason, Mark, and Phil to open us up. Here's Big Fun.”

 [6] BIG FUN; blame it on the boogie. Gary Davies' caption is in the wrong style. Someone has selected the old look with an asterisk at both ends rather than the new one which debuted last week. Let's blame it on the pressure of a live show and move on.

I don't have anything new to add about Big Fun, after their first appearance on 10/08/1989. That's okay because apparently no one else is bringing anything new to the programme either. The dance routine is identical and, because I'm a glutton for punishment, I synchronised both performances and found Paul Ciani seems to be using the same camera script as well.

I thought I'd write a jolly joke about how Paul Ciani couldn't be bothered to think up anything new, and it turns out that's the case. No, really. The same camera crane pan up to the host(s) and back down to the main stage. The same pull back and the same Quantel spinning wipe into a stage right low angle shot of the trio which slowly zooms in. Then a cut to a low angle stage left shot of Mark, Phil, and Jason, and then a return to the stage right shot. Don't forget that tight head shot of Jason (or is it Phil or Mark) as he starts singing, and then a cut to Phil (or is it Mark or Jason) for the next line. Then a cut to a tight head shot of the third one, so none of the band feel left out.

Allowing for minor human differences in timing and positioning it's really weird to see thunderflashes go off at the same time, and the same cuts to wide shots, and close ups of feet. By the time we get to the same strobe Quantel effect for the “I just can't control my feet” bit, it feels like everyone has checked out post Bank Holiday.

[27] DEBBIE GIBSON: we could be together. Promo VT.

[26] GUNS N' ROSES: nightrain. Promo VT. Gary Davies moves! Logically I know the hosts have the power of walking. How else could they get from one side of the studio to the other? But I'm not used to the hosts taking a brief stroll while they also introduce the next act.

CHARTS FROM 40 TO 31.

[2] BLACK BOX: ride on time. Fortunately Black Box are on a different stage from last time (17/8/1989). Paul Ciani has to break out some different camera moves.

The Quantel graphics are all pretty rudimentary this week. The spinning wipe button used for Big Fun gets hit a lot for Black Box as well.

Is this because:

a) A different person is on Video Effects this week, Adam McInnes, and different people know how to make the Quantel system work harder?

b) The pressure of a live show means everything needs to be kept as simple as possible?

c) Top of the Pops is in a different studio with a less sophisticated electronics setup?

It's a rhetorical question. I don't know. If you do, or you are Adam McInnes, then please leave a comment.

[31] TINA TURNER: the best. Promo VT.

[30] EURYTHMICS: revival. The difficult to spell Eurythmics are back for the first time in over a year (23/06/1988, You Have Placed A Chill In My Heart).

Now, are they live in the studio or is this a pre-recorded performance played in from VT?
The hard cut from Gary Davies to the performance, and back again would suggest yes. In the end, the answer proves easy to check.
Behind the band, in the corners of the main stage, are two vertical banks of flashing white lights. They were not on stage tonight for Big Fun but they can be seen behind Black Box on (as previously mentioned) the 17/08/1989 edition.

CHARTS FROM 30 TO 11

[20] DONNA SUMMER: love's about to change my heart. Promo VT.

[9] TEARS FOR FEARS: sowing the seeds of love. Promo VT. Gary shows off his walking skills again during his introduction.

[21] DAMIAN: the time warp. Damien has come made up as the Joker. Why not? It was the biggest film of 1989.

However, Damien eschews Jack Nicholson's panama hat and purple jacket costume. He prefers a floral patterned green top paired with dark trunks worn Superman style over black tights. This wardrobe is, naturally, set off by a green smoking hat.

We do get one new, nice looking Quantel effect. A transition which sees the replacement picture erupt from the bottom of the screen surrounded by red tinted layers.

Following this effect, there's some wobbly camerawork during the first chorus. The camera starts on a close-up of Damian (“it's just a jump to the left”), and then wobbles up and down before quickly zooming out. The picture then shifts quickly up and down, before centring on Damian and quickly zooming back in (“and then a step to the right”) and then out again. Clearly, someone wasn't in the right position before Vision Mixer Susan Brincat cut to them.

TOP 10

[1] JIVE BUNNY & THE MASTERMIXERS: swing the mood. Promo VT. Five weeks! We get barely 60 seconds of video this week. Clearly everyone is sick of it.

[29] LISA MARIE/MALCOLM McLAREN & THE BOOTZILLA ORCHESTA*: something's jumpin' in your shirt. The audience pretend to Jive excitedly in front of Gary Davies as he says goodbye. At one point he has to say “excuse me” and step round someone in order to stay on camera. Bruno Brookes next week.

As with the 01/06/1989 live edition, the credits run fast. This must be standard policy to get the out of the way as quickly as possible.

*yes, Orchesta.

 Performance of the week: Damian, The Timewarp. For the outfit, not the song.

 07/09/1989

Bruno Brookes: “Good evening. How's things at your place? Welcome to Europe's number one TV pop show. This is Top of the Pops. Good show lined up. And we start with a new entry at number thirty two. With a new lead singer, his name is Steve Hogarth, the song is called Hooks In You. These are Marillion”.

 [32] MARILLION: hooks in you. Caption news. The graphics team have remembered to replace the asterisk with the new TotP target logo but the colour is wrong. It's pink when it should be blue. Try again next week.

Fish has quit. Meet Steve Hogarth. Hope you like Marillion's new direction.

Let's not beat around the bush. This is a dull episode (with apologies to people who like Jason Donovan, and Steve Hogarth's family and friends). The balance of the programme is out of whack. There are six videos and four studio performances; and two of those studio performances are repeats, and Jason Donovan is pre-recorded.

What I wouldn't have known, if commenter mumu03 hadn't let me know, was that all the real action is going on behind the scenes. A couple of performances are pre-recorded tonight that see the BBC taking the first steps into a higher definition future. What a rubbish clue. More next week.

[15] RICHARD MARX: right here waiting. Promo VT.

[9] STARLIGHT: numero uno. Promo VT.

CHARTS FROM 40 TO 31

[20] PRINCE: partyman. Promo VT.

[11] ALYSON WILLIAMS: i need your lovin'. BBC VT. A repeat from 24/08/1989.

[25] DEPECHE MODE: personal jesus. Promo VT.

CHARTS FROM 30 TO 11

[30] JANET JACKSON: miss you much. Promo VT.

[3] JASON DONOVAN: every day (i love you more). Okay. This is pre-recorded but it may not be easy to work out.

They've stood Donovan on the stage with ceiling that's a couple of perspex ovals put together to make a sort-of-infinity symbol. The Infinity stage tends not to be well used; although ironically it's also where Alyson Williams was on for the 24/08/1989 edition so it looks like we've got two performances recorded back-to-back in the same place.

The stage lighting for Jason Donovan is quite distinctive and helps highlight the two tubes poked over the top to make a dry ice waterfall cascade down the back of the set. Right behind him, in the arch of the set, are two perspex capsules with blue neon tops; they look a bit like what you'd get if you told a designer to draw a futuristic telephone box. These boxes are not there for  Alyson Williams, so we call rule out the week of 24/08 for the pre-record.

The Infinity stage isn't used week of 31/8. It is used for Fuzzbox, 17/08/1989. When the telephone boxes are present but the dry ice set up is different; the tubes are much further forwards so the dry ice comes down the front of the set.

10/08/1989, bingo. The stage is used for Dogs D'Amour. The telephone boxes are there, as are the tubes and although there is no ice coming out, the tubes look to be in the same place as they are for Jason Donovan.

TOP 10

[1] BLACK BOX: ride on time. Jive Bunny's reign of terror is at an end. We'll never see him again! Here's Black Box,  BBC VT and repeated from 17/08/1989.

[33] THE CURE: lovesong. Promo VT. Simon Mayo and Andy Crane next week.

 Performance of the week: Black Box, Ride On Time. I don't care if it's a repeat.