Old TOTP (BBC4)

The one I saw recently had ERROL BROWN doing STAR JUMPS while wearing POP SOX

I think I've BLOCKED OUT the bizarre early 80s SHAPE UP AND DANCE/MAD LIZZIE/LEGWARMERS era. TOO TRAUMATIC
 
Ag said:
The whole of 1982 is a shockingly mixed bag.
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It is an absolute lesson in rose tinted specs, isn't it? Nearly every episode contains one or two absolute HORRORS for every Yazoo.
 
High Fidelity was just on and it was TERRIBLE.

It's a relief to have Duran Duran. I never thought I'd say that.
 
lolly said:
It is an absolute lesson in rose tinted specs, isn't it? Nearly every episode contains one or two absolute HORRORS for every Yazoo.
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I don't remember 1982, but was alive, so about 70% of the tunes are familiar. My favourite revelation has been Sharon Reed so far.
 
I didn't remember quite how many novelty records there were. Or the fact that they seemed to be playlisted on TOTP relentlessly.

I'd not heard that 'Arthur Daley...E's Alright!' song for over thirty years quite happily and now can't get it out of my head.
 
lolly said:
I didn't remember quite how many novelty records there were. Or the fact that they seemed to be playlisted on TOTP relentlessly.

I'd not heard that 'Arthur Daley...E's Alright!' song for over thirty years quite happily and now can't get it out of my head.
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The John McEnroe one as well :manson:

YAY Soft Cell.
 
I'd also quite forgotten 'Saddle Up' by David Christie, and have been beaten into submission by it.
 
Also the John Wayne one and the Cannibals one.

But also... the Boys Town Gang - now on my Spotify.
 
Ag said:
A truly terrible performance. Should I split this topic?
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There may well be lots more TOTP posts hidden in it, and elsewhere. I'm sure Robbie has posted about it plenty of times in the past.

But yes, I'm sure there is mileage in a thread of its own.
 
I also enjoyed the Human League's ORANGE HOUSE with BIG PHIL'S NEW NONASYMMETRIC HAIR and THE GIRLS dancing OUT OF TIME as PER
 
I saw THE LEAGUE the week before last.

Susanne remains as ICONIC as ever. And Joanne as COMPLETELY USELESS.
 
Hindsight makes those old TOTP episodes odd in places. Watching two of the Fun Boy Three pushed aside on Tunnel Of Love knowing that it was the group's last single...
 
Not sure if we have a topic for this, but I know a few us watch this. (Namely @Steptacular, @lolly and possibly @Shirley)

I've been obsessed for a few months now and now it's 1983 it's starting to get really good (a young Bananarama this week).

I will move over posts in due course.
 
I watch it all the time. We're well into the period I consciously remember although I wasn't really "allowed" to watch TOTP until into 1984.

Bad move by my parents really - one of the first things I saw was The Smiths. Downhill from there, all in...
 
octophone said:
Bad move by my parents really - one of the first things I saw was The Smiths. Downhill from there, all in...
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Denying me Eastenders until I was 14 had a less culturally interesting but similar effect.
 
I've discovered so much stuff through this. Watching the charts develop each week, where about 15 of them are awesome is quite exciting (also trying to work out if we've missed an episode).
 
Yeah, there was one dropped last week. Not sure which presenter was the cause.
 
I imagine it was DLT. I guess Saville wasn't on much by 1983.

It's all a bit unusual, there are plenty of other celebrities whose sexual activity is in the public realm, but don't get the same censorship. Hoping Bruno Brookes keeps safe.
 
Mr Kate's job is to watch repeats to check for any technical issues before they go out. Being an 80s boy these TOTP2s are obviously the highlight of his day.
 
IKR

Old Antiques Roadshows and Homes Under the Hammer are less thrilling, but such is life.
 
One thing I have wondered is this...Gary Glitter made a comeback in 1984 and had his Xmas hiot not long after that (I think) - will those episodes get shown because he wasn't a BBC employee or will they be ditched? I think they showed Jonathan King doing one of his hits on a late 70's episode so....I dunno.
 
I may be wrong but I believe King is perceived to have "done his time" and so is now acceptable again (ugh). Glitter, obviously not.
 
octophone said:
One thing I have wondered is this...Gary Glitter made a comeback in 1984 and had his Xmas hiot not long after that (I think) - will those episodes get shown because he wasn't a BBC employee or will they be ditched? I think they showed Jonathan King doing one of his hits on a late 70's episode so....I dunno.
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Rolf Harris had a few hits in the 1990s too. Surely they'll show the Xmas TOTP and just edit out Glitter. I feel for the acts whose one ever appearance was missed due to DLT or some other perv.

Just to add John Peel is brilliant. I had quite forgotten how dry he was.
 
Ag said:
Just to add John Peel is brilliant. I had quite forgotten how dry he was.
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This is how I came to listen to his programme because he was so droll and just a little bit subversive. Legend.
 
The last few years Paedogedden has been at it's peak. I'm amazed it got through.

Such a shame such a glorious institution has been so tainted by these grotbags.
 
The show has definitely turned a corner from a couple of months back where it seemed to be one or two novelty tracks every show.

Obviously loving Bucks Fizz in perhaps their most cabaret routine of all in the last show.

It's strange, because without really thinking about it, I'd have rated 81 and 82 over 83 if asked which years were better, but on the basis of these shows, I would clearly have been wrong.
 
It's especially strong right now... There Must Be An Angel, Total Eclipse of the Heart, Billie Jean, Na Na Na Hey Hey, Too Shy, Up Where We Belong, Africa... I notice Blue Monday is about to enter the charts as well.

Mind you it's interesting to get context and see Foster & Allen, Lee Sayer, Cliff Richard, Dire Straits, Chas and Dave... also not very good efforts by Fun Boy Three, The Thompson Twins and Utravox.
 
I had no idea Ultravox placed singles in the mid teens to mid twenties with such ease. Couldn't have named one of them.
 
Ag said:
Mind you it's interesting to get context and see Foster & Allen, Lee Sayer, Cliff Richard, Dire Straits, Chas and Dave... also not very good efforts by Fun Boy Three, The Thompson Twins and Utravox.
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Woh DARLIN'
There AIN'T NO PLEASIN' YOU
 
Visions In Blue was particularity unexciting. Ultravox really were a two hit wonder.

A few other points of note... Icehouse 'Hey Little Girl' was really one of the creepiest songs I've ever heard.

Also Mezzoforte were representing Iceland almost a decade before Bjork and the Sugarcubes. Didn't quite 'get' the song though.
 
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