Repeated on BBCFour 12/02/2016
Full chart here
Presented by Simon Bates
TOTP debut: Children Of Tansley School, Sugar Minott.
Here we are again and it's April, a wicked month according to some, and we start off with a TOTP as thick as treacle. Some new faces, some new songs although six out of the thirteen featured aren't in the Top 30 and one isn't even near anywhere. Let's get crackin' Simes.
Stiff Little Fingers - Just Fade Away
An energetic start with a somewhat re-vamped Fingers at no.47. Apparently they were told to behave themselves a bit better after last year's shambolic At the Edge performance,. Notwithstanding their somewhat better behaviour this one did indeed fade away.
Dave Stewart & Colin Blunstone – What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted?
A repeat of the studio performance for this cover version now at 17. Spoiler alert: we won't see them again until Christmas.
Light Of The World – Time
More outside the charts wannabes hoping to cash-in on the success of their stablemates Beggar & Co. When it actually gets to the dizzy heights of no. 35 this will be the modestly named Light of the World's biggest 'hit'. By the way they'd already been on The Pops this year with 'I Shot the Sheriff', yewtreed out in 2016.
Liquid Gold - Don't Panic
They just don't give up do they? One place above the Light and still gutted over not getting to no. 1 last year, and to make matters worse this one wasn't chosen as a "Song for Europe" either. The Great British public duly respond by getting this one all the way up to no. 42. Their next single will appropriately be entitled Where Did We Go Wrong?
Stevie Wonder - Lately (video)
Meanwhile in the upper echelons of the chart we hit snooze-ville once more with a Stevie Wonder 'classic'. Mind you if you think this is bad, just wait for Stevie's next single. And he's still sporting the 'big perm' look. When was this video made? 1979?
The Jacksons - Can You Feel It?
Third single from last year's Triumph album and third time lucky it is as it's a hit at last, after the less memorable Lovely One and, er, Heartbreak Hotel singles. A bit of a stomper although it's clear that American dance/disco music is still so clearly stuck in the late seventies. Li'l bro Michael will soon take care of that though.
Children Of Tansley School – My Mum Is One In A Million
Perhaps unsurprisingly, I know very little about this single and its story although we suggest you refer to the excellent World's Worst Records blog for further reading. The only obvious thing is that again they were trying to cash-in on the success of a predecessor: St Winifred's School Choir and their Grandma song, a hit over Christmas. There had already been a "Granddad" one so they went for "Mum" instead, possibly in view of Easter/Mother's Day and all that. I don't think "Dads" ever got a similar treatment, unless you the reader can prove otherwise. This lot are cute enough but they won't be coming back. They're not even a proper 'choir'.
Sugar Minott – Good Thing Going (We’ve Got A Good Thing Going)
Better get back to the groove. A debut if I'm not very much mistaken and indeed a one-hit wonder. Pity really as, in hindsight, this was quite good and Sugar could've done some more just as good as this.
Lena Zavaroni – Roses & Rainbows
Were it not for the fact that Ms Zavaroni is sadly no longer with us, we might have a few bones to pick with her about how she managed to get her own TV series on BBC One and get on to The Pops without even being anywhere near the charts, and for the second year running! Don't know about audience ratings for her series(s) but record sales were practically zilch! Cynical as we are, we can only conclude that Lena had a lot of friends in high places. One day the truth will out. Rest in peace Lena.
Spandau Ballet - Musclebound
With most of the high-flyers having already been featured last week, The Pops people really have had to dig quite deep to get some new stuff on and we're now way down at no. 53 to drag up the not particularly muscular Spandau Ballet and their third single, a remix of the track from their Journeys to Glory album. It's a bit of a dirge and on the face of it the 'other' A side Glow might have been a better choice to showcase. Nevertheless this performance did the Spans no harm and they're Top 10-bound.
Bucks Fizz - Making Your Mind Up
Eurovision now literally only days away and so here's a repeat of that performance from two week's back, as The Fizz are no doubt busy rehearsing their routine somewhere in Dublin as we speak. Good luck chaps! At no. 5 in the charts now anyway.
Top 10 countdown, featuring Bucks Fizz in a video clip that looks like it was made in the Soviet Union.
Shakin' Stevens - This Ole House
Still at no. 1 and what appears to be a new studio performance, much like the old one except it features - shock! horror! - male dancers accompanying the five Legs! Sacrilege! Whatever next?
The times they are a-changing.
Play out: The Nolans – Attention To Me
..and I'd really like to know who that guy in the red jumper and school tie is/was. I want to shake his hand.
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