TOTP81.11 19/3/81

Repeated on BBCFour  2016
Full chart here

Presented by Peter Powell

TOTP debut: Sharon Redd, Bucks Fizz

Much to our shame here at TOTP81 Central we didn't actually get to watch this show, nor record it on the ye olde VCR either so we're just going on a couple of videos kindly uploaded to youtube and a lot of guesswork for this week's comments. Pity 'cos Pete Powell tells us at the start that "we've got a great show lined up", but then again don't they always say that? Here goes..

Sharon Redd - Can You Handle It?
Don't know much about this foxy lady other than she's a bit foxy, has very long arms and cuts a mean figure in a slinky black cat-suit thing. The song is perhaps a bit too 1979-disco though and unsurprisingly didn't go very far.It's a full-on TOTP studio job though with the Sharon up on her own mini-stage, Legs and Co. rear of stage, plus the kid-audience, who have to sit down and hand-jive, lest their dancing proved to be better than that of Shaz and Legs put together.

Shakin' Stevens - This Ole House
Video and big-hit time with Shaky the Pelvis who is up to no. 2. Promo-video duly shot in an ol' house. To be fair he makes a good job of this, even though me Dad used to say he still preferred Rosemary Clooney's version. As do I.

Dave Stewart & Colin Blunstone - What Becomes of the Broken Hearted?
And speaking of cover versions, here's a modernist take on an ol' song originally a hit for Jimmy Ruffin in 1966 ('twould be interesting to know whether it was featured on The Pops back then). This eighties version is synth-heavy and the stage set-up is very Gary Numan / John Foxx-esque although Blunstone's voice, and the organ solo, still manages to make it sound like it was made sometime in the last decade. Dave Stewart isn't the one who was in The Tourists and then broke away with Annie Lennox to form Eurythmics in the future, but is actually the former prog-rock keyboardist who liked to mess around with newer versions of older classics, as indeed he will do again in the near future, but still before The Eurythmics are invented, but with somebody else. Got all that? This Ole Dave and Colin (and colourful pals) now at no. 30. Extra points for the PiL T-shirt.

The Who - You Better You Bet
Repeat from a couple of weeks ago. Now Top 10 at no. 9, but it's their last hit single. Ever.


Stevie Wonder - Lately (Legs & co.)
Snooze time with this uber-slow smoochy track from Stevie, now at no. 18. Sadly sonic proceedings
are not aided one jot by this Legs routine which might as well have been done in 1972. Costumes likewise.

Phil Collins - I Missed Again
Another studio repeat from a couple of weeks ago. Phil and his horns now up to 14. Album knocked off the top spot by those scoundrels Adam & the Ants but still going strong at no. 2.


Bucks Fizz - Making Your Mind Up
Yes, it's that time again - Eurovision! And here's our entry for this year - a kind of all singing-all-dancing Abba but without the instruments and Scandinavian accents (more's the pity). Again, sorry we missed this one as it was a debut and a very important one in some ways. Not in the charts (yet), but expectations for Eurovision success - and beyond - are high. Those swift of mouse may see the performance here, but (parental warning) there is much bottom wiggling and ripping-off of skirts.

Visage - Mind of a Toy
Follow up to the now seminal Fade to Grey for these New (fangled) Romantics and already flying relatively high at 24. A sign of the times perhaps that they were a new "group" who didn't need to bother to get thir backsides outside the recording studio (if indeed they ever did), or the nightclub, to go on Top of the Pops. But no matter - it's another cracking video by Godley & Creme and an excellent song often wrongly ignored in favour of  'Grey'. Debut album also out now, kids!

Duran Duran - Planet Earth
And keeping the New Romantic theme going, here are  the meisters of frilly shirts and crimped hair now in the Top 20. They join the ranks of The Who and Phil Collins with another studio repeat. Bah-bah-bah b-bah-bah-bah-baaah.

Toyah - It's a Mystery
This one seems to have been going around for ages, yet it's a mere four weeks since they debuted. Fairly new romantic-y too and up to a thurpwithing no. 8, and it ain't over yet!


(Top 10 countdown probably happened here)


Roxy Music - Jealous Guy (over credits)
Second and final week at no. 1, as the nation starts to get fed up with moping about John Lennon and prefers to get up and have a good knees-up.


See y'all next week when we should be 'right' again.

TOTP 81.4 29/1/81

First shown 29 January 1981
Presented by Tommy Vance
Full chart here

Despite his 'rock' tendencies I've decided Tommy Vance is quite a good presenter and certainly one of the best of a bad bunch (up their with Powell and a still absent Jensen), so good to see him back again.

NB: actually says "ROCK on.."

Slade - We'll Bring the House Down
Having said that, I hope he wasn't the one responsible for getting this on the show. True, Slade were already somewhat of a British institution but they have no place in the 1980s and this is crap. Still, it's still technically panto season so I'll let them get on with it.

John Lennon - Woman
It would be interesting to know how this would have fared had Lennon not been assassinated in December although I would like to think it would have done as well if not better than Just Like Starting Over. I must say Yoko was pretty quick to have it released as a single and even botched together this video clip showing herself both with her man, filmed in Central Park in November, and at the same (now snowy) location as a widow, cut with various pics of them together. Chilling. Already at no. 2.

Stranglers - Thrown Away
Very much a 'seventies post-punk' band here's their attempt at being 80s friendly with a catchy little number complete with keyboard riff. But Enola Gay it ain't and this one went from 44 to, er, 42 and was never heard of again. They'll have to get their act together if they want to survive in the eighties (They will do next year. For a bit.)

Madness - The Return of the Los Palmas 7
This lot never seem to be away and here they are in a suitably nutty promo vid which depicts the band members japing about in various locations/guises indispersed with various aspects of modern of pop culture, including a pic of Ronald Reagan, who had just been elected US President, dressed as a cowboy. Poignant. Nice tune.

Sheila Hylton - Bed's Too Big Without You
Much as I liked and still do like the original on The Police's Regatta de Blanc album, I have no recollection of this version which takes the song back into it's black reggae roots making Sting & pals' rendition seem like a cover version. Pleasant enough but smacks a little too much of the 70s. Destined for oblivion.

Ultravox - Vienna
Good to see that this studio performance gets a repeat as we missed its first airing last time (in 2016). Now at no. 6, the track was already several months old having been released on their debut album last summer, but happily it was rescued as a single and rightfully became an eighties "anthem". Their all electronic line-up seemed out of place with last year's Sleepwalk but this time they've got their fingers right on the button. Well, "drummer" Warren Cann has anyway:

The Gap Band - Burn Rubber On Me

And from the sublime to the ridiculous (again). The Oops Upside Your Head criminals are no. 26 with this.

Diana Ross - It's My Turn (Legs & Co.)

So it is Diana, although Legs & Co. have raided the BBC wardrobe dept. just to give us their 'representation' of your latest hit m'dear. Is it just me or is it that Legs are a bit rubbish this year?

Chart countdown 30-21

Phil Collins - In The Air Tonight

Another one which first aired two weeks ago and got swallowed up in the time vortex, but luckily we get to see it again.  And a bit of a classic it is too. Odd to think that if Lennon hadn't been killed this would've made number 1. As you can see he's borrowed Warren Cann's rhythm thingy to put his paint pot on.

Charts 20-11

Susan Fassbender - Twilight Café

Another one which was on two weeks ago and gets another chance despite not doing particularly well. I think I may well have 'missed' it in 1981 too as I have absolutely no recollection of it whatsoever. Susan would seem to be a kind of bouncy music teacher type who after the drudgery of teaching unwilling secondary school kids about the clasics, used to get her Moog out at weekends and do a few 'pub' gigs with some like-minded mates (some of which may also have been teachers). I'm sorry your song meant nothing to me, Miss, and that after reaching 21 for two weeks, fell into total oblivion. I can't even find a decent copy of this on the trillion 80s compilations there are out there or even on Spotify. I was also sorry to learn that Ms. Fassbender (née Susan Whincup) committed suicide in 1991. There's a 'demo' compilation album out there if anyone's interested.

Top Ten countdown...with moving number!

John Lennon - Imagine

Last week at no. 1 although Woman was of course hot on its heels. Popularity of Woman obviously also helped the Double Fantasy album which would soon topple Adam & the Ants off the top spot. Unsurprisingly Lennon had all of two albums in the Top 10, But then again so did Barry Manilow.  

Heatwave - Gangsters Of The Groove (playout)

That's all. See you next week-ish!

TOTP 80.2 15/1/81

What with BBC Four repeating two different shows per week (on consecutive nights to boot) and Yewtree giving the axe to so many shows, it might be a tough job for TOTP81 to keep up, so please bear with me if I get too far behind.

Here's the rundown of the first 'not repeated' show proper of '81, which is a pity as we missed three of four classic songs/performances, the likes of which we may never see again.

Presented by: DLT
Full chart here.

Susan Fassbender - Twilight Café
I have no recollection of this track whatsoever, and with good reason, I believe, having since checked it out on Spot-i-fy over here in the 21st century. No Pops footage available of it on youtube, sadly. This was a 'newie' at no. 63 but would do better. Maybe we'll see her again.

Gary Numan - This Wreckage
Repeat of the studio performance from before Christmas. This rather dour single had dragged itself up to no. 20 in the meantime. Time for Gary to get back to the studio with something more exciting, methinks.

Light of the World - I Shot the Sheriff
Another one from the nether reaches of the charts, and being at no. 68, probably meant it had sold about 156 copies to get on this week's show. Made it to no. 40 the following week, but that will be all thank you

Dire Straits - Romeo and Juliet (promo)
The eternally out of fashion Dire Straits get their first chart success since '79's Sultans of Swing. Not a bad song and the soft focus video certainly brought them neatly into the eighties.

Stevie Wonder - I Ain't Gonna Stand For It (Legs & Co.)
Wonder doing well at no. 17 although what Legs actually did with this we shall never know.
2020 edit: we have footage!

Phil Collins - In The Air Tonight
Gross injustice that this wasn't shown again (was it on the 1981 Big Hits show?) as it really is/was one of those jaw-dropping Top of the Pops moments, at least as far as I'm concerned, and certainly a milestone in Collins' career. One man in a tank top, with a keyboard, a drum machine and a paint-pot. I'd really liked the 1980 Genesis Duke album and so this was a sort of logical progression from that. Should be repeated in a couple of weeks (in 1981), or maybe even next week (in the year 2016).

UFO - Lonely Heart
Someone must have thought this would be the week to give a leg-up to those in the lower reaches of the charts as this is the the third track 60-70 bracket to be featured. Rubbish, naturally, although the red vinyl 7" would be a key 1981 artefact.

Mac Davis - It's Hard to be Humble
Another one I have no recollection of. Probably more rubbish.

Ultravox - Vienna
Classic TOTP appearance no. 2 of the night, and again it's very sad we didn't get to see this studio performance of another "eighties" classic, but anyway it should be on again unless they've made the video in the meantime. This single had been taken from their eponymous 1980 album which was already quite a few months old and had already spawned two not so successful singles (although readers may recall their classic performance of Sleepwalk on TOTP in the summer of 1980 - I certainly do). But what with the New Romantic/Blitz Kids scene now fast going mainstream, this one had a new lease of life and become an unlikely hit. Anyway you can see this particular performance here, as featured in the wonderful BBC Synth Britannia docu/special of a few years ago.

Queen - Flash (promo)
This feels like this has been around forever already. Stuck at no. 10 but the 'soundtrack in the making' promo film gets an airing.

John Lennon - Imagine
Second of four weeks at the top, as a nation continues to mourn.

Yarbrough & Peoples - Don't Stop the Music (playout)
More about this and them next time.

TOTP 81.0 1/1/81

Welcome to 1981, in Top of the Pops land.

The first Pops of '81 was actually shown on 1st January but was basically still a review of 1980, carrying on from the Christmas day show. The programme was co-hosted by Dave Lee Travis and Tommy Vance so needless to say it wasn't repeated in 2016, but just for the record here are the songs and acts that were featured.

STATUS QUO – What You’re Proposing
Quo's comeback single got to No. 2 in November. The follow-up Lies was in the charts at the time but didn't go Top 10.

OTTAWAN – D.I.S.C.O. (promoclip)
Feels like this was on forever in 1980, I don't even want to count the times... But here's that clip again to keep the party rolling and keep the disco crowd happy. 10 weeks in the Top 30, peaking at no. 2

MADNESS – Baggy Trousers 
The Nutty boys were the first act on TOTP '80 and here they are again in '81 after a very good year with four singles in the year's charts, and another one about to be released. Recorded festive performance of Trahziz sans audience. Watch it here.

THE JAM – Going Underground 
Went straight into no. 1 back in March and stayed there for 3 weeks. In this studio performance Paul Weller is sans pinny but with a rather fetching Whaaam guitar he obviously bought with the proceedings.

BILLY PRESTON & SYREETA – With You I’m Born Again 

Calming things down a bit, here's Bill and Sy giving us more of what they gave us early '80. The pair have never been seen again since.

THE DETROIT SPINNERS – Working My Way Back To You / Forgive Me Girl (Medley) ( Legs & Co.) 

More four on the floor with Legs & Co. showing us how to do it best.

UB40 – Food For Thought 

A surprise debut hit for the Brum multi-ethnic band or were a kind of mellow response to the neighbouring Specials. Two more hits followed during the year and there'll be new stuff an' ting in '81.

KELLY MARIE - Feels Like I’m In Love 

This wee lass's debut got to no. 1 in September although sadly she failed to come up with a decent follow-up. Dooh-dooh dooh-dooh dooh-dooh.

HOT CHOCOLATE – No Doubt About It 

Speaking of the Midlands, here's the late Errol and his mates with their cooool no. 2 hit from May. Like Status Quo they'd been around for years.

THE BOOMTOWN RATS – Banana Republic (promo)

These post-punkers were quite successful in updating their sound to match new styles although this recent hit was about as far as they got success-wise. But lead singer Bob Geldof has a cunning plan.... 

STEVIE WONDER – Masterblaster (Jammin')

Another no. 2-er (kept off the top by The mighty Police) although that wouldn't have bothered Stevie much. Possibly one of his last great tunes though. We'll see him again in '81.

ABBA – The Winner Takes It All (promo video)
We couldn't go through a Pops review without this tear-jerker which had been a hit in the summer, and predecessor to the Super Trouper album, and a story of break-uos and heartaches was to become very much the name of the game (geddit?)

THE PRETENDERS – Brass In Pocket 

The first, and perhaps the best, no. 1 of 1980 wraps up the annual review rather nicely. 

My thanks as always to Popscene for providing the rundown info.