Top Of The Pops

[Thriller]

Nicky Campbell gets more smug the longer he presents this show.

Got To Get was such a catchy ditty, clever to get a Neneh Cherry soundalike to front it too.

Latino Rave... how did they afford to use all those tracks?

Not WWW’s finest moment with that dreary ballad, no wonder I’d never heard it before.

LOVE the Electronic song, one of the best songs of ‘89.

[Thriller]

As for the Christmas episode, I used to like it when they did it chronologically from January onwards.

The thing about the charts nowadays is they’re so stagnant, especially in the top 10, plus the show only attracts “local” acts so a lot of big hits are missed otherwise they’d show an hour of videos.

Katrin looking every inch the diva for Black Box - shame those vocals weren’t hers or she could’ve been a big star of the 90s.

[CZB]

Tonight, the last episode of 1989 - looking back on the whole decade with a limited number of new studio performances and a vast number of very short clips taken from old shows!


28/12/89 (Review of the ‘80s - presented by Paul Gambaccini and Mike Read)

------ Status Quo – “Burning Bridges (On And Off And On Again)” --------
1980 hits:
- Pretenders – “Brass In Pocket” (clip from 17/01/80)
- Blondie – “The Tide Is High” (video clip)
- The Police – “Don’t Stand So Close To Me” (video clip)
"Idols" of the decade:
- Haircut 100 – “Love Plus One” (clip from 28/01/82)
- Duran Duran – “Is There Something I Should Know?” (clip from 23/03/83)
- Kylie Minogue – “I Should Be So Lucky” (video clip)
- Bros – “I Owe You Nothing” (clip from 16/06/88)
- Jason Donovan – “Too Many Broken Hearts” (video clip)
- A-ha – “The Sun Always Shines On TV” (clip from 16/01/86)
1981 hits:
- The Specials – “Ghost Town” (clip from 02/07/81)
- John Lennon – “Woman” (video clip)
- Adam and The Ants – “Prince Charming” (video clip)
- Bucks Fizz – “Making Your Mind Up” (clip from 19/03/81)
- Soft Cell – “Tainted Love” (clip from 03/09/81)
------ Shakin’ Stevens – “This Ole House” --------
1982 hits:
- The Jam – “Beat Surrender” (clip from 02/12/82)
- Madness – “House Of Fun” (video clip)
- Wham! – “Young Guns (Go For It)” (clip from 04/11/82)
- Eddy Grant – “I Don’t Wanna Dance” (video clip)
- Dexys Midnight Runners – “Come On Eileen” (clip from 25/12/82)
------ David Essex – “A Winter’s Tale” --------
Old hit-makers still having new hits:
- The Bee Gees – “You Win Again” (clip from 01/10/87)
- Abba – “Super Trouper” (video clip)
- Rod Stewart – “Baby Jane” (video clip)
- Elton John – “Nikita” (clip from 17/10/85)
- Queen – “Radio Ga Ga” (video clip)
- David Bowie and Mick Jagger – “Dancing In The Street” (video clip)
- Diana Ross – “Chain Reaction” (video clip)
- Bob Marley and The Wailers – “One Love/People Get Ready” (video clip)
- Stevie Wonder – “I Just Called To Say I Love You” (video clip)
- Cliff Richard – “Daddy’s Home” (video clip)
1983 hits:
- Eurythmics – “Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)” (clip from 25/12/83)
- Bonnie Tyler – “Total Eclipse Of The Heart” (video clip)
- UB40 – “Red Red Wine” (clip from 25/12/83)
- Howard Jones – “New Song” (clip from 22/09/83)
- Culture Club – “Karma Chameleon” (clip from 29/12/83)
Synth hits:
- Pet Shop Boys – “West End Girls” (clip from 05/12/85)
- Depeche Mode – “Just Can’t Get Enough” (clip from 24/09/81)
- OMD – “Souvenir” (clip from 03/09/81)
- New Order – “Blue Monday” (clip from 31/03/83)
- The Human League – “Don’t You Want Me” (video clip)
- Ultravox – “Vienna” (video clip)
------ Erasure – “Sometimes” --------
1984 hits:
- U2 – “Pride (In The Name Of Love)” (video clip)
- Paul McCartney – “Pipes Of Peace” (video clip)
- Tina Turner – “What’s Love Got To Do With It” (video clip)
Love songs:
- Barbra Streisand – “Woman In Love” (video clip)
- Spandau Ballet – “True” (clip from 29/12/83)
- Elaine Paige and Barbara Dickson – “I Know Him So Well” (clip from 10/01/85)
- George Michael – “Careless Whisper” (clip from 23/8/84)
- Fairground Attraction – “Perfect” (clip from 28/04/88)
------ Chris De Burgh – “The Lady In Red” --------
1985 hits:
- USA For Africa – “We Are The World” (video clip)
- Kate Bush – “Running Up That Hill” (clip from 22/8/85)
- Simple Minds – “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” (video clip)
- Alison Moyet – “That Ole Devil Called Love” (clip from 14/03/85)
- Dire Straits – “Money For Nothing” (video clip)
- Tears For Fears – “Everybody Wants To Rule The World” (clip from 28/03/85)
- Jennifer Rush – “The Power Of Love” (clip from 26/09/85)
Rock songs:
- Iron Maiden – “Run To The Hills” (video clip)
- Bon Jovi – “Livin’ On A Prayer” (clip from 06/11/86)
- Marillion – “Kayleigh” (clip from 13/06/85)
- Europe – “The Final Countdown” (clip from 04/12/86)
- ZZ Top – “Gimme All Your Lovin’“ (video clip)
1986 hits:
- Billy Ocean – “When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going” (clip from 30/01/86)
- Five Star – “System Addict” (video clip)
- Simply Red – “Holding Back The Years” (clip from 22/05/86)
- Peter Gabriel – “Sledgehammer” (video clip)
- The Communards – “Don’t Leave Me This Way” (clip from 04/09/86)
-------- Kim Wilde – “You Keep Me Hangin’ On" --------
American stars:
- Bruce Springsteen – “Dancing In The Dark” (video clip)
- Lionel Richie – “Hello” (video clip)
- Madonna – “Into The Groove” (video clip)
- Kool And The Gang – “Ooh La La La (Let’s Go Dancin’)” (clip from 21/10/82)
- Prince – “1999” (video clip)
- Michael Jackson – “Billie Jean” (video clip)
1987 hits:
- Whitney Houston – “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)” (clip from 21/05/87)
- Billy Joel – “Uptown Girl” (video clip)
- The Smiths – “Sheila Take A Bow” (clip from 23/04/87)
- Boy George – “Everything I Own” (clip from 12/03/87)
- T’Pau – “China In Your Hand” (clip from 05/11/87)
- Mel and Kim – “Respectable” (clip from 19/03/87)
- Rick Astley – “Never Gonna Give You Up” (clip from 19/03/87)
Techno hits:
- Frankie Goes To Hollywood – “Relax” (clip from 25/12/84)
- Paul Hardcastle – “19” (video clip)
- Steve ‘Silk’ Hurley – “Jack Your Body” (video clip)
- M/A/R/R/S – “Pump Up The Volume” (video clip)
- Black Box – “Ride On Time” (clip from 31/08/89)
1988 hits:
Terence Trent D’Arby – “Sign Your Name” (clip from 14/01/88)
Wet Wet Wet – “With A Little Help From My Friends” (clip from 12/05/88)
Yazz and The Plastic Population – “The Only Way Is Up” (clip from 28/07/88)
Cliff Richard – “Mistletoe and Wine” (clip from 08/12/88)
-------- Aswad – “Don’t Turn Around” --------
1989 hits:
- Fine Young Cannibals – “She Drives Me Crazy” (clip from 19/01/89)
- Soul II Soul feat Caron Wheeler – “Back To Life (However Do You Want Me)” (video clip)
- Bangles – “Eternal Flame” (video clip)
- Jive Bunny and The Mastermixers – “Swing The Mood” (video clip)
-------- Phil Collins – “In The Air Tonight” --------
Top hit of the decade:
Band Aid – “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” (clip from 25/12/84 + credits)

Just this once, I have left in all the extraneous detail from the Popscene archive rather than spending ages editing it out! - and in order to try to bring some greater clarity to this huge list, I have italicised the new studio performances, some of which also seemed shorter than expected.

On the whole, not a bad effort at a summary of the decade's top hits crammed into a relatively short time - a nice touch being that, in each of the collections of hits of a particular year, they ended with the biggest-seller of that year. (The exception, of course, being 1984 - the whole show ending with that year's top seller, the most successful hit of the decade).

[Thriller]

Bring on 1990! Can’t see it listed on Sky yet though.

[CZB]

Bring on 1990! Can’t see it listed on Sky yet though.

It's been several weeks since the 1989 episodes ended - but, at last, 1990 begins tonight!

While quite a range of different presenters had been used in the closing years of the 1980s, it has been observed elsewhere that a decision seemed to be taken at this point as to which were suitable for taking the show into a new decade, and which weren't.....and the workload also became shared out very evenly/fairly between them. In 1990, most editions had a single presenter, only a few had two - but a total of just seven different presenters were used, each of them appearing in either seven or eight programmes each. Tonight, we discover who the first two were.....


04-01-90 (Presented live by Gary Davies )
(24) THE QUIREBOYS – Hey You
(05) MADONNA – Dear Jessie (video)
( Charts 40 - 31 )
(18) SILVER BULLET – 20 Seconds To Comply (video)
(12) LATINO RAVE – Deep Heat ’89 (video)
(20) SONIA – Listen To Your Heart
( Charts 30 - 11 )
(08) DE LA SOUL – The Magic Number (video)
(23) 49ers – Touch Me (video)
(09) NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK – Hangin’ Tough (video)
(11) ROB ‘N’ RAZ feat. LEILA K – Got To Get (video)
( Charts 10 - 01 )
(01) BAND AID II – Do They Know It’s Christmas? (video)
(25) F.P.I. PROJECT feat. SHARON DEE CLARKE – Going Back To My Roots (and credits)


I had forgotten that, unusually, New Kids On The Block started the decade with two hits side by side in the top ten!

Rather more videos than performances again, quite a few singles not really to my taste at all, and still a lot of songs being cut somewhat short to fit eleven into half an hour! "Dear Jessie" was one of my favourite Madonna singles, though - and one of relatively few of her many successes that also charted in the UK for another act, Rollergirl from Germany, a decade later:

Wikipedia describes it as a "loose cover".....

[CZB]

And the second show of the new year:


11-01-90 (Presented by Simon Mayo)
(14) F.P.I. PROJECT feat. SHARON DEE CLARKE – Going Back To My Roots
(24) JIMMY SOMERVILLE – You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real) (video)
( Charts 40 - 31 )
(16) D-MOB feat. NUFF JUICE – Put Your Hands Together
(12) MANTRONIX feat. WONDRESS – Got To Have Your Love (video)
(25) FISH – Big Wedge
( Charts 30 - 11 )
(17) THE MISSION – Butterfly On A Wheel
(21) DEACON BLUE – Queen Of The New Year
( Charts 10 - 02 )
(01) NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK – Hangin’ Tough (video)
(30) HALO JAMES – Could Have Told You So (video) (and credits)


Strangely, the last song performed in the previous week was back as the first of this week's - although I don't suppose it was envisaged back then that the two shows would ever be repeated together in the same hour on another channel!

There was absolutely nothing that I really liked at all in this edition - at other times I did buy a single or two by Jimmy Somerville, Deacon Blue and New Kids On The Block, but definitely not these ones.....

[CZB]

Tonight, and straight away another one that begins with the hit that ended the previous week's!


18-01-90 (Presented by Nicky Campbell)

(13) HALO JAMES – Could Have Told You So
(20) LIL’ LOUIS & THE WORLD – I Called U (video)
( Charts 40 - 31 )
(23) MARTIKA – More Than You Know
(03) 49ers – Touch Me (video)
( Charts 30 - 11 )
(18) MEGADETH – No More Mr. Nice Guy (video)
Breakers:
- (31) NENEH CHERRY – Inna City Mamma (video clip)
- (30) SINEAD O’CONNOR – Nothing Compares 2 U (video clip)
(19) THE QUIREBOYS – Hey You
( Charts 10 - 03 )
(02) KYLIE MINOGUE – Tears On My Pillow (video)
(01) NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK – Hangin’ Tough (video)
(27) ADAMSKI – N-R-G (video) (and credits)


I don't think there are many other editions in which Hylda Baker and Arthur Mullard are referred to.....

Also unusual for the top ten run-down to come before the top two instead of just the number one.

From this line-up, the two singles that I bought were, unusually, both going to be chart-toppers in the weeks ahead.

Otherwise - isn't there a proverb "if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all" ?

[CZB]

Next, an edition that was originally aired on a Friday rather than a Thursday - due to BBC coverage of the Commonwealth Games:


26-01-90 (Presented by Simon Mayo and Jakki Brambles)
(24) YELL – Instant Replay
(18) PUBLIC ENEMY – Welcome To The Terrordome (video)
( Charts 40 - 31 - Jakki Brambles )
(23) DEL AMITRI – Nothing Ever Happens
Breakers:
- (32) LONNIE GORDON – Happenin’ All Over Again (video clip)
- (30) WRECKX-N-EFFECT – Juicy (video clip)
- (31) AND WHY NOT? – The Face (video clip)
(09) F.P.I. PROJECT feat. SHARON DEE CLARKE – Going Back To My Roots
(27) QUINCY JONES feat. RAY CHARLES and CHAKA KHAN – I’ll Be Good To You (video)
( Charts 30 - 11 - Jakki Brambles )
(26) PHIL COLLINS – I Wish It Would Rain Down
(12) ADAMSKI – N-R-G
(03) SINEAD O’CONNOR – Nothing Compares 2 U
( Charts 10 - 02 - Jakki Brambles )
(01) KYLIE MINOGUE – Tears On My Pillow (video)
(19) GINO LATINO – Welcome (video) (and credits)


Other than the new and next number ones, my highlight from this bunch would be the Del Amitri song - the only one by the Scottish band that I ever bought. It was the biggest of their fifteen top forty hits in the UK, on its way to a peak of number eleven - and almost the only one I could name! Looking down the full list, there's only one or two others that I think I would recognise in the unlikely event that I heard them on the radio nowadays.....

https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/25603/del-amitri/

I had to make a minor correction to the running order in the Popscene archive for this edition - they omitted one of the breakers, and had the other two in reverse order.

This, unusually for the 1990s, was a slightly longer than half-hour edition - it was scheduled from 8.00pm to 8.35pm. And the Radio Times listed Mark Goodier instead of Simon Mayo as Jakki Brambles' co-presenter - so maybe there was a late substitution!

https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedule...don/1990-01-26

Continuing the tradition of mis-spellings in the chart graphics, Megadeth gained an extra silent "a".....

[CZB]

The first edition both of February 1990 and tonight:


02-02-90 (Presented by Bruno Brookes)
(09) LONNIE GORDON – Happenin’ All Over Again
(29) WRECKS-N-EFFECT – Juicy
( Charts 40 - 31 )
(20) AND WHY NOT? – The Face
(19) SYBIL – Walk On By
Breakers:
- (32) BIRDLAND – Sleep With Me (video clip)
- (36) THE BELOVED – Hello (video clip)
- (34) EURYTHMICS – The King And Queen Of America (video clip)
(22) HOUSE OF LOVE – Shine On
(04) MANTRONIX feat. WONDRESS – Got To Have Your Love (video)
( Charts 30 - 11 )
(25) CHER – Just Like Jesse James (video)
(03) TECHNOTRONIC feat. YA KID K – Get Up (Before The Night Is Over)
( Charts 10 - 02 )
(01) SINEAD O’CONNOR – Nothing Compares 2 U
(23) SKID ROW – 18 And Life (video) (and credits)


I'm not sure that this one lived up to Bruno Brookes' promise that it would be "spondicious" - apart from the new number one and a not unreasonable opening number, I can't really say that there was anything very enjoyable here.....

This was another slightly longer episode that originally aired in a 35-minute slot at 8.00pm on Friday rather than its usual half-hour slot on Thursday, again in order to accomodate the BBC's coverage of the 1990 Commonwealth Games.

[CZB]

And the next episode:


08-02-90 (Presented by Gary Davies)
(10) YELL! – Instant Replay
(27) JANET JACKSON – Come Back To Me (video)
( Charts 40 - 31 )
(15) BEATS INTERNATIONAL feat. LINDY LAYTON – Dub Be Good To Me
(11) DEL AMITRI – Nothing Ever Happens
(19) LISA STANSFIELD – Live Together (video)
( Charts 30 - 11 )
(24) THE BELOVED – Hello
(07) PHIL COLLINS – I Wish It Would Rain Down
(12) SKID ROW – 18 And Life (video)
( Charts 10 - 01 )
(01) SINEAD O’CONNOR – Nothing Compares 2 U (video)
(29) EURYTHMICS – The King And Queen Of America (video) (and credits)


We've had half of these songs already recently - and in the case of Del Amitri, it was a repeat of the previous performance.

"Megadeth" is finally corrected in the chart graphics this time! But there was an upward arrow for Sinead O'Connor even though she was a non-mover.

Yell! were reaching their peak with their cover of a Dan Hartman hit from 1978 - the original had gone two places higher, and stayed in the chart about twice as long.

Despite being featured both this week and last week, the Eurythmics weren't going to climb any higher than they were now (29 - not 11 as captioned!) with their twentieth top forty hit. Two of the four still to come would reach the top twenty - but neither could give them a tenth top ten success.

According to Popscene, the Beloved's hit was on video - but I've amended this as they were clearly actually in the studio.

Gary Davies correctly predicted a future number one from this line-up - although it would take another three weeks to get there.....

[CZB]

This week's first.....


15-02-90 (Presented by Anthea Turner)

(05) BLACK BOX – I Don’t Know Anybody Else
(15) CHER – Just Like Jesse James (video)
(25) ERIC CLAPTON – Bad Love (video)
( Charts 40 - 31 )
(24) THE WEDDING PRESENT – Brassneck
(21) ROD STEWART – Downtown Train (video)
(06) SYBIL – Walk On By
( Charts 30 - 11 )
(17) DEPECHE MODE – Enjoy The Silence (video)
(22) MICHAEL BOLTON – How Am I Supposed To Live Without You (video)
(31) THE STRANGLERS – 96 Tears
( Charts 10 - 01 )
(01) SINEAD O’CONNOR – Nothing Compares 2 U
(27) TINA TURNER – Steamy Windows (video) (and credits)


A presenter gabbling more gibberish than ever before, eleven songs all cut dreadfully short so that they somehow fit into less than half an hour, and no hits I liked at all apart from the number one.....I hope others are managing to enjoy these 1990 episodes more than I am!

[CZB]

And the next one:


22-02-90 (Presented by Mark Goodier)
(13) TINA TURNER – Steamy Windows
(24) CHRIS REA – Tell Me There’s A Heaven (video)
( Charts 40 - 31 )
(02) BEATS INTERNATIONAL feat. LINDY LAYTON – Dub Be Good To Me
(19) CLIFF RICHARD – Stronger Than That (video)
Breakers:
- (32) THUNDER – Dirty Love (video clip)
- (33) ELECTRIBE 101 – Talking With Myself (video clip)
- (36) JAMIE J. MORGAN – Walk On The Wild Side (video clip)
- (38) RENEGADE SOUNDWAVE – Probably A Robbery (video clip)
(27) GURU JOSH – Infinity
( Charts 30 - 11 )
(22) ADAM ANT – Room At The Top
( Charts 10 - 02 )
(01) SINEAD O’CONNOR – Nothing Compares 2 U
(29) AEROSMITH – Dude (Looks Like A Lady) (video) (and credits)


Yet again, the last song of the first episode reappears as the first one in the next episode! I just had a quick look through the line-ups for the rest of the year, and this does happen on one further occasion too - but not for quite a few weeks.....

The Cliff Richard single "deserves to be a top five hit", according to Mark Goodier. Well, that certainly wasn't going to happen - it would disappear pretty quickly, its complete top 100 chart run being 19-14-22-51-73.

There was a new hit this week that I really liked - "Infinity" by Guru Josh, and this one was on its way to the top five. In a revised version credited to "Guru Josh Project", it would achieve a higher peak of number three in 2008. Sadly, the Jersey-born performer committed suicide in 2015, at the age of 51.

[CZB]

Tonight's first:


01-03-90 (Presented by Jakki Brambles)

(29) SHAKIN’ STEVENS – I Might
(10) ROD STEWART – Downtown Train (video)
( Charts 40 - 31 )
(27) JAMIE J. MORGAN – Walk On The Wild Side
Breakers:
- (31) INNOCENCE – Natural Thing (video clip)
- (32) MARC ALMOND – A Lover Spurned (video clip)
- (33) THE B52’S – Love Shack (video clip)
- (34) DAVID A. STEWART feat. CANDY DULFER – Lily Was Here (video clip)
(23) ELECTRIBE 101 – Talking With Myself
( Charts 30 - 11 )
(07) VARIOUS ARTISTS – The Brits 1990 (video)
(03) MICHAEL BOLTON – How Am I Supposed To Live Without You
( Charts 10 - 02 )
(01) BEATS INTERNATIONAL feat. LINDY LAYTON – Dub Be Good To Me
(22) J.T. & THE BIG FAMILY – Moments In Soul (video) (and credits)


The single from this bunch that I had known for the longest was the David A. Stewart / Candy Dulfer instrumental - this had been a number one in the Netherlands in the last five weeks of 1989. It was the theme from a Dutch film called "De Kassière", which translates into English as "The Cashier". But I never knew until now, when I checked on Wikipedia - apparently when the film was released in the UK it was entitled "Lily Was Here" instead!

In contrast, the act of whom I hadn't the slightest of recollections and couldn't name any hit by him - Jamie J. Morgan. This one was at its peak, and was only followed up by one other single reaching number 97, "Rock Steady". He does have a brief Wikipedia page, however (unlike the main star of that Dutch film!) which describes him as (my emphasis): "a British photographer, filmmaker, and former musician".

"Norman Cook might well be colour-blind, but he knows a good song when he hears it!".....what?!

[CZB]

And tonight's second:


08-03-90 (Presented by Bruno Brookes)

(05) GURU JOSH – Infinity
(24) GLORIA ESTEFAN – Here We Are (video)
( Charts 40 - 31 )
(08) J.T. & THE BIG FAMILY – Moments In Soul
(20) INNOCENCE – Natural Thing (video)
(29) MARC ALMOND – A Lover Spurned
( Charts 30 - 11 )
(12) ERASURE – Blue Savannah (video)
(17) DAVID A. STEWART feat. CANDY DULFER – Lily Was Here (video)
(15) BROS – Madly In Love
( Charts 10 - 01 )
(01) BEATS INTERNATIONAL feat. LINDY LAYTON – Dub Be Good To Me (video)
(17) THE B52’S – Love Shack (video) (and credits)


Apart from those already seen and mentioned already, another highlight of this episode for me was the Erasure hit - my favourite of all they have done over many, many years!

This Bros single was only going to climb one more place to a peak of number fourteen - their first ever to miss the top ten.. Two more would do likewise, and then they were gone....

[CZB]

Tonight's first:


05-03-90 (Presented by Simon Mayo)

(27) THE MISSION – Deliverance
(11) NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK – I’ll Be Loving You Forever (video)
( Charts 40 - 31 )
(18) CANDY FLIP – Strawberry Fields Forever
(06) THE B52’S – Love Shack (video)
Breakers:
- (29) BIG FUN – Handful Of Promises (video clip)
- (30) FISH – A Gentleman’s Excuse Me (video clip)
- (31) WET WET WET – Hold Back The River (video clip)
(24) PRIMAL SCREAM – Loaded
( Charts 30 - 11 )
(22) INSPIRAL CARPETS – This Is How It Feels
(04) JIVE BUNNY AND THE MASTERMIXERS – That Sounds Good To Me (video)
( Charts 10 - 01 )
(01) BEATS INTERNATIONAL FEATURING LINDY LAYTON – Dub Be Good To Me
(28) 49ers – Don’t You Love Me (video) (and credits)


Although I bought the first three Jive Bunny medleys, this latest one.....didn't sound good to me. Nor, it would seem, to many others who had helped all their previous singles to reach number one. Entering at its peak, it would hold steady for another week then make a very rapid descent. In Ireland, however, it spent two weeks at number one - then dropped right out of the top thirty from that position!

With much more staying power (unlike three further hits, none of which went higher than number 60) the cover version of a well-known Beatles song was my favourite by far of this show. According to their Wikipedia page, its performers "were a British electronic music duo associated with the Stoke on Trent music scene in the early 1990s". And I never had the slightest suspicion, until reading that very page a few minutes ago, that their name had, well.....certain connotations that many others would surely have also overlooked:

Spoiler!

' Candy Flip were named after "candyflipping", the slang term for the practice of taking ecstasy and LSD at the same time. '

[CZB]

And the second one tonight:


22-03-90 (Presented by Gary Davies)
(21) BIG FUN – Handful Of Promises
(03) ERASURE – Blue Savannah (video)
( Charts 40 - 31 )
(28) ORBITAL – Chime
(14) 49ers – Don’t You Love Me (video)
Breakers:
- (34) QUEEN LATIFAH AND DE LA SOUL – Mama Gave Birth To The Soul Children (video clip)
- (33) HEART – All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You (video clip)
- (36) JAM TRONIK – Another Day In Paradise (video clip)
(12) SNAP – The Power
(07) DAVID A. STEWART FEATURING CANDY DULFER – Lily Was Here (video)
( Charts 30 - 11 )
(17) THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS – Birdhouse In Your Soul
( Charts 10 - 01 )
(01) BEATS INTERNATIONAL FEATURING LINDY LAYTON – Dub Be Good To Me (video)
(32) JIMMY SOMERVILLE – Read My Lips (Enough Is Enough) (video) (and credits)


This week's highlight - the wonderful "Birdhouse In Your Soul", on its way to a peak of number six. I'm quite surprised to learn from their Wikipedia page that They Might Be Giants had formed in 1982 - it had taken them eight years to have a hit in the UK. In 1990, I felt sure that they were destined to be one-hit wonders here - but, of course, it turned out that I was completely wrong. They went on to return to the top forty with a successful follow-up.....eleven years later! Maybe we can still expect their third success to be on the way any time now.

[SholasBoy]

I've been watching old episodes on Youtube from 1997-2001. It was so good to watch back, it would just never work today, I mean there was between 10-18 new entries in the chart most weeks so always plenty of performers to pick from. I just can't cope with the fact that every pop release came with its very own dance routine.

[Thriller]

Loving the 1990 repeats, so many great songs around in this era! I particularly loved FPI Project’s tune from the beginning of the year.

Shame music moved on so much to make this format defunct - a performance on TOTP alone could turn your song into a hit. I remember Cecilia by Suggs going from 33-9 after his performance.

I’m still surprised they’ve not killed off Christmas TOTP yet - although this could be the year they do.

[CZB]

1990 continues tonight with.....

09-03-90 (Presented by Nicky Campbell)
(22) BIZZ NIZZ – Don’t Miss The Partyline
(23) HEART – All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You (video)
(03) CANDY FLIP – Strawberry Fields Forever
( Charts 40 - 31 )
(14) INSPIRAL CARPETS – This Is How It Feels
(26) JIMMY SOMERVILLE – Read My Lips (Enough Is Enough)
( Charts 30 - 11 )
(24) THE FAMILY STAND – Ghetto Heaven
(21) JAM TRONIK – Another Day In Paradise
( Charts 10 - 02 )
(01) SNAP – The Power (video)
(18) QUEEN LATIFAH AND DE LA SOUL – Mama Gave Birth To The Soul Children (video) (and credits)

Something happening here that will probably occur several times in 1990 - all of the previous week's breakers turning up more fully in the following edition! This week's included Jam Tronik's cover version of the Phil Collins hit that had peaked at number two in November 1989, and which had only quite recently dropped out of the top forty. The German dance project were only going to climb another two places to a peak of number nineteen the following week - but this was the only one of ten singles they released that was a UK hit This was probably mainly because the others were generally covers of big successes from the German charts that didn't do well in the UK - and my favourite by far was their take on the Kelly Family's "An Angel":

[Wayne]

Omg, I’ve just watched The Happy Monday’s a bit batshit crazy but awesome song.

[CZB]

And now we're already into April:

05-04-90 (Presented by Anthea Turner)
(16) HAPPY MONDAYS – Step On
(04) MADONNA – Vogue (video)
( Charts 40 - 31 )
(06) THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS – Birdhouse In Your Soul
(14) QUEEN LATIFAH AND DE LA SOUL – Mama Gave Birth To The Soul Children (video)
(EUROVISION) EMMA – Give A Little Love Back To The World
( Charts 30 - 11 )
(11) UB40 – Kingston Town (video)
(09) JASON DONOVAN – Hang On To Your Love
( Charts 10 - 02 )
(01) SNAP – The Power
(17) ALANNAH MYLES – Black Velvet (video) (and credits)

Third week in a row for "Mama Gave Birth To The Soul Children" - but now it wasn't going to climb any higher.

This UB40 hit was one of my favourites from them, but it wouldn't give them another number one in the UK - it spent the next two weeks at a peak of number four. However, it was recently mentioned on the Dutch weekly chart show that it's one of four songs about capital cities that went to number one in the Netherlands - the others being "Vienna" by Ultravox in 1981, "Parijs" by Kenny B in 2015, and the current chart-topper there, "Jerusalema" by Master KG featuring Nomcebo Zikode.

Our Eurovision entry in 1990 was going to do better in the contest and the charts than almost any in the current century - but somewhat worse than the majority of those preceding it. It finished sixth on the night, and peaked at 33 in the top forty.

It might just be me, but I still find it very difficult to understand much of what Anthea Turner gabbles in the studio links.....

[Thriller]

The Eurovision entry from Emma was worse than what we send these days!

[CZB]

In another packed first programme tonight.....


12-04-90 {Presented by Mark Goodier)
(23) JESUS JONES – Real Real Real
(18) JANET JACKSON – Escapade (video)
( Charts 40 - 31 )
(15) TECHNOTRONIC feat. M.C. ERIC – This Beat Is Technotronic
(11) HEART – All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You (video)
Breakers;
- (28) DAVID BOWIE – Fame 90 (video clip)
- (30) SONIA – Counting Every Minute (video clip)
- (31) THE BLUES BROTHERS – Everybody Needs Somebody To Love (video clip)
(07) BIZZ NIZZ – Don’t Miss The Partyline
(17) PAUL ABDUL – Opposites Attract (video)
( Charts 30 - 11 )
(24) THE CURE – Pictures Of You
( Charts 10 - 02 )
(01) MADONNA – Vogue (video)
(26) THE QUIREBOYS – I Don’t Love You Anymore (video) (and credits)


I bought the new number one when it reached the bargain bin - but nothing else here impressed me at all, even though a few of the performers were among those by whom I had bought other singles at other times.

As Mark Goodier said, this was the third consecutive hit for Technotronic - but it would be the only one of their first five that would miss the top ten, climbing only one more place to peak at number fourteen. Rather continuing their "variations on a theme" approach, the final three singles that then followed would reach 42, 12 and 40 respectively.

[CZB]

And the next one:


09-04-90 (Presented by Jakki Brambles)
(21) SONIA – Counting Every Minute
(25) THE QUIREBOYS – I Don’t Love You Anymore (video)
( Charts 40 - 31 )
(20) ADAMSKI – Killer
(18) THE BLUES BROTHERS – Everybody Needs Somebody To Love (video)
(02) ALANNAH MYLES – Black Velvet
( Charts 30 - 11 )
(28) THE ADVENTURES OF STEVIE V – Dirty Cash
(30) FAITH NO MORE – From Out Of Nowhere
( Charts 10 - 01 )
(01) MADONNA – Vogue (video)
(12) THE FAMILY STAND – Ghetto Heaven (video) (and credits)


There's as little to appeal to me in this episode as there was in the previous one, with several of the same songs featured. The Adamski hit was the first of three versions of "Killer" that would reach the top ten in (only just) less than a decade. I don't think Seal was featured on the last one, by ATB - but he was on this first one, then the second one was credited only to him as a solo performer.