The Rolling "Top of the Pops" BBC4 Revival thread.

Ah gotcha. an awful year for music, the worst year ever aside from maybe 1996. That real mid point after all the amazing new pop but before all the House.

1996 was in no way a terrible year for music, but I sorta agree with you about 1985 - plenty of decent music was released that year, but you wouldn't think it based on what was getting shown.

Entroducing, Second Toughest, In Sides, Odelay, Fuzzy Logic, Sweetback, Walking Wounded

All 96

There are no terrible years for music.

Just catching up on tonight's episode. Elton FFS just admit you're going bald.

Nothing sums up the blandness of 1985 like Level 42.

Tight lipped Geography teacher type Peter Powell doesn't strike me as the kind of person who would even have a 'favourite dance record'.

Wait has he actually tucked his jumper into his jeans?

There's a bit in one of the Depeche DVDs where the plugger is saying how important it is that Powell has started to play their records. This is in like.. 84 or whatever. Maybe not 'dance' per se, but hey.

I missed it :( Fortunately it's on again after this African music doc.

Nothing sums up the blandness of anything like Level 42.

xxp that reminds me of the bit in 'The Manual' that namechecks Bruno Brookes.

Totally see what you mean about the future Sir Elton - there's a proper '85 vintage mullet there but you just know there's fuck all under that hat.

Must be peak Elton-Coke period this?

Ultimate Classic Rock suggests 86's Leather Jackets as his worst era, vague recollection that ILX thinks much the same, that must have been recorded around late 85.

Coke'n'Booze Elton was at his worst physically in 86-87. There are concert photos of him from that period where he looks like complete shit. It's amazing how quickly he seemed to clean up - 88-90's Bejewelled Hat Elton looks more like someone who's been clean for a decade or more.

lol @ "Bejewelled Hat Elton" ... I thought he came off all that stuff in 1990? He still looks plenty ill on the sleeve of Sleeping With the Past ...

This video for 'Nikita' is dreadful. Oh look it's Necros from 'The Living Daylights'.

Matt Bianco: "a bunch of wankers"

There's a 'rejected Bond theme' feel to this Dee C Lee song.

Who the fuck is this Paul Jordan character?

A mid-80s Radio 1 DJ who wasn't at the station very long. Mainly filling in for other DJs. He doesn't have that irritation factor that most Radio 1 DJs of the time had, and that perversely caused them to stay around.

I mean if I behaved at work like Bruno Brookes in the mid 80s, I'd either get chinned by someone or probably fired. Although I don't work for the BBC, especially not the BBC in the 80s.

mid-80s Radio 1 DJ who wasn't at the station very long. Mainly filling in for other DJs. He doesn't have that irritation factor that most Radio 1 DJs of the time had, and that perversely caused them to stay around.

He certainly looked the part.

From the website of Sandgrounder Radio (Local Radio for Southport, Sefton and the Liverpool City Region),

Paul has been a big part of radio across the North West for as long as anyone can remember. Initially as a presenter, Paul has managed some of the biggest stations on the dial. Winning a few awards along the way too! He’s presented on Radio 1 and hosted ‘Top of the Pops’ on the telly. Paul is thrilled to be back where he belongs, behind the microphone on Sandgrounder Radio.

'Back where he belongs' - that's a low blow.

Yeah, some real Partridge-level desperation in that blurb.

Shakin' Stevens looks like he's performing 'Merry Christmas Everyone' at gunpoint.

Fuck me that key change.

Gary Davis: "Well that could be the Christmas #1" SPOILERS it was.
Shaky at number 10 followed by the Pet Shop Boys at number 9 - this is the turning point for young snoball musically. I'd become a bit bored with music at this point in 1985 but everything was about to change.

https://78.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ljl17sqgyX1qzujsgo1_400.gif

Mark Knopfler really wished he was Bruce Springsteen here, didn't he?

There's a Spitting Image parody song called 'Born In The UK of A' or something, but I can't it anywhere.

Mr Mister - ably demonstrating how to look like complete wankers in early 1986. Particularly the lead singer and his white cowboy boots.

Pet Shop Boys' video for 'West End Girls': Neil looks 16 while Chris looks like someone who might be able to sell you drugs, or possibly an undercover policeman who will arrest you for trying to buy drugs from him.

Very late with this but I had no idea Paul Jordan made it to TotP. He was one of those slick local commercial radio guys (on 194 Radio City in Liverpool around 1981-83) who had a kind of garrulous, flirty, self-deprecating schtick... weirdly I remember him only because he used to refer to himself as “Wally” Jordan...and that was the name of the Cabbage Patch Kid doll we bought my cousin in the US that Xmas.

Memories, eh?

Here's Ozzy Osbourne dressed like someone's gran.

I always remember the lyrics to Belouis Some's 'Imagination' as being "Emasculation... could make a man of you".

Paul Hardcastle here showing Jan Hammer how to really look like a nobhead with a keytar.

1986 hits 'peak 1986' early with Sigue Sigue Sputnik.

Alexander O'Neil modelling the must-have fashion disaster item of 1986, the combination tweed trench coat / boiler suit.

That sounds so incredible I don't want to watch and spoil it.

Not recommended for the fuller figured man tbh. Nice to see reggae was still getting in the charts in '86.

I remember that Sigue Sigue Sputnik performance, and I remember likening it to a hit of poppers: fantastic for the first minute, then you're just left with a numbed-out headache.

I remember that it should have been lots of flash bang wallop riz riz boom. And it was four or five blokes standing around, plus two drummers.

Some national newspapers around the time were all 'this band is terrible' mock outrage kind of thing, which got 12 year old snoball interested because I remembered similar media coverage with Frankie Goes To Hollywood two years previously. But the reality was that Frankie genuinely were exciting while SSS were just a bit dull and repetitive.

'Love Missile F1-11' is a 30 second song repeated six times to make a 3 minute single, and '21st Century Boy' is basically the same basic backing track with some rockabilly guitars and a Billy Idol impersonation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6fudSHb0js
Even Bowie can't make this song sound repetitive.

I mean can't make this song not sound repetitive

Tonight's episode, featuring Simon Bates as a your friendly late night bigoted taxi driver.

That dark brown leather jacket screams "I'm a wanker and it's 1986".