Top of the Pops Memories

So one of my favourite programmes of all times dies this weekend. During my teenage years and through my twenties it was a must see event and was discussed in the office the next day or with my mates.

Pan's People. DeeDee was my favourite.

Blondie - ohhh the outfits Debbie Harry used to wear :eek:

Slade - first record I bought was Come on Feel the Noise.

The Sweet and Gary Glitter - yes I am from the glam rock era.

I believe the Batchelors were the first Irish group on the propgramme and I remember the Dubliners with "Seven Drunken Nights".

Queen with Bohemian Rhapsody.

Great memories.

From a later generation myself, baggy/madchester and all that. I remember seeing Bobby Gillespie of Primal Scream singing "Come Together" (the scream song off screamadellica not the beatles song) in 1990 and thinking he was the coolest f'kr on the planet. I do not exaggerate when I say, that and seeing the video for Fools Gold by the Stone Roses for the first time were life altering moments. As for chicks, I remember seeing Donna from Elastica on it in a very very short skirt. Oh and Louise Weener from Sleeper smuggling peanuts!!!At Féile 95 I hollared Donna give us a wave and she did. My heart stopped. (luckily the paramedics had me back in working condition by the time Paul Weller took the stage).
Haven't watched TOTP in years though.

Like yourself BohsPartisan I came of age during the early 90's and Blur doing "There's no other way" will always b one of my fav totp moments....Damon was so wasted that he just swung the microphone round and round and danced away without hardly singing a word yet magically the words were sung....first real realisation that even "cool" bands mime sometimes!

It was essential viewing from bout age 6 to 20. Some ****e and cringe worthy moments on it but also some great great memories. I went through a stage when I was bout 17 where I videoed every number 1 for bout 2 years....Still have the tapes but think they are damp so mite not play....

I also remember we had this kick ass tv which had a tape recorder, radio and record player built into the same unit and week after week sitting watchin totp with one finger on the record button of the cassette recorder part of the tv so that I could tape my fav songs.

God bless u top of the pops and may u rest in peace!

TOTP was my life clock til the rise PWL/SAW filled the charts with garbage that wasn't even ironicly funny.

I'm a few years earlier than Bohs so my abiding memories would include ...

Frankie Goes To Hollywood having to appear 3 times on the 1984 Christmas special where they play the years No.1s. (It'd be common enough these days I suppose but quite a feat back then)

The Housemartins appearing for the 1st time doing Happy Hour.

Possibly the same episode -Doctor & The Medics keeping Whams farewell single from debuting at the No.1 spot - a feat the good Doctor described as akin to "S****horpe* beating Liverpool in the FA Cup Final"

Ah Louise Wieners diddys. must have a quick rummage in the w@nk bag and see where they got to. Saw her on telly recently -heavily pregnant and still delicious.

Finally respectful nods to all who, deliberatley or not, took the p1ss out of the miming policy ...such as the Housemartins up above, Manics drummer -who just put his sticks down and sat there through You Love Us ...and All About Eve who's monitors weren't switched on.

*Don't you just love the way that happens when you type the word S****horpe? Ha Ha George Michael you fcuking S****horpe!!!:D

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Like yourself BohsPartisan I came of age during the early 90's and Blur doing "There's no other way" will always b one of my fav totp moments....Damon was so wasted that he just swung the microphone round and round and danced away without hardly singing a word yet magically the words were sung....first real realisation that even "cool" bands mime sometimes!

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NO IT WASNT!!!!! Nirvana when they did smells like teen spirit took the **** out of it. BLUR JUST COPIED IT.

that smells like teen spirit **** take was quality...

Forgot bout seeing Nirvana on TOTP but just the way Damon was so off his head was very funny. I was growing up in a small town with little or no knowledge of drugs and this was like a bit of an awakening.

Have to say tho Fine Young Cannibals doing "She Drives Me Crazy" was my first full on falling in love with a Pop Star moment. I still love Roland & was delighted a few years ago when met him and got photos and kisses from him.

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Originally Posted by paul_oshea

NO IT WASNT!!!!! Nirvana when they did smells like teen spirit took the **** out of it. BLUR JUST COPIED IT.

that smells like teen spirit **** take was quality...

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I'd be keen for anyone with info on release dates to post it - I'll put the the farm on Blurs There's No Other Way having been released as a single anything up to 15 months before Nirvana released Smells Like Teen Spirit (which was released in UK/Ireland in October 1991)

UPDATE: According to Wikipedia Blurs There's No Other Way was released on April 15th 1991 -some six months before Nirvana would've appeared on TOTP

Lionel you are older ( *cough* way older *cough* )than me so maybe i have to concede defeat in this one, but I do remember reading something from metal hammer or kerrang saying it was the first time someone made a farce of the miming on TOTP, cos ppl always wondered what teh story was.

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I was growing up in a small town with little or no knowledge of drugs and this was like a bit of an awakening.

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I konw someone in the same position but they had more than knowledge of the drugs!!!

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Originally Posted by paul_oshea

Lionel you are older ( *cough* way older *cough* )than me so maybe i have to concede defeat in this one, but I do remember reading something from metal hammer or kerrang saying it was the first time someone made a farce of the miming on TOTP, cos ppl always wondered what teh story was.

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...and the moral of the story? Believe nothing you read or hear and only half of what you see.:cool:

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Originally Posted by Lionel Ritchie

I'd be keen for anyone with info on release dates to post it - I'll put the the farm on Blurs There's No Other Way having been released as a single anything up to 15 months before Nirvana released Smells Like Teen Spirit (which was released in UK/Ireland in October 1991)

UPDATE: According to Wikipedia Blurs There's No Other Way was released on April 15th 1991 -some six months before Nirvana would've appeared on TOTP

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Beat me too it. Indeed There's No Other way was a long before SLTS.

I also remember Flowered Up! a baggy indie/dance group from London (touted as London's answer to the Happy Mondays but IMO better than that) doing a song called Its ON which was about dealing E at a rave. Classic stuff. "Did you to 40? Have you got a rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrather large Pock-It?"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flowered_Up

Anyone remember when the Blur Vs. Oasis farce reached its culmination with Blur reaching number one and Oasis reaching number two with two of their worst songs (in Oasis's case their worst up till that point but they've had many more since)? Liam took Noels guitar and pretended to play while Noel mimed to Liam's vocals. Quite funny.

First band to appear on TOTP before they released a single - Menswear with I'll manage somehow. They were probably the most hyped new band of the 90's for about 5 minutes and then they disapeared without a trace because they were rubbish.

Manic Street Preachers (before they were cr@ptastic) appearing on TOTP dressed as paramilitaries inducing the ire of the readership of the Daily Mail.

Most memorable one for me was the Mondays and Roses on the same night (also not bothering to mime, but I'm sure they weren't the first :rolleyes: )

Actually speaking of not miming, probably the best was Oasis doing "Cum on feel the noize" and the line "so you think my singings out of time". Liam could be funny occasionally. (Seems like an age since they were good and I suppose it's well over a decade since they were in fairness)

in this case I dont think it has anything to do with me being in my early to mid 20's( and being too young to remember ) but I cant remember when oasis were good?!?!?

over-hyped, simple but effective beatles-esque type music.

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Originally Posted by paul_oshea

in this case I dont think it has anything to do with me being in my early to mid 20's( and being too young to remember ) but I cant remember when oasis were good?!?!?

over-hyped, simple but effective beatles-esque type music.

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Definitely Maybe while unoriginal and overhyped is a bloody great album to listen to when you're 18 years old and full of Gin, as I was prone to be in 1994.

jees yer old partisan ;)

:D

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Originally Posted by paul_oshea

jees yer old partisan ;)

:D

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30 is the new 20! :p

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Originally Posted by BohsPartisan

Definitely Maybe while unoriginal and overhyped is a bloody great album to listen to when you're 18 years old and full of Gin, as I was prone to be in 1994.

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So while everybody else was drinking vodka, whisky and cheap cider, Partisan was tipping Gin down his neck with his pinky raised;) :D

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Originally Posted by drinkfeckarse

So while everybody else was drinking vodka, whisky and cheap cider, Partisan was tipping Gin down his neck with his pinky raised;) :D

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Don't knock it. I was feeling supersonic! :cool:

Anyone remember Foster & Allen dressed up as Leprecauns?

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Originally Posted by Metrostars

Anyone remember Foster & Allen dressed up as Leprecauns?

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Are you sure that wasn't a bad trip?

A couple of my favorites.
Boomtown Rats in 1978( The state of them:D ) and Thin Lizzy from 1977 laying it down!.

OSO is that you dancing in the suit in the thin lizzy video?


killer moves man.

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Originally Posted by paul_oshea

OSO is that you dancing in the suit in the thin lizzy video?
killer moves man.

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Eh, no! I did wear some whacked out stuff back in the day, but I couldn't do a gimp like that lad. Ah yeah, dancin' and throwin' shapes I was.:D

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Originally Posted by Metrostars

Anyone remember Foster & Allen dressed up as Leprecauns?

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I do and I remember the Fureys signing "When you were Sweet Sixteeannn" :D

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Originally Posted by paul_oshea

over-hyped, simple but effective beatles-esque type music.

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Hardly over - hyped
Most people i know dont like Oasis
Of course it hasnt been fashionable to like them in a decade so they can be easily dismissed but IMO Noel is a fine songwriter very underrated

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Originally Posted by strangeirish

A couple of my favorites.
Boomtown Rats in 1978

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At the time the BBC wouldn't allow the words "puss and grime ooze from scab crusted sores" in the first verse to be used on air so the words for TOTP's and the Single as aired on BBC is not the version that was sold in Record Shops. Honestely haven't a clue what the new words were but watch Geldof as he mimes the original with some sort of botch jobs sound over the "offensive lyrics".

favourite moments from TOTP, havent watched it in years though...

Oasis's first performance of Live Forever - bought the album and was converted on that performance

this from wikipedia.org

While performing their 1982 hit "Jackie Wilson Said" the band Dexys Midnight Runners were seen performing in front of a projection of the darts player Jocky Wilson. This was a deliberate joke by the band and the production staff, but many people (including, apparently, host David Jensen) didn't realise this and thought it was a genuine mistake. Despite this, to this day, many TV nostalgia shows and other sources still claim this was an error.

Classic! ;)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top_of_the_pops

Says it all! Was there any famous bands which never appeared on TOTP?

Arctic Monkeys havent appeared have they?

not yet gustavo,cant see them lowering themselves to that level.Wouldnt appear on the brits last year(fair play).best raw energy band since the specials imo.i remember them in 1980 doing 'too much too young' live.best memory i have of totp by far

Waiting to see any Irish bands on TOTP in the 1970's you could be waiting a long time back then. Lizzy , Boomtown Rats, even Foster and Allan ( a bit embarrassing). I used to leg it home at lunch on a Tuesday to hear the official British Chart on BBC Radio 1 at 1 p.m. then there would be the US Top 20 on Radio Luxembourg on a Wednesday and Larry Gogan's Irish Chart run down during the evening I think on Thursday.

Pop Music used to be exciting and of a fairly decent standard and Singles were relevant. Sadly they are no longer relevant and are just issued to promoted Albums nowadays normally.

The Smiths were on TOTP a few times and never disappointed. On Morrisey's first appearance with The Smiths, he wore a wooly cardigan, thick black framed glasses and a hearing aid. He looked so silly that he actually looked cool.

Some of the songs tha The Smiths brought to the Top Ten had titles like "Shoplifters Of The World United", "Girlfriend In A Coma" and " Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now".

The Smiths split in 1987 and are still played on daytime radio.

(If you want an introduction to The Smiths, buy the album The Queen Is Dead)

Found the programme disappointing and Tony Blackburn talking about himself all the time irritating and Jimmy Saville just acting the clown he always did.

No Police, Gary Glitter (although the latter now knows the former), Donny Osmond and other icons of a generation (for good or bad) and no Irish other than U2 (there was a glimpse of Geldorf though).

Hard I suppose to fit 40 years of music history into an hour.

So farewell then TOP OF THE POPS.......................:( :(

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Originally Posted by antofact

not yet gustavo,cant see them lowering themselves to that level.

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Well most great bands of the last 40 years have played on it so i dont see how they would have been lowering themselves!

Musical nostalgia time with MTV being 25 years old too. Cant remember the last time I watched so cant really say I'd miss it but farewell and that...end of an era. Incidentally has their ITV rival, CD:UK gone the same way too?

ah lads and lassies i think top of the tops is no longer with us!!! closed up shop this summer