BBC4 Top of the Pops Repeats

[Patrick Bateman]

Been good to relive their final assault on the top spot recently. So many songs I have no recollection of though; I'd long passed the early adolescent stage of knowing every song in the charts by 1993. Such a shame that they were pipped by that bloody awful track, particularly after they'd been number one on The Chart Show.

Very was so much fun, wasn't it? The sheer audacity of those costumes and Neil's little baton. When you contrast it with the moody monochrome hauteur of So Hard, it's really incredible that it's the same band.

[OakeyDokey]

Even more weird to think they were older in the "We might be making tits of ourselves in these costumes, but hey!" Very era than the moody, mature and reflective duo of Behaviour by a full 3 years.

[tottenhammattspurs]

"The only difference between a number one hit and a number two hit is timing" - Pete Waterman.

[PopKid78]

I’ve always said, a memorable studio performance, might just have given it that push to No1. Also on these episodes from 92 & 93, all the big acts give an exclusive performance of their latest single before release. That could’ve also made a difference.


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[stussyboy]

Agreed.

I believe the BBC wouldn’t pay for a choir so the boys wouldn’t do it.

[Patrick Bateman]

Even more weird to think they were older in the "We might be making tits of ourselves in these costumes, but hey!" Very era than the moody, mature and reflective duo of Behaviour by a full 3 years.

I definitely reckon the hats were a bonus in covering up the ageing process.

[Patrick Bateman]

I’ve always said, a memorable studio performance, might just have given it that push to No1. Also on these episodes from 92 & 93, all the big acts give an exclusive performance of their latest single before release. That could’ve also made a difference.

The video is brilliant, so it would be hard to top it. Plus, how could Chris follow his Can you forgive her? performance? In the video, there is an army of Chris Lowes surfing, chanting, pointing, etc.

It is strange how they didn't appear in person on TOTP for every single during this period though. Only Liberation for the remaining singles and then A red letter day for Bilingual. When did the live singing edict end?

[y3potential]

Agreed.

I believe the BBC wouldn’t pay for a choir so the boys wouldn’t do it.

I've always wondered why they didn't do a big OTT Top of the Pops performance for Go West.. They did do something similar on Italian TV though.. Would have been great to see them do something like this... Oh well..

https://youtu.be/n1VbdIuT4oA

[leesmapman]

Last night's TotP repeat on BBC2 was the christmas 1988 episode where PSB played Always on my Mind and Heart.

[tottenhammattspurs]

So the Boys have had a Xmas Number 1 (1987), A Xmas Number 20 (1993) and a Xmas Number 40 (2009)

[PopKid78]

Also a Xmas number 33 (1988)


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[Patrick Bateman]

Liberation and the Tommy Cooper look this week.

[OakeyDokey]

And a young, David Walliams looking-up and wanting the Boys' babies ?!

[Patrick Bateman]

And a young, David Walliams looking-up and wanting the Boys' babies ?!

Yeah, forming quite the triumvirate alongside bigboy and Matt Lucas. Pretty much the end of synthpop dominating the charts too with Erasure and PSB the two 'exclusives'; the former doing the gorgeous Always, their last massive hit.

It's been interesting seeing the nascent rise of Britpop on the repeats recently. Suede really were well ahead of the rest as they're just about to split up, Blur were on with Girls and Boys the other week and I see Pulp had a new entry with Do You Remember the First Time? this week. I think the repeats will be decent for another couple of years from that perspective, though as ever there's an awful lot of dross on there too, which was the point of TOTP really.

[Patrick Bateman]

Absolutely fabulous was on this week. I know it's history now but watching it in 'real time', it reminded me why it's still their biggest mistake. You've got The Prodigy entering the top ten with the mighty No Good, Pulp on the next show with the peerless Babies and here's Neil and Chris with an in-joke comedy charidee record that Neil boasts only took 30 minutes to make. What on earth were they thinking?

I'm sure their popularity was on the wane anyway but they seem like Emerson Lake and Palmer as punk rages around them. Totally out of kilter with what's coming, and for once, not in a good way.