Those "never to be forgotten: Top of The Pops appearances

The DC5. The earliest surviving clip from TOTP. This was a filmed insert:

 

Herman's Hermits with Peter being wheeled around the audience.

NOTE: Contains fragments of a certain blonde fellow introducing and dancing.

 

Sandie Shaw in rehearsal. The actual clip doesn't exist

 

The Pink Floyd

 

One of Cilla's best:

 

Now of course, you know me, I couldn't leave this classic out:



He filmed this especially for TOTP. He didn't wish to appear, as he felt he was too old to be appearing on a teeny-bopper show.

 

One of several Dusty 'comebacks'. This one didn't chart, but she gives a decent performance despite looking a bit out of place. This was 1978. The year of the Bee Gees, Grease and Boney M!

 

Oh Noosha! Fox's final hit in 1976.

 

I love that clip but you are right, Dusty does look very out of place. I suspect the Dame Edna style outfit was the reason for this.

 

And being surrounded by clearly uninterested kids didn't help either. Dusty was only 39 here, but came off much older.

 

Whilst reading through a Hoffman Marillion thread I was reminded of this: Fish's 'it-was-better-in-rehearsals,-honest' Dylan homage. 'Guitar solo' - tee-hee.... Ah, happy days....

 

I'd forgotten he did that, my favourite "homage" was the Maxell ads

 

I remember this vividly. The audience were like WTF is this *&%*!!

 

There were really only two performances in the 80s that really singlehandedly made the act into an overnight sensation a la Bowie's Starman; that everyone at school the next day couldn't stop talking about.

Culture Club's debut has been posted already, but two years previously, on 16th October 1980, Adam And The Ants made their debut on TOTP. Within four months their album was pitched at No.1 for an astonishing 11 weeks, and at one point in Feb 1981, one in eight singles bought in the UK was an Ants one. That feat has never been surpassed.

 

I can still remember my parents reaction when CC & George were on. You'd have thought it was a personal affront directed at them specifically. Was never a huge CC fan or anything but I loved them for the reaction they provoked.

There was a documentary series in the past couple of years following the initial British Invasion and subsequent waves (Floyd, Zep etc). The last episode of the series followed the New Romantic era, Duran Duran etc. George features, relating how outraged certain factions in the US were over his appearance, picketing concerts etc. George naturally shied away from all of this by asking his limo driver to keep circling the block whilst he stood out of the sunroof and simpered & waved at the protesters.

 

Speaking as a former kid in the 70s, Legs & Co just seemed to be part of the natural order of things. Watching the reruns now in my 40s I realise their appeal was very much directed 'at the dads'

 

good god......

cheers,
rob

 

As much as I love the song itself, I can never shake the 'and there's masses of lamb' together with 'my picture is Hugh's toe' when I hear it. That advert almost ruined the song. Of course there an argument that says that I can still remember the advert 30 years on means it was pretty successful.

 

this isn't top of the pops, however its a similar show and this performance is never forgotten.

 

how any of the 'young ones' kept straight faces while doing anything is beyond me!

cheers,
rob

 

I used to hate Legs & Co/Pan's People/Ruby's Flipper because it meant the artist wasn't there to perform the song or hadn't sent a promo clip. I'm sure the dance troupe's performances had a detrimental effect on singles' sales!

 

how bloody awful and inappropriate it was! (though the modern lovers one has it beat i.m.h.o.).

cheers,
rob

 

It won't go down as one of the best clips in the show's history, but this is a nice live performance of A Little More Love by Olivia Newton-John, fresh from Grease, in January 1979.

 

True, but TOTP's own ratings I'm sure were sensational, pulling in attentive audiences way beyond the single buying teen demographic.

 

True, it was the only pop show on too. Unless you count Lift Off, Supersonic and Shang A Lang, of course! OGWT for the more serious minded!