Evening all. "Strut your funky stuff" by Frantique beneath the charts.
Disco group from the Philadelphia International label, basically songwriter-producers Jack Robinson and James Bolden plus some hired vocalist-models. Who do they think they are, Black Box?
"Something that I said" from The Ruts. Feel that 'tude, see the graffiti, smell the rebellion.
Malcolm and Paul came from a Welsh hippie commune, with career boosts from Phil Lynott and John Peel. Almost sounds a bit like Thin Lizzy, if you're half-listening to a bad recording.
Malcolm died of a drugs overdose nine months after this performance; the band continued for a few years longer.
Randy VanWarmer reminds of "Just when I needed you most". Aided, almost inevitably, by Legs and Co.
The lad had been raised in Colorado, Cornwall, and made it big in New York. His hit song was championed by American radio as an antidote to disco, an earnest love song. He continued recording, to diminishing commercial returns, until his death in 2004.
Madness appear with "The prince". Debut for this group from Camden, playing a style of music they call "nutty" and everyone else calls "ska". Certainly very different from anything we've seen so far, and rather fun.
Seen this on MTV? Probably. The band didn't have money to make a proper clip, so licensed this #TOTP performance as the official video.
Roxy Music sing about "Angel eyes". On video, which helps us to see this isn't the same song ABBA had a hit with, nor the Wet Wet Wet tune.
The Crusaders have "Street life". Wait, wasn't that a Roxy Music song? Has there been some *production* on this week's #TOTP?!
Anyway, a fine performance. Randy Crawford's greatest vocal?
"Don't bring me down" plead the Electric Light Orchestra on their video, recorded in a red light zone.
"If I said you had a beautiful body would you hold it against me" ask The Bellamy Brothers. Legs and Co bring the beautiful bodies, and the #TOTP editors chose to snip this moment so the show could fit into 30 minutes.
Bill Lovelady performs "Reggae for it now". See what he did there? Ha ha ha. With bad puns like that, he won't be invited back into the chart, so make the best of this one hit.
William Lovelady (for it is he!) is more usually played on Radio 3 and Classic FM, for guitar compositions and settings of psalms and that sort of highbrow stuff.
Sir Cliff of Richard performs "We don't talk any more". A freshly-recorded performance, though not in the usual TOTP studio.
"Rock n roll Juvenile" on his shirt, the name of his forthcoming album.
Outro is "Money" by The Flying Lizards.
Peter Powell was our adequate host; he'll get better with practice.
The first Mystery Year was 1979.
More #TOTP Mystery Years just as soon as the continuity announcer incants the spell.
Hasn't Peter Powell grown up! And doesn't he look like Andy Peebles! And would Andy stop giving Simon Mayo ideas!
Heaven 17 kick off with "Crushed by the wheels of industry", an uptempo stomper with an irresistable hook. "Whoo-whoo!"
Glenn Gregory looks in control of the whole stage, even the guys dancing like loons behind him.
Snipped for time: another chance to fast forward through tax fugitive Rod Stewart's yacht-tastic video for "What am I gonna do (I'm so in love with you)". Pay some taxes? Or at least put some clothes on, you brazen strumpet!
Snipped because the BBC was unable to air Doors songs when they first repeated this episode: Annabel Lamb, performing "Riders on the storm". Original keyboardist Ray Manzarek reprised his piano solo.
Annabel tries to vamp it up, without much success, and the effect is "trying a bit too hard".
What do we do in a crisis? Bring up the Status Quo! "Ol' rag blues" is a nice fast number, inoffensive, and suitable to give the guys dancing like loons an excuse to headbang.
The Joboxers have "Johnny Friendly", more of a racket and less tuneful than their last hit single. The performance is a mess, we have no clue what anyone was trying to do.
Apparently it's all about one of the characters from "On the Waterfront", to which I say "Lantern Jaw".
Still more lively than Peabo Bryson and Roberta Flack's video to "Tonight I celebrate my love".
Ryan Paris with "Dolce vita". He's a seasoned professional, fresh from opening the new series of Late Late Breakfast Show last weekend.
Ryan finds the camera every time, and wears a natty waistcoat years before Andi Peters. Zoo get into the mood, with some robotic dancing in the synth breaks.
Paul Young performs "Come back and stay". He's on the stage with coloured neon flashes, so no chance of anyone stealing the show from behind him.
Just the backing singers (The Fabulously Wealthy Tarts) who almost take a camera out with their flailing arms. Strong and effective, the song is almost a duet between Paul and his backing singers.
UB40 are still number one, we get the video for "Red red wine", shot at a fine pub in Digbeth where the band promised free beer until the shoot was complete. Became an American hit some years later, with an unhelpful rap break.
Playout is Level 42's "The sun goes down (living it up)", and the guy doing the headstand at the end had to wait 33½ years before it was on telly - he's Philip Tan, who later became a professional stuntman.
The second #TOTP Mystery Year was 1983. Two more Mystery Years at 7pm next Friday.
Stay tuned for Mancini and Bacharach at the Proms, then some Movie Themes At the BBC.
Radio 2 is in Preston for the St. Cuthbert's Grammar Festival: Sting on Saturday, Pet Shop Boys on Sunday. Full coverage on the Red Button, highlights on BBC2 tomorrow and Sunday.
Whatever you're doing this weekend, have a great one!
Our group declare to be true