Dinner hour kicked off with The Cartoons, went through The New Rads, Dr. Who, a classic from TLC, Phats & Small, and the lovely Catatonia.
And they even programmed a washing-up break, how very polite.
Evening, #TOTP chums. Is this the lost Raucous Rodents classic?
"Tragedy" over the charts, from a Steps cover band.
The Hand-some Peter Powell is our first Mystery Year host.
"Honey i'm lost" - The Dooleys
Ilford's finest were just about to have their highlight year, reaching the top ten with "Wanted" and "The chosen few".
It's the first single release with young sister Helen on keyboards, she joined singing siblings Marie, Anne, Kathy, and Jim; and guitarists John and Frank. Seven Dooleys in one band remains a record.
"King rocker" - Generation X
Here's some proper British nobility. Lord Billiam of Idol has perfected the sneer, and scowls right down the camera at the public.
Seriously, even at this early age, the man oozes charisma and will go far.
Look, if they're repeating stuff from two weeks ago, so am i!
"Contact" - Edwin Starr
Contact with Flick of the Wrist? Tell us this is a Hand-some Peter Powell episode without telling us it's a Hand-some Peter Powell episode.
"Baby of mine" - Alan Price
Trying to be the new "Hey Jude" with a bloke in big shades. Or a massive Valentines' smash.
Is it utterly rude to say he looks like Ant McPartlin cosplaying as Elton John? Apparently it is.
"Shake your groove thing" - Peaches & Herb
Sparkly jackets in the video. Unlike the last four songs, still hear this one out in the wild.
"Stop your sobbing" - The Pretenders
Hello, Chrissie Hynde And The Backing Band! Cor, forgot that The Pretenders were vital - or more than the one song.
A memory from last year: does she look like Katrina From The Waves?
Gotta love the Kinks-esque harmonies, and don't mind some obvious miming.
"I will survive" - Gloria Gaynor
The roller disco video in a red-and-blue square. Still hear this one out in the wild, to the point where I'm somewhat immune to its charms.
But disco is so last year. Can someone hurry up and invent - pfft - vaudeville goth?
"Lucky number" - Lene Lovich
Lene knows where to find the camera angles, knows how to look like a pigtailed schoolgirl and a black widow at the same time, and (we assume) how to squeak in the studio.
Another new wave performance for the ages, and i don't think there's ever been anyone quite like this again.
Performance of the night.
"Woman in love" - The Three Degrees
You'll have stepped out the front door, then.
"Into the valley" - The Skids
[plays loud]
[bops about like the singer]
Don't know about you, but my ears are alight.
[keeps bopping]
"Heart of glass" - Blondie
From deepest Noo Yawk, it's Deborah Harry and her Sleeperblokes!
This really has been a show of two halves: so many New Wave classics, and a fair few forgettable songs like (um) (er) wotsisname at the piano.
Playout is "Cool meditation" - Third World.
Our first Mystery Year was 1979.
Our second Mystery Year comes from the week when "In at the Deep End" followed Paul Heiney's efforts to make a video for Bananarama's new single "Trick of the night".
It, er, wasn't very good. And neither was the video.
"Stand by me" - Ben E. King
The video from the movie Stand By Me, so about 40 seconds of Ben singing in black-and-white, a montage of still pictures, and then an actor performs the rest of the song. He's eventually joined by the lads from the cast, and there are clips from the film.
Rev. Mayo is right: the song still sounds ace all these years later.
"Heartache" - Pepsi & Shirlie
The outfits are *so* on point: accessible style tips for the teens.
One of them is in a black top, black skirt, white knee-length socks, white bow in her hair.
The other is in a fisherman's stripey black-and-white top, black skirt, black knee-length sock, black bow in her hair.
Song's pretty darned decent, too.
The BPI awards were handed out last monday.
Peter Gabriel won Best Bloke, Kate Bush the Best Lassie. The Bangles took International Group, and Eric Claptout the Isn't He Dead Yet? award.
Paul Simon the Int'l Solo, David A Stewart won Best Producer, and Top Gun took Soundtrack.
"West end girls" won Best Single, and "Brothers in Arms" Best Album.
#TOTP presenters picked "Sledgehammer" as best video, Radio 1 listeners said the best new act was The Housemartins.
And winners of Best British Group have a message for Peter Powell:
"Stay out of my life" - Five Star
More synchronised dancing: it's white leather-plastic suits, perhaps a bit too tight in the leg, with the band's trademark massive shoulder-wings.
The song is light and disposible, sold with all the band's abilities, and i still enjoy the key change of joy towards the end.
Remember them this way, it's all downhill from here.
Breakers! "The future's so bright i gotta wear shades" - Timbuk 3, want to be the new Talking Heads and not getting there.
"Coming around again" - Carly Simon, a proper heartbreaker.
"Rock the night" - Europe foretell their future, reduced to playing in half-empty bars.
"Once bitten twice shy" - Vesta Williams
Set in her luxury apartment in St. Retham, the pool maintenance guy is sure to get wet (and not in a good way), there's a Benny Hill-style chase. More Saturday Superstore than Eurocool.
"I knew you were waiting for me" - George Michael and Aretha Franklin
Eighth number one in as many singles for Yog, and maybe the best of them all.
One can imagine this going down a storm at cabaret night in the Afterlife Bar.
"I love my radio" - Taffy. Larking about at the motor races.
Peter Powell was on weekend breakfast, Rev. Simon Mayo was clearly The Next Big Thing: as well as the graveyard slot at 7.30 Saturday nights, he'd sat in for Gary Davies at lunchtime, Bruno Brookes at teatime, and Adrian John on early breakfast; he's there this week, covering Adrian's paternity leave.
Our second Mystery Year? 1987.
This edition of #TOTP was recorded during the great heatwave of 1976, with temperatures exceeding 30 C all week.
"Canada" - Pilot
Such a welcome change from the insufferably jingoistic bullshit coming from south of the 49th.
"Let's stick together" - Bryan Ferry
Oh not this again. Bring back Five Star, at least they could sing.
"It's so nice (to have you home)" - The New Seekers
After The Seekers fell apart through musical differences, the result was this band.
As clean-cut as The Dooleys, as cutting-edge as Level 42, as memorable as Reef's song from earlier.
"The Boston tea party" - The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
To be fair, brunch at Boston Tea Party is nice, but rather too associated with memories of one of my exes.
Fortunately, other brunch locations are available. Leverton and Halls is expensive, but the potato omelette is [mwah].
"Misty blue" - Dorothy Moore
Bob Montgomery's ten-year-old song took on a new lease of life here, the sensitive reading sparked lots of cover versions by stars as diverse as Monica, Mary J Blige, and Cyndi Lauper.
Osibisa - Dance The Body Music
Afrobeats is a new thing for the 2020s? Pshaw!
This Ghanaian-Caribbean Afro rock band was rather big half a century ago.
It's an optimistic noise, blending African sounds to create a dense record that repays a second listen, and many more.
Teddy Osei was the band's founder, and the group are still performing.
"I believe (when i fall in love it will be forever)" - Art Garfunkel
Stevie Wonder song, later covered by E-voke, George Michael, Michael McDonald, and Josh Groban.
All of this left precious few beats for Art to use on his take, hence the passionless low tempo. No excuse for mixing his voice so far down.
"You to me are everything" - The Real Thing
Opportunity knocks for these Liverpudlians, who make a very pleasant sound, beloved by great DJs and by Noel Edmonds.
Superficially innofensive and undemanding, the lyric rolls well with the tune, and there's a bit of melancholia about it. And, by goodness, it's a refreshing song to hear.
But it's not the best song on the show...
"Good vibrations" - The Beach Boys
Re-released to promote a Greatest Hits compilation, when these were a novel way of assembling a band's best bits onto one premium LP.
Any excuse for one of the greatest songs ever,
Young hearts run free - Candi Staton
The greatest disco song of them all? Very possibly.
Candi spoke to Radio 4's "Soul Music" in 2022 about how writing this song helped her get the courage to walk out of an abusive relationship.
"Tubular bells" - The Champs' Boys Orchestra
Ruby Flipper in the Blue Peter garden, two years before they put in the fishpond and paving.
Hervé Roy was responsible for this discofied version of Mike Oldfield's familiar tune.
Roy was better known for writing film scores, including "Emmanuelle", "Asphalt Warriors", "Un linceul n'a pas de poches". He also wrote the music used in infamous internet meme "Two girls, one cup".
"Don't go breaking my heart" - Elton John & Kiki Dee
Love the introduction, it's like a little overture to the song. Rest of it, somehow not quite as good.
Kiki is flirty. Elton seems a little bit laboured, not as convincing with his attraction to Kiki as one might expect.
Has there ever been a cover by Robbie Williams...
"Dr Kiss Kiss" - 5000 Volts
Tina Charles and Martin Jay, and a bunch of Sleeperblokes.
Tina, of course, went on to record massive hit singles we might see in the coming weeks.
Martin went on to work with such pop luminaries as Tight Fit and The Yuck Mixmasters.
"You to me are everything" - The Real Thing
Chris Amoo, lead singer with The Real Thing, later went on to be a successful dog breeder, winning Best In Show at Crufts in 1987.
Attached: 1 image "Bristol stomp" - Late Show A full-on good-time rock 'n' roll number, named after the suburb of Philadelphia. "Can you feel the force" - The Real Thing Chris Amoo, the singer, was also a champion dog breeder. A few weeks before the 1987 episode, his Afghan Hound called Viscount Grant had won Supreme Champion at Crufts. Amoo also won the Best Hound rosette in 2023 with wolfhound Paris. #TOTP #RealThing #Crufts
That'll be our lot on #TOTP tonight.
Three volumes of Heartbreakers at the BBC up next, and Love Songs on BBC2 tomorrow night.
A "mere" four episodes next friday night.
Whatever you're doing this week, whether it's Valentine's or Lunar New Year, both or neither - have a great one!
Our group declare to be true