Our group declare to be trueDinnertime pops included Adam Rickett (what did i see in him?), *N'Sync and Britney Spears in the same studio, a pointless Cameo cover, A1 giving that wolf a banana. And the Vengaboys, something something Basil Brush.
Evening, all.
Jennifer Lopez: outfit from C&A, net curtains from Littlewoods, probably playing in Safeway right now.
"A major dance anthem of this year" promises Gail Porter. ATB? Yeah, good call; still evocative of that summer, and the eclipse.
Our first #TOTP Mystery Year comes from the week when Aldo Moro, a former prime minister of Italy, was kidnapped and later murdered by the Red Brigades. Didier Drogba, a footballer, was born. The top movie was "Close Encounters of the Third Kind".
The Hand-some Peter Powell hosts.
"Whenever you want my love" - The Real Thing (and charts)
"If you can't give me love" - Suzi Quatro
The prototype rock chick, in a tan shirt and wielding her guitar, with just enough of a country twang.
Is it too early to award Performance of the Night?
Or to mention that she's on tour next month as in april 2026?
"Baker Street" - Gerry Rafferty
The video, in which Gerry wears the same tartan shirt as Peter Powell.
With saxophone solo by Raph Ravenscroft (pictured).
"Is this love" - Bob Marley and the Wailers
Danced by Flick of the Wrist, all lace skirts and colourful bodices.
It's just ... wrong. On so many levels.
"Sometimes when we touch" - Dan Hill
Hill started writing this song when he was 19, trying to persuade a woman who was seeing other people to date him exclusively. She left Hill heartbroken, and with a song about unrequited love.
Dan sings the heck out of the song, and it's wrenching and manipulative and awesome.
Dolly Parton says it's "one of the greatest love songs ever". Won the Juno for Song of the Year.
"Fantasy" - Earth, Wind & Fire
Live performance video, sent in via a clip from the Encarta CD-ROM.
"(I don't want to go to) Chelsea" - Elvis Costello
Blue is the colour. Do you think he bumped into celebrity fans like Gary Numan down the 'bridge?
(listens closely to the lyric)
David Mellor, more likely.
"Walk in love" - The Manhattan Transfer
The Two Ronnies house band with another of their hits. Well, another of their songs.
Actually, you know who would respect the personal space of the women in the audience? Barker and Corbett.
The woman in green kinda wants to emulate the Kate Bush look, clingy top and wafting arms.
A slight country twang here, but Suzi Quatro did it better.
"Automatic lover" - The Vibrators
Punk is dead, the new wave bands want us to hear the lyric.
Here, the singer describes his preferred sort of girl, before there's a suitably brief guitar solo.
It's their one piece of chart success - the band was dropped by Epic late in 1978, split for a few years, then reformed and were only stopped from touring by the pandemic.
"Wuthering heights" - Kate Bush
The one with the piano-slash-coffin, dressed in mourning clothes, and staring deep into the soul of the camera.
(Hey, if TOTP are going to repeat performances, i will repeat blurbs.)
"Rumour has it" - Donna Summer (and credits)
Our first Mystery Year was 1978.
Good news! Another one in a moment.
Bad news! Another one with Peter Powell.
Our second #TOTP Mystery Year comes from the week when "Network 7" and "Blackadder III" won BAFTA awards.
CITV showed "Bros... The Story So Far". Daytime television show "Kilroy!" shared the problem of impotence, or what happens when one can no longer shaft.
Keeping it up tonight: the Hand-some Peter Powell and his minder, Sir Simon Bates.
Bros (The Story So Far)
"Cross my broken heart" - Sinitta
Plenty of choreography to look at, guys who forgot to put their shirts on, and Sinitta's really short skirt. But this fails to distract us from how the song is the thinnest of thin gruel.
A music-box style chorus, tinkling and weedy; a lyric that shoots its bolt by the first chorus.
It's all tremendously dull. Dull doesn't do well on #TOTP, especially not as an opener.
"Stay on these roads" - A-ha
Yeah, it's a video, Simes, but one recorded in this 'ere studio.
The band get a tremendous reception from the crowd, applause and cheers across the introduction.
There's a gorgeous moment when Morten looks a bit overwhelmed, and he briefly turns and grins at keyboard player Pål before looking down at the floor, breathes, composes himself, and gets on with the majestic song.
The show could have done a cold open into this.
"Bass (how low can you go)" - Simon Harris
#TOTP has not yet learned to make dance music look interesting.
Lots of shots of Simon behind his decks, lots of his keyboardist.
The dancer doesn't mug into the camera, and director Paul Ciani uses his preferred swooping crane shots, and there's no visual focus. It's a mess.
Handheld cameras were not yet in use, and Ciani needed them. Remember Xpansions from a few weeks ago? Same director, better tech.
Breakers! "Temptation" - Wet Wet Wet, with Marti at his piano.
"Only in my dreams" - Debbie Gibson, larking about on a beach, cozying up to some hunk.
"Love changes everything" - Climie Fisher, man in a muscle vest.
"Can i play with madness?" - Iron Maiden
Hendrick the overbearing art master tells his pupils how to draw Tintern Abbey.
He nicks a copy of 'Metal Madness' magazine from one student, falls down a sinkhole.
Hendrick finds himself in a strange lair where there are sun symbols and lizards and third-formers who have been in detention since Simon Bates last shut up for a minute.
Graham Chapman plays the art master, Julian Doyle directed.
If there's any justice this would have won Best Video at next year's BPI awards. In fact, they could cancel the whole of next year's ceremony and just play this on a loop for the whole 90 minutes, it would be better.
"Could've been" - Tiffany
No formal video for this song, so we get footage from Tiff's tour of shopping centres in Newcastle, Birmingham, and London in january.
Back in january, i bunked off Hendrick's art class to go see Tiffany. Went with my friend Armstrong, who swore that he's just on the edge of some shots.
Looked for him when they showed the ep a few years back. I don't see it, and certainly didn't make the frame myself.
Though badly let down by the instrumentation, this is a brilliant lyric, it encapsulates the pure grace of "we weren't right for each other, i regret that we're parting, i've grown through knowing you and i wish you very well".
Only other song to nail that emotion as beautifully is Duncan Laurence's "Arcade". And i'd love to see that duet...
"Don't turn around" - Aswad
Brinsley has got a natty red waistcoat, helps him stand out from the crowd.
As Peter Powell intimated, Aswad have been around for years and years, they've been on the verge of the top 40 for about four years, and Pete had properly championed them in a way few Radio 1 DJs ever did.
Was this Tina Turner b-side representative of Aswad? Not really. Did it open the door to better things later in the year and make sure they're remembered? Too right.
"Where do broken hearts go?" - Whitney Houston
A massive vocal workout, shown through the medium of shooting pool and chattering in an office complex.
Our second #TOTP Mystery Year was 1988.
Elkie Brooks night follows on BBC4, according to the blurb she's turning 80 which is just ridiculous.
BBC1's got the Big Night of Musicals tomorrow, followed by a night of show tunes on BBC2. Sunday is Elaine Paige night on BBC4.
Not sure if i'm with you next week, and i'm certainly away for two weeks after that, and then it's snooker.
So whatever you're doing, it's been a pleasure popping with you. Have a great one!
Luke Trevorrow@daweaver oh yeah! I wouldn’t have recognised him if you hadn’t said.
Piers Cawley
Nömenlōony
Snaprails
Ken Milmore@daweaver Yeah, right. E please Bob.