Musical Memories – Top Of The Pops 40th Anniversary.

Top Of The Pops 40th Anniversary (2004)

In 2004, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Top Of The Pops on BBC1, a DVD was released, which featured various highlights. Now I do get frustrated when people claim that this show has become “toxic”, and I think that we should try to reclaim it, as this is a rather large part in documenting the history of British pop music, and that shouldn’t be left to go to waste.

Whenever a genre was at its peak, or a new pop group came on to the scene, this show was designed to cover it. One performance from every year of the four decades is featured, although of course a lot of material from the early days has regrettably long since been lost. So we begin with the black-and-white era of the 60s, which then moves into the colour of the 70s.

And then with the 80s, we have not only what is now supposedly The Greatest Era Of Pop Music, but also the greatest era of the show. And then things go on into the 90s and beyond. Everybody will have their own favourite moments, and there are a huge amount of memories that will be guaranteed to come back. I mean, how could anybody ever forget “I Believe In A Thing Called Love”? Er, right.

Performances can also be watched with facts appearing on the screen in a TOTP2 style, that are (not very) informative as always. There are also plenty of extras. There is a look back at the various dance troupes from the early days. There are also some photos from the archive, now the only evidence that the lost shows did happen. There are also some opening sequences, I’ve always been rather fond of “The Wizard”.

We can even look at some performances with the introductions from the hosts left in. And there is a quick look behind the scenes at the current version of TOTP with then-producer Andi Peters. And well, he may have hosted lots of popular CBBC shows including Live & Kicking, but he did more than most to push the regular weekly show to its end with his constant changes, but we wouldn’t have known that at the time during these celebrations.

Now I’ve never worked in TV, but actually featuring some songs that were on the chart might’ve been a good idea, as that was the actual reason that this show existed. But I mustn’t keep going on about that now, although the monthly magazine still continuing to this day does baffle me. And if you’re lucky, some Easter eggs can be found, offering even more insight into the show.

Musical Memories – Top Of The Pops.

Recently I was going through a pile of old vinyl albums, when I was rather surprised to discover a compilation that I didn’t realise was there. This was one of the Top Of The Pops compilations, which for a while were rather popular. I thought that the story was worth doing a piece about.

Top Of The Pops (which had no connection to the long-running TV series) featured some of the biggest hits around, but they were all cover versions, performed note-for-note by uncredited session musicians and soundalike singers. The first of these was released in 1968, and were produced at a fairly fast rate, with a release about every two or three months.

And to accompany these, there were also some spin-offs and best-ofs. This led to a wave of similar budget compilation albums. These are also rather famous for featuring a glamorous model on the cover. This was a popular series throughout the 70s, but this only just made it into the 80s, as sales were beginning to fall.

The arrival of compilations including Now That’s What I Call Music! were able to boast the original songs by the actual artists, and this finished off Top Of The Pops, with the 91st volume being released in 1982. There was a 92nd album released in 1985 in an attempt to try and revive the series, but this wasn’t successful, and it really was all over.

The one that I have is Volume 87, released in August 1981 (which it seems is rather rare to track down now!). This might seem a lot, but this has now been surpassed by Now, which is about to reach its 111th volume. 1981 is now considered to be A Great Time For Pop Music™, but will this be reflected in this release. All of them will come off second-best to the originals really, but some of them were rather good. All 16 tracks made the Top 40, this is what is featured (with the original act in brackets).

SIDE 1

1. “Hold Tight” (ELO) (actually called “Hold On Tight”)
2. “For Your Eyes Only” (Sheena Easton)
3. “Show Me” (Dexy’s Midnight Runners)
4. “Ghost Town” (The Specials)
5. “Dancing On The Floor (Hooked On Love)” (Third World)
6. “Visage” (Visage)
7. “(You Don’t Stop) Wordy Rappinghood” (Tom Tom Club)
8. “Walk Right Now” (The Jacksons)

SIDE 2

1. “Lay All Your Love On Me” (Abba)
2. “Can Can” (Bad Manners)
3. “Sat In Your Lap” (Kate Bush)
4. “Chant No. 1 (I Don’t Need This Pressure On)” (Spandau Ballet)
5. “Body Talk” (Imagination)
6. “Happy Birthday” (Stevie Wonder)
7. “Backfired” (Debbie Harry)
8. “Green Door” (Shakin’ Stevens)

Among my favourites are “Wordy Rappinghood”, “Sat In Your Lap”, “Chant No. 1”, and “Backfired”.

More TV Memories – Top Of The Pops 1991 Relaunch.

Following on from last week, there was a lot of anticipation for the new look Top Of The Pops. But things would be so different, this relaunch ended up being described as “Year Zero”, with the biggest changes in the show’s history to date. Some insist that this is the day that Top Of The Pops went rubbish, but let’s take a look at what exactly happened on 3 October 1991.

This was an attempt to finally bring the show into the 90s, with the new opening theme “Now Get Out Of That” (which was used until January 1995), which was definitely an attempt to embrace the “rave culture” that was about the sweep the singles chart. There was a new studio (no more neon lights now!), which was rather noisy and resembled a lively nightclub, and everyone had to sing live.

And there were new features and a wave of new hosts, who weren’t also on BBC Radio 1. We begin with Tony Dortie and Mark Franklin, who had little previous TV hosting experience. There would be more new hosts introduced later, but these were the only two who lasted for a long time, until January 1994. Erasure had the honour (if that’s the word) of starting off this new era.

And then there’s a look at the Top Ten, now featuring a short clip of the video instead of a still picture, and there was no voiceover announcing these one-by-one (this later changed to being shown nearer the end of the show, with voiceover, and 40-11 being shown over a video). Next is Voice Of The Beehive, what have they let themselves in for. They are followed by the soulful sounds of Kenny Thomas who is a big climber.

Then there’s a look at the US chart. I don’t remember this feature lasting long, you’d think they’d concentrate on the UK. Belinda Carlisle is in the studio, and is briefly interviewed by Mark whilst looking mildly embarrassed. Then there’s an exclusive video by Stevie Wonder. Back in the studio, there’s Julian Lennon, who is also briefly interviewed by Mark, just let him get on with it!

Then there’s a look at the albums chart, featuring Status Quo. I thought that this was supposed to be a show aimed at teenagers! Then there’s the Breakers (now with an introduction again) featuring Carl Cox and Monty Python. We finish with Bryan Adams, who is still Number One. “Bryan continues his bid for the Christmas Number One”, says Tony, making the show’s most amusing comment.

There’s much more to come next week, I’m sure that people will be very eager for more. Tony then finishes off by saying “laters!”, definitely an attempt at a catchphrase. The credits are then shown over the closing sequence (this would later change to being shown over a video). And finally there’s a trail for Number One magazine which wasn’t too far off closing down at this point.

More TV Memories – Top Of The Pops 1991.

When did the 1980s come to an end? Well obviously it was 31 December 1989. Although if you watched Top Of The Pops regularly you might think differently, indeed you could’ve thought it was actually on 26 September 1991 (hopefully this edition will be shown on BBC4 soon!). Top Of The Pops was a show that had to be on BBC1 every week, all year round, there couldn’t be a break at any point because pop music always had to be covered.

This meant that its look got rather tired more quickly than other TV shows. Top Of The Pops did seem to have been stuck in the 80s by this point, still using “The Wizard” theme that had been introduced in April 1986, and an opening sequence introduced in January 1989 (although this did have minor changes by this point). And the studio was still full of pink and blue neon flashing lights.

This was to be the final edition hosted by the long-serving Gary Davies (who by now was high up in the studio away from the crowd), and also the final edition before the big “Year Zero” relaunch the following week. There are a lot of songs squeezed into the 30 minutes, and the studio:video ratio is rather curious. We begin with PJB in the studio. Yes, PJB! Remember them? Not really. There are also plenty of silly graphics flying around everywhere.

This is then followed by the video of the highest new entry, by The Scorpions. The Top 40 was only read out one-by-one by the host on the show for about a decade, by this point the 40-2 songs scrolled along the bottom of a video, someone clearly realised that you could fit in one more song this way. And we are also without Gary’s “and there’s a new entry at number furdy-four”-type comments on them which had become rather grating (this is why Matthew Bannister had to happen etc.).

Next is Rozalla who sings live in the studio. I thought that rule wasn’t introduced until the relaunch, but this always seemed to be rather inconsistent. This is followed by videos from REM and Tina Turner. Then Bizarre Inc. are in the studio. Then there’s a video from Marc Almond, before Sabrina Johnston also sings live in the studio. This is followed by three Breakers with no introduction by Fish, Ozzy Osbourne, and Belinda Carlisle (this was still in the days when singles went up the chart).

Bryan Adams’ very long run at Number One continues, and his video is shown. Then next week it’s new opening, new studio, new hosts, new songs, new everything. Gary says goodbye, and when BBC Radio 1 presenters returned to the show in February 1994, he had long gone. The “end of the 80s” feeling is emphasised by finishing off with the video for the final hit single by Bros, who had been huge barely three years earlier.

Things would be very different the following week…

Great Moments In Pop – The 80s Part 7.

This is a look back at a famous song from the 80s that I am fond of because it has always been rather familiar to me. Paul Hardcastle had been a pioneering producer who worked with various groups. In May 1985 he suddenly hit the big time when “19” was a chart-topper for five weeks. His only other Top Ten hit was in February 1986 with “Don’t Waste My Time” (featuring a guest performance from Carol Kenyon, best known for Heaven 17’s “Temptation”).

Both are memorable and good songs, but they’re not the one that stands out to me. Over the years, various songs that have been used as the theme to Top Of The Pops have also been released as singles, including “Yellow Pearl”. In 1986, it was time for yet another of the occasional relaunches, which they seemed to be rather fond of, as things went in and out of fashion. The new theme music that was introduced was Hardcastle’s “The Wizard”.

This would be used rather frequently, and it seems that there was enough interest for this to be released as a single, so in October 1986 this was. This meant that the video was shown, and then there was the rather odd situation when after this entered the chart of Hardcastle’s performance of this in the studio even though it was being played all the time anyway, but this did give us a chance to hear a longer version. The things he could do with a keyboard.

Also featuring was a vocal part, that was voiced by Geoffrey Bayldon, who was probably best-known for Catweazle, I’m not really sure of the story of how he ended up on this one though. “The Wizard” reached no. 15, and turned out to be Hardcastle’s final UK Top 40 hit single. As the years went by, several variations and remixes were used, and this was also used as the theme to the short-lived American version that launched in 1987.

Even when I hear this now, I still think of the opening sequence with the exploding saxophones and everything, which I do enjoy. This even survived the next relaunch in 1989. But as the cycle of time goes on, after 5½ years of loyal service, in 1991 this was replaced as the theme, as it had began to sound as dated as its predecessor. Hardcastle do go on to have some more minor hits going into the late-80s.

More TV Memories – TOTP2.

TOTP2 (BBC2, 1994-present)

In 1994, Top Of The Pops had reached its 30th anniversary and remained the leading pop music show on TV. So it was decided to expand the idea a little, and launch a spin-off series on BBC2. TOTP2 would usually be shown on Saturday evenings, and would complement the main edition (that was shown on Thursdays at the time). Curiously, it also used the TOTP symbol that wouldn’t actually be introduced on the main show until February 1995.

There was no in-vision presenter, everything was announced by a voiceover, who at the start was Johnnie Walker, who was also a presenter on BBC Radio 2. TOTP2 was aimed at a slightly older audience than the main show, and as well as featuring the highlights of what was currently on the singles chart, it also took a look back in the archive at some classic performances.

Most of these were usually shown because it was the anniversary of when the song first entered the chart, or because it was the birthday of one of the performers of the song. It was always good seeing a song on TV for the first time in a while and discovering where they are now. There would also be a few music videos shown, including what was currently hot on the American chart, and what could be about to become a success in the UK.

There would also be some fact boxes which offered more information, and these were similar to what The ITV Chart Show did. After a few years, TOTP2 started to move around the schedule, and the new presenter was Steve Wright (who had moved from Radio 1 to Radio 2), although some viewers thought that he made too many “laughing at people’s clothes in the 70s”-style comments.

The format started to change a little, and sometimes there were themed editions looking back at a particular act or genre, and there were also performances featured that had been specially recorded in the TOTP studio. The fact boxes remained, but they had been redesigned, and they began to get rather annoying, as sometimes the information appeared onscreen at about three words a time.

There were also a few specials where some celebrities picked their favourite moments from the archive. After the regularly weekly TOTP ended in 2006, TOTP2 did continue, and by now the host was Mark Radcliffe (yet another Radio 2 presenter), and it was extended to an hour, although by this point it was only appearing occasionally in the schedule. I think that the show is still active, although there haven’t been any editions for a while.

This wasn’t the only time that TOTP tried to expand their name. In 1995, a monthly magazine was launched, seemingly trying to rival Smash Hits and the like. Somewhat surprisingly, the magazine is still going, as I would imagine that the TOTP name doesn’t mean a huge amount to today’s pop-loving youngsters. Maybe it’s because they love the posters and free gifts of multicoloured poo emojis that come with it.

The YouTube Files – The Belle Stars Story (Part 2).

Let’s continue the story of The Belle Stars as we go into 1983… 

In January 1983 “Sign Of The Times” was released which reached No. 3. It would become their most successful single by some distance, and it is definitely the one that they remain best known for to this day. It also reached No. 75 in America. In January and February 1983 they performed this twice on Top Of The Pops. In January 1983 they appeared on the cover of Melody Maker and performed four songs on The Tube. 

In February 1983 their first and only album “The Belle Stars” was released which reached No. 15, and they performed “The Clapping Song” at The British Rock And Pop Awards. In March 1983 Sarah-Jane (who was considered by many to be the most glamorous member of the group) appeared on the cover of Record Mirror. They were finally a big deal, could they maintain this success? 

In April 1983 “Sweet Memory” was released which reached No. 22. They really pushed this one with lots of TV appearances but it would turn out to be their final Top 40 hit single. In May 1983 it would lead to their sixth Top Of The Pops appearance, and they also performed this on plenty of other shows including Cheggers Plays Pop, Get Set, The Oxford Road Show, Razzmatazz, and Saturday SuperStore. 

In August 1983 “Indian Summer” was released which reached No. 52. This was another good one, but it missed the Top 50. The video featured a guest appearance from Humphrey Bogart (not the Humphrey Bogart?!). They also appeared on The Main Attraction and the Saturday Morning excitement of No. 73 (which I imagine was an ambition of many pop groups around at the time). 

In October 1983 “The Entertainer” was released which reached a rather disappointing No. 95. Feargal Sharkey made a guest appearance in the video. They performed this on No. 73, Razzmatazz, Russell Harty’s show, and Hold Tight, on the scary-looking stage that went up and down. In December 1983 they made their seventh and final appearance on Top Of The Pops to perform “Sign Of The Times” for a third time as part of the Christmas special. 

In June 1984 “80s Romance” was released which reached No. 71. Their sound had evolved a lot by this point and this was a much more soulful single. Along with the regular video there was also an extended version that included a look behind the scenes. However, the trends were so fast-moving in this era of pop music that this turned out to be their final hit single. Barely a year on from their biggest success, they were now, as the phrase goes, “down the dumper”. Because there wasn’t much interest, work on the second album was abandoned, and The Belle Stars went their separate ways. But wait, because the story doesn’t end there… 

The Belle Stars just about carried on into the mid-80s, but they were now a trio, consisting of Lesley, Miranda and Sarah-Jane (I think Miranda and Sarah-Jane were the only ones who lasted the whole course from 1979-1986). In April 1986 “World Domination” was released. Once again, their look and sound was rather different from a few years earlier, there were definitely no saxophones on this one (maybe they just wanted to be more like Bananarama, ha-ha). 

I did like this one, and it is rather odd to think that this is (just about) the same people that made “Let’s Do Rock Steady”. I am also rather fond of the video (and the 12″ version), but music fans had long since moved on, this wasn’t a hit, and even a Paul Hardcastle remix couldn’t give it a boost (it’s also curiously absent from the various best-ofs). Work on the third album was abandoned, and by this point, it really was all over. I’m not even sure if they remained in the music industry after this or stayed in touch with each other. But that’s still not the end. 

In March 1989, long after it was originally released (and long after their split), a new version of “Iko Iko” became their biggest hit in America after it was featured in the soundtrack to the film Rain Man, and it reached No. 14. In June 1989 this version reached No. 98 in the UK. Beyond a few best-ofs (and a concert at London’s Marquee Club from 1984 being released on DVD), there hasn’t been much activity from the group since this.

But in December 2002 my mum and sister went to a Here And Now concert at the London Arena, where pop acts from the 80s performed some of their biggest hits, and The Belle Stars were on the lineup. Their peak was almost two decades ago even then. Again, they consisted of a trio, but I’m not sure if any original members were even involved, they could’ve been anyone by this point.

They performed only three songs, and of course “Sign Of The Times” was one of them, they didn’t really have much choice. It’s a shame that a lot of people think that they were mismanaged, but I presume that they are are all still out there somewhere, and Jennie does still occasionally perform her songs from The Belle Stars years in concert. As usual when looking back at this era, it’s a surprise to realise they must all be getting on for 60 years old by now (and it seems that Sarah-Jane this year actually turned 65!). How is it even possible.

The YouTube Files – The Belle Stars Story (Part 1).

Over the past couple of years since the whole Bananarama excitement, I have wanted to discover more about 80s pop music. Having another think recently, I decided that another group that had a interesting career and are worth featuring here are The Belle Stars, who were just about the only other British all-female group who had some success in the early-80s along with the Bananas. Again I am doing this about 35, indeed nearly 40 years after it all happened, so it might not be 100% comprehensive, but as usual it’ll consist of a look back at some of their hit singles, magazine covers, and TV appearances that I have tracked down on YouTube. 

Many people think that the early-80s were an exciting time for pop music, and trends changed so often, that bands came into fashion just as quickly as they went out. They would go on to have only one Top Ten hit single in the UK, but they released 15 singles over almost a decade. The story of The Belle Stars actually begins in 1979, when an all-female Ska group called The Bodysnatchers formed (following an advert that said “Rude Girls Wanted”), who were fronted by the beehive-hairstyled Rhoda Dakar. In February 1980 their first single “Let’s Do Rock Steady” was released on the 2-Tone label which reached No. 22 and caused something of a buzz that led to them making two Top Of The Pops appearances in March and April 1980, along with the cover of Record Mirror in March 1980. 

In July 1980 their second and final single “Easy Life” was released which reached a less successful No. 50, and after touring alongside other acts including The Specials and The Go-Go’s, by October 1980 The Bodysnatchers had come to an end, but some members decided to stay together and form a new group called The Belle Stars. Again, this was a septet, and after the departure of Rhoda, a new frontwoman was required. 

They were a group of rather mismatched women who played a variety of instruments (why have one saxophonist when you can have two? But you should know by now how fond I am of female saxophonists from the 80s… especially ones from Hull), who were frontwoman Jennie McKeown alongside Stella Barker, Miranda Joyce, Penny Leyton (replaced by Clare Hirst), Sarah-Jane Owen, Judy Parsons, and Lesley Shone. It would take them a while, but they would eventually have some success. 

There was a hint of some of the future interest they would attract when they appeared on the cover of Sounds in March 1981 whilst still virtual unknowns, and Smash Hits tipped them to be big, describing them as “hot socks!“. The first single under The Belle Stars name “Hiawatha” was released on Stiff Records in May 1981 but it didn’t chart. This was also a Ska-influenced song. A septet making Ska music on the Stiff label? Now where have I heard that before? The following two singles, “Slick Trick”, released in July 1981, and “Another Latin Love Song”, released in October 1981, didn’t chart either. It seems that they were beginning to struggle, maybe it was time to try something a little different. 

In March 1982 Jennie appeared on the cover of Melody Maker alongside Paul Weller after providing some vocals for The Jam. In June 1982 “Iko Iko” was released which reached No. 35, and The Belle Stars finally achieved their first Top 40 hit. This was a cover, it brought them their biggest success so far, and the TV appearances were starting to increase. However, there was frustration that another version of “Iko Iko” entered the chart at exactly the same time and did make the Top Ten. Also in June 1982 Jennie appeared on the cover of Smash Hits which is nice. 

One month on in July 1982, “The Clapping Song” was released, which reached No. 11. This was another cover that became their biggest hit yet, and it featured a dance routine that you were encouraged to do. There was also a video made for this one. In July and August 1982 they made their first two appearances on Top Of The Pops. In August 1982 they were on Summertime Special. In September 1982 they appeared on the cover of Jackie. 

In October 1982 “Mockingbird” was released, but this reached only No. 51. It was yet another cover. In December 1982 The Belle Stars featured in an Afternoon Plus documentary that looked behind the scenes at the making of their music, plus some information such as how they got together, and also how they were being promoted by their record label. Contributors included future NME editor Steve Sutherland. 

In December 1982 they performed “The Clapping Song” on Top Of The Pops for a third time as part of the Christmas special, but they were almost beginning to get a reputation as a novelty covers band. It was decided that at the start of 1983 their next single to be released would be an original song called “Sign Of The Times”. This was a make or break moment for them, and this one really did need to be a success, or it could spell the end for The Belle Stars. What will happen next? Find out in part two coming soon!

The Steve Fairnie Story – Part 1.

Recently I reviewed the 80s children’s TV show The Kid. I don’t remember watching the show at the time, but I found it online one day and enjoyed it. The Kid starred Steve Fairnie. Now this was someone that I knew nothing about, but he must have come from somewhere. Had he appeared in any other TV shows? I did some research, and I discovered that he had a rather remarkable career in music along with various other things. I thought that it was all interesting enough to do a piece about.

I know that it won’t be 100% comprehensive, but I have picked out some of the highlights and will concentrate on Steve’s music releases and TV appearances. My only motivation for doing this is because I’m always keen to discover more about 80s pop music and it’s a story worth telling. Words that are often used to describe Steve’s personality include “one-off” and “unique”, many think he should’ve had much more success, and hopefully it’ll become clear why. This piece will concentrate on 1979-1988 and be in two parts, although it also features a little of what happened before and after, along with a remarkably odd twist at the end that is worth hanging around for. Off we go then… 

pre-1979: Steve Fairnie was born in February 1951 in Fraserburgh, Scotland, although his family moved to England shortly after. By the early-70s he had taken an interest in art and formed the band Fish Co. with Steve Rowles. In 1975 they released their first album “Can’t Be Bad”. In December 1977 Steve married Bev Sage who would be a major influence on his work for the rest of his life, and they had two children. The second and final Fish Co. album “Beneath The Laughter” was released in 1978. 

1979: By this point Steve and Bev had formed a band called Wrïtz, and released the album “Wrïtz”. Although I couldn’t find any features in music magazines from the time, they did have a couple of adverts promoting their album and tour in NME. They also made some TV appearances, including in December the BBC1 show RPM that I think was only shown in the West region. They performed “Night Nurse” which had a routine where Steve’s hand fell off, along with “Luxury” and “Movies”. 

It was very exciting seeing their performance on the brink of a new decade, although people didn’t know it yet the first half of the 80s was going to be a very creative time for British pop music, and Steve would be a part of it. They also performed “Movies”, “Night Nurse”, and “Private Lives” on a TV show in Ireland. “Night Nurse” was released as a single, and it was produced by Godley And Creme, a duo who would go on to direct many pioneering music videos in the 80s, including “Cry” that was shown on The ITV Chart Show‘s Video Vault seemingly every other week for a while. 

1980: Wrïtz had now changed their name to Famous Names (maybe a little tongue-in-cheek as they still weren’t that famous at this point). In August they played the Reading Festival. In November they appeared in the ITV drama Cream In My Coffee, starring Lionel Jeffries and Dame Peggy Ashcroft, where they performed “Movies”. They released the singles “Holiday Romance” and “Modern Mums”. 

Famous Names also appeared on a TV show hosted by Steve Wright who had recently joined BBC Radio 1 (although I’m unsure if it was an unaired pilot or not). Steve was interviewed, and they performed “Holiday Romance”, “Luxury”, and “Muscle Culture”. They were also supported on tour by Shock, a dance troupe whose members included Tik And Tok and blue-haired fishnet stocking-wearing vampire robot Barbie Wilde. 

1981: Steve and Bev became a duo called Techno Twins. I don’t know if it’s right or not, but it has been said that they were the first people to use the word “Techno” in the context of a musical genre. So maybe we have them directly to blame for “No Limit” by 2 Unlimited over a decade later. They also had a side project called Techno Orchestra, and released the album “Casual Tease” under that name. The Techno Twins album “Venetian Blind” was unreleased. 

1982: The early part of this year was rather eventual for Techno Twins. In January they had their first and only UK hit single when their cover of “Falling In Love Again” reached no. 70, and there was a video made which featured Tik (or was it Tok). They also released the album “Technostagia”, which included a rather unique take on “I Got You Babe”. It was reviewed in Smash Hits, where it was described as “blippy” and scored, er, 4½/10. Also released as singles were “Can’t Help Falling In Love” (described by NME as “beautifully evocative”) and “Swing Together”. 

But it gets even better. Also in January, Bev (who had picked up a French accent along the way) was the guest vocalist on “Queen Of The Rapping Scene (Nothing Ever Goes The Way You Plan)”, a hit single for Modern Romance (best remembered for hits including “Ay Ay Ay Ay Moosey” and “Everybody Salsa”). This reached no. 37, and led to some TV appearances, including Dutch music show TopPop (where Bev had blue hair!!), and in February, Top Of The Pops! So one of them did get to appear on the show. I hope Steve wasn’t jealous. 

After leaving Modern Romance, frontman Geoff Deane went on to write for TV shows, including late-90s flop ITV sitcom Babes In The Wood. We remain eternally thankful. Also in February, they appeared on CITV’s Razzmatazz, where according to TV Times “the new electric band Techno Twins brighten up the studio with their latest single”. Bev also appeared in the video to “Big Boys Don’t Cry” by Nick Battle alongside none other than Barbie Wilde! 

1983: Techno Twins had now renamed themselves The Technos, and in September there this was piece of news in Smash Hits: “Steve Fairnie of The Technos is wandering around hypnotising chickens. At least it might stop them making records”. Oof! Steve really did hypnotise chickens as part of his stage act. Crowds were reported to be “bewildered”. They released the single “Foreign Land” and contributed to the compilation album “Curious Collection”. Steve and Bev also appeared in the videos for “Blue Skies” by The Jets (not to be confused with The Jets who had a hit with “Crush On You”, they came later), and “Voulez Vous Danser” by Ricchi E Poveri which was a hit across Europe (where Steve did his award-winning Charlie Chaplin impersonation). 

Don’t touch that dial, we’ll be back with more in part two…

More TV Memories – In At The Deep End.

In At The Deep End (BBC1, 1982-1987)

I thought that I would try and get another blog piece out of Bananarama… you might remember a while ago I did a piece about what they meant to me where I discovered something rather remarkable about them, it’s really great. So I thought that I would take a look back at one of the more unusual moments in their career that was first shown on BBC1 on 10 February 1987.

In At The Deep End was a documentary series where Paul Heiney or Chris Serle who alternated as hosts (and were also on the panel of That’s Life! around the same time) had to learn a new skill. In one edition Heiney was challenged to direct a music video for a major pop act, even though he had no experience in that area (and he wasn’t exactly familiar with all the big names in pop music at the time either). There was also an article promoting the show in that week’s Radio Times. 

Paul began by talking to various people in the business for advice including Top Of The Pops executive producer Michael Hurll (and we also had a brief behind the scenes look at TOTP which was good) and film director Ken Russell. All he needs to do now is find a record label with a pop group that will agree to take part and put their trust in a total novice, knowing it could be a case of “nice song, shame about the video”… now who’s that going to be? 

Bananarama were a big deal around this time, they recently had a Number One single in America with “Venus”, and many people were looking forward to their next move. Paul was on board to direct the video for their new single “A Trick Of The Night” (on the “True Confessions” album, and this 50-minute documentary is featured as an extra on the DVD of the deluxe edition). 

Bananarama appear in Radio Times in February 1987

In his role as director, Paul also has to assemble a crew to make sure that everything is to his liking, and learn the words to the song. It clearly looks like there might be more to this than he first thought. When Paul shows The ‘Rams (as they were called in Smash Hits) his storyboard for the video their response to his ideas is rather a lot of indifference (oh to have been there when Siobhan saw the storyboard for the “Stay” video for the first time, that would’ve been something). 

They don’t seem to be too excited about it, but will Paul be able to get the job done in time behind the camera and make them look and sound good as required? He takes his seat in the director’s chair and tries to get things going. Paul informs us that two hours on the shoot have already been lost while the ladies decide on the colour of their makeup, even though the video’s going to be in black and white. Not a good sign. 

And well, if you thought they were indifferent to start with, the ladies were practically horrified by the end product (“I’m not sure it’ll hold people’s attention from start to finish” said Siobhan, who definitely wouldn’t be having that problem with her music videos five years later). This edition of In At The Deep End was shown as a one-off to coincide with the release of “A Trick Of The Night” in February 1987. Hurll and Russell thought that he didn’t do too badly for a first attempt, but how did it all turn out? 

The single reached No. 32, the ladies were reported to have not enjoyed the experience at all, they promptly went off and made another video with a tried-and-trusted director, and this is now considered to be the official video. This version wasn’t even included on the DVD of their best-of compilation released in 2012. Oh dear. Thank goodness it didn’t finish off their career.