TOTP 1976

I so love BBC4, if i was in charge of a TV channel it would look largely like BBC4. Euro-dramas like Wallander and The Killing and now pure nostalgia with a year's (at least) worth of Top Of The Pops starting from 1976 (which is when they started keeping the tapes i guess).

So from April 1976 we have a chart topped by Brotherhood Of Man, ABBA, Barry White and 10cc. The Beatles also appeared three times in the top 30 for early April which was interesting, i didn't realise they had so many single reissues. I was only vaguely aware of music (and indeed anything) back in Spring 1976 as i was 4. My earliest memories come from around then though, sat on the bus with my Mum singing "Yes sir thats my baby" no doubt to the delight of other passengers.

Pan's People? Whats that all about? Well a dancing troupe obviously but their performance of "Jungle rock" was equally bizarre and awesome. As well as the girls we had a collection of people in animal costumes of varying degrees of awfulness, including a camel and a kangaroo. In the jungle. Pan's People were quite good though i preferred Hot Gossip who came later on, obviously i'd never admit that in public.

In truth the TOTP repeats have begun in what is not quite a golden age of pop and the first show opened with "Girls girls girls" by Sailor, the kind of pop shit that needed to be destroyed. Punk rock kindly obliged soon enough.

Now Tina Charles is a singer i'd like to see in these TOTP repeats, judging by this clip she should appear around Christmas...