Slightly delayed this week but here is Top Of The Pops from 3rd June 1976. This week hosted by Tony Blackboard! Woo! And JJ Barrie is at number 1! WOO!
The G Band - don't make promises you can't keep
Don't worry Gary Glitter has already retired so this is just his old backing band, thus he unwittingly solved the BBC a knotty problem some 35 years down the line. This is nice enough catchy guitar pop, actually not a bad song at all with a lovely chorus. There are totem poles and other strange figures at the back of the stage for some reason. Luckily no children.
Dolly Parton - Jolene
Well this song by Dolly has always been a true classic. Dolly has massive hair and of course a massive... voice.
Tony harasses two young ladies from the New Edition who appear to be a 70s version of Glee.
The New Edition - sunshine Saturday
A bunch of pretty fit young guys and girls sing (badly) and dance onstage in very tight t-shirts and then by the magic of film are dancing in a fair ground. Some clowns also wave. Obviously this bit is scary. For some reason which probably only made sense in 1976 we get some film of speedboats too. Ah apparently this is the theme tune to a TV show. Which no doubt features clowns and speedboats. Be afraid.
Ruby Flipper are here to do some bad dancing to Gallagher & Lyle's "heart on my sleeve". Two couples dancing on the cheapest desert island set ever basically. Lets have the actual band instead:
Thin Lizzy - the boys are back in town
Wow classic! They are playing in another studio somewhere so the TOTP audience can't be seen looking lost. One of the band is dressed like Carl Douglas in a kung fu shirt. Words can't express how cool this actually is.
Our Kid - you might just see me cry
Four kids in matching suits singing a sentimental ballad with their squeeky voices. That is as bad as it sounds. In a way this was the kind of thing that infests shows like Britain's Got Talent nowadays so nothing really changes in the world of popular music. Their Mums were probably really proud but everyone else died a little inside.
The Rolling Stones - fool to cry
Whoever wrote up the line-up for this edition of TOTP was obviously taking the piss. From a bunch of 12 year olds to the oldest band in rock. Well of course back then the Stones were just a little bit elderly not as ancient as they are now. This is typical of later 70s Stones, laid back and funky. I think its great personally but then again i played my copy of Emotional Rescue so many times it literally exploded.
JJ Barrie - no charge
And ABBA have been replaced at #1 by a sentimental spoken country & western novelty tune. As novelty songs go its not that bad but i hope it fades away quickly. Only in Britain could you have a music show with the Stones followed by this. And for this we should be eternally grateful.
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