TOTP 2

Saturday tea time, BBC 2, a date with a little slice of musical history under the chairmanship of Old Big Nose himself, Steve Wright, the master of the sarcastic put down. Fans of dave27, I give you the very, very enjoyable TOTP 2, one of the most addictive of modern day TV experiences.

Basically, if you've never seen TOTP 2, it's a best of compilation of clips from past years' editions from Top of the Pops, with a couple of modern day hits thrown in for good measure, all spliced together by the witty and often spiteful interjections of Wright, who gleefully takes the rise out of almost forty years' worth of fashion statements (many of which he was the epitome of).

Now literally, that's all there is to this show, but worry not gentle readers, for dave27 is going to fill things out in his normal witty style and give you an insight into what makes this show so memorable.

The clips come in all manner of varieties, ranging from the groundbreaking (dig David Bowie and the Spiders From Mars with Starman), through the terrible (the mullet hound Billy Ray Cyrus' gruesome dancing on the abysmal Achey Breaky Heart being one of the worst), to the frankly bizarre (what the hell were Sigue Sigue Sputnik on and why was there a relationship made in hell between the band's leader and guitarist Tony James, late of Generation X, and the toothsome queen of Brit Yoof Kulcha, Janit Shtreet Pawtah?)

However, even the gross out worst moments are nevertheless memorable and historically absorbing, I mean you must see Joe Dolce at least one time in your life with Shaddupayourface. And when the clips are of good stuff then they're undoubtedly excellent - Top of the Pops may these days be pretty embarrassing and easily missable, but there was a day when the show was compulsive viewing and the material from the 60's and 70's is some of the most wonderful you are ever going to see.

Steve Wright gets a bit intrusive and full of himself at times, pouring his weak jokes all over everything a la Dennis Norden and It'll Be Alright On The Night, or Wogan on Auntie's Bloomers, but you can always switch off when he's rabbitting on while you wait for Renee and Renata, Mud or Althia and Donna (Uptown Top Ranking - Gimme your boots an ting, seh me give you heart attack - Is it tru?)

I'm a bit of an addict for musical history so this prog is just compulsive viewing for me, and it should be the same for you. Tell me you could resist Gary Glitter, Slade, the Sweet, the Animals, the Rolling Stones, Jonathan King, 10CC, Oasis, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Cure, David Essex, the Rubettes, Procol Harum, Dave Dee Dozy Beaky Mick and Titch, the Buzzcocks, Hot Chocolate, Nazareth, Squeeze, Public Image, ELP, Wizzard, Elvis Costello, Ian Dury, Nick Lowe, the Damned and the rest ... if you can then you must be dead from the neck up and you should stick to Crossroads ...

Me, I'll wait for the Sky footie results to end and then it's on with the memories, all together now "Cumon Feel The Noize, Girls grab the boys..."

PS Line up for Saturday 6/2/02 –

B J Thomas - 'Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head'
Darts - 'Come Back My Love'
The Pasadenas - 'I'm Doing Fine'
Annie Lennox – 'No More 'I Love Yous''
Keith Michell - 'Captain Beaky'
It Bites - 'Calling All Heroes'
Vanity Fayre - 'Hitchin' A Ride'
Sheila Hylton - 'The Bed's Too Big Without You'
Pans People/Small Faces - 'Itchycoo Park'
Roachford - 'Cuddly Toy'
Soho - 'Hippy Chick'
Orchestral Manoeuvres in The Dark - 'Maid Of Orleans'
Train - 'She's On Fire'