Coventry Music Articles by Pete Clemons: Top of the Pops

Top of the Pops

by Pete Clemons

Top of the Pops was a weekly music programme that ran between 1964 and 2006 and produced well in excess of 2000 programmes. At its peak it regularly attracted audience viewing figures of 15 million, and at least once, almost reached 20 million.

For those of a certain age it was a must see programme. It mainly ran on a Thursday. Most of the family would sit around the telly watching it albeit, some, with a hint of cynicism. It was a time to slag off artists you did not like. It could also be frustrating as you wished it hurried up and got something on the screen that touched you. For older viewers it was, maybe, light entertainment.

The important thing to remember about Top of the Pops, I think, was that it didn't so much create artists. What it did do was to sell records. Chances are that if you got your record onto the programme it charted.

There was a time, that when a band played on it, by there own admission they felt that they had 'arrived'. And bands who were in the business for commercial success couldn't wait to get on the programme. For the record label, and those associated with it, Top of the Pops was major. Records which went big were, quite often, those that appealed to the mass market.

During the programmes heyday it was produced by old school BBC stalwarts like Johnnie Stewart and Robin Nash. Each of them had honed their skills on Juke Box Jury and other light entertainment programmes. They were followed by Michael Hurll who had followed a similar path. Although a succession of producers, until the programme died a natural death, did try and update the programme. Generally though the producers were a generation or so older than the artists who appeared on the programme and, for years, tended to keep Top of the Pops more mainstream.

Having said that, Top of the Pops, did have some memorable moments. There is no denying, for example, that his appearance on the programme did David Bowie's career no harm whatsoever. The reaction the day after he performed 'Starman' during 1972 was staggering. I also remember similar reactions when T.Rex performed 'Ride a White Swan' and, slightly later, 'Hot Love'. Overnight sensations, literally.

The programme also did no harm in boosting the profiles of the DJ's who introduced the artists. It made a lot of them household names. And they found themselves in demand with guest slots at club appearances and other events.

Top of the Pops specials also became a staple of the festive period as, again at the programmes height, they occupied hourly slots at both Christmas and New Year. Similarly, both these programmes attracted massive audience numbers.

Throughout the history of Top of the Pops, almost all the performances were mimed. It was a requirement that the artist re-record backing tracks. However, the reality it seems, was that the artist pretended to re-record the song but actually used the original tape.

The late 1970s brought a collision of different musical cultures and Top of the Pops began to move in a more radical direction as it veered away from middle of the road. New wave was here and it was mixing it up with disco, the crooners and the novelty acts.

DJ Mike Reid cynically mentioned that 'Punks didn't want to be here on TotP – (oh yes they did)'. And he was partially right. With a quarter of a million records at stake, selling the day after an appearance then yes, he had a point. It really was the difference between selling records or not.

Jimmy Pursey, of Sham 69, was a showman and he had his justifications for doing the show. And even managed to convince himself as to why he should do it. Squeeze made no secret of the fact that they wanted money in order to try and break America. While The Boomtown Rats simply wanted the money. And, by the end of the 70s, some of those bands were not even trying to pretend to play live. Having said that The Clash did take a stand for playing live. They refused to mime and became one of the few who performed 'live' albeit on a video. Rather than a perceived threat the new wave turned out to be a shot in the arm for the programme.

The studio was four or five stages set in the round. An audience were moved from stage to stage. George Best was once famously spotted when The Rolling Stones performed 'The Last Time'. So popular it became that there was an eighteen month long waiting list for audience tickets. And it was not necessarily music lovers who wanted to get onto it. For example, when disco was at its peak, it gave dancers the spot light. For many it was just an opportunity to be on the telly.

Since its demise there have been many calls to bring back Top of the Pops. But personally I think things should be supported at the time. When something has gone, a decision has been made well beyond our control, and it is gone forever. There is no point in trying to recreate something. It is never quite the same afterwards. Give thanks to what it gave when it was active.

Coventry and Warwickshire related bands and artists who appeared on Top of the Pops include:

Frank Ifield - January 1964

The Sorrows - September 1965

Pinkerton's Assorted Colours - January 1966

Vince Hill - February 1967

Lieutenant Pigeon - September1972

Jigsaw - November 1975

Stevenson's Rocket - December 1975

The Specials - August 1979

The Selecter - Oct 1979

The Bodysnatchers - March 1980

Hazel O'Connor - August 1980

Funboy 3 - October 1981

The Primitives – February 1988

Panjabi MC - January 2003

In fact, for completion, there was one edition of Top of the Pops filmed during November 1979 that featured The Specials, The Selecter and Madness all on one show!

Mouldy Ol

Lieutenant Pigeon