This week in the next #TOTP year, Record Mirror published a letter from Neil in Birmingham asking after a remix of "Dancing queen" by #ABBA. RM agreed that ABBA were brilliant.
"With 'SOS' being nicked in the 'Edelweiss' novelty record perhaps the time is ripe for a comeback. A quick straw poll of the office revealed that 'Knowing me knowing you (ah-haaa)' is our fave Abs single."
Bruno Brookes is the man in the grey suit for a live edition of #TOTP, forced on the producers by industrial action yesterday.
Since the start of the year, most introduction links have been done from a "crow's nest", a small platform above the main stages. Bruno is tonight joined by three fashionable women and one Wally, from the "Where's Wally?" books. Just to your left, mate.
Swing Out Sister, "You on my mind". Ace song, under-rehearsed presentation.
Ronnie from T'Pau reviewed this in Smash Hits - "Sounds like it should be on the Scandal soundtrack. It's flipping great! I predict it will go to number 14, it's got a very number 14 feel to it."
Record Mirror said, "a surprisingly pleasant track, apes classic Sandie Shaw offerings of the Sixties with its stabbing chorus of brass and soaring string arrangement." #TOTP
On video, Chaka Khan with "I'm every woman". From an inessential remix album "Life is a Dance". If you can spot the difference from the original, do send a postcard to Bruno.
Similarly invisible remixes of "Ain't nobody" and "I feel for you" were released as singles before the end of the year. Nobody has thought about this project since 1990. #TOTP
Yazz performs "Where has all the love gone?", complete with a massive posy of flowers.
Record Mirror praised Yazz to the heavens. "Yazz is the ideal star for 1989. She stands where the disparate strands of reggae, soul, house, and pop combine, adored by dance aficionados on one side and brace-wearing teenies on the other."
Radio does not play this one any more. Can we work out why? #TOTP
Queen with "I want it all". Straight in at number 3, and we only get the most miserly short bit from the vid. Producer of the time Paul Ciani did not want to play videos, and didn't know about Freddie Mercury's health problems.
The song is Queen in full bombast mode, loud and unsubtle. Slightly more cheerful than I remembered at the time, and hence one of the best in that Queen sub-genre. Anyway, that's all #TOTP ever showed of the clip.
Stevie Nicks is in the building! Her first turn ever in the #TOTP studio.
"Rooms on fire" is the hit, and all eyes are drawn to the woman in the red coat and hat, and long rock-tastic blonde hair. Two vampish backing singers don't get their moment in the spotlight, not when dry ice fills the stage and orangey lights burn.
Faded out during the middle eight, which is a desperate shame; Paul Ciani never quite gave songs room to breathe.
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