How much do I love these Top of the Pops opening sequences from the late Sixties and early Seventies?
Quite often they are the high point of the show and it's downhill all the way when we get to the actual music!
What is surprising is how frequently they changed up the intro sequence, which generally looks distinctly more expensive and edited-with-flair than the main body of the programme.
That whole episode is actually worth watching but primarily I commend to your eyeballs this edition of TOTP and the many others below for the opening sequences with the run down of the chart - although they varied them up often, these intro bits all generally put across a POP SCENE / SWINGING ENGLAND / GROOVY CHICKS vibe. Like the Carnaby Street thing lingering into the 1970s.
Then there's the theme tune, a sort of library-music remake of Led Zep's "Whole Lotta Love" with added horns - unfeasibly thrilling, rather too often the best music in any given show.
Although the stylized black and white photos of artists in the chart in this episode above are unusually artistic and striking-looking.
Another thing about these TOTPs I find endearing is how bad most of the dancing is. It really does start to seem like there's an English disease of Chronic Arrythmia. Young people lurching about, determinedly off the beat. Boogieing in invisible deep sea diver boots. Office party twirls and dips.
But in their own stilted way, the girls are really getting down and grooving, in an oh-so-English way.
Tremendous levels of enthusiasm and excitement - like the line of girls brocking out to "I Want You Back" by The Jackson Five in the Tony Blackburn presented TOTP above....
Or the girls in the background of this classic T.Rex "Get It On" rendition from above
Or the sweet girl in the white frock really getting into it in back of The Strawbs in this one.
Here's a scholarly analysis of a TOTP title sequence that you may find illuminating:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-srXoaaSpQ
TOTP 2 is the archive repeats series, right? So those intro graphics are retro-design - inspired by the things I'm talking about here but not the Genuine Article.
DeleteNothing beats the real thing, although there is enormous risk that your eyeballs will be assaulted by the sight of Jimmy Saville. (One of those episodes has a bizarre disturbing image of him looking like his eyes are cut out of paper - I couldn't work whether this was AI done long after the fact). Quite often Saville will be saying something off-color and creepy to the girls beside him.
One unfortunate episode had Jimmy Saville AND Jonathan King AND Rolf Harris.
Just needed GG to complete the set. On this very subject:
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPxng_Fg_ek
(Worth tracking down that whole programme if you can, it was very funny indeed)
(above comment was me, btw)
DeleteThe reason the Whole Lotta Love version goes so hard is that it was masterminded by UK blues guru Alexis Korner, patron to many of the brightest stars of the British Old Wave.
ReplyDeleteI love the super-breathy flute that plays the vocal line - another example for your alternate reality, Simon - and the guitar solo transcribed for swinging brass. Reminds me of the Original Bongo Band’s Apache, and makes me wonder whether it ever had a life as a hip-hop break.
Ah didn't know that about Alexis Korner's involvement
DeleteInteresting what becomes a famed break and what doesn't. I used to think Doors 'Peace Frog' would be a good candidate.
Talking of break-tastic rock on one of those TOTP there's an exciting percussive breakdown filled tune by Chicago of all people with Pan's People shaking their stuff to it. Not what you'd expect from the makers later of the syrupy "If You Leave Me Now"