Chart Music #62: November 3rd 1977 – WHOO! HEY!

Chart Music #62: November 3rd 1977 – WHOO! HEY!

Author: Chart Music November 6, 2021 Duration: 6:12:29

The latest episode of the podcast which asks; if David picked potatoes on Jack Heap’s playing field for one hour, how many Fumanchews would he able to cram into his gaping maw? 

Once again, Pop-Crazed Youngsters, Team Chart Music has returned to the safety of the late Seventies, and your panel is a) having their crayons thrown out of the window after an incident that could have been ripped from The Shining, b) being disappointed by Scalextric, and c) getting their arse tanned over an art installation on some concrete staircases. And all the time, the terror of Punk is looming, and no-one – particularly the canine population – is safe.


As it turns out, the only Punk-free zone at this time is the episode of The Pops we’re about to get stuck into. Like David’s Scalextric, the show – in Robin Nash’s safer-than-safe pair of hands – is running on rails by now. Unlike David’s Scalextric, everything fits together, and nothing is skidding off the table and smashing against the wall. This is Top Of The Pops in its purest form, Pop-Crazed Youngsters, and we savour every mouthful of it for over six hours.


Musicwise, it’s a veritable bestiary of Pop Gargantua, with Xmas on the way, some huge LP drops this week, and the Monsters of the Hit Parade already starting to fight over your forthcoming record token. Paul Weller makes a doomed attempt to get the BBC to post his guitar to his girlfriend. The Carpenters say hello to some aliens. The Barron Knights dare to have a pop at The Old Sailor. Freddie Mercury pitches up dressed like a bottle of Sheridan’s. Legs & Co hit up a sari shop in Shepherds Bush for a game of Sexy Lady Croquet. Status Quo predate Abba with an avatar bassist. Actual David Bowie pitches up to the studio, but can’t be bothered to button up his cuffs. Showaddywaddy have a group huddle. And Abba get down to a proper session of Scandinavian Sorry. All brought to you by Peter Powell in his debut TOTP appearance, and he immediately hits the ground running, even if he has to be nudged by the gallery into putting himself about with the maidens of the studio.


David Stubbs and Taylor Parkes join Al Needham for an intense drill into ’77, veering off on such tangents as the Great Dog Collar Crimewave of Coventry, why trying to crush a tennis ball on the school playground in order to impress girls is a wrong ‘un, NASA convincing aliens that British people are big Medieval jessies, the ELO-Faust War, Dave Lee Travis annoying Brian May, a review of Dave Bartram’s 2005 travelogue of caravan parks, Bruce Foxton stroke fiction, and the GOLDEN FLEECE OF CHART MUSIC has been located. Oh, the swearing in this one…   


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Chart Music: the Top Of The Pops Podcast is a deep, often hilarious dive into the archives of the iconic BBC television show. Each episode focuses on a single, random broadcast of Top of the Pops, subjecting it to a forensic and affectionate analysis that only a panel of former Melody Maker critics could provide. Hosted by Al Needham alongside creators Sarah Bee, Neil Kulkarni, Taylor Parkes, Simon Price, and David Stubbs, this podcast dissects the performances, fashion, and cultural moment of each show with a unique blend of expertise and nostalgia. Listeners will hear detailed commentary that treats pop history with both seriousness and irreverence, uncovering the stories behind the hits and the oddities that defined Thursday night viewing for generations. It’s more than a recap; it’s a critical reappraisal of a pop institution, exploring how music, television, and memory intertwine. The conversation is insightful, witty, and packed with the kind of context only insiders can offer, making each episode a time capsule opened with care and a sharp eye. For anyone fascinated by the evolution of pop culture and the specific alchemy of a weekly chart show, this podcast provides an endlessly engaging listen.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Chart Music: the Top Of The Pops Podcast
Podcast Episodes
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David Stubbs, Neil Kulkarni and Al Needham continue their intensive tuck-in of a wildly influential episode of The Pops. AC/DC get their cannons muffled, and then Jonathan King introduces the UK to Deeley Boppers, Mr T,…
#65 (Pt 2): 8.7.82 – Dancey Reagan [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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#65 (Pt 1): 8.7.82 – Dancey Reagan [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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David Stubbs and Neil Kulkarni join Al Needham for a dance on the car roof of 1982, and prepare the ground for an episode of The Pops from that glorious, World Cup-drenched summer. Prepare for shocking revelations about…
#64: April 26th 1984 – Metal Mickey Dropping His Guts [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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The latest episode of the podcast which asks; does playing Legend by Bob Marley constitute a hate crime?Finally, Chart Music gets off its fat arse, gets on its bike and starts looking for a job, and it’s a particularly f…
#64 (Pt 4): 26.4.84 – Metal Mickey Dropping His Guts [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:55:35
Neil Kulkarni, Simon Price and Al Needham bring this episode of Top Of The Pops to a close by blanching at the sight of Julio Iglesias practically caressing Willie Nelson’s beer gut, scratch their heads at Echo and the B…
#64 (Pt 3): 26.4.84 – Metal Mickey Dropping His Guts [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:33:10
Simon Price, Neil Kulkarni and Al Needham continue to gingerly pick through the rubble of April ’84. After gasping at the outright Lijkenpikkerij of Belle and the Devotions, they tackle Lilt Advert Bob Marley, before get…
#64 (Pt 2): 26.4.84 – Metal Mickey Dropping His Guts [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:26:40
Neil Kulkarni, Simon Price and Al Needham commence their plunge into this episode of Top Of The Pops, stopping to pay respects to Our Janice and giving Simon Bates’s new jacket a thorough examination. There’s a rare oppo…
#64 (Pt 1): 26.4.84 – Metal Mickey Dropping His Guts [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:30:47
Simon Price, Neil Kulkarni and Al Needham gird their loins in anticipation for an episode of The Pops located slap bang in the middle of the Aydeez, taking the time to discuss the decline of New Pop, leaf through that we…
63 (Pt 4): 28.12.1972 – Thank God For Belgian World In Action [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:02:10
Neil Kulkarni, Taylor Parkes and Al Needham gleefully rip into the final part of their exhumation of the last TOTP episode of 1972, and it’s banger after banger after banger. The Osmonds begin their journey on the Highwa…