Top of the Pops

Bassmansam · 9 Jun 2020 at 15:55

I've been watching youtube videos of various bands(still do!) i liked in the early 2000s like Sum 41, Nickelback, Offspring ect.

My question is , did the BBC pay for these bands just to come over as soon as their single hit the top 10 to do the performance just for them to go back home after? I doubt they could align performances for when a foreign act was on tour in the UK although it may have happened on the odd chance.

Anyone know?

jsmoke · 9 Jun 2020 at 16:09

Are the charts not realised on a Sunday and top of the pops on a Saturday or Friday, can't remember, giving them near a week to get to the studio if that's what your asking.

Brilliant self promotion. They probably get sent a letter beforehand explaining if they make the charts to have travel preps prepared.

hood1971 · 9 Jun 2020 at 16:10

I always assumed they appeared as free advertising of their song. but have no idea.

kaiowas · 9 Jun 2020 at 16:14

The bands would have already been in the UK/Europe doing promotional work to coincide with the release of their album/single. ToTP would have just been another stop on the circuit.

jsmoke · 9 Jun 2020 at 16:15

If I'm understanding your question right then good question. Basically how do they gets the bands on the show given that the charts are released each week and I doubt they've never missed a number 1 band being on the show.

You can imagine the sex pistols for example saying screw that I'm not going on that show.

Bassmansam · 9 Jun 2020 at 16:18

kaiowas said:
The bands would have already been in the UK/Europe doing promotional work to coincide with the release of their album/single. ToTP would have just been another stop on the circuit.

Aren't albums/singles released at the same time in different countries. It's not like films with a staggered release dates right?

PCDAVE2 · 9 Jun 2020 at 16:28

If I remember correctly TOTP was always shown on a Thursday evening - so would show the Top 40 singles chart from the Sunday just gone. New single releases that week would get shown via a music video or performance (e.g. exclusive). A lot of promo would be done so a 'live' performance was part of that package I guess at the time. I still watch TOTP 1989 repeats on BBC4 every Friday.

LeeUK · 9 Jun 2020 at 17:51

They kind of knew what would and wouldn't be popular in the charts. If the Spice Girls had a new single coming up then they would book them for the show as they knew it would be top of the charts without waiting to see on Sunday.

Bassmansam · 9 Jun 2020 at 18:01

LeeUK said:
They kind of knew what would and wouldn't be popular in the charts. If the Spice Girls had a new single coming up then they would book them for the show as they knew it would be top of the charts without waiting to see on Sunday.

yeah but thats a it easier as they were UK based at the time.

mmj_uk · 9 Jun 2020 at 18:11

I watched a documentary not long back about punk bands this was in the 70's/80's or so but from what they were saying appearing on TOTP at that time was the difference between not being known about and selling hundreds of thousands of records. Pop music probably sold a lot better after going on there. I would've thought appearing live on TOTP was a bit of a trophy moment for most artists.

Malevolence · 9 Jun 2020 at 18:58

Always preferred The Old Grey Whistle Test myself.

SexyGreyFox · 9 Jun 2020 at 19:22

In the 70s and 80s bands that went on Top Of The Pops and Old Grey Whistle Test went into a recording studio and had 4 hours to re-record their hit so they could mime to it.
This fell apart when there was no way Queen could record Bohemian Rhapsody in 4 hours so they submitted a video and history was made.
I have no idea what they did with bands after the 80s, probably just let them mime to their record.

I was kicked in the teeth in the early 00s when I got my hands on old OGWT DVD's and realised a lot of amazing performances I remembered from the early 70s were actually mimed.
I always thought they were live.

And yes they did get paid, not a lot but they did get something.

robfosters · 9 Jun 2020 at 19:24

They liked a sex offender or two on TOTP.

SexyGreyFox · 9 Jun 2020 at 19:28

robfosters said:
They liked a sex offender or two on TOTP.

Let's make a list:

Pete Towshend
Michael Jackson
Rolf Harris
Jonathan King
Gary Gliiter
John Peel
Jimmy Savile

LeeUK · 9 Jun 2020 at 19:30

I saw TOTP live on the Gateshead Quayside in 2005 I think it was. If I remember correctly Natasha Bedingfield was there.

Malevolence · 9 Jun 2020 at 19:33

SexyGreyFox said:
Let's make a list:

Pete Towshend
Michael Jackson
Rolf Harris
Jonathan King
Gary Gliiter
John Peel
Jimmy Savile

Hairy Cornflake.

robfosters · 9 Jun 2020 at 19:36

SexyGreyFox said:
Let's make a list:

Pete Towshend
Michael Jackson
Rolf Harris
Jonathan King
Gary Gliiter
John Peel
Jimmy Savile

John Peel?

pastymuncher · 9 Jun 2020 at 19:55

In the 70's and 80's TOTP was shown at 19.00 (or was it 19.30) on a Thursday evening and always ended with the current number one. Personally I lost interest in TOTP and music in general around 1987 due to the start of hip hop, house and all the other rubbish around at that time but seem to remember it moving to Friday evenings around the mid/late 90's. I have no idea if the artists were paid to go on the show or if it was a way to promote their music. Probably the latter as going out on BBC one gave them a massive audience and the possibility of propelling their music up the charts. I preferred The Tube and the short lived show No Limits to TOTP.

jsmoke said:
You can imagine the sex pistols for example saying screw that I'm not going on that show.

If I remember rightly the Sex Pistols did go on TOTP and "performed" Pretty Vacant. I remember at the time thinking what a bloody racket!!

SexyGreyFox · 9 Jun 2020 at 19:56

robfosters said:
John Peel?

Sorry it's The Mail but you can look for other sources - https://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/...-learnt-jimmy-savile-says-stephen-glover.html

My guitar hero Jimmy Page never asked their age either when they knocked on his hotel door.

SexyGreyFox · 9 Jun 2020 at 20:02

pastymuncher said:
If I remember rightly the Sex Pistols did go on TOTP and "performed" Pretty Vacant. I remember at the time thinking what a bloody racket

and they were trolling the BBC at the time by Lydon pronouncing the second word of the title into two syllables

I'd already seen them live before that appearance with bass player Matlock.