I mean it’s got Abba and Bowie so you’d think it can’t be that bad but it’s absolutely the worst of Abba and Bowie. Modern Romance come as light relief at the end.
I actually bought the Orville record the following week with my Christmas money, much to the disgust of my older brothers.
I dunno, maybe there are worse episodes in the late 80s Stock, Aitken and Waterman years, or near the end of its run?
(39) The Maisonettes – Heartache Avenue (3) David Bowie & Bing Crosby – Peace On Earth – Little Drummer Boy (video) (28) Incantation – Cacharpaya (Andes Pumpsa Desi) (2) Shakin’ Stevens – Blue Christmas (43) Imagination – Changes (26) ABBA – Under Attack (video) (33) Keith Harris & Orville – Orville’s Song (1) Renée & Renato – Save Your Love (video) (8) Modern Romance – Best Years Of Our Lives
Yeah that does look pretty dogshit right enough
Heartache avenue is a tune. Plus they look like some of the most unlikely people to be in a band appearing on top of the pops
not a panpipe fan but this is class
Watched one from 1993 the other night and there was so much awful AOR/blue eyed soul cack on it. Really showed how older people used to actually buy singles.
Was Over My Shoulder by Mike And The Mechanics on it?
No but it did have Paul Young, Crowded House, Go West, some awful Billy Joel thing where he had like 30 backing musicians. Just all so awful.
Oh here it is
Love Crowded House but yeah, the rest can go to shit.
No way is that worse than my entry! Take That are ok if you like that sort of thing, ditto Billy Joel and Meatloaf, and Crowded House are brilliant. The rest are shit, but come on! You can’t compare that to the likes of Orville, Little Drummer Boy and Renee & Renato
I somehow saw the previous week to that which had Roses in the Hospital on it!
Well, maybe, but its a Christmas one, of course it is going to be awful.
That one looks way more fun!
The drop in quality from What Is Love to Life by Haddaway is just unbelievable.
Billy Joel is a genius, I have only come to realise this recently but like any new convert I am very passionate about this topic
What is Love is definitely a banger.
The thing that gets me about my nomination for shittest TOTP ever is that the charts were actually pretty brilliant at the time.
Culture Club, Madness, Phil Collins (I like him ok!), The Jam, Human League, Wham, Ultravox (ok, dodgy song), Dexy’s, Duran Duran , Flock of Seagulls, Yazoo, Soft Cell, Eddy Grant, Talk Talk, Marvin Gaye, Japan - there’s some seriously good talent in that chart! It’s like they’ve deliberately picked out the toffees from the Quality Street box.
I have no issues with Billy Joel but this was very much that thing of musicians doing Too Much Just Because They Can.
Oh yeah, that pretty much always sucks!
A few years later they started playing Death metal and became Blood Incantation…
Ps. I’ve owned this single since I was in short trousers
Watching the recent BBC4 TOTPs has made me realise what a mess Stanley Appel made when he took over in 1991. He seemed to be desperate to return to the type of show they had in the 80s by giving half the show to people like Phil Collins while ignoring the fact that the charts were full of rave and indie bands at that time. Pretty sure the live singing thing was to try to embarrass dance acts from coming on at all - even if they did get invited.
Some of the 1993 shows that have been on recently have only had 10 second snatches of decent music in the Breakers section.
I’d take Keith Harris and Incantation over them any day! 
