Having done the Chart Show, time to switch attention to that other great staple of British music TV – Top of the Pops.
The BBC are currently reshowing Top of the Pops from back in the day, but currently only on 1980. Hopefully therefore on the 28th November 2020 (or thereabouts) and the 19th May 2023, if we’re spared, we will have luscious digital rebroadcasts of the original performances. This does also rely on the BBC still being in existence which is under a little doubt, so for the time being I’m relying on VHS recordings of the original broadcasts. There is a Top of the Pops 2 digital version of “The King of Rock N Roll”, broadcast a couple of years ago, but it’s plastered with captions and sardonic commentary.
“When Love Breaks Down” is a composite of a 1990s analogue satellite rebroadcast on UK Gold and a copy of a VHS tape from the BBC broadcast – it’s a bit grainy but basically sound. “King of Rock N Roll” is from an off air tape, very acceptable quality. I don’t think Wendy ever looked better than in the TV performances of this song, nor as if she was having so much fun.
Finding it exceptionally difficult to reconcile the exceptionally slick, glossy, damn near perfect Prefabs with the indie, self releasing band they started out as. It’s called improvement and maturity, but the level of it with the Sprouts and others like Scritti Pollitti is staggering.