top of the pops has a treat for all you Japanese woodcut fans

A good week on Top of the Pops.
Jefferson Starship are over the chart rundown. Then Elvis Costello and the attractions are in e studio with Cant Stand Up For Falling Down. It’s a bouncy clip, literally so at the end of the song when EC pulls out a neat levitation trick in classic Earth Wind and Fire style. It’s a week of studio trickery- Jake Burns in slo-mo and a plethora of tricks for The Vapors Turning Japanese. well just one – they intercut the rather plain looking band with stills that appear on page one of the Google images search ‘cliched samurai and sumo’. Either that or the director is a secret Hokusai fan. There’s a fetching video of Michael Jackson doing Rock with you in what appears to be a natty sequinned pyjamas and wellies combo in front of a green laser. Some awesome working men’s club disco next from liquid gold. There’s a drummer in Celtic socks, tight shorts and a tie. The guitarist is rocking princes symbol guitar 15 years before prince did. Again, did Top of the Pops make it as far as Minneapolis? I like to think of the purple one watching Brackleys finest and shouting out ‘now that is a guitar! I gotta get me one of those!’Do not miss the make-up vibes on stomach moment. Or the champagne bottle cowbell. In fact any of it. They gave 110% Brian.
Another funk disco act next, the Gibson brothers with the catchier than herpes Cuba. Cuba! Qui ro bi la salsa! Quite sensible until legs and co invade in full Carmen Miranda get up. Surprise surprise peter Gabriel is not in the studio and there’s a video with him gurning instead for Games Without Frontiers. And playing with a torch. Is it just me or is his ‘acting’ exceptionally irritating here? Sensibly the studio director keeps Jake Burns in a low blue light during At The Edge. Good performance. a repeat of the Dave Edmunds clip is followed by legs and co in a police cell – I like to think- dancing to Sue Lawley. There’s the much repeated live video for Rainbows All Night Long – even the bassist has to nod to the changing times with a thin tie. The film stock makes it clear which bits are shot live and which in the studio. Like bad pennies The Shadows turn up to perform again – in hanks case in s truly awful leather jacket embossed with flowers. It is a key change halfway through that would have got Westlife off their stools, and only goes on for ten minutes. The keyboard player looks like they just shot his cat.
The Kid truly nails the next link ‘that’s the shadows there who have inspired many bands over the years, maybe even Blondie.’ maybe. Just maybe.Bin bag video time again as Blondie are no 1 with Atomic. Nice to see one of Daft Punk on board for the instrumental break.
On the iplayer. Rainbow and Slf are cut from the edited edition.

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