Chart Music

Taylor Parkes, Neil Kulkarni and Al Needham ramp up their excitement at this astonishing episode of The Pops as the hits keep on coming. We get the twin piano attack of Hilda Woodward and Roberta Flack, followed by the Wolverhampton Tramps of the Future. Benny Hill returns for one last slap of the bald head of chart success, Chicory Tip nick a hit record off poor Giogio Moroder, and Cherry Gillespie sits in a huge paper bag for three days, being let out to emote to Harry Nilsson… Video Playlist | Subscribe | Facebook | Twitter | The Chart Music Wiki | Patreon See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Taylor Parkes, Neil Kulkarni and Al Needham begin their submergence into Top Of The Pops ’72, and discuss the less-than-immaculate interplay between Tony Blackburn and his foul nemesis Edmonds. Mike Leander (and his singer, who we’re not supposed to talk about these days, but do) drops his magnum opus. Donny Osmond does some Weenybopper edging and bats his eyelids like a rabbit trapped in a fence. And Alice Cooper blows up a school and gets Mary Whiteshouse’s knickers in a twist…Video Playlist | Subscribe | Facebook | Twitter | The Chart Music Wiki | Patreon See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Neil Kulkarni, Taylor Parkes and Al Needham frenziedly lay out the most spanglfierous buffet of Pop ever witnessed on Chart Music, as we go all the way back to late 1972 and the dawning of the Golden Age of our weekly Thursday Night Pop Treat. As they assemble a pyramid of Watneys Party Four and fill a paddling pool with Angel Delight, they learn that people were moaning about Top Of The Pops even then, examine the musical output of the Inner London Education Authority, have a flick through Melody Maker and – in the spirit of the season – Neil tenderly forgives Al for accusing him of liking Kiss in 1986…     Video Playlist | Subscribe | Facebook | Twitter | The Chart Music Wiki | Patreon See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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 Pop

Taylor Parkes, David Stubbs and Al Needham finish off this episode of The Pops in fine style. David Bowie watches his mate cheat on his missus up against a wall. Showaddywaddy nick some girl’s silver top hat with ‘VOTE FONZIE’ on it. Abba eschew all that Pop-A-Matic rammel and deliver another whopper of a #1. And Smokie are represented by a black void. PLUS Dave Bartram’s travelogue of rubbish holiday parks, what an audition for Opportunity Knocks looks like, and some properly obscene Bruce Foxton stroke fiction…   Video Playlist | Subscribe | Facebook | Twitter | The Chart Music Wiki | Patreon  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

David Stubbs and Taylor Parkes join Al Needham for further larks and japery in a classic slice of Jubilee-era Pops. The Barron Knights advance the theory that Irish people are stupid and homosexuals are amusing. Freddie Mercury pretends to be a bottle of Irish liqueur and encourages middle-class kids to rummage through their Dad’s golf bag. Legs and Co play Sexy Lady Croquet. And Status Quo get in Alan Partridge’s Wife on the bass… Video Playlist | Subscribe | Facebook | Twitter | The Chart Music Wiki | Patreon See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Taylor Parkes, David Stubbs and Al Needham get stuck into this episode of The Pops, but not even they can match the bundle of frizzy energy that is Peter Powell, who makes his debut and hits the ground running. He likes EVERYTHING! Meanwhile, the Great ELO-Faust Wars of Barrack-in-Elmet are re-examined, Paul Weller puts his girlfriend’s address on his guitar, and Karen Carpenter invites some aliens over for tea….    Video Playlist | Subscribe | Facebook | Twitter | The Chart Music Wiki | Patreon See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

David Stubbs, Taylor Parkes and Al Needham are planning a journey into the dark heart of late 1977 – a treacherous odyssey through a land strewn with gargantuan chart acts, shape-shifting monstrosities who can change from The Old Sailor to Him Out Of The Floaters in the blink of an eye, fertility symbols hewn from clay and feral youths who prey on unsuspecting Labradors. Dare you join them?  Video Playlist | Subscribe | Facebook | Twitter | The Chart Music Wiki | Patreon See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The latest episode of the podcast which asks; has Al ever been tossed off by a robot? Yes, Pop-Crazed Youngsters; after putting it off for ages, it’s finally time for another rare excursion into The Most Rubbish Century We’ve Ever Lived Through. It’s 2003, and your panel is currently 1) Doing a Sex in the Daily Mirror, 2) Baiting David Blaine with a Whopper, and 3) getting their head together in Lancaster by burying their face into a load of dogs. Top Of The Pops, on the other hand, is faring less well; we are in the Poochie Era of TOTP. Pulling down the kind of ratings that would have ill-befitted a repeat of Top Cat on a Tuesday afternoon in 1978, being absolutely kicked to buggery every Friday night by Gail Platt and Vera Duckworth, being stalked by CD:UK and Popworld, and being threatened with permanent exile to BBC3, it’s a grim, grim time for our fave weekly Pop treat.  But in this episode we finally get stuck into the tenure of Chris Cowey as Boss Of The Pops – an era which brought

Simon Price and Sarah Bee join Al Needham to finish off this episode of The Pops from the Poochie Era. Benny Benassi pitches up with some Oven Ready Women, The Coral are suddenly a big deal, Beyoncé reduces everything we’ve just seen into dust with one mighty shake of her arse, and D-Side flounce off. TUCK IN, Pop-Crazed Youngsters…Video Playlist | Subscribe | Facebook | Twitter | The Chart Music Wiki | Patreon  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Sarah Bee, Simon Price and Al Needham gasp in horror as this episode of Top Of The Pops is derailed by a massive plug for Fame Academy, and look on as poor D-Side get ambushed by a leathery headmaster. Thankfully, Super Furry Animals bring up the rear in a tribute to the Slag Brothers…Video Playlist | Subscribe | Facebook | Twitter | The Chart Music Wiki | Patreon  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Simon Price and Sarah Bee join Al Needham for their first tentative steps through the Poochie Era of TOTP. It’s an opportunity to put Chris Cowie’s tenure as Boss Of The Pops under the microscope – and fair play to him, the show by now is an absolute Swiss watch of precision and design. Fearne Cotton and Liz Bonnin are on hand to say things off the autocue, so what could go wrong? A very slight Wayne Wonder and a screaming potato, that’s what…     Video Playlist | Subscribe | Facebook | Twitter | The Chart Music Wiki | Patreon  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Sarah Bee, Simon Price and Al Needham prepare for a rare excursion into an episode of The Pops from this rubbish century, pausing along the way to discuss their time at BANG! Magazine, hosting a club night at a venue run by Sex Nazis, leafing through that week’s NME, moaning about looking like a perverted Happy Eater Man in the Daily Mirror, and the usual Pop-Crazed blather…  Video Playlist | Subscribe | Facebook | Twitter | The Chart Music Wiki | Patreon  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The latest episode of the podcast which asks; is the tie clip the least Rock accessory?Remember the last Xmas episode? When 1983 revealed itself to be not as catshit as we thought it was? Well, in this episode your hosts – who at the time this episode went out were staring out of the window at the glorious panorama of Barry, writing plays about Jesus getting The Chair and electing to have a Tefal Man haircut, respectively - have a tentative sniff of a regular episode from that year, and what unfolded knocked us bandy. No word of a lie, Pop-Crazed Youngsters; this is possibly, pound-for-pound, the best episode of The Pops we’ve encountered so far. If you’ve come here for the coat-downs, you’re going to be massively disappointed. Musicwise, Phwoorrrr. Simon Bates and Peter Powell are joined by the actual Kids From Fame, who have taken time out from smashing up dressing rooms and screaming at each other to stand there in the TOTP studio for some severe cross-platform brand synergisation. Dexys mak

Neil Kulkarni, Simon Price and Al Needham bring a nigh-perfect episode of Top Of The Pops to a close, as FR David spoils everything, Nick Heyward nervously looks out into the audience to see if anyone’s having sex at him, David Bowie brings a nuclear holocaust to Australia again, and Stuart Adamson goes; ‘SHAAAH!’ a lot. Be prepared for a full discussion of Ian Astbury getting his Wolfchild out in a Birmingham car park…Video Playlist | Subscribe | Facebook | Twitter | The Chart Music Wiki | Patreon  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Simon Price and Neil Kulkarni  join Al Needham as banger after banger after banger rains down from the skies. JoBoxers get blocked out by Zoo. Michael Jackson stops people from hitting each other. Tracie Young performs with Rod, Jane and Freddie. And JESUS CHRIST IT’S DEE SNYDER!Video Playlist | Subscribe | Facebook | Twitter | The Chart Music Wiki | Patreon  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Neil Kulkarni and Simon Price gleefully begin to rip into this episode of The Pops with Al Needham, pausing to gaze upon the wonder of Peter Powell’s hessian Bananarama Vest and gasp at how much money Dave Lee Travis used to earn for spending an hour in a club, before bowing to the majesty of Dexys… Video Playlist | Subscribe | Facebook | Twitter | The Chart Music Wiki | Patreon  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Jesus and Buzz – Simon Price and Neil Kulkarni, respectively – help Al Needham lay the table for an absolute slap-up feast of Pop as we get ready to watch a glorious episode of The Pops from 1983, stopping along the way to leaf through that week’s NME and talk about wrong haircuts, juvenile delinquency in Barry, and the Action Man Massacre of 1983…Video Playlist | Subscribe | Facebook | Twitter | The Chart Music Wiki | Patreon  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The latest episode of the podcast which asks; The Monkees as the cast of Monkey - who's going to be Pigsy?Jabbed up and preparing to throw itself back into the world (to the extent that they might go to that gig in Cheryl Baker's back garden, depending on what the toilet facilities are like), Team ATVland reunite for a massive trawl through an episode of The Pops from the long, mediocre, pointy-headstocked, porn-frizzed, success-coated Summer of '86. The World Cup hangover is still in full effect - so much so that the menfolk of Top Of The Pops appear to be too busy frothing at the mouth over Diego Maradona to attend and have left Janice ‘All Night’ Long to mind the shop.And what an episode it is! Sure, like every episode in this era, it’s strewn with cat shit – but what interesting, marbled, and bizarrely-shaped cat shit it is. The Housemartins demonstrate that they’re not actually made of Plasticine. Gary Numan plays a gig at Stringfellows with Serving Suggestion. Saucy Soaraway Sam has a go at being a Vixt

Team ATVLand reach the denouement of this episode of Top Of The Pops, cheer to the rafters when an actual brilliant single from this year pops up, feels let down at the final hurrah of Wham!, and then conclude that Max Headroom was a bit of a let-down, apart from when he gets spanked with a fly swatter.Video Playlist | Subscribe | Facebook | Twitter | The Chart Music Wiki | Patreon  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.