Product Description

Top of the Pops began life as a rebellious teenager, but unfortunately ended up as Grandpa at the disco. After decades as must-see Thursday-night TV, it was overtaken by the realities of a new multi-channel, digital age, was shunted disrespectfully between time-slots and even relegated to BBC2, an irrelevant shadow of its glory days gone by. But generations of Brits will never forget the pivotal role of "TOTP". It brought into our living rooms both unforgettable moments of pop brilliance, and also some of the clumsiest and most amateur performances possible (by artists and presenters alike).A very British institution, "TOTP" was there through the best and worst of pop times. Packed with glorious images from rediscovered archives, and drawing on over 60 original interviews with artists and DJs, this book will be an affectionate celebration of the artfulness and absurdities of "TOTP", not via a dry chronological history, but by focusing in on 40 highlights - some sublime, some bizarre, many plain daft - that made the show such a unique spectacle. From the pipe-smoking DLT to the narrative dance routines of Pan's People, from David Bowie to Clive Dunn, from the rebels who refused to mime for the cameras to the audience members who dressed up for them, "TOTP" really mattered to children of the seventies, and this book will be irresistible to them.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #219463 in Books
• Published on: 2007-10-25
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 160 pages

About the Author
Ian Gittins is currently a music critic on the Guardian, and has also written for Q, Melody Maker, Daily Telegraph, MTV and New York Times. He is the author of several other books, including Bjork: The Stories Behind the Songs and Talking Heads: The Stories Behind the Songs, both published by Carlton Books, and he has co-written The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star with Nikki Sixx of Motley Crue, which will be published by Simon & Schuster this autumn.

Customer Reviews

'Wonderful, Memory Filled Fest For Fans'
In July 2006 the very last edition of Top Of The Pops was aired. For me it was a very sad day and it felt somehow as if by losing the programme something fundamental about who I am and what I'd become was dying. In truth, the end had been coming for some time and the show had simply become outdated by the arrival of the internet generation and the birth of MTV and the like. Still, If you felt as strongly as I did and were worried by the fact, you will love this book which is a fitting and worthy monument to the lifetime of the show. Without giving too much away (I really don't want to dilute the enjoyment of reading this one bit for you!) the text is written with an amazing amount of affection for the programme and Ian Gittins has interviewed and used quotes from hundreds of the shows stars over the years to help tell his story. Full of fantastic colour photos of the stars and presenters from every era of the show (so good to see Sir Jimmy Savile's crazy costumes again!!), this is a real gem of a book and one that will evoke many a happy memory within those of us that grew up with what was a national institution. Who knows, it might even make you shed a few tears... ESSENTIAL.

BUY IT!
If you're looking, then you'll love it. Made me wonder if the real reason for TOTP's demise was trying to compete with MTV, Later With Jools Holland et al - when instead they should have been trading on irony and nostalgia, re-hiring DLT, Paul Burnett and Jimmy Savile, putting together a new all-female dance troupe, and going deliberately camp and trashy...

Not a bad epitaph for the world's greatest pop music show
I flicked through this when it first appeared in the shops and was put off by the slightly tacky graphics and the price tag. I've since picked up a copy for the price of half a pint which unfortunately shows, like the TV programme itself, there weren't ultimately a huge number of takers for this product. This book isn't anything other than a populist look back at the show that loomed so large over any British childhood of the 60s, 70s or 80s. It's all here, chapters on one hit wonders, Britpop, UK Eurovision hits, novelty records, the Christmas editions, the various Pan's People-style studio dance troupes, Radio 1 DJ presenters, glam rock, the show's Sixties genesis... To be fair, all that needs covering about the Top of the Pops story is here, even if the presentation is a bit naff (but, hey, so was the show). Surprisingly, the book pulls no punches about the show's mistakes in its later years (producer Andi Peters, we mean you!), including the disastrous decision to aim the show at young teens and use forgettable, charisma-free 'yoof TV' wannabes to present the programme. We can debate til the cows come home where it all went wrong and whether it could have been any different but the fact remains the BBC, yet again, managed to sabotage and ultimately destroy one of its leading brands. And what impeccable timing: just as singles sales were entering, thanks to downloads, a period of record sales figures that have surpassed even those of the late 70s, that legendary 'golden age' of both the single and Top of the Pops. Talk about shooting yourself in the foot. Yet, despite the Beeb's best efforts, the show refuses to die, with Christmas editions still pulling in big audiences (four million for the 2008 Xmas special). All of which suggests that the BBC deep down do realise they made a terrible mistake with their act of cultural vandalism, and that the argument that no-one wants pop music on TV is a spurious one. After all, anyone ever heard of a show called 'The X Factor'?