Hot Gossip - The Hardest Part

By special request from Floidfan, over on our discussion forum, here's Hot Gossip on the Kenny Everett Video Show,dancing to Blondie's The Hardest Part. Look out for ole Bob Geldof: he's in there, playing a tramp and a busker.

Download drom mediafire (30.5 MB)

Legs & Co. - Just a Feeling

Thanks are due to Clayre and Andeebee, both of whom sent me copies of this clip of Bad Manners on Top of the Pops, with occasional glimpses of Legs & Co. in the background.

It's a shame we get to see so little of the girls: from what we do see, the routine seems well worked out, matching the music nicely. But anyway, Bad Manners were always an entertaining band to watch: much more musically complex and rewarding than the standard jumping-up-and-down ska-revival cliché would have you believe: and Buster is just a born showman.

Mediafire download (35.8 MB)

Legs & Co. - It's A Celebrity Knockout 1977

In 1977, Legs & Co. made an appearance on this Celebrity Charity Special version of long-running gameshow, It's A Knockout. The show's packed with TV celebs of the day: a lot of them get a name check, but amongst those who didn't, I noticed Peter Glaze, Willie Rushton and Bill Oddie.

The girls are, rather bizarrely, dressed in pink gymslip outfits, with pink frilly knickers, to which presenter Stuart Hall makes a number of lacivious references.

Part 1 | Mediafire download (11.9 MB)

Part 2 | Mediafire download (14.5 MB)

Part 3 | Mediafire download (25 MB)

Part 4 | Mediafire download (6 MB)

Part 5 | Mediafire download (7.2 MB)

Part 6 | Mediafire download (24.8 MB)

A huge thank-you to PattiforPM, who found and sent these rare clips.

Louise Clarke tribute

Here's HotLegsPansRuby's tribute to Louise, previously posted Last year.

Pan's People Dancer Louise Clarke Dies, Aged 63

From http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-19383596

Louise Clarke, one of the founding members of Top of the Pops dance troupe Pan's People, has died aged 63.

Ms Clarke died from heart failure at Ipswich Hospital in Suffolk on Saturday with members of her family at her side, her publicist Philip Day said.

Pan's People first appeared in 1968 and spent eight years as the resident dancers on the weekly music show.

Ms Clarke is the second member of the group to pass away. Flick Colby died at the age of 65 in May last year.

Mr Day, who has been a publicist for Pan's People for more than 40 years, said Ms Clarke "was a lovely, lovely lady, she was a real darling".

"Of all the clients I have had the good fortune to represent during all of those years, they were perhaps the most fun to work with, certainly the easiest to work with, were loyal to a fault and the very best at what they did."

The group's final appearance on Top of the Pops was in April 1976, when they danced to Silver Star by The Four Seasons.

Legs & Co. - You're Gonna Get Next To Me

Here's another much-improved, recently re-broadcast version of a clip previously posted: Legs & Co. dance to You're Gonna Get Next To Me by Bo Kirkland and Ruth Davis. Featuring the return of Flipperer Floid, to dance with Pauline,and a bunch of shell-shocked audience blokes dancing with the other Legs.

Mediafire Download link (32 MB)

Legs & Co. - The Might Power of Love (again)

This performance has already appeared on the blog, but in low-quality UK Gold VHS transfer form. I thought I'd take advantage of BBC 4's recent re-transmission to give you a higher-quality version.

The mighty power of beige scarfs and tambourines. Is this the first TOTP appearance of that mainstay of late-seventies, early eighties fashion, the leg-warmer?

Mediafire link (17 MB)

Legs & Co. - Japanese Boy

here's another of those clips I could have sworn I'd already posted: but I've searched, and found nothing.

I'd hate to think what any real Japanese person watching this clip would think: it's about as convincing as Dick Van Dyke's cockney accent. "Aneka" (actually traditional SCottish singer Mary Sandeman) performs her novelty hit "Japanese Boy" whilst Legs & Co twirl parasols.

Those big black wigs make individual dancers difficult to identify.

Thanks are due to a couple of people who sent me this clip: please bear with me while I work out who.

Mediafire download (37.9 MB)

Legs & Co. - Let's Jump the Broomstick

Where's Wally? Where's Legs & Co.? It's almost as if the producer didn't want to use Legs & Co. for this routine: but having no choice, he was determined to hide them amongst the audience.

Gill is the only obvious one: stage right behind the band. Further to the right, mostly outside the picture is Anita. Between them, further back, Sue is occasionally visible: And Patti on Sue's left, with an audience bloke between them.

Rosie and Lulu are both stuck behind the double-bass player, so we only ever catch a fleetinmg glimpse of either.

Download from Mediafire (31.4 MB)

Legs & Co. - Marianna

Here's a clip from Top of the Pops '7th August 1980 edition. Legs & Co., who've already appeared earlier in the show dancing to Tom Browne's Funkin' for Jamaica, make a second appearance: this time in a supportive role, dancing behind the Gibson Brothers as they perform "Marianna".

Rosie & Lulu get a fair amount of screen time, as they're right behind the Gibsons: Patti, Sue, Gill and Pauline are unfortunately relegated to the very back: thought they perform with gusto, and even make an effort to get the audience dancing too, we barely catch a glimpse of them.

Even though I was still a card-carrying Punk True Believer at this time, I must admit I still secretly enjoyed quite a few bands, like the Gibson Brothers here, who did not have tribal approval. Chris Gibson has a fine broken-bottles-&-razorblades voice, and they all perform with infectiously authentic enthusiasm. Good tunes too.

Many thanks to bucksby for the clip (and apologies for taken so long to post it).

Mediafire download link (27.9 MB)

Pan's People interviews

Recently posted on Youtube, here's are footage from the wiped Top of the Pops edition from 30 December 1971. between songs, Ed "Stupid" Stewart interviews individual members of Pan's People... but unfortunately, no audio survives.

They're all wearing the Jeepster outfits from that same edition.

Questions, Questions: Why no audio? why is he wearing an eyepatch? What are they saying? How does he manage to get a kiss from all of them (except Flick*)? When was toupée tape invented anyway?

The Youtube video (also available at our chums' site) was unfortunately stretched out of shape to fit the widescreen aspect ratio (it's happening more and more these days) so I've resampled it here. And since I didn't think the added music matched the mood quite right, I've switched it with Jean Knight's excellent Mr. Big Stuff from that same year, 1971.

Download from Mediafire(18.8 MB)

*Perhaps in the BBC of 1971, deejays outrank dancers, but choreographers outrank deejays?