For more than 40 years, the BBC beamed Top Of The Pops into UK homes. It was the world’s longest-running music show, a Thursday night ritual for families across the nation, appointment TV before the phrase was ever coined.
It wasn’t always great. There were the dancers – Pan’s People, Legs & Co and so on – troupes of (mostly) female movers and shakers employed to interpret songs via the most literal choreography imaginable. There was the miming, with backing tracks pre-recorded and vocals either live or otherwise, depending on the policy of the day. And there was a lack of archiving, with only 20 of the first 500 episodes preserved in their entirety.
For the nostalgic fan, YouTube has been a boon, and many of the surviving Top Of The Pops performances are freely available. The quality varies enormously, however, as much of the footage originates in the creakiest of home VHS recordings. So to discover a rapidly growing archive of near-pristine clips feels like a miracle.
They’re are uploaded by YouTube user Trevor May, and include entire episodes alongside individual performances. And while there’s the expected glut of pop music on the channel, there’s plenty to delight rock lovers too, with crystal clear footage of TOTP appearances by the likes of Gillan, Thin Lizzy, Suzi Quatro, Whitesnake, Motörhead, Meat Loaf, 10cc, The Who, Max Webster, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Genesis, Queen, W.A.S.P. and more found among the more mainstream offerings.
“I was born the year Top of the Pops started and so grew up with it,” says May. “This channel’s aim is just to share performances from over the years. I hope it brings back memories for some or introduces people to it for the first time.
“Each video goes through Youtube’s copyright check to see if it is allowed to be made public. Any that are not allowed I do not upload, and there are quite a few. Anyone who feels a video should not have been uploaded due to copyright can just let me know and I will remove it.
“I have 1000s I’d like to share and anyone who has favourites, just let me know and I’ll happily try and upload them.”
Trevor, we thank you for your service.
