The Best of Top of the Pops '78 - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Best Of Top Of The Pops '78 is a 1978 compilation album released by the Top of the Poppers, who were well-known for their cover-versions of popular songs during the 1970s. The album consists of tracks recorded by the Top of the Poppers during the year 1978.

Overview

Thirteen of the covers were UK number one hits, while the rest were significant chart hits which came close to the top of the charts in their original versions. Two of the songs were taken from the Grease soundtrack, while "The Floral Dance

The Floral Dance

The Floral Dance is a popular English song describing the annual Furry Dance in Helston, Cornwall.The music and lyrics were written in 1911 by Kate Emily Barkley Moss who was a professional violinist, pianist and concert singer...

" was an instrumental. Among the other songs were attempts to recreate the sounds of artists as diverse as Brotherhood of Man

Brotherhood of Man

Brotherhood of Man are a British pop group who achieved success in the 1970s, most notably by winning the 1976 Eurovision Song Contest with "Save Your Kisses for Me"....

, The Boomtown Rats

The Boomtown Rats

The Boomtown Rats were an Irish punk rock band that had a series of Irish and UK hits between 1977 and 1985. They were led by vocalist Bob Geldof.-Biography:All six members were originally from Dún Laoghaire, Ireland...

and Kate Bush

Kate Bush

Kate Bush is an English singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Her eclectic musical style and idiosyncratic vocal style have made her one of the United Kingdom's most successful solo female performers of the past 30 years.In 1978, at the age of 19, Bush topped the UK Singles Chart...

. The front and back cover of this album was more risqué than previous volumes, with the model wearing even more scant clothing and showing a nipple

Nipple

In its most general form, a nipple is a structure from which a fluid emanates. More specifically, it is the projection on the breasts or udder of a mammal by which breast milk is delivered to a mother's young. In this sense, it is often called a teat, especially when referring to non-humans, and...

on the back cover. The album was issued with a 1979 calendar

Calendar

A calendar is a system of organizing days for social, religious, commercial, or administrative purposes. This is done by giving names to periods of time, typically days, weeks, months, and years. The name given to each day is known as a date. Periods in a calendar are usually, though not...

featuring the same model.

As ever, the collection received negative comments from the public, due to the budget sound of the recordings. Dave Thompson of Allmusic says that "Eschewing the last few years' penchant for presenting only chart-toppers, the 17 tracks instead range across the six volumes issued that year and haul out a selection that really does represent all that the year had unleashed" but that "So, it's Top of the Pops' business as usual — but for the first time you can hear the rot creeping in".

The album has since been re-issued on Compact disc and has been made available for download on ITunes

ITunes

iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....

Track listing

Side One

"Mull of Kintyre
Mull of Kintyre (song)
"Mull of Kintyre" is a song written by Paul McCartney and Denny Laine and performed by Wings. The song was written in tribute to the picturesque Kintyre peninsula in Scotland, where McCartney has owned High Park Farm since 1966, and its headland or Mull of Kintyre.The song was Wings' biggest hit...

"
"The Boy from New York City
The Boy from New York City
"The Boy from New York City" is a song by American soul group The Ad Libs, released as their first single in 1965. Produced by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, the song peaked at #8 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 on the chart week of February 27, 1965...

"
"You're the One That I Want
You're the One That I Want
"You're the One That I Want" is a song written by John Farrar for the 1978 film version of the musical Grease. It was performed by John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John....

"
"Figaro
Figaro (song)
"Figaro" is a song by British pop group Brotherhood of Man. It was released as a single in January 1978 and became the group's third and final number one hit in the UK.- Background :...

"
"The Floral Dance
The Floral Dance
The Floral Dance is a popular English song describing the annual Furry Dance in Helston, Cornwall.The music and lyrics were written in 1911 by Kate Emily Barkley Moss who was a professional violinist, pianist and concert singer...

"
"Uptown Top Ranking
Althea & Donna
Althea & Donna were a Jamaican reggae singing duo, best known for their 1977 single "Uptown Top Ranking" which was a number one hit in the United Kingdom in 1978.-Career:...

"
"Night Fever
Night Fever
"Night Fever" is a disco song, written and performed by The Bee Gees. It first appeared on the soundtrack to Saturday Night Fever. Producer Robert Stigwood wanted to call the film Saturday Night, but singer Robin Gibb expressed hesitation at the title. Stigwood liked the title Night Fever but was...

"
"Three Times a Lady
Three Times a Lady
* The song was also covered in the country genre by country singer Billy "Crash" Craddock on his 1986 album Crash Craddock and in 2007 by Cobra Starship as an iTunes bonus track for their album ¡Viva La Cobra!...

"
"Dreadlock Holiday
Dreadlock Holiday
-In popular culture:* The song is featured on the first episode, "Killeroo", of the first series of the British cult comedy The Mighty Boosh. Bob Fossil, head of the Zooniverse, dances to the first verse of the song while a confused Howard Moon looks on, before switching it off and explaining "And...

"

Side Two

"Take a Chance On Me
Take a Chance on Me
"Take a Chance on Me" is a song by the Swedish pop group ABBA. It was released in 1978 as the second single from their fifth studio album, simply called The Album. The song has been featured on a number of ABBA compilations such as ABBA Gold: Greatest Hits.-History:The working title of "Take a...

"
"Wuthering Heights
Wuthering Heights (song)
"Wuthering Heights" is a song by Kate Bush released as her debut single in January 1978. It became a No.1 hit in the UK singles chart and remains her biggest-selling single. The song appears on her 1978 debut album, The Kick Inside. The B-side of the single was another song by Bush named "Kite" -...

"
"Matchstalk Men and Matchstalk Cats and Dogs
Brian and Michael
Brian & Michael are a British music duo best known for their 1978 UK number one hit single, "Matchstalk Men and Matchstalk Cats and Dogs". Without further chart entries, they remain one-hit wonders in the UK...

"
"Too Much Too Little Too Late"
"Substitute
Substitute (Righteous Brothers song)
"Substitute" is a song by Willie H. Wilson, recorded first by The Righteous Brothers and released as single from their album The Sons of Mrs. Righteous in 1975.This song was also released in 1978 by the South African band Clout and became a big hit...

"
"Summer Nights"
"Rivers of Babylon
Rivers of Babylon
"Rivers of Babylon" is a rastafarian song written and recorded by Brent Dowe and Trevor McNaughton of the Jamaican reggae group The Melodians in 1970. The Melodians' original versions of the song appeared in the sound track to the 1972 movie The Harder They Come and the 1999 Nicolas Cage movie...

"
"Rat Trap
Rat Trap
"Rat Trap" was a single by The Boomtown Rats which reached #1 in the UK singles chart for two weeks in November 1978, the first single by a punk or new wave act to do so...

"

Overview

Track listing

See also