Sunday, August 23, 2009

Hollywood Teases


I go along completely with the theory that the best period of Top of the Pops happens to be exactly at the time that you started to watch it. In my case, this meant 1979 or 80 or so. And to be fair, it was a good time for the show: Blondie, Kate Bush, Two Tone, Iron Maiden playing live, and a bunch of New Wave weirdos that you simply can't imagine getting on the TV any more (Lene Lovich, Flying Lizards etc etc). And every now and again you got groups performing who had no right to be there at all, as in when Girl appeared playing Hollywood Tease.

Lord knows how they got on. A last minute cancellation of some other act, surely. Perhaps the singer in Darts had a stomach bug or Liquid Gold's tour bus got stuck in traffic just outside of Peterborough. Whatever the reason, they gave a fantastic performance (my memory has singer Philip Lewis performing standing behind the drummer, but it's been a long time) and I went out and bought the single. Unfortunately, not too many other folk did, and the Polyhex archives has it peaking at No. 50, and spending a mighty 3 weeks in the Top 75.

Despite being signed to a major (Jet), Girl never managed to break through. One reason was bad timing: while other NWOBHM acts were strapping on bullet belts and biker jackets, they looked like a cross between Alice Cooper and Aerosmith. In 5 years time, about every Metal band bothering the charts and going platinum would look like a cross between Alice Cooper and Aerosmith. But not in 1980. Even Alice Cooper didn't look like Alice Cooper in 1980. The other reason may be, that, well, though they had great singles like Hollywood Tease and the even better My Number, their album Sheer Greed wasn't great.

I couldn't find the TOTP appearance on YouTube, but the promo video was there and is below.

10 comments:

  1. Thief! Blaggard! Flibbertygibbit!

    But yes, Girl were good. Although, the 14 year old me would never admit it. I had to hide Hollywood Tease, Strawberries (with the KISS B-side) and my favourite My Number, well away from my Handsome Beasts collection.

    I saw them support UFO in Newcastle. They were rubbish. Although not as rubbish as either Phil Lewis in the New Torpedoes or Phil Collen in Def Leppard.

    Here's a Girls (ish) Friday Night Connection for you to solve;

    1) Humble Pie - Natural Born Bugie
    2) Thunder - Dirty Love
    3) Ozzy Osbourne - Shot In The Dark

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  2. Oh Dear I had forgotten about Girl, it is good that you have used the first post to highlight their brief sparkle!

    As for Mr H. and a most welcome 'Friday' Night Connection, as I am just home from work I will have to return to this and attempt it later!

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  4. Hello there gents, thanks for dropping by.

    Mr H, I can't remember a GHMI post on Girl, or perhaps you think you're the only one who can blog about this type of muck. Is that how it is, eh?

    That Friday Night Connection foxed me, but I'm going to have a go and say that it's Fastway. The drummer of Humble Pie ended up there and I know Pete Way was with Ozzy for while, so he may have been on Shot in the Dark. Do I get a No-Prize?

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  5. I am perfectly within my rights to call you a Flibbertygibbit. It was a general statement, unconnected to your downright thievery and blaggardry.

    As for the Friday Night Connection. Wrong, wrong and wrong. Amazingly enough, it's all connected to Girl, seeing as how your post was about Girl. However, "Shot In The Dark" is par of it, although for totally non Pete Way connected reasons.

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  6. No luck with the Friday Night Connection, despite my best efforts at Factory lunchbreak...I was never good with Girl(s) anyway!

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  7. After Girl split, Phil Lewis went on to form the New Torpedoes with guitarist Rudi Riviere, who left to join Terraplane (who became Thunder). He was replaced by guitarist Dave "Bucket" Colwell, who went on to join Bad Company alongside Simon Kirke, who used to be in Wildlife, who had a bass player called Phil Soussan, who went on to play and write "Shot In The Dark" with Ozzy Osbourne. "Bucket" Colwell went on to join the reformed Humble Pie for their 2001 album "Back On Track".

    Tch! That was an easy one. Strange fact. Phil Soussan is now a board member of the Grammys. Bet he never saw that coming when he was in Vince Neils solo band.

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  8. You're a very bad man.

    How could he have joined Bad Company in the 80s? Weren't they history by then? I think you're making this all up. And besides, how can a single from 1969 be connected to the "reformed Humble Pie", eh? Hmmph.

    Oh, and what's happened at A Scandal & A Disgrace?

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  9. Yes he did. Just cos Paul Rodgers had scarpered didn't stop the rest of them for churning out turgid AOR nad having US hits.

    Because it's Humble Pie.

    We moved to http://www.angry.me.uk cos' I hate everyone on the internet.

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  10. Funnily enough Phil Soussan was actually in New Torpedos for about 5mins too so there is another twist to your connection.

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