A regular gripe of mine is that there is too little music on television. I’m not particularly bothered about the absence of Glastonbury this year, this being a ‘fallow’ year, but particularly on the traditional channels there is simply not enough music. The BBC does a fair bit of nostalgia stuff at the weekend and of course we have the invaluable range of BBC radio stations for our listening pleasure, but for listening and watching, is this it?
It seems to me that unless your name is Jools Holland, no one else is allowed to present music on the crystal bucket. Not that I object at the quality of his ‘Later’ shows because he showcases acts who would otherwise not get near the viewers eyes and ears. His shtick bored me when he was on The Tube, which finished in 1987; it absolutely gets on my nerves these days. If we can’t have some serious music shows, can’t we have our Top of the Pops back?
The Pop Charts, as we called them, were particularly important when I was growing up. Rarely would a week go by when I didn’t listen to the singles chart rundown on ‘Wonderful Radio 1’. “And down this week, from number one…” and all that stuff. “This week’s highest entry is …” gripped me. Now, I have no idea and worse no real interest.
The charts are for young people. I get that. Radio 1 is not for doddery old pensioners like me, but I am not at the stage where I think all new music is rubbish. Au contraire. There’s as much good music being created today as there ever was. I’d like the opportunity to see what’s making the charts.
A quick glance at the Official Charts singles chart shows me how out of touch I am. I actually know – and have – the number one single Rein Me In by Sam Fender and Olivia Dean, two stellar talents of the modern age. But who, pray, are Ella Langley, Malcolm Todd and Stella Lefty, who all occupy places in the top 20? I don’t know. I’d like to know. A resurrected Top of the Pops, or a new kind of chart show, would be a boon for me.
Rather than drag artists into the studio, or employ a dancing troupe when the artists aren’t available, I guess the broadcaster could simply use videos or footage of the artists performing live. Would it invigorate interest in new music? I have no idea, but wouldn’t it be public service broadcasting?
Or maybe it’s just a genre that’s died a natural death. Maybe the digital world of downloads and streaming has changed music so much the return of a chart show on telly is like asking Noah to come back to life, not that he lived in the first place, and build a new ark?
Mind you, as well as bringing back Top of the Pops, I’d bring back the Old Grey Whistle Test, too, the show that influenced my music tastes, such as they are, more than anything else that has happened in my life. All of which suggests I’m living in the past every bit as much as any Greatest Hits Radio listener and perhaps nostalgia isn’t what it’s cracked up to be.
Whatever. I want to see more music as well as hear it. I might be surprised at just how much of the singles chart actually is.
