Tag Archives: Lulu

Legs & Co. – Shut Up

By youngmistergrace | Published: October 8, 2022

Top of the Pops, 8 October 1981:
Legs & Co. dance while Madness perform Shut Up.

It’s October ’81, and the writing is on the wall for Legs & Co.’s TOTP career. Once again they’re reduced to sharing the back of the stage with the audience, while we have difficulty hearing the music (yes the music, that thing that the whole show is meant to be about) because the producer insists on dubbing fake party noises over the top.

But… But… At least they get a proper choreographed routine to perform: at least they get nice flattering Policewomen-in-Tights outfits to wear: at least they’re not scattered amongst the audience, but remain together as a recognisable entity. Maybe I’m clutching at straws, but this still remains an enjoyable clip to watch, and not just because Madness are such entertaining chaps.

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Ruby Flipper – Dancing with the Captain

By youngmistergrace | Published: October 7, 2022

Top of the Pops 7 October 1976: Lulu and Sue of Ruby Flipper dance behind Paul Nicholas who sings Dancing with the Captain.

A fairly obvious choice of outfits and moves here, as I remarked in the old blog, but lightweight jokey pop songs like this almost demand a bit of knowing jokiness in their interpretation.

Paul Nicholas at this point was blurring the distinction between pop-star and actor-playing-pop-star. As a snobby music purist teenager, I hated this with righteous rage. Now it just seems like a bit of fun: made more delightful with some apt, light-handed choreography.

From the old blog, Friday, 31 July 2009:

Here are Lulu and Sue on TOTP, in nautical outfits doing a few hornpipe steps, behind Paul Nicholas, who’s singing Dancing with the Captain. Yes, it’s literal references time again.

Although both went on to become members of Legs & Co., Lulu & Sue were members of Ruby Flipper at this point.

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Legs & Co. – From Here To Eternity

By youngmistergrace | Published: October 6, 2022

Top of the Pops 6 October 77:
Legs & Co. dance to “From Here To Eternity” by Giorgio Moroder.

This is really more of an exercise in video effects than a dance routine: we can see what’s going on in the silhouetted part, but the background is just a swirly blur of fast moving close-ups. Which all makes Noel’s closing comment, “I bet those outfits made you concentrate on what’s happening” all the more frustrating.

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Legs & Co. – Them Heavy People

By youngmistergrace | Published: October 4, 2022

TOTP October 4th 1979: Legs & Co. dance to Kate Bush’s Them Heavy People

From the old blog, Sunday, 13 November 2011:

Here’s updated version of clip I posted long ago: this time, Kid Jensen introduces Legs & Co. dancing to Kate Bush’s Them Heavy People. So with the repeated “rolling the ball” motif, what sorts of outfits could L & C’s designers have dreamed up for this song? Cricket whites? Crown green bowling old ladies with navy blue blazers, pleated white skirts and sensible shoes? Croquet mallets and sensible tweed suits? Ten-pin-bowling fat American slob shirts with slacks and unpleasent bowling alley shoes?

Nope. None of the above. They seem to have just given up, and dressed the girls in skimpy lingerie.

Oh well *sigh* : I suppose that’ll have to do.

comments:

PattiforPM said…

A suitably off-beat routine for the wonderful Kate Bush’s music and the ladies look absolutely fine. This is one of the dances that really got me hooked.

13 November 2011 15:27

Suefan said…

Captivating, hook line and sinker. All the girls slink to fine effect but its that little solo at 1.16 that sees my bp go off the scale.
Wise move that the studio audience were kept at a safe distance from such incendiary stuff.

14 November 2011 10:39

74benja81 said…

A Classic performance by Legs and Co here. Love the Nighties! It really compliments their dancing skills, with room to move fluently. This attire is a reminder of the Night Fever dance routine they did in 77/78.Glad the audience are far back, its good to see the girls dancing in full view. Sue looks absolutely exquisite here. The funny thing is, this wonderful Kate Bush song is about finding out and discovering about ones inner self, and she writes about this perfectly. In contrast to this, Legs are dancing to this song very sexy. What a contrast,from Inner to outer. Great quality clip to see. Benja 🙂

30 December 2011 00:37

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Legs & Co. – Searching

By youngmistergrace | Published: October 2, 2022

Legs & Co. dancing to Searching by Change on Top of The Pops, Thursday 2nd October 1980.

I think I can follow the costume designer’s reasoning here.

  1. The song is called “Searching”
  2. There was a film called “The Searchers” in 1956 (starring John Wayne)
  3. “The Searchers” was a western
  4. So costumes should be western style shirts and cowboy boots. QED!

“The Searchers” as a western movie looms surprisingly large in the history of pop: giving a name to the sixties beat group of course, and John Wayne’s sardonic catch phrase in the film, “That’ll be the day!” inspired Buddy Holly’s song of the same name.

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Ruby Flipper – The Best Disco In Town

By youngmistergrace | Published: September 30, 2022

Top of the Pops, 30 September 1976: Ruby Flipper dance to The Best Disco In Town by The Ritchie Family.

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Legs & Co. – Waiting in Vain

By youngmistergrace | Published: September 29, 2022

Top of the Pops, 29 September 1977:
Legs & Co. dance to Waiting in Vain by Bob Marley and the Wailers.

Thanks to Andeebee for the YouTube post.

Some comments from the old blog:

74benja81 said:

Love this song from Bob back in 1978. Love the Legs and Co dance routine. The only suggestion I would make about this clip, is they would have looked better dancing to this song in Grass skirts, rather than these long summer dresses. It would have looked cracking, and been in theme with a Caribbean feel to it. Love the clip though. Benja 🙂
20 December 2011 11:59

PattiforPM said:

… I love the close ups at the end finishing with the lovely Rosie.
22 October 2011 19:29

Suefan said:

Yes indeed. A splendidly appropriate routine for the moment and skirt swishing to boot!! Great stuff. And I see Flick finally managed to find a use for all those yards of net curtain material she had left over.
21 October 2011 08:22

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Legs & Co. – Another One Bites the Dust

By youngmistergrace | Published: September 25, 2022

Top of the Pops 25 September 1980 Legs & Co. dance to Another One Bites the Dust by Queen.

Legs & Co. in lacey black jumpsuits, dancing to a funky Queen number. An unusual routine hampered by the BBC technicians’ enthusiasm for then-cool video effects.

From the old blog, Tuesday, 1 March 2011:

Here’s a clip featuring Legs & Co. in lacey outfits, dancing to Queen’s Another One Bites the Dust on Top of the Pops.

Thanks again to the mysterious Bonanza for sending me this clip.

comments:

Some Guy said…

Yes thanks to Bonanza, keep em coming. A bit weird this one, nice work from Pauline, love the glove action, and a few nice shots of the goddess.

1 March 2011 21:16

PattiforPM said…

This is another creative one and I’m not sure I fully understand but I love the quick-fire filming and the outfits are admirable. Makes me think of undercover agents but I’m probably way off base (and fantasizing yet again)

2 March 2011 01:06

Suefan said…

Certainly another interesting routine and those outfits are certainly different but for some unfathomable reason it never fully works for me.

2 March 2011 13:50

jez said…

ive got to admit i really cant remember them doing this routine fist time round pheraps it was one of the rare occasions when i missed watching totp for the night, and i still can’t watch it now coz my computer won’t play the clip.

5 March 2011 13:08

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Legs & Co. – Endless Love

By youngmistergrace | Published: September 24, 2022

Top of the Pops, 24th September 1981: Lulu of Legs & Co. dances to Endless Love by Diana Ross.

Thanks to ASmK for the YouTube post.

From the old blog:

Here’s an almost-solo performance from Lulu, dancing with some bloke named Jeremy, to Endless Love by Diana Ross and Lionel Richie. Apologies for the ropey picture quality.

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Ruby Flipper – Disco Duck

By youngmistergrace | Published: September 23, 2022

TOTP, 23 September 1976: Ruby Flipper dance to Disco Duck by Rick Dees And His Cast Of Idiots.

Silly, very silly: but fun. Floid’s pantomime duck outfit looks to be from the back of dusty cupboard in the BBC wardrobe department. Clearly not designed to be worn on a podium, we get to see just a little to much of the strapping-in undercarriage mechanism of the outfit.

Meanwhile the girls (and Floid, when he’s not in panto mode) are wearing the same charming outfits that they wore for “You Should be Dancing” a few months before.

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