Both Sides... BBC TOTP

  • In its ongoing series of Top of the Pops repeats, the BBC reached Collins's Both Sides studio appearance last week. An excellent live vocal but even more notable for the (miming) backing band: Tim Renwick, Adrian Lee, Gary Wallis and Guy Pratt. I'd completely forgotten about this and am curious as to how that particular line-up was put together. Surely too early, in Autumn 93, to pluck Renwick, Wallis and Pratt from Floyd rehearsals. And how did Lee come to be involved? Other than via his two ex-Mechanics colleagues. I also wonder whether this line-up performed other promotional duties at the same time. Perhaps on the continent.

    • Official Post

    Thanks for bringing this up

    Here is the video


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  • I have never seen this before. Was wondering whether or not this is sung live, but I also think it is. Very powerful. The "band" is really hilarious!

    ... make tomorrow today!

  • I wonder if there is an agency that provides musicians for hire.


    Like PG in Shock The Monkey at the 1983 Sanremo festival. 8)


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  • Thank you for sharing this. It's interesting how the music is the studio version but Phil is singing the vocals like karaoke style. I guess Phil kept to his word that he would not let anyone else play on the songs from Both Sides not even for these kind of performances at least until the tour.

  • I have never seen this before. Was wondering whether or not this is sung live, but I also think it is. Very powerful. The "band" is really hilarious!

    Haha. Looks like Tim Renwick on guitar and Guy Pratt on bass, wondering if the drummer is Gary Wallis. No idea who is on keyboards though.

  • Any idea how this "band" was put together? It's not exactly Mechanics or Floyd time, regarding albums or tours at the time.

    ... make tomorrow today!

  • Any idea how this "band" was put together? It's not exactly Mechanics or Floyd time, regarding albums or tours at the time.

    I'm curious about that too. I initially thought they must have been together as some preliminary Division Bell tour thing, but that album wasn't released until the following year. Is it possible that release and tour were unexpectedly held up and they thought they'd be going out sooner? Either that, or one of them was asked and suggested the others.

  • Thank you for sharing this. It's interesting how the music is the studio version but Phil is singing the vocals like karaoke style. I guess Phil kept to his word that he would not let anyone else play on the songs from Both Sides not even for these kind of performances at least until the tour.

    It was very common - in the UK at least, and especially on TOTP - for several years for live vocals to be performed to the studio backing track in such appearances. In the case of the TOTP Invisible Touch live single performance, it enabled *that* lyric to go out in family-friendly-form.

  • I'm curious about that too. I initially thought they must have been together as some preliminary Division Bell tour thing, but that album wasn't released until the following year. Is it possible that release and tour were unexpectedly held up and they thought they'd be going out sooner? Either that, or one of them was asked and suggested the others.

    If they hadn't met before they may have become acquainted at the Cowdray Ruins gig where several bands played (Genesis, Pink Floyd, Queen in the form of John Deacon and Roger Taylor etc). Auxillary members helped out here and there during the gig. However from what I can find online that was about a month before the TOTP appearance. Would they just go into the studio to mime for Phil?

    • Official Post

    Follow up single "Everyday" has also been broadcasted by the BBC.

    indeed


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    But there was no "backing band"