This week, I journey back to the musical landscape of my childhood, exploring those special pop music shows that lit up our screens in the 1970s. Before the era of MTV and streaming, we cherished those few precious programs where we could watch our musical idols perform.
My earliest musical memories include my mother's lullabies and the plastic record player I shared with my sister. We had quite the eclectic collection – The Chipmunks' Christmas songs, Petula Clark's "Downtown," and that peculiar advertising jingle for "Lon Six Star Nylon" that somehow remains etched in my memory decades later!
"Lift Off with Ayshea" truly pioneered children's music television. Granada TV's production featured Ayshea Brough, a trailblazing Asian presenter, introducing remarkable performances – including David Bowie's first appearance as Ziggy Stardust! After 8 successful series, the show eventually gave way to a tartan invasion!!
The Bay City Rollers' "Shang-a-Lang" captured the feverish excitement of Rollermania, combining music with comedy sketches as teenage girls across Britain screamed for Alan, Eric, Les, Derek and Stewart. Their popularity was extraordinary, with fans chasing them everywhere they went.
Later, Granada TV unveiled "Get It Together" with Roy North (familiar to many as Mr. Roy from "The Basil Brush Show") and Linda Fletcher – essentially reviving the winning formula pioneered by "Lift Off."
The BBC made several attempts to incorporate pop music into their children's programming, with awkward segments on "Blue Peter" and "Crackerjack," before the energetic but ultimately disappointing "Cheggers Plays Pop" bounced onto our screens with Keith Chegwin at the helm.
Which of these musical showcases do you remember watching? How did you prefer seeing your pop heroes on television back in the 1970s?
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