For decades an appearance on Top Of The Pops was the dream of most musicians, given the show’s reputation as the most influential music programme in the UK. However Rockingbirds frontman Alan Tyler admits when he finally found himself in the hallowed halls of the BBC, appearing on the show was a let down.
Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk,he laughs at the recollection of finally getting invited onto the programme in 1992 as one of the acts on a charity EP which was raising money for the Terrance Higgins Trust, singing a cover of Right Said Fred’s Deeply Dippy. “Everything is tinged with disappointment,” he says. “It was our dream to be on Top of the Pops. However, we were singing a Right Said Fred song for an EP for charity that our record label had put out. “It wasn’t my own song,” he says, admitting the group were in two minds about whether or not they should appear.
“The band had a debate about whether we should appear on it or not because people might not take us seriously as a country rock band, which is what we wanted to happen.
“And on the chart run down, you know our band name didn’t even appear. Unfortunately, when they got to the release it appeared as various because we were one of three artists who were on that particular EP.
“So, these little things don’t quite work out the way that you hope. But it’s a funny story,” he reflected.
Alan’s career is full of many such “near misses”. Having dabbled in different bands and styles, he formed The Rockingbirds, a country rock band, just as Britpop was ruling the airwaves.
While they did land a recording contract, were on Later with Jools Holland and had numerous Glastonbury appearances over the years, they didn’t manage to break through as some of their contemporaries did.
Alan has utilised all these experiences for his new book, How to Never Have a Hit. “I suppose my idea is that history is usually written by the victors – but not this time.
“It’s a story written by someone who’s bit of an outsider – partly an insider and partly an outsider, looking in and watching what’s going on, and having a bit of a different take
“I hope it’s just part one of the story,” he says wryly. “It’s a bit of a cultural history, and I’ve got things to say about the politics, both back in the 80s and the politics today, and how that affected music’s trajectory as well.”
How To Never Have a Hit and more information on Alan Tyler is available here