by RayL » Fri Jun 02, 2017 8:57 am
TOTP? 1966? Surely they are singing to a backing track, which means that the instruments that you see are just props.
Having worked in the various BBC West London studios where TOTP was recorded in the '60's, '70's, '80's and '90's (in Lime Grove, Television Centre and Elstree) I can testify that a hire company would deliver drums, amps, pianos, whatever was needed for the show. The drums would come with rubber discs for the heads (and probably snares removed) to cut down on acoustic noise when singing (using live mics) to tracks. Some identifiable instruments turned up many times, such as the white Shergold twin-neck guitar.
Obviously when a performer had a sponsorship deal, then that guitar (or other instrument) would be brought and used by the performer, but otherwise the band (and their management) were only too pleased not to have to bring a van-load of gear to the studio just to provide props.
There was a period when the Musician's Union insisted that new backing tracks were made for each TOTP performance. This was got round, of course, since reproducing the original (which might have taken days or weeks) was out of the question. On the morning of the show, a studio would be booked and the band would go through the motions of recording. When the MU rep turned up, he would be taken out to lunch and when he returned, lo and behold, a finished backing track was ready (really just a copy of the original) and everyone was happy.