Music Television 1

Ultimate Cover Versions at the BBC
An hour compilation of the good & the not-so-good, all of which had been #1 in the UK. UB40, Pet Shop Boys, Sinead O'Connor, Shaggy, Soft Cell, Manfred Mann and Ken Boothe. Most were over-familiar, and many weren't worth hearing again. A few were surprises, though.

Inside Uriah Heep 1976-1980
The second of 2 shows, at last, this was elevated because the ever-enjoyable Trevor Bolder joined the band, and because record boss Gerry Bron did some of the producing, and was as harsh on himself as he was on the band. Some of the other band members tried to keep a positive stance, but the sense of a band past its peak was too hard to shake off.

Imagine: The Ecstasy of Wilko Johnson
Erstwhile guitar hero diagnosed with terminal cancer, relating his life story to Julien Temple, revisiting Canvey Island, and generally being positive about death. Wouldn't you know, another doctor suggests his inoperable cancer might be operable after all, and lo! It gets cut out. Then he gets ill in recovery whilst his immune system tries to get back to normal. But Wilko is a maverick and a fighter, and a true original.

Burt Bacharach: A Life in Song
Lengthy tribute to the great man, chatting to Michael Grade on stage, whilst various singers did many of his songs. These varied from Laura Mvula and Alfie Boe, to Justin Hayward and Sophie Ellis-Bextor. Burt didn't have much new or different to say, which is hardly surprising.

30 Seconds To Mars: MTV Live In Malaysia 2011
A steady hour show with a jolly front-man who manages to carry the project off better than many supposedly greater dudes can.

Rainbow: Up Close and Personal
Steady look at the Deep Purple spin-off project, where the hair length of the band was considered a major selling point with fans, and the assorted talent in the band were also judged inferior to Richie Blackmore.

The Wanted - Dream
Briefly-successful boyband who apparently laid the ground-work for the success of One Direction, and were then rendered obsolete by them. Seeing the story of their formation, and their individual journeys (some from previous failed bands) made them all the more interesting, though Nathan Sykes seems positioned as the most talented one, and his solo career seems the likeliest to work out during their current "hiatus".

Europe in Concert: James Blunt
From 2014, he delivered a pretty decent show, though I notice "You're Beautiful" passes through long before the end. His crowd banter is warm, though, and they seem happy enough.

MTV World Stage: Placebo
From London in this August, a solid show which featured the odd cover, and guest singing spots from Broken Thin, and Joan as Police Woman. They may have gone off the media radar, but they clearly still please the crowds.

Live With... The Zombies
They're still around after half a century, just released a new album, and here ran through half a dozen tracks new and old. Rod & Colin seem a pretty solid team now.

MTV World Stage: Biffy Clyro
At the O2 Academy, Glasgow, in November 2014, and a pretty decent show, with perhaps more catchy hits than might be expected.

Wretch 32 - Live @ V Festival 2015
Like Example, he's got a bit of a track record behind him now, and can still cough up the odd winner from time to time.

Mojo Working: Chuck Berry
The fun with this series is not so much the classic footage of the star in question, so much as the randomness of those singing his praises, such as Stuart Adamson (of Big Country) and John "Rhino" Edwards (of Status Quo). I still feel the lyric "he could play guitar just like ringing a bell" is one of the very greatest in rock history.

Mojo Working: Little Richard
As with other episodes, the performance footage was almost secondary to seeing which luminaries thought enough of him to be included - here Afrika Bambaataa and Caron Wheeler.

I'm Not In Love - The Story of 10cc
Four fertile talents, three great singers, founders of Strawberry Studios, given their first break by Jonathan King, but a better one when acting as studio band for Neil Sedaka (sadly not interviewed). Though "I'm Not In Love" was their triumph, it represented the beginning of the end, as Godley & Crème were bored with lovey-dovey stuff and split over "The Things We Do For Love". Though they carried on for a while, and managed a 3rd #1 single, it was the work on pioneering video promos from G&C that really made the difference in the 1980's.

The Script - Live @ V Festival 2015
Also on in daylight, they had a short set too, but seem to have established themselves well enough.

Years & Years - Live @ Ibiza Rocks 2015
One of this year's big breakthrough acts, here with a steady short set, and a fondness for one-word titles.

Europe in Concert: James Gruntz
Never heard of him, but apparently he's a big star in Switzerland, and has been knocking out albums for 10 years. On this evidence, he seemed alright enough, though I doubt S-Pop is going to take off.

TOTP2: Boybands
A curious compilation from the obvious to the unlikely (New Edition, maybe, but the Village People?!)

Rollermania
For the 40th anniversary of the Bay City Rollers' cracking the USA, a decent hour on this Scottish boyband who blazed briefly and then fell to bits. Basically, they were a Scottish Monkees, and they made the same mistake in wanting to play and write their own works, even though they weren't proficient at either. The Ramones producer Craig Leon was one of the quirkier contributors, averring that the Rollers' big American break-through "Saturday Night" was just a crib from "Blitzkrieg Bop". The surviving band members were still proud of their days in the sun.

The World According to Kenny Everett
Maverick Brit radio DJ who died 20 years ago. As well as pioneering work on radio, helping to break "Bohemian Rhapsody" as a hit, he also shone on television, bringing rock stars into his world to mutual joy, whether it was Cliff Richard or Rod Stewart. He is still fondly missed.

Danny Baker's Christmas Hits
A healthy hour-plus compilation claiming to look at the worthier Xmas classix, yet still winding up with the bloody awful Fairytale of New York. Recently read Baker's 2nd volume of autobiography too, with his adventures in talk radio, which was better than this.

Mojo Working: Otis Redding
Never known as the "Singing Roadie", he nevertheless impressed the likes here of Marti Pellow and Afrika Bambaataa. The live material was good, though.

Remembering Otis
I suspect much of the above live material came from here, footage from the Stax-Volt European Tour of 1967 (handily, Sam & Dave and Booker T were included, perhaps for completeness), and also a gig in Monterey, Jun 17, 1967. Unsurprisingly, DA Pennebaker was at the bottom of this.

The Possibilities Are Endless
Moving feature-length doc about Edwyn Collins, who suffered 2 major cerebral haemorrhages, and is slowly trying to rebuild his life and his career. Amazingly, he's back to singing and recording, though not remotely as sharp as he was at his height. He and his wife were the backbone of this, along with much footage of an appearance he made on I think a Conan O'Brien show, where he was somewhat cheeky to his host. The title came from a mantra Edwyn used to encourage himself from his low ebb.

High Tech Soul - The Creation of Techno Music
An entertaining surprise, covering the key three on the Detroit scene, Derrick May, Juan Atkins and Kevin Saunderson, plus sundry other fans, DJs and players. One was the originator, one was the innovator, one was the elevator, and they looked across the waters to Europe, saw what Kraftwerk & co were doing, and to use the well-worn American cliché, they took it to another level. And a good job they did.

The Nation's Favourite Bond Song
Cunning bit of seasonal telly, even more cunning for omitting the recent Sam Smith effort. Many, many folk were here, from David Arnold and Roger Moore, through to Don Black and Carole Bayer Sager, and pretty much anyone alive who was relevant, plus archive from John Barry and a few others. Here was the voted-for rundown:
20 Another Way To Die
19 Tomorrow Never Dies
18 The World is Not Enough
17 Die Another Day
16 The Man with The Golden Gun
15 Thunderball
14 You Know My Name
13 The Living Daylights
12 Licence To Kill
11 GoldenEye
10 You Only Live Twice
09 From Russia With Love
08 For Your Eyes Only
07 A View to a Kill
06 We Have All The Time in the World
05 Nobody Does It Better
04 Diamonds Are Forever
03 Goldfinger
02 Live and Let Die
01 Skyfall
Huh

A John Williams Celebration
From the Walt Disney Concert Hall (!), the LA Philharmonic, led by Gustavo Dudamel, pounded out many of the movie tunes that John Williams has been responsible for, before John, sat in the audience, took over for the encore to deliver his highlight from "The Empire Strikes Back".

Ten Pieces II
One of my fave shows of 2014 gets a follow-up that inevitably isn't as good. Though some of the tunes here are still classics (Bach's Toccata & Fugue, Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries) and many of the celebrity advocates are quality (Chris Eccleston, James May, Pixie Lott), I suspect it would take a while to warm up to. But a good try & a worthy effort.

Europe in Concert: Placebo
From the Bercy Arena, Paris, in 2013, this was a solid show, Brian being on good form, and a few less familiar numbers mixed in with the rest, though still no "Pure Morning", alas.

Take That! - These Days On Tour
Jolly hour mixing footage from their tour, with chats with the three remaining band members, and some of their road crew, many of whom have been on board since 1992 (hiatus notwithstanding). They spoke of the adjustments caused by the exit of Jason, and the chance for Howard to up his game (devising an interpretive dance bit for one song). They seem concerned that their audience might go away, but as long as they have the songs they'll be around.

Discovering: Prince
A return for this series plugging classic acts to beginners. Described as "the last enigma", his 80s heyday got its due, but his record company woes and declining sales seem to have blunted his edge since then.

New Year's Day Concert from Vienna
The annual event with the Vienna Philharmonic, here conducted by Mariss Janssons. They mainly stuck to the many Strausses, and finished with the Blue Danube & Radetzky March. Secretary General of the United Nations Ban-Ki Moon was in the audience.

Live With... Judy Collins
A steady enough show from this series as she's been doing the rounds. Some less familiar material amongst the obvious.

Skindred - Rock Stories
They did a few songs, and recounted their story from a modest beginning through 2 decades of crowd pleasing without hitting the fame & fortune heights. Also inspiring the "Newport helicopter" and their latest 6th album. A good little showcase.

Leningrad and the Orchestra that Defied Hitler
The saga of Shostakovich's 7th Symphony, the Leningrad Symphony. In 1941, the Russian city was already in Stalin's bad books, but became cut off and besieged by the Nazis. Shostakovich was inspired to write a 4-part work that got its world premiere on March 5th, 1942. It was then performed in Moscow, before being smuggled out to London and then New York. Though Leningrad was not liberated until January 1944, the music had helped turn the cultural tide, even if Stalin went back to hating the city after the war was over.

Enter Shikari - Rock Stories
A 4-piece formed in 2003, who released material on their own label, built support slowly and steadily, enjoy playing live, and have won critical kudos and awards. Not bad, really.

Europe in Concert: Incognito
From the Event Halle in Basel, 2013. They apparently formed back in 1980, so may be early Brit-funk survivors. They finished with their biggest hit, Always There, which was nice to hear again for a change.

Take That!: Heart Live
A short set for the telly channel, with some chatter between songs. It was mostly post-2005 stuff, though they finished with 'Never Forget'.

Top of the Pops: The Story of 1981
Another year, another reminiscence, albeit skewed to a few set stories. Marc Ortmans relating the making of the epic new title sequence was fun, and Richard Skinner boldly stuck up for his fellow presenters. Adam Ant and Buster Bloodvessel were just 2 obvious people not featured, though John & Nick from Duran Duran, Dave from Depeche Mode, and the crucial three members of the Human League were all there. Beyond these, and the changes from Legs & Co to Zoo, the more intriguing bit was about the Brit-funk boom, as bands like Linx, Beggar & Co and Imagination were all discussed as they won't ever get a proper show of their own.

Top of the Pops 1981 - Big Hits
The usual round-up compilation, maybe less surprising than some, with Sugar Minott and Ten Pole Tudor perhaps being most exceptional.

The Joy of Rachmaninoff
As with the Mozart doc about a year ago, Tom Service tries to relate the story to show how he rubbed up against the Russian ethos. He was much loved by musicians like Vladimir Ashkenazy and James Rhodes, but the 1917 revolution meant he was forced to leave his homeland behind for safer climes in Switzerland.

The Nation's Favourite... Disney Song
I expected this to be more affirmation for the wretched "Let It Go". In fact the rundown went:
10 - You Can Fly! (Peter Pan)
09 - When I See An Elephant Fly (Dumbo)
08 - He's A Tramp (The Lady and the Tramp)
07 - Whistle While You Work (Snow White)
06 - A Spoonful of Sugar (Mary Poppins)
05 - A Whole New World (Aladdin)
04 - Let It Go (Frozen)
03 - When You Wish Upon A Star (Pinocchio)
02 - Circle Of Life (The Lion King)
01 - The Bare Necessities (The Jungle Book)
Odd to realise that the "second coming" of Disney has only been in the last 25 years. Fans, animators, sons of animators and cast members all had plenty to say. Maybe the more interesting were the seldom heard stories (Peggy Lee for #8, for example).

Reggae Sunsplash II
From the Montego Bay Reggae Festival, July 1979. Third World, Burning Spear, Peter Tosh and headliner Bob Marley all brought sunshine with them to an appreciative crowd.

Jake Bugg @ Ibiza Rocks 2014
He can fair rattle through them. He has done a few I like, and will presumably be back soon with new material.

Hozier - Live @ V Festival 2015
One of the breakout stars of last year, here pleasing a daytime crowd with his main hits.

MTV World Stage: Dizzee Rascal
From the Isle of MTV event at Il Fosos Square, Malta, in June 2014. Dizzee ran through a short set of hits, finishing with my fave, Bonkers.

Live With... Sandi Thom
Famous for the dreadful #1 "I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker", she seems to have carved out a steady career without ever troubling the charts. Happily, she didn't play that big hit, but she did have a bash at the Fleetwood Mac ballad "Songbird", so Swings & Roundabouts, I guess.

HARDtalk: Henry Rollins
Personable agitator spoke of his break with Black Flag, his happy meeting with David Bowie, how he prefers world travels, his dismay about Donald Trump, not likely to settle down at 55, and preferring solitude to loneliness. A nice guy, in fact.

Axwell & Ingrosso - Live @ V Festival 2014
A loud show with a mighty light show, they mostly performed remixes of other hits, amongst a few of their own, but that's the way with dance acts.

Remembering Jacqueline du Pre
A steady hour from 1994, mostly with performance of JdP on the cello, sometimes on the piano, and even a little on the violin. She does most of the talking, along with her tutor William Pleeth, whom she credits as being more influential than Casals or Rostropovich. Some of the footage features her then other half, Daniel Barenboim, looking much younger with dark hair.

Charli XCX - The Ride
MTV prog relating her journey from formative songwriting attempts, success on the underground rave scene, writing for others, solo hits at last, a failed 1st album, and a more successful 2nd. She's a laugh, and does some great songs.

Pierre Boulez at the BBC - Master and Maverick
A tribute show to the noted conductor/composer who recently died. His story was recounted well enough, his main motivation being to promote the more modern classical music, rather than merely reiterating the Beethovens and Mahlers and so on. In his latter years, he got criticised for being so didactic about this, and he was even arrested as a terror suspect in the aftermath of 9/11. But he wasn't that kind of danger.

When Pop Ruled My Life - The Fan's Story
An ultimately disappointing retread of familiar themes, from Beatlemania onwards. Presenter Kate Mossman, a journalist, related her own teenage obsession with Queen and Roger Taylor, which dissipated when she finally met him in a cinema. Several fans spoke of identifying with role models like Siouxsie Sioux or Boy George, but there was no mention of fans who marry stars (cf. Gary Numan), which merely highlighted the deficiencies in the discussion.

Marilyn Manson: Inner Sanctum
How a bloke called Brian reinvented himself as a bad 'un, but got bad press about the Columbine massacre, and never entirely recovered momentum. His changing tastes in chicks was about as interesting as his music.

Tinchy Stryder: MTV Live
His opener featured guest vocals from Professor Green, Devlin + Giggs, whilst Melanie Fiona and Dappy guested towards the end. Nice show, from 2011, but not a giant of the business, really.

Tinie Tempah: MTV Live
In some London place, from 2010, all tracks from collaborations, with Tinie doing his bits live whilst records played his partner's contributions, which seemed an odd way to do things. Though the real Labrinth was present for the closing Pass Out.

Live With... Third Eye Blind
They've got an album out called Dopamine. They played half a dozen tracks from it. Very pleasant it was, too.

Aerosmith Rocks Donington
From the Download festival, 2014, a typically lengthy show from the veteran US rockers who seem a notch above Bon Jovi in the scheme of things, though just as smug.

Skindred: Live In Brixton
From the Brixton Academy, Nov 2015, heady hour+ run-through of material for an appreciative crowd, including the legendary "Newport Helicopter" crowd spot.

Rizzle Kicks: Live @ V Festival 2014
A daylight performance of their brief burst of hits. Be interesting to see what they do next, if anything.

Shane McGowan: A Wreck Reborn
How the legendary Irish frontman had an all-new set of false teeth. And then decided to get a better set before it was too late. His better half, who's been with him for most of the past 30 years, emerged as the real star of the piece, amidst all the suck-ups and dental experts.

Aloe Blacc - Live @ V Festival 2014
Also in daylight, and with even less material, though apparently he wrote (or co-wrote), Avicii's #1 hit "Wake Me Up", which I didn't know.