Music Television 2.5

Belladrum 2018 - Ward Thomas
A short burst with the track Lie Like Me.

Music Icons: Otis Redding
He was from Georgia, and formed a band in his teens. He married Zelma in 1961, and was soon signed to labels and good publishing deals. He worked as a roadie for Booker T, and wangled an audition at Stax. He was dubbed "Mr Pitiful" but turned it to his advantage. He wrote his own stuff, such as Respect. The Otis Blue album was a huge success. He was fine at covers too, like Try A Little Tenderness. He did a duets album and a live album. Then he did well at Monterrey Pop. Sitting on the Dock of the Bay was the herald of a change of direction, but tragically he was killed in a plane crash before he could achieve it.

Sheridan Smith: Coming Home
Actress and singer has had a tough emotional time with her father dying. Here, she works on a new album, before returning home to perform a special homecoming gig at Bentley Top Club.

Kylie Minogue: Reel Stories
Presenter Dermot O'Leary guided Kylie through 30+ years of clips from her acting and singing careers, meeting Olivia Newton-John on the chat-show Wogan, being bemused by the importance of Top of the Pops, the dancing with Jason Donovan when performing Especially For You, being on Saturday morning telly, her experimental era and return to pop ways. She remains a much-loved and valued act.

Belladrum 2018: The Supernaturals
A short acoustic burst with I Don't Think So. I'm surprised they're still going to be honest, not an act who get much attention.

Belladrum 2018: The Charlatans
A longer set than some, thankfully, they're still releasing new material, and seem just as fresh as they did 30-odd years ago.

Belladrum 2018: Darlingside
Just a short burst with Extralife.

Larry King Now: Cheyenne Jackson
Some actor from Idaho, who's worked with Lady Gaga, been on Broadway, sang a lot in some Elvis show, takes acting inspiration from Kathy Bates, and has been sober for 5+ years.

Bette Midler - One Night Only
This 2014 special saw Bette chat to Joanna Lumley, but mainly perform many hits of hers, finishing with Wind Beneath My Wings.

Belladrum 2018 - Songhoy Blues
Just a short extract, with Sekon Okmarou.

MTV Unplugged Melbourne - DMA's
Never heard of them, they're from Sydney and did quite a long show. They were a bit like the ballady bits of Oasis, which is a surprising choice for Aussie pop-rockers.

On Drums... Stewart Copeland!
On Bass... Tina Weymouth!
On Guitar... Lenny Kaye!
A curious 3-part series looking at individual instruments, how they've evolved, and how important they are to the overall sound. What became noticeable was that Copeland clearly went to New Orleans to tell his story, and interview people who could help him tell it. The others generally didn't (Weymouth did some vid-link to Bootsy Collins), so it seemed less personal the more they made their cases. Watchable stuff all the same, with many tributes paid.

Belladrum 2014 - Rae Morris
Surprising possible repeat, but a welcome half-hour from someone of whom big things were heralded, but which did not happen.

Music Icons: Ray Charles
An innovator, a genius who transcended genres, from blues, jazz and country. Born in Georgia in 1930, he met Quincy Jones in Seattle, and signed to Atlantic Records. He evolved his sound and wrote many classics, but when he got comfortable financially, he switched to covers instead. He did many duet albums, including his last. He had heroin troubles, but cleaned up eventually. He won many Grammys.

The Go-Betweens - Right Here
Lengthy effort about Aussie band who managed to release many albums over 20-30 years, work with Rough Trade and Sire/Warner Brothers, go through a few line-ups, but not score any hit singles. The nucleus of the band were Robert Forster and Grant McLennan. Grant died in 2006, but Robert and other band members and managers told their story.

Bright Lights, Brilliant Minds - A Tale of Three Cities - Vienna 1908
Dr James Fox tries a bit of lateral thinking. He talks of a city where Klimt, Freud, Loos, Schiele and Kokoschka are all busy, but particularly Arnold Schoenberg, who premiered his 2nd String Quartet in December of this year, making use of frequent key changes and atonal harmonies. 

Schoenberg wrote:My music will be understood in 100 years, not now.

Well, it was a bit quicker than that.

Belladrum 2018 - Ryan McMullan
Another short burst, with Letting Go For A Little While.

Music Icons: Dusty Springfield
She embodied White Soul, started singing from 12, but suffered low self-esteem. She got her nickname from playing football, apparently. She did some of her own songwriting, production and arrrangements. She had a few really big hits, but suffered personal issues in the 70s. The Pet Shop Boys resurrected her career in the late 1980s, but she became ill with breast cancer and died in 1999, after being awarded the OBE.

Music Icons: Run DMC
Russell Simmons had a brother, Joe who became known as Run. Daryl became DMC. And they hooked up with Jam Master Jay. Through Russell's Def Jam Records , they released early rap classics in the mid-80s. But when Rick Rubin produced their 3rd LP and persuaded them to do the Aerosmith mash-up Walk This Way, they went into orbit. They had personal issues, not least DMC not wanting to rap as much. Also a spiritual angle. JMJ was shot dead in 2002, and the band were inducted to the R&R HoF in 2009.

Jonas Blue's Mixtape
A mix of his own works and those of other producers in the same racket whom he admires, like Zedd, David Guetta, DJ Snake, Mark Ronson and Calvin Harris.

MTV World Stage - Jason Derulo
From their Isle of MTV thing in Malta from June of 2018. He claims to be the King of Pop now, but I suspect Bruno Mars might have something to say about that.

Bright Lights, Brilliant Minds - A Tale of Three Cities - Paris 1928
Dr James Fox with part 2 of his thesis. Here he considered the surrealism of Andre Breton, Rene Magritte, Salvador Dali & Luis Bunuel. The art of Tamara de Lempicka and Piet Mondrian, the writings of Ernest Hemingway and the architecture of Le Corbusier. And particularly the success of Cole Porter, who had been in Paris a while and wrote a musical about it, including his first big hit song Let's Do It. Paris also bloomed for jazz, as black Americans discovered they could be treated as people in France, unlike back home, and one of them, Josephine Baker, made a big mark in the process. Finally, George Gershwin was inspired to create his work An American In Paris.

Larry King Now - Mike Posner
He's go a new album A Real Good Kid out, partly inspired by his Dad dying on a brain tumour whilst he was enjoying a massive success with I Took A Pill In Ibiza. Also the death of his friend Avicii, as mentioned in said song. He regrets the past misogyny of some of his songs and videos. He's done collaborations, but writes best for himself. He's launched a musical scholarship project. And he's undertaking a walk across the USA from March 1st, from Astbury Park to Venice Beach, more of a bucket list idea than for any specific charity.

Our Classical Century - In War and Peace
Saw the 1st part of this series before Christmas, so glad to see a 2nd. Suzy Klein's guest host here was war correspondent John Simpson, and the story ran from the 1936 coronation to the 1953 one. This encompassed William Walton, Benjamin Britten and Shostakovich, the bombing of Queen's Hall in London (which led to the Proms moving to the Royal Albert Hall, and replacement by the Royal Festival Hall), and an experiment in classical music performances at the National Gallery, as the music moved from the preserve of an elite, to the right of the masses.

Foreigner - Live at Baloise Session
By 2014, I'm unsure how many classic line-up members remain, but the songs were well done. I was bemused they ended on a rocking high, even having done their best song beforehand in I Want To Know What Love Is.

Music Icons: Santana
Carlos was taught guitar by his musical father, and he formed his own band after a stand-in spot at the Fillmore. Woodstock made them famous, and their 2nd album Abraxas really cemented their legend. There were line-up changes and spiritual sidelines. They made it to the R&R HoF in 1998, and then made a massive selling success after Clive Davis put them up to it (Carlos had reservations).

Belladrum 2018 - Colonel Mustard and the Dijon 5
Peculiar live act with kids on stage, dodgy rave-inspired songs and weird subject matters. Like discovering a cult has been going on for years and you've only just found out about it.

War Requiem - Staging a Masterpiece
Benjamin Britten's 1962 epic, put on by the English National Opera and stage designed by Wolfgang Tillmans. Wilfred Owen's WW1 poetry counterpoints the music, and backdrop scenes project martial images. An intriguing process.

Discovering: Little Richard
A popular roustabout child who was given a spot by Sister Rosetta Tharpe, won a radio talent contest, and had little success on record labels. Then he hit paydirt with Tutti Frutti. Other big hits followed before he turned to the Lord. A UK tour saw him return to Rock & Roll, and he even had support from the Beatles one night. Drugs took the edge off his success, and he turned to festivals and talk shows. He was the 1st person in the R&R HoF in 1986.

James Blunt - Live at Baloise Session
From 2014, as he was pushing his Moon Landing album. Among other hits, and much banter to the crowd, he did a cover of Slade's "Coz I Luv You" which was a welcome surprise.

The South Bank Show: Danielle de Niese
The 40 year old soprano who won Young Talent Time in Australia at the age of 9, added classical music lessons to dancing and acting to give her a difference, and wowed the NY Met at the age of 19 in a production with Bryn Terfel, Renee Fleming and Cecilia Bartoli. She presented "LA Kids" and won an Emmy for it. She wowed the Glyndebourne faithful with her grasp of choreography, and has gone from strength to strength.

Music Icons: Talking Heads
New York art-rockers, David Byrne had most of the ideas but not all by any means. Brian Eno made a big difference as producer for some of their albums, and they knocked out some big hit singles, and had big success thanks to MTV liking their wacky videos, eg Once in a Lifetime, Road to Nowhere. They split in the early 1990s after David announced it before talking to the rest of the band.

The Doobie Brothers - Let The Music Play
California rockers who moulded around singer Tom Johnston's songs for hits like Long Train Running. However he got ill and they brought in Michael MacDonald as replacement. He turned out to be a great singer and songwriter too, albeit with a less rocky sound, and they had further hits like What a Fool Believes. They eventually split and reformed for charity gigs, before resuming full-time with a recovered Tom and without Michael. They've toured and recorded ever since.

Belladrum 2016 - Breabach
Might have seen this before, a short set in the rain.

Music Icons: Al Green
Born in Arkansas, 1946, the 6th of 10 children of share croppers. His father disliked him singing other than gospel music. But he made such a success his father changed his tune. He and his band went down a storm at the Harlem Apollo. He worked well with Willie Mitchell, with huge successes in the early 1970s with Tired of Being Alone and Let's Stay Together. He turned away from this music to become a Reverend, and bought his own church to preach in. He appeared in a musical in 1982, and reached the R&R HoF in 1995. He won 12 Grammys, and remains a much-loved legend.

Larry King Now - Eve
Recorded the week before the Grammys, the singer turned talk show co-host talked about plans for new music, how it feels to be a stepmother when she had a stepfather, how she would have liked to meet Bob Marley (Larry did, inevitably), and wanting to visit Cambodia. Good to know she's still going strong.

Discovering: The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra
Katie Derham recounts the story of Benjamin Britten's popular post-WW2 work which aimed to make classical music accessible, and was famously conducted by Sir Malcolm Sargent. The prog finished with a performance of it.

13 Moments That Killed Whitney Houston
The number of psychologists and psychotherapists involved here was farcical. Whilst many of these "moments" were serious and agreeable, and together they formed a sequence, I would narrow it down to Clive Davis saying her 1st album sounded "too black" and ordering it be toned down. Because that led to the backlash, and the marriage to Bobby Brown, and so on...

Randy Newman In Concert - Baloise Session 2015
The singer-songwriter veered from clear to mumbling, which was a shame, but he included many favourites and surprises, so that made it worth seeing.

Pappano's Greatest Arias
The conductor talks to various tenors and sopranos about what goes into a good aria, how the form evolved over the centuries, and picked out 10 or so favourites from Verdi, Donizetti, Rossini and others.

What Do Artists Do All Day? Anoushka Shankar
Daughter of Ravi and sitar player of note in her own right. Here shown working on creating a new soundtrack for a BFI-restored Indian romcom from the 1920s, Shiraz. She chatted about her skillset, but it was pretty ordinary.

Discovering: Fred Astaire
He started out as a dancer with his sister Adele. He made a useful connection with a song plugger and aspiring writer named George Gershwin. Gershwin always claimed Fred had the right voice for many of his songs, and Funny Face and They Can't Take That Away From Me bear witness to this. He somewhat resented playing second fiddle in films with Bing Crosby, but he brought musical choreography forward from the Busby Berkeley days.

Score
A lengthy master-work about Cinema's Grestest Soundtracks, whether the Bernard Herrmanns or the John Williams or the Hans Zimmers and many others (many of whom were interviewed). Using orchestras was all the rage until the new cinema came in during the 1960s. Williams put it back in control with Jaws, Star Wars, Superman etc etc These days synthesizers are part of the mix too, and even unlikely heroes like Trent Reznor get in on the act.

Flat Pack Pop - Sweden's Music Miracle
How a chap called Dag Volle changed his name to Denniz Pop, and made a star out of Dr Alban, Ace of Base, Robyn and then created a label, Cheiron Records, at which he employed Max Martin and others, where their talents gave boosts to 5ive, N Sync and the Backstreet Boys, not to mention Britney Spears. Tragically, Denniz died of cancer in his 30s, and Cheiron was closed soon after, but Max and co simply relocated to the USA where they continue to wreak money-spinning havoc.

Belladrum 2018 - Fun Lovin' Criminals / Amy McDonald
Intriguing double bill (or sorts), local lass Amy getting a bit longer, but both delivering good sets to appreciative crowds.

Soft Cell - Say Hello, Wave Goodbye
How a boy from Southport met a boy from Blackpool whilst in Leeds, how they hit big with a cover version, but didn't entirely make the right choices thereafter and split after their 3rd album. They reunited for an album in 2002, then Marc had his accident in 2004, but they reunited again last year or so, and did a big farewell (?) gig at the O2. Both seemed in happy places with their legacy.

The Defiant Ones
Major 6-part series from 2017, telling the stories of producer Jimmy Iovine and producer Dr Dre. How they rose through the business, came together, made it big, and made a big impression on the business. With a great many talking heads including acts they worked with and helped, and the "suits" who either helped or hindered them along the way. One thing it does show is that rock is not where it's at anymore.

Discovering: Bing Crosby
He starred in 9 "Road to..." movies with Bob Hope, notably singing the "Road to Morocco" theme, he sang in Holiday Inn, and White Christmas the remake of Holiday Inn, and sang True Love in High Society. And apart from the big screen, he funded development of recording equipment and tools, pushing the business forwards. And his final musical spot of note was an unconventional duet with David Bowie, so he was unafraid to experiment even at an age when most slow down. He may not have been a great family man, but career-wise he was at the top.

Belladrum 2018
Darlingside did the title track from their Extralife album in an acoustic spot.

Off Camera with Sam Jones: Jack Black
Another actor with a musical side. He did 1 gig in a teen band, and were so out-classed by another band that they packed it in. He sang Let's Get It On in High Fidelity, he took part in a somewhat troubled tribute to Elliot Smith, and of course he has the whole Tenacious D project. Sean Penn suggested they could be a serious outfit, and Jack turned that down as not being the point.

Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique
Sir John Eliot Gardner conducts the Orchestre Revolutionaire et Romantique through a programme of Berlioz pieces at the Royal Opera at Versailled in 2018. The main event is the titular piece.

Music Icons: The Pretenders
How Chrissie Hynde got from Akron, Ohio, to a new life in the UK, where she soon put a band together and had a hit #1 single with Brass In Pocket. Line-up changes seemed the running theme of the band, with Hynde very much the brains of the outfit. They made the R&R HoF in 2005, amazingly. They still record & release & tour, and probably always will.

Belladrum 2018 - You Me at Six
A short set from the hit band with some of their most recent material.

The Story Of... I Will Survive
The final one of three films from a 2005 series, how Gloria Gaynor was in need of a hit to reaffirm her position in disco, and how a cover of a 1978 hit Substitute looked like being it. Until the session producer Dino Ferakis brought in the B-side he'd written in celebration that he was going to make it as a songwriter. Clubbers and DJs soon decided they preferred the b-side, the reluctant record company went with it, and the rest was history.

Chris Rea - In Concert - Baloise Session 2017
I'm a big fan, so any signs are good. This was the year he collapsed, but he seems quite robust here still. Plugging his latest album, but with plenty of good stuff from across his 40-year career.

Van Morrison at the BBC
A repeat from 2008 to help celebrate St Patrick's Day. Van was in fine voice across the years.

Showbands - How Ireland Learnt to Party
The story of how clerical controls across the political divide saw hundreds of bands find a way to make a living, as many nights a week as there were nights. Some tried to crack Las Vegas, but that depended on how Irish they chose to be. Eventually, the terrorists struck, and licencing changes, and the economies of disco, brought the glory days to a close.

Grande Messe des Morts
From Notre Dame, Paris, the Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra were conducted by Gustavo Dudamel in this lengthy piece from Berlioz, which they dedicated to the late Claudio Abbado, in 2014.

Robbie Williams - One Night at the Palladium
This 2013 gig coincided with the release of his Swings Both Ways album, and saw him pretty much performing the entire album, which occasional skits with the Muppets (!), or singing with Lily Allen, Rufus Wainwright, or a bunch of stage kids.

Imelda May - In Concert - Baloise Session 2017
She's changed her look over the last decade, but the songs are still there, and she finished on a cover of Teenage Kicks, which was nice.

Culture Club - In Concert - Baloise Session 2016
Jon Moss still on the drums at this stage, Roy and Mikey otherwise supporting George. He chatted a lot between songs, and dedicated Do You Really Want To Hurt Me? to the late Pete Burns, who'd died that week. They closed on a cover of Get It On, which was different.

Teddy Pendergrass - If You Don't Know Me
How he found fame with Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, but when he realised Harold was getting star treatment despite Teddy doing the work, he went solo. He seemed to have some dodgy associations, and suffered a terrible car crash in 1982. But he retaliated and found a way to sing again, even joining Ashford & Simpson at Live Aid, and he survived until 2010.

Belladrum 2018 - You Me at Six & Primal Scream
Modernity and nostalgia there, but Bobby & the gang seemed in fine form, to an appreciative crowd.

Bunch of Kunst
This 2017 film about Sleaford Mods shows how the duo have built from the ground up, lacking much mainstream media attention, but getting vociferous responses in pubs & clubs, in England and Europe. The film ends with them moving to Rough Trade, a bigger label which might help them reach a wider target area.

Echoing An Era - Simon Rattle & Berlin Philharmonic 2002-2018
The famous conductor has ended his time with the prestigious orchestra after 16 years, during which he has helped the company to reach new heights to face the challenges of the modern scene.

Melys Lais
A doc on David Lloyd, the Tenor from Trelogan. He was a miner's son, one of 7 kids. Both parents died whilst he was a teenager, and he had to become the bread-winner. He got a scholarship to London, but his singing led him to success, and he was dubbed the "Welsh Caruso". WW2 somewhat curtailed his rise, and he joined the Welsh Guards. He appeared in no further operas, and had a great accident in which he snapped his spine. He couldn't sing for 6 years, and became penniless. After successful surgery, he was able to debut in New York at last. But he still died at 57.

Goodbye, Sir Simon!
His final conducting of the Berlin Philharmoniker, at the Waldbuhne, with a large open air audience looking cold and wet. But they enjoyed stuff like Gershwin, Faure, Monteverdi, and final treats from Elgar and Sousa. An emotional event.

Belladrum 2016 - White
Don't recall seeing this one before. Blush it was.

Belladrum 2016 - Bella Hardy
Maybe have seen this before, she managed to get 2 tracks in in her spot.

Music Icons: The Byrds
They didn't invent folk rock, country rock or psychedelic rock. But they did cover Bob Dylan's Mr Tambourine Man and made a name for themselves with a transatlantic #1 smash in the process. Turn! Turn! Turn! (ripping off the Bible) and Eight Miles High (woo! drugs!) were their other notable hits. They had line-up problems, such as David Crosby heading out to be in Crosby, Stills & Nash. They made it to the R&R HoF in 1991.

Carwyn Ellis - Ar Y Cei Yn Rio
Part of the Colorama act, here he was making a solo project in Brazil. Carwyn is an ex-member of Proud Mary, and has worked with the Pretenders and Edwyn Collins.

The 6Music Festival
Liverpool hosted a collection of largely up&coming bands or cool favourites, from Ex:Re and Little Simz, to John Grant and Anna Calvi. This highlights show was capped off by the half-decent Hot Chip.