Music television

Evidently... John Cooper Clarke
Punk poet and sometime musical poet too, acerbic wordsmith, A1 rhymer, quirky character, resembling Howard Marks in shades (only much better). A decent overview of a brilliant mind.

Sight & Sound in Concert: Ian Dury / Dr Feelgood
Enjoyable hourlong show from 1977, I think. This was one of many shows that seemed to be created to counterbalance the chart-heavy trend of TOTP. In this case, with half an hour from two impressive punk acts.

Gary Moore and Friends: One Night in Dublin
From Aug 20, 2005, a moving hour+ concert in tribute to Phil Lynott, and featuring guest appearances from Brian Robertson, Scott Gorham and Eric Bell on Thin Lizzy's biggest & best numbers. Clearly a great time was had by all, and it's just tragic to consider that Gary's gone too now.

Jools Holland: London Calling
Musician & presenter looks into the history of the sounds of London, from bells and street cries, to the more modern sounds of people like Joe Brown, Suggs and Damon Albarn. Entertaining stuff, if a bit glossed after a while.

Glastonbury - After Hours
Dreary waffle about backstage areas which don't usually appear on TV screens, the sort of guff usually described as 'the real Glastonbury'.

Radiohead at Glastonbury 1997
Shown in conjunction with the above, and more interesting, this depicted the don't-call-them-Britpop band running through many of their hits from the year they released 'OK Computer'.

Moby: Main Square Festival
From a wet night in Arras, France, in 2009, the electropop musician runs through his hits, with help from female vocalists. An engaging show, with nice touches such as Moby mixing some of his announcements in English and French.

All You Need is Klaus
Charming doc with Klaus Voormann looking back over his musical career, whilst compiling an album to mark his 70th birthday. Along the way he meets Ringo Starr, Van Dyke Parks, Randy Newman, Dr John, Carly Simon and the Manfreds, amongst others. One snippet that came as news to me was that KV did the famous wibbly bass intro to 'You're So Vain'  

Imagine: Just One Falsetto
Starting with Eddie Holman, through that bloke out of The Stylistics, the Beach Boys, choral singing, and a bit of history, with a ludicrous timefiller about Jeff Buckley (no Mick Hucknall or Jimmy Somerville? Come on!). Interesting and informative, yet still ephemeral.

Stratpack Concert
Three hours (roughly) of assorted alumni playing classic hits - Brian May, Gary Moore, Hank Marvin, Mike Rutherford, Joe Walsh, Dave Gilmour & Ronnie Wood amongst others, not to mention the vocal help of Paul Rodgers and Paul Carrack, too. An entertaining fun show, from 2004, in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Fender Stratocaster.

Forever Young: How Rock N Roll Grew Up
Amusing hour-long retrospective arguing that whilst pop was originally dismissed as a five minute wonder, those involved can't/won't give it up, and so we have the spectacle of ageing rockers touring successfully singing a back catalogue that's decades old (though some do try to grow old more gracefully).

Prince: A Purple Reign
How Minneapolis' most famous son became a musical virtuoso, conquered the world if not his shyness, ran into a record company brick wall, persevered, and can now release more material than his fans can really cope with - though here too, his heyday has long passed.

The B-52's : With the Wild Crowd! Live in Athens, Georgia
From back on February 18, 2011, a homecoming show lasting more than an hour and a half, with a fair mix of their bigger hits and crowd-pleasers. I was bemused that they did 'Love Shack' about 2/3 of the way in, but their encore did feature 'Wig' as well as 'Planet Claire' and 'Rock Lobster'. The sort of band who give idiosyncracy a good name.

Krautrock: The Rebirth of Germany
How disparate German musicians tried to forge a new identity away from the all-pervading sounds of the USA and UK. Bands included Amon Duul, Can, Neu!, Faust, Harmonia, Cluster, Tangerine Dream, and most famously Kraftwerk. Many of the musicians were interviewed, not to mention Iggy Pop.

Jools Holland and his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra: AVO Session
From Basel, Switzerland, an hourlong show featuring guest turns from Ruby Turner, and Marc Almond.

How Clubbing Changed The World
A sequel to a similar doc a year ago, this counted down 40 events which helped shape the current dance music dominance, from the originality of Kraftwerk, through the effects of the drug Ecstasy, to the recent rise of EDM in the USA. I'm not convinced on the merits of the "club remix" but this was otherwise a nostalgic trip for 2 hours through the highs and lows of the past 30+ years.

Here Comes The Summer: The Undertones Story
How 4 guys from troubled Derry formed a new wave band which stood apart from the norm with songs of real teenage struggle, and who ultimately split because they weren't going on to bigger things (and singer Feargal Sharkey did then go on to at least a #1 single). Some insightful stuff here, but Sharkey's clear distance from the group doesn't reflect well on him.

Pulp - Live
From Brixton Academy at the end of their breakthrough year, 1995, they play the hits from their 2 recent albums, and signs of their frontman's egomania (or self-loathing) are already well in evidence. But a fun showcase all the same.

The Carpenters Story: Only Yesterday
They didn't want to be stars, then they were stars, then they each had their own demons to face, but only Richard succeeded. Arguably they never suffered a likely career decline, and Karen's death may have helped save countless other anorexia sufferers by highlighting the condition. But the price, as always, is too high.

Suede, at Latitude, 2011
Jolly 45 minutes or so of concert performance from the reformed band, mixed with moronic interviewing. Comparing this with the Pulp show is illustrative that Suede were never part of the Britpop scene, despite the best efforts of the music press. Good tunes, as ever.

So Hard To Beat
A loose narrative run-through of assorted Irish (North & South) acts, from Van Morrison, through Thin Lizzy, The Undertones et al, to the more modern likes of Ash. The number of talking heads really sold this (Van the Man himself, for a start), and I was surprised to learn that The Adventures' 'Broken Land' was a song about the Troubles (having learnt in their doc that the Undertones 'It's Going To Happen' was also a protest song, it fitted here to lead to band members work in That Petrol Emotion). A really worthwhile piece of documentary.

Judas Priest: Rising in the East
2 hour concert from 2005, as the classic rockers deal out a blast of the past and the then-present, from the legendary Budokan, Tokyo.

Let's Have a Party - The Piano Genius of Mrs Mills
A charming hour considering the unlikely stride piano superstar who made many albums reinterpreting the hits for a pub-singalong audience, even after society had left the movement for dead. Rick Wakeman and Bobby Crush were among pianists paying tribute (Abbey Road still has the Mrs Mills piano, worn by use over time). Oddly, whilst there was at least some lip service to her modest big break, there was nothing about how or why she died at 60.

Legends: Jacques Brel - Ne Me Quitte Pas
One of the Famous Belgians, a singer-songwriter spoken of highly by Marc Almond, Petula Clark, Neil Hannon and Don Black, who gave the world songs like 'If You Go Away', 'Seasons In The Sun' and 'Jacky', named his daughter France, and died aged just 49. Those wacky Europeans, eh?

The Best Possible Taste
Hour & half biopic of British radio DJ & telly comedian Kenny Everett, and his relationship with wife Lee, and struggles with employers and his sexuality (Freddie Mercury was one of Everett's friends; Everett is often credited with ensuring 'Bohemian Rhapsody' got airplay). Though dramas like this are panto for grown-ups, Oliver Lansley and Katherine Kelly were great in the two main roles, and the ending was quite sweet.

Squeeze: Take Me, I'm Yours
One day, young Chris Difford placed a 50p shop window advert for another musician, and only young Glenn Tilbrook answered. The rest was history, as they delivered well-crafted songs, mostly sung by Glenn and peaked around 1981 with their 'East Side Story' album (produced by Elvis Costello, also featuring the vocals of Paul Carrack). After that, things got less good, as Difford battled addiction. These days they seem pretty at ease with life and their past, and are still writing songs and performing. Mark Knopfler, Aimee Mann and Sophie Ellis-Bextor were among those in praise.

An Evening With Andy Williams
Shown in tribute to the late crooning legend, a two-part concert from the Royal Albert Hall, London, in 1978, with the backing of the London Symphony Orchestra, and some chat with Benny Green cut in to pad out the music. Andy even managed a dance routine of some complexity, and even had a bash at 'MacArthur Park' along the way.

The Man With The Golden Voice: A Portrait of Paul Carrack
From Sheffield, resembling the great Patrick Stewart, who first came to fame in Ace, spent time with Roxy Music, Squeeze and Mike and the Mechanics, as well as his own solo material. Nick Lowe, Mike Rutherford and Chris Difford joined the tributes here.

Squeeze
A concert from Hitchin, 1982, shown in conjunction with the above docs from Squeeze and Carrack, and running through their hits and beyond. A nice record.

Ray Charles in Concert: Live In Edmonton
From the Jubilee Auditorium in 1981, a charming hour with the great pianist, hitting the hits and more, with his band and backing singers. His chit-chat during records was fun, too, especially on 'Hit the Road, Jack'.

The Chemical Brothers: Don't Think
Hour & half concert from the Fuji Rock Festival in Japan, 2011. They mixed hits I knew with plenty of noisy stuff I didn't, but it was still a passable show.

Chas & Dave: Last Orders
Famous cockney musical duo who finally called it a day after an association lasting 4 decades, and this told their story, from similar musical influences (Lonnie Donegan, Jerry Lee Lewis), session work learning their craft in the 60's, before finally deciding to sing in their own style rather than a copied Americana - and a legend was born. Though Chas played piano, he was also proficient with the guitar, like Dave. Their success peaked in the late 70s/early 80s, but seemed to drift out of the public eye until being unwittingly sampled by Eminem, and then an appearance on Jools Holland's Hootenanny in 2003 reawoke interest. Dave's wife died in 2009, and he decided he didn't want to go on.

Dave Stewart - The Ringmaster General
Quirky hour+ doc about how the ex-Eurythmics guy went to Nashville to record an album (The Blackbird Diaries) in a week, despite the ignorance of his wife and agent. He had assorted musical help from Joss Stone, Stevie Nicks, Colbie Caillat and the Secret Sisters. The songs sounded pretty good, too.

Leona Lewis - Live at the O2
It's seldom considered how former Pop Idol contestants are trained for live touring. Here, Leona belts them out with great gusto for well over an hour and a half. Oddly, despite professing her obvious pride at her own songwriting, she does seem to do an awful lot of covers along the way (Cry Me A River, Sweet Dreams, Ride a White Swan etc).

Good Rockin' Tonight: The Legacy of Sun Records
A 2hour show from 2001 wrapped around the recording of a all-star tribute album (Paul McCartney, Page & Plant, Zucchero, Matchbox 20, Mark Knopfler etc), but with contributions from Sam Phillips himself, many of the artistes he worked with during the 1950's heyday of the record company, some of whom had mixed feelings about Sam. A hugely rewarding documentary with a last look in many cases at some great names from the dawn of rock n roll.

Nat 'King' Cole - Encore
A short but still entertaining runthrough of 18 songs, even including a duet with Ella Fitzgerald. Alongside the familiars were space for 'Anything Goes' and 'But Not For Me'. A jolly little collection.

Great Entertainers: The Show Stoppers
A cheap hourlong compilation of performances by various golden age stars, such as Eddie Fisher, Liberace, Perry Como, Lena Horne, Connie Francis and even Barbra Streisand. A harmless time-filler.

The Hollies: Look Through Any Window 1963-1975
Pretty comprehensive track-by-track story of one of the top British bands of the 1960's, how Graham Nash and Allan Clarke met at school, sharing a love of harmonies. They recorded at Abbey Road with a great producer, Ron Richards. After several years trying to keep things fresh and different, Nash was offered the chance to join David Crosby and Stephen Stills, and so he left. The Hollies then recorded two of their biggest and best-remembered tunes (He Ain't Heavy & The Air That I Breathe). By the mid-70's, the magic had fizzled out, but they entered the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2010, and quite right, too.

The Christmas Number One Story
Sometimes there are Christmassy songs released at this time of year, and sometimes they reach #1. And more often that not, they don't. Wham!, Wizzard and Mariah Carey are just some of the biggest Christmas acts not to have reached #1. This discussion covered the wackier sorts of Christmas #1's (Scaffold, Mr Blobby, Renee & Renato), but coalesced in the view that Simon Cowell and reality shows have pretty much killed off the fun. Which is near enough to be the truth. But it was still a nice story, with many relevant talking heads (Cliff Richard, Midge Ure, Noddy Holder, Johnny Mathis, Shakin Stevens, Pete Waterman and Alexandra Burke to name but a few)

Soundstage Presents: Chris Isaak Christmas
Apparently from 2004, an engaging hour of Christmas classics, mixed with self-penned efforts from Chris' own Christmas album, plus special guests Michael Buble, Brian McKnight and Stevie Nicks. Isaak seems to have mellowed into a good place over the years, and his songwriting certainly cuts the mustard with a tricky subject like this.

It's Slade!
A 1999 retrospective with the four main players, and musicians like Suzi Quatro, Ozzy Osbourne, Toyah Wilcox and Noel Gallagher. Gives a superficial flavour of the story, with their early search for an image, their huge success from late '71-Christmas '73, and then the wheels coming off. The implication is that after their abortive US sojourn in '84, Noddy calls it a day, but in fact he & they struggled on before he finally left around 1992. Whether it was their style or their success, they continue to strike an affectionate chord, especially around Christmastime.

Slade at the BBC
A new compilation, with added reminisences from Noddy himself. The variety of shows they had to perform on during the lean years is fun to note, and tells a truer story of their attempts to regain their heyday, and even just to exist in a world which no longer wanted to listen to them. It was fun to see some of their less familiar 80's material, too.

Jools Holland: My Life in Music
A thankfully quirky retrospective for the pianist-turned-presenter who soon developed a love for boogie-woogie as a child, went on to shine in Squeeze, before the anarchy of The Tube, and his own 'Later' show, enjoying 20 years on BBC2. A look at his music studios tied in with his entertaining love for architecture, and the message overall was that he was happy to keep doing what he's doing for as long as he can.

Don McLean: American Troubadour
Entertaining & thorough hour & half with the legendary singer-songwriter, from his formative inspiration, his early success, the monster hit of 'American Pie', his quest for musical variety, his opposition to the Vietnam war, and other hot political potatoes, comparisons with other singer-songwriters like Paul Simon or Joni Mitchell, how his one-off inspiration to cover 'Crying' meant he'd be having to sing it forevermore, and how he's happy to keep touring and playing. This was a great doc in that it inspired me to want to hear more of its subject's music.

The Richest Songs in the World
A wacky look at the world of royalties, and how songs can make a fortune for their composers (or not). Huge sales are not enough in themselves - reuse in films and/or adverts, cover versions, karaoke and other variations in copyright (including downloads) all featured. Here were the Top 10, with estimated money earned:

10. The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire) - £12.5m
09. Oh, Pretty Woman - £13m
08. Every Breath You Take - £13.5m
07. Santa Claus is Comin' To Town - £16.5m
06. Stand By Me - £17.5m
05. Unchained Melody - £18m
04. Yesterday - £19.5m
03. You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' - £20.5m
02. White Christmas - £24m
01. Happy Birthday (to you) - £30m

Top of the Pops: The Story of 1978
Coinciding with more BBC repeats, an overview doc purporting to see what the UK music taste was like. Apparently, the music of Ver Kidz was stifled by other phenomena like Grease, Boney M, disco, and the Smurfs. How dare they sell many more records than true sons of toil like Sham 69 and Siouxsie and the Banshees? etc I hope I live to see one of these docs that actually tells it like it is.

The Sound of Petula Clark
A repeat of the last show from her 1973 series, here Pet belts through many requests, including 'Everything is Beautiful', 'If' and 'I Don't Know How To Love Him'. A nice little showcase, shown in tandem with...

Petula Clark: Blue Lady
From 2006, the story of a child star who struggled to make the transition past corny films, and who succeeded by becoming a chanteuse in Paris, and marrying a Frenchman. Though bracketed with others 60s chicks like Lulu, Dusty & Cilla, Pet had a greater ability and range. 'Downtown' made her name in the US, where she later became a big hit on stage. Meanwhile, her reinventions led her to put down a couple of great lost albums in Nashville and Memphis. And she continues to perform and delight crowds to this day.

High Grass Dogs - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
A pleasant concert from the Fillmore, San Francisco, 1999, filmed over 2 nights in March, with songs interspersed with minor backstage stuff. A pleasantly melodic way to spend an hour and a half.

Sweet Home Alabama: The Southern Rock Saga
Predominantly, the tale of the Allman Brothers Band, and Lynyrd Skynyrd, as they met with triumph and tragedy, and partly led to the successful 1976 Presidential campaign of Georgia's own Jimmy Carter. Some fine songs from an under-rated branch of rock.

Soundstage: Garbage
From 2005, a concert featuring all the hits & more, in Chicago.

Sing Your Song
Harry Belafonte's story, from early success in theatre, mild success in films, major success in music, and a continuing struggle in the cause of activism and protest. The story is told thoroughly up to the end of the 1960's, then skips forwards to the 'Live Aid' period, and then his more recent efforts to try and arrest the current problems of youth and society. Harry told most of the story himself, admitting occasional frailty, but always optimistic to find a way forwards.