Music Television 1

Celtic Woman: Songs From The Heart
A show from Powerscourt House & Gardens in 2009, they again mixed the classic Irish with a few more mainstream numbers. Their violinist seems to be as popular as their singers, I notice.

Stop and Listen
The story of the Polyphonic Choir of Ruda (which is in Italy) and their struggles to keep going when interest seems to be fading. Despite the forceful charms of their conductor Fabiana Noro, attempts to change their sound or blend it with others failed to work. However, they achieved success at the World Choir Games in 2008, so maybe fame & fortune were about to beckon. But then, this was from 2009, so who knows what happened.

The Legendary Bing Crosby
A 2009 tribute, thus including Andy Williams and with Regis Philbin, Michael Feinstein and Leonard Maltin (!), not to mention Mary & Kathryn Crosby. From going solo in 1931 and making movies from 1932, he slowly conquered the two forms for the American audience, and proved adept at musical duets to blend a vocal harmony. This was shown best in his ultimate performance with David Bowie, shortly before he died. Crosby probably doesn't get the credit he deserves, though being one of the voices of Christmas (see also Nat Cole) is better than most musicians manage.

Music Room: Julian Lloyd Webber
This 2010 series features Howard Goodall chatting to various classical music bods. Here, the cello whizz talked about his family, what drew him to the cello specifically, his efforts to popularise less familiar cello pieces, his charitable work with Venezuelan children, and his own Stradivarius' cello, formerly owned by Barjanski. Both host and guest suited the format, and JLW' performances were enjoyable, too.

Celtic Woman
A comparatively early gig from the Helix Centre, Dublin in 2004. They ran through the usual mix of the poppy and the classical Gaelic. Their violin whizz did her stuff. It was all very pleasant, if derivative.

The Muses Within
A behind the scenes look at a collaborative album, The Ghosts Within, which combined the sax playing of Gilad Atzmon, the violin playing of Ros Stephen, and the idiosyncracy of Robert Wyatt. Wyatt, unsurprisingly, did most of the talking.

The Warsaw Recital
From the Warsaw Philharmonic Concert Hall, in 2010, the reliable Daniel Barenboim dashed out a wide variety of musical pieces from Chopin on the piano, from a barcarolle to a berceuse, a polonaise to a mazurka, and a fistful of waltzes too. Undeniably impressive stuff.

The Shadows: The Final Tour
Lengthy 2+ hour gig from Cardiff in 2004 (so possibly not that Final). Most of their material is instrumentals, so those that do have words mix things up nicely. Surviving members Bruce Welch, drummer Brian Bennett and guitar hero Hank Marvin produced the goods, and included their big hits, some of their works with Cliff Richard, and plenty of others. Great stuff.

Katy B @ T in the Park
A surprisingly short set (or what was broadcast), just 4 songs, even if the finish was the mighty 'Lights On'.

The Nation's Favourite Motown Song
A lengthy tribute derived from a poll run by ITV, and discussed by the great and the good, from Martha Reeves, Dionne Warwick, Smokey Robinson, Holland-Dozier-Holland, Michael Bolton, Tito Jackson, and especially Paul Riser who emerged as an unsung hero of Motown. That all-important Top 20:
1 - I Heard It Through The Grapevine - Marvin Gaye
2 - What Becomes of the Brokenhearted? - Jimmy Ruffin
3 - Ain't No Mountain High Enough - Diana Ross
4 - Dancing in the Street - Martha and the Vandellas
5 - My Girl - The Temptations
6 - Tears of a Clown - Smokey Robinson and the Miracles
7 - I'll Be There - The Jackson 5
8 - Baby Love - The Supremes
9 - War - Edwin Starr
10 - Stop! In The Name of Love - The Supremes
11 - I Want You Back - The Jackson 5
12 - Reach Out, I'll Be There - The Four Tops
13 - Tracks of My Tears - Smokey Robinson and the Miracles
14 - My Guy - Mary Wells
15 - I Can't Help Myself - The Four Tops
16 - My Cherie Amour - Stevie Wonder
17 - What's Going On? - Marvin Gaye
18 - Papa Was a Rolling Stone - The Temptations
19 - Uptight (Everything's Alright) - Stevie Wonder
20 - Jimmy Mack - Martha and the Vandellas

Andy Kershaw: In Confidence
BBC radio DJ and noted champion of World music talked of being blooded as a live TV presenter at Live Aid, how he formed his musical tastes, working with fellow legend DJ John Peel, and his political stance. An easy hour with a naturally voluble broadcaster.

Celebracion
From the Walt Disney Concert Hall with the LA Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Gustavo Dudamel, in 2010. They delivered some Rossi and Verdi, with help from guest tenor Juan Diego Florez. Short & sweet.

Music Room: Howard Goodall meets Lang Lang
The piano prodigy talks about early Western influences, forming views by travelling the world, honing his craft in Europe and the USA, inspiring the young and facing fresh challenges. He's clearly someone with a long and worthwhile career ahead of him still.

Greenwich Village: Music That Defined A Generation
A quite lengthy analysis of a scene that slowly changed a country, and a world. There were plenty of worthy contributors, from Don McLean and Kris Kristofferson, to Jose Feliciano and Judy Collins, from Carly Simon and Richie Havens, to Arlo Guthrie and Pete Seeger. I didn't realise Carly's early career was in an act with her sister. Much homage was paid to Seeger, to Woody Guthrie, to Bob Dylan, and others. The power of protest shone brightly through.

Britain's Most Dangerous Songs: Listen to the Banned
Neat title, huh? This hour looked at 10 cases where the BBC (usually) banned or frowned on a record for assorted reasons. The cases of the Sex Pistols and Frankie Goes To Hollywood are drearily familiar, so it was the tales of George Formby (too innuendo-friendly), the Beatles and D Mob (too pro-drugs) and Louis Armstrong (was Mack The Knife glamorising crime?) that caught the interest, as well as death discs (Leader of the Pack).

More Dangerous Songs: And the Banned Played On
Just an hour of performance of many notorious songs. The stand-outs here were again the less familiar - Gang of Four's I Love a Man in Uniform, Eliza Doolittle's Walking on Water (which I hadn't even heard, let alone heard banned), Screaming Lord Sutch's Jack The Ripper, and best of all, Tom Robinson's Glad to Be Gay, a protest song so powerful that the BBC still would do anything rather than play it. Makes you realise which of all these songs really are the most dangerous - because FGTH and the Pistols are tamely played at all hours.

In Confidence: Reverend Richard Coles
The other half of the Communards related how the compensation from a car accident led to his music career, and why it burned out so quickly after its peak. He felt envious of Jimmy Somerville, and had a drug-induced "lost year", before being called to the church, taking a theology degree, and his current occasional media career.

Songs of Praise: Tony Christie - My Story, My Music
How he progressed from church worship in childhood, overcoming natural shyness to become such a compelling stage performer, not to mention his belief in the help of angels. Greats like Graham Gouldman and Tim Rice sang his praises. His success with 'Amarillo' for Comic Relief was also included, and there was even time to sing a few hymns. A nice guy.

Cheryl Cole's Hangout
The most successful solo member from Girls Aloud is back with a new single & album, which this show promoted reasonably well. She talks fondly of the band, how they pushed boundaries and earned critical acclaim, which I think is a bit optimistic. She liked working with will I am and Calvin Harris (quelle surprise) and would like to work with Dizzee Rascal (!). Her new album reflects a year spent partying and getting into club sounds. Hmm... then again, the single is #1.

The Joy of the Guitar Riff
A fun look at the riffs which changed rock, with many big-name contributors, whether Brian May or Tony Iommi, Hank Marvin or Lita Ford, Nile Rodgers or Johnny Marr, and the inevitable Dave Grohl. The 10 tracks signalled out were:
Johnny B Goode
Rumble
You Really Got Me
Black Sabbath
Bohemian Rhapsody
Smoke on the Water
Good Times
Beat It
This Charming Man
Smells Like Teen Spirit
though they did pay lip service to less familiar guitar heroes like Robert Fripp or the Pixies. And they finished by mentioning that Seven Nation Army proves there's still great riffs being found.

Great Guitar Riffs at the BBC
A showcase for many of the tracks mentioned but not discussed in the other show: so FBI, Voodoo Chile, Born To Be Wild, Paranoid Android, Rock N Roll Damnation, and so on. I'm not convinced FBI is the Shadows' greatest riff, but hey. Also not convinced by the adulation for My Bloody Valentine & that crowd either. But a good show.

Music Room: Howard Goodall meets Nicola Benedetti
The Italo-Scottish violin whizz talks of copying her elder sister's violin playing, but being good enough to join the Menuhin School at the age of 10, the knack of understanding different composer styles, winning Young Musician of the Year 2004, as well as performing several pieces by the likes of Ravel and Bach.

Northern Soul: Living For The Weekend
Another look at the club scene which inspired many working class people to adore the sounds from 60s Motown. The scene caught the ears of Pete Waterman, Peter Stringfellow, Tony Blackburn, and several DJs, notably Ian Levine. Two key centres were Wigan Casino and Blackpool Mecca. The problems started when the quest for new (i.e. old) material became increasingly desperate, until it ran out. There was some attempt to link it to modern tunes (inevitably, Pharrell Williams' 'Happy') but I'm not convinced about that.

Music Room: Howard Goodall meets Alison Balsom
The trumpet whizz talked of being inspired by Dizzy Gillespie, the trick to learning the sound, the desire to test people's assumptions about the trumpet, and commissioning new works to generate new interest.

Tchaikovsky - Gergiev : The Symphonies - No. 2 in C Minor
Months after seeing half of these concerts, this was one I missed, with Valery Gergiev conducting, and performed by the Mariinsky Orchestra. Good stuff as usual.

Nicole Scherzinger's Hangout
The ex-PCD leader talks about meeting Miley Cyrus, working with 50 Cent, being inspired by Whitney Houston (and meeting her & Bobby Brown), being impressed by Sam Smith, and the naivety of making the first PCD video when they had no clue what they were getting into. Seems like a nice person, anyway.

BBC Proms: Richard Strauss Celebration
The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Vasily Petrenko and featuring the BBC Singers and soprano Inger Dam-Jensen, performed three tricky works by Strauss, followed by Elgar's 2nd Symphony. The Elgar took about the same time as the Strauss pieces, oddly.

Music Room: Howard Goodall meets Leid Ove-Andsnes
A Norwegian pianist, apparently. He talked of being inspired by a non-Norwegian teachers, his admiration for Russian music, needing to take a break from Greig, and the French/Polish duality of Chopin. And played a few tunes along the way, too.

Tchaikovsky - Gergiev : The Symphonies - No. 3 in D Major, op.27
The usual suspects at La Salle Pleyel again. Pleasant enough.

Cher Lloyd's Hangout
The X Factor alumnus is back with a 2nd album to talk about. She seems to have done well during a lengthy spell in the USA, and has developed a more mature sound now. Whether it works out for her will remain to be seen, given her comeback single only entered at #41, and her album was #21.

Lovebox Festival 2014
A selection of material from Chase & Status, Jess Glynne, Soul II Soul, A$AP Rocky, MIA and a few from Nas, too. Good to see something of a mix of styles (though not much).

Music Room: Howard Goodall meets Emma Johnson
A clarinet whizz who started young, admires Lenny Bernstein and received respect from Johnny Dankworth.

BBC Proms: Ravel's Concerto for the Left Hand
Pianist Alexandre Tharaud did the honours, and there was chat about Paul Wittgenstein's legacy of left-handed compositions (see above somewhere), followed by an encore of Scriabin's 'Prelude for the Left Hand'. But the bulk of the show was the closing 5th Symphony by Mahler, which had no connection to what had come before.

BBC Proms Masterworks
The World Orchestra for Peace, conducted by Valery Gergiev, performed Strauss' Symphonic Fantasia from 'Die Frau Ohne Schatten', and then Mahler's 6th Symphony. Gergiev was interviewed beforehand to provide some elucidation. Fine for what it was.

Ryan Tedder's Hangout
The tedious One Republic frontman and songwriter to the stars talking about working with Timbaland, with Adele, with Beyoncé Knowles, with Ella Henderson, and swapping ballads for uptempo stuff and writing for Leona Lewis and Ellie Goulding. His big break was apparently winning a talent contest in 2001 connected to Lance Bass & Justin Timberlake. Such a dull person to listen to, though.

Music Room: Howard Goodall meets Natalie Clein
It's another cello whizz, the Young Musician of the Year 1994. She started out as a violinist (like her mum), but changed to cello at the age of 6. She discussed the Jewish connection with music, authenticity of Hungarian folk tunes, and revered Casals. A fun, interesting player.

The Lady In Number 6: Music Saved My Life
The amazing true-life tale of Alice Herz-Somer, still playing piano daily at the age of 109 (!) Her family were friends with Mahler and Kafka when she was very young, in Prague. She survived the horrors of the Holocaust because she and her friend were such great pianists that the Nazis kept them alive rather than lose the pleasure. Which seems a bit romanticised, but who knows? Her son Raphael became a famous cellist, but died at a mere 64. Clearly Alice was a truly remarkable person.

BBC Proms Masterworks: Walton & Sibelius
A fair enough bash from the National Orchestra of Wales, conducted by Thomas Sondergard. They managed Walton's Violin Concerto, and Sibelius' The Swan of Tuonela, and his 5th Symphony. Not bad.

Music Room: Howard Goodall meets Evelyn Glynnie
Xylophones-a-go-go, though Evelyn finishes with a complex piece involving less familiar instruments like waterphones and a vibratone. She moved on from piano at 8, to clarinet at 10, and percussion at 12. Doesn't dwell on her past performances because working "in the moment" is preferable. Able to play multiple-part pieces on her own, or on just one instrument. A legend in her own way.

Vladimir Horowitz: A Reminiscence
From 1993, as his widow Wanda reflected on his life, together with footage of them interviewed together during his life. He was fixed on music from a young age, and became a globally famous piano talent. He married Wanda, who was Toscanini's daughter! He went through an ill period from 1953 to 1965 when he didn't play in public. He revered Clementi, more than Scriabin, though he met Scriabin's daughter when he eventually performed in Moscow. A quirky, different account of a fascinating life.

BBC Proms Masterworks: 20th Century music
Edward Gardner conducted the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain as they worked through pieces by Stravinsky, Prokofiev and Lutoslawski. Louis Schwizgebel soloed on the piano during the Prokofiev. A different kettle of fish.

Nigel Kennedy: The Four Seasons by Vivaldi
With help from the English National Chamber Orchestra in 1990, and with clips of Nigel talking to Mariella Frostrup enthusiastically about the project, but the performance itself was worthy of the acclaim. Nigel and Vivaldi shared asthma difficulties, apparently. He also claimed that 'Autumn' manages to both evoke an anti-hunting message and an anti-nuclear one. Not quite so sure about that, but still great stuff.

Addicts' Symphony
Recovering alcoholic James McConnel brought together 10 addicts to rehearse together, 8 weeks before a performance alongside the London Symphony Orchestra. Their ailments varied from drugs to anxiety. Two dropped out along the way, but the rest saw it through, along with a composition they had knocked up between themselves along the way. Quite a moving and inspirational programme, actually.

James Last: Live at the Royal Albert Hall
Over 2 hours, from Sep 12, 2007, and a mixed bag it was. Without captions, about 1/3 of the works were wasted on me, and though I was bemused at the mixture of songs (Vertigo and Wake Me Up When September Ends, alongside Love Is In The Air and Downtown), the experience left me cold. Maybe I've been spoiled by the manifest charm of Andre Rieu.

Only In Mahagonny: The Legacy
A Dublin production of the Weill/Brecht classic, a satire on the money-led society. There were some notable quirks, concerning the staging, and use of social media to extend the world of the fiction, but I'm not sure I'd have been beating down the door for tickets even if I were local.

Zahia Ziouani ou la Musique Francaise
From the Conservatoire de Stains, on Feb 17, 2010, a rare female conductress led her charges through works by Chabrier, Lalo and Saint-Saens, but the highlight, oddly placed after the interval, was Dukas' piece The Sorceror's Apprentice, world famous from Fantasia and rightly so.

The South Bank Show Originals: Iggy Pop
Recalling a 2004 show, the charming Mr Pop met Melvyn in Miami. He came across as modest, polite and courteous, embodying his humble origins, and contrasting with his ecstatic stage persona. He reflected on how the Stooges narked the hippies, but drugs were their downfall. His work with Bowie was beneficial, and his eventual solvency really brought him serenity.

Rodrigo Y Gabriela: Live at Red Rocks
From the famous Amphitheatre in Colorado, with support from the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, they ran through many varying tunes, but they put up title captions, so I'll forgive them anything.

Omnibus: Leonard Bernstein - The Art of Conducting
Apparently, modern conducting kicked off around 150 years ago, with Mendelssohn taking one approach, and Wagner taking another. This competition has remained ever since. Keeping time through beats in a bar, true tempo, the need to know every part of every line, the difficulty of practising, and so on. Certainly presented in a way to encourage even the dimmest wit to follow.

Daniel Barenboim: Liszt Recital from La Scala - A Tribute to Italy
The indefatigable pianist did his best to a huge audience, and at least the tunes were captioned. From 2007.

Omnibus: Leonard Bernstein on American Musical Comedy
The erstwhile conductor defines there being poles of variety and opera, with different styles inbetween to tell a story. The trend is from variety toward opera (or at least when this was made). Early origins come in a play called "The Black Crook", but once plots & lyrics come in, and European success takes things on, then things move on a-pace, and the 1920's are a boom time of a sort, before the Depression and the advent of talkies leave their dread mark. The New York public turn out to be important (huh), but then again so is Ethel Merman. He covers South Pacific, the idea of the evolved recitative, and anticipates a new dawn. Oh well.

The South Bank Show Originals: Dame Kiri te Kanawa
The 1990 show with the adopted Kiwi world class singer, who admired the style of Tuna Turner, rebelled against the stuffiness of the opera world, was made a star by her appearance at the 1981 Royal Wedding. She suffered breakdown in confidence, but returned to triumphs. Though she thought in 1990 that she hadn't long left of a career, the modern day shows her star power was far greater.

BBC Proms: West-Eastern Divan Orchestra
Conductor Daniel Barenboim brings his culturally mixed group to bear on a bit of Mozart, before a main dish of 4 Ravel numbers, climaxing with the 'Bolero'. Barenboim suggests that the Bolero is a bit bland on its own, and putting it in this context improves it. He's wrong on both counts, plus the Bolero seemed slightly hurried for some reason.

Legends: Thin Lizzy - Bad Reputation
The saga of how an Irish rock group had to tread some tricky paths to make it big, and whose line-up kept altering through one mishap or another. Scott Gorham and Brian Downey seem the most coherent surviving members. I seem to think Gary Moore was still alive when this was made, so his non-inclusion seems all the more poignant now. But not half as much as the band's slow disintegration, and the demise of Phil Lynott.

The Art of Rap: Something From Nothing
Ice T gets thoughts and history from a plethora of names, and it's pretty much anyone who is anyone: from Afrika Bambaataa and Melle Mel, through Chuck D and Eminem, to KRS-One and Kool Moe Dee, and finally Rev Run & DMC, Dr Dre, Ice Cube and Snoop Dogg. It really became a case of "well, will he get so-&-so? bloody hell, he has!" I've a lot of time for Ice T, and this was a really great film.

UB40: Live at Montreux 2002
A lengthy concert mixing the familiar and some from their then-latest album Cover Up. They've had line-up changes in recent years, but given their recent reformation, this was a timely showcase, from July 19 at the Stravinski Auditorium. Their encore was Cherry Oh Baby and Many Rivers To Cross.

Omnibus: Leonard Bernstein on The Music of JS Bach
Another in this classic series. Bach was discovered by Mendelssohn. Bernstein set out to win over the reluctant, talking about the use of Counter-Point, the use of horizontal & vertical melody lines, the improved Chorale style and so on. After looking at many different Bach pieces, he focussed most on his "St Matthew's Passion". Bach apparently was keen on mystical ideas, numerology & so on, which was good enough for me.

BBC Proms Masterworks: Mahler & Adams
The BBC Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Marin Alsop, worked through John Adams' "Short Ride in a Fast Machine" and "Saxophone Concerto", and the rather longer 1st Symphony by Mahler. Some behind-the-scenes chatter to help fill out the run-time, too.

The Frost Interview - Daniel Barenboim
Possibly one of Frost's last interviews for RT from 2013, with the genius conductor. It really filled in his background for me, his marriage with Jacqueline du Pre, his own musical journey, how he feels about the Middle East Crisis as a Jew, the foundation of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, and so on. He's had his brushes with controversy as a result, but remains unrepentant and feels music should transcend narrow concerns. Really enjoyed this.

Omnibus: Leonard Bernstein- What Makes Opera Grand?
At the Metropolitan Opera House in New York, Bernstein tried to explain that opera appeals more directly to emotion, has more instant effects. He used Act 3 of Puccini's "La Boheme" to compare how the operatic narrative scores over a straight play-reading (Jean Marsh featured in the "straight" version). Music sets up the mood, singing provokes more emotion than talking, there is the chance to hear multiple views at once. Music can even supplant words. It was a heartfelt argument, but I didn't need convincing anyway.

BBC Proms Masterworks: Happy Birthday Harry & Max
A special gig for the 80th birthday of Peter Maxwell-Davies, featuring the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Ben Gernon. They did his "Ebb of Winter" and "Strathclyde Concerto #4" before a break to show footage of Harrison Birtwistle's "Senance Severance" and "Night's Black Bird" (as HB is also 80 this year), and then finishing with PMD's "An Orkney Wedding, with Sunrise". Quite a pleasant show.

Ten Pieces
Another effort to encourage kids on classical music. Partly cribbed from the two "Play On!" shows, and anchored by Barney Harwood, others roped in to big up tunes included Katy B and Laura Mvula.

Oasis: 10 Years of Noise and Confusion - Concert
From Barrowlands, Glasgow, in 2001, this was an entertaining show enlivened by the appearance of Johnny Marr to help out on Champagne Supernova and the encore of I Am The Walrus. The inclusions of Fade Away and Slide Away were interesting compared to the more obvious remainder.

Gustav Mahler - Symphony #1 in D Major
Yes, another concert series. This was the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, from their home in Amsterdam, conducted by Dan Harding in 2011.

Benjamin Britten- Three Suites for Cello
Jamie Walton performed in an empty Blythburgh Church, Suffolk, with some chit-chat about each piece (op. 72, 80 & 87, concluding with 'Tema Sacher'), mentioning the influence of Rostropovich, and Britten's final, abrupt, unpublished work.

Live with: Glenn Tilbrook
Vintage TV have a few different series for live music, and this new half-hour showcase at least has the merit of focus. Tilbrook, aided by Chris McNally and Simon Hanson, and to his credit, did 6 numbers and nothing famous by Squeeze at all. He did intro each song, which was captioned, so I can't complain.

Ten Pieces - Extra
Though I'll be damned if I could tell how. 2/3 of the length of the previous show, but with much the same narrators and narrative. Still great music, though.

Labrinth's #Hangout
The latest edition of this 4Music series has the returning star talking about people he's worked with (Plan B, Mike Posner, Emeli Sande), how he was uncredited co-writer of Tinie Tempah's "Pass Out", of being an old friend of Professor Green. I suspect Labrinth is more the kind of guy who has the talent but won't get the recognition of others with less.

Money For Nothing
Presented by Saul Austerlitz, this American effort looked at the history of the music video, from early musicals and Fantasia, through 50s films, and then the Beatles and the Monkees, 70s efforts like Queen and Bowie, and then MTV and etc. The American slant became obvious when a-ha were dismissed as one-hit wonders. Generally, it was a thought-provoking effort, even if by necessity simply a rendering of history.

Live Vibrations: The Saturdays
A short gig pushing their current Greatest Hits effort, with the band chatting between performances of 5 of their best (happily including my favourite, Up).

Friday Night at the Proms: Rachmaninov & Tchaikowsky
The Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra make their debut, conducted by Han-Na Chang. They did Rachmaninov's 2nd Piano Concerto in C Minor, and Tchaikowsky's 5th Symphony in E Minor. This was the last edition in the series (from Sep 7 this year), prior to the Last Night of the Proms.

Gustav Mahler - Symphony #2 in C Minor
The 2nd in the above series, this one lasted an hour and a half, and was affably melodic, but not much more.

Live with: Nik Kershaw
Unlike Tilbrook, Nik mixed three of his biggest hits with a couple of others he wrote for his daughter and others. I still don't buy the premise that The Riddle was a serendipitous error, but hey, good show.

Bastille: Live at V Festival
These sorts of gigs are only really indicative of how few songs a new successful act. Their 2nd album will prove their long-term chances.