Music Television 6

Felipe Araujo - Por Inteiro
Lengthy show from 2019, although I've never heard of him before, and suspect I might well not hear of him again.

U.Me - The Complete Musical
Unusual animated romance using the global pandemic and virtual romances as a starting point. Stephen Fry did some linking narration, and Melvin Tay conducted the BBC Philharmonic for the music.

The War on Disco
This fairly recent effort covered the events leading up to "Disco Demolition", why it could almost only have happened in Chicago, what motivated Steve Dahl, why it got so out of hand, and whether it was intended to be racist or not. No-one compared it to book-burning, though.

Movie Themes at the BBC: Volume Two
Another somewhat random round-up, which included the video for "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now". Kate Bush managed a fairly tenuous inclusion, whilst Lulu, Celine Dion and Bruce Springsteen who seemed too good not to have been included in the first one.

Radio 2 In Concert: Happy Mondays
They went to Kilburn in 1992, pushing their ill-fated (though I quite like it) album Yes Please! Shaun and Rowetta were in good form that night.

Florence and the Machine - Live at the Wiltern
A big show from 2010 as she wooed an LA crowd with her cover of You Got The Love, and many of her own songs.

Karl Jenkins - Pencerdd Penclawdd
The Welsh composer and conductor who was the subject of this busy profile back in 2014. He started out in jazz before moving into his own as a composer, and upsetting an establishment which frowned on advertising types trying to prove their mettle.

Inside Classical: Dvorak's New World Symphony
Ben Gernon presented and conducted the BBC Philharmonic through the titular piece, and also Bruch's 1st Violin Concerto, for which Jennifer Pike did the honours.

Jordan Smith - 'Tis The Season
He won S9 of the US Voice, apparently, and made a Christmas album. Tiresome producer-pianist David Foster was on board (and turned up to play on a few tunes) which says it all.

Tony Bennett Sings... Saloon Songs
The least satisfying one of this series as yet, largely for doing songs I was unfamiliar with, even with the inclusions of Days of Wine and Roses and One For My Baby.

Greatest Pop Videos - 1996
Waited long enough for the remainder of this series, so glad to finally do so. No inclusions from Suede or Pet Shop Boys, though, and some odd non-hits like Tori Amos' Talula. 

The Levin Interviews - Leonard Bernstein
They spoke in 1982, with the great conductor chain smoking. He jibbed at relating his early years, but still went through with it. He equated the Beatles with Gershwin and Schubert, which was nice of him. The abandonment of tonality was a sadness. He felt serious music always came from pop music. He was 63 at the time (Bernard being 53).

The Big EuroVision Party
The event's not until May, but there it is. Amsterdam's Ziggo Dome was the site for this part-concert celebrating some recent successes, as well as some familiar old ones (Johnny Logan looks old but he's still available).

Anavitoria - Live at Fundicao
They're a female duo with some instrumental work going on, called Ana and Vitoria. This 2019 show seemed to go well enough.

Love Songs at the BBC - Volume 3
Another random round-up ranging from When Will I See You Again? and Thinking Out Loud, to We Found Love and Misty. Hmm...

Matheus & Kauan - Tem Moda Pia Tudo
Another Brazilian duo, this time two blokes. This 2018 gig had a lively crowd.

Matheus & Kauan - Face a Face
This 2016 gig was quite a lot longer, but they seem to specialise in shorter songs than normal, so it felt quite prolonged.

Greatest Pop Videos: 1997
Plenty of fine choices from this year, like Barbie Girl, Tubthumping, MMM-Bop and Don't Speak, but a few surprising choices like two from Michelle Gayle (who was present to talk about them), and a couple from Sash! (who was also present and correct). Still no Pet Shop Boys, nor any from U2.

Songs of Praise - Aled's Faith and Music
Pam Rhodes talks to the former boy soprano turned baritone, as he picked a few favourites from previous shows, including one he did with Libera.

Greatest Pop Videos: 1998
Some predictable (and worthy) choices here, but a few which weren't that remarkable as videos, and a few that seemed more included because the people involved were present to talk (not just the singers, but often the directors and other contributors).

Recanto Gal Ao Vivo
Gal Costa is yet another Brazilian singer, here in Rio in 2012, and quite a long set for once.

Radio 2 In Concert: Joe Jackson
He went to Birmingham in 1995 and paid brief lip service to two of his biggest songs (and didn't do Stepping Out at all). He had a new album to push, fair enough.

Idea Generation - Sacha Jenkins
His father made documentaries, but died when Sacha was young. Sacha himself started a graffiti magazine, then moved on to hip-hop, and beyond. He even gave the interviewer, Noah Callahan-Bever, a break. He was able to make docs for VH1 on race in music. He started a production company, and later joined a creative agency. He's made documentaries on Wu-Tang Clan and also Louis Armstrong (which there's a good chance I've already seen). His latest project was a doc on Biz Markie. His business advice was to listen to the internal voice.

Lauana Prado em Sao Paulo
Another lengthy concert from 2018, which had some special guests, and the crowd seemed to like it.

Cyngerdd Heddwch Berlin
A 2018 concert with Karl Jenkins conducting the World Orchestra for Peace through his own work The Armed Man, marking the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War, and repeated as Karl lately turned 80.

Saturday Night w/Hayley Palmer - Limahl
Think this chat came from December 2022. Limahl seemed at ease with life, and was pushing his Christmas number One Wish For Christmas. He felt London wasn't often mentioned in pop songs, which suggests he's never come across the Kinks. Or Blur. Or many others, really. Jon Michell, a collaborator, came in briefly to show how to play The Wheels on the Bus in an American jazz style. Limahl had recently worked with Carol Kenyon, and was somewhat proud of having 2 tracks on the original Now That's What I Call Music compilation.

6music Festival - 2024 Highlights
Lauren Laverne introduced footage from Manchester of the Smile, the Gossip, and Young Fathers, and a montage to mark the 10th year of the event.

Ivete Sangalo - Acustico Em Trancuso
Another lengthy concert from Brazil, which the crowd got more out of than I did, though still a good show.

Greatest Pop Videos: 1999
The end of this series, at long last. What struck me (though the point was never made) was how it gauged the journeys from the start of the decade, such as Madonna and George Michael, and even Blur. Whether there will be a look at the 2000s remains to be seen.

Texas at the BBC
Yet another round-up of performances (mostly), with some added thoughts of Sharleen Spiteri herself. Their career spans 35 years, which is really quite impressive, and they've collaborated with the likes of Peter Kay and the Wu-Tang Clan.

Take Me To The Opera: Kiri de Kanawa at 80
The occasional series returns with Zeinab Badawi talking to the legendary soprano. She packed up performing a while back, and now expends her energies on successor generations.

6music Festival: 6 To Watch
A reasonable addition to the previous highlights prog, as this again includes the three acts previously covered, but also Hak Baker, Jordan Rakei, and CMAT (usefully duetting with John Grant), who perhaps need more coverage.

Armandinho - Live in Camboriu
Nearly through all these Brazilian shows, this was from 2006, and was lively enough for the crowd.

Ethan Loch - Making Music Talk
A Scottish piano prodigy who won some talent gig in 2022, and was here filmed in January of this year. Oh, and he's blind. Handily one of his fellow students is a good transcriber, so his composing career is off and running, too.

Arena - Buddy Holly
This 1985 tribute was repeated last month on the latest big anniversary of his death. Besides family and colleagues, there were comments from both Everly brothers, and admirers like Paul McCartney and Keith Richards.

Tony Bennett Sings... Tin Pan Alley
The last of the repeats from this series, and one of the better ones (which is to say I wasn't as at sea as with some ones). I question Something being included, but he at least had a more vibrant take on My Way, and finished with If I Ruled The World.

Lwp - Curadur - Skunkadelic
Real name Tumi Williams, he praised Adjua and DJ Trishna Jaikara, and also pushed his solo stuff, and a group project Afro Cluster. His efforts to grapple with the Welsh language became a linking theme.

Joao Bosco - Obrigado, Gente!
An older gentleman than many in this series, his concert was from February 2006, but quite a long one, and well received.

Radio 2 In Concert - Del Amitri
The Scottish band were on fine form back in 1998 at this Wolverhampton show, many hits and tracks I was less familiar with.

Radio 2 Piano Room - Texas
A special half-hour from another Scottish outfit, who had plenty of hits and covered the Charles & Eddie hit Would I Lie To You? as well.

BBC 100 Women: The Last Torch - Singing For Afghanistan
How to fight oppression by singing whilst wearing pale blue burqas. These sisters went un-named for their own benefit, but they got thumbs ups from other relevant legends like Ustad Mahwash and Sonita Alizada.

The Shamrock Tenors - Live at the Ulster Hall, Belfast
A solid hour of familiar numbers shown here for St Patrick's Day.

Mad About The Boy - The Noel Coward Story
He wrote over 500 songs, and sang many of them himself, as well as acting and play-writing and so on. Many of his songs were included as part of the soundtrack too.

Simone & Simaria - Live
In Goiania, apparently, and a bit shorter than some of this series. They're sisters.

Hans Zimmer Live
A marathon show from 2017 in Prague, with music from his many movies.

Inside Africa - Life on Tour with Angelique Kidjo
She's taken Miriam Makeba's mantle as Queen of African music, and she's from Benin. This profile included her daughter Naima, who doesn't sing, and approving messages from Davido and Stonebwoy. She's done 16 albums, and won 5 Grammys.

Yn Y Lwp
Catrin presents another round-up, featuring a tour diary from Chroma, videos from Cyn Cqsg, Eden and Los Blancos, as well as a premiere skit with Melin Melyn.

Siouxsie and the Banshees - Nocturne
A show from the Royal Albert Hall, over 2 nights in the Autumn of 1983. Fair enough.

Future Perfect - Working Classical Heroes
Ellis Arey is both a boxer and a pianist. He was a bullied child, but was able to practice piano and learn self-defence etc

Inside Classical
The latest edition of this sees Lionel Bringuier conduct the BBC National Orchestra of Wales in Cardiff through pieces by Dukas, Grieg and Rimsky-Korsakov.

African Voices: Changemakers - Stonebwoy
Larry Madowo was in Nairobi, but Stonebwoy is Ghanaian. He blends many styles into his mix, and has been a going concern for over a decade. He's started his own festival in Ghana, and a charitable foundation too. He's collaborated with Rick Ross, Sean Paul and Angelique Kidjo. He recorded in LA and Kingston.

Saturday Night w/Hayley Palmer: Chesney Hawkes
They talked in early 2022, where he was looking forward to the release of a career boxset of his 4 albums, and also a new 5th album too, besides a stage show project and other things. He was in LA, and his children seem to have taken his musical mantle (and his wife can sing too). Nice to know he's endured despite the ups & downs of his career.

New Wave: Dare To Be Different
How an East Coast radio station, WLIR, helped the British invasion of the 1980s, and helped literally hundreds of Brit bands get a foothold in the American market, from 1982-7. Until they were eventually closed down, not by a zealous bigger rival, but by the incompetency of their founders. A wealth of those helped, from Howard Jones to Midge Ure to Vince Clarke were all present to show appreciation. The station also provided audio coverage of Live Aid, which was hamstrung by the commercial imperative on telly.

Scotland's Most Remote Cub Night
To Ullapool, as two friends and DJs arrange to put on a club night, to try and bring some love to the area. A long shot, but worth it.

Record On: A Message To You
Looking at the career of the Specials, and serving as a tribute to the late and much-missed Terry Hall. Quite a lot of footage of Terry existed, including from a trip to LA where the Specials were honoured with their own Day. Elvis Costello was the producer of the album, and was happy to give respect. Sports owner Simon Jordan was duly modest at his efforts to bring what he could of the original line-up back together for their last hurrahs before Terry died.

Backstage, with the London Philharmonic Orchestra
A 4-part series with conductor Ed Gardner and many orchestra members talking about what they have to do to prepare, and finally a performance of a Mahler symphony to open their new season.

Diana Ross at the BBC
A compilation for her 80th birthday, which managed to include a few videos, but not her mid-90s Take Me Higher.

EuroVision '24 - Graham meets Olly
The chatshow interviewer talked to the UK entry, before the video got its premiere. Olly co-wrote it with Danny L Harle, which is a plus.

Discovering the Music of Antiquity
How a rare papyrus found in the Louvre turned out to be an ancient musical manuscript. This led to discussions about Roman, Greek and Egyptological factors and how they've survived over all these thousands of years.

Radio 2 In Concert: Curtis Mayfield
The great man went to the Town & Country Club in London around 1990 and did an appealing show that included a Gladys Knight cover as well as some of his biggest numbers.

Maria By Callas
Lengthy documentary mostly using footage of the great diva, with a few extras. Her career went well until a fateful night when bronchitis led to a critical monstering. Her on-off friendship with Aristotle Onassis didn't entirely help. She died at 53, the same day as Marc Bolan.

Starlight Serenade
A quickie from 1944, with Bryan Michie introducing some performers like Wilson, Kepple & Betty, and comic interludes from actor Bonar Colleano. Oscar Rabin and Harry Davis were among the musicians.

Later... with Jools Holland - Reggae & Ska
A round-up from 2022 which I seem to have missed at the time. Jools had greats like Gregory Isaacs and Desmond Dekker, as well as some more recent guys like Koffee and Chronixx. No Shaggy or Maxi Priest, apparently.

Diana Ross at 80: The Fan's Story
Various celebrities give praise and tell anecdotes (such as DJ Tony Blackburn encouraging her record company to release I'm Still Waiting as a single). Cliff Richard and Lulu were among those of comparable experience.

Saturday Night w/Hayley Palmer - Jeff Wayne
Possibly a more recent show than some, the producer was preparing for a tour in 2025. David Essex helped him with the War of the Worlds, and he in return helped David with his first hit, Rock On. The interview was at Jeff's studio, in his home where he's lived for over 40 years. Though they did play Forever Autumn, he picked out some videos he admired generally (including so he could tell about meeting Johnny Cash around 1983 or so, as they were both on Columbia, and being invited to an album playback).

Heartbreakers at the BBC - Volume 2
Another round-up for an hour, again more interesting for the likes of Crystal Gayle and PP Arnold than Beyonce or James Taylor. The nadir would seem to be Mariah Carey's version of Against All Odds - she's done her own sad songs, and Phil's own version is palpably definitive. Oh well.

Radio 2 In Concert: Gabrielle
She came to the BBC Radio Theatre in 2000 and did many songs (some presumably from her album of that time), though not her big #1 comeback hit Rise. She did cover It's Too Late, though.

Welsh Greats - Harry Secombe
This 2009 profile had Aled Jones talk through the life of the comic & singer, with much archive. His musical career was more successful in theatre than the pop arena.

Arena - Rudies Come Back
Adrian Thrills visits Coventry in 1980, to talk to the Selecter, and for rather longer to the Specials, with concert footage of both to fill the fairly short run-time.

A Night With Prince
Ann Powers relates a night in late 2008, when invited to a personal listening party of 3 new albums, with the man himself. Also padded out with a general rundown of his life and times, with managers, band members and even Kristin Scott Thomas along to help show their appreciation.

Radio 2 In Concert: Earth, Wind & Fire
From 1998 at the Royal Albert Hall. There were some familiar tunes at times, but also long vocal-less spells which were less familiar.

Songs of Praise - Laura Wright
She's a rising star who won Young Chorister of the Year back in 2005, and has developed a wider career as a soprano since.

Don't Take It Personal: Listening Party
DJ Target introduces Dizzee Rascal at this show back in February, where most of his new album is played, and Dizzee even does a few of the tracks live. JME is among the invited select audience. Dizzee's career having lasted over 20 years was one of the themes mentioned along the way.

Sunday Night at the Proms - Mendelssohn's Italian Symphony
To mark the centenary of conductor Sir Neville Mariner, a repeat from 1983 with Richard Baker introducing quite a short show, with the above piece and one by Benjamin Britten too.

Radio 2 In Concert: Terence Trent D'arby
Which he still was in 1993, around the time of his 3rd album, here appearing in Bristol. His songs still stand up, and his vocals at times compared with James Brown.

Saturday Night w/Hayley Palmer - Kiki Dee
She spoke in late 2021, talking about returning to touring after the pandemic, and an upcoming album with long-term collaborator Carmelo, who also joined in at times. They managed to skip playing Amoureuse, even though it's one of her biggest hits.

The Live Lounge Show - Foo Fighters and more
A repeat from 2017, with host Clara Amfo talking to Dave Grohl mostly, amidst their 3 numbers, but also singing and chatting were The xx, Thirty Seconds to Mars, the Script and Chris Martin.

Terry Hall at the BBC
A fairly solid tribute round-up since he turned up in many bands and even had a solo span. He even worked with Mark Ronson. The odd video clip was forgivable when they were lesser known and included for a reason (such as to prove that it wasn't banned).

Franz Schubert 1797-1828
Another repeat in honour of Neville Mariner, this time conducting Schubert's unfinished 10th Symphony, newly mended by Professor Brian Newbold for the occasion, in 1987.

Rock Goes To College: The Specials
Recorded in late 1979, for broadcast in early 1980, the band were in stirring form in Colchester, working through familiar and less-remembered gems too, which I enjoyed.

Steve Wright's Peter Kay Christmas Special
Repeated either just before or just after Steve's untimely death, this show from last December saw the DJ talk to the comic about his latest volume of memoir, TV. He discussed making the video for Tony Christie's 2005 take on Is This The Way To Amarillo? and whether it'll be played at his funeral. There was much talk about the memorable telly themes of his youth, from Minder to Mork and Mindy. He even mentioned his involvement with Doctor Who.

MTV World Stage: Alesso
The DJ did a lively set in Malta last July, to crowd appreciation.

Omnibus: Who Needs A Conductor?
A live lecture from 1972, as Andre Previn used the London Symphony Orchestra to illustrate his theories, and to let him tell a few anecdotes about conductors he learnt from and admired. A charming effort, well worth being repeated.

The Callas Conversations
Two chats to Lord George Harewood at her Paris apartment, first about her career and development as a soprano, and then more about specific roles she played (and some she didn't).

African Voices: Changemakers - Simi
She's a rising Nigerian star, married to Adekunle Gold, and has been making hit records for around a decade. She started her own Studio Brat label.

The Story of Microdisney - The Clock Comes Down The Stairs
A bunch of Irish nearly-men who released 4 albums to critical pleasure but no great commercial return. The two blokes at the centre of things went on to form the High Llamas and the Fatima Mansions. They reformed around 2018-9 for some final gigs, and singer Cathal died back in 2022. An interesting look at what happens to folk who do their hardest and still don't make it.

Saturday Night w/Hayley Palmer - Chris de Burgh
She spoke via Zoom in the summer of 2021, with him at his Enniskerry home (a room with gold discs on the wall). He was readying to push a new album about a stage show on the Legend of Robin Hood. Chris has been recording since the mid-70s, and though his critical response is often bereft, I think he's got a lot more going for him than schmaltz.