Music Television 6

The Mood Man
Short spell from Joe Loss and his Orchestra, with some guest singers, doing tunes like If I Had A Hammer, and an English language translation of Je Ne Regrette Rien.

Radio 2 In Concert: Gary Moore
A show from 1983 at the BBC's Paris Studios, which also included Deep Purple's Ian Paice on drums. He did Nuclear Attack, Back On The Streets and more.

Olly Alexander's Road To EuroVision '24
The UK entry talked about the process of rehearsing his dance routine for the big night, having to promote and do photoshoots, the wrinkle of being asked to boycott the event over Israeli involvement, and the febrility of fans.

Parkinson - Englebert Humperdinck
He came on in 1980, on a night with Paul Daniels and Willie Rushton. He mentioned playing to massive audiences at the Houston Astrodome, how he overcame shyness and goofy teeth. He was originally a sax player, but got a vocal audition which went well and took it from there. He was living in LA, and bemused to be included on a guided tour. He talked of seeing Elvis Presley in Las Vegas, and the King visiting his show in return. He talked of plans for a movie in the summer of 1981.

Loreen: My EuroVision Story
Running through her winning turns from 2012 and 2023, a performance she gave in 2013, and Swedish winners from 1974 (ABBA) and 1999 (Charlotte Nilsson).

Saturday Night w/Hayley Palmer - Jess & Chopper from Rednex
The 1990s act are still kicking around, and recently had a fillip when some DJ redid Cotton Eye Joe and boosted its streams. They'd got a new single, Another Round, coming out later this month. They seemed bemused but pleased that the act was still a success.

Radio 2 In Concert: Nils Lofgren
An unexpected choice for me, but pleasant enough. He was at Hammersmith Odeon in 1981, and rattled through the numbers.

Heartbreakers at the BBC
Not sure why I might have missed this first time around, but a fair round-up all the same, even with predictable inclusions like Amy Winehouse and Taylor Swift.

Dua Lipa - Radio 1 Live Lounge Special
With her 3rd album just out, she talked to Clara Amfo and performed tracks from the new release, a Cleo Sol cover, and an oldie. She'll be headlining Glastonbury this year.

Songs of Praise - How Great Thou Art @ 75
Pam Rhodes spun out a fairly bog standard story to half an hour, including two performances of the song from different church congregations. The funny part was how Ukraine made a key impact on its creation and enduring success, and so how royalties from the song (handled by a trust) have become useful in the last couple of years especially.

MTV World Stage: Bebe Rexha
Looked in good form this night in 2019 as she rattled through songs which mixed those familiar and some which may have been bigger hits in Europe.

Kelly Jones - In Studio From Ocean Sound, Norway
A surprising short film with Kelly not really sharing his thoughts, but plinking through new songs at piano or on guitar, taking walks by the seaside, such as it was, sorting out track listings, and then returning home at the end.

The Incredibly Talented Lucy
Short profile on winner of UK series The Piano, she being visually impaired. Her mentor/tutor, Daniel, had overcome struggles of his own, and like her mother Candice, wondered what her future might hold. Some drama came with her being selected for the Coronation Concert, but Daniel being barred as a security risk. A remedy was found.

Johnson & Knopfler's Music Legends: Cyndi Lauper
They spoke at the Power Station studio in New York. She's a Grammy/Emmy/Tony winner and talked of a rough start and being seen as a troublemaker. She identified her three pillars as Image, Sound and Rhythm. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun made her a global star, and she had follow-ups too. She suffered with endometriosis, and COVID affected her vocal range. But she was working on it. She has been working in musical theatre and with charity. Brian and Mark were impressed and she was respectful in return.

Talking Business - AI : The Future of Music
Aaron Heselhurst spoke to Robert Kyncl and Jen Jacobssen about the prospects and dangers of AI being used to create new music by artists against their wishes, and also to Per Sundin about the ABBA Voyage spectacle, and whether more shows might be created for acts who aren't around anymore.

...sings James Bond
Round-up from 2012, and thus leading up to Skyfall. Unlike later series, there were no qualms at including videos, such as those from Gladys Knight and Garbage. Mostly the actual credited artists were chosen, which was good for Rita Coolidge, though a cover of We Have All The Time In The World by Fun Lovin Criminals and Ian McCulloch was a plausible compromise.

This Cultural Life: Sir Antonio Pappano
The polymathic conductor talked to John Wilson about his upbringing, being drawn into the classical music world, seeing different countries, winning over the great Daniel Barenboim, and how he moved into conducting himself. He was now taking on the London Symphony Orchestra.

ITV Studio Sessions: Jess Glynne
A transparent take on the Radio 1 Live Lounge, even using Clara Amfo as presenter. The irritating Ms Glynne has her 3rd album out, and came from the same area as Adele and Amy Winehouse. She was billed as the most successful female UK act, which is just rubbish. She covered Take A Little Piece Of My Heart as well.

Love Songs at the BBC
Somehow missed this before, seemingly. A fair round-up, with some surprises like Love Come Down and I Need Love, but mostly predictable, and some odd choices (Stylistics with Can't Help Falling In Love, and Celine Dion's take on The Power Of Love).

De La Calle
The first 4 episodes, at any rate, of Nick Barili's take on hip-hop's global reach, visiting New York, Panama, Puerto Rico and Cuba, which did at least involve some less visited spots for once.

MTV World Stage: Ultimate Pop Playlist
A 2021 round-up mainly covering 2016-9 with performances from Hailee Steinfield, Anne-Marie and even DNCE.

African Voices: Changemakers - Tiwa Savage
She was working on a visual album project, and it ended up being a movie called Water & Garri. She had done acting before she switched to music. She did do the soundtrack album, though. She named Lady Gaga, Whitney Houston and Tupac Shakur as other musicians who'd done acting and inspired her. She had had a Billboard hit working with Brandy.

ITV Studio Sessions: Yungblud
Doncaster's own Dominic turns 27 in August, and first went on stage with a band at the age of 12. His grandad toured with T-Rex, so there was music in his blood. He had new material coming.

Soul Music: Tainted Love
How Ed Cobb came to write a Northern Soul classic, and why Soft Cell took it to heart and then #1. Coil also covered it. Nev Fountain talked about its inclusion in Dr Who episode The End of the World.

Lolla: The Story of Lollapalooza
A 3-part series about how Perry Farrell begat a revolutionary change in summer festivals, how they survived pressures of expectation, and how they revived the brand permanently in Chicago in 2005, and went from strength to strength. The original 1991 line-up included Ice T, Henry Rollins, Nine Inch Nails, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Living Colour and more. Many, many of those who played were here to talk fondly of how well things went, from Tom Morello to Lars Ulrich to Flea.

Saturday Night w/Hayley Palmer - Gabrielle
90s/00s UK R&B legend has a new album out, and was in person to discuss it, a couple of singles, her songwriting, 30+ years in the business, and so on. Good stuff.

Johnson & Knopfler's Music Legends - Carlos Santana
The lads went to 2200 Studios at Sausalito, more famously known as The Plant. Carlos talked his musical journey, being a wow at Woodstock, making the Abraxas album, and what led to the Supernatural resurgence at the turn of the century. Clive Davis did him good.

My Favourite Things - The Rodgers & Hammerstein 80th Anniversary Concert
From the Theatre Royal on Drury Lane, a very lengthy tribute show with the likes of Michael Ball, Maria Friedman, Julian Ovenden and more, doing numbers from The Sound of Music, Oklahoma!, South Pacific and more.

Radio 1 Big Weekend - Luton: Raye
She headlined and included several of her tracks on which she was featured, like You Don't Know Me. She ended with Escapism.

ITV Studio Sessions: Tom Walker
He stormed the scene in 2019, and now he's finally got a 2nd album out, I Am. He got married last year, and she inspires some of his songs. His record company gave him trouble with the new record, but it seemed to have yielded better results. 

Behind The Music: New Kids On The Block
This 2021 update on their 2008 appearance allowed for the inclusion of Maurice Starr (though he's seemingly only 70 currently). Jordan, Danny and Donnie met up first, and Donnie won Maurice over for music. Jon and Joey joined in, and their initial success was so meteoric, they started a Tiffany tour in support but finished it with her supporting them (she looks somewhat different these days). They reformed after 15 years and seem all the happier for it (the pandemic saw another surge of interest, and they've recently released a new album).

Inside Classical: Music Night From Alexandra Palace
Katie Derham fronts a tribute to long running series Friday Night is Music Night, with Anna Maria Helsing conducting the BBC Concert Orchestra through a wide programme, and guest turns from tenor Wynne Evans and violinist Alksei Semenenko.

Soul Music: In The Mood
Unlike other episodes, this didn't bother introducing its contributors, which is a shame. Still, Glenn Miller gets the credit even though he didn't write it, or particularly adapt and improve it. The same basic tune had life under a couple of other titles before it became In The Mood. Later it had words added too. No mention of Jive Bunny, though.

Gladys Knight at the BBC
She's turning 80, so here was a round-up from a few different shows, and a few chat bits, not just from Jools Holland.

Swinging London's Session Musicians: An Oral History
A charming low-budget collection of a couple of dozen musicians, from harpists and tabla players to trumpeters and double bassists. Some got to be used on big hit records, some were grateful to have made a career from a fun pastime.

This Cultural Life: Boy George
John Wilson talked to the New Romantic survivor about his upbringing in an Irish family in South London, how David Bowie and the glam days changed his life, how he made a good connection on a mid-70s night out, how Culture Club became a global success, and how he coped with the pitfalls of fame. He's made 9 solo albums, and 6 with C Club. 

Sami Yaffa: Sound Tracker - Serbia
Another globe-trotting series, here looking at the Roma sound. Though he named Gogol Bordello, he didn't talk to any of them.

The Stream: Music of Liberation - Voices For Palestine
Myriam Francois talked to three musicians in the USA and elsewhere about the power of protest, tying it to Macklemore's recent Hind's Hall track.

HARDtalk: Emel Mathlouthi
Sarah Montague talks to a Tunisian star who had a big hit around the time of the Arab Spring uprising, and recently went viral again during lockdown. She was working on new material, and would have liked to return home, but was banned by the government. Her new album was made with all women musicians, engineers, etc

Unreported World: Inside the K-Pop Dream Machine
Krishnan Guru-Murthy goes to Seoul to meet would-be stars of tomorrow, and their families, and supports them in auditions and promo performances. Though he takes care not to be too heavy-handed in showing a judgement, his unease comes across.

Soul Self Satisfaction - The Story of Northern Soul
Back in 2005, professor CP Lee talks to a small band of fans and experts, including designer Wayne Hemingway and DJ Ian Levine to tell how the rare grooves of the USA found new homes in the hearts of many a dancer.

Secret Lives of the Super Rich: Celine Dion
This 2016 edition opened with the $45.5 million pad on Jupiter Island, Florida, which had a 6 acre compound, and a 486 ft stretch of beach. That its price had been dropped from $72.5 million told all you might need to know.

World In Action: The Flip Side of Rock N Roll
From 1964 or so, how the pop-rock scene was subject to the whims of agents, pluggers, DJs and so many others. They did have some interesting footage of the Rolling Stones, but the band they spoke to, The Four Plus One, didn't make it big.

Sami Yaffa - Sound Tracker : Ethiopia
Sami looks at Rastafari culture, the idea of Ethio-Jazz, Amharic, the Harp of David, and visits Lalibela.

On Assignment - Techno in Berlin
Lucrezia Millarini finds some good news in Germany, with protected status given to a form of music, and meets some clubbers and creators about it.

Radio 2 In Concert: Dexys Midnight Runners
They played Newcastle in 1982, so at the height of their fame, with 2 hit records to play with, and even a cover of Respect too.

I Want My MTV: Thirty Seconds to Mars
Jared Leto talks about some of his band's videos, and the evolution of the band (who recently put out a new album after a long break).

Inside Africa: Amapiano
Ninka Mbaye meets practitioners in South Africa and London, whether performers or producers, including Musa Keys, Charisse C and Focalistic.

Family Affair - Stereophonics: "The road up is the worst"
This 1998 spoke to Kelly Jones' parents, Richard Jones' parents, and Stuart Cable's mam who amusingly was called Mabel. The band were at an early phase here, so most of the story covered their coming together and being signed by Richard Branson. Kelly's father was also a singer, which says a lot.

I Want My MTV: Kings Of Leon
Weird for me to think they've been around 20+ years already. All 4 band members were present, though Caleb did most of the talking. They included a Doves video which they all loved. Also weird that their zenith with Sex On Fire is also yonks ago. But they have put out a new album lately.

Sami Yaffa: Soul Tracker - USA
He went to El Paso and New Orleans, which perhaps points to where he went with his discussion, including alt-country and the seemingly obligatory brass band too.

D-Day 80 at the Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra were mainly used as backing for spoken word commentaries on Jun 6, 1944, though Lulu, Emeli Sande and Katharine Jenkins all got to sing a song too.

Radio 2 In Concert: Bruce Hornsby and the Range
They came to the Hammersmith Odeon in 1988. Given I only really know 2 of theirs, and they didn't play 1 of them, this was an experience, but they did cover The Mighty Quinn and The Weight (the latter with guesting Paul Carrack), and opened with Jacob's Ladder, which they wrote, even if Huey Lewis had the hit. Better than I might have expected.

Suck It And See
Amy Wadge looks at the story of the harmonica, invented in the 1820s, and associated with blues though not exclusively. Manfred Mann's Paul Jones was one of those blowing the instrument's praises.

Inside Classical: Brahms' 4th Symphony
Gemma New conducts the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra through works by Barber and Gibson, before the main event from Brahms.

Class of '84: Purple Rain
Another series, here with Trevor Nelson leading a listen through tracks on Prince's album, with some chat from engineer Susan Rogers and very brief archive of Prince himself.

Dame Vera Lynn at the BBC
A round-up from 2020 that I seem to have otherwise missed before. She had her own series in the 1970s, but there was footage from appearances with Morecambe & Wise, and many war-nostalgia concerts.

The Piano - The Final Concert
The end of S2, with Mika and Lang Lang again judging, this time from 7 contestants ranging widely in age. Most seemed to have an emotional backstory reflected in their song choice/creation. Comments afterward suggest hopeful follow-ups for most players.

Sami Yaffa: Sound Tracker - Jamaica
He considered mento, reggae and dancehall with various players from the Jolly Boys (who did "Rehab") to Kabaka Pyramid.

Profile: Rylan
He came 5th on the UK X Factor in 2012, but has since become more famous as a presenter on various programmes.

Sunday Feature: Searching For The Songs Of Bukhara
To Uzbekistan to learn about shash maqam and who plays it and how. Something different.

Jane and Friends - The Greatest Showman
Jane McDonald is joined by Joe McElderry, Daniel Brocklebank and Collabro to cover tracks from the hit film/stage show about Barnum.

I Want My MTV - Adam Lambert
He includes a couple of his own, which demonstrate he looks better with the beard. Otherwise he singles out George Michael, Madonna, Billie Eilish and Missy Elliot as being of his respect.

Soul Music - Lili Marlene
A folk song inspired during World War 1 and popularised in the 1930s. Besides some biographer, most of the chat came from an English and German veterans telling how the song came to have meaning for them.

Isle of Wight '24: Scouting For Girls
Another year, another festival.

Poet of the Piano - Fuzjko Hemming: On A Journey to Chopin's Mallorca
Ms Hemming was in her 90s when this 2022 doc was filmed, and repeated as she died back on April 21. She was a big Chopin fan, and travelled by car from her home in Paris to make a pilgrimage to the island where her hero lived for a time. Ms Hemming's story was almost as luckless as Chopin's, but she seemed to achieve success in her 60s, and was recognised enough to feature in docs like this.

The Number 1 Ladies Opera House
Writer Alexander McCall Smith expanded his interest in Botswana to the setting up of an opera house and with plans for a production of MacBeth, at the time of this 2009 effort (though apparently it closed in 2012).

Isle of Wight '24: Crowded House
A lengthy show to push their new album, with Neil in good spirit.

Sami Yaffa: Sound Tracker - India
He visits Mumbai, Jaipur and out into deserts to meet and jam with various musicians, and inevitably finds a brass band again.

The Bonzo Dog Doodah Band: Anarchy Must Be Organised
Neil Innes presented this 2016 tribute, which had contributions from most band members, as well as fans and supporters like Terry Gilliam, Kevin Eldon and Diane Morgan.

Capital Summertime Ball
Jordan North fronted this Wembley Stadium do which included Jax Jones, has-been Meghan Trainor, Benson Boone and Sabrina Carpenter, but put David Guetta in as headliner above Raye.

My Glastonbury: Dua Lipa
She's one of this year's headliners, so got to relate her previous visits and performances, her fondness for Tame Impala, her plans for her show, being booked well in advance, and so on.

Class of '84: Diamond Life
Trevor Nelson looks into Sade's big breakthrough album, and manages to get needless digs in at audio cassettes.

Isle of Wight '24 - The Streets
He did quite a lengthy set, with more hits than is maybe remembered, and a long crowd-friendly skit in the middle.

Radio 2 In Concert: Lloyd Cole and the Commotions
He was at Glastonbury back in 1986, and rattled through quite a long setlist, and even a couple I knew.

My Glastonbury: Little Simz
Not headlining, but on before Coldplay this year, She had been before and done alright, as well as forecasting her own elevation to Pyramid stage status (though SZA in fact got a headline spot she might have been after).

ITV Studio Sessions: Becky Hill
Bewdley's finest has faced similar industry rejection to Raye, but was ignored. She has won 2 Brits, and claimed an early memory of seeing Sonique on TOTP, though as she later clarifies turning 30 back in the spring, this memory wasn't quite the toddler era she at first claimed. She was dropped by Parlophone at 19, and met MNEK at 18, with whom she's still a close friend and occasional collaborator. She works with Karen Poole a lot too.

Glastonbury '24 - opening taster
Clara Amfo and Lauren Laverne previewed the three-day event, and enjoyed acoustic turns from Liam Bailey, and later Sam Lee, as well as chatting to Bobby Friction about the debut of the new Arrivals Stage.

Isle of Wight '24 - Friday evening
A filler of shorts, which included The K's, James Marriott, Wanderhorse and His Lordship, all newer acts who wouldn't otherwise get more in-depth coverage.

Saturday Night w/Hayley Palmer - Kele Le Roc
A 2-hit wonder from the late 1990s, but who has survived and thrived, and still performs, and was pushing a new clothing line. She talked about enjoying Ayia Napa, approaching 50, having to forsake dance dreams because of knee issues at 12, and so on.

Soul Music: Sunshine On Leith
The Proclaimers' hit has proved cathartic for many organisations in Edinburgh and elsewhere.

Radio 2 In Concert: INXS
The Aussie pop-rockers came to Edinburgh in 1987 at the time of the Kick triumph, and did an entertaining enough set.

Yn Y Lwp - new series
Molly Palmer has taken over as presenter. There were videos from Kim Hon, Yws Gwynedd and Georgia Ruth.

Yo! MTV Raps - Heavy D
He came on in 1991 to sing (or rather, mime to) his song You Can't See What I Can See. Also vids from Shabba Ranks ft KRS-One and Eric B & Rakim.

Rewind: 60 Years of Welsh Pop - Wales at Glastonbury
A reasonable half-hour round-up, stretching inevitably from Tom Jones and Shirley Bassey, through to Manic Street Preachers and Catatonia, with appealing oddities like Kosheen, Cate Le Bon, and Marina and the Diamonds along the way.

Radio 2 In Concert: Van Morrison
He took the BBC Big Band to Glastonbury in 1987 and did a lively hour by his standards, though banter was inevitably in short supply.

Isle of Wight '24: The Prodigy
They've reformed in the wake of Keith's death, and manage to battle through a set, with the crowd largely covering up on Firestarter.

ITV Studio Sessions: Cat Burns
The last in this series talked to the Brit School alumnus who was uploading music from 12 or 13, and posted covers on Tiktok until she began to make it big. She's autistic, neurodivergent and queer, and 23.

Sami Yaffa - Sound Tracker : Indonesia
The last in this 2021 series saw out hero visiting Bali, meeting some experimentalists, and gamelan players, and deciding "unity is diversity".

Geddy Lee asks - Are Bass Players Human Too? - Melissa auf der Mar
She was in Hole, and then Smashing Pumpkins. Born in Montreal, now living in New York state. She'd turned an old factory into an arts hub for her area. Her father had been a famous politician but died when she was 27. She was quite spiritual and spent less time on music these days.

Isle of Wight '24: Johnny Marr
A short burst of the guitar legend, doing Smiths numbers in this instance.

Jane and Friends - Sing the 80s
Ms McDonald is joined by T'Pau's Carol Decker, as well as Gary Wilmot and Hue & Cry, to work through a variety of hits of that decade.

African Voices: Changemakers - Wendy Shay
Larry Madowo was in Accra, since Wendy is Ghanaian. She was a full-time artist only since 2018. Her grandfather was a famous musician. She picked her stage name from kids show iCarly. She had a close call with a tipper truck, and has her own Foundation.

Glastonbury '24: Dua Lipa
The Friday night headliner on the Pyramid stage, she put on a solid and lengthy show, given she's only just pushing her 3rd album. She had a few costume changes.

Radio 2 In Concert: Hothouse Flowers
They were at Glastonbury in 1990, at their peak, and put on an agreeable show.

Later... with Jools Holland - Floorfillers
A round-up from 2022, from Jungle and Moloko, to Jamiroquai and Hot Chip. A few less overused examples for once on these things.

Soul Music - Old Man River
A few years off its centenary, Cleo Laine and Paul Robeson Jr were among those with personal experiences to share.

Isle of Wight '24: The Pretenders
A short but lively selection, including a couple with guest contributor Johnny Marr.

Glastonbury '24: Jungle
They headlined the West Holts stage on Friday night, and bustled through a lively old set, including recent hit single Back On 74.

Radio 2 In Concert: Marillion
They played Wembley Arena in 1987, around their peak time, and they covered The Boys Are Back In Town in tribute to Phil Lynott. They also covered With A Little Help From My Friends, before Wet Wet Wet did the same for charity the year after.

Idea Generation: Rapsody
She was the 4th of 5, became inspired by MC Lyte, and Def Poetry Jam. She started rapping around 2005. Her parents were supportive. She didn't specify her age, beyond being born in the 1980s. Her first recordings were around 2012. Kendrick Lamar gave her a guest spot on an album, which helped, and she got a Grammy nomination in 2018. She'd been signed for 15 years so far, and was working on a new record, and hoping to inspire others.

Prince & His Songs at the BBC
Another ropey round-up, since he didn't appear that regularly, whereas Sinead O'Connor and Chaka Khan were among those to have #1 records with his songs. There were a few others that wouldn't otherwise have been repeated, from Beverley Knight, Michael Kiwanuka and Muse.

I Want My MTV: Zara Larsson
Weird that Lush Life was about a decade ago. She won on a talent show at 10. She was inspired by Christina Aguilera.