Music Television 6

BBC Proms '23: Last Night of the Proms
At last, and a mere 6 weeks after broadcast, the last live show, in 2 parts as usual. Lise Davidsen was the singing soloist of the night, whilst cello whizkid Sheku Kanneh-Mason also made his Last Night debut. Marin Alsop conducted the BBC Symphony Orchestra, amongst other things commemorating the 10th anniversary of her becoming the first female conductor for the Last Night. A couple of pieces referred to the recent Coronation in the UK, and there was also the world premiere of a piece originally planned for the event last year, which didn't happen because of the Queen's death.

Tony Bennett Sings... Song Stories
Works by Duke Ellington, Johnny Mercer, and especially Cole Porter. A solid enough show, most of which was fairly fresh and different (though there were still old faves like I've Got You Under My Skin and It Don't Mean A Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing).

Yo! MTV Raps Classic: 2 Live Crew
Mercifully quite short, and Fab 5 Freddy didn't turn up until well into the show, which I suspect was quite heavily edited.

Music Box: Jason Isbell - Running With Our Eyes Closed
The likeable Sam Jones directed this look at the former whizkid of the Drive-By Truckers, who had a few problems with alcohol, and went into rehab in 2012. He now leads the 400 Unit, and is mainly helped by his partner, Amanda Shires. The songs were good. The film ran through to the pandemic, and how it gave them time together for once, especially with their daughter Mercy.

BBC Proms '23: Unmissable Moments
Even this descends to the wrap-up compilation trend, with various hosts introducing little segments. All over until 2024 (probably).

Glastonbury '08: Estelle
A short burst from the Jazz Worlds stage, during the peak year of success for the young Brit talent who achieved greater triumph on Steven Universe instead.

TOTP2: Girl Bands
Too generic to tell whether I've seen this 2012 round-up before. Notable inevitably for the less expectable names like the Runaways, En Vogue and even Goldie and the Gingerbreads.

Yo! MTV Raps Classic: MC Hammer
Again from 1989, before he hit paydirt the following year. Here, at a dance studio, he was even proudly launching his dancers as an act in their own right, the Oaktown 357.

Yo! MTV Raps Classic: Dr Dre w/Snoop Doggy Dogg
A lively house party from 1993, as Fab 5 Freddy plays along with the positive vibes. Shot apparently before the release of the Doggystyle album, so Dre talks more about his own project, and how he's repaying the contributors to it, by his doing albums with all of them. As this was The Chronic, which Freddy salutes, then it proves a timely moment. Dre makes clear he's not going back to N.W.A.

Girls Aloud - Tangled Up: Live from the O2
The 00s UK girlband got a long old runtime for this show, with its curious choice of cover versions (Push It, really?), and the crowd seemed happy enough.

Carpenters in Concert
Sometimes shows like this get billed and turn out to be the same show repeatedly, but I don't recall this 1976 one. Coupling a recounting of their story, Karen and Richard play the hits but also have some fun (a Spike Jones tribute is not something many acts would try, nor would they demonstrate piano virtuosity by doing the Warsaw Concerto (though it does give Karen breathing space and costume time).

Yo! MTV Raps Classic: LL Cool J
Disappointingly only a short one, with J's house, mother and car. Though they do play Going Back To Cali, and even F5F's turn in Blondie's Rapture.

Saturday Night w/Hayley Palmer - Jay Aston
The Fizz star chats about the present band rather than the Bucks Fizz heyday, touring schedule, starting as a performer at 14, making a series about the hospitality industry to show post-lockdown challenges, how Cheryl has a daughter who's a songwriter, how her cancerous tongue was treated, having done ballet as a child, and much more.

Musical Masterpieces - Carmen
Opera North are the chosen performers this time, and Bizet's truncated life seems quite tragic. They consider individual tunes, and the Carmen Jones adaptation which expanded the show's shelf life and appeal.

In Concert: Labelle
From 1975, a short set which showed they deserved to remembered for more than just Lady Marmalade.

Stock Aitken Waterman at the BBC
A lengthy round-up of performances and the odd video. Notable for oddities like Divine and their own Roadblock hit, as well as an obscure Donna Summer track, and rather forgotten names like Hazell Dean.

Yo! MTV Raps Classic: N.W.A.
F5F met the gang in 1989 in Compton, where they took him to a market, to Venice Beach, to meet youngsters The Boyz, and to ride on the back of a truck. Videos included MC Lyte, Ice T, King Tee and Donald D. Oh, and N.W.A. 

Saturday Night w/Hayley Palmer - John Altman
Known primarily as a soap actor, John has released albums, and done musical theatre such as Chicago. He's working on a documentary on the Isle of Wight, and hoping to make a road movie set in the UK. He even won Rear of the Year in 2001, which says it all.

Van Morrison - In Concert
He did a lively show at the BBC Radio Theatre in 2016, introducing some songs but not others, including tracks from his latest album, but plenty of classics like Baby Please Don't Go and Jackie Wilson Said.

I'm In A Girl Group!
Part of a series from 2012, and with contributions from members of Sister Sledge, the Sugababes, the Spice Girls, the Pussycat Dolls, the Nolans, the Saturdays and the Bangles. Some stories were grim, but some were OK.

Lwp - Cymru, Cerddoriaeth & Rygbi
The recent rugby event in France led to some cultural events including music concerts. Lloyd Lewis presents and handles interviews, and there's performance footage from Adwaith, Ebel Elektrik, Sage Todz, Luke RV and others.

Old Grey Whistle Test: Jackson Browne
From 1976, and with a guest turn from Warren Zevon too. He bantered a bit about touring the UK.

Lulu
A repeat of her show from 1981 from the Blazers Club, Windsor, where she covered Dolly Parton, Neil Diamond, Cliff Richard, and threw in some oldies too.

Olivia Rodrigo - Live Lounge
She did her turn at the Masonic Lodge of the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, but did her talking bits to camera. I didn't realise how potty-mouthed her records are. Will people ever learn?

Elkie Brooks - In Concert
A 2 part show, likely from the same event in 1987, at the NEC, Birmingham. She did some interesting covers like Nights In White Satin and Only Women Bleed, as well as Gasoline Alley and Maybe I'm Amazed. A good show, really.

Bananarama at the BBC
An hour-long round-up covering their 80s heyday and bit of the 90s and 10s too.

Andrea Bocelli - The Journey
A 3-part series with the blind singer and family and friends following the route of the Via Francigena, but in reverse to his home in Lajatico. Given they start with meeting Pope Francis early on, then guest musicians like Michael W Smith, Tori Kelly and Tauren Wells have a lot to fill. There's much music along the way, too.

Doja Cat - Live Lounge
She got to chat to Clara Amfo about her new album, not featuring other artists, using several producers, suffering bad ADHD, having self-esteem issues previously, citing D'Angelo and Jamiroquai as influences, co-directing and producing her videos, and keenness to return to the UK. She sang a few songs too.

Radio 2 In Concert - Florence + The Machine
Jo Whiley introduced this 2012 show from the Rivoli Ballroom in SE London, and spoke a few times to Florence afterwards. Think she was pushing a new album, at a venue with personal memories from a previous triumph.

Mary J Blige at the BBC
Another hour-long round-up, this time for the hip-hop legend who has worked with George Michael, Method Man, Elton John, Ja Rule, and others.

Musical Masterpieces - The Hebrides Overture
The 3rd and last from this short series, looking at a fairly short piece of music by Mendelssohn, and amusingly using BBC radio presenter Tom Service as one of its contributors, as well as the Philharmonia playing at St Jude's Church in Hampstead.

BBC One Sessions: Amy Winehouse
From Porchester Hall in 2007, a typically spirited turn leaning more towards the 2nd album than the 1st.

Old Grey Whistle Test: Average White Band
Bob Harris merely introduces footage from the last night of their 1975 American tour, from Miami. They did Pick Up The Pieces in the middle, but ended with an extended take on I Heard It Through The Grapevine.

The Bruckner Cycle Symphonies
From 2017, Valery Gergiev conducts the Munich Philharmonic at the Monastery of St Florian in Linz. This opener had his 1st Symphony in C Minor.

Lwp Yn Cyflwyno - Bwncath Am Byth
A look at the rise of 2023's new big thing, a Welsh band who've been around since before lockdown. They seemed popular at festivals.

Old Grey Whistle Test - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
From the usual Shepherds Bush studio in 1978, with hits like Anything That's Rock N Roll and Breakdown.

The Bruckner Cycle Symphonies
This time it was the 2nd Symphony in C Minor. Otherwise much as the first one.

Lulu at the BBC
The Scawtish superstar gets slightly longer than normal, and footage from the 1960s onwards. She sang with Al Green, Take That!, Bill Withers, Shirley Bassey, Dudley Moore, Ronan Keating, Neil Diamond, and even the Everly Brothers. Hosting her own show didn't hurt in that respect.

The Bruckner Cycle Symphonies
The 3rd Symphony in D Minor this time.

Toto - 25th Anniversary Concert: Live in Amsterdam 2003
From the Heineken Music Hall. I recall watching their 40th anniversary show some months back, and they seem to have a warm connection to Europe, which is nice.

Backstage - Highlights from 2022-3
A round-up covering 2 series of Welsh cultural. The music section covered Juice Menace, H Hawkline, Adwaith and Far From Saints.  Also various bits from festivals.

Profile In Music: Montserrat Caballe
Some new repeats from 1970, as Bernard Levin interviewed the great Spanish soprano, about her beginnings, her studies, her early roles, being booked up for the next 2 years. She also performed several tunes too.

Rob & Romesh vs... Superstar DJs
Two stand-ups try to get involved in various worlds through the series. In this, they met Jonas Blue, on their way to a task of performing 10 minute sets in a club. They get to watch a 5 hour set from Andy C, meet Chase & Status, and visit Jonas at his home. They practice the craft, but Romesh can't crack it. Rob makes more effort into dressing up and using superficial tricks, and also uses a mix made by DJ Yoda, whom Romesh tries to get help from. Eye-opening.

Hired Gun
A lengthy 2016 effort looking at guys (and sometimes gals) who step in at short notice to replace others who may have fallen out of favour, or much further. Billy Joel unwittingly provided a running thread, as his early records featured guys from a band, who eventually became surplus to requirements, some of whom took it better than others. Jason Newsted spoke about filling a gap in Metallica, and there were also comments from front-line guys like Alice Cooper and Rob Zombie, from the other side of the picture. Well worth the look.

Joan Sutherland - World Stage
A short show from 1962, with Gerald Moore introducing from the piano.

The Bruckner Cycle Symphonies
Up to the 4th Symphony in E Flat Major this time, otherwise all else as above.

Berlin Live: Fun Lovin' Criminals
They came on in 2016, and managed to get a lot of chat from scenes around Berlin, and Huey even let the other 2 guys speak.

Intimate Celebrity Concert, with Victoria de los Angeles
Gerald Moore again, this time from 1957 with an even shorter show, at a time when you could joke that the Spanish pronounce Jota as Hota because of performance making them hotter, etc

Junior EuroVision - Stand Uniqu3's Journey to Nice
A new female trio put together for this event - Hayla, Maisie and Yazmin. They get their mission, get their song (Back to Life) and make a video, then do promo. The show ends with them going off to the Contest, where they finished 4th (France won).

Kiri Te Kanawa
Another of these Bernard Levin profile repeats, this time from 1975. She had a tricky upbringing, being adopted, and having to move to the UK to develop her talent and learn her craft. She became a big success, though.

The Bruckner Cycle Symphonies
The 5th one, inevitably, in B Flat Major (details as usual).

The Return of Maria Callas
A concert from 1973, which marked her return to the London stage after an 8 year gap. She was backed up with Giuseppe di Stefano, and Ivor Newton played piano. The crowd was appreciative.

Little Richard: I Am Everything
An impressively lengthy account of the man who wrote Tutti Frutti, Long Tall Sally and more, but could be a capricious decision maker and seldom to his advantage. The footage of him inducting Otis Redding into the R&R Hall of Fame and talking more about himself perhaps summed up his character.

Greatest Guitar Riffs: Nancy Wilson
A new series ostensibly looking at key songs, eg Barracuda in this case, but Nancy discussed other songs she worked on, other songs she admired (eg Led Zeppelin) and other acts who made an impact from her town (eg Nirvana). Heart got a Lifetime Achievement Grammy this year.

Radio 2 In Concert: Take That!
They're back with a new album recorded in Nashville, I believe, and they did some tracks from it here, as well as others from across their career. And some banter.