Entertainment For Lively Minds
Little Seen Documentaries
Posted by JohnW on 18 January 2012 - 7:49am.
In the last few months I've watched a couple of rock docs that are about 30 years old that I didn't even know existed at the time. One about Rockpile (Born Fighters) and the other about XTC (XTC at The Manor) both based around the recording of a single track. Both were excellent. Both were quite easy to find. There must be lots of these things, originally transmitted, maybe on a regiaonal ITV channel, probably at about midnight.
Anyone got any more examples?
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Johnny come home
Nor a particularly fun to watch programme, but does anyone else remember (From 1975 IIRC), a documentary called "Johnny come home"?
Ahem, any of the massive any idea where I could obtain a copy?
Probably doesn't count, but...
...whatever happened to that doco series by Tony Palmer "All You Need Is Love"?
Saw it on the TV some 30-something years ago at an appalling late-night timeslot, bought the book tie in (great little logo) and since then, nothing.
Trouble negotiating rights, lack of interest....?
All you need is love
This was available to buy on DVD 2010 ish IIRC.
Hope this helps.
It was on
It was on the telly, certainly in the last 4 or 5 years.
Sky Arts
I'm sure Sky Arts have shown this in the past 12 months. I recorded the first two episodes. To be frank, it bored the pants off me and I didn't bother with the rest.
It's reshown
On Sky Arts all the time. Some great footage, but a lot of it certainly hasn't stood the test of time.
I stumped up the 40 quid
and enjoyed seeing it again, although the early sections, covering jazz and ragtime, are far more engaging, I found. The rock era sections are a little eccentric in their perspective and haven't dated all that well. Given that the series was made in the mid 70s (ie pre-punk) what comes across very clearly is how rock music and the rock business had lost all sense of direction by the mid-70s. The future of rock, according to Palmer? ELO and Mike Oldfield.
You know what
I had the same sense. I'm not sure I got to the end. The first part was much more engaging. Understandably dated camera work too. The country music one was especially good.
I've seen it more recently
As I recall it finshes by forecasting the future or rock. Black Oak Arkansas was mentioned. mmm.
That said, I found it absolutely fascinating... especially the "pre 60s stuff which is obviously less documented.
trawl through....
this rather good youtube channel and you will find some episodes.
http://www.youtube.com/user/MVDmusicvideo#p/u/131/M7cuf0tjdDs
Not down here it wasn't!
Thanks for the DVD tip :-)
Aaaah
:-)
38 quid on Amazon it appears.
The one I want to see again
The World of Slim Gaillard, 1989 Arena BBC
Wonderful stuff as I recall, would love to see it again.
Leonard Bernstein conducting West Side Story
Made by the BBC, sometime probably mid-eighties. The single best piece of television I've ever seen. Time running out in the session, Jose Carreras trying to nail the tricky bit of Somethings Coming, Bernstein rapidly running out of patience... brilliant stuff.
I still remember this very clearly.
The faces of the singers having got to the end of a take of, I think, Tonight, desperately hoping the Maestro approves, stick in my memory, as well as poor Carreras really struggling, as you say. It's on Amazon on DVD still - very tempting to order it now you've brought the memory back.
On BBC3 a few years ago
there was a documentary about the making of 'Common People' which briefly reunited the band - very interesting.
For me, the king of all music docs is 'The Grape Tapes', nearly three hours of camcorder footage of the life of Shaun Ryder. I've got it on VHS, but it never made it on to DVD or on YouTube, presumably for legal reasons. It's hilarious
I have never seen Grape
I have never seen Grape Tapes but have heard that they are currently in the process of being prepared for a DVD release. I do hope so - they sound brilliant.
The Shaun Ryder documentary on BBC3 or 4 a few years ago was brilliant - it showed him as being in a rough place with the legal stuff re the black grape managers, but he came across as a pretty genuine guy - would love to see it again
Brilliant
One highlight among many for me was an obviously refreshed Shaun singing in a bathroom & 'feeling' his perfoemance so much that his headphones fly across the room.
Ha ha
yeah
As he's singing 'Rock the boat don't rock the boat over'
As the headphones fly off he shouts
'FUCK THE BOAT. YOU CAN SWIM'
If anyone knows how to do a DVD transfer then I'm happy to send the VHS to them
Dig!
The documentary about Anton Newcombe from the band Brian Jonestown Massacre is brilliant. I would recommend it to anyone that likes a good music doc.
Here is the trailer for it;
I stumbled across this site
http://documentaryheaven.com/
Lots of stuff here that I've enjoyed watching
Looks fantastic
I'll have a proper look later. Thanks, F8
Great site
I need internet telly.
Looks great
Most of them won't play on the iPad of course, but I'll try them on a grown up PC.
Had a proper look...
what a great site!
Watched 'G.G. Allen - Hated' last night and found it a fascinating but genuinely disturbing experience, what a truly messed up individual.
'Gene Vincent: Rock and Roll
'Gene Vincent: Rock and Roll Singer' is very good, if depressing (but I suspect you know that one already?)
Also, a great sounding Pink Floyd at the UFO club in 1967 are included in a West German documentary 'Die Jungen Nachtwangler'.
Not 'rock' but.,
In the mid 80's Arena on BBC2 broadcast a 2 or 3 part documentary about flamenco, it was quite beautiful. It filmed and interviewed people, rather than the more famous musicians, in villages across Spain, the music almost came across as a form of folk/blues music which it was to them. Nice dancing too.
Not even music but...
Years ago I saw a documentary about fish and have been dying to see it again ever since but can't find it because, like an idiot, I can't remember what it was called.
It was all about cichlids in lake Tanganyika, made by some French people who were not Cousteau. Absolutely mind-blowing. The variety of cichlids in that one lake goes from tiny right up to the substantial emperor cichlids.
Some of them use tools and others build structures. Fish using tools!
Hawkwind
I really enjoyed this.
'60s rock and roll
Back in the mid-'80s, I recall seeing a couple of live (in the studio) shows featuring Little Richard in one and Jerry Lee in the other. I think they may have been Jack Good productions from the early '60s. I believe Sounds Incorporated were the house backing band. Richard ended up sweaty and shirtless, screaming from the top of the piano. Beyond thrilling.
The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau
I'd particularly like to see the episode where they did a cave dive which was soundtracked to Phaedra by Tangerine Dream
That Steve lillywhite...
is a helluva smoker! My god is it really 32 years ago?
Naked Nashville
Three parter in the early 2000s looking at the modern country music biz. Each episode concentrated on one aspect and juxtaposed the modern start making machine with a more traditional act , so you had Matraca Berg (swoon), Dale Watson etc on the side of authenticity and various faceless supermodels and hat acts on the other. I have the three episodes on VHS somewhere. Must dig it out.
Rhythms Of The World
BBC, Arena maybe, late 80s. They had a great one from New Orleans at carnival time with just about everyone you could want on the bill. There was also one about the roots of The Everlys. I once had them on VHS but I was never able to transfer them to digital.