Ready Steady Go! Documentary and Best Of

[marjorysmith]

Just a heads up for a documentary on RSG! on 20th March, BBC4.

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000gg2t

Followed by The Best of Ready Steady Go! 

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000gg2w

I doubt there be anything new broadcast or whether there will be any clarification of who owns what (Dave Clark/BMG), but there might be some better quality clips.

[robertreinstein]

Based on what they wrote about the "Best Of" show, it sounds like they may show the complete Twist & Shout from The Beatles, which has never been shown before in any rebroadcast or commercial video release. I believe Dave Clark/PMI edited the song due to a film defect, but if they show the full segment, you'll see The Beatles being pulled out, by fans, from backstage on a mobile stage.

[Kev Mulrenan]

Mar 12, 2020 12:06:03 GMT robertreinstein said:

Based on what they wrote about the "Best Of" show, it sounds like they may show the complete Twist & Shout from The Beatles, which has never been shown before in any rebroadcast or commercial video release. I believe Dave Clark/PMI edited the song due to a film defect, but if they show the full segment, you'll see The Beatles being pulled out, by fans, from backstage on a mobile stage.

Sounds right Robert.

This is certainly how it was shown at kal in June.

I believe kal are involved in the making of the docu/best of

[paul carney]

Thoroughly enjoyed the documentary and "Best Of" clips last night. Great memories. In an era of miming I do recall at the time being impressed that the Beach Boys played I Get Around live....and who would ever have thought that Van Morrison was once young. 😎

[Sal Mohammed]

Enjoyed watching the documentary. I assume Cathy McGowan didn't want to participate which is a pity considering the amount of time spent talking about her.

It was interesting to hear what artists were being booked for the show. They may not have been as big at the time in the UK but 50 years later, these clips are worth watching more than many of the clips from 'Top of the Pops'.

If history has taught us anything, having a big hit in the charts isn't always a badge of quality but a time stamp to what was happening at the time. i.e. Bob the Builder, Mr. Blobby etc. We're fortunate that the Motown Special survives since it's a brilliantly produced show with all the acts at their prime. Just a pity the James Brown episode doesn't survive along with some unique performances I've read about.

[Kev Mulrenan]

A great docu. Well put together. Yes we had the usual midrash and footage made to appear from the show that did not actually come from it, but that's the norm. Aghast at the slander on my beloved Lucky Stars though.! Probably down to some 12 year old researcher!

[tonyrees]

I don't know where this quote originally comes from, but I found it at flashbak.com/weekend-starts-fabulous-photos-classic-pop-tv-show-ready-steady-go-361445/

Michael Lindsay-Hogg, one of the directors, once said, “Most of the shows were wiped because tape was so expensive, so stuff like the James Brown special and The Who special are gone forever. I took home £37 a week but, every so often, I’d buy a video tape and preserve it. It cost me £1 a minute, but the only reason any shows survive is because I did that.”

Shame they didn't include a bit of the Nina Simone clip that Kal discovered, but maybe BMG will get a DVD out at some point. There's also quite a bit of audio about, there are certainly clips on You Tube. Here's the Butterfield Blues Band in 1966 www.youtube.com/watch?v=48o9092eB1Y

[Thomas Walsh]

Two wonderful shows. Well done all. But I seriously thought there was at least 1 clip that survived of the Kinks on the show? I know the 'Tired of waiting..' clip is from Shindig I think, but no others at all?

[ajsmith]

Mar 22, 2020 3:41:26 GMT Thomas Walsh said:

Two wonderful shows. Well done all. But I seriously thought there was at least 1 clip that survived of the Kinks on the show? I know the 'Tired of waiting..' clip is from Shindig I think, but no others at all?

No full clips at all I’m afraid. However IIRC there are at least two sources of brief off air 8mm footage of The Kinks on RSG, one a hunting jackets era clip filmed by a viewer that turned up on YouTube over a decade ago (dunno if it’s still up) and one of a New Years show appearance that appeared in the ‘Imaginary Man’ doc that’s prob from Ray’s personal archive.

[Thomas Walsh]

Thank you AJ. I think that 'Imaginary man' snippet was stored away in my mind. While I have you though, could any Shindig clips have been incorporated into the show like they were in the CH4 80's shows? Maybe a 5 minute piece in the 'Story of..' show would've been nice in explaining their outsourcing policy.

[Bob Savage (robstar)]

Good to see the Walker Brothers clip included as I don't think that was in DC archive. Don't forget The Zombies clip "Summertime"discovered a while back.

[Kev Mulrenan]

There's a tiny fragment of a Lucky Stars show in it. Merseybeats I think of You, from Jan 64 I believe. First reshowing in over 50 years!

[Kev Hunter]

I don't remember seeing any mentions of Dave Clark in the credits, or did I blink and miss it?

[Kev Mulrenan]

Mar 22, 2020 17:49:53 GMT Kev Hunter said:

I don't remember seeing any mentions of Dave Clark in the credits, or did I blink and miss it?

No. It was a dc free zone.

Ironically no clips of his appearances on RSG survive. Instead he inserted clips from other shows on the channel 4 repeats. Things like Southern TV's Chartbusters, Ed Sull etc

[Kev Hunter]

Are we to assume that Dave Clark has no more footage of RSG than was used for the Channel 4 repeats in the 1980s and the video releases? Surely by now more would have surfaced or been offered for commercial sale?