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Post by stevej on Aug 29, 2020 19:31:37 GMT
Beat Club's YouTube channel is very active at the moment, with performances uploaded almost every day. If you aren't fortunate enough to have the comprehensive dvd box sets, this is a great opportunity to see some of what you've been missing:
Beat Club must surely be one (if not the) the most important pop/rock archive in existence! The sheer range of artists is breathtaking- and all preserved on either pristine monochrome or colour videotape. With the UK music archive situation for the 1966-72 period patchy at best, we can only look up from our pile of tatty old telerecordings and VT fragments in awe. BC seem to have kept rehearsals and multiple performance takes- was the comparative price of videotape less in Germany or was WDR less cash-strapped than the BBC? It's lucky that the show was happy to feature so many UK acts- I mean where else would you see The Mirror or The World of Oz for goodness' sake? (I'm surprised that Kaleidoscope/Fairfield Parlour didn't appear though, maybe for Jenny Artichoke or Bordeaux Rose?)
I'd love to read a definitive history of Beat Club - if there was one in English! The retina-searing colour special effects would be worth a chapter on their own...
Does anyone have a favourite Beat Club performance?
Steve
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Post by richardwoods on Aug 29, 2020 21:37:20 GMT
Beat Club's YouTube channel is very active at the moment, with performances uploaded almost every day. If you aren't fortunate enough to have the comprehensive dvd box sets, this is a great opportunity to see some of what you've been missing:
Beat Club must surely be one (if not the) the most important pop/rock archive in existence! The sheer range of artists is breathtaking- and all preserved on either pristine monochrome or colour videotape. With the UK music archive situation for the 1966-72 period patchy at best, we can only look up from our pile of tatty old telerecordings and VT fragments in awe. BC seem to have kept rehearsals and multiple performance takes- was the comparative price of videotape less in Germany or was WDR less cash-strapped than the BBC? It's lucky that the show was happy to feature so many UK acts- I mean where else would you see The Mirror or The World of Oz for goodness' sake? (I'm surprised that Kaleidoscope/Fairfield Parlour didn't appear though, maybe for Jenny Artichoke or Bordeaux Rose?)
I'd love to read a definitive history of Beat Club - if there was one in English! The retina-searing colour special effects would be worth a chapter on their own...
Does anyone have a favourite Beat Club performance?
Steve
Humble Pie, Acoustic For Your Love. Magnificent youtu.be/W0gkMzies2U
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Post by petercheck on Aug 29, 2020 22:09:01 GMT
Fave? The Hollies' 3-song 1966 performance!
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Post by nicadare on Aug 30, 2020 11:07:11 GMT
Beat Club's YouTube channel is very active at the moment, with performances uploaded almost every day. If you aren't fortunate enough to have the comprehensive dvd box sets, this is a great opportunity to see some of what you've been missing:
Beat Club must surely be one (if not the) the most important pop/rock archive in existence! The sheer range of artists is breathtaking- and all preserved on either pristine monochrome or colour videotape. With the UK music archive situation for the 1966-72 period patchy at best, we can only look up from our pile of tatty old telerecordings and VT fragments in awe. BC seem to have kept rehearsals and multiple performance takes- was the comparative price of videotape less in Germany or was WDR less cash-strapped than the BBC? It's lucky that the show was happy to feature so many UK acts- I mean where else would you see The Mirror or The World of Oz for goodness' sake? (I'm surprised that Kaleidoscope/Fairfield Parlour didn't appear though, maybe for Jenny Artichoke or Bordeaux Rose?)
I'd love to read a definitive history of Beat Club - if there was one in English! The retina-searing colour special effects would be worth a chapter on their own... Does anyone have a favourite Beat Club performance?
Steve
Humble Pie, Acoustic For Your Love. Magnificent youtu.be/W0gkMzies2UThe Walker Brothers "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore" 1966 The Casuals "Jesamine" 1968. (A shame it's faded out very early on the Beat Club DVD). And I believe that the Walker Brothers 1966 TOTP performance of "You Don't Have To Tell Me" only survives because it was on Beat Club reel episode 13 which also included Manfred Mann's Promo "Just Like a Woman".
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Post by johnpoole on Aug 30, 2020 13:05:34 GMT
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Post by Thomas Walsh on Sept 1, 2020 7:26:59 GMT
Beat Club's YouTube channel is very active at the moment, with performances uploaded almost every day. If you aren't fortunate enough to have the comprehensive dvd box sets, this is a great opportunity to see some of what you've been missing:
Beat Club must surely be one (if not the) the most important pop/rock archive in existence! The sheer range of artists is breathtaking- and all preserved on either pristine monochrome or colour videotape. With the UK music archive situation for the 1966-72 period patchy at best, we can only look up from our pile of tatty old telerecordings and VT fragments in awe. BC seem to have kept rehearsals and multiple performance takes- was the comparative price of videotape less in Germany or was WDR less cash-strapped than the BBC? It's lucky that the show was happy to feature so many UK acts- I mean where else would you see The Mirror or The World of Oz for goodness' sake? (I'm surprised that Kaleidoscope/Fairfield Parlour didn't appear though, maybe for Jenny Artichoke or Bordeaux Rose?)
I'd love to read a definitive history of Beat Club - if there was one in English! The retina-searing colour special effects would be worth a chapter on their own... Does anyone have a favourite Beat Club performance?
Steve
Did you not know that "Sunny side circus" by Fairfield Parlour was recently unearthed by Beat Club and a clip of it was posted on Peter Daltrey's Facebook page? If you can follow this link, here it is.. m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=3439455489419791&id=100000661204552&sfnsn=mo&extid=5nFB6vI5dYC5lDdT&d=n&vh=i
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Post by Alan Turrell on Sept 1, 2020 9:14:34 GMT
Thanks for posting this Thomas, Fairfield Parlour's one and only album "From Home To Home" is in my top 10 albums of all time and if I had the money I would track down the original on Vertigo from 1970 I'd love to see more footage from them.
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Post by Mike Goldwater on Sept 1, 2020 11:54:34 GMT
A good reason why this show was well preserved is probably down to the fact it was broadcast once a month, which gave the producers a greater oppertunity to preserve editions for posterity. Also as the series wore on, the show went from being recorded 'as live' to being organised as a series of pre-recorded inserts which is probably why so many outakes, alternative takes and blue screen material survives from the show's later years. We also have to thank the enterprising endeavours of its producers Gerhard Augustin and Mike Leckebusch for having the foresight the preserve the show not ony for posterity but for the possibility of repeating archive clips in later editions and other shows/ documentearies. Likewise to other producers on continental music shows during this period who also saw the potential to preserve the shows output, something which was mostly lacking in the UK (on both the BBC and ITV networks) during the 60's and early 70's.
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Post by stevej on Sept 1, 2020 16:33:51 GMT
Wow, thanks Thomas, that amazing snippet had passed me by. Unfortunately not being on FB myself I can't view it, but the thumbnail looks promising! I guess for whatever reason this performance wasn't used at the time? I agree with Alan that 'From Home To Home' is a wonderful album- the cover photography sets the mood perfectly.
For what it's worth, my own Beat Club favourites from the b&w era include the Remo Four, PP Arnold, Truly Smith, Billie Davis and a terrific UK-produced non-hit by Swedish duo Bella & Me- the girls also performed this on Dee Time before throwing in the towel and going back to au pair work apparently...
From the colour era, the performance I keep returning to is by Earth & Fire which by coincidence has just popped up on the BC channel. For me this is one where they've pitched the visual effects just right in that they enhance the performance rather than swamping it, as often tended to happen. Also... mellotron!
Steve
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Post by richardwoods on Sept 1, 2020 18:59:38 GMT
Wow, thanks Thomas, that amazing snippet had passed me by. Unfortunately not being on FB myself I can't view it, but the thumbnail looks promising! I guess for whatever reason this performance wasn't used at the time? I agree with Alan that 'From Home To Home' is a wonderful album- the cover photography sets the mood perfectly.
For what it's worth, my own Beat Club favourites from the b&w era include the Remo Four, PP Arnold, Truly Smith, Billie Davis and a terrific UK-produced non-hit by Swedish duo Bella & Me- the girls also performed this on Dee Time before throwing in the towel and going back to au pair work apparently...
From the colour era, the performance I keep returning to is by Earth & Fire which by coincidence has just popped up on the BC channel. For me this is one where they've pitched the visual effects just right in that they enhance the performance rather than swamping it, as often tended to happen. Also... mellotron!
Steve
Love the Earth & Fire performance. Thank goodness for RNI & Caroline in the 70’s otherwise we would have never got to hear some of the wonderful music from the Dutch scene!
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Post by mjhopkins on Sept 1, 2020 21:06:17 GMT
When i was in isolation in late march (i dont think it proved to be THAT in the end) I kept myself occupied by watching all of my beat club volume 1 and 2 box set in order. Quite a venture you can imagine but man it was enjoyable. The favourites for me would be The Small Faces Tin Soldier complete with reprise after the credits and studio applause, The Herd, From The Underworld and from jan '69 a promo for All Along The Watchtower that ive never found anywhere else.
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Post by Alan Turrell on Sept 2, 2020 8:58:46 GMT
"Seasons" is my favourite song by Earth and Fire which I first heard on Radio R.N.I, the pirate station was always playing Earth and Fire material I always thought their lead singer was very similar to the women leads in Shocking Blue and Curved Air all very attractive women and all three excellent bands.
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Post by paul welton on Sept 3, 2020 16:56:21 GMT
"Seasons" is my favourite song by Earth and Fire which I first heard on Radio R.N.I, the pirate station was always playing Earth and Fire material I always thought their lead singer was very similar to the women leads in Shocking Blue and Curved Air all very attractive women and all three excellent bands. Was chuffed to aquire a fine condition British copy of Seasons on Polydor a while back. Earth and fires first single ,and a bit of a rarity. I've since found Maybe tommorow,maybe tonight and Love of life at a charity shop and a car boot,so keep an eye out!
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Post by richardwoods on Sept 3, 2020 17:00:05 GMT
Personal favourites are Seasons & Storm & Thunder. Ah, happy memories!!
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Post by paul welton on Sept 3, 2020 17:02:58 GMT
The Yes performance of Yours is no disgrace is superb,with an extra guitar break in the middle. m.youtube.com/watch?v=nx_GIji9EGwThe top of the tops performance on the album slot in 1971 now exists only in my memory 😞
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