Free For All BBC 2 1969

[williammcgregor]

Hello,

The following is not listed on TV Brain and there is no filmographic record for it at the BFI.

Good old TV Pop Diaries has covered it though!

Saturday 19th July 1969

BBC2 Free For All: On The Arts part two Pop 10.55 - 11.40 pm

Pete Brown & The Battered Ornaments

with Jonathan King, Humphrey Lyttelton, Manfred Mann, Denis Matthews, John Peel

Here is the BBC Genome entry for it, which gives a few more details ...

22:55

Free for All: On the Arts: 2: Pop

BBC Two

Sat 19th Jul 1969, 22:55 on BBC Two

In which about 150 people of varied ages, outlook, and opinions look at, listen to - and freely discuss - the music of Pete Brown and his Battered Ornaments. After the discussion their manager Andrew King gives his reactions to some of the comments made.
Somewhere among the audience: Hans Keller, Jonathan King, Humphrey Lyttelton, Manfred Mann, Denis Matthews, John Peel
Referee, Paddy Feeny

(Colour)

Contributors
Musicians:
Pete Brown and his Battered Ornaments
Interviewee:
Andrew King
Panellist:
Hans Keller
Panellist:
Jonathan King
Panellist:
Humphrey Lyttelton
Panellists:
Manfred Mann
Panellist:
Denis Matthews
Panellist:
John Peel
Referee:
Paddy Feeny
Interviewer:
Mike Raven
Research:
Martin Hoyle
Production Assistant:
Robin Drake
Producer:
John King

The next programme started at 23.40 pm. So this was a 45 minute programme.

The following is gleamed from Chris Spedding website, Biography tab

1969

Pete Brown & his Battered Ornaments toured in UK
They really started recording their second album by June and made a TV appearance on 'Free For All'. But Pete Brown was kicked off by other members in June.
Chris Spedding says
He was in the band when we recorded the backing tracks. And then he started doing the vocals. The vocals were so bad, so terrible. so we fired him. Nobody else in the band sings. So I sang. And it's in the wrong key for me, too high for me. But I sang anyway because I knew if I didn't sing on those tracks, the record wouldn't come out. I never sang before. First time I ever sang was in the studio on that album. So I started singing and writing songs, because I had to.

So it looks like this was Chris Spedding first TV appearance?
The panellists are all pretty familiar.
The question is, is this episode Missing from the BBC Archives?
Does anyone recall seeing this episode?
Wonder what the verdict was from the Panellists?
Always a chance that audio exists, if the episode is Missing?

[Kev Hunter]

Sounds as if it was a very interesting programme indeed.. Pete Brown had a fairly unconventional voice, it's true, but if Spedding was the best that Battered Ornaments had then they should have stuck to instrumentals.  

[iwest]

I wonder if Hans Keller liked them more than he did Pink Floyd (which wouldn't be difficult admittedly.)

[stevej]

Crikey I can imagine some pretty strong opinions from that panel! Paddy Feeny must have had his work cut out. Quite brave of any band to subject themselves to that sort of immediate critique on television. It must have made for some truly awkward viewing. I bet not one single fragment survives in the archive...

[richardwoods]

Hardly “Free for all” with the licence fee! 😉 I think I’ll get my coat…..