Latest Saturday Evening Music Compilation, (yes!)

[mjhopkins]

I know I had a bit of a moan about the 60 years of BBC2 music special in April (April!!!!) but I just wanted to post on here about the 'Hidden Music Treasures' special last night and say I thought it was a marvellous collection. OK it missed some real rarities; what little exists of 'Disco 2', 'Once More With Felix' and 'Colour Me Pop' buy hey ho. I thought the show had a delightful symmetry to it and was clearly aimed at the music fan not the pop star fan.
It was an absolute pleasure to see The B52s performing 'Roam' on 'Paramount City' which is just a treasured teenage music memory and which, last time I looked, wasn't on YouTube but there it is in perfect 1990 VT!
Josephine Baker from 1974 another highlight as well as Glynis Johns doing 'Send In The Clowns' on 'Parkinson'. It was also good to see a couple of clips that included the original as broadcast end credits which gave the compilation a real as it was feel. Very good to see 'The Danny Baker Show' from 1994 get featured and if you really have to feature 'Later With Jools Holland' you might as well have Mellissa Etheridge among the three inclusions. Only real disappointment apart from above stated absentees, the lack of anything from the real treasure trove of Children's TV. Nothing from 'Swap Shop', 'Saturday Superstore' or 'Going Live' as well as 'Cheggars Plays Pop'. Then there's 'Blue Peter'.
Oh well. It was still a treat. Thanks Beeb, really enjoyed this.

Michael

[Kev Hunter]

I agree with you, especially about the B52s' performance - they also did 'Love Shack' the same episode (26th May) of Paramount City - and it was good to see Jeff Buckley's superb live rendtion of "Grace" from The Late Show again, even though it had been included in the '60 Songs: BBC2 At 60' collection back in April.. better twice than not at all though! The thing about last night's compilation that irked me was the size of the captions which took up a quarter of the screen each time they appeared and were just too prominent. A more subtle 'tickertape' kind of caption which moves across the screen at the bottom of it would have been preferable.

[Phil Chappell]

I was in the audience for the B52s performance so good to hear that was featured- shall have to watch this on catch up as I haven’t seen it since it was first broadcast.

[mjhopkins]

'Paramount City' has almost certainly never had a clip repeated till last night. Maybe the odd moment of standup but certainly not any music clips and The B52s on the show is a shining memory for me. Must've been fantastic to have been present in the studio. One other memory I have of the series is of a stand up comedian (long forgotten who) passing spontaneous comment on the Poll Tax demonstration and subsequent riots which were taking place on the same day!
Pity that punk again didn't get a look in or anything contemporary from recent years (I would love to have seen a clip from 'The Culture Show') but still it was very good and great that they didn't always go for slickness. The Wham clip for example featuring an unwelcome TV camera at one point! Again felt much more for the viewer that was ready for something different and here's hoping there's plenty more to come.

[mjhopkins]

Jeff; One little anecdote. Aged 19 in the summer of '95 I saved enough to go on a holiday and to be able to see an act on the South Bank. I decided to choose between two; Vic Chesnutt at the Purcell Rooms or Jeff Buckley at Meltdown at the RFH. Chose Vic Chesnutt as he seemed more interesting and I'd see Jeff at any time over the next several years.
Never saw Jeff then sadly though Vic was as you'd imagine unforgettable and so rarely came to this country. I still have 'West Of Rome', bought from the display rack outside the hall.

[Kev Hunter]

Oct 13, 2024 20:17:39 GMT Phil Chappell said:

I was in the audience for the B52s performance so good to hear that was featured- shall have to watch this on catch up as I haven’t seen it since it was first broadcast.

I seem to remember that the US comedian George Wallace was on the same show - am I right?  He had a great line in patter, including a catchphrase "The whole world is sick!"

[Phil Chappell]

I’d love to say yes, but I really can’t remember who else was on the show. My memory of the show was that as we were queuing up outside the theatre, The B52s arrived in a coach in full make up - said hello to us and went inside. Then when the show started the recorded both the opening number ‘ Roam’ - paused and then recorded the end of the show , ‘ Love Shack, - after that , the stage was cleared and the rest of the show was done, but who was on I don’t recall!