Ready Steady Go

[Alistair Wilson]

Also does anyone know if the complete prints held by the NFTVA contain any performances that were not shown as part of the C4 prints? I'm a fan of the Small Faces and the Action and would love to know if any of their RSG performances exist although I expect the answer to be negative as I've never seen any in the various tapes that circulate.

I also believe that there was an episode of RSG made in Montreux. If this is the case, is there a chance that the company who filmed it still have a copy? A long shot but European countries seemed far better at keeping music programmes in the 60s. Thank goodness the Beat Club shows weren't wiped.

Thanks for any info.

[Peter Chadwick]

Uncle said:

The copies of the comps I have here- either of US or Japanese origin - feature a bunch of ads from the 1960s. Off the top of my head, they include The Scaffold doing a reworked "Lily The Pink" for Watney's Beer, Simon Dee for Smith's Crisps, and a swingin' ad shot in the Cavern for Timex Watches. Nothing, RSG wise, that wasn't included in the British comps., though.

I know the Japanese RSG videos had an extra track by The Beatles (I Feel Fine) which wasn't on the U.K. vid, but was included in the late night C4 showings in the nineties. The Scaffold ad rings a bell, too, but I can't remember when/where I saw it. Ahhh, the pleasures of middle age!.

[Laurence Piper]

Alistair said:

Also does anyone know if the complete prints held by the NFTVA contain any performances that were not shown as part of the C4 prints? I'm a fan of the Small Faces and the Action and would love to know if any of their RSG performances exist although I expect the answer to be negative as I've never seen any in the various tapes that circulate.

I also believe that there was an episode of RSG made in Montreux. If this is the case, is there a chance that the company who filmed it still have a copy? A long shot but European countries seemed far better at keeping music programmes in the 60s. Thank goodness the Beat Club shows weren't wiped.

Thanks for any info.

Yes, there is some material contained in the NFTVA's complete RSG editions that wasn't included in any of the compilations (e.g. Tony Jackson And The Vibrations are in a 1964 show); another compilations' worth at least, i'd say, going by Clark's ruthless use of footage! I don't know of any RSG Small Faces or Action material existing though (or Kinks, Yardbirds, Cream etc. etc. either) I know The Action are the subject of an edition of the BBC's 20th Century Focus series, which apparently exists - possibly their only surviving material?

There seems to be a lot of great TV footage of The Small Faces (and The Kinks too) surviving in Danish and Scandinavian archives (on VT), which doesn't seem to have been really utilised in anything fully as yet. Some was used in some docs a few years back but - frustratingly - it wasn't complete songs. Proper DVD retrospectives of those bands (making full use of such performances) are long overdue.

[Laurence Piper]

Peter said:

I know the Japanese RSG videos had an extra track by The Beatles (I Feel Fine) which wasn't on the U.K. vid, but was included in the late night C4 showings in the nineties. The Scaffold ad rings a bell, too, but I can't remember when/where I saw it. Ahhh, the pleasures of middle age!.

Do the UK VHS releases differ very much from US/ Japanese versions in many respects, Peter? I only ever saw the British releases myself (and back in the "bad ol' days" it wasn't as easy to play NTSC material before DVD came along, so I didn't bother seeking it out!) Most of The Beatles performances in the Ch.4 compilations are frustratingly plastered with titles / captions etc. You hardly ever seem to get the undoctored clips!

One other query on RSG, which I wonder if anyone can answer: is it known how much (and from which shows) the footage Clark has comes from? Aside from the footage coming from the three (?) complete shows, there seem to be chunks of a number of other editions, including a number of different title sequences (implying bits of many separate editions). Presumably (e.g.) the Beatles footage exists on reels in isolation from the rest of those same editions, which are presumably missing? I wonder how the odd bits that did survive managed to do so? This matter has always intrigued me.

[andrewainsworth]

Laurence,
Is it possible that Beatles footage exists maybe because the video clips done by the aforementioned group were distributed to RSG to play on their show. Which would only mean that the Beatles would have masters.

[Peter Chadwick]

No, Andrew. The Beatles clips from RSG! were all performed (well, mimed) live on the show. Laurence: as far as I know, the only extra Beatles material on the Japanese vid was 'I Feel Fine'. It's from the same edition as 'Kansas City' and 'She's A Woman', Dec. 1964. I should imagine the U.S. video/Laserdisc would have the same tracklisting as the Japanese version; I've never heard of any other exclusive tracks.

[Kev]

If you go to Tv.com formerly Tv Tome) and type ready steady Go you will find Tom Alger's episode guide to the show.

I made a small contribution.

[Adam James Smith]

Laurence said:

Alistair said:

Also does anyone know if the complete prints held by the NFTVA contain any performances that were not shown as part of the C4 prints? I'm a fan of the Small Faces and the Action and would love to know if any of their RSG performances exist although I expect the answer to be negative as I've never seen any in the various tapes that circulate.

I also believe that there was an episode of RSG made in Montreux. If this is the case, is there a chance that the company who filmed it still have a copy? A long shot but European countries seemed far better at keeping music programmes in the 60s. Thank goodness the Beat Club shows weren't wiped.

Thanks for any info.

Yes, there is some material contained in the NFTVA's complete RSG editions that wasn't included in any of the compilations (e.g. Tony Jackson And The Vibrations are in a 1964 show); another compilations' worth at least, i'd say, going by Clark's ruthless use of footage! I don't know of any RSG Small Faces or Action material existing though (or Kinks, Yardbirds, Cream etc. etc. either) I know The Action are the subject of an edition of the BBC's 20th Century Focus series, which apparently exists - possibly their only surviving material?

There seems to be a lot of great TV footage of The Small Faces (and The Kinks too) surviving in Danish and Scandinavian archives (on VT), which doesn't seem to have been really utilised in anything fully as yet. Some was used in some docs a few years back but - frustratingly - it wasn't complete songs. Proper DVD retrospectives of those bands (making full use of such performances) are long overdue.

any idea what Small Faces and Kinks songs and itn what documentaries they were used? Is the kinks stuff the "Drop in" material? (Wonder where my baby is tonight and Set Me free)

[Laurence Piper]

Not sure where the footage is exactly from (the end credits mention several Scandinavian and Dutch archives amongst others. There have been a few docs; a couple on The Kinks / Ray Davies in the late '80s / early '90s and one on The Small Faces (part of the My Generation series).

Also there was some kind of semi-doc / independently produced item featuring SF material that has been screened on TV here. All these were some years ago now. I'd have to dig out the tapes to recall exactly the clips used but See My Friends (definitely) and (possibly) Set Me Free were amongst them, I think. Hey Girl was in there too. As the material is on crisp VT, it's probably from Danish / Swedish TV as Dutch archive stuff is generally on t/r (German stuff is easily identifiable so it isn't from there either).

[Laurence Piper]

Forgot to say that I don't think any material is from Drop-In, although the only stuff from that show i've ever seen to make a judgement by is the Beatles appearance (which is live in front of an audience). The Kinks / SF clips are mimed and there seems to be no studio audience; The Kinks stuff particularly looks more in the style of a TYLS appearance or something like that.

There are a lot of interesting archives out there that deserve to be utilised!!

[Kev]

Set Me Free/See My Friends/Wonder Where My Baby Is Tonight are all from Drop-In

[Laurence Piper]

Are they all mimed performances though? These ones were.

[Adam James Smith]

yeah, they are.

[Bob Savage (robstar)]

robstarThere is a recent cd out of the Action - live at the BBC it includes material recorded at home on a reel to reel recorder by none other than Phil Collins Two of these of tv recordings are from Ready Steady Go! you can clearly hear Cathy mcgowan introducing them! If only we had the visuals eh!

[Simon Wells]

One WONDERFUL piece of RSG footage that has recently surfaced, is of Helen Shapiro singing to a highly embarrased John Lennon during a 1963 RSG appearance. It's a lovely, albeit brief segment!