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Post by Deleted on Sept 24, 2008 11:46:00 GMT
Great! Thanks for the update, Peter.
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Post by Peter Prentice on Sept 24, 2008 14:52:48 GMT
As promised earlier, the revised tracklisting...
A number of side-projects have emerged over the course of my researches. One of these is an attempt to reconstruct the soundtrack in its entirety. This could prove a more difficult task than I had first anticipated as there appears to be an increasing likelihood that some incidental music WAS recorded specifically for the film. This is still something I need to establish, but I have (so far) been unable to find any of the three probable Luiz Bonfa contributions amongst his copious 1960s output.
As you will see, there are still several tracks that have eluded identification. Track (e) was only discovered after I had the cassette converted to CD. Like track (j) this is an important find as it confirms my theory that the soundtrack DOES contain at least a couple of hitherto undocumented musical contributions.
Neither track can be be attributed in any way to any of the acts officially credited. Ditto with tracks (i), (k), (s), and (u) (Fred Marshall had myriad friends in the international pop world, so they could be just about anyone).
I can exclusively reveal that track (d) is 'Everyday' by Kevin Westlake - his half of a 1968 Marmalade 45 shared with Gary Farr (hence the 'Kevin & Gary' billing).
Notice the increasing contribution by the Marmalade Records stable of artists [Blossom Toes; Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger & The Trinity; Kevin Westlake & Gary Farr]. I contacted the legendary Giorgio Gomelsky about this and while he expressed his admiration for some of the company his Marmalade roster were rubbing shoulders with, he had no recollection whatsoever of Fred Marshall or Popdown.
Anyway, here's is the revised tracklisting as of 24/9/08 [LATER AMENDED 13/10/09]:
00.01 (a) Spoken Intro by Fred Marshall: "And it came to pass that these two strangers from another world descended down upon us..." (0.19) 00.20 (b) UNKNOWN. Classical piece (1.04) 01.24 (c) The Idle Race: 'On With The Show' (1.50) 03.14 (d) Kevin Westlake & Gary Farr: 'Everyday' (0.31) 03.45 (e) Brian Auger & The Trinity: 'Tiger' (0.08) 03.53 (f) Brian Auger & The Trinity: Intro of 'Black Cat' (0.19) 04.12 (g) UNKNOWN. Hammond organ instrumental with female backing vocals (1.50) 06.02 (h) Luiz Bonfa: 'Amor de Solidao' (1.16) 07.18 (i) UNKNOWN. Uptempo pop song. More 1964/5 than 1967/68 (1.08) 08.26 (j) The Grapevine: 'Things Ain't What They Used To Be Anymore' (1.29) 09.55 (k) Unknown UK-based American school: 'Who Is The Leader Of Your Gang?' [Unreleased 1968 demo recording of a Tony Colton & Ray Smith song] (2.49 complete) 12.44 (l) Luiz Bonfa: Unknown and unreleased latin instrumental (1.46) 14.30 (m) UNKNOWN. Lengthy instrumental (2.43) 17.13 (n) Chris Barber's Band: 'Catcall' (1.37) 18.50 (o) Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger & The Trinity: ' Why (Am I Treated So Bad)' (0.50) 19.40 (p) Blossom Toes: Closing 90 seconds of 'The Remarkable Saga Of The Frozen Dog' (1.30) 21.10 (q) Brenton Wood: 'Catch You On The Rebound' (2.05 complete) 23.15 (r) Brenton Wood: 'Baby You Got It' (1.23) 24.38 (s) Fred Bongusto: 'Gi' (0.26) 25.04 (t) Brenton Wood: a very brief snatch of 'Two-Time Loser' (0.16) 25.20 (u) UNKNOWN. Uptempo [non-English] all-girl pop song (1.54 complete) 27.14 (v) Brian Auger & The Trinity: 'Isola Natale' (3.09 complete) 30.23 (w) Lord Sitar: 'In A Dream' (1.37) 32.00 (x) Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger & The Trinity: 'Break It Up' (2.41 complete) 34.41 (y) Screams, squawks and guitar effects (0.15) [It seems this was actually Dantalian's Chariot!] 34.56 (z) Dantalian's Chariot: 'The Madman Running Through The Fields' (3.43 complete but lacking one of the "Isn't that the madman..." sections) 38.39 (aa) UNKNOWN. Jazz/Bossa instrumental. Use of the vibraphone suggests the involvement of Michel Hausser (1.02) 39.41 (bb) Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger & The Trinity: 'Kind Of Love-In' (1.09) 40.50 (cc) Nanette [Workman]: 'I'm Going Out (The Same Way I Came In) (2.20 complete) 43.10 (dd) Blossom Toes: 'Love Is' (1.58) 45.08 (ee) Luiz Bonfa & Maria Toledo: Unknown and unreleased instrumental with ethereal backing vocal and Fred Marshall's closing narration: "...At the sound of a beckoning voice they then departed for their main planet" (1.34)
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Post by Peter Elliott on Sept 24, 2008 15:41:32 GMT
Notice the increasing conribution by the Marmalade Records stable of artists [Blossom Toes; Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger & The Trinity; Kevin Westlake & Gary Farr]. I contacted the legendary Giorgio Gomelsky about this and while he expressed his admiration for some of the company his Marmalade roster were rubbing shoulders with, he had no recollection whatsoever of Fred Marshall or Popdown. Gomelsky was my first thought given the amount of Marmalade acts in the film or on the soundtrack. He always seemed to have odd projects on the go... he made a short film about the Rolling Stones in 1963 and did a couple of promo films for The Yardnirds so figured he may have had some involvement in the making of "Pop Down". Thanks for asking him to clarify all this. I'm in contact with a guy who sometimes speaks to Brian Auger and it sadly seems that even Auger can't remember this film! Hardly surprising when you consider how busy he and Julie Driscoll were throughout 1968 with countless TV shows, gigs, sessions and so forth. He did say he would try and contact Blossom Toes member Brian Godding to see if he had any recollections. Quite an intriguing jigsaw... wonder if anybody could track down Zoot Money to see if he has any memories? Sadly I doubt that too thanks to the fact there was much chemical refreshment going on at that time! Thanks again for these updates. Greatly appreciated!
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Post by Peter Prentice on Sept 24, 2008 16:15:08 GMT
Zoot was one of the first people I contacted. He was very supportive of the project and can recall more than most (which isn't saying much!), but then his involvement was far greater than most of the other participants, whose involvement consisted of little more than a day's filming, or a small cameo role. I'm hoping Zoot will consent to a fuller interview in the near future.
I suspect one or two participants regard the film as something of a career lowpoint, perhaps understandably so. I certainly couldn't claim it was a masterpiece. However, as a document of the Swinging London pop scene amidst the fallout of Sergeant Pepper its value is without price.
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Post by Peter Elliott on Sept 24, 2008 16:54:09 GMT
Thanks for that Peter. Nice to know Zoot does have some memory of the project. One of the most interesting characters of the 60s British Rn'B boom!
It is understandable why some would see the film as a nadir going from what we know about it... I can't imagine the ex members of Freddie and The Dreamers jumping at the chance to recall the movie they made, "Cuckoo Patrol" which apparently is utterly awful... what could one expect from a film which saw Freddie and chums joining the boy scouts?!? lol
But again, like you say, "Pop Down" has ended up becoming a snapshot of that time and era for which alone, there is value and interest and I am delighted there are those of us here talking about this film and trying to track it down.
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Post by Peter Prentice on Jan 24, 2009 15:13:52 GMT
A belated update on the search for Popdown:
A great deal has been happening on all fronts since September - particularly from December onwards - so apologies for the lengthy delay.
Firstly, I'm delighted to report that in addition to those names already mentioned, the project now has the backing of several more of its key participants - including leading lady, Diane Keen, and cinematographer, Oliver Wood - as well as a number of friends and associates of the late Fred Marshall. Everyone has kindly shared what memories they have of both Fred and Popdown, and each fully endorses my efforts to recover the film. Talking of which...
Searches are currently ongoing in the UK, Australia and Brazil, but there has been some bad news concerning the aborted 2000 screening. The event organiser, Martin Lewis, has confirmed the print they had been able to secure was deemed unprojectable and junked by a UK lab before it had even left these shores. Martin also managed to speak to Fred Marshall himself, and it transpired that Fred neither had a copy of the film, nor knew of the whereabouts of a print - a huge blow after all my efforts to discover what had become of the Fred Marshall film library. This double whammy was slightly offset by the news that the film DID receive a theatrical release of some description in the UK, which increases the likelihood of further prints existing.
I can also finally confirm the film's original running time WAS 98 minutes, which means the version I saw in 1984 must have borne scant resemblance to the intended picture. Quite how Fred envisaged a cinema audience sitting through a 98 minute film containing no dialogue, I can't begin to imagine! I am still at a loss to explain why the print shown at the Scala was a further 7-8 minutes shorter than the official 54 minute duration.
The soundtrack identification is slowly taking shape. Our ever-growing band of musical Miss Marple's has now been augmented by the composers Richard Hill and John Hawkins, and the songwriting team of Tony Colton and Ray Smith. With their help - and the recent discovery of the film's press book - I can now make the following amendments to my last attempt at a tracklisting:
Track (k) is a song called 'Who's The Leader Of Your Gang?', an unreleased Tony Colton/Ray Smith composition recorded in 1968 by a UK-based American school. Neither Tony nor Ray were aware the song had been used.
Track (n) is none other than the Chris Barber Band, with their 1967 Paul McCartney-penned and produced 45 'Catcall'. Yet another Marmalade release! It means their entire 1967 to mid-1968 roster is featured to some degree. You won't be surprised to learn, therefore, the name of the film's "Musical Co-ordinator"....a certain Mr. Giorgio Gomelsky!
Track (s) is 'Gi', a 1967 San Remo Song Festival entrant sung by the Italian tenor, Fred Bongusto.
The instrumental pieces continue to elude detection, however. John Hawkins - the composer of the Lord Sitar track - would have been an obvious candidate for some of the lighter pieces, but he doesn't recognise them as his handiwork (though he can't be absolutely certain due to the poor sound quality of the audio recording). Like Tony and Ray, he had no idea his material had been used.
Tracks (h), (l), and probably (ee), almost certainly feature the virtuoso guitarwork of Luiz Bonfa, and it is becoming increasingly likely they WERE recorded specifically for the film.
Probably the most significant news to date came just a fortnight ago, with the discovery of 18 rolls of negatives containing in excess of 500 black & white stills. All were taken over a period of eight days between March and June of 1968 at a variety of London locations. Unfortunately - apart from Kevin Westlake and Gary Farr - none feature any of the musical acts; though an unidentified band and an unidentified singer/guitarist do appear in some shots. This is an important find, for we now have access to a priceless visual record of the film.
So mixed news to report, but things are really beginning to hot up, and some of Popdown's many longstanding mysteries are at last being resolved. I promise not to take quite so long posting my next update!
Before I go, a request. Does anyone have a screenshot they can post of the actor Michael da Costa from one of his occasional ITC roles? He also appeared in the first Steptoe film, if anyone has that. I need it to confirm he was the same actor that appears in the film.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 24, 2009 15:21:56 GMT
Many thanks for the detailed update, Peter. Always good to have info on the potential recovery of any unique '60s pop footage. Keep us updated!
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Post by Peter Elliott on Jan 24, 2009 16:26:03 GMT
I echo Laurence's thanks. Fascinating stuff!
I'm just surprised that Giorgio Gomelsky doesn't have a copy of the film, given his involvement and many of his artistes being in the film. Gomelsky was always involved with film projects of his own and it would had been the sort of thing he'd do, get a copy of it for his own archive... but then again he did a film on The Rolling Stones in early 1963 which he managed to lose at some point.
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Post by Peter Prentice on Jan 24, 2009 18:32:46 GMT
I echo Laurence's thanks. Fascinating stuff! I'm just surprised that Giorgio Gomelsky doesn't have a copy of the film, given his involvement and many of his artistes being in the film. Gomelsky was always involved with film projects of his own and it would had been the sort of thing he'd do, get a copy of it for his own archive... but then again he did a film on The Rolling Stones in early 1963 which he managed to lose at some point. Giorgio has no recollection of Popdown whatsoever. Don't be surprised, the film seems to have that effect on quite a few people - myself included. I normally have a pretty good recall, but that night in 1984 is just a blank. Apart from a vague memory of the Dantalian's Chariot sequence, the only thing I can remember was a sense of disappointment at its brevity. I don't even recognise it from the images I've recently obtained. Weird!
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Post by ajsmith on Jan 25, 2009 13:55:04 GMT
Hey Peter Prentice,
I can't thank you enough for taking my query and running so far with it; this is truly fascinating stuff and I'm beyond grateful that someone is researching this film with such precision and depth while the main players are still around (after all, 1968 is getting on for a truly long time ago). The 2000 junking of the last identifiable print is saddening, but all too reflective of the ignorance about the film and it's rarity. I'm pretty sure there would've been something salvagable from that print given the right equipment time and patience. Do you think thhis was the same print as seen at Scala? How will you present all tis informtation when your research is over? Magazine article?
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Post by Peter Prentice on Jan 25, 2009 19:06:15 GMT
Hey Peter Prentice, I can't thank you enough for taking my query and running so far with it; this is truly fascinating stuff and I'm beyond grateful that someone is researching this film with such precision and depth while the main players are still around (after all, 1968 is getting on for a truly long time ago). The 2000 junking of the last identifiable print is saddening, but all too reflective of the ignorance about the film and it's rarity. I'm pretty sure there would've been something salvagable from that print given the right equipment time and patience. Do you think thhis was the same print as seen at Scala? How will you present all tis informtation when your research is over? Magazine article? Think nothing of it AJ - I just felt something had to be done to recover the film. The junking was really the most indescribably crass act, as - as you have said - something could surely have been salvaged from it. We can only hope it wasn't the Scala print. I have given myself until the end of April to gather as much material as possible, before fashioning it into some kind of article. The framework for the article I would ideally like to write is already in place, but several key sections of the story are missing, and I may just have to do the best with what I have. The whole aim of the article is to raise the profile of the film and help promote the search for a print, should it still be necessary. A book of the photographs has also been mentioned, if the article generates enough interest.
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Post by Peter Prentice on Apr 26, 2009 15:50:08 GMT
Quick update. I have recently taken charge of eleven reels of 16mm film containing approximately 500ft of excerpts from Popdown. They were found amongst the inventory of Fred Marshall's film library in Hong Kong, a library I am doing my best to salvage before the company storing it closes down later in the year. We are fortunate to have anything at all as the filmmaker issued instructions to have all of the films destroyed! Three additional reels (this time in 35mm), which I suspect to be further material, will be with me in the next couple of days. I'm not sure what condition the reels are in, but I've no doubt they require expert handling, possibly even restoration. To this end, I contacted Dick Fiddy just before Easter, and he passed on my request to his colleagues at the BFI. Disappointingly, I have yet to hear from them.
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Post by ajsmith on Apr 26, 2009 19:34:09 GMT
Wow, Great news, Peter! How did you manage to trackk these down?
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Post by Peter Prentice on Apr 26, 2009 21:34:05 GMT
Hi AJ. It all came about as a result of a number of enquiries I made into a reported screening of the film in the Far East many years ago. The last thing I was expecting was to locate Fred Marshall's film library! I'm now attempting to raise the capital to get the rest of it shipped over before Fred's instructions are belatedly carried out.
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Post by cperry on Apr 27, 2009 6:34:48 GMT
Hi Peter
Indeed, my congratulations on your tireless work. If we can be of any help please let me know.
c
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