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Post by garyprior on Dec 22, 2011 0:01:39 GMT
I really Cannot under stand John Henshall on the News he said "i did not know other people wanted theses tapes he has " he has over 100 other performances from the same period of time...i mean come on..everyone knows the BBC for some years now, have been trying to recover wiped or lost film.....i just wonder how many more people out there are playing the fool...
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Post by Chris Barratt on Dec 22, 2011 1:00:41 GMT
It's quite simple Gary - being not involved in this scene John as a retired cameraman was not aware just how widespread and ridiculous the BBC's wiping policy was. When UK Gold showed 70s episodes of TOTP in 1993 I was unaware the first half of the decade had (bar a few shows) been erased, it seems unconceivable that such an embarrassment of riches could be junked. "Everyone" does not know this.
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Post by Bob Savage (robstar) on Dec 22, 2011 1:01:50 GMT
I really Cannot under stand John Henshall on the News he said "i did not know other people wanted theses tapes he has " he has over 100 other performances from the same period of time...i mean come on..everyone knows the BBC for some years now, have been trying to recover wiped or lost film.....i just wonder how many more people out there are playing the fool... The BBC until now have not been too bothered about reclaiming TOTP that are known to exist in foreign archives maybe now they may have a rethink of policy given the huge interest this has generated not to mention possible large viewing figures! I wish they would show the See Emily Play, Jimi Hendrix, Kinks, Marc Bolan Teenage Dream, Sweet and ZDF footage that they know exists
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Post by Thomas Walsh on Dec 22, 2011 3:53:14 GMT
Stunning.......................
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Post by Ray Langstone (was saintsray) on Dec 22, 2011 6:37:03 GMT
Wow!!!! I have finally seen it! Most amazing footage ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you John and to everyone else involved....big pat on the back to me too!
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Post by stevearkless on Dec 22, 2011 8:59:45 GMT
as we now know a retired bbc engineer, has a copy of david bowie's- jean genie. perfomance. from top of the pops. 1973. that engineer .has said he has at least 100 perfomances. from top of the pops ! in his personal archive! wonder what he has!-good news all round! this performance of david bowie will be shown next year on bbc 4.
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Post by Rich Cornock on Dec 22, 2011 9:01:25 GMT
a brilliant piece of archive footage that will be cherished for generation this really shows the importance of Top of the pops and highlights why its such a criminal act not to still be making programs like this. The David Bowie clip represented the Glam Rock era really well yet now that TOTP has been scrapped there will be nothing in the archives from this part of the 21st century to show in 40 years time. Surely now is the time to bring back TOTP even if only on BBC3 or 4.
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Post by Paul Watkins on Dec 22, 2011 10:15:55 GMT
[
Absolutly fab performace of Jean Genie. Thanks John, can't wait to find out what else you have got in that archive of yours.
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Post by Andrew Parker on Dec 22, 2011 12:01:41 GMT
Was it just the clip of the Jeangenie song, or was it the whole TOTPs episode that was returned?
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Post by johnhenshall on Dec 22, 2011 12:03:55 GMT
The morning after the day before ...
And what a day it was! To be on the BBC1 6 o'clock and 10 o'clock news bulletins, for a feel-good story, not because I'd murdered someone, was accolade enough but to be on Radio 5 Live and more local radio stations than I can remember (and more this morning) was OTT. And why all the fuss? All because I'm a hoarder!
This is the only forum I'm on and it is because you folk are so genuine so grateful and so positive. True enthusiasts. I would like to thank you all for the really nice positive comments you have made. It makes it such a pleasure to have done this.
I understand that there are other forums where thanks to me have been expressed and, if you are on them, I would be most grateful if you would pass on my thanks to the good guys there. I don't want to join those forums myself because some of them have nutters who clearly have personality disorders and need to get a life. One posting I was told of was so full of vitriol and misinformation about me and my motives that I couldn't stop laughing. But I shouldn't laugh: that saddo clearly has major issues which need attention. But it's not like that here, thank goodness!
I would like to put on record that I did not get the recording of 'The Jean Genie' just because it used one of my Telefex Fisheye 3 lenses. Many programmes used those lenses at that time. This one was different. Those of us working on the show knew that that was an electrifying performance by one of the world's finest performers, up there with such other greats as Paul McCartney (with whom I have also had the pleasure of working with many times). And we were lucky enough to be a creative part of it. We didn't do drugs. We didn't need to. We were high on the experience alone. And when I watched the playback and saw myself in shot it kinda proved that I was there, that I helped to create it.
Of course not everyone likes the fisheye effect. But isn't it ironic that, without it, this iconic performance would no longer exist? There were things I didn't like, such as the position of the drums sticking out on the left, which prevented me from getting my camera in to get a 2-shot from the left favouring David and avoiding the microphone; and the over use of the new "Multi-Level Synthesis" (solarisation) effect which caused line tearing, even on the original recording. But these were the days of experimentation, not only in music but also in ways to make television more exciting visually.
Last night I watched 'The Jean Genie' on TOTP2 with a tear in my eye. I was thinking of my Senior Cameraman, Ron Green, one of the best cameramen the BBC ever had. I wished he could have seen the re-broadcast of one of our favourite artistes on one of our favourite shows last night. We had so many wonderful experiences together, not only on TOTP but on a wealth of other top BBC shows, such as Dud and Pete's "Not Only But Also". He died a lonely man two years ago. And I thought of Richard (Dickie) Chamberlain, the Sound Supervisor who could produce live sound which equaled or even bettered the sound on record – if the "stars" themselves could actually play, as DB and the "Spiders from Mars" undoubtedly could, as opposed to having session musicians play for them. Dickie died a lonely man at his own hands a couple of years ago. His son found him. But I can still see his ever smiling face, especially when Babs of "Pan's People" was in the studio! (The sound crew clubbed together to pay for him to take her out for dinner but she declined. She would have been quite safe. He was a happily married devout Christian.)
Please excuse my ramblings, though in a way I think that if anyone would appreciate these related anecdotes it is you, the members of this forum whom I have come to respect.
Thank you for your kind comments, which have made me feel very special. Have a very Merry Christmas.
Regards, John.
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Post by Paul Watkins on Dec 22, 2011 12:07:01 GMT
You keep on rambling as much as you want John Thanks again from all of us and have a great Christmas
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Post by Paul Tivy on Dec 22, 2011 12:15:52 GMT
I don't often post on here but this is an exceptional occasion. I'm with Paul, ramble on to your heart's content John - you're among friends and we're fascinated. Big kudos to you for keeping this recording for all these years. I last saw it when I was 9 and almost cried when watching it again last night! A big thanks also to eagle eyed (or eared?) markwardle1 for spotting the reference on Sounds Of The 70s back in September and a huge round of applause to Ray for tracking down John and setting the wheels in motion for last night's re-broadcast. I'm proud to be a member of this forum and I need a little lie down...
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Post by ChrisMoise on Dec 22, 2011 12:26:56 GMT
Absolutely stunning. I agree, the greatest TOTP recovery ever. I live for finds like this...cheers to John for making this happen.
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Post by markg on Dec 22, 2011 12:29:53 GMT
Now, if only that Television "Prove It" can be found also...
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Richard Develyn
Member
Living in hope that more missing episodes will come back to us.
Posts: 574
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Post by Richard Develyn on Dec 22, 2011 12:57:14 GMT
Hi John, I would like to add my thanks to the many others for keeping and returning this material to the BBC. Let me make it clear, though, you are not a hoarder. Hoarders are people who have material like this that other people want (desperately) and who refuse to let it go. Hoarders generate a lot of bad feeling and paranoia among fan communities. Hoarders also encourage hoaxers (and heaven knows with Doctor Who we've had enough of those), who feed on that combination of desire and ignorance and make things a million times worse. We used to have hoarders in the Doctor Who world, but now happily that's a thing of the past (15 years +) thanks principally to the work of The Doctor Who Restoration team who made sure that material was recovered and then redistributed to the fan base (in time - but even the smallest least significant clip). A while ago I had a look at the Bowie fan scene to see what sort of visual material might exist from the 70s and I saw then that a hoarding situation existed. There was clearly lots in existence, from home-movies to difficult to find material like the 1980 floor show and Bowie's own recording of one of his Thin White Duke concerts. It was there, but no one was going to let you have it. I can quite imagine how large sections of the Bowie fan community must have felt, and I'm afraid that when people get like that they often vent their anger in the wrong direction. Please do not be offended by this. It's a symptom of a sick environment which is hopefully coming to an end and it in no way reflects the gratitude felt towards you by the thousands of Bowie fans out there. It is actions by people like you that turn these sorts of environments around. I'm no psychologist, but it seems to me that fans generally reciprocate, so that when people start to share rather than hoard eventually the whole fan-base moves from hoarding to sharing. This really did happen with Doctor Who fans in the 90s, and it was an amazing thing to see. Suddenly, it was cool to give things out, and very uncool to boast about things you were keeping to yourself. In giving missing material back in this way, you don't just make the world a better place for the people who derive countless pleasure from watching and re-watching it, you also encourage others to do the same. Your actions, therefore, are doubly important. So thank you once again Richard
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