Music on TV

[Gazoo]

Yet another PBS Pledge Drive where-are-they-now music special, this one devoted to "'70s Pop". A good one-third of it was recycled from the previous Disco Specials (KC, Taste of Honey) but some new perfs from Orleans, John Ford Coley (without England Dan), Starland Vocal Band -- it was quite Gaz-tastic.  Highlight: Andy Kim, in full '70s Neil Diamond-lookalike mode (he's clearly had work done and dyes his hair raven-black), doing "Rock Me Gently".

If Barry Williams was hosting it, I caught almost an hour of it.  Fun stuff - Maxine Nightingale looks *great*!  (BTW, for about 20-odd years I thought/assumed she was white.)

[RGMike]

Yet another PBS Pledge Drive where-are-they-now music special, this one devoted to "'70s Pop". A good one-third of it was recycled from the previous Disco Specials (KC, Taste of Honey) but some new perfs from Orleans, John Ford Coley (without England Dan), Starland Vocal Band -- it was quite Gaz-tastic.  Highlight: Andy Kim, in full '70s Neil Diamond-lookalike mode (he's clearly had work done and dyes his hair raven-black), doing "Rock Me Gently".

If Barry Williams was hosting it, I caught almost an hour of it.  Fun stuff - Maxine Nightingale looks *great*!  (BTW, for about 20-odd years I thought/assumed she was white.)

You & me both, though I did detect a British accent. But yeah, she looks great for 55.  But I HOPE you got to see the 61-year-old Mr. Kim.  I'd forgotten he's the co-writer of "Sugar Sugar"; those resids have bought a lot of plastic surgery and/or botox. And seeing him in the flesh, I'm more inclined than ever to agree with your "interpretation" of the lyrics to "RMG". :wink:

[RGMike]

"I don't care if you're ugly or you're skanky or you're small
I just wanted to do somethin' special for you all"

Another GREAT episode of Flight of the Conchords.  And they did a great psychedelic Donovan parody too.

[RGMike]

I'm watching the rerun of a "first 5 years of SNL" special on NBC -- great clips, both comedy and music (Costello, Dead, Ray Charles doing "I Can See Clearly Now" [!]).

[Lightnin' Rod]

I'm watching the rerun of a "first 5 years of SNL" special on NBC -- great clips, both comedy and music (Costello, Dead, Ray Charles doing "I Can See Clearly Now" [!]).

I remember the Ray Charles performance from when it first aired - it was memorable for the obvious reasons.

I liked how they were using the musical clips to illustrate the points they were making in the program.  For instance, Tom Petty's "Don't Do Me Like That" to illustrate the problems caused by making fun of Silverman (I think it was Silverman, the head of programming at NBC Franken made fun of).  On the whole, better than a mere retrospective, it actually had some depth.

[urth]

I'm watching the rerun of a "first 5 years of SNL" special on NBC -- great clips, both comedy and music (Costello, Dead, Ray Charles doing "I Can See Clearly Now" [!]).

I remember the Ray Charles performance from when it first aired - it was memorable for the obvious reasons.

I liked how they were using the musical clips to illustrate the points they were making in the program.  For instance, Tom Petty's "Don't Do Me Like That" to illustrate the problems caused by making fun of Silverman (I think it was Silverman, the head of programming at NBC Franken made fun of).  On the whole, better than a mere retrospective, it actually had some depth.

I missed the first half-hour or so, but I loved that which I did see. Some nice flashbacks, and I appreciated that they didn't blink and gloss over the drug use and relationships that were going on between cast members and other staff. Pretty honest.

I found it significant though, that both Bill Murray and Jane Curtin were not interviewed, I assume by their own choice. Just about everyone else of any significance was represented if they were still alive.

[RGMike]

Just about everyone else of any significance was represented if they were still alive.

including Don Pardo -- who looked pretty damn good for 86 (or however old he was in '05 when they put the show together)!

[RGMike]

Just stumbled across a real oddity, on FLIX, the Showtime subsidiary (which I get free even tho' I don't have Showtime -- ) .  It's Pop Gear! a British music compilation from 1965 with a bunch of then-current hitmakers lip-synching their hits. Billy J Kramer, the Animals, Herman's Hermits, Spencer Davis, Nashville Teens, Peter & Gordon to name a few. But unlike, say, The T.A.M.I. Show, this isn't some black & white kinescope, it's beautifully filmed in color -- you can see how bad Peter Noone's teeth are in crisp close-up!  And it's hosted by a thoroughly obnoxious deejay with flowing platinum hair.

[RGMike]

Superstation WGN shows "Best of Soul Train" on Sat mornings (11am Pacific). Vintage eps from the '70s. Today it's one from '74. They just danced to Martha Reeves' cover of Joe Simon's "Power of Love", which apparently charted in '74 but was new to me. And now the Moments, showing much male cleavage in their glittery V-neck costumes, doing "Sexy Mama".  "Ahm gonna open up the love-gates to mah heaven..."

Followed by the dancers again, groovin to Al Green's "Let's Get Married". Hoo Lawd!

[RGMike]

Superstation WGN shows "Best of Soul Train" on Sat mornings (11am Pacific). Vintage eps from the '70s. Today it's one from '74. They just danced to Martha Reeves' cover of Joe Simon's "Power of Love", which apparently charted in '74 but was new to me. And now the Moments, showing much male cleavage in their glittery V-neck costumes, doing "Sexy Mama".  "Ahm gonna open up the love-gates to mah heaven..."

Followed by the dancers again, groovin to Al Green's "Let's Get Married". Hoo Lawd!

And now -- TANC -- it's Ecstasy Passion & Pain! and (major revelation) they're NOT 3 women, they're 2 guys and a guitar-playing Gloria Gaynor lookalike.  Live'n'learn!

Followed by the Moments again, doing a duet with Sylvia (of "Pillow Talk" fame), who both produced them and owned the label they were on, All-Platinum.  Then Don Corlelius introduces another dance segment, gyrating to "For the Love of Money" -- "the O'Jays from Philly, with a sho' 'nuff dilly!" I've gotta remember to watch this every Saturday...

[Gazoo]

Superstation WGN shows "Best of Soul Train" on Sat mornings (11am Pacific). Vintage eps from the '70s. Today it's one from '74. They just danced to Martha Reeves' cover of Joe Simon's "Power of Love", which apparently charted in '74 but was new to me. And now the Moments, showing much male cleavage in their glittery V-neck costumes, doing "Sexy Mama".  "Ahm gonna open up the love-gates to mah heaven..."

Followed by the dancers again, groovin to Al Green's "Let's Get Married". Hoo Lawd!

And now -- TANC -- it's Ecstasy Passion & Pain! and (major revelation) they're NOT 3 women, they're 2 guys and a guitar-playing Gloria Gaynor lookalike.  Live'n'learn!

Followed by the Moments again, doing a duet with Sylvia (of "Pillow Talk" fame), who both produced them and owned the label they were on, All-Platinum.  Then Don Corlelius introduces another dance segment, gyrating to "For the Love of Money" -- "the O'Jays from Philly, with a sho' 'nuff dilly!" I've gotta remember to watch this every Saturday...

Well HOT DAMN - I'm sorry I missed this.  Had quite the busy day but this is the kind of stuff I like to make time for.  Will keep a watch out.

PS: "Pillow Talk" was initially pitched to Al Green, who turned it down, resulting in Sylvia's rendition.

[Gazoo]

And now -- TANC -- it's Ecstasy Passion & Pain! and (major revelation) they're NOT 3 women, they're 2 guys and a guitar-playing Gloria Gaynor lookalike.

Any indication as to which was which?  Was the GG chick "Pain"?

[RGMike]

And now -- TANC -- it's Ecstasy Passion & Pain! and (major revelation) they're NOT 3 women, they're 2 guys and a guitar-playing Gloria Gaynor lookalike.

Any indication as to which was which?  Was the GG chick "Pain"?

LOL!  Well, you just KNOW that Don "I was on the DL before they called it that" Cornelius asked her, "so.. ah guess you must be Ecstasy?" And she answered, "Just a little."

[RGMike]

NBC just went to commercial on SNF by showing one of the hits from the 3rd Quarter... and soundtracked it with a snippet of Quicksilver: "oooooo...have another HIT!"  Smartly played.

[RGMike]

Obscure Beatle Movie Alert!

For those who have FLIX on cable or satellite, they're showing an interesting triple feature tonight starting at 5pm:

How I Won the War Richard Lester's dark WWI comedy featuring John Lennon.

That'll Be the Day, a sort of British American Graffitti about the '50s, with David Essex and Ringo Starr. (the sort-of-sequel, Stardust, is one of the great forgotten films of the '70s.)

Wonderwall, a late-'60s psychological drama with a George Harrison soundtrack.

program your TiVOs accordingly!