Old Grey Whistle Test 30th (2DVD Set)

[Captain Black]

Anyone know anything about the specs of this release or a review?

Thanks

[SimonI]

Well, I know it's in mono, has a DVD9 and a DVD5, lots of great music, some slightly irritating menus, and it has a commentary by the producer, which could be fairly boring as it presumably goes on for the full 4 1/2 hours :eek:

[Grover]

Captain Black, here's the full track listing for you:

Alice Cooper - Under My Wheels (1971)
Elton John - Tiny Dancer (1971)
Curtis Mayfield - We Gotta Have Peace (1972)
Randy Newman - Political Science (1972)
Kris Kristofferson and Rita Coolidge - Help Me Make It Through The Night (1972)
Bill Withers - Ain't No Sunshine (1972)
Focus - Sylvia/Hocus Pocus (1972)
Rory Gallagher - Hands Off (1973)
John Martyn - May You Never (1973)
The Wailers - Stir It Up (1973)
Roxy Music - Do The Strand (1973)
The Edgar Winter Group - Frankenstein (1973)
New York Dolls - Jet Boy (1973)
Tim Buckley - Dolphins (1974)
Captain Beefheart - Upon The My O My (1974)
Little Feat - Rock 'N' Roll Doctor (1975)
Dr Feelgood - Roxette (1975)
John Lennon - Stand By Me (1975)
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band - Give My Compliments To The Chef (1975)
Lynyrd Skynyrd - Freebird (1975)
Emmylou Harris - Amarillo (1976)
Bonnie Raitt - Too Long at the Fair (1976)
Tom Waits - Tom Traubert's Blues (1977)
Otway and Barrett - Really Free (1977)
Talking Heads - Psycho Killer (1978)
XTC - Statue Of Liberty (1978)
Blondie - (I'm Always Touched By Your) Presence Dear (1978)
Val Doonican and Charlie McCoy - Stone Fox Chase (1978)
Meatloaf - Paradise By The Dashboard Light - (1978)
Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers - American Girl (1978)
The Police - Can't Stand Losing You (1978)
Bruce Springsteen - Rosalita (1979)
Iggy Pop - I'm Bored (1979)
Tubeway Army - Are Friends Electric? (1979)
The Specials - Message To You Rudi (1979)
The Damned - Smash It Up/I Just Can't Be Happy Today (1979)
The Ramones - Rock 'n' Roll High School (1980)
Public Image Limited - Careering (1980)
The Teardrop Explodes - Reward (1980)
U2 - I Will Follow (1981)
Nine Below Zero - Stone Fox Chase (1981)
Japan - Ghosts (1982)
Robert Wyatt - Shipbuilding (1983)
REM - Moon River/Pretty Persuasion (1984)
Simply Red - Holding Back The Years (1985)
The performances are put together as a four-hour film complete with memories of the show's presenters Bob Harris, Richard Williams, Annie Nightingale, David Hepworth, Mark Allen and Andy Kershaw.

Also included are six major interviews:

Bob Harris with John Lennon
Bob Harris with Keith Richards
Bob Harris with Bruce Springsteen
Bob Harris with Robert Plant
Richard Williams with Elton John and Bernie Taupin
Richard Williams with Mick Jagger

There is a review here (http://www.justdvd.co.uk/Reviews/old_grey_whistle_test.htm).

If The Who and/or Madness had been on there, I'd have snapped it up like a shot! :) On the 'to buy' list for now.

[Dear Mr Echo]

I thought it was good of the BBC not to put the tracklisting on the outside of the package so you couldn't tell what was on the disc:rolleyes:

Nice marketing ploy:)

[urruri]

Fantastic two disc package IMHO.W.H.Smith have got it for £19.99 at present.(most other retailers have it £22.99)

[tinder]

....seriously considered buying this ...but the fact that it is, unavoidably, recorded in mono put me off big time.....how could anyone listen to the many classic tracks on this DVD in MONO....the only way I could bring myself to do this would be if one of my ears had been inadvertantly filled with cement thus rendering me deaf in one ear

[SimonI]

Not a problem, surely? That's how it was recorded. Also adds to the period feel! What I've heard still sounds pretty good, though I suppose those of you with surround systems may beg to differ...

[RoyJones]

I was put off by the mono track, but having bought it was pleasantly surprised with the sound.
I messed about with the creative sound card settings and got a pretty decent sound.
Some of the performances are stunning. Stand out tracks being the wailers and Pil.

If you like music, mono sound apart, this is a great buy.

[Chyna Tsui]

Hmmm, the only stuff of any interest to me falls between Blondie (78) and Japan (82)

No Cure, no Duran, no Smiths - What the hell is going on?????

How about a best of The Tube. Or is nostalgia just getting the better of me!!!

[Creamstick]

The first disc is incredible. Tom Waits' performance alone would be worth the price of this disc (I preordered it for £17.99 at Play). The producers commentary is really good, filled with information and never boring. I've poured over this disc many times since getting it, and it gets a play at least once a day when i'm doing my housework.

[tinder]

Not a problem, surely? That's how it was recorded.



...not a problem, if you dont mind your music in mono.....i havent listened to a mono record since i got rid of my Dansette...unless you count my Hank Williams cds and some early Byrds stuff.

As for mono being how it was recorded.....well that was with great big Ferguson mono TV's in mind....I no longer have my mono Ferguson TV and refuse to play music that was originally intended to be heard in stereo, in mono.

There is also the fact that i cant help noticing that some excellent stuff is missing from this set , Tom Verlaine and Television doing Marquee Moon for one .


I wont buy this DVD for the same reason I wont listen to AM radio.

[AndyWilson]

Originally posted by tinder




...not a problem, if you dont mind your music in mono.....i havent listened to a mono record since i got rid of my Dansette...unless you count my Hank Williams cds and some early Byrds stuff.

As for mono being how it was recorded.....well that was with great big Ferguson mono TV's in mind....I no longer have my mono Ferguson TV and refuse to play music that was originally intended to be heard in stereo, in mono.

There is also the fact that i cant help noticing that some excellent stuff is missing from this set , Tom Verlaine and Television doing Marquee Moon for one .


I wont buy this DVD for the same reason I wont listen to AM radio.

Hmm - I listen to it for the music, the quality is very secondary!

[daltonisbond]

Funny

I would by this DVD for the same reason that I only really listen to AM radio. The standard of songs is superb. I would much rather listen to Freebird by Lynyrd Skynyrd in mono than put up with some of the rubbish radio 1 seem to consider music.

I for one will be buying this as soon as is humanly possible.

[Captain Black]

Thanks for the feedback guys, much appreciated ;) . I think that despite the mono sound I will buy them for my g/f.

...and you thought ole captain black was all bad! :D

[tinder]

I would much rather listen to Freebird by Lynyrd Skynyrd in mono than put up with some of the rubbish radio 1 seem to consider music.





.....I completely agree with your comments re. Radio 1....that's why i dont listen to it or anyother station that makes the presenter more important than the music



Hmm - I listen to it for the music, the quality is very secondary


....I also listen to the music...rather than the hi-fi, as i presume you were suggesting.
I do, however, like to hear the music as the artist intended it to be heard...which in the case of the tracks on this dvd, is in stereo. To the best of my knowledge,none of the tracks were originally recorded in mono.

By the way...i'm not trying to be a music snob...I'm just trying to express my feelings regarding the appeal of music dvds, especially those with mono soundtracks.

I suppose that what I really mean is that I would prefer to just listen to music if being able to watch it meant that I would have to listen to it in mono.

[PaulBoy]

1) Yes the sound is a bit ropey but what a selction especially on disc 1 - Freebird et al - But on my 3801 it sounds pretty good - Turn it up - who cares if its not stereo or 5.1 - A real bonus is my missus hates it :D
2) The reason there's obvious stuff missing is that the package says they had 180 hours to choose from so call me Mr Suspicious ******* but I smell a few more of these DVDS in the pipeline & I for on will buy them (5 hours for £20!)

[RoyJones]

I love freebird, I always get the old 12" out at parties (!).
But what an odd performance. Kinda like an old six form combo, the singer didn't seem to want to be there.

Heh you guys go out front, I'll hang around at the back.
Reminded me of the scene in the holy grail when the guards kept following Palin out of the room.

No you guys stay at the front,
please!



And just for the record unless it's on film the quality of the music is more important to me than the music alone.

Can't wait for SACD.

[feverpitch96]

I think it's a pretty darn good package considering the age of the material.

Anyone else have a momentary subtitle glitch in places, such as the first line of the lyrics to the Curtis Mayfield track turning up unbidden when subtitles are set to "Off"? (Only the first line, mind, then it seems to settle down). My player is a Pioneer DV-344.

The default subtitle setting for these discs appears to be Subtitle Channel 2, and while there are FOUR Subtitle channels on the disc, all but Channel 1 appear to be (mostly) empty. Perhaps they made Channel 2 the default because of bugs with the "Off" setting (e.g. the Curtis Mayfield glitch)...but why weren't these other channels also used, for example to subtitle the producers' commentary? The specs on the back of the box seem to have been overlaid with a new sticker listing SDH as the only subs...perhaps a last-minute cockup with the rest of them?

:confused:

[Adge]

I know it's been said before by Creamstick, but the Tom Waits footage alone makes this disc an essential purchase, it's stunning!!

Also worth a mention are Beefheart, New York Dolls, Ramones, Little Feat and Tubeway Army.

Great disc, lets hope there are others to follow.

[AndyWilson]

..and isn't the drummer with Bill Withers the coolest guy in the world!!!!!!

[Adge]

Originally posted by AndyWilson
..and isn't the drummer with Bill Withers the coolest guy in the world!!!!!!

It's a close battle between him and the guitarist from Dr.Feelgood.......

[Creamstick]

Originally posted by AndyWilson
..and isn't the drummer with Bill Withers the coolest guy in the world!!!!!!

He certainly is! He also seems to be in Crazy Taxi on the PS2/DC?Arcade as well!