A third complete show from 15 October 1970 presented by Tony Blackburn survives in colour - was that episode not shown on UK Gold?
There is also a print of an incomplete Ed Stewart hosted edition from June 1972 which turned up at BBC Glasgow a few years ago which includes a number of full performances.
I am a little unsure as to whether the show from 15 October 1970 was shown on UK Gold, or not. I certainly do not have it.
I have the incomplete episode from June 1972, and it's a very good one. The footage begins halfway though a promo film for Elvis Presley's "American Trilogy", although i wouldn't be surprised if the promo hadn't been especially made by the BBC. It isn't an Elvis in performance type video, more a re-enactment of an American Civil War type scenario.
Argent, The New Seekers, and The Move appear in that episode. The Move's "California Man" is interesting because the performance includes both Roy Wood and Jeff Lynne (Lynne is playing the piano and occasionally sings a line or two). Don Mclean is no 1 with "Vincent", and the accompanying clip appears to be concert footage.
While the picture quality isn't great (although it is in colour), i have rarely seen the Top Of The Pops studio look so impressive (and expansive). The atmosphere is great too - the audience all look like they are enjoying themselves. I notice Ed Stewart was a fairly regular host on Top Of The Pops in the early part of the seventies. I primarily remember him as host on Junior Choice on radio 1 at weekends, and presenting Crackerjack.
I am a little unsure as to whether the show from 15 October 1970 was shown on UK Gold, or not. I certainly do not have it.
I have the incomplete episode from June 1972, and it's a very good one. The footage begins halfway though a promo film for Elvis Presley's "American Trilogy", although i wouldn't be surprised if the promo hadn't been especially made by the BBC. It isn't an Elvis in performance type video, more a re-enactment of an American Civil War type scenario.
Argent, The New Seekers, and The Move appear in that episode. The Move's "California Man" is interesting because the performance includes both Roy Wood and Jeff Lynne (Lynne is playing the piano and occasionally sings a line or two). Don Mclean is no 1 with "Vincent", and the accompanying clip appears to be concert footage.
While the picture quality isn't great (although it is in colour), i have rarely seen the Top Of The Pops studio look so impressive (and expansive). The atmosphere is great too - the audience all look like they are enjoying themselves. I notice Ed Stewart was a fairly regular host on Top Of The Pops in the early part of the seventies. I primarily remember him as host on Junior Choice on radio 1 at weekends, and presenting Crackerjack.
Isn't 15 October 1970 a mute links one, which would explain the Uk Gold non appearance.
As for the 1972 edition, if it's the one I'm thinking of, isn't it 'weak colour'?
Very pale flesh tones, dominant colour pale green?
I also have a Top Of The Pops episode dated 26/2/1970, which while interesting, isn't a very easy watch. It has a very irritating tape counter at the bottom of the screen, and little logo boxes at the top which is rather distracting. However, there are some very interesting performances, and not least from a very young looking Kenny Rogers, and there is also the Steam hit "Na Na Hey Hey, Kiss Him Goodbye", which i think most younger people associate with Bananarama. That episode is introduced by Jimmy Savile, so i'm very doubtful we will ever get the chance to see it on tv.
A great episode that still remains from 1972, is a Christmas edition featuring Gary Glitter, Alice Cooper, Slade, T Rex, Roberta Flack and The Jackson Five amongst others. I think it deserves to be shown, because it's pretty much as good as any i have seen. It is introduced by Tony Blackburn and Noel Edmonds (however Rolf Harris does make an appearance with his sketch board). There is a christmas edition introduced by them also that survives from 1973, and was repeated on the BBC in around 1991, which is also very much worth watching. It's amazing to see watching those two Christmas editions how amazingly successful the Osmonds were at the time, both as a group, and in more individual combinations, etc. They appear on a 1974 Christmas special too, singing "Love Me For A Reason", and it's amazing watching them, how reminiscent they seem visually in style to Boyzone and Westlife, but dare i say much, much better. Wasn't Boyzone's first hit a cover of "Love Me For A Reason"?
I am a little unsure as to whether the show from 15 October 1970 was shown on UK Gold, or not. I certainly do not have it.
I have the incomplete episode from June 1972, and it's a very good one. The footage begins halfway though a promo film for Elvis Presley's "American Trilogy", although i wouldn't be surprised if the promo hadn't been especially made by the BBC. It isn't an Elvis in performance type video, more a re-enactment of an American Civil War type scenario.
Argent, The New Seekers, and The Move appear in that episode. The Move's "California Man" is interesting because the performance includes both Roy Wood and Jeff Lynne (Lynne is playing the piano and occasionally sings a line or two). Don Mclean is no 1 with "Vincent", and the accompanying clip appears to be concert footage.
While the picture quality isn't great (although it is in colour), i have rarely seen the Top Of The Pops studio look so impressive (and expansive). The atmosphere is great too - the audience all look like they are enjoying themselves. I notice Ed Stewart was a fairly regular host on Top Of The Pops in the early part of the seventies. I primarily remember him as host on Junior Choice on radio 1 at weekends, and presenting Crackerjack.
Jeff Lynne also appeared alongside Roy Wood on the Move hits Tonight and China Girl. I would assume that Tonight at least (a Number 11 hit) would have been on TOTP. On all three Jeff is the secondary singer but sings more than one or two lines. For example, on California Man he sings the first verse (out of three) and alternate lines of the chorus.
Jeff Lynne also appeared alongside Roy Wood on the Move hits Tonight and China Girl. I would assume that Tonight at least (a Number 11 hit) would have been on TOTP. On all three Jeff is the secondary singer but sings more than one or two lines. For example, on California Man he sings the first verse (out of three) and alternate lines of the chorus.
Yes, true. Jeff does sing more than one or two lines (including the opening verse) altthough i would say that Roy Wood is the primary singer overall.
Yes, true. Jeff does sing more than one or two lines (including the opening verse) altthough i would say that Roy Wood is the primary singer overall.
Agreed. Their roles were reversed on the next single, which was 10538 Orchestra, credited to ELO, where Jeff was the main singer (and composer) and Roy the secondary one.
Agreed. Their roles were reversed on the next single, which was 10538 Orchestra, credited to ELO, where Jeff was the main singer (and composer) and Roy the secondary one.
Yes, and what a fabulous record that was. I have a feeling Paul Weller may have gained inspiration from the opening of that song for his own song "The Changing Man'.
Yes, and what a fabulous record that was. I have a feeling Paul Weller may have gained inspiration from the opening of that song for his own song "The Changing Man'.
I think George Harrison might have had a bit of influence on Roy Wood with 10538. There were a group of us fifth formers that used to sit around in the library during lunch break trying to work out what 10538 meant - every song HAD to have a meaning in those days
Long time lurker, but finally decided to post so hello to everyone.
I must admit that the statement that the early seventies was rather drab surprised me. In the first five years there was the emergence of Bolan, Bowie, Sweet, Mud, Mott, GG, a transformed Lou Reed and countless other rip off acts dressed in boas and glitter - drab is not a word I would use to describe them.
IIRC in 'I Love 1972' it was claimed this was the year in which sales of colour televisions overtook sales of monochrome sets - although it doesn't necessarily follow that over 50 per cent of the country were watching in black and white at the start of the year as a lot of people used to rent colour TVs back in those days from high street shops like DER (Domestic Electric Rentals) and Rediffusion.
I've read that it was as late as 1976 before colour TV's became the majority of sets being watched in the UK. Bearing that in mind are we to assume when TOTP 1976 was showing that just under half the nation were still watching those shows in B & W? I wonder what percentage of viewers it was just three years later in 1979 who would have still been watching TOTP in B & W, a full decade or so after its introduction. My own grandparents were watching black and white TV until 1990 and unless my own parents had bought them a colour TV that year I think they would have continued to do so for the next few years for the rest of their time. I have a very good memory of having to watch TOTP in August 1984 in black and white while visiting them, the one where Holly Johnson ripped up the Sun newspaper before Two Tribes at No1. It just had to be one of the good ones I was forced to see in B & W.
Yes, true. Jeff does sing more than one or two lines (including the opening verse) altthough i would say that Roy Wood is the primary singer overall.
I daresay as Roy Wood wrote 'California Man' he felt it was his prerogative to be the primary singer.
There was a short-lived TV series shown early on Saturday evenings in mid 1972 called '2Gs and the Pop People' (2Gs were a group of young male/female dancers like the New Generation). Each weekly episode featured a different artist e.g. Slade, The Bee Gees, Labbi Siffre and one week in early July it was the turn of The Move whose core members were also recording and performing as the Electric Light Orchestra.
The Move first filmed an edited version of their top ten hit 'California Man' with Jeff Lynne on piano, Roy Wood on sax and Bev Bevan on drums:
Soon after the recording of 'California Man' Lynne and Wood had a bust-up (I believe there was a massive clash of egos) and Wood reportedly walked out taking an ELO cellist and horn player with him to form Wizzard leaving Jeff Lynne to mime to an edited version of '10358 Overture' (including Roy Wood's singing parts) with a depleted band:
So The Move effectively imploded in the space of a few days (possibly hours) between these two recordings which both went out on the same TV show at the weekend.
(The caption at the foot of the screen in the ELO clip is misleading as this show was broadcast on 2 July 1972 - NOT in September).
I think George Harrison might have had a bit of influence on Roy Wood with 10538. There were a group of us fifth formers that used to sit around in the library during lunch break trying to work out what 10538 meant - every song HAD to have a meaning in those days
The opening guitar reminds me of 'Badge' which George Harrison co-wrote for Cream with Eric Clapton.
I expect you know that 10538 refers to the prison number of the escaped convict in the song.
Some stats for colour television ownership, only 4 per cent of homes were colour in 1970, by 1979 this had risen to 66 per cent. Colour didn't become universal( ie 95 per cent of homes) until 1990, and a small percentage of mostly elderly people stayed with black and white until the late nineties.
Good info from Faversham Saint, I didn't know that about the Move.
I knew Jeff and Roy had fallen out, but not the details, and I also didn't know about the prison number.
You learn things on here.
Anyone looking forward to the September 1980 shows? Sounds like an odd posting, but I received my first kiss that time coming back from a school trip to France and Feels Like I'm In Love was on the radio.
Anyone looking forward to the September 1980 shows? Sounds like an odd posting, but I received my first kiss that time coming back from a school trip to France and Feels Like I'm In Love was on the radio.
The single was released in Janurary, became a club hit in Kelly Marie's Scotland and very slowly climbed the chart. It was number one in September. Also Kelly Marie had chart success in Europe before her breakthrough here. Now she's a happily married mother of six.
Some stats for colour television ownership, only 4 per cent of homes were colour in 1970, by 1979 this had risen to 66 per cent. Colour didn't become universal( ie 95 per cent of homes) until 1990, and a small percentage of mostly elderly people stayed with black and white until the late nineties.
My Grandad who was in his 80's in 1974 was the first to have a colour set in our family!
I worked in the TV rental business (DER) from the early to mid 80's although there were quite a few B&W customers still during that time the 'push' was on to move them to colour, such that if anything went wrong with their B&W set 99 times out of 100 they were offered a deal to move to colour.
I then moved on to the service dept at Comet only a very tiny percentage of contract TV's were B&W and by 1998 when I left, but there were still a lot of B&W portables still around
Comparing the slow switch from B&W to colour (1967 - Mid 90's) the switch from CRT sets to flat screen has been almost instant. Less than 10 years ago CRT's dominated and those early flat screens were archaic, with a poor picture, unreliable and expensive, early adopters were screwed! The 32" Sony I bought in early 2007 was £1100, replaced it recently with a 42" for less than £300!
My Grandad who was in his 80's in 1974 was the first to have a colour set in our family!
I worked in the TV rental business (DER) from the early to mid 80's although there were quite a few B&W customers still during that time the 'push' was on to move them to colour, such that if anything went wrong with their B&W set 99 times out of 100 they were offered a deal to move to colour.
I then moved on to the service dept at Comet only a very tiny percentage of contract TV's were B&W and by 1998 when I left, but there were still a lot of B&W portables still around
Comparing the slow switch from B&W to colour (1967 - Mid 90's) the switch from CRT sets to flat screen has been almost instant. Less than 10 years ago CRT's dominated and those early flat screens were archaic, with a poor picture, unreliable and expensive, early adopters were screwed! The 32" Sony I bought in early 2007 was £1100, replaced it recently with a 42" for less than £300!
My paternal grandparents had black and white until 1987 and were constantly receiving letters from Visionhire to upgrade as spares were becoming rare for full size black and white sets. I had a relative in South Shields who didn't make the change until 1994 when the television gave up and she had no choice.
Some stats for colour television ownership, only 4 per cent of homes were colour in 1970, by 1979 this had risen to 66 per cent. Colour didn't become universal( ie 95 per cent of homes) until 1990, and a small percentage of mostly elderly people stayed with black and white until the late nineties.
We didn't get our colour TV until about 1981 or 1982! I remember seeing Toyah on TOTP in colour for the first time and thinking WOW!!! ;-)
Blimey - you wouldn't think twice about watching TV in colour these days!!!
We didn't get our colour TV until about 1981 or 1982! I remember seeing Toyah on TOTP in colour for the first time and thinking WOW!!! ;-)
Blimey - you wouldn't think twice about watching TV in colour these days!!!
We couldn't afford colour until 1978. Actually you got into colour at the right time as the austere TOTP sets were being replaced by a very colourful set and I think Toyah or the Human League wouldn't look the same in BW.
We didn't get our colour TV until about 1981 or 1982! I remember seeing Toyah on TOTP in colour for the first time and thinking WOW!!!
Gosh! I always thought my parents were late adopters, I felt at school it was only my family that didn't have colour, all my friends boasted about their colour TV sets and we got ours in the Summer of 1975! I still recall what was on when that nice man in an overall switched it on, it was the Ashes, I never realised that the Aussies wore green caps!
It was the size of a drinks cabinet yet the screen was only 17"!
You are right, the early to mid 70s were certainly not drab.
The advent of colour TV definitely proved that.
Thank you China Girl. My 4 inch multicoloured layered stacked platforms would prove that too. The 48 inch hem Skinners Oxford Bags covered them nicely though
Comments
I am a little unsure as to whether the show from 15 October 1970 was shown on UK Gold, or not. I certainly do not have it.
I have the incomplete episode from June 1972, and it's a very good one. The footage begins halfway though a promo film for Elvis Presley's "American Trilogy", although i wouldn't be surprised if the promo hadn't been especially made by the BBC. It isn't an Elvis in performance type video, more a re-enactment of an American Civil War type scenario.
Argent, The New Seekers, and The Move appear in that episode. The Move's "California Man" is interesting because the performance includes both Roy Wood and Jeff Lynne (Lynne is playing the piano and occasionally sings a line or two). Don Mclean is no 1 with "Vincent", and the accompanying clip appears to be concert footage.
While the picture quality isn't great (although it is in colour), i have rarely seen the Top Of The Pops studio look so impressive (and expansive). The atmosphere is great too - the audience all look like they are enjoying themselves. I notice Ed Stewart was a fairly regular host on Top Of The Pops in the early part of the seventies. I primarily remember him as host on Junior Choice on radio 1 at weekends, and presenting Crackerjack.
Isn't 15 October 1970 a mute links one, which would explain the Uk Gold non appearance.
As for the 1972 edition, if it's the one I'm thinking of, isn't it 'weak colour'?
Very pale flesh tones, dominant colour pale green?
A great episode that still remains from 1972, is a Christmas edition featuring Gary Glitter, Alice Cooper, Slade, T Rex, Roberta Flack and The Jackson Five amongst others. I think it deserves to be shown, because it's pretty much as good as any i have seen. It is introduced by Tony Blackburn and Noel Edmonds (however Rolf Harris does make an appearance with his sketch board). There is a christmas edition introduced by them also that survives from 1973, and was repeated on the BBC in around 1991, which is also very much worth watching. It's amazing to see watching those two Christmas editions how amazingly successful the Osmonds were at the time, both as a group, and in more individual combinations, etc. They appear on a 1974 Christmas special too, singing "Love Me For A Reason", and it's amazing watching them, how reminiscent they seem visually in style to Boyzone and Westlife, but dare i say much, much better. Wasn't Boyzone's first hit a cover of "Love Me For A Reason"?
I can't say for the 15 October 1970 episode because i haven't seen it.
Yes, i'd say "weak colour" is an apt description of the visual quality of what's remaining of the June 1972 edition (but it's well with a watch!).
Jeff Lynne also appeared alongside Roy Wood on the Move hits Tonight and China Girl. I would assume that Tonight at least (a Number 11 hit) would have been on TOTP. On all three Jeff is the secondary singer but sings more than one or two lines. For example, on California Man he sings the first verse (out of three) and alternate lines of the chorus.
Yes, true. Jeff does sing more than one or two lines (including the opening verse) altthough i would say that Roy Wood is the primary singer overall.
Agreed. Their roles were reversed on the next single, which was 10538 Orchestra, credited to ELO, where Jeff was the main singer (and composer) and Roy the secondary one.
Yes, and what a fabulous record that was. I have a feeling Paul Weller may have gained inspiration from the opening of that song for his own song "The Changing Man'.
I think George Harrison might have had a bit of influence on Roy Wood with 10538. There were a group of us fifth formers that used to sit around in the library during lunch break trying to work out what 10538 meant - every song HAD to have a meaning in those days
Long time lurker, but finally decided to post so hello to everyone.
I must admit that the statement that the early seventies was rather drab surprised me. In the first five years there was the emergence of Bolan, Bowie, Sweet, Mud, Mott, GG, a transformed Lou Reed and countless other rip off acts dressed in boas and glitter - drab is not a word I would use to describe them.
You are right, the early to mid 70s were certainly not drab.
The advent of colour TV definitely proved that.
I daresay as Roy Wood wrote 'California Man' he felt it was his prerogative to be the primary singer.
There was a short-lived TV series shown early on Saturday evenings in mid 1972 called '2Gs and the Pop People' (2Gs were a group of young male/female dancers like the New Generation). Each weekly episode featured a different artist e.g. Slade, The Bee Gees, Labbi Siffre and one week in early July it was the turn of The Move whose core members were also recording and performing as the Electric Light Orchestra.
The Move first filmed an edited version of their top ten hit 'California Man' with Jeff Lynne on piano, Roy Wood on sax and Bev Bevan on drums:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQEPYfXWWnI
Soon after the recording of 'California Man' Lynne and Wood had a bust-up (I believe there was a massive clash of egos) and Wood reportedly walked out taking an ELO cellist and horn player with him to form Wizzard leaving Jeff Lynne to mime to an edited version of '10358 Overture' (including Roy Wood's singing parts) with a depleted band:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBMjN17K2o4
So The Move effectively imploded in the space of a few days (possibly hours) between these two recordings which both went out on the same TV show at the weekend.
(The caption at the foot of the screen in the ELO clip is misleading as this show was broadcast on 2 July 1972 - NOT in September).
The opening guitar reminds me of 'Badge' which George Harrison co-wrote for Cream with Eric Clapton.
I expect you know that 10538 refers to the prison number of the escaped convict in the song.
I knew Jeff and Roy had fallen out, but not the details, and I also didn't know about the prison number.
You learn things on here.
shouldn't that be in jan
The single was released in Janurary, became a club hit in Kelly Marie's Scotland and very slowly climbed the chart. It was number one in September. Also Kelly Marie had chart success in Europe before her breakthrough here. Now she's a happily married mother of six.
My Grandad who was in his 80's in 1974 was the first to have a colour set in our family!
I worked in the TV rental business (DER) from the early to mid 80's although there were quite a few B&W customers still during that time the 'push' was on to move them to colour, such that if anything went wrong with their B&W set 99 times out of 100 they were offered a deal to move to colour.
I then moved on to the service dept at Comet only a very tiny percentage of contract TV's were B&W and by 1998 when I left, but there were still a lot of B&W portables still around
Comparing the slow switch from B&W to colour (1967 - Mid 90's) the switch from CRT sets to flat screen has been almost instant. Less than 10 years ago CRT's dominated and those early flat screens were archaic, with a poor picture, unreliable and expensive, early adopters were screwed! The 32" Sony I bought in early 2007 was £1100, replaced it recently with a 42" for less than £300!
We didn't get our colour TV until about 1981 or 1982! I remember seeing Toyah on TOTP in colour for the first time and thinking WOW!!! ;-)
Blimey - you wouldn't think twice about watching TV in colour these days!!!
We couldn't afford colour until 1978. Actually you got into colour at the right time as the austere TOTP sets were being replaced by a very colourful set and I think Toyah or the Human League wouldn't look the same in BW.
Gosh! I always thought my parents were late adopters, I felt at school it was only my family that didn't have colour, all my friends boasted about their colour TV sets and we got ours in the Summer of 1975! I still recall what was on when that nice man in an overall switched it on, it was the Ashes, I never realised that the Aussies wore green caps!
It was the size of a drinks cabinet yet the screen was only 17"!
Looking forward to his episodes being shown. He was one of the best TOTP presenters in the 80s.
Rather sad that him and John Peel are no longer with us.
Thank you China Girl. My 4 inch multicoloured layered stacked platforms would prove that too. The 48 inch hem Skinners Oxford Bags covered them nicely though
Yes, I do now. But when you were 15 in 1972, you all lived in a David Bowie world - nothing meant what it said