I thought they struggled a bit tonight.
On occasions in a couple of "up tempo" numbers they sounded a bit ragged, with the brass being "behind the beat" now and then.
But then they had to do ten dances. I put it down to the BBC being too mean to give them enough rehearsal time.

I thought the begininning of the show was a bit strange tonight i cant remember whose training video they were showing but it sounded like someone was playing with their microphone there were strange noises and then when they cut back to bruce he looked as if he wasnt reay to come on and looked as if he had been having a chat with someone,maybe my mind is playing tricks on me

i noticed that too.... definetly some questions will be asked by the Production Team at the Beeb.

Who chooses the music that they dance to ? It can make or break the dance . Is it the professional?
Last edited by innocent. : 28-10-2006 at 23:09

i think the band must be different to the one last year.. Bruce always used to mention the band after the 1st dance but now he doesn't say anything.

I've mentioned this elsewhere.

Some of the music chosen no self respecting professional would ever want, so I think some choices are decided by a "suit" in the production office.
Probably the same "suit" who forces Ballroom dance lovers to suffer naffin' Ronan Keating.
They've got a good band and some decent singers, so let them play something "dance related" of their choice in the necessary break.
All this and the stuff that goes on in "SCD Takes2/Top of the Pops2" is all part of the BBC desperate attempts to make this programme "appeal to a wider audience."

Unfortunately this "wider audience" which they are trying to target are going down the pub and then clubbing it at this time of a Saturday evening, but they haven't the brains to realise that.

The BBC are "ratings fixated"
The main purpose of this programme is to attempt to "stuff ITV on Saturday night ratings " right up to Christmas, that's why they're desperately trying to fill the gap in the schedules by adding "an exciting twist" to this programme because of the early departure of Jimmy Tarbuck.
They haven't thought of anything yet and I don't think the "no one goes out this week" ploy will "wash" and they know it.

The band has always been lead by Laurie Holloway, until this current series. Don't know why he's not there this year. Bet there's been some behind the scenes dispute.

Whoever they are this year, they're noticably inferior, and the singers arn't as good either.

To be honest, if they're decent session musicians (and surely the beeb can afford that?) 10 numbers on little to no rehearsal time shouldn't worry them too much. If it does, they ain't good enough for the job.

"and the singers arn't as good either" - not sure about the others but Tommy Blaize is still there - he's been on all series so far. Personally I can't stand his style of singing and think he ruins decent songs but he's got a good reputation somewhere!!
Often think they choose weird songs to dance to tho - it's unusual for them to choose tunes which were written for the dance. Must be plenty of times when the choice of song influences the public - if I love the song I automatically enjoy the performance of the dance more than if I hate it!

Seems they can splash out a fortune for naff presenters like
Graham Norton and Johnothan Ross but spend some money on keeping a great band and singers as we had in previous years no chance...

Music is a major part of the interpretation of the dance and they deserve the best....

For me, the band, singers and choice of music to dance to, is spoiling the concept of SCD. The choice of music to dance the Paso Doble to, last night were, in the main, excruciating and I'm frankly losing interesting in the whole thing and I'm going to find it difficult to sustain my interest to the end if they persist in choosing totally inappropriate music to which to dance.

How on earth can you get into the spirit of, say, a tango, Foxtrot, Rumba by dancing to music which isn't being played in the rhythm of that dance and the additon of singers only exacerbates the problem.

Next week I'll try turning off the sound when the couples start dancing. However that still leaves the problem of the camera work...................................................hmmmmmmmmmmm

Does anyone know how those singerst get picked?

Mum said of at least one of the week 3 dances that she enjoyed it far more with the sound off says it all??

Hmmm. Can't agree there.

Yeah! Any self respecting musician can play anything in any key. True, "but not as well as in their favourites."

Going back to the days of the "big bands" of the forties, these if you listen to them were far superior to modern day "bands" which in this case are a collection of session musicians. Those "big bands" were playing stuff with which they were very familiar, night after night, week in week out.
I've no way of telling, but I guess as these guys are probably gigging elsewhere in the week, the rehearsal time will be limited. I doubt if the "line up" is the same each week other than those selected as the "core" by Laurie Holloway. The selection of music I doubt will be done any more than a week in advance and still liable to change. The orchestrations will have to be decided and written in the key the singers are most happy with. All this takes time and time's money and the BBC will be looking to make economies where they can. Can't see these guys being on the permanent BBC payroll, they stopped doing that years ago, except for "classical."
I suggest if you think you can do better, you volunteer your services.

Didn't say I could do better - but I AM NOT A SESSION MUSICIAN, don't claim to be, and don't get paid for being one. (I haven't heard last night's music btw - I am going on others' complaints that it wasn't good enough, and saying that it SHOULD have been)

I am, however, a musician, and I know what is expected of a good session musician. Sight-reading music and playing it reasonably well is a given, simple as that.

A session musician should be able to do a decent (maybe not perfect, but more than passable - and the best will be able to sight-read very very well and convincingly indeed) job sight-reading, let alone with rehearsal time.

Yes, there are ten numbers - but each is a minute and a half long. That's not a lot of music.

I've played in amateur orchestras which brought professionals in for concerts to make up the numbers. Some of them sight-read entire symphonies in dress rehearsal. And these were just local pro musicians, we're not talking the cream of the London crop.

You said:


I'm saying, if that's true, then they are not good enough.

I personally KNOW musicians who are session musicians/last minute accompanists, and this is the kind of thing that's expected of them. Being on a permanent payroll is nowt to do with it. (Most of them are not - it comes with the territory of being "on call" as a session musician for many different potential gigs.)

To quote the beeb's own page about being a session musician:


If the band weren't producing good enough music, they weren't living up to this.
Last edited by sarah-flute : 29-10-2006 at 10:21

Oh dear! Read my first post. As a musician (there's a lot of us about aren't there?) I only picked up on a few bars in a couple of numbers. We don't know, was one of the brass instrumentalists a "late replacement?" who knows?
It's easy to criticise and we all, or know someone who "could do better" don't we?

This is the first week I've noticed and have criticised the band, so something must have changed, mustn't it?

I read your first post - you said that the band struggled. I commented that if the musicians they had struggled, then they weren't good enough.

I believe this to be true - you may not. *shrugs* no skin off my nose.

The very definition of this type of musician is someone who goes in and does a great job even if they're sight-reading... and yes, I know people who do this and do it regularly as a mainstay of their professional lives.

You're the one who said they weren't up to scratch and "struggled" - as I've said, I haven't SEEN last night's show yet, I'm going on your comments.

But if they did struggle, there's something wrong.

You're the one who said they weren't as good....

I've always thought the band is a bit of a let down on this show, couple of series ago the singers often murdered decent songs. They don't do that as often any more which is something at least. The music choice (nothing to do with the band, I know!) and the way it's performed is so important you would have thought the BBC would try to make sure they got the best.

I thought the band have been rubbish all through this series and the singers too. There has been no mention ofLaurie Holloway who used to conduct the band so well. The band's tming seemed to be off and the singers too. It must put off the dancers who have a hard enough job as it is. I think they should stick to music and not have singers at all if they are as bad as this and bring back Laurie.

It does seem a shame, I do remember the band used to be noticeably good.

If there are genuinely whole sections of the band not actually playing with the beat or struggling with faster numbers, if I were the band leader I'd be very unimpressed, and as a dancer I'd be plain angry. If the rehearsal time is limited no one expects absolute perfection but if the audience at home are noticing stuff like this then it's not good.

I'm clingling to the hope that the reason for the band change this series is because of a DVD. With the Holloway band being announced each week, a fair percentage of any sales of DVDs would have had to go to them. But not this year.

That's what I'm hoping, anyway.

The Musical Director is David Arch, or Dave Arch who MD's Strictly Dance Fever.