Recommend me something to watch!

[Alex 35082]

14 hours ago, Gemmill said:

If you've enjoyed this Beatles thing btw, there's McCartney 3, 2, 1 which has just come out this year too. 

Basically McCartney, Rick Rubin and a mixing desk. I think it's six half hour episodes running back through Beatles tunes with Rubin quizzing him, isolating parts of the tunes, and McCartney telling stories. 

It's a canny watch. 

Getting back to his talent back then, you kind of forget / take for granted how good his voice was. 

[Gemmill 44880]

Aye, class. I think of the two, I prefer Lennon's voice, cos it's got a bit of edge to it, but McCartney's is like crystal. 

I was wondering how they came up with all their close harmony stuff cos they just looked to be blagging it on this doc, but he explained on the Rubin thing that that was all George Martin giving them each their specific line to sing by playing it to them on piano. 

[Ayatollah Hermione 13867]

I think they mention something in Get Back how they were going to work with Billy Preston on a harmony line for something, I can’t remember what.

[thebrokendoll 9218]

a marathon 4 hours of the police/sting on bbc2 tonight including a just about to start 45 minute interview with dermot o'leary about his life and career. it's a first airing and I'm very tempted to watch it, if for no other reason than to see if he finally gets round to addressing the letters the mackems on rtg sent him about our takeover.

 

[thebrokendoll 9218]

just a footnote...

 

was really rather good and worth catching up on. called reel stories.

I saw the police at the mayfair ballrooms when I was a kid in about '78, they were supported by the cramps who I thought blew them away on the night. their following then was all the punks who hung around outside listen ear record shop near the city hall. by the time they made it big I'd lost interest in them although I'd concede they made some catchy pop records. most of all though I'd decided sting was a bit of a twat who'd sold out on his roots.

anyway, came across quite personable and a thoroughly enjoyable 45 minute watch, if you get the time.

 

edit.... he never mentioned the mackems once!

Edited December 11, 2021 by thebrokendoll

[spongebob toonpants 3996]

12 hours ago, thebrokendoll said:

 

I saw the police at the mayfair ballrooms when I was a kid in about '78, they were supported by the cramps who I thought blew them away on the night. 

I saw the Police on that tour at the Liverpool Empire and I can completely agree about the Cramps, it was a bit of a life changing moment for me. I didnt know much about them beforehand I still vividly remember them coming on stage, Lux stick thin in a purple suit. Poison Ivy like something out if my wildest teenage dreams and generating a noise I didnt know was possible. Still one of my fondest memories all these years later.

I seem to remember Richard Hell and the Voidoids were bottom of the bill. Punk Royalty

[Renton 21625]

15 hours ago, thebrokendoll said:

just a footnote...

 

was really rather good and worth catching up on. called reel stories.

I saw the police at the mayfair ballrooms when I was a kid in about '78, they were supported by the cramps who I thought blew them away on the night. their following then was all the punks who hung around outside listen ear record shop near the city hall. by the time they made it big I'd lost interest in them although I'd concede they made some catchy pop records. most of all though I'd decided sting was a bit of a twat who'd sold out on his roots.

anyway, came across quite personable and a thoroughly enjoyable 45 minute watch, if you get the time.

 

edit.... he never mentioned the mackems once!

 

Did you watch the next programme about the Last Ship straight after? I'd never paid much attention to Sting, obviously I recognised Roxanne and Every Breath You Take as classic songs, the former with amazing vocals. But the I saw the last ship at the Northern Stage a few years ago and my view of him completely changed. It's fucking brilliant. Music is folksy, which I now like in my old age, but the lyrics are sublime. The whole thing is meta and a meta story about of death (imo), but the individual songs are brilliantly penned and much more than the sum of their parts.

 

Unfortunately Sting stupidly released it in New York, which was never a ship building town, and obviously struggle with Geordue accents (as I do there's). Then domething wrong happened with Jimmy Nail, and it flopped. It was critically appraised on tour in the UK but then it was too late. Shame, it is so much better than Billy Elliot. 

 

Tl:dr. Sting is actually pretty much a musical genius. Listen to the Last ship on Spotify. 

Edited December 12, 2021 by Renton

[Renton 21625]

A couple of decent documentaries on mountaineering out, I know some of us are interested in this stuff. 14 peaks on Netflix, some crazy sherpa climbs all the worlds 8000 metre peaks in a single season, and the last mountain, a sad story about the life and death of Alison Hargreaves son. I do find mountaineers utterly inspirational. It's on iPlayer.

Edited December 13, 2021 by Renton

[wykikitoon 20143]

Both brilliant. 

[Dr Gloom 21923]

Just caught up with Jackson’s Beatles doc. He didn’t leave much on the cutting room floor did he? The Beatles are one of the few subjects you could edit with such a light touch though. Held my attention throughout all 8 hours. Superb stuff. 

[ewerk 30610]

That was quite the season finale for Succession. Sets it up nicely for the next series.

[Alex 35082]

10 hours ago, Renton said:

A couple of decent documentaries on mountaineering out, I know some of us are interested in this stuff. 14 peaks on Netflix, some crazy sherpa climbs all the worlds 8000 metre peaks in a single season, and the last mountain, a sad story about the life and death of Alison Hargreaves son. I do find mountaineers utterly inspirational. It's on iPlayer.

They were both really good. The story behind the 14 Peaks one was just an absolutely incredible achievement. It was good to see Reinhold Messner pretty much laughing off those criticising / questioning the achievement. Obviously he needed a bit luck in terms of weather windows etc but it was noteworthy that Nimsdai Purja was prepared to risk his life saving climbers others had left for dead. The Tom Ballard one was fascinating too, if tragic. It’s easy with hindsight but it seemed reckless. There was the suggestion his climbing partner wasn’t in the same league in terms of ability and experience. Also his sister having to learn that where they were found meant they would have suffered a long, painful death rather than being taken out by an avalanche or ice fall. 

[Alex 35082]

9 hours ago, Dr Gloom said:

Just caught up with Jackson’s Beatles doc. He didn’t leave much on the cutting room floor did he? The Beatles are one of the few subjects you could edit with such a light touch though. Held my attention throughout all 8 hours. Superb stuff. 

When the coppers arrive in part 3. Then even when they get onto the roof they have no real idea what they should do  

[Gemmill 44880]

What a square cunt that main copper was. Not even like "look I know it's the Beatles but people are complaining so I have to respond", instead he was fully disgusted by it all. 

[Alex 35082]

 

 

[Alex 35082]

21 minutes ago, Gemmill said:

What a square cunt that main copper was. Not even like "look I know it's the Beatles but people are complaining so I have to respond", instead he was fully disgusted by it all. 

I liked the older fella they interviewed in the street. He was asked questions that were clearly meant to draw out negative responses and he was basically- The Beatles are great, their music’s great and they’re a nice set of lads 

[Alex 35082]

26 minutes ago, Gemmill said:

What a square cunt that main copper was. Not even like "look I know it's the Beatles but people are complaining so I have to respond", instead he was fully disgusted by it all. 

Also, the police sergeant looked like the inspiration for the coppers in the original Spitting Image 

[Gemmill 44880]

15 minutes ago, Alex said:

I liked the older fella they interviewed in the street. He was asked questions that were clearly meant to draw out negative responses and he was basically- The Beatles are great, their music’s great and they’re a nice set of lads 

Aye he was class. "Yeah great set of lads, good for the country" and all that. 

[Gemmill 44880]

Mal Evans must have looked in his 40s his whole life. 

[Dr Gloom 21923]

50 minutes ago, Alex said:

When the coppers arrive in part 3. Then even when they get onto the roof they have no real idea what they should do  

I love how polite all the punters were who were voxpopped outside though. A different era  

[Dr Gloom 21923]

33 minutes ago, Alex said:

 

 

Absolutely insane that they’re all in their 20s.

what were everyone’s main takeaways?

Mine were:

Yoko Ono is shy as fuck, didn’t appear to interfere in anything, just sat around reading the paper mostly.

Ringo is also shy/quiet or just permanently stoned as fuck.
 

George is arguably the one who drove the band to go separate ways. He was an amazing songwriter in his own right (something/here comes the Sun) and clearly felt undervalued and wanted to do his own stuff. Strangely the only song of note I really remember of his post-Beatles is got my mind set on you from the 80s

and for all the talk that John was the most talented/band leader, it’s clearly Paul who was the driving force at this stage, acting as manager, creative director and motivator. He seemed to come up with most of the tunes (or numbers) on these sessions  too. 

 

 

Edited December 14, 2021 by Dr Gloom

[Gemmill 44880]

The main takeaway for me was how much they needed a manager.

It felt like McCartney had probably got away with being bossy in musical direction for years - you heard Lennon in the bit where there's a mic in the flowerpot saying "You do it to me too" - but now that he was having to take charge elsewhere too, it was all getting to be a bit much. 

I felt sorry for McCartney in that respect. He clearly wasn't enjoying being the boss, but someone had to do it. Epstein dying didn't do them any favours as a band. 

And aye Yoko Ono did fuck all, and was definitely 4th choice if you had to work your way through that set of Beatles' girlfriends, like David Brent with the Corrs. 

[Gemmill 44880]

I loved Got My Mind Set On You btw. That was bang in my recording the charts off the radio heyday. 

[Gemmill 44880]

My mam got me Paul McCartney The Lyrics for my birthday. It's a really nicely put together double volume thing (in a case) - part autobiography, part story of all the songs. All colour photos of the band and handwritten lyric sheets. 

It's the sort of thing where if someone told you it was over a hundred quid you'd go aye, fair enough, but it's only 50 quid. 

Worth a look if you can't think what to get for yourself for Christmas or for someone you know and like enough to spend 50 on. 

[Meenzer 15526]