10/10
Wow! The T.A.M.I. Show is a great document of the rock concert scene as it was in 1964
26 March 2010
Just watched on my DVR this edited version of The T.A.M.I. Show that aired on my PBS station, WLPB, a few weeks ago. Whenever a pledge break interrupted the program, Dean Torrance of the host duo of Jan & Dean provided many anecdotes of working with James Brown, and especially The Beach Boys. Despite some numbers and musical acts missing, I highly enjoyed this concert document of the big Top 40 stars of the time which, besides the ones I've already mentioned, included Chuck Berry, who was awesome as he segued from his version of "Maybelline" to that of Gerry & the Pacemakers who then performed "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying". Also nice to see Marvin Gaye performing "Can I Get a Witness" and The Miracles doing "You Really Got a Hold on Me". How about The Supremes' number of "Baby Love" with a really large closeup of lead singer Diana Ross? (Or was it "Where Did Our Love Go?" My mind is a bit scrambled concerning that one.) Or Lesley Gore combining "It's My Party" with its sequel song "Judy's Turn to Cry"? How cool was it seeing the hosts singing their surf hit "Little Old Lady from Pasedena" before introducing The Beach Boys as they went from "Surfin' USA" to "Surfer Girl" to "I Get Around" to "Dance, Dance, Dance"? The final two acts, though, really stole the show with James Brown doing what would become his legendary jumps and having a cape put on him before shaking it off seconds later and then, having Mick Jagger and The Rolling Stones closing out with many blues songs with "Time Is on My Side" really getting the audiences' attention as evidenced by the camera showing a mostly white teenage female audience really screaming their heads off as they did during most of the show! Oh, and Mick and James really were impressive with their jumping here. I think I've said enough though I'd also like to mention that Toni Basil, best known for her video of "Hey, Mickey", is the assistant choreographer here and many of the moves done by the mostly female dancers look like something she'd have done at the time. Anyway, watching this for the first time on the public station really makes me want to watch the rest of it on DVD so if I ever get my hands on that, I may add some comments. So on that note, The T.A.M.I Show definitely comes highly recommended.
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