Go Go Mania (1965) User Reviews

POP-A-GO-GO!

[rettaman · 7/10 · 16 October 2000]

What a great relief it was to see this rare "rocumentary" again this year....I first saw it on cable TV during the July 4th holiday in the US. Since then, I had been searching the WWW for more information for this rare film, with not much success, except from the exhaustive database by IMDB. (Luckily, it came back onto cable TV on October 14.)

I really like this film because of the music and the fashion during the 1960's. True, the Beatles, the Animals, Peter & Gordon, and Herman's Hermits were very popular during the 1960's here in the US and many of their songs have become a permanent part of our musical memories.

However, it was wonderful to see and hear some of the less popular British bands of the 1960's, such as Sounds Incorporated and the Honeycombs as well as the Rocking Berries and the Four Pennies. Each of them had their own "60's" flavor. (But, not all of those featured were bands as there were a few British solo singers on Pop Gear. They were a treat to listen to also.)

Personally, I liked the female drummer of the Honeycombs, whose name was Honey, as I found out on the WWW. I also liked the first dance routine with the female dancers and their colorful tops and gold hiphuggers. The second dance routine was interesting with the men wearing coats and ties and the women wearing short dresses.

(Today, you can't see many dancers wearing that kind of garb. But, there were a few all male bands on Pop Gear who didn't coats and ties.) The music during those dance routines is very symbolic of how unique the 1960's really was. (I can't find much of that "uniqueness" during the year 2000.)

Overall, I would definitely recommend this film to anyone who is interested in British pop, the 1960's, or is in a band. Kudos to this rare unique "rocumentary" even if the bands were staged, except for the live footage of the Beatles at the beginning and the end of Pop Gear.

It swings

[HSauer · 7/10 · 4 July 2000]

I just caught this this morning. Pop Gear is a British film recapping some pop hits of 1964 with staged performances by bands such as The Spencer Davis Group, Peter and Gordon, The Animals, and many others. Concert footage of the Beatles (singing She Loves You and Twist and Shout) opens and closes the film. The producer assumes familiarity, an intimacy between performers and audience, to the extent that the Master of Ceremonies (whose hair resembles a worn-out blond mop) never bothers to introduce himself, nor does he bother to introduce many of the pop groups by name. This is irksome for a lay cultural historian like myself, but that's the way it was, baby. There's a lot of good music and the songs are generally rather brief - 2 minutes on average. A cinematic, widescreen variety show, with more hits than misses. Recommended for fans of 60s radio pop.

Shagedelic and Psychotronic

[jetan · 6/10 · 4 July 2000]

This is a difficult film to rate. Most viewers will find it an annoying bore, but devotees of the bands who appeared over the first year of the British Invasion will be mesmerized. The movie is a series of lip-synched "performances" by the also-rans that flourished in the wake of The Beatles during 1964, including The Honeycombs, The Spencer Davis Group, The Animals, Tommy Quickly, Peter And Gordon, Herman's Hermits, Nashville Teens and several others. The standout is probably The Animals featuring a young and deadly looking Eric Burdon. The film is decorated with tons of 1960's set design and art direction and a team of pretty dancers in gold-lame hip-huggers shaking same in Hullabaloo style choreography.

Surprisingly watchable

[enfilmigult · 4 July 2000]

Among the plethora of 60's-era chestnuts AMC unearthed for its marathon music-movie weekend, "Pop Gear" actually stands out memorably. It isn't a movie, just a sort of drive-in Top 40 sort of deal, with various bands performing on a soundstage, a dance number or two, and a crooning host whose hair defies gravity. Essentially, it's like American Bandstand without the goofy kids.

Despite its obscurity and potentially snooze-inducing premise (it's hard to believe that the print still exists after a few decades), this is pretty interesting stuff. It's no "Woodstock", to be sure, and all of the performances are lip-synced, but the end result is intriguing. Faced with an almost completely static environment, the cinematographer actually holds interest by framing bands very well in widescreen Techniscope, planning some subtle movements between lead singers and the camera, and also staging the occasional dance numbers very well. The director doesn't push it or seem desperate, and avoids resorting to distractingly strange angles or overlong closeups (though the included closeups are startling). The editing is top-notch, as well. Despite being a set-bound, overextended music video, it's stylishly filmed, if cheesily assembled. A few very good songs work their way in, as well ("House of the Rising Sun" being one standout).

MTV's Great Grandfather

[Lloydian · 6/10 · 4 July 2000]

This is a fun film showcasing a number of hits from 1964, many of the performances stages specifically for the film. I had not seen it in years, but it has re-emerged on AMC, so if that year's music holds any interest to you, watch and have a ball.

Terrific sampler of 1964 britpop

[JohnSeal · 7/10 · 4 July 2000]

Thanks to AMC, we now have the opportunity to see this technicolour marvel in all its widescreen glory. Starting out with some welcome (if inessential) Beatles footage, the film soon hits its stride with compere Jimmy Savile's wide-eyed introductions to the pop leaders of Britain, 1964. Some of the highlights: The Animals looking menacing during House of the Rising Sun, the undervalued Billie Davis, a terrific appearance from the Nashville Teens doing Tobacco Row, and The Honeycombs doing Have I the Right. The Rockin' Berries He's In Town still sounds great, too. The overall quality is dragged down a bit by housewife's choice Matt Monro (nothing against your voice, Matt, but you're a bit if a square), the already cringe-inducing Herman's Hermits, and an embaressing turn by Tommy Quickly and the Remo Four. Plus bits from Billy J Kramer and the Dakotas(Little Children), Peter and Gordon (World Without Love)and The Four Pennies. Essential viewing for fans of Merseybeat and 60s pop.

Has it s good moments

[preppy-3 · 7/10 · 11 May 2007]

A compilation of British groups of 1964 who were big hits...in Britain. The film is bookended with Beatles live in concert doing "She Loves You" and "Twist and Shout". That footage is great and the constant screaming and views of the female audience are amusing.

The rest of the film varies. It's shot in strong color and the songs are performed on very interesting sets...but not all the songs are good. Highlights are Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas doing "Little Children"; the Four Pennies doing "Julie"; the Animals doing "House of the Rising Sun" (look for the moment when the lead singer forgets to lip sync a word!) and Peter and Gordon doing "Please Lock Me Away". Also Sounds Incorporated jump around a lot and overact to a degree that's almost embarrassing.

The rest of the acts range from OK to pretty terrible--the Nashville Boys will have you reaching for the fast forward button. Also the lip syncing and fake playing of instruments is pretty obvious. But this is interesting to watch and a valuable time capsule of the "British invasion" of the early 1960s. A must see if you're a 1960s music fan. I give it a 7.

British pop nostalgia!

[michaelRokeefe · 4/10 · 15 October 2000]

Not a movie, but a lip synched collection of performances from acts that were part of the British Invasion, that followed the dynamic entrance of the Beatles to the music world. Some of these acts did not make a big splash on this side of the pond, but a lot of them did. Featured are: Herman's Hermits, Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas, Peter and Gordon, Honeycombs, Nashville Teens, Animals, and of course,the Beatles.

It is so much fun watching these young acts before they honed and polished their acts.

a collection of music videos before they were called that.

[kiljanja · 9/10 · 5 March 2001]

Unfairly trashed by all mainstream media at the time of its release in early 1965 when I first saw this movie. This was the first time that I saw concert footage of the Beatles:- in color! The Beatles open and close this movie playing LIVE in front of screaming fans at the height of Beatlemania. The energy blew me away. I was 14 at the time. All the other groups mouth along to their records which was a bit disappointing I thought back then. Fans of this particular genre of pop music, particularly mid 60s British, are going to love this treasure trove. As well as some of the better known bands like the Animals and Herman's Hermit's this film also contains performances by the superb Rockin Berries and Four Pennies; two bands huge in England but never had a big hit in North America. All performances are lovingly filmed although spartan in appearance. No annoying split second cuts that have so long been the standard in music videos these days. I cannot believe this style is still in vogue to this day. There are no doubt thousands of fans such as myself who deeply enjoy music of this era and a movie such as this is a rare and valid document.

Dated but really fun to watch

[dojo625 · 7/10 · 13 January 2007]

It's a very entertaining time capsule of pop culture and lots of fun to watch. The host is such a 60's stereotype that he's sometimes distracting. Yes, I know he's a very famous British artist, but no less off putting.

It's a shame some of the performers aren't identified - the lesser known bands remain unknown. But you can't miss a very young Steve Winwood with the Spencer Davis Group. Wow, he really stands out with his bluesy voice...loved it.

I'm still wondering how all those musicians played electrical instruments in the movie without any cords or cables. Ahhh..the 60s were indeed magical.

History of Lip Synch

[DKosty123 · 5/10 · 2 June 2014]

This movie is a bunch of syn-ch performances of British groups in the mid-1960's. It proves that not all Brits groups then made it big in the USA. I mean I never heard of the Pennies until I saw this. It does open with an excellent Beatles clip and closes with another.

A highlight to me is the Animals doing "House of The Rising Sun" which was recently remade again and "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood". There are a lot of sequences where the sync-hing is obvious but it is all in color. A British DJ sort of hosts this hodge podge collection. The DJ made headlines in recent years as a child molester.

This is a good collection of the era though I prefer Hard Days Night - Beatles for their music. Richard Lester did a much better job. Still the featuring of the Honey Combs here with one of the first women to be a rock drummer makes this notable.

This is viewable and some of the songs have held up over time. Herman's Hermits are another highlight here too.

For a fan of BritPop, this is Ecstasy

[buffalobruce · 9/10 · 30 August 2007]

So, I found this movie while scrolling through the program guide on my cable box. Anything that features Eric Burdon and the Animals will cause me to watch! And I must say, it was an extremely satisfying experience!! I was familiar with some of the bands, especially those who had hits in America, such as Billy J. Kramer & the Dakotas, the aforementioned Animals, the Nashville Teens, the Spencer Davis Group (featuring Steve Winwood), the Honeycombs, Herman's Hermits and, of course, the Beatles. Many of the other bands I've encountered during my BritPop research in the 70s and early 80s (while I was working in radio). It was a great opportunity for me to see these artists in action, and get a feel for what my friends in the UK were listening to. An earlier post listed the artists and songs in the order in which they appeared on the film. I disagree with some of the song titles that were used and I'd like to share my research!

The Beatles, "She Loves You", in concert, screaming girls and all!

Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas, "Little Children". A number one in the UK, it was their first top 10 hit in the US (its flip side, "Bad to Me" also was a top 10). They charted four more songs in the US.

Susan Maughan, "Make Him Mine". Never charted in the US, and not one of her charted hits in the UK.

The Four Pennies, "Juliet". A UK #1, they never reached that pinnacle again. It never was a big hit in the US, but did garner some airplay. Here's a bit of trivia. The US girl group, the Chiffons, also were known as the Four Pennies! The Animals, "House of the Rising Sun". #1 in both the US and UK. Their first US release.

The Fourmost, "A Little Loving" (sometimes listed as, "A Little Lovin'"). Reached #6 on the UK charts, never charted in the US. They did get some US airplay with "Here, There and Everywhere".

The Rockin' Berries, "He's in Town". #3 in the UK, never charted in the US.

The Honeycombs, "Have I the Right". Do I ever remember this tune! The deejays used to comment on the fact that the group had a female drummer (Ann "Honey" Lantree), an anomaly in the 60s. The song was #1 in the UK and #5 in the US.

Sounds Incorporated, "Rinky Dink". The flip side of their UK hit, "Spanish Harlem" (#35 in the UK). A six-piece instrumental group, they backed Gene Vincent and Little Richard. They even appear on the Beatles "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" album on the track, "Good Morning, Good Morning". They never made it as big as the Shadows .

Peter (Asher) and Gordon (Waller), "A World Without Love". Went to number one in the UK and the US.

Matt Monro, "Walk Away". Top ten in the UK (#4), top 25 in the US (#23).

Herman's Hermits, "I'm Into Something Good". Their first release, it hit number done in the UK, but stalled at lucky 13 in the UiS.

Tommy Quickly and the Remo Four, "Humpty Dumpty". The Remo Four originally backed Johnny Sandon, but it was Beatles manager Brian Epstein who decided to replace him with Quickly. Only one of this lineup's songs made the charts, but not this one.

Billie Davis, "Whatcha Gonna Do". Didn't chart.

Spencer Davis Group, "My Babe". A cut from their first LP entitled, "Their First LP". I kid you not. The album was also released as "Every Little Bit Hurts" on another label. The same album re-released as "Sittin' and Thinking'" with the order of the songs changed. It was great to see and hear Steve Winwood perform.

Nashville Teens, "Tobacco Road". #14 in the US and #& in the UK. I still hear oldies stations playing it! The Rockin' Berries, "What in the World's Come Over You". #23 in the UK; Tom Jones' version was played in the US.

Matt Monro, "For Mama". Not a big hit on either side of the pond - #36 on the UK charts and barely caused a ripple in the US.

The Four Pennies, "Black Girl". A Leadbelly tune, hit #20 in the UK.

Sounds Incorporated, "William Tell". Didn't reach the charts.

The Nashville Teens, "Google Eye". A top ten hit (#10) in the UK; it received some airplay in the US.

The Honeycombs, "Eyes". Never made the charts. Their song "That's the Way", was the only other Honeycombs' single to break the top 15 in the UK (#12).

The Animals, "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood". #10 US and #3 UK. I admit to being an Eric Burdon fan. When I worked at Oldies radio in the US I looked for opportunities to play the Animals. One cut a night! Matt Monro sang a "Pop Gear" ditty. As far as I know, it was never released as a single.

The Beatles ended the show with "Twist and Shout".

Why the British Invasion failed

[LCShackley · 6/10 · 2 September 2006]

This film was definitely made for British audiences, so please understand that I am speaking as an American pop film/music aficionado who was only 9 when POP GEAR was made. There are only a handful of songs in this film that ever made it to the American charts, and some of these groups never had ANY hits on our side of the Atlantic (the Rocking Berries? the Four Pennies?).

Highlights: 1. Beatles doing live versions of SHE LOVES YOU and TWIST AND SHOUT, with some mixing problems on the vocals. 2. Animals and Herman's Hermits doing their hits. 3. Laughable version of the William Tell Overture played by "Sounds Incorporated" (another group that never crossed the pond). 4. A reminder that pop groups actually used to dress in a civilized manner, even creepy singers like Eric Burdon or the guys from The Nashville Teens.

Lowlights: 1. Obvious lip-synching and thick pancake makeup on all faces. 2. Reminder of how lame "pop music" set design was in the 60s. Some sets are fairly interesting; others look like the budget ran out. 3. Silly dance routine with guys and girls in suits and dresses. 4. Matt Munro looking like a chunky middle-aged businessman. What's he doing with all the young mop-tops? 5. British readers will probably jump on me here, but who is this idiot MC named Savile? Did you actually take this moron seriously for decades on TV? I can't believe he got a knighthood. He looks like a bad Marty Feldman character. Come on...the guy was almost 40 in this picture and he's trying vainly to look "hip" - and where was his hairdresser? He should have been booted simply for predicting that the "Rocking Berries" would be the next BIG THING!

In summary, this is a harmless, sometimes fun pop collection to remind old folks like me of the sounds of the mid-60s. But its endless parade of look-alike and sound-alike groups show why the British invasion fizzled after a few years.

*** October 2012 ADDITION *** Guess I was right about Jimmy Savile, eh?

Very Strange-----

[Gil-44 · 2/10 · 4 July 2000]

Ostensibly a film that predicts the coming trends in British popular music, it's wrong on so many fronts that it's laughable. Tommy Quickly? The Honeycombs? The movie DOES include a song by the Spencer Davis group, two by the Animals, and one tacked on live film of the Beatles doing their live version of Twist and Shout (all 1:20). But all in all, an awkward display of British music circa 1964. Oh, and Herman's Hermits.

A 60's musical time capsule that should be better preserved

[barham · 4 July 2000]

I had wondered what had happened to a little film I saw in the early 70s called Go-Go Mania and now I know - its original English title is Pop Gear.

Nice viewing for pop music historians. There are good performances by obscure groups here that never made it to the US. Too bad the performers didn't always think to write the name of their group in bigger letters on their drum kits, sort of as a way of preserving their work for posterity. Nor does the film pop up the name of the group and the song the group performs (the benefits of pop-up video!)

I caught this film on a cable channel over the July 4 holiday and sat frantically flipping through a book on British pop music trying to identify some of these groups!

Anyway, for those of you not familiar with British pop music of the 60s, here's what I caught:

The Nashville Teens perform "Tobacco Road" and "Google Eyes", both written by John D. Loudermilk. Do not be fooled by the name - it is a British group.

The Honeycombs are identifiable by their female drummer, Honey Langtree.

I thought the performance by the Four Pennies was particularly good - they sang with a passion. This was a group that unfortunately never even surfaced in the US - Lionel Morton, Fritz Fryer, Mike Walsh, and Alan Buck. Too bad we missed out!

Another good performance by a 5?-man group whose lead singer has red hair - sadly I couldn't identify these fellows. Anybody out there who can help me out?

Eric Burdon and the Animals are always a treat. A little guy with a huge voice.

The description of the film says Spencer Davis is in here too, though I turned it on too late to catch them.

And the grand finale looked like footage of the Beatles from "A Hard Day's Night". 'Nuff said about the Beatles.

The music holds up extremely well - the dance numbers were something else. They positively date the thing in the 60s. The tight gold pants worn by one group of women look awful. And the dresses worn by another group look like sacks - they called this fashion?

A pleasant collection of British '60s Pop Music Videos

[panaceamedia · 6/10 · 10 September 2022]

I had no idea what this was going into it and nearly stopped watching because I thought some dude was singing about molesting kids. He wasn't (not that trying to trick a kid so he can bang the kid's presumably older sister is much better haha), but that was a terrible choice to start the series of videos.

Overall, I found this collection of music videos (not a movie) quite enjoyable. Most of the songs I liked. It was interesting to see how they all had similar set designs and matching outfits.

The host looked familiar and I recognized the name, but after looking at his IMDB, I still am not sure where I know him from.

The Animals are dope.

While "Go Go Mania" does admittedly sound better to us americans, I am not a fan of title changes. Tangent: I think it is ridiculous how countries are named differently in each language. Everyone should call a country by what the country calls themselves. /tangent

I had forgotten Beatles covered "We're the Monkeys", oops, I mean "Twist and Shout" from "The Isley Brothers" who altered the song from "Top Notes" who bought it from two american song writers who probably ripped off Ritchie Valens who in turn probably ripped off some poor mexican busk band. I also found it funny spotting the faces in the crowd who were annoyed by the screeching fan girls.

Go Go Pop Gear Mania is recommended for those interested in '60s pop music videos or just to have on in the background while hanging out.

Lip-synced Mania!!!

[gohurdler1 · 1/10 · 8 September 2020]

"Go Go Mania" was just plain horrible to watch. The performances were filmed in a studio and lip-synced. The host Jimmy Savile appeared to be the only one in the film not to be lip-syncing. There is prior live concert footage used of the Beatles.

Some of the reviews that I have seen on IMDB call the performances "videos" before there were videos. No, they are not videos. It's like calling a TV performance of a band a music video, which is basically what these bands more or less did.

If these were actual live performances (not counting the Beatles because it wasn't filmed for this production) I would be excited but they are not. They are lip-synced performances and I would rather just hear their songs via CD, radio or streaming.

Fun Stuff and Sometimes Very Weird

[aimless-46 · 9/10 · 19 September 2006]

Absolutely amazing time capsule look at the British pop music scene in 1964. There are sixteen groups (or solo singers) and several sing two of their 1964 hits, one being The Beatles who bookend the whole thing with color concert footage of "She Loves Me" and "Twist and Shout". It's the best early Beatles stuff I have ever seen and the editor does a nice job cutting between the group and the audience-mostly girls who scream and swoon-while the few boys in the audience sway to the beat and try their best to look interested.

The rest of the groups are filmed in a studio-with either lip syncing or ADR supplying the audio. The guitars are unplugged but they are playing and singing-it works fine because they are mostly on beat and it is easy enough to suspend disbelief. Jimmy Savile, a British radio personality who looks like a cross between Edgar Winter and Marty Feldman; handles the introductions. Things were very different back then-imagine trying to get 15 of today's chart topping groups to cooperate with something like this.

It is an interesting mix of British recording artists, most were just starting out and they would have extremely varied futures although few would last out the decade. About half the songs made it onto the American charts and some were big hits. This was the first wave of the British Invasion and those that didn't make it were quickly replaced by groups like The Kinks, The Rolling Stones, and The Velvet Underground.

1. First up is Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas doing "Little Children" on a set with giant alphabet blocks. The greased back hair and the conventional suits made this guys look outdated even in 1964.

2. Susan Maughan sings "Make Him Mine", she was a solo artist and arguably pop music's all-time prettiest girl.

3. The Four Pennies sing "Juliet" (a B-side song that unexpectedly became their biggest hit) and then later "Black Girl" (by Leadbelly).

4. The Animals do "House of the Rising Sun" and "I'm Just a Soul Whose Intentions are Good". Eric Burdon is amazing.

5. The Fourmost sing "A Little Lovin"; both group and song are forgettable.

6. The Rockin' Berries do "He's In Town" and "What In the World's Come Over You". These guys are an unexpected treat with Geoff Turtone's falsetto voice very distinctive. They are a beat group whose name came from their fondness for Chuck Berry.

7. The Honeycombs do "Have i the right" (the first time he growls "Come Right Back" is one of the top ten moments in rock and roll) and "Eyes of Someone in Love" (illustrating the one-hit wonder phenomenon). They have a female drummer.

8. Sounds Incorporated perform something I did not recognize and follow it up with an up-tempo version of "The William Tell Overture" (it would be a great song for a high school football game halftime show). A five member instrumental group, at one point they have alto, tenor, and baritone saxophones going at the same time-they could have made it big if they had thought to incorporate an oboe. They also jump up and down a lot.

9. Peter and Gordon do "Please Lock Me Away". Watch Peter play a 12 string guitar complete with a back beat-he is the one of the pair who looks the most like Jane Asher (not surprising since she is his sister).

10. Matt Munro does a couple of completely dreadful songs-he looks like a cross between Perry Como and Bobby Darin and is completely out of his element in this production.

11. Herman's Hermits do "Something Tells Me I'm Into Something Good".

12. Tom Quickly & the Remo Four perform a song about nursery rhymes that may have inspired Monty Python's "Lumberjack Song".

13. Billie Davis does "Whatcha Gonna Do". Billie is a girl, she is very cute and wholesome.

14. The Spencer Davis Group does "My Baby" and it is a stretch to classify it as R&B.

15. The Nashville Teens try to do C&W. Except for the Stones, British groups have always struggled with country inspired tunes and the two songs here ("Tobacco Road" and "Goggle Eyes") will be quite painful listening for Americans, and the Dexy's Midnight Runner look (complete with a little boy dressed as Huck Finn) will send you scrambling for the fast forward button.

This is essential viewing for those interested in pop history and should be a lot of fun for casual fans.

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

Great time capsule stuff.

[blewis-29 · 9/10 · 28 January 2007]

Having been 16 at the end of 1964, this took me back. Great history here too with some acts that never translated to this side of the ocean. (Although The Rockin' Berries had a pretty good U.S. hit with a cover of the Reflections "Poor Man's Son".) More history - The Fourmost and Tommy Quickly were in Brian Epstein's stable and each got to record Lennon-McCartney cast-offs; Hello Little Girl (Fourmost) and Tip of My Tongue (Quickly) - the latter possibly the worst song ever written by L&M. What a trip hearing early Spencer Davis with 16 year old Steve Winwood picking up lead guitar and vocal in the middle of the song. And Alan Price on keyboards for the Animals - a group he founded - just before he split with Eric. (And the late Chas Chandler on bass - he more than anyone responsible for bringing James Marshall Hendrix to the world.) Forgive the wardrobes (gold lame pants) and the sets - just early Carnaby Street sign of the times. And Matt Munro - an accommodation to the older set during the period of transition - he was thought to be the Sinatra of England.

I could have watched five hours of this! Bob Lewis

Billie Davis at age 18

[RogerPop · 8/10 · 21 September 2006]

I saw this movie on cable the other day. I was very surprised at how many great British pop artists appeared. Some obscure (at least to me) bands like The Rocking Berries, Fourmost, Tommy Quickly & The Remo 4 and Susan Maughan. I should have known more about these artists as I am no spring chicken and I loved this music.

The best surprise was a very pretty singer named Billie Davis. She was also unknown to me but not to British fans of pop as she still performs in shows with her friend Jet Harris. I got an immediate crush on this girl and she was just 18 years old in this film. She is now 61 but still quite pretty as I discovered from her fan site. Try and get her CD of her best stuff from her Decca years.

Many great performances make this a snapshot in time of the British invasion pop scene and well worth your time.

Great period piece

[cstrother-1 · 8/10 · 24 February 2007]

I just saw this TV on some obscure cable channel. What a great period piece. A mix of well-known groups and the obscure, at least in the States. It was most interesting to me to see how some of the greats just sort of leaped off the screen, even though it was all lip-synched. Stevie Winwood in the Spencer Davis Group, as one. The Animals another. In fact, I thought the Animals out and out killed. I thought Herman's Hermits were good.

Lot of comment on the Beatles here. Nice to have some live Beatles clips for sure, but I did not think they were that remarkable.

The group with the red-haired singer asked about by another comment is the Rocking Berries. A real gem of a group that I had not heard of. Billie Davis was great, too. A real cutie, exuding personality.

Also, a good illustration of how there is really bad music in any era, too.

Dress and hair styles were great, too. Within a couple of years it would all be different.

Well worth watching.

An American's Perspective of the 1960s British Pop Scene

[romanorum1 · 8/10 · 13 June 2014]

From 1 January 1964 to 31 December 1965 there were 48 number one songs on the Billboard pop charts (USA). Ten of these songs emanated from Detroit, the soul sound. But twenty of the 48 were British. Twenty! To put this information in perspective, the first foreign record to reach #1 in America did not even occur until the summer of 1958, when Domenico Modugno from Italy sang "Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu (Volare)." Not much else happened until 1963, when Kyu Sakamoto of Japan serenaded with "Sukiyaki," which also went to the top. So with the phenomenal English achievement of 40 percent of the top USA records in 1964-1965, one understands that the "British Invasion" was incredibly successful. The English brand was popular then. There was swinging London, Carnaby Street, the Mersey Beat, James Bond, Twiggy, etc. Then there were the four lads from Liverpool: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr – the Beatles – the greatest Rock 'n' Roll group of all time.

"Go Go Mania" ("Pop Gear" in England), made for UK audiences, was released in England in January 1965 and in May 1965 in the USA. It capitalized on the popularity of the British sound. There are 25 featured songs from 16 performing artists. The term "Go-Go" was new at the time (and may have originated from the "Whiskey a Go-Go" discotheque in Chicago). You know the connotation: girls in short skirts/dresses, sometimes in white boots, dancing on platforms or suspended cages at various clubs across the USA. We witnessed the popularity of TV shows like "Shindig," "Hullabaloo," "Hollywood a-Go-Go" (with those gorgeous Gazzarri Dancers) and "Shivaree." But although "Go Go Mania" does have two nice-looking female dance numbers (featuring golden hip-huggers and tight skirts), the reason for the name change from "Pop Gear" is not fully clear.

Wild-haired (and now controversial) British media personality Jimmy Savile is the host of the movie. But he is rather inconsistent in that he does not always identify a group or a song. Anyway, in the first and last singing acts the Beatles are featured from a live 1963 (not 1964) English concert. Beatles manager Brain Epstein had given Harry Field and Frederic Goode special permission to use the clips. The opening song is "She Loves You"; the conclusion is truncated – just the last part – of "Twist and Shout." Yes, the teen-aged girls scream to their hearts' content and are great fun to watch. Soon, for the first time in American music history, the Beatles had the top 5 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 (4 April 1964)! They were destined for a long run (1964-1970).

Savile makes it clear that the first 16 songs of the movie focused on the 1964 hits; the second part is mostly about British pop prospects in the upcoming year. In between the Beatles' hits we see such sound-stage performers (mostly all neatly dressed) on individual and colorful sets as the Animals, Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas, Herman's Hermits, Peter and Gordon, and others. Unfortunately we cannot have everything so there are no Rolling Stones or Dave Clark Five or Zombies. Nevertheless, the feature is a fine time capsule.

The Animals sing their only #1 American hit, "House of the Rising Sun." They follow up with "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood," which reached #15. The band includes lead vocals Eric Burton, Hilton Valentine (guitar), large and tall "Chas" Chandler (bass), John Steele (drums) and band founder Alan Price (on keyboards). Price would leave the group in the spring of 1965. Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas sing their popular "Little Children," a #7 hit. The Honeycombs, with female drummer Ann "Honey" Lantree, sing "Have I the Right," which reached #5 on the USA charts. So the gal does all right and was obviously the inspiration for the group's name. Peter Asher and Gordon Waller perform their wonderful "A World without Love," which went right to the top in America. The Nashville Teens sing "Tobacco Road" (#14). Herman's Hermits, one of the more successful British groups in the USA, croon "I'm into Something Good," which went to #13 on the charts. By the way, 1965 would be an even better year as the band was destined to score high with two #1 hits and also one #2. Eventually 18 Herman's Hermit's tunes would chart on American Top 40 lists (1964-1968). The music by Sounds Orchestral in "Pop Gear" did not chart, but in 1965 their "Cast Your Fate to the Wind" did reach #10. Now the Spencer Davis group – with Steve Winwood – is intriguing as their best years in America did not begin until 1966-1967 ("Gimme Some Lovin'" was #7). Steve Winwood later left the group, and on his own, had two #1 American hits in the 1980s.

The Rockin' Berries never charted in America. In the movie they covered "What in the World's Come over You." That tune was a gold disc winner for Canadian-American Jack Scott (Giovanni Scafone), who wrote the lyrics and sang the song (1959-1960). But Savile's prediction was not correct: 1965 was not a good chart year for the Rockin' Berries. Lesser known artists and groups like the Four Pennies, the Fourmost, Billie Davis, Susan Maughan, Tommy Quickly also never charted in the USA, although Matt Monro had two songs that did make the American lists, including his "Walk Away," which reached #23 in 1964. He even sang the theme song in the second James Bond thriller, "From Russia with Love."

This picture is rated affably as I still believe the best rock music ever emanated from the two-year 1964-1965 period. (Within a year or two it would all change, of course.) Just about every song heard on the radio was a delight, and – as I have already pointed out – our British friends had much to do with it. Many of their songs still sound good to me!

Great flik...

[mesadude · 10/10 · 10 November 2000]

I grew up listening to the early British bands and loved their music. This is a wonderful time capsule preserving for everyone a rare glimpse of the early British music invasion. I still have some of the albums from those bands and listen from time to time to reminisce. "Pop Gear" sets the stage for the visual British invasion experience. Highly recommended to anyone interested in this music.

Okay, I admit it --

[ruthmorrisson · 8/10 · 11 September 2020]

I grew up in the 60s and 70s -- some of my first experiences in relation to music was Beatlemania and the British Invasion. So I'm old enough to remember some of these songs on American radio. Even had a few Herman's Hermits albums (okay, I was seven). Yeah, it's almost completely lip-synced. And that Saville guy is just weird and creepy (apparently, he really WAS weird and creepy -- I remember a few years ago when the story broke about him and what he was REALLY like -- eww). But this is basically the music of my childhood. And some of the music really does hold up. Ran across it while TCM was doing "End of Summer" movies on Labor Day this week, under its US title _GoGo Mania" and set up the timer mostly for curiosity. So don't treat it like a movie if the lip-synching and the dorky sets and the bad Carnaby Street suits and the goofy dance routines (although the first one is actually better than the one on the TV show in _A Hard Day's Night_) -- and fast forward every time Saville and his fake hair are on the screen -- and just have it on as background music. Because a lot of the music is actually pretty good. (Okay, not that Munro guy; but I will admit also watching Tom Jones' old variety show on a regular basis when I was a kid.)

MTV Pre-Cursor

[Seamus2829 · 8/10 · 17 October 2008]

Long before MTV (or as I prefer to call it now...empty vee),for bands to get their image across, they had to either appear on various television programmes,or appear in self produced film clips. This feature film seems to be made up of a batch of these early film clips, with somebody named Jimmy Saville as the M.C. of sorts. The Beatles book end this compilation of clips,and along the way we are treated by footage of Eric Burdon & The Animals,Sounds Incorporated,etc. Like concert films that would appear in the wake of this film,it seems to be aimed mostly for rabid fans of the various bands in the film (i.e. most regular folk who just like movies for mere entertainment would probably be bored out of their skulls over this). Although the film does boast of some fine performances by the various bands, personally I find this Whitman's Sampler of the British invasion to be rather poorly filmed & edited (the camera sometimes seems to be where it shouldn't be---kind of like David Bowie's concert film,'Ziggy Stardust & The Spiders From Mars',from 1973/1983). This film sometimes pops up on late night television (which is where I first saw it some years ago).