It's monsoon season in Arkansas...a good time to stay indoors, watch DVDs, drink large quantities of coffee, and maybe even get around to writing a new blog. Even though "Hitchcock" is not allowed by the censor as a Topic title, The Kipper will carry on...

Blackmail (1929): Here and there, I'm finally watching some of my early Alfred Hitchcock collection. Blackmail was interesting as a film on several different levels. Not only is it a good movie in itself, but we also see the complete revolution from the silent to the talkie era. Hitchcock had began filming the movie as a silent feature, but after production started, it was decided that it would be one of the first British talkies. Since Hitchcock often shot in chronological sequence, we see a literal progression of silent-to-sound film techniques. The opening scene is pure silent. Then we have a scene that utilizes minor sound effects, such as the sound of the truck. A rather poorly constructed dialogue scene is next, with terrible vocal dubbing on the same level as a Shaw Brothers kung fu flick. But, little by little, the art of making a sound picture is learned, and by the end of the movie the new artform is rendered flawlessly. It's an interesting film to watch from this historical perspective.


I very much wanted to watch the classic The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog (1927). But, I couldn't make it through the film...my public domain copy of the movie had the most horrid musical soundtrack possible. It consisted of a few generic orchestral movements, randomly looped over and over again. The tone and mood of the music was almost always inappropriate for what was happening on the screen. A good soundtrack can greatly enhance a silent film (such as Type O Negative's Nosferatu version) or a film without a musical score (Philip Glass' superb backing for Dracula improves the film). I'll have to wait and see a better version of The Lodger.



El Alamein: Line of Fire (2002): There aren't many contemporary warmovies that are worthwhile, so I took a chance on this Italian film by Enzo Monteleone. It was hailed as an anti-war film (as most warfilms are...it's a rather strange form of political correctness that has existed since the 1960s). But, I think that any film that portrays historical events in a truthful way isn't "anti" or "pro" anything. In fact, I found that the movie refused to dwell upon making political statements and judgements. It was just a rather straight-forward story about the doomed Italian Pavia Division that was destroyed in the Battle of El Alamein in 1942. The main characters suffer hardships, as the Pavia soldiers did historically, but it rarely plays upon the sympathies of the viewer. Some viewers hated the ending...instead of seeing the ultimate fate of the three protagonists, we are left hanging as one rides off on a motorcycle to get help for the other two. It really isn't relevant what became of the three...they either died in the desert right there or were captured by the British; or, they made it back to their main unit so that they could either die or be captured in Tunisia. Overall, it's a very good film that I recommend to those who like such things. There certainly aren't many WWII movies told from the Italian perspective. This sort of film would have been ruined in the hands of a Spielberg or Eastwood.



Danger Man (1960): I've also been enjoying the first season of Danger Man. Best known in the USA as Secret Agent (with the cool "Secret Agent Man" theme song), this was actually shown as Danger Man on CBS as a summer replacement for Wanted: Dead or Alive. This first season started before the spy-craze of the '60s began. Creator Ralph Smart actually worked with Ian Fleming before production began, but both had different ideas about how to bring a Bond-like character to life. Another interesting notion is that Patrick McGoohan's John Drake of Danger Man actually becomes Patrick McGoohan's Number 6 of The Prisoner. Some conservative purists would object to this theory, but, from what I have seen so far, it's entirely plausible. So, I'll say it...Prisoner Number 6 is John Drake.


Thanks for reading, friends and lurkers. Take care, watch out for snakes and mandatory health insurance premiums.

This week, The Kipper continues his adventures into the dusty BBC vaults with Volume 2 of The Old Grey Whistle Test. Volume 1 featured the original hosts' favorite performances, and it was a very good collection, but this collection seems to follow a different route. It's a nice mix of budding artists--some of which became mighty oaks, and more than a few that never made it past the sprout stage. It's a collection that's a bit much on the mellow side for my tastes, but there's still some notable appearances on this disc.

Heads Hands and Feet--"Warming Up the Band" (1971): I know, I've never heard of them either. They were a pre-Eagles country rock band, and the only memorable thing here is that guitarist Albert Lee was a member.
Roxy Music--"Ladytron" (1972): Once again, one of my favorite bands performs to pre-recorded music. This is a song from their first album and is their first appearance on the show. Notes from the DVD indicate that host Bob Harris hated this band because "they were arrogant", and their appearance on the show caused a rift in the Whistle Test office.
Loggins & Messina--"House on Pooh Corner" (1972): I'd heard about this song, but never actually heard it until now. It was supposedly a psychedelic, metaphorical song...but all I see here is a couple of young hippies singing a silly children's song. While it is certainly possible to take juvenile subject matter and make it into psychedelic parable (Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit", or even Carole King's "Porpoise Song"), this is just a song about Winnie the Pooh and nothing more. Loggins went on to make more silly songs, which I avoided, but I'll admit I did buy a Messina album in '79.
The Who--"Relay" (1973): A very obscure song, dropped by the band after a change of course in the Lifehouse project. Sadly, they perform to pre-recorded music, which gives Keith Moon a bit too much time to mug for the cameras. I suppose the necessary inclusion of the synth rhythm track prevented the band from actually performing this one live, although they later worked out a way to use synth tapes onstage.
Judee Sill--"The Kiss" (1973): This strange, piano-playing waif seemed to be a favorite on the show for some reason, but this performance reminds me of a high school talent show. She supposedly disliked appearing on the show because she hated being around rock musicians, and her Christian-themed music (her "Jesus Was a Cross Maker" was later recorded by other artists) seemed to set her apart from her contemporaries. Ironically, she died of a drug overdose in '79, so she might be Up There with Jimi Hendrix and Jim Morrison right now.
Argent--"God Gave Rock n Roll to You" (1973): Despite the title, it's not a Christian-rock song that Judee Sill might approve of. It's a tedious, sing-songy work that features a good bit of stolen Bach in the musical interlude. It's hard to believe that Rod Argent was a member of The Zombies, crafting such hits as "Time of the Season" and "She's Not There"...what happened?
Average White Band--"Put It Where You Want It" (1973): Funky, soulful band made up of--you guessed it--a bunch of white boys. The Doobie Brothers later made a career of this joke. This kind of music doesn't interest me in the least.
Jim Croce--"Bad Bad Leroy Brown" (1973): I never cared too much for Croce, but this is a fine performance. Croce really had charisma and a confidence that reaches through this video, despite the years. The guitar player that jams here with Croce also died in the plane crash that killed Croce.
New York Dolls--"Jetboy" (1973): This band supposedly created the niche that inspired the coming punk movement that included the Sex Pistols and Clash. But here, the Dolls seem like a bunch of Rolling Stones imitators, so I wonder about that whole thing. This particular song is pretty much a ragged remake of "Born to be Wild".
Tim Buckley--"Dolphins" (1974): Another mellow artist who died before his time, and maybe I sense a running theme in this collection. This performance reminds me of B.J. Thomas. No disrespect intended, but I'm really going through the coffee to make it through this disc.
Montrose--"Bad Motor Scooter" (1974): Notable because a young Sammy Hagar is the lead singer, it's just formula rock made common by bands such as Bad Company. It's not even good when compared to the mellow songs that were putting me to sleep earlier.

Bruce Johnston--"Disney Girls" (1975): Yep, this guy was in the Beach Boys, and he also won a Grammy for writing Barry Manilow's "I Write the Songs". But this creepy remake of "American Pie" is so long and tedious that host Bob Harris falls asleep behind him. No kidding, check out the photo. The host has fallen asleep!
Nils Lofgren--"Goin' Back" (1975): Lofgren is probably best known for being in Bruce Springsteen's band, and he was even in Neil Young's band for a while. But, he was always known as an acrobatic guitar player, not a piano-playing singer as he is here. I gotta tell you folks, he's an amazing piano player...check this video out online, if you can find it. It's worth it, as his style is very fresh and unique. He does a fine job singing this Carole King song as well, and the whole thing comes across as something that Paul Simon would be proud of. '70s mellow rock that I endorse...believe it or not!
Hall & Oates--"She's Gone" (1976): On the other hand, steer clear of this white-soul junk. I'll admit I owned a Hall and Oates album for a brief time, and I honestly don't know what happened to it.
Joan Armatrading--"Love & Affection" (1976): A great voice and an excellent guitar player. She intentionally avoided the spotlight and refused to let the critics (or audience) take her jazz-soul music too seriously. I respect her anti-diva attitude.
The Adverts--"Bored Teenagers" (1978.): One of the first punk bands to appear on the show. They pretty much sound like the early Jam.
Patti Smith Group--"Because The Night" (1978.): At the time, I wasn't sure what to think when the skanky Patti Smith had a hit with a Springsteen song. It didn't some right when this song appeared on her Easter album. Watching this clip, this punk queen seems so mainstream, like Natalie Merchant. I never bought another Patti Smith album after this song was released, although I enjoyed her later work with the Blue Oyster Cult and R.E.M. If you want to know the real Patti Smith, watch the last episode of Millennium's Season 2...they use the entire "Horses" song in the episode.

Meat Loaf--"Paradise by the Dashboard Light" (1979): This is a great live performance of the song, and notable because it almost caused the show to be permanently removed from the airwaves. Mr. Loaf behaved "in a lewd manner" and used "swear words" (yes, he dropped the f-bomb on live television!) I otherwise never cared for this over-dramatic stuff. But it's funny that it caused a big stir across the pond.

Siouxsie and the Banshees--"Metal Postcards" (1979): A real cult band that never really went anywhere. Siousxie's goth-look had a more lasting effect among the masses when Robert Smith of The Cure decided to adopt it for the rest of his career, and Smith has likewise been copied over the years by many others.
The Undertones--"Jimmy Jimmy" (1979): A lot of Brit punk bands seemed to get worked up by some dude named either Jimmy or Rudy. I don't get it.
Squeeze--"Slap and Tickle" (1979): I always considered them a joke band that sounded a little bit like Blondie...but they didn't have Debbie Harry, so what was the point?
Orchestral Manoeuvers in the Dark--"Dancing" (1980): This band had some sappy hits ("If You Leave" from Pretty In Pink, for example), but I bought their CDs for the experimental synth songs like this one.
Aztec Camera--"Walk Out to Winter" (1983): A band with more of a reputation than an actual catalogue of good songs. The Whistle Test crew seemed more intrigued by the band's computer controller than the band itself.
Thomas Dolby--"Hyperactive" (1984): Probably not as well-known as "She Blinded Me With Science", but I think a better song. A really good, live performance here of a difficult and complicated tune....trombone and all.
Style Council--"Walls Come Tumbling Down" (1985): I never bought any of Paul Weller's work after he left the Jam, but it's not bad or anything. Postmodern Motown, cool.
Suzanne Vega--"Marlene on the Wall" (1985): Vega never got the recognition she deserved as a performer and songwriter. Her 99.9 album remains in my CD player's rotation, but I read somewhere that the CD is no longer even in print. She had a unique way of blending her folk and jazz influences into something a lot of other female artists have copied and taken to the bank. Which is a shame, because Vega has been a consistant talent through her entire career, but remains pretty much unknown except for "Luka".
John Peel--"Skiffle Jam" (1985): This was kind of a joke thing on the show, with homemade instruments. To prove that anyone can play skiffle music. Thanks for the lesson.
Simply Red--"Holding Back the Years" (1985): How did you know I would say that's it's too mellow for me?
Prefab Sprout--"When Love Breaks Down" (1985): I would think that any band named after a line in a Nancy Sinatra song would be cool. Forget it. I still hear this song on mellow-rock stations to this day.
The Pogues--"Dirty Old Town" (1986): This Celtic folk rock stuff must be the Brit equivalent of Southern Rock, but they manage to cram even more family members into the band. I couldn't count how people were on stage to play this simple little ditty...let's see, there's the banjo player....there's the guy playing the thing that looks like a bagpipe...there a guy playing the thing that looks like a flute....there's the guy that....oh, never mind.

Well, that's it for Volume 2. Overall, a much weaker set than Volume 1, but the DVD itself is still good entertainment, with the usual extras of commentaries, notes, and even subtitled with the song lyrics. The excitement of Volume 3, the final volume, is just around the corner. I'll buy some more coffee.

Thanks for reading!

Remember when music was good? I do...I used to make rounds at the local record stores at least once a week, and sometimes drove 85 miles to Little Rock for the more obscure items. By the time CDs came out, I had over 700 vinyl LPs...a sizeable collection for such a picky afficionado as I was. I did have a fair share of "marginal" items on my shelf (after all, a solid Beatles fan always bought Ringo's solo albums as they came out!), but generally got rid of anything I didn't care for too much. It was difficult getting music info in those days...the only options available were magazines and music shows (yep...it was not only the pre-internet age, but it was also pre-MTV!) Music shows had always been around as far back as I can remember, but they were mostly Top Ten type shows with performers who were already well known. Oddly enough, American Bandstand seemed to give new bands a break or two, and I always tried to catch it when I could. Other than that, there weren't many options on domestic TV. I had always heard of a show in England called The Old Grey Whistle Test which gave relatively obscure artists a bit of airtime (and familiar artists a chance to do obscure songs), but I had seen little of it except for a few clips here and there. The BBC released three DVD collections from the show, which ran from 1971 to 1987, and I finally satisfied my curiosity by acquiring them.

The Old Grey Whistle Test Volume One
Overall, Volume One was a remarkable collection. The DVD itself was well done and included interviews and commentaries by the show's original presenters. The artists and songs are as follows, with The Kipper's own thoughts about the proceedings:

Alice Cooper--"Under My Wheels" (1971): I wasn't a big fan of Cooper at this early stage of his career, but I guess it was a bit outrageous at the time. He seems a tad out of it with this performance, a bit glassy-eyed, and he does strange things to the microphone stand. The band is glam and the song is a silly boogie-woogie.
Elton John--"Tiny Dancer" (1971): It's just Elton and his piano...sorry folks, I couldn't watch this one for more than a minute, and I'll leave it alone.
Curtis Mayfield: "We Gotta Have Peace" (1972): Remember when cutting-edge Black artists sang about shaking hands and making peace? What a concept! I will admit I liked Mayfield's Superfly album more than this song, though.
Randy Newman--"Political Science" (1972): I've never liked Newman's songs or the childish humor in them. I guess this one amused the Brits. How did this guy become popular?
Bill Withers--"Ain't No Sunshine" (1972): This is the most annoying song ever recorded ("I know, I know, I know..." etc.) Thankfully, this version without the strings is very short and I got through it without breaking the TV.
Rory Gallagher--"Hands Off" (1973): I consider him to be the most overated guitarist of all time, and on this one, he just plays some rockabilly riffs over a blues progression. I'm telling you, if I can play the blues, then anyone can. Ho hum.
The Wailers--"Stir It Up" (1973): This is a pleasant enough song, and it's nice to see Bob Marley and Peter Tosh playing together...but reggae is even more simplistic than the blues and it's all pretty much the same-sounding. Tosh plays a fine wah solo in this one.
Roxy Music--"Do The Strand" (1973): One of my fave bands, but this is a disappointment because they're playing with the music pre-recorded. Supposedly, the studio was too small for Roxy to play live...yeah, whatever. Brian Eno was still in the band at the point, and it's always interesting to see him twiddling the knobs on his ancient synths like he does here...even if it's not live.
Edgar Winter Group--"Frankenstein" (1973): I always thought this song borrowed a bit too much from Emerson, Lake and Palmer's book, but this live version really kicks butt. Guitarist Rick Derringer is amazing here. Two thumbs up, dude.

Captain Beefheart--"Upon the My O My" (1974) This guy really scares me. I don't think it was an act. I love it. Great song and performance, but I had to go check and make sure my front door was locked after I saw this.
Little Feat--"Rock N Roll Doctor" (1975): Snooze fest. Who really liked this kind of sappy, laid-back rock?
John Lennon--"Stand By Me" (1975): I'd seen this clip before. Lennon recorded this in the USA for the show, and it's a great version of the song, even though it has some strange edits near the end.
Lynyrd Skynyrd "Freebird" (1975): I was never a Southern rock fan and never cared for this song, even though I'm a redneck and proud of it. But this pre-crash Skynyrd performance is absolutely remarkable (I saw the band live in the '90s, and it wasn't anything like this clip). They play the end so fast, it's almost punk, and it sounds much better than the over-produced album version. I wonder what the Brit audience thought of this 13 minute rave-up and that huge Confederate battle flag hanging on the stage?
Emmylou Harris--"Amarillo" (1976): I kind of appreciate this lady, but this is the hokiest country crap imaginable. I'm ashamed to be a redneck now.
Bonnie Raitt--"Too Long at the Fair" (1976): Better than the later stuff that made her popular, but it reminds me of the junk that Jackson Browne used to crank out.
Tom Waits--"Tom Traubert's Blues" (1977): I like Waits as an actor, but I dunno why anyone would want to hear him sing with his fake voice. He's really working his ticket on this one.

Talking Heads--"Psycho Killer" (1977): Thank God, New Wave comes along at the right time. I saw them perform this on Bandstand in '77, and I bought the album the next day. They used to be such a good band, before they got silly and started wearing stupid-looking suits. This clip reminds me of how fresh and exciting they were at the time.
XTC:--"Statue of Liberty" (1978.): I never took this band seriously and never bought their albums. I guess they were the Weezer of their day. Here we have some two-chord happy woo-woo.
Blondie--"Presence Dear" (1978.): Probably my least favorite of their hits...something about this one song never connected with me. But, a good performance by the band here, and it's amusing when Debbie Harry calls the Brit audience "monkeys".
Tom Petty--"American Girl" (1978.): Dull, dull, dull. I thought punk rock would have done away with this tripe.
The Police--"Can't Stand Losing You" (1979) Mmmm. Reggae with intelligence and musicianship. Amazing. What a great band they were. It's hard to imagine that at one time, Sting was a musician that mattered.
Bruce Springsteen--"Rosalita" (1979): Likewise, it's hard to imagine that for a brief period, this guy was actually more than a poor Bob Dylan imitation (something that Tom Petty never grew out of). But, this clip used to get played on MTV all the time. It's notable that girls were actually encouraged to storm the stage in those days...how quaint.

Iggy Pop--"I'm Bored" (1979): A great performance...Iggy makes me believe he is actually bored as he does his usual stripper routine. I believe him. I love it when he tells his guitar player to bore us with the solo. Brilliant with satire, and I have a new respect for Iggy as a performer after seeing this.
The Specials--"A Message to You Rudi" (1979): So...ska was just a crappier version of reggae? I see. Thanks.
The Damned "Smash It Up" (1979): Some of that happy Brit-punk. Maybe it was better on the album, I dunno. I liked the part at the end when they used a "how to play" book with the keyboard.
The Ramones--"Rock N Roll High School" (1980). Okay, maybe this band was the Weezer of its day. I had one album by the Ramones; I let my bass player borrow it in '79, but he never brought it back, and I didn't care.

U2--"I Will Follow" (1981): This clip reminded me why I used to like U2 25 years ago, and why I don't like them now. There used to be a palpable urgency in their music...before Bono reckoned he was a messiah.
R.E.M.--"Pretty Persuasion" (1984): I had been buying these guys since their first album, and I never guessed that they would be popular. Here's another reminder of why I used to love a particular band. Man, these guys were good back then.

Next: More fun and adventure when the Kipper takes on The Old Grey Whistle Test Volume 2