Topic: The Old Grey Whistle Test

[Yosser0_0]

Just watched a cracking programme on BBC 4 "Old Grey Whistle Test: 70s Gold". Looks like there is another programme just starting about the programme, perhaps a tribute night?

[The Gulleysucker]

Yes, good stuff.
I'd forgotten that Greg Allman/Sher performance, in fact forgotten they'd even been married for a short while. It was shit hot.
Looking back, Greg Allman sounded just like Ray Charles, something I'd never picked up on back then.
And that Vinegar Joe appearance I haven't seen since then, Elkie and Palmer together. They were meant to perform at the Southport Arts School Ball back in 72 or so, at the Moulin Rouge in Ainsdale but never showed up. Well that's what I remember the organisers saying, though they might have been telling lies.
The rest of the clips I think I'd seen a few too many times on various shows, New York Dolls doing their usual sub standard Stones Karaoke performance etc,  Roxy & Bowie, but good fun never the less. Shame they didn't show Devo.
Didn't much like the follow up programme, the usual culprits assembed for talking head shots and I gave up as soon as Mr Blobby Morley made an obligatory appearance.
Anne Nightingale must be pushing 70 now, looked like a bit of vaseline on the lens in those shots, though we always thought she was a bit old and trying too hard to be hip even back then.

[Trada]

I'm going to watch them tomorrow night on the BBCI player.

Looking forward to it.

[Sir Afghan]

Heard the fella who presented it (whispering something) on radio5 the other day and saw it for the first time tonight. Thought it was brilliant, watched it with me old man who watched it all first time round. Specials especially were boss.

[John C]

I admit to being uncultured, lets face it I think CHOPPER is the funniest thing since Tommy Cooper, likewise I've struggled to accept that music is an art. Music to me resembles more of a mixture of contemporary vs ancient sound of which the resonance is underpinned by a single appreciation, albeit dislike for other peoples tastes. Whereas art widens the boundary's of aesthetics, indeed exploits them to levels of acceptability that can go unchallenged to those not so discerning. For example CHOPPER could build a wall with 4 bricks and he's a genius in my eyes because I'm told its art.

The OGWT narrowed the divide of art and music. It encompassed and embraced the very day of 1970's culture in an unassuming fashion yet to be rivalled.

[The Gulleysucker]

I admit to being uncultured, lets face it I think CHOPPER is the funniest thing since Tommy Cooper, likewise I've struggled to accept that music is an art. Music to me resembles more of a mixture of contemporary vs ancient sound of which the resonance is underpinned by a single appreciation, albeit dislike for other peoples tastes. Whereas art widens the boundary's of aesthetics, indeed exploits them to levels of acceptability that can go unchallenged to those not so discerning. For example CHOPPER could build a wall with 4 bricks and he's a genius in my eyes because I'm told its art.

The OGWT narrowed the divide of art and music. It encompassed and embraced the very day of 1970's culture in an unassuming fashion yet to be rivalled.

It's Jonathan Meades....

[Yosser0_0]

My personal favourite

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/x5FBs7xR_5I" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/x5FBs7xR_5I</a>

[Yosser0_0]

Heard the fella who presented it (whispering something) on radio5 the other day and saw it for the first time tonight. Thought it was brilliant, watched it with me old man who watched it all first time round. Specials especially were boss.

Your obviously talking about this bloke? Am I right? :-

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/DMBHkntOMtk" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/DMBHkntOMtk</a>

[Pheeny]

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/FfKWPyj51vU?version=3&amp;amp;hl=en_GB&quot;value=&quot;always&quot;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/FfKWPyj51vU?version=3&amp;amp;hl=en_GB&quot;value=&quot;always&quot;</a>

[FlashingBlade]

ah! yes whispering Bob and the OGWT...do those people still think the badges are 'priceless'?....great performances from the Clash, Pistols, Fall etc....oh yes! thats right!...Im not knocking the compilation stuff ( but it was the cream of a show that ran for fifteen years!), its just that the OGWT steadfastly refused to acknowledge that 1975 ever ended.

The OGWT narrowed the divide of art and music. It encompassed and embraced the very day of 1970's culture in an unassuming fashion yet to be rivalled.

Check out Granada/Tony Wilsons 'So it Goes'

[LanceLink!!!!!]

Brilliant show last night.

Bowie and Talking Heads were my highlights.

[Fanxxxxtastic]

Just settiling down to this at the mo 

Looking forward to it.

[Victor]

its just that the OGWT steadfastly refused to acknowledge that 1975 ever ended.

I don't totally disagree with that ..  but I'd say when Annie Nightingale took over presenting it there was a definite shift towards post punk and new wave and away from the old hippies ..  it took them a while though .. must have been about 1978 by then and a lot of the bands shown were already on the way to being well established ...  I don't think the dvds of the series really represent that period very well .. they seem to concentrate on the earlier series then jump to the eighties, Hepworth and Ellen years .  but the late 70s was probably the best period for OGWT in my view ...

[FlashingBlade]

I don't totally disagree with that ..  but I'd say when Annie Nightingale took over presenting it there was a definite shift towards post punk and new wave and away from the old hippies ..  it took them a while though .. must have been about 1978 by then and a lot of the bands shown were already on the way to being well established ...  I don't think the dvds of the series really represent that period very well .. they seem to concentrate on the earlier series then jump to the eighties, Hepworth and Ellen years .  but the late 70s was probably the best period for OGWT in my view ...

Possibly, but I dont recall ever being drawn to it cos of the groups they put on....Think of that incredible period of UK music in very late seventies /early eighties and Im not sure any TV programme not just OGWT captured it adequately ( apart from So it Goes)

[Buck Pete]

Just watched a cracking programme on BBC 4 "Old Grey Whistle Test: 70s Gold". Looks like there is another programme just starting about the programme, perhaps a tribute night?

This was repeated (again!) on BBC4 Friday night.  They can show it as many times as they like though because Its bloody brilliant.

So many amazing performances.  My favourite remains Johnny Winter and his bands cover of Jumpin' Jack Flash,  The whole band rockin' out for about 6 minutes

The quantity of drugs consumed before those OGWT performances must have been par for the course

I'd forgotten that Greg Allman/Cher performance, in fact forgotten they'd even been married for a short while. It was shit hot.

As we all know, Gully had great taste.  The Greg Allman/Cher duet of "Love Me" was just simply amazing.

Cher before all her cosmetic work was a truly amazing looking woman,  Along with a voice like hers she was always going to be a mega star.