Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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38 of 41 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful content...........but technically flawed !, 1 Jun 2007
The range of musical excerpts from a programme I fondly remember watching every Tuesday night during it's early years is so broad that a review, per se, is largely redundant. The mix of full-on live, live vox with backing track, and entirely mimed (though mostly very well) can be viewed as either quaint or irritating.
The original purchase I made had a fault: toward the start of most tracks there was a very short (less than a second) pause/jump. While it didn't ruin my enjoyment it was (is) irritating. Amazon, as is their way (for which I applaud them) replaced it instantly. Sadly the replacement has the same fault: so the Beeb are to blame. Beware.
Personal highlights include Kristofferson/Coolidge dueting "Help Me Make It Through The Night....real sexual tension, a young Tom Waits (Tom Traubert's Blues), Talking Heads (Psycho Killer), Robert Wyattt (Shipbuilding), Head Hands & Feet with Albert Lee and a pre-Chas'n'Dave Chas Hodges (Warming Up The Band), Gary Moore & "Friends" (i.e. Thin Lizzy) just to see the wonderful Phil Lydon again, and, maybe best of all, Stevie Marriott a la Humble Pie doing Black Coffee....definitely LIVE.
If it wasn't for the fault I'd have given this 5 stars.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Five star kicker, 16 Mar 2009
The Old Grey Whistle Test began its 16-year televisual run in 1971, largely as a vehicle for assorted singer-songwriters and groups of hairy men with guitars. After Annie Nightingale replaced Bob Harris as presenter in 1978, the music of the prevailing post-punk / new wave era began to take centre stage, and during the 1980's Whistle Test then moved its focus further towards 'chart' music.
This box set brings together the three previously-released DVD volumes into one complete collection. The first volume was itself released on two discs; disc one concentrates on the period from 1971-78 and disc two on 1978-87. The remaining two volumes were single disc affairs that each covered Whistle Test's entire lifespan. If, like me, you were born in the 1970's or earlier, there's a fair chance you'll remember the programme to some degree, and if you're a fan of music from across the Whistle Test era, then there's an even greater chance you'll find a wealth of material here that's of interest to you.
Of the aforementioned singer-songwriters, the late, great John Martyn (who crops up twice) and a very sweaty Bill Withers are standouts, while Dr Feelgood's appearance from '75 hints at the seismic musical shift that was soon to follow. The new era is ushered in by the likes of Talking Heads and Siouxsie And The Banshees, peaking with a performance from PiL which is so astonishing it practically defies description. Tubeway Army's arty electropop and The Specials' ska provide a segway of sorts to the more commercially-orientated Whistle Test of the 1980's, though The Jesus And Mary Chain's incendiary In A Hole from '85 proves that the programme continued to dip its toes into more alternative and outré waters on occasion.
There's an awful lot more good stuff besides this. In fact, very little is unwatchable, and some performances surprise. I've never been much of a fan of The Police or Supertramp, but until I watched this DVD I never realised that Can't Stand Losing You and Dreamer are actually...well...decent songs. And how tight (musically speaking) were the '73 vintage Fairport Convention? The extras aren't hugely bountiful, although the interviews have a curiosity value, and some of the chat from presenters and performers is interesting and insightful, if a little long-winded at times.
Overall, an excellent package.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great piece of social history..., 22 Mar 2009
This box set of TOGWT is fabulous - as music is as fresh and exciting today as it was then. What a remarkable concept TOGWT was anyway - empty studio, late at night, unplugged sessions - what a win! Bob Harris has long been one of my heroes and he just continues to rise in my estimation... This set is an absolute must for all serious, and not-so-serious music-lovers - as well as those with a keen interest in music history ....
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