on June 19th, 2007, the landmark concert film "The T.A.M.I. Show" will be released on DVD; completely uncut (with the full Beach Boys performance) and... wait for it... full director's commentary by Electronovision wunderkind Steve Binder!!!!! For any youngsters out there or anyone who doesn't have a enthusiasm for 1960's rock and pop, this is truly a big deal. It's never been released on video legally in the USA and most grey market and bootleg versions were from 16mm or 8mm dupes or from it's early 80's broadcast on the USA network's "Night Flight". Those versions varied in quality and NONE of them included the Beach Boys performance.
Now, what EXACTLY was "The T.A.M.I. Show" all about? First of all, it has nothing to do with the smartly titled alternative band from the 80's and 90's. It was a 2 day rock show extravaganza that was held in California and shot before early video cameras, transferred to film, edited and released theatrically on that medium. That Kine scope like process was dubbed Electronovision for this film's release. You see, while concerts in the early 1960's were typically caravans with 5 or 6 acts along with a headliner, a lot of these acts didn't really get to the heartland on America. Therefore, it was genius on the part of the producers of this film that they round up every big act of 1964 (save for The Beatles and The Four Seasons) and make a 2 hour theatrical extravaganza that would barnstorm the country and play theatres and, most importantly, drive-ins in towns that wouldn't ever see such acts live.
"The T.A.M.I. Show" (T.A.M.I. means either "Teen-Age Music International", what the AIP ads for the film advertised, or "Teenage Awards Music International", what was on some movie posters and ad material) was hosted by Jan and Dean and featured musical performances by them, along with Chuck Berry, Gerry and the Pacemakers, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, Marvin Gaye, The Beach Boys, Leslie Gore, The Supremes, Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas, The Barbarians, James Brown and his Famous Flames and, rounding out the show The Rolling Stones!!!!!!! All of this is shot on video in glorious black and white and super realistic monophonic sound augmented by a horde of screaming girls in the audience. It's the meaning of life captured on Kine scope. I'm so incredibly excited that this movie is FINALLY being released on video, I can't stop smiling. I can finally get rid of my dupey tapes and stop the further ruination of my 8mm film print from constant runs through my projector.
Simply put, you need to own this one if you have any interest in music history, film history, pop culture history or any and all of the above. There are so many highlights that it's hard to list them all without getting long winded. Suffice it to say, between the opening credits with Jan and Dean skateboarding and Diana Ross applying lipstick in EXTREME CLOSE UP and the grand finale of the film with the exhausting double whammy of James Brown in his absolute prime and the primal blues of early Rolling Stones, you'll find something to like, love, remember and cherish. God, I adore this movie.
I got it preordered at DVD Pacific for $10.23 shipped (the retail is $14.99), but I'll probably buy a copy at Best Buy on the release date and I'm sure I'll be getting one or two as Birthday gifts as it's being released one week before my birthday.
I really can't believe it's actually being released. I really can't.
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