The TAMI Show on DVD: This time for real!!!!!

So, imagine my surprise last night when I came home from work, turned on the TV and the legendary Rock movie, "The TAMI Show" was on PBS in widescreen HD! I about lost control, let me tell you. I couldn't believe it. Now, the broadcast was cut heavily and had a few pledge break interruptions that featured interviews with Dean Torrence (who should have gone a little more in depth with his remembrances), but just the fact that it was on at all was just incredible.

As it turns out, almost 3 years after the original announcement that I reported on HERE, Shout! Factory is finally releasing the greatest Rock film of all time on DVD, March 23rd. The DVD will include a full director's commentary by Steve Binder, Radio Spots and a 20 page booklet. It will retail for $19.93 (a goddamn steal!) and, if you buy it direct from Shout! Factory, you'll get a poster reproduction of the original Theatrical one-sheet.

You can read the press release HERE. It's still like a dream, but it's actually going to happen!

Now, I don't know if a Bluray version is forthcoming, but the PBS HD footage was absolutely fantastic to see. It's playing around the country right now, so check your local listings. It's well worth it, even if it is only half of the actual movie.

Oh yeah, PBS is touting it as a first time ever broadcast premiere, but we all know that it was played on Night Flight in 1981. Hyperbole, be damned!

McFly Live DVD Overview

Something happens at the 35 minute mark in McFly's new concert video that dropped my jaw in disbelief. I've been a huge fan of theatricality in Rock concerts all my life and it's been interesting to see the level of oneupmanship over the years as technology has caught up with stage theatrics.

More on that in a minute. I want to start from the top. I received the new Mcfly Concert DVD, Radio:Active Live at Wembley, one week ago today. It's a UK import and in PAL format, but that's never stopped me. Mcfly, as you regular readers will know, has captivated me since their inception just a few scant years ago. They began as a power pop band that Evoked the Beach Boys and the Beatles as well as Squeeze and other classic Pop bands of the past 50 years. Over their last 4 albums, their sound has matured rapidly, but steadily and their fan base has caught fire; a worldwide phenomenon around the world and a certified cult band in the USA.

Their latest CD release, Radio:Active, saw them breaking from their record company to form their own label, Super Records ("Saving the world, one song at a time") and finally doing their own thing, their own way, for better or for worse. The DVD of their last concert tour is visual proof that they're possibly the best Rock n Roll band in the world (as of this writing). A heady boast from a rabid fan? Possibly, but Rock n Roll isn't about brooding soundscapes and self Pitying lyrics about how life is a downer. Rock n Roll is about fun, power and winning over every girl that lays their eyes and ears on the band.

For this latest tour, McFly has redesigned their stage set to a futuristic decaying look, with oil cans and large ventilation fans dominating the stage. There're also some pyrotechnic displays that would make KISS nod in approval. The songs come hard and heavy in a mix of songs both current and classic. Then... 35 minutes in, it happens.

The stage supporting the band rises up into the air as McFly sings Star Girl. Cool enough, I've seen it before, albeit on a smaller scale. It's something that makes me smile. The stage then begins, in total, to sail above and over the audience as the band plays; a Plexiglas floor giving the girls in the audience a good look at their boys. As Star Girl comes to a close, the stage settles down at the back of Wembley Arena, so the fans in the cheaper seats can get a good look at the band. It's a magnificent moment and makes me wish I was there, makes me wonder how much it was to insure this show and how something like this could possibly be topped. I've seen many artists fly over the stage: David Bowie, Garth Brooks, Paul Stanley, Tommy Lee and his drum kit.... Koda Kumi even rose up a hundred feet in the air to see the folks in the back of the stadium, but I've never seen something so incredibly outrageous and unnecessary as this. THIS is Rock n Roll, people.

The band eventually makes it back to the main stage with a cover of Michael Jackson's "Black Or White", a few audience singalongs and a two song encore. The show wraps up in 80 minutes and I was left on my couch wondering what had just happened, it happened so fast. A truly great show and almost as good as the Motion In The Ocean tour.

A McFly Evolution documentary rounds out the disc; an enjoyable piece of the lads and the logistics of the current tour.

I, of course, completely recommend this show. It can be had at CDWOW for a reasonable price (and free shipping!).

Here's Lies from the concert DVD (note the lovely Mylar confetti... ROCK N ROLL ALL NITE, boys!):

Tommy, you complete me

I write a lot about Kimura Kaela on this blog and I have a blog (which I haven't updated in a long time) for Love Psychedelico. I love them both dearly and I'm grateful to all of them for providing me with music I'm not sure I'd be able to do without. With all of these new artists and albums of late, I tend to neglect one of my absolute favorite Japanese artists; Tomoko Kawase aka Tommy February6 aka Tommy Heavenly6. The reason I tend not to write about her so much is that her output has been virtually nil as of late (with the exception of a cover of "All Through the Night" for the Japan only Cyndi Lauper Tribute Album, "We Love Cyndi"). She's put out 3 singles with her first, and most famous band, "The Brilliant Green" this year and that's wonderful, but I'm a dyed in the wool fan of her alter egos.

You see, "The Brilliant Green" is a legendary band in many parts of the world and Tommy is an integral part of it's success, but her eccentricities seem to be a bit dampened by being part of a three piece band. That's not to say her bandmates stifle her creativity. Look no further than the video of "The Brilliant Green" where the entire band is dressed as students of Hogwarts with Tommy making a quite fetching Hermione. It's just that, as Tommy February6 and Tommy Heavenly6, she becomes a performance artist. She's not playing a half drunken schoolgirl who sings 80's synth pop or a Grungy Hot Topic casualty with an affection for Blythe Dolls... She simply IS a half drunken school girl who sings 80's synth pop AND a Grungy Hot Topic casualty with an affection for Blythe Dolls. Tommy, whether February6 or Heavenly6, is absolutely unique and brilliant.

My love for her work is (like my love for any of my favorite International Artists) somewhat crippled by the fact that I simply can't find readily available merchandise that won't kill my pocketbook. I bought Tommy February's "Tommy Airline" Special Edition CD+DVD set and Tommy Heavenly's self titled Special Edition CD+DVD sets early on in my fandom, so they were fairly easy to find for an agreeable price; not so for Tommy February's first album. Oh, I could have bought the first album in it's regular CD only edition, but I REALLY wanted that Special Edition CD+DVD set. Why? Well, you have to understand that while Japan has what is possibly the most expansive music releases in the world (they release EVERYTHING), their releases are mostly relegated to limited runs and the Special Edition runs become scarce quickly. I was able to score those other two sets because they were still in print when I bought them. The "Tommy Airline" was an especially lucky break since I obtained it from a US seller for under $20 shipped. Tommy February's Special Edition first album is an object I've sincerely NEVER seen available for sell anywhere in the USA... not even on eBay (and that's rare, folks!)

So, I turned my sights to Japan. Yahoo! Auctions Japan, to be precise. Yahoo! Auctions Japan is the only Yahoo! Auctions site still in operation and it thrives on Japanese people selling to each other exclusively. A look at any auction on that site will invariably carry a disclaimer stating: "Will Not Ship Internationally". Damn. And there were a few really nicely priced copies of Tommy's Special Edition First. What to do, what to do.

Thank goodness for a service that I only occasionally hit up. From Japan is basically a brokering site; a middleman that will bid on Yahoo! Auctions Japan items for you, will have the item shipped to them on your behalf if you win and have that item sent to you. It's expensive: You pay for the item, shipping to their offices, shipping to your home and a commission fee. Thankfully, I took advantage of their free commission promotion and that cut a few dollars off my order. It took 2 weeks from bid to arrival, but it was on my doorstep today. Approximately $32.00 shipped.

Gorgeous, ain't it? That's the front cover. Looks like a Wonka Bar. Inside, chocolate goodness and a ticket to the "Lollipop Candy Land". OK, maybe not, but a splendid time is guaranteed for all who wish to indulge. (Look! You can see me in the reflection!!!!).

The inside. The top one is the CD, the bottom one, the DVD. Perfect shape, both. The Really cool thing is, the inner hub on both are marked as "Sample Loaned". I got a Promo Copy! Verrrry Cool. The booklet is bound into the package (That's the brown part). It contains lyrics and four pages of photos that apparently depict Tommy's High School days. I've taken the liberty of scanning all 4 photos and making a big collage. Click to enlarge. Enjoy!



Isn't that awesome? The CD sounds better than any copy I've ever owned and the DVD is worth the whole thing. The DVD has only 2 videos, "KISS One More Time" and "Bloomin'!", but each video comes in 3 flavors: Regular, Furitsuke (only dance footage is shown so you can learn the dances at home!) and Karaoke (so you can sing like Tommy!). There're are also promo TV commercials for each song and a making of segment for each song. "Bloomin'" is great, but "KISS one More Time" is easily my favorite Tommy February song and video, so I was sent directly to nirvana this morning, as I'm sure you'll find easy to believe.

So there it is. I've completed my Tommy Album/DVD collection (for now). I feel complete, myself. Is that strange???

It's Me Birthday

Yes, yes, yes. It is Lord Shockedelic's 39th. Thank you for all of your kind cards and letters... both of you. Yeah. So. 39. It's kind of a placeholder birthday, y'know? Everyone who has brought up the subject has told me something I hadn't thought of: "One more year until 40!!!" Thanks. Yeah. Not obvious. At all.

So, my 39th has been slow so far. I've forgone the whole cake and cards thing. I'm not one to want too much attention drawn to me. I like a little, but lavishing is overdoing it.

I went shopping for things today; soap, paper towels, stuff that one needs to make it though the day. That's when I saw it. Big Lots must've known it was my birthday, 'cause they got a bunch of Sony and MGM DVDs and priced 'em all at $3.

I bought the following:

• Art School Confidential (hadn't seen it yet, but wanted to)
• The Amityville Horror (1979; the remake was there, but no one offered me money to take it)
• Amityville 2: The Possession (a sick, sick movie... Awesome!!!)
• The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course (once again, a movie I wanted to see, but haven't yet. Steve Irwin RIP)
• Burnt Offerings (anyone for a double feature with The Changeling???)
• The Brood (to replace my Laserdisc that John Beluvich stole back in the 90's. No. I NEVER forget.)
• Foxy Brown (A classic that's worth much more. But why not Coffy?)
• The Ghoul (the 1933 Boris Karloff classic!!!!!)
• The Little Girl Who Lives Down The Lane (Haven't seen it since I was a kid. I've been wanting to revisit it.)
• The Hound of the Baskervilles (Peter Cook and Dudley Moore. 'Nuff said)
• The Fall of the House Of Usher (AIP! Vincent Price!)
• Jack the Giant Killer (the original version, not the musical re-edit. Damn.)
• Roadie (Meatloaf! Alice Cooper! Kaki Hunter! Blondie! Roy Orbison! Art Carney! Hank Williams, Jr.!)
• Scanners (because, believe it or not, I didn't have a copy yet)
• Swamp Thing (Maybe I'll get lucky and it'll be the withdrawn disc with Adrienne Barbeau nudity! Update: Nope! Same old Brief nudity PG version. Doesn't matter. It's DC and Wes Craven's arguable finest hours.)

So, yeah. Lot's of AIP/Filmways, a couple of Cronenbergs, some comedies; A nice haul, don'cha think?

Some I passed over. Killer Klowns From Outer Space ('cause I already own it), John Carpenter's The Fog (might go back for that one), Amityville: The Demon (because I have it on DVD in it's original 3D field Sequential version), Bert I. Gordon's The Magic Sword (might go back for that one, too)... can't remember the others I almost went for. A nice bag of goodies for my 39th.

I'll probably spend the rest of my impending middle age chilling out and watching movies, though maybe not the ones I just bought. I just got two Korean movies that are barking at me to watch, and soon: A Tale of Legendary Libido (a period comedy about a man with an unstoppable erection... shades of Sex & Zen!) and GP506 aka The Guard Post (a military zombie movie).

Lastly, who else has formed a crush on Stephanie Courtney aka Progressive Insurance's spokes lady, FLO? She went from mildly annoying, to strangely attractive to I have to stop everything and watch whenever one of the commercials are on. It's not enough to make me go Progressive, but throw in a date with her and I might change my mind! What am I saying? Stop me!!!!!!

HELP! The Beatles butchered again!

"HELP!' starring The Beatles is one of my Can-Watch-At-Any-Time favorite movies. If it's on television, I'll drop everything and watch. I've had various video incarnations of the film over the years and I bought them without hesitation, including the Criterion Collection Laser Disc that had the definitive presentation of the film until now.

The movie itself is just about perfect, even moreso than "A Hard Day's Night" in my book. AHDN was a bit too stuffy for me in parts, while "HELP!" is a perfect pop music movie. Today, it came out on DVD for the 2nd time in the US (the first time was via MPI's original remaster in the late 90's which was quickly withdrawn due to rights issues, f$*#'n ABKCO). I've been waiting for a proper DVD release forever, but I waited with some trepidation since the MIRAMAX DVD of AHDN was fairly horrid: Letterboxed, a 5.1 soundtrack made from the original MONO audio (!) and lamentable extras that were a chore to watch.

So, I bring home the new DVD today and find that it was released by APPLE / CAPITOL / PARLOPHONE. Somehow, that didn't impress me, since those companies didn't actually make the movie, they released the music from the movie. Mind you, I bought the 2 disc regular edition as I didn't have $130 bucks to spend on a box set. I'm extremely glad I didn't, since this movie is handled with about the same reverence as AHDN's MIRAMAX release.

First of all, it's Letterboxed 16:9. I know this is a bit of a gray area considering the age of the film, but I personally prefer the film to be presented in academy 1.33:1 ratio. The LBXing, however, doesn't detract from the images and actually hints that the movie was formatted for 1.70:1. It's not too much of a let down, but at least the visual restoration is very well done. The print is blemish free and wonderful in it's Technicolor flourishes.

The audio treatment of the film is quite the different story. I understand completely why, in 1982, the two films were released theatrically and on videotape in a new 2 channel digital stereo mix. Even in it's stereo mix, it at least approximated the sound of the original. Still, it just wasn't the same since the mono mixes of the songs in the films were, in many cases, very different from their stereo counterparts on vinyl. Here, on this DVD, we're given the choices of a PCM 2.0 Stereo track and a DTS 5.1 Surround track. There is no choice of the original MONO track and that is a grave error. One of the first big jokes in the film is that The Beatles' first appearance in their "ALL NEW! ALL COLOR!" movie has them in black and white. The new DTS soundtrack, with it's instruments coming at you discreetly from all speakers belies the effect that the film of their performance in the film is actually being watched by the villains on a 16mm projector! The 5.1 remix doesn't work during other songs, either, since nearly every song has The Beatles performing on camera. I'm watching George playing his guitar right in front of me, so why is the sound coming from the rear right speaker? The only bits that do work are the Ken Thorne orchestrated pieces that SHOULD be coming from all speakers. The 2.0 stereo mix is rather flat and kinda close to the mono mix, but not quite.

The English subtitles track is also problematic in that it's apparently for the hearing impaired with sound effects and music cues parenthetically shown along with the dialogue. It's also not a literal transcript of the screenplay, either, with simplified versions of the spoken dialogue appearing on screen. A lot of asides and, worse, inflections at the beginning and end of sentences are cut away for no apparent reason. I didn't check in on the other tracks (Portuguese and French)

Sadly, there is no commentary track to speak of. You'd think Richard Lester (who wrote a lengthy piece in the accompanying booklet) would have had a moment to step behind the microphone to share anything that came to mind during the course of the film. I suppose, since "HELP!" is sort of a bastard step cousin to AHDN (for reasons I've never truly understood), no one wanted to commit to a proper commentary track.

The second disc houses all of the special features (save for the radio spots; 4 appear on the main menu of disc one and one on the main menu of disc two... all as Easter eggs) and they're pretty standard for "special edition" DVDs.

There is a Documentary on the making of Help (2 actually, one with extra cast and crew reminiscences, and they were both Incorporated into a BBC television special on the film earlier this year) which is pretty straightforward in their mix of interviews with people who were there and behind the scene slideshows. There are 3 Theatrical trailers windowboxed in the 16:9 frame (2 from the US and one from Spain). Strangely, the trailer from the MPI releases is absent, but the trailers that are here give a nice glimpse of the mono mix of "Ticket To Ride", especially the Spanish trailer, which runs without narration. There is also a featurette on the digital restoration of the film. I found it very entertaining and informative, but the average viewer might find it too dry for their tastes. Finally, there is a "missing scene featuring Wendy Richard" which, while not false advertising, certainly isn't what one would expect. Instead of actual footage, we're treated to a series of frame stills and vocal descriptions from Richard Lester and Wendy Richard, who played in the scene with The Beatles and Frankie Howard. Slightly interesting, and I'm sure the actual scene doesn't exist any longer, but the feature could've been worded better. I was being set up for something a bit more special. None of the features from the Criterion Collection LD are present, and that's a pity.

Overall, I'm happy to have the movie in any official form and it does, admittedly, look and sound great. I guess my bone to pick is that, since the soundtrack has been remixed and the image matted off, it isn't a true restoration. It's years ahead of the AHDN DVD release, however. I recommend it completely to everyone since no one has the lofty standards and sour grapes that I do.

Material cravings

Yeah, I'm not posting as much as I should and things are still forthcoming (soon as I can get up the guff to do it), but I'd now like to list some things that I want. Material things, mind you. I'm not discussing spirituality. I'm talking consumerism. I'm talking Commerce.

I want this:

Goddamn it. I want these. This goes against and beyond all fiber of my Punk roots. Ramones + commercialism? Bah! I remember wanting to throw my TV out the window the first time I saw the Budweiser "Hey! Ho! Let's Go!" commercial all those years ago. Still, Malcom McLaren "created" punk to sell his line of clothes at his SEX shop. Regardless. I WANT THESE SHOES! I was actually 10 years too late for the whole "Gabba Gabba Hey" thing; I was only 7 years old at the time, but I caught on as soon as I could. What really irks me is the kids who would wear these now have absolutely no reverence for their elders, the very people who MADE Punk happen. Oh wait. That's what it's all about, isn't it? It's $61.00 from Converse and I would wear them until they became legitimately ragged.

I also want this:
HONEY FLASH! (or is it HANNI FRASHU!) I can't justify spending $50.00 on this thing. It's a Metal lunchbox containing the movie on DVD and a keychain. I Already have the movie on DVD, I wouldn't use the keychain and I don't collect lunchboxes, but I still crave this! it's a metal lunchbox with Erika Sato's face on it. I love the Cutie Honey movie and I would display this prominently in my hovel of geekitude, but not for $50.00 (or the $39.00 that a few places have it listed as). The brick I shat in Best Buy when I saw it was massive. The fact that I walked out of Best Buy without it is one of my proudest moments. Normally I can't do that. It would've been mine.

Wanna buy these for me?

THEY'RE COMING FROM ALLLLLLLL OVER THE WORLD!!!!!!!!!

I was going to rapturize about seeing "Meet The Robinsons" in Real 3D the other night, but something more important has come up. Real important. EXTREMELY important. For fans of rock -n- roll and rock-n- roll movies, the most important announcement in the history of home video. This is not hyperbole. This is the honest truth.

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.