The recent passing of Lesley Gore was not noted on We Are Movie Geeks, I’d like to correct that and as a tribute to her review one of the best concerts ever captured on film (actually on video but I’ll get to that soon.)
Born Lesley Sue Goldstein in New York City on May 2nd 1946 Lesley Gore passed on February 16, this year. She never tried her hand at acting (to my knowledge) yet she appeared in several films and many television shows singing one of or more of her considerable string of hits in a very strong voice, for such a little lady.
It’s My Party is probably her most famous and well remembered song but Judy’s Turn To Cry, Maybe I Know, Sunshine Lollipops, You Don’t Own Me and several other songs charted during her long career. She never resented being consigned to the “oldie’s” category of popular music and gladly toured almost nonstop to sing her catalog of hits.
One of her more memorable appearances on film was in AIP’s Ski Party with Dwayne Hickman and Frankie Avalon singing Sunshine Lollipops on a tour bus to the ski resort. Oddly enough another major performer appearing in Ski Party was James Brown and his Famous Flames (playing a mountain Ranger rescue team, of all things!)
Which leads me to a wonderful document of 1960s popular music, The TAMI Show, (which stood for Teenage Awards Music International.) Unavailable for years except in portions on public television during pledge week or in a short version edited together with acts from The Big TNT Show, (it’s direct sequel,) for a VHS tape called That Was Rock (long out of print by the way.)
A little background first. Growing up in the Sixties I was blessed with both a brother and sister who brought home the most amazing records. My brother David and sister Judy brought home records made by Motown, Stax, Atlantic, and other labels featuring the biggest and best music from Rock, Rhythm and Blues and country acts.
One of the albums in our home that I listened to obsessively was the soundtrack to the TAMI Show. I remember reading the album cover and finding out that this was a concert filmed in something called Electronovision.
Just as an aside I love that name! I have a soft spot in my heart for any failed or bypassed type of technology including VHS and Beta Max video tapes, 8 track audio tape, Cartrivision video , ¾” video, lp records and 45 rpm records, Super 8 film, HD VHS, laserdiscs, quadraphonic stereo, you name it.
Electronovision was an early type of High Definition Video with much improved sound, an early type of digital recording actually. The TAMI Show was put together to show off this technology and the result was shown in theaters.
Listening to that soundtrack I longed to see the images that went along with the incredible live performances I heard on that lp record. I assumed I would never get to actually see The TAMI Show. Little did I know!
As I said earlier part of the TAMI Show ended up on VHS, now we have a deluxe version of the complete film thanks to Shout! Factory and it is loaded with extras and looks and sounds so clean it could have been recorded yesterday afternoon.
The live show was videotaped during two days in front of a live audience of kids who got in to the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium for FREE! Yes, the people who put the show together were only interested in profit from the video showing in theaters and possible sale to television later on. Those were the days indeed!
The TAMI Show opens with Chuck Berry doing Maebelline and on the same stage Gerry and the Pacemakers doing the same song, in the English style. Chuck does not look pleased by the way. The music never lets up after that. The TAMI Show captures many of these artists at the absolute top of their form. Among the highlights: The Beach Boys set which was deleted after the initial theatrical run has been restored. The Beach Boys were never one of my favorite bands, I could not really relate to surf music while growing up in the backwoods of Missouri. But how nice it is to see the original lineup of the Beach Boys, with Brian Wilson looking relaxed, happy and in full charge of his band. Here was a family of brothers who endured parental abuse almost identical to the Jackson family. All the Wilsons had a hard way to go, especially Brian and Dennis. Here they look to be having the time of their lives and their talent just shines.
The real highlight, among so much talent is James Brown, performing at a white hot, fever pitch and blowing all the other acts off the stage. If you only know James Brown for the movie Get On Up (and if you have not seen that, what are you waiting for?) you really need to see the real man at height of his powers. James Brown in the TAMI Show is unforgettable; The Hardest Working Man In Show Business was a title he earned.
The Rolling Stones had to follow James Brown and they really did not want to, can’t say I blame them. But they acquit themselves very well, with all them looking painfully young and awkward. In fact among all these acts the only strangeness is an outfit called The Barbarians, who do exactly one very forgettable song. Among the extras on this dvd we learn they had a friend among the Electronovision producers who gave them “a break.” Yeah, whatever. Although it is interesting that their drummer had only one arm. Seriously, the guy plays his drum kit with a hook hand.
But my main concern here is to pay tribute to Lesley Gore and in the TAMI Show we witness just what a terrific voice and what a great rapport she had with her audience. She opens with a blistering rendition of Maybe I Know, followed by It’s My Party, Judy’s Turn to Cry and the way ahead of its time feminist anthem You Don’t Own Me. Resurrected to good effect by Diane Keaton, Goldie Hawn and Bette Midler in The First Wives Club, You Don’t Own Me is a great song, again, way ahead of the curve and a warning to all guys when it comes to respecting their women. You listening men?
Lesley Gore had a tremendous range and power in her voice, she was a major performer in the pop music field for years with good reason, she had the goods and she never resented getting that “oldies” label. She was heard to say, more than once, that she would be crazy not to want to sing It’s My Party or Sunshine Lollipops to her faithful fans. She will be missed.
The original concept for the TAMI show was to do a concert video for theatrical exhibition every year. The producers also had plans to fund music education for young people and actually quite a lot of projects, which never got off the ground. Like I said earlier there was a sequel of sorts, The Big TNT Show and at least one feature was shot in Electronovision, Harlow with Carol Lynley which went head to head with the more well known Jean Harlow biography with Carol Baker. Harlow can be seen on Youtube, if you’re interested.
It’s interesting to speculate on what might have been with Electronovision. The TAMI Show is a great snap shot of not just where popular music was in 1964 but also the fashions, the hair, the attitudes, all caught on camera for posterity. The audience was deliberately integrated, we are used to seeing white and black Americans interacting in public spaces now, especially concert venues. This was a big deal in 1964. In many parts of our country heads were being busted on people who dared suggest that black and white people could sit next to each other in public, especially if they were having a good time!
What would succeeding TAMI Shows have been like? Certainly they would have gone to color and kept tweaking the video and audio, although the dvd from Shout! Factory looks flawless, the sound is incredible and you can see every drop of sweat on James Brown’s face and every stray hair on Lesley Gore’s head.
Would we have gotten to see groups like The Doors, Jimi Hendrix Experience, Canned Heat, The Grateful Dead, or even Miles Davis in Electronovision? Wouldn’t that have been nice? But what we have here is priceless. Now if Shout! Factory will just do the same for the Big TNT Show, which has some fine performances including Roger Miller, The Lovin’ Spoonful, The Ronettes , Bo Diddley and The Byrds.
Long live rock and roll!
And rest in peace Lesley Gore, you sang your heart out, and we appreciate it.
