The Old Grey Whistle Test, Vol. 1

Amazon.com

For better and for worse, The Old Grey Whistle Test was probably the most resolutely serious music program ever broadcast on television. During its 16-year run it showcased only the most earnest exponents of whichever musical style was currently popular, and given that the program's heyday coincided with the early '70s, some of the footage included here (e.g., the prog noodlings of the Edgar Winter Group) will provide humor as exquisite as only unintentional comedy can. However, the good stuff collected here is very good, both in terms of performance (Tom Petty snarling "American Girl", a pre-irony U2 whooping up "I Will Follow") and historical interest, notably a shockingly youthful Elton John crooning "Tiny Dancer." The 180-minute DVD offers remarkably pristine picture and extraordinarily vivid sound, regardless of vintage. However, the menu won't allow direct access to the individual songs other than through the artist gallery (and there is a "Random play" option), and the track listing itself is unhelpfully hidden in the packaging. --Andrew Mueller and Mark Walker

Description

Over its incredible 16-year run from 1971-1987, The Old Grey Whistle Test was THE destination in the U.K. to see cutting edge live performances by the hottest emerging acts in music. There was no comparable TV platform in the U.S. for artists this hot. Until now! On Sept. 16, BBC Video is importing a DVD jam-packed with 28 vintage live performances from The Old Grey Whistle Test. Most have NEVER BEEN SEEN IN THE U.S. Containing over three hours of music and interviews with truly legendary artists, The Old Grey Whistle Test will be a must have for music fans everywhere!

Customer Reviews:

Great clips,but.............2006-11-14

I love the clips of some of the artists and the interviews(though some of them could've been a little bit longer),but do we really need the hosts introducing each clip? Also,there isn't any SCENE SELECTION to click on either!! The guy said that Elton was suppose to do 2 songs,but all we get is one?? I'm sure the other artists and groups did more than just one song,but why not have the whole performance instead??

Old Grey Whistle Test.......2005-09-15

A great collection of performances. A must have for music lovers

British Don Kershner!!!.......2005-07-28

If you grew up in the 1970's watching Don Kershner's Rock Concert late on Saturday Nights, this DVD IS FOR YOU!!! Don't let the title of this masterpiece scare you away because it is SOLID R&R!! Nothing but GEMS here. Elton John, John Lennon, Alice Cooper, Bill Withers, etc. It even crosses into the 1980's w/Talking Heads, Roxy Music, The Ramones, U2, etc. Great work of art!

Frankenstein is the best.......2005-01-06

this dvd is one of the best. although some are lip-sync jobs, such as Alice Cooper, Roxy Music and a few others are suspect. Lynyrd Skynrd's never ending performance of Free Bird is somewhat lethargic. but the highlights outweigh the bad. these are Rory Gallagher, Captain Beefheart, Tom Waits, Bill Withers, Ramones (Joey has a double tracked vocal, hmmm), and Edgar Winter Group's unbelievable performance of Frankenstein. the sound and picture quality are spectacular on this dvd, well worth picking up.

A fantastic selection of 70s performances.......2004-10-03

Pop is the music of the rebel. But it's also the music of the non-rebel, and with the OGWT, from the heart of the BBC establishment, non-rebellious, thinking-person's pop reached its zenith. Of course, punk knocked it all down in 1977, and with the help of Saturday Night Fever disco, pop suddenly became physical again. The OGWT never really recovered, and once Bob Harris had gone, competition from other TV programs such as Channel 4's 'The Tube' etc meant its days were numbered.

Which was a great pity, as all three OGWT compilation DVDs illustrate. The OGWT was a superb, must-see programme scheduled late on Tuesday evenings. You had to watch every show, firstly because there was no other TV programme showcasing 'album' music, and secondly because the Radio Times (the UK's TV listings magazine) never told you who would be appearing.

In the early 1970s I was at a boarding school, and our house was rationed to a TV maximum of three hours per week. Which programmes we watched were decided by the prefects (which brought them much undeserved popularity), and it says much about the quality of OGWT that this programme was always chosen.

These two DVDs have something of the feel of the TV programmes, except that they don't contain any interview material nor any of the wonderful animations chosen to accompany some tracks. (I never cease to be surprised at the number of occasions when I discuss OGWT with friends and they mention the 'Skiers' video chosen for Mike Oldfield's 'Tubular Bells'.) The introductions are, by and large, marvellous, if only to see how the artists and DJs look 30 years on.

The musical highlights, for me, are most of the 70s stuff, particularly Bill Withers (a fantastic performance of his 'Ain't No Sunshine', very much like the Carnegie Hall version on CD)and the Edgar Winter Group's 'Frankenstein', but there is so much else.

These DVDs will probably bring few new converts to the programme, but it's a treasure trove for those of us who were there at the time.

Average customer rating:

What a shame!
Big Dropoff
Mixed bag - as was the show.
Not bad.
The Whistle Tests are Wonderfull

The Old Grey Whistle Test, Vol. 2
Starring: Bob Harris (VI) , Bill Nelson , Rick Wakeman , Nick Lowe (II) , and Roddy Frame
Manufacturer: BBC Warner
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000CBG5Q0
Release Date: 2006-01-17

Amazon.com

From the great to the near great to the not-so-great, from legends to obscurities, it's all here on The Old Grey Whistle Test, Vol. 2, an entertaining compilation of pop music performances from England's seminal live music TV program (well, mostly live--in some instances, the musicians are clearly miming to pre-recorded instrumental tracks). The show aired from 1971 to 1987, and the thirty complete songs occupying this lengthy (about 150 minutes) disc cover virtually every style that was in vogue during that period, along with some that weren't. When Whistle Test (so named for the notion that if a certain grey-haired doorman whistles your tune, then it's a hit) started, singer-songwriters were much in vogue, and that brigade is well represented by already-were or soon-would-be stars (Loggins & Messina, Jim Croce), others who never hit it quite that big (Joan Armatrading, Suzanne Vega), and still others whose legends have since eclipsed what they actually accomplished at the time (cf. Tim Buckley, whose "Dolphins" from '74 is a highlight). Glam rock was popular as well, so we get Roxy Music and the New York Dolls (the riotous "Jet Boy"), who bridged the gap to punk; the latter is represented by bands little known in the States, like the Adverts and the Undertones. The dubious virtues of New Wave are represented by the likes of Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark and Siouxsie and the Banshees, hard rock by Montrose (featuring a very youthful Sammy Hagar), and classic rock by the Who, Argent, and Meatloaf (whose "Paradise by the Dashboard Light," featuring singer Karla DeVito, is a sweaty, salacious, over-the-top delight). Add to that the pop-cum-soul of the Average White Band, Hall & Oates, Simply Red, and the Style Council, and you've got something for pretty much everyone. Brief artist profiles and some amusing audio commentary by a Whistle Test presenter (i.e., host) and "archivist" are among the extras. --Sam Graham

Customer Reviews:

What a shame!.......2007-01-30

I haven't bought either of these volumes yet, but what a shame the Beeb doesn't put out complete shows. Do I want to buy a disk where I don't care for maybe 1/3 of the content? No! For example, I have a DVD of Rory Gallagher on OGWT whose set is presented in its entirety and it blows me away.

THAT'S how this material should be released!

Big Dropoff.......2006-06-07

There is a huge dropoff in quality from Vol 1. of the Whistle Test clips to this package, simply because there is a huge dropoff in the quality of the artists between the two volumes. Sorry, but Loggins and Messina, Average White Band, Jim Croce, Hall & Oates, Thomas Dolby and Simply Red just don't match up to Bill Withers, Captain Beefheart, Talking Heads, XTC, Iggy Pop and the Specials. The commentary from the show's hosts and the various musicians is still enjoyable and enlightening, as on the first collection, and this whole volume is almost made worthwhile simply for the stunning clip of the sublime Judee Sill sitting at the piano and painfully/beautifully singing her majestic ballad. And Jools Holland is a lot of laughs, both when talking about the Squeeze clip that is included and in the clip itself. So there's some nice moments here, but I really don't want to own anything that includes Loggins and Messina on it.

Mixed bag - as was the show........2006-05-17

The BBC have chosen to treat OGWT as if it's run was one long homogeneous series and the selection of music a history of the show. It wasn't. It was obvious at the time and interviews from Vol 1 really confirm that it was really 2 shows... The Bob Harris era, which featured eclectic art rock in a tiny studio characterized by high quality and occasionally impenetrable musicianship and the Anne Nightingale era characterized by whatever pseudo counter culture image the major labels were promoting that year.

In keeping with the fact that the BBC, when it caught on, ditched the former in favour of the latter - a lot of the real gems have turned up missing from these collections.

That said, they're still pretty good and have a few magnificent performances on them. In keeping with the OGWT philosophy this is mostly about the music. The chats before each are vaguely interesting but can be skipped once you've heard them once. Scene breaks separate the music from the chats in a way which music lovers love and video producers hate. Kudos.

Back to the real content. There is some good music, some disappointments, a couple of nice surprises and a couple of real gems here.

Patti Smith was disappointing, singing Because the Night like she'd been moking cigars constantly for the last 3 hours and was afraid to breathe for fear of her lungs collapsing.

Head Hands and Feet were a nice surprise with a neat bluesey opening number I'd never heard before.

Thomas Dolby provided a great performance of Hyperactive. I liked the song but never realised how richly complex it was before seeing it performed.

For me, though, the high and the low point were one and the same - Joan Armatrading, looking both astonishingly young and frighteningly mature for her age sings Love and Affection in a way that still gives me shivers when I think about it. An unbelievable amount of musical, emotional and poetic talent crammed into that one 3 minute performance. And that song alone was cut short before it finished. Other artists got to ramble the last chorus over and over while they faded out and this song they cut off the denuement. What a joy and what a travesty.

The presence of that performance alone made this a 4* product but that 5-10 missing seconds cost them a star and that was a well deservered demerit.

All in all a mixed bag with enough good to be worth owning both for pleasure and history.

Not bad........2006-03-13

I liked the first one better, but there's a few memorable performances on this volume. Roxy Music is fascinating to watch AND listen to. If you're suffering from "complete-ism" like I am, g'head and get it.

The Whistle Tests are Wonderfull.......2006-03-11

Sometimes it is hard to figure if some of the performances are lip synched, and some of them are, and I usually am turned off by that, but it's impossible not to love this.

The test performances are treasures.

Average customer rating:

My Suggestion: Don't Waste Your Money
Another botched DVD!!!!
A step up
Okay vintage DVD - but kill the commentary.
Song Listing

The Old Grey Whistle Test, Vol. 3
Starring: Bob Harris (VI) , Anne Nightingale , Rory Gallagher , Dave Hepworth , and Eric Clapton
Manufacturer: BBC Warner
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Music Video & Concerts | Genres | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B000GETUDS
Release Date: 2006-08-29

Amazon.com

Like its two predecessors, this third volume of performances from English television's Old Grey Whistle Test is a primer on eclecticism, an overused term that is nonetheless appropriate here. Packed into a little more than two hours, these 28 clips represent virtually every style of popular music, profound and trivial alike, that was in vogue when the show made its early-'70s to mid-'80s run, including traditional and contemporary folk, singer-songwriters, rock (hard, classic, and progressive), blues, punk, and new wave, along with other, less easy to categorize sounds. Better yet, most of the performances are live (others have live vocals over a pre-recorded track), and some are exceptionally good. Fairport Convention, soldiering on well after the departures of singer Sandy Denny and guitarist Richard Thompson, display their considerable chops on the instrumental "Brilliancy Medley" (Thompson appears elsewhere on the DVD in a duet with then-wife Linda); blues guitarist Freddie King and his band are deep in the pocket on the aptly-named "Boogie Funk"; Janis Ian reminds us what a poignant, well-crafted song her hit "At Seventeen" was; and Public Image Limited, Johnny Rotten's post-Sex Pistols outfit, are surprisingly powerful and compelling, as is King Crimson, with founder Robert Fripp joined by guitarist Adrian Belew, drummer Bill Bruford, and bassist Tony Levin. Of course, the show's Brit-centric booking policy will leave some viewers wondering what bands like Japan, Orange Juice, and Half Man Half Biscuit did to deserve this kind of exposure, while others may applaud the producers' showcasing the borderline unlistenable Jesus and Mary Chain even as they reach for the fast forward button. But with the rest of the acts ranging from Johnny Winter and Jackson Browne to Joe Jackson, John Martyn, and the Jam (and that's just the J's), surely there's something here for everyone. The cheeky, often amusing voice-over commentary available for most songs is the best of the bonus features. --Sam Graham

Description

From 1971 to 1987, Tuesday nights in the UK meant The Old Grey Whistle Test, the live music program that ended the broadcast day for the BBC. The list of performances from The Old Grey Whistle Test is a treasure trove from across the musical spectrum, rock, blues, R&B, punk. You name the genre, it was represented on The Old Grey Whistle Test. Volume three raids the BBC archives for more vintage performances from the top acts of the day, including Jackson Browne, Roger Daltrey, Joe Jackson, King Crimson, Supertramp, B.B. King, Simple Minds, Humble Pie and many more. Roger Daltrey himself introduces his performance of "Giving It All Away," and presenters Mark Ellen and David Hepworth provide hilarious and insightful commentary on all the performances, looking back on the history of one of the most remarkable franchises in the history of music.

Customer Reviews:

My Suggestion: Don't Waste Your Money.......2007-08-23

Unless you happen to be nostalgic for the self aggrandized commentary by former hosts and guests, I would suggest looking elsewhere. As a fan of Volume One of this series (although not without its own faults) Volume 3 (and 2) are complete let downs that seem to bask in the embarrassment of lip synced performances - which unfortunately dominate this DVD. The most obvious being Steppenwolf who clearly are using the original LP cut of "Born to be Wild" as a backing track. Why do you want to pay money for a pretty tame and all around lame line-up that don't even play live? As the DVD progresses chronologically, the format of the show gets more slick and even more unwatchable.

Another botched DVD!!!!.......2006-09-15

Unbelievable! They did it again! As they did with volume 2 of this series the US version of this DVD has many artists REMOVED from the disc.

Last time around it was Be Bop Deluxe and Stanley Clarke they removed.

Now, as I predicted, they removed the great ROBIN TROWER!

What were they thinking?!!! Robin Trower was hugely succesful here and many of his fans would love to see his OGWT performances. I have his performance from the PAL disc and it is nothing less than stunning, it's the BEST performance on the disc!

Also omitted are David Bowie, Sade, Brinsley Schwarz, and Al Stewart.

WHY AREN'T WE GETTING THE FULL DISC THE SAME AS THE BRITS GET?!!!

The people who put out these discs are IDIOTS!

Meanwhile they left on performances, I won't name which, which have NO meaning to Americans and are not that great.

My suggestion is DON'T buy this disc and go to Amazon UK and buy the PAL version of this disc, the COMPLETE disc and see if your DVD player will play PAL DVD's of which some will.

This is ANOTHER botched DVD like Volume 2, as are The Allman Brothers-Great Woods, and Black Sabbath's-Last Supper with constant talking over the music.

BOOOOO!!!! SHAME!!!! You guys screwed up yet ANOTHER DVD which could have been great.

IDIOTS!!!

I won't give this ANY stars because they botched this so bad!

A step up.......2006-08-31

Volume 3 of the BBC's "Old Grey Whistle Test" archival highlight series is a bit of an improvement over the previous installment (see my review of Vol. 2 on this site). I realize the choice of performance clips in any given collection provides an endless catalyst for subjective argument-but let's just say that there are fewer "turkeys" in this outing! I still have some overall issues with these "dumbed down" U.S. versions, but until I'm ready to stop whingeing and spend a small fortune on the original British PAL releases, I guess this is what I (and my fellow hapless American consumers) are stuck with. As before, the breadth of the show's run is represented well, from early 70's to late 80's. Fans of British folk get a real treat this time out, with fine performances from Lindisfarne, Fairport Convention, Richard & Linda Thompson and John Martyn. One of the highlights for this reviewer is the clip of Johnny Winter really tearing up the house with his classic cover of "Jumpin' Jack Flash" (I find the sight of a leaping, caped albino guitar virtuoso oddly reassuring). One very positive improvement over the previous volumes is on the technical side-someone at the BBC finally "got" it and gave us an a la carte option to select and play specific performances (should have been a no-brainer from day one!) By the way, I know the gentleman from Germantown was trying to be helpful, but his track listing is incorrect. Bowie, Brinsley Schwarz, Robin Trower, Al Stewart and Sade are NOT on this compilation.

Okay vintage DVD - but kill the commentary........2006-08-17

The only bad thing about the grey whistle tests are the pronounced opinions by the nonentity commentary team - they constantly tell us what "good" music is (which seems to be West Coast American singer-songwriters. Good music? Roll over Beethoven, and tell Shostakovich the news!) Apart from concentrating on personal anecdotes such as "in 1968 I was living in a dump in London when I heard Janis Ian" - topics about as interesting as an accountant's tee-total picnic - they then decide to make fun of REAL MUSIC with bits like this:
Supertramp < (where they feebly mock the most musically intelligent, melodic and structurally interesting act in the whole disc - "DREAMER" a sort of Beach Boys-at-their-best composition but with the power of ROCK dynamics - while heaping praise on trite, banal, effete "poetic" tuneless ramblings by the West Coast American singer/songwriters on the DVD - "the grass is always greener?")
King Crimson

Song Listing.......2006-08-16

I saw this on another web page and thought I would pass it along...

1. Meet Me On The Corner - Lindisfarne
2. Oh You Pretty Things - David Bowie
3. Jamaica Say You Will - Jackson Browne
4. Born To Be Wild - Steppenwolf
5. I Get By - Stealers Wheel
6. Giving It All Away - Roger Daltrey
7. Black Coffee - Humble Pie
8. Brilliancy Medley - Fairport Convention
9. Boogie Funk - Freddie King
10. Surrender To The Rhythm - Brinsley Schwarz
11. A Little Bit Of Sympathy - Robin Trower
12. Dreamer - Supertramp
13. Jumping Jack Flash - Johnny Winter
14. A Heart Needs A Home - Richard and Linda Thompson
15. At Seventeen - Janis Ian
16. Year Of The Cat - Al Stewart
17. Couldn't Love You More - John Martyn & Danny Thompson
18. Fires Of Spring - Chris Rea
19. 'A' Bomb In Wardour Street - The Jam
20. When It All Comes Down/Hold On - BB King
21. I Don't Want To Be Nice - John Cooper Clarke
22. Sunday Papers - Joe Jackson
23. Chelsea Girl - Simple Minds
24. Frame By Frame - King Crimson
25. Rip It Up - Orange Juice
26. No-One Is To Blame - Howard Jones
27. Is It A Crime - Sade
28. In A Hole - The Jesus & Mary Chain
29. Sweet, Sweet Baby (I'm Falling) - Lone Justice
30. All I Want For Xmas Is A Dukla Prague Away Kit - Half Man Half Biscuit
31. Walk Like An Egyptian - Bangles

Average customer rating:

BEWARE - This inferior version misrepresents itself

The Old Grey Whistle Test Collection
Starring: Old Grey Whistle Test
Manufacturer: BBC Warner
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Music Video & Concerts | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Television | Genres | DVD | Video

( O ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Television | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

ASIN: B000GETUE2
Release Date: 2006-08-29

Customer Reviews:

BEWARE - This inferior version misrepresents itself.......2006-12-09

Despite being called The Complete Collection this set is 110 minutes shorter than the product of the same name sold by the BBC in the UK. Not only that but Volume One should be spread over 2 discs as in the UK but here 190 minutes are crammed on to 1 disc to save them a few pennies while delivering over-compressed video to the paying customer.

Read the reviews for Volume Three to discover some of the fine acts that aren't included here but should be.

Of course, I can't give it just 1 star because many of the performances are awesome and worthwhile.

Average customer rating:

Vol. 3-Old Grey Whistle Test [Region 2]
Starring: Bob Harris (VI) , Anne Nightingale , Rory Gallagher , Dave Hepworth , and Van Morrison
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Average customer rating:

The Old Grey Whistle Test [Region 2]
Starring: Bob Harris (VI) , Anne Nightingale , Rory Gallagher , Dave Hepworth , and Van Morrison
Manufacturer: BBC
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Pop | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B00005M6ON
Release Date: 2001-09-17

The Old Grey Whistle Test, Vol. 2 [Region 2]

Average customer rating:

The Old Grey Whistle Test, Vol. 2 [Region 2]
Starring: Bob Harris (VI) , Anne Nightingale , Rory Gallagher , Dave Hepworth , and Van Morrison
Manufacturer: BBC
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0000AISIU

Album Description

A compilation of the best live music from the influential BBC television program, taped during the 70's & 80's, from legendary performers including, The Who, Roxy Music, Hall & Oates, Suzanne Vega, The Undertones, Siouxsie & the Banshees, Squeeze, OMD, Th

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