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Slice-and-dice version of 'T.A.M.I.' leaves fans salivating
Forty-six years after the fact, it showed up on public television (WQED locally) last weekend, delivering what was promised: the Brown showstopper, the pre-"Satisfaction" Rolling Stones and the four-song set by the Beach Boys, which was cut after the initial theatrical run.
It did not, however, deliver "The T.A.M.I. Show." To accommodate pledge breaks, 17 performances were cut, evidently by some bloke who had no appreciation or understanding of the significance of the film. More than a concert, it was a musical standoff - the American rock-and-rollers defending their turf against the British acts, and Motown performers admonishing both that it was their time in the spotlight. "T.A.M.I" plays more like a three-way grudge match than a music show. Among the crucial missing pieces:
• Leslie Gore's "You Don't Own Me," the first feminist anthem and one that came on the heels of such "woman-know-thy-place" ditties as "Johnny Get Angry" and "If You Want to Be Happy";
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• Billy J. Kramer & the Dakotas, who, after the double-sided hit "Little Children"/"Bad to Me," were an extremely hot British act (billed but not heard, although a screaming teen holds up a Billy J. Kramer sign);
• The Blossoms, the trivia answer to the question, "What female group sang 'He's a Rebel,' which was instead credited to the Crystals?" (It was billed but heard only briefly backing Marvin Gaye.);
• And though I am not certain of this, it appears that Chuck Berry's screen time was severely edited as well.
The emotions are so high and the performances so intense that one may forgive some inevitable signs of the times, such as horrendous lighting and sound (Smokey Robinson's microphone is notably distorted). You can see Gerry & the Pacemakers setting up while Berry performs, and there are also two cringe-worthy instances in which the entire cast gyrates on stage, once to Gore's "Judy's Turn to Cry." Then there's a truly awkward moment when Gore wraps up her song, only to stand silently on stage until Jan and Dean appear.
None of that matters one iota compared to the highlights: the Supremes knowingly commanding the stage as the current chart queens; Brian Wilson, sans stage fright singing lead on a medley to Dennis Wilson's over-the-top drumming; and the Rolling Stones not quite sure how to follow James Brown, but ultimately doing what they have done since then - letting Mick Jagger mimic Brown's best moves. Brown is clearly the star, especially on "Please, Please, Please," which is as frenetically energetic as it is iconic.
You have to see it to believe it, which you can as WQED repeats its slice-and-dice version over the next few months. Most likely, it will leave you salivating for the original film, which will be released on video later this month.
The TV version has just one perk you won't find on the video: Dean Torrence's startling admission that Jan & Dean didn't do "The Ed Sullivan Show" because they couldn't sing very well outside the studio.
The last word
The debate over commercial radio and its role in February's snowstorm continues. We'll give the last word to John Garry, late of WTAE's "O'Brien and Garry" morning show:
KDKA's failure to provide reasonable storm coverage is wholly deserving of criticism, and Dimitri Vassilaros and Mike Romigh are equally deserving of praise in their 6 p.m. and later efforts to salvage a sad day in terms of their employer's shoddy performance.
But what about our city's other "news-talk" radio stations? KQV has been in the local news business for well over 30 years, yet KQV's Saturday storm coverage was little different from KDKA's. Programs touting real estate opportunities, vitamins, healthy advice and financial wisdom ran as usual without regard to the tens of thousands of us without power or heat. Taking the cake was the next generation of news-talk WPGB, where the coverage was nonexistent, including the inexplicable 11:30-to-noon segment in which two apparently pre-recorded programs were broadcast simultaneously.
As one whose professional career spanned 30-plus years in Pittsburgh radio, I'm embarrassed and saddened. There are many wonderful stories, nationally and locally, of radio rising to the occasion in dire times. This is not one of them.
Terry Hazlett can be reached at snowballrizzo@aol.com.
Slice-and-dice version of 'T.A.M.I.' leaves fans salivating : 3/15/2010
Yes, I watched the show and it was great. Even with the shoddy lighting, bad audio and others things. It just showed how good these performers were at the time. Kuddos to WQED and hope they can continue to prodive this type of programming.
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