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skulldisco
Member
Username: Skulldisco

Post Number: 1854
Registered: 10-2008
Posted on Saturday, June 16, 2012 - 12:19 am:   

Absolutely cracking programme on BBC4 concentrating on the post punk period.
1978 to 1982 probably goes down as the most creative, interesting and musically challenging period in British musical history in my opinion. This programme had great archive footage, and new interviews with the main players from Magazine,PIL, Gof4, Wire, Joy Division, The Slits, Associates, The Fall and many many more bands besides.
Great to see an interview with a clearly well rehabilatated Edwyn Collins. Hopefully I'm not being flippant when I say he was far more coherent than a clearly sozzled MES, and a zoned out Vini Reilly.

For those who missed it, the BBC iPlayer should have a watch again soon, and for those outwith the UK Youtube footage should also be available as well.

The BBC consistently make great music documentaries, this was in a different league to even the best of their previous efforts.
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skulldisco
Member
Username: Skulldisco

Post Number: 1859
Registered: 10-2008
Posted on Saturday, June 16, 2012 - 03:16 pm:   

For those outwith the UK here is last nights programme in four 15 minute chunks - its a must see.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSzYaCv1o LU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpQeOTQcQ q8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpQeOTQcQ q8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qavQeuPNu Cc
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Pádraig Collins
Member
Username: Pádraig_collins

Post Number: 4654
Registered: 05-2005
Posted on Saturday, June 16, 2012 - 11:18 pm:   

Thanks for the links Kevin. Will watch when I get a chance.
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Randy Adams
Member
Username: Randy_adams

Post Number: 2971
Registered: 03-2005
Posted on Sunday, June 17, 2012 - 04:52 am:   

Thank you for that Kevin, it was great to watch (Parts 2, 3 & 4 anyway--Part I was blocked for copyright violation).

It's a small point but I was delighted to see Edwyn Collins in the vintage footage playing a Burns Nu Sonic guitar.
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andreas
Member
Username: Andreas

Post Number: 989
Registered: 04-2006
Posted on Sunday, June 17, 2012 - 11:48 am:   

DANKE, Kevin!

i enjyoed it very much and also watch the first two episodes. unfortunately GEMA (the society for the copyright in germany) blocked part 4/4 of episode 2. i also began to watch soul britannia and for sure i will also watch the synth and prog series. i said it months ago: it would be great if just a little bit of all those music related series would be shown resp. made in germany. but it seems that german television was only in the sixties (beat-club) and seventies (rockpalast) important (regarding music).

what i took notice of: it seems that the people who comments the broadcasts always speak in a very pathetic way (about the ''heroic'' moments and peoples). reminds me always of the comments of the wochenschau (pre tv era news show produced for the cinema) in germany.
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skulldisco
Member
Username: Skulldisco

Post Number: 1861
Registered: 10-2008
Posted on Sunday, June 17, 2012 - 11:50 am:   

Interesting to see the reason part one is blocked.

"Uploaders' Comments ( syden1 )
What's this I am just now hearing about the section of Episode Three with the Joy Division clips being pulled down by one nasty Harvey Weinstein? Is that true?"

Reply

"It is blocked for people in the US and their related territories. I can do a version which has the clips edited out but that's bollocks, so I'm going to do something else."

I thought it was strange that part 1 should be blocked, but not the others - theres your answer above.
Sounds like the guy is going to try and get round it.
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skulldisco
Member
Username: Skulldisco

Post Number: 1863
Registered: 10-2008
Posted on Sunday, June 17, 2012 - 02:37 pm:   

A curious omission to the programme were The Cure. They were briefly mentioned in the previous programme which covered the punk years, but they were never a punk group really were they?
Also Siouxsie and The Banshees to my mind were more influential in the post punk period than they were in the punk period, but not even a mention. I know they couldn't fit everybody in (the Postcard records scene was also omitted, I would even stretch this to include other bands such as Fire Engines who were closely related), but why feature bands like Crass and The Angelic Upstarts who weren't post punk, at least not in my book.
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andreas
Member
Username: Andreas

Post Number: 998
Registered: 04-2006
Posted on Sunday, June 17, 2012 - 03:05 pm:   

cure/siouxsie were musically definitively post punk. maybe siouxsie got their place in the punk episode because she was one of the pistols followers (see also the grundy tv show). i missed a lot of post punk bands, too. but one hour isn't much time and post punk was a ramifying thing.
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Jeff Whiteaker
Member
Username: Jeff_whiteaker

Post Number: 2447
Registered: 10-2004
Posted on Monday, June 18, 2012 - 12:54 pm:   

I just watched the Britannia post punk doc and while I appreciate the BBC's attempt to cover post punk, it is far too vast of a topic to cover in one hour, so there were loads of extremely glaring omissions. Like Kevin mentioned the Cure and Siouxsie were conspicuously missing, but also, the show didn't go anywhere near Liverpool (Teardrop Explodes, Bunnymen, Wild Swans, etc.); nothing on Killing Joke; no 4ad; no Bauhaus; no goth; they interviewed Jim Kerr but didn't discuss his band's significant contributions to the genre; same with Wire, which is perhaps even more glaring considering how significant Wire's musical progression was in terms of moving away from punk and going into post punk; they had a half minute on Orange Juice but nary a word about Postcard; I could go on and on. I also agree with Kevin that featuring Crass and Oi bands was a waste of time - those bands were more or less antithetical to post-punk!
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cosmo vitelli
Member
Username: Cosmo

Post Number: 476
Registered: 05-2005
Posted on Monday, June 18, 2012 - 02:45 pm:   

I thought the documentary was good and agree there were omissions, the thing I objected to most though was the way in which it seemed to ignore the excitement, thrill and sheer fun of punk. It is clearly important to place it in a political and social context but cheer up a fucking bit, I wanted my sons (16 & 21) to see it but thought they would just find it a bit dreary. I know they were grim times in lot's of ways but there was a sense of joy about the movement and music which was entirely missing from the documentary. Were the Damned in it? I dont remember them, what about the Undertones (better than Stiff Little Fingers by a million miles).
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skulldisco
Member
Username: Skulldisco

Post Number: 1867
Registered: 10-2008
Posted on Monday, June 18, 2012 - 03:10 pm:   

James, the Damned featured in last weeks documentary which covered 76-78.
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cosmo vitelli
Member
Username: Cosmo

Post Number: 477
Registered: 05-2005
Posted on Monday, June 18, 2012 - 04:05 pm:   

I watched that one Kev, I dont remember them being in it, must have been at the vino!
still thought it was pretty joyless, some great footage and interviews though and my favourite bit was Graham Lewis objecting to Colin Newman's grumpy grandad comment in the last part
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skulldisco
Member
Username: Skulldisco

Post Number: 1868
Registered: 10-2008
Posted on Monday, June 18, 2012 - 04:09 pm:   

Yeah, Brian James and Rat Scabies were interviewed and footage of The Damned on OGWT.

My favourite bit was Edwyn doing his Jimmy Saville impersonation.
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cosmo vitelli
Member
Username: Cosmo

Post Number: 478
Registered: 05-2005
Posted on Monday, June 18, 2012 - 04:23 pm:   

Yes that was good too, they left the funny bits to the end.
I thought the OGWT thing was on the Punk at the BBC, getting confused now although I do remember Rat now, need the mighty Captain Sensible in there
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skulldisco
Member
Username: Skulldisco

Post Number: 1892
Registered: 10-2008
Posted on Sunday, July 08, 2012 - 11:16 pm:   

Another programme worth seeing is How The Brits Rocked America series. The best one for me was the one covering the late 70's to early 80's. Includes Magazine, New Order, Simple Minds, Echo and The Bunnymen and The Cure

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01bsc3y

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