No plot here, just a collection of lip-synched videos from some of the bands that were part of the "British Invasion" in 1964: The Animals, Herman's Hermits, Peter and Gordon, and the Spence... Read allNo plot here, just a collection of lip-synched videos from some of the bands that were part of the "British Invasion" in 1964: The Animals, Herman's Hermits, Peter and Gordon, and the Spencer Davis Group (with Steve Winwood). The film also features bookend live performances by Th... Read allNo plot here, just a collection of lip-synched videos from some of the bands that were part of the "British Invasion" in 1964: The Animals, Herman's Hermits, Peter and Gordon, and the Spencer Davis Group (with Steve Winwood). The film also features bookend live performances by The Beatles.
- Themselves
- (as Peter and Gordon)
- Themselves
- (as Tommy Quickly and The Remo Four)
- Themselves
- (as The Spencer Davis Group)
- Themselves
- (archive footage)
- Self
- (as The Nashville Teens)
- Self
- (as Peter and Gordon)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe Beatles appear via some newsreel footage, singing "Twist and Shout" and "She Loves You".
- GoofsIn the opening credits, each of the performers are listed twice, first individually, and then collectively. In the second listing, Billie Davis' first name is listed incorrectly as "Billy".
- Quotes
Self - Host: And in 1964, even the girls got in on the beatin' and they got their fair share of record sales too, with tunes like:
Susan Maughan: [singing] Make moon shine, Just a little brighter, Make hold me, Just a little tighter, If I bet on you, Make my dreams come true, Make him mine...
- Crazy creditsDuring the opening credits the performers' names are listed twice. The second time around, Billie Davis' name is misspelled "Billy Davis".
- Alternate versionsThe American version of this film, "Go Go Mania," adds the sounds of canned audience screams under the music.
- ConnectionsEdited into El rey en Londres (1966)
The rest of the groups are filmed in a studio-with either lip syncing or ADR supplying the audio. The guitars are unplugged but they are playing and singing-it works fine because they are mostly on beat and it is easy enough to suspend disbelief. Jimmy Savile, a British radio personality who looks like a cross between Edgar Winter and Marty Feldman; handles the introductions. Things were very different back then-imagine trying to get 15 of today's chart topping groups to cooperate with something like this.
It is an interesting mix of British recording artists, most were just starting out and they would have extremely varied futures although few would last out the decade. About half the songs made it onto the American charts and some were big hits. This was the first wave of the British Invasion and those that didn't make it were quickly replaced by groups like The Kinks, The Rolling Stones, and The Velvet Underground.
1. First up is Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas doing "Little Children" on a set with giant alphabet blocks. The greased back hair and the conventional suits made this guys look outdated even in 1964.
2. Susan Maughan sings "Make Him Mine", she was a solo artist and arguably pop music's all-time prettiest girl.
3. The Four Pennies sing "Juliet" (a B-side song that unexpectedly became their biggest hit) and then later "Black Girl" (by Leadbelly).
4. The Animals do "House of the Rising Sun" and "I'm Just a Soul Whose Intentions are Good". Eric Burdon is amazing.
5. The Fourmost sing "A Little Lovin"; both group and song are forgettable.
6. The Rockin' Berries do "He's In Town" and "What In the World's Come Over You". These guys are an unexpected treat with Geoff Turtone's falsetto voice very distinctive. They are a beat group whose name came from their fondness for Chuck Berry.
7. The Honeycombs do "Have i the right" (the first time he growls "Come Right Back" is one of the top ten moments in rock and roll) and "Eyes of Someone in Love" (illustrating the one-hit wonder phenomenon). They have a female drummer.
8. Sounds Incorporated perform something I did not recognize and follow it up with an up-tempo version of "The William Tell Overture" (it would be a great song for a high school football game halftime show). A five member instrumental group, at one point they have alto, tenor, and baritone saxophones going at the same time-they could have made it big if they had thought to incorporate an oboe. They also jump up and down a lot.
9. Peter and Gordon do "Please Lock Me Away". Watch Peter play a 12 string guitar complete with a back beat-he is the one of the pair who looks the most like Jane Asher (not surprising since she is his sister).
10. Matt Munro does a couple of completely dreadful songs-he looks like a cross between Perry Como and Bobby Darin and is completely out of his element in this production.
11. Herman's Hermits do "Something Tells Me I'm Into Something Good".
12. Tom Quickly & the Remo Four perform a song about nursery rhymes that may have inspired Monty Python's "Lumberjack Song".
13. Billie Davis does "Whatcha Gonna Do". Billie is a girl, she is very cute and wholesome.
14. The Spencer Davis Group does "My Baby" and it is a stretch to classify it as R&B.
15. The Nashville Teens try to do C&W. Except for the Stones, British groups have always struggled with country inspired tunes and the two songs here ("Tobacco Road" and "Goggle Eyes") will be quite painful listening for Americans, and the Dexy's Midnight Runner look (complete with a little boy dressed as Huck Finn) will send you scrambling for the fast forward button.
This is essential viewing for those interested in pop history and should be a lot of fun for casual fans.
Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.
- aimless-46
- Sep 18, 2006
- Permalink
Details
- Runtime1 hour 10 minutes
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1