Info
01- The Old Gresy Whistle Test special
02- Born In The U.S.A. era news footage
First aired on 22 Dec 1984
Originally broadcast in 1984, this special features concert and interview footage filmed during Bruce's stand at The Spectrum in Philadelphia. Interviewing Bruce is well known fan David Hepworth. Features possibly the most entertaining 8 minutes of Bruce footage you're likely to see...
Running time is 60 minutes
Source is an off-air VHS tape (ie, wasn't recorded from TV)
It's a bit grainy, but considering the age of the tape (over 20 years) it's not bad.
Bonus footage:
60 minutes of Born In The USA era news footage, covering subjects such as the release of Live 75-85, job losses at the 3M plant in New Jersey, Bruce's support of local foodbanks and more besides. Includes footage from Washington and Cleveland shows in 1985.
The Old Grey Whistle Test first went on air in September 1971 and became one of the most influential music shows for a generation. Sally Taylor has been meeting some of the figures from the South who were instrumental in its success.
Despite it's low budget the show was a great success. Bands soon found their album sales would soar after an appearance.
When the Old Grey Whistle Test went on air in 1971 it was unique. In a world accustomed to Top of the Pops, here was a show on which the bands performed album tracks and were interviewed after they had played. This was before the days of miming. The music was live and, since the idea was to air new sounds, many of the bands were making their first television appearance. Presenter Bob Harris recalls how the show's name was inspired by the doormen (in grey suits) who worked at the music publishing houses in London's Denmark Street, known as 'tin pan alley'
Bob Harris on the show:
'It was a 'tin pan alley' phrase from years ago. When they got the first pressing of a record they would play it to people they called the old greys. The ones they could remember and could whistle having heard it just once or twice had passed the old grey whistle test'.
The programme went out on BBC2, last thing on a Friday night, from a tiny studio on the fourth floor of Television centre. In the days before 24 hour television the station would close down at the end of the evening. This gave the last programme of the day some flexibility.
If things were going well for the Old Grey Whistle Test they could stay on air. Some shows ended after 25 minutes while particularly good ones sometimes extended to an hour and a half.
They had a budget of £500 per show, which was very low even in those days. In addition to the technical costs the artists themselves had to be paid. David Bowie, for example, played three songs and was paid £50.
John Lennon refused to accept his fee in cash, insisting that he should be rewarded instead with chocolate Bath Oliver biscuits!
The titles sequence featured an animation of a man kicking a star. He was to become affectionately known as The Starkicker.
The show's title music, with it's distinctive harmonica, was a track called Stone Fox Chase by a Nashville band, Area code 615.
When bands were performing the sound was often so loud that the camera crew could not hear what the director was saying in their headphones.
The programme makers continually broke new ground. The first ever 'simulcast' of radio and television , the first live transatlantic broadcast of a rock concert and the television coverage of Live Aid were all achieved by the Whistle Test team.
Sadly, the programme is no more, having ended it's run in 1987, but it passed the musical baton to it's successors.
A succession of programmes such as 'Later with Jools Holland', 'The Tube' and 'The White Room' have all drawn inspiration from Whispering Bob Harris's Old Grey Whistle Test.
