Customer Reviews

The T.A.M.I. Show Collector's Edition

5 star:		(117)
4 star:		(28)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

On October 28th and 29th in 1964, free tickets were given to all the local high school students in and around Santa Monica, California to attend the first ever T.A.M.I. Show. T.A.M.I. was used as a shortened version of the name Teenage Awards Music International, also known as Teen Age Music International. This 1964 concert show was filmed in 2 days and the best of the film's footage was used for the two hour movie which was shown in theaters all around the world. The director Steve Binder and his crew from the Steve Allen show filmed this concert with tv camera's and recorded it in Electronovision-one of the first ever high definition video camera's that captured 1000 to 1100 lines at 25 fps. The resolution of this film was super high definition and way ahead of it's time!

The concert was filmed at Santa Monica Civic Auditorium and was emceed by Jan and Dean. The director Steve Binder begins the movie with great shots of the streets of Santa Monica showing Jan and Dean skate boarding on the streets and the rest of the groups getting ready for the concert. It is absolutely wonderful to see what life looked like on the streets of Santa Monica back in 1964, and especially seeing those very first skate boards! For those of us that were around back then, it brings back all those great sixties memories, especially if you were a teenager!

James Brown (and The Flames) was at his best with his great singing and dancing as were The Rolling Stones, The Beach Boys, Chuck Berry, The Barbarians, Marvin Gaye, Gerry and The Pacemakers, Lesley Gore, Jan and Dean, Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles and The Supremes. It was a concert composed of great music from both America and Britain. The film was released by American International Pictures on December 29, 1964. The stage in the auditorium held only the musicians and some fantastic go-go dancers, so the focus of these great early hi-def type camera's is completely on the great groups! If you look at the go-go dancers, you will see a teenage Teri Garr(She's got on a sweatshirt over a bikini with her blonde flip hair-do in the opening shots)!

This show was the coolest big screen movie of it's time, filmed with great early hi-tech camera's and now it's finally on dvd! For years, no one could get the rights from all the great groups involved in this project, but they finally made a deal that satisfied all the groups, so now we finally get this music treasure on dvd! Shout!Factory's extras are new footage commentary by director Steve Binder, along with the great original trailer, radio spots and a commemorative booklet. With this fabulous concert show being filmed in the cleanest, sharpest picture in 1964, I can't imagine how it looks even more cleaned up in hi-def and UNCUT! For anyone who saw the original film in 1964 like me, this is one movie that makes you feel like you are actually there with it's beyond fantastic performances and high energy dancing! Shout!Factory is releasing many rarities this year, some only for sale by them on their website. The complete The Goldbergs tv show among other rare television shows can be found only on their site. A BIG THANK YOU to Shout!Factory for releasing this rare gem that will be a thrill to see again!

In 1964, at the age of 12, I saw T.A.M.I. for the first time. But it wasn't my last. I must have watched this phenomenal concert at least a dozen times; sitting through showing after showing at the neighborhood movie theater over several days. True, I was only age 12, but the memories never faded and grew stronger over the past 42 years. Recalling some of the performers, Chuck Berry, Lesley Gore, Beach Boys, Rolling Stones [with Mick Jagger's signature gyrations], Martha and The Vandellas, Four Tops, Gerry and The Pacemakers, Marvin Gaye, The Supremes and the list goes on, but the greatest of all, Mr. Dynamite, James Brown. That performance is literally one of the greatest dancing and singing performances of the Rock and Roll and Rhythm and Blues era of all time. Every entertainer that has evolved through the 21st century, took their dancing cue, and rhythm section from the 'hardest working man in show business, James Brown.' The T.A.M.I. Show could have ended with him. Nevertheless, the energy throughout the show was absolutely crazy and contagious. The young people, Black and White together, screaming for the entertainers, dancing and just going berserk. The 'go-go' dancers and simple stage set-up kept the focus on the performer on stage at that time. In an era of racism, prejudice, civil rights movement and segregation, The T.A.M.I. Show for a while helped us all to forget our trouble and fears and differences in skin color and just have fun. Teenagers of America have fun.

The Holy Grail of rock concert films has finally surfaced, and this time it looks like its release is for real. Several years ago an announcement was made that The TAMI Show was going to be released, but it was pulled almost immediately after the announcement.

When this film was released I was the ripe old age of 17; my local theater ran it for 3 days and I sat through several showings each day. I thought it was the greatest thing I'd ever seen--especially The Rolling Stones; they completely blew me away. Now, I'm the ripe old age of 63 and I'm as excited as that 17-year-old kid who lapped up showing after showing of this film. All our favorites performed at TAMI, including my then-heartthrobs Lesley Gore and Diana Ross.

March 23rd won't come soon enough. I've told my friends I've completely reserved the first weekend of TAMI's release to watch this show over and over; unless they intend to watch it with me, they needn't bother dropping by. I'll be unavailable. I've waited 45 years for this moment.

I have only one request to make of Dick Clark: If this release sells well, and you have purchased all the rights to the performances, will you be able to release a 2nd edition featuring the songs that didn't appear in the original film? Do that, and Mr. Clark will have sent one diehard fan straight to heaven!

A quick note to all the people who've written reviews complaining that there's no Ray Charles, Ike & Tina Turner, etc on this DVD...That's because they were never on the T.A.M.I. Show.

Those acts were part of a completely different mid-60s TV extravaganza called the T.N.T. Show. In the mid-70s both shows - T.N.T. and T.A.M.I. - were re-edited together into a retrospective show called That Was Rock (featuring newly shot links by Chuck Berry). It's also worth noting That Was Rock was by no means complete of either T.N.T or T.A.M.I, ommitting some acts altogether and some songs by others (eg, only 2 of the 3 James Brown peformances were present).

So, for the record, this release IS indeed the first time that the T.A.M.I. Show has been issued in its complete form.

And to say it's well worth the money would be an understatement. This show is awesome - as good as it gets!

The T.A.M.I Show is one of the missing links of rock music history; in a two day concert in Santa Monica, California, some of the greatest rock artists of the era convened in a wild jam session that set that standard for every festival that followed. The performers are a who's who of 60s rock:

* The Barbarians
* The Beach Boys
* Chuck Berry
* James Brown and The Famous Flames
* Marvin Gaye
* Gerry & The Pacemakers
* Lesley Gore
* Jan and Dean
* Billy J. Kramer and The Dakotas
* Smokey Robinson and The Miracles
* The Rolling Stones
* The Supremes

with James Brown and The Stones taking the show away in a 45 minute finale. Indeed, many critics feel that Brown's long set near the end of the show is one of the greatest performances by a rock and roll artist ever recorded. One could easily live without Lesley Gore (who gets too much too screen time) and Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas, of course, but the Barbarians are an interesting example of protopunk, and The Supremes, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, The Beach Boys, and Chuck Berry turn in powerhouse sets, all performing at the height of their powers.

On the matter of precisely how this concert was recorded, here, from Wikipedia, is the real lowdown. It was NOT photographed on 35mm film, nor was it shot on videotape. Rather,

"it was shot with TV cameras by director Steve Binder and his crew [ . . .] in [a process dubbed] Electronovision - [using several] of the first high-definition video cameras that captured somewhere between 1000-1100 lines at 25fps. Then, via kinescope recording, it was converted to film with sufficient enhanced resolution to allow big-screen enlargement [in a 35mm film blowup]."

The same process, incidentally, was used to record Richard Burton's 1964 Broadway production of HAMLET.

Despite some electronic line scanning interference, the image is crisp and clear, and the sound is absolutely superb. Shot in front of an audience of out of control high school students who got in for free, The T.A.M.I Show cuts Woodstock, Monterey Pop, and all the other rock concert films of the era, and was the first of the lot.

Tied up in rights litigation for years, the film is now finally available in a superb DVD transfer thanks to the efforts of the Dick Clark organization. In short, an absolutely invaluable, utterly essential document of a time long past, featuring some of the greatest rock performers in history. Buy two copies; it's that good. When this goes out of print, you'll kick yourself hard for not having gotten this 46 year old classic when it was finally, finally available.

This is not a real review, per se. I just want to correct some misconceptions from other reviewers. This is indeed the whole and complete T.A.M.I Show. The reviewers who think that The Ronettes, Ray Charles and Ike and Tina performed at the T.A.M.I. Show are mistaken. The afore mentioned performers appeared in a 1966 sequel of sorts entitled the Big T.N.T. show. Excerpts from both shows were packaged in a bootleg called "This Was Rock". This is probably where the confusion comes from.
I saw the T.A.M.I. show during its brief theatrical run. I never forgot it. A definite formative moment for me.

I have not been able to get over the first time I saw this way back in 1965. Saw it twice at the drive-in theater. Then, last night I accidently noticed it on PBS. Instantly the channel selector hit channel 9. Of course I came in at the beginning of a pledge break. Finally the film came back. Could not believe the quality of the picture. Even better than I remembered! Right away I clicked on Amazon. WOW! Its coming out this month.
Okay, I know that this concert does not meet today's standards of production. In fact the qualities are quite rediculous. But I absolutely dare anyone to be able to line up so many super groups on one stage today. Okay, except for the Beach Boys most of these groups had not yet attained that level. If you want flashing lights and 8 track stereo surrounding your ears go elsewhere.
Many of you take all these groups for granted now. But back then most of them were in the early stages of their fame. Let me tell you that way back then us white boys had never heard of James Brown. So help me god, that man blew all of us away. He stole the show hands down. We all had to run out and find his records. (By the way, the movie TOP SECRET does a wonderful job spoofing his act.) Not until Michael Jackson in 1983 did anyone come close to his onstage charisma.
So my point is this. If you really want to understand rock & roll of the 60's you absolutely have to see this DVD. We had never seen anything like it. From what little I watched on PBS it is an awesome production.
Okay, you old fart, if you liked it so well why didn't you watch the whole thing. Boys & girls, no sane human alive can sit through those endless pledge breaks on PBS. (Did you know that according to Betty White on the Simpsons if you watch even one second of PBS without contributing then you are nothing better than a common thief)?

Yes, it is out! The film I saw in 1964 in Trenton, NJ on a big screen has made it to home video. And though my TV screen is only 27 inches (not a wide screen model) the print looks great and the sound is the best I can hope for. (Note on sound: Director Steve Binder mixed the original film in MONO so don't expect stereo. It just "ain't gonna happen".)

Many PBS stations have been showing this restored version of the film this month (March 2010) but its probably more of an infomercial. There's an hour of pledge breaks to cut it up. Besides you will miss the bonus features!

Since I'm sure others will comment on the detailed performances (hey they are ALL great and everyone has their favorite), I'll use this space to comment on the Bonus features of this "Collectors Edition" (It's the ONLY edition out there on DVD). First up is the full-length commentary by Director Steve Binder and music journalist Don Waller (who write the nice 20-page book of liner notes, but is not credited on the package as being on the commentary track). After some general info on how the concert came about - repeating some of the info in the liner notes - Binder starts commenting on the action on the screen. Shout Factory did a nice job of balancing the soundtrack with the commentary so the soundtrack doesn't overpower Binder's and Waller's comments. I won't spoil the fun of having you listen to the commentary by revealing some favorite moments.

The remaining bonus features are three short radio spots and the 4 minute Trailer for the film. You can also watch the trailer with a commentary by Director John Landis ("Animal House") who was actually in the audience at the T.A.M.I concert. His commentary is a waste IMHO because its more of an ad for the website [...] and Landis must have been sleeping through the concert - and obviously not watching this DVD because he mentions that Stevie Wonder is in the show. (Nope, he isn't though Marvin, Smokey and the Supremes are!).

So stop reading the reviews and just go out and get the DVD, especially if - like me - you've waited 46 years (!) to see it again!

Steve Ramm
"Anything Phonographic"

Have wanted a copy of this ground-breaking film since I first saw it the year it came out (although back then to get a copy of the movie you would have needed your own movie theater). This "event" was one of those "do you remember where you were when" type of historic moments, a memory that always was in the background that never seemed to go away (this is one you did not want to go away).

The quality of the production is top-drawer. Of particular note it the audio commentary by the director and a rock historian, both of whom cast new insight into how this historic event in American music history came to be (and in some cases almost didn't). Their comments on the players, the personalities, the little gems of trivia (such as Leon Russell and Glenn Campbell both were young musicians in the backup orchestra -- The Wrecking Crew -- that accompanied several of the acts) was worth listening to the entire length of the film (that is of course after having watched it without the commentary at least five times!).

Don't miss out on this true collector's item. If any film deserves to be called "collector", this is one of them!

Like most of us, I've been waiting forever for a complete T.A.M.I. to be issued. It's well worth the price (heck, it's easily worth twice the price).

Some oddities about this show. There are many audience shots of a mostly quiet crowd, that don't appear to match the audio track. Makes you think that maybe the continuous screaming was dubbed in, but the director's commentary says no, it was all real. It's still a bit odd to see James Brown give such a remarkable performance in front of a crowd of white junior-high-schoolers, who probably didn't quite "get" what they were seeing.

The book notes that the Beach Boys segment had to be recovered from a film print, since it had been removed from the movie (and apparently from the masters) after its initial showing. The video quality of the Beach Boys is typical film quality of that era, not as good as the rest of the film which came from the remastered Electronovision source.