Shout Factory | 1964 | 112 Mins. | Not Rated
October 29, 1964—just eight months after The Beatles appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show, television director Steve Binder was given the task of staging the Teen-Age Music International Show (The T.A.M.I. Show), a concert that captured twelve of the biggest rock and pop acts of the day. Filmed at the 3,000 seat Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, the audience largely composed of students from Santa Monica High School, got to see an amazing line up of talent—hosts Jan & Dean, Chuck Berry, Gerry and the Pacemakers, The Miracles, Marvin Gaye, Lesley Gore, The Beach Boys, Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas, The Supremes, The Barbarians, James Brown and the Famous Flames, and The Rolling Stones; a simply amazing lineup. To top things off, Phil Spector’s legendary house band, the Wrecking Crew, backed most of the acts.
The T.A.M.I. Show premiered in Los Angeles in November 1964, with a wider release just after Christmas that year, but not long after it was chopped up—specifically, the performance of The Beach Boys was removed by request of the band—after that, the only way to see the show was from a bootleg source, a rare television broadcast, or to catch parts of it on the VHS compilation, That Was Rock. Now, thanks to Shout Factory, The T.A.M.I. Show has been fully restored, and viewers will finally get to see what those lucky bunch of teenagers witnessed at that legendary concert in Santa Monica.
The opening sequence is a sight to behold—Jan & Dean rolling by the Whisky A-Go-Go on pre-polyurethane-wheeled skateboards ending up in Santa Monica moments later (that’s editing for you). Also watch for the Miracles and Marvin Gaye running out of the Hollywood Knickerbocker Hotel and into a waiting car. While Jan & Dean are one of the few acts on the bill who were a product of the times, and have been largely reduced to a rock n’ roll footnote, their performance of the shows theme song, “(Here They Come) From All Over The World” sets the perfect tone.
In a wonderful nod to one of the greats who helped usher in the rock n’ roll era, Chuck Berry gets things started with a spirited version of “Johnny B. Goode.” Though countless musicians have recorded this classic over the years, I’ve always felt nobody does it better than Chuck. Keep your eyes peeled for a young, pre-fame Teri Garr as a go-go dancer bouncing around behind Chuck Berry (The go-go dancers, choreographed by Toni Basil who would score #1 pop hit in 1982 with “Mickey,” have a suprising amount of sexual energy for 1964). Berry then segues into “Maybellene,” which is finished by Gerry and the Pacemakers as the start of their set.
There isn’t one bad performance in the bunch, but some deserve special mention. First, The Beach Boys; cut out of the film after the initial theatrical run, we are so fortunate that their performance has been reinstated here. In what would turn out to be one of his last live performances with the band, viewers get to see Brian Wilson do a seamless falsetto on “Surfer Girl,” and Dennis Wilson giving it his all on drums. The bands performance is so spectacular, we can even forgive Mike Love for executing some of the nerdiest dance moves ever recorded on film.
The set by James Brown and the Famous Flames maintains legendary status to this day. James Brown owns the stage from the first note—gliding effortlessly across the stage, he opens with “Out of Sight,” moves into “Prisoner of Love,” “Please, Please, Please” and ends things with “Night Train.” Moving constantly, and showing dance moves that still inspire awe, Brown shows why he is considered to be one of the best live performers ever. It’s no wonder that the still very young Rolling Stones didn’t want to follow his performance.
Closing the show is a veritable “Battle of the Bands” between two of the most exciting stage acts in rock history, James Brown and his Famous Flames, and The Rolling Stones (who look young and green, but are already blessed with an undeniable charisma); all of the other acts join in as well for a spirited, if not totally focused version of “Let’s Get Together.” Apparently, the producer wanted all the performers on the stage at once so they couldn’t be accused of gathering such an impressive roster of talent by cobbling together several different shows.
Any true fan of rock ‘n Roll should jump at the chance to pick up a copy of The T.A.M.I. Show: Collector’s Edition. A precursor to great concert films like The Monterey Pop Festival and Woodstock, T.A.M.I. continues to inspire musicians and filmmakers alike, more than 45 years after it rocked the auditorium in Santa Monica, California.
Set list for the T.A.M.I. Show film:
Jan & Dean
SHOW OPEN: (Here They Come) From All Over The World
Chuck Berry
Johnny B. Goode
Maybellene
Gerry And The Pacemakers
Maybellene
Don’t Let The Sun Catch You Crying
It’s Gonna Be Alright
Chuck Berry
Sweet Little Sixteen
Gerry And The Pacemakers
How Do You Do It?
Chuck Berry
Nadine (Is It You?)
Gerry And The Pacemakers
I Like It
Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
That’s What Love Is Made Of
You’ve Really Got A Hold On Me
Mickey’s Monkey
Marvin Gaye
Stubborn Kind Of Fellow
Pride And Joy
Can I Get A Witness
Hitch Hike
Lesley Gore
Maybe I Know
You Don’t Own Me
You Didn’t Look Around
Hey Now
It’s My Party
Judy’s Turn To Cry
Jan & Dean
The Little Old Lady (From Pasadena)
Sidewalk Surfin’
The Beach Boys
Surfin’ U.S.A.
I Get Around
Surfer Girl
Dance, Dance, Dance
Billy J. Kramer & The Dakotas
Little Children
Bad To Me
I’ll Keep You Satisfied
From A Window
The Supremes
When The Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes
Run, Run, Run
Baby Love
Where Did Our Love Go
The Barbarians
Hey Little Bird
James Brown & The Flames
Out Of Sight
Prisoner Of Love
Please, Please, Please
Night Train
The Rolling Stones
Around And Around
Off The Hook
Time Is On My Side
It’s All Over Now
I’m All Right
All Performers
Show Close: Let’s Get Together
The T.A.M.I. Show appears in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1 on this single-sided, dual-layered DVD; the image has been enhanced for 16X9 televisions; though the DVD’s booklet describes the presentation as its “original widescreen format.” When you take into consideration that the source material here is 45 years old, this is a fairly solid presentation. Blacks look good, and have solid density. I noticed specks, scratches, and occasional digital flaws throughout. Again, that’s generally to be expected with something this age and shot in Electrovision. None of the issues affected my viewing experience, and I imagine most will be glad just to have the opportunity to own this legendary event.
Packaged with a monaural soundtrack, your feelings on its quality will likely vary, depending on how you listen to it. If you watch it on a full home theater system you’ll hear some distortion. Though I have my doubts as to whether that’s because of the remaster job done recently, or just the abilities of the recording equipment in 1964.
The DVD includes some interesting special features. There’s an audio commentary from director Steve Binder and music historian Don Waller. Both sit together for this running, screen-specific discussion of the project’s origins, development, technical areas and legal concerns, the musicians and performers, and the creation of the film itself.
Binder leads the discussion and gives us a solid overview of all things T.A.M.I. He discusses a wide array of subjects related to the concerts and the film, and passes on some interesting tidbits. Waller contributes thoughts about the concert, the artists, and its continuing influence.
In addition to four radio spots, we get the film’s theatrical trailer. You can view this on its own or with commentary from filmmaker John Landis. Why Landis? Because he attended the show as a teen, and he throws out some fun memories. Granted, he gets some facts wrong; he remembers Tammi Terrell and Stevie Wonder as part of the show, and he misidentifies Smokey Robinson as Marvin Gaye. Nonetheless, it’s interesting to hear a few memories from someone who was there as a fan.
Finally, the set includes a 20-page booklet. It presents photos, ads, memorabilia, a track list, and a very good essay from Waller.
[xrrgroup][xrr label=”Video:” rating=”3.5/5″ group=”s1″ ] [xrr label=”Audio:” rating=”3.5/5″ group=”s1″] [xrr label=”Extras:” rating=”3.0.0/5″ group=”s1″] [xrr label=”Film Value:” rating=”4.5/5″ group=”s1″] [/xrrgroup]
