BBC Four The Story of Ready Steady Go! Documentary

Remember the first RSG like it was last week started with the Safaris instrumental I think it was around august 1963 in the middle of the British beat boom but they still managed to bring a good few American acts on I remember The Beatles bringing PJProby across early 1964 him singing Walking the Dog on the show, Great Memories, Ronnettes late 63 ect Mick zJagger singing You’d better Move on A Arthur Alexander classic

KR

ML

A great watch

I enjoyed the documentary but was also frustrated by it. Detail seemed to be secondary, for example no mention of when it was first broadcast. It would've been nice to know which artists appeared on the debut show and what songs did they "perform". That kind of detail does matter! Great to see the old clips of the artists in their prime- teenagers and 20 somethings. I wonder how many of them thought they would still be around and enjoying a successful career almost 60 years later? It was great to see a large section of the documentary devoted to R&B/Motown. I was surprised that the Supremes did not feature in the performances documentary that followed- Motown's biggest act!

7 hours ago, Tam La Motown said:

I enjoyed the documentary but was also frustrated by it. Detail seemed to be secondary, for example no mention of when it was first broadcast. It would've been nice to know which artists appeared on the debut show and what songs did they "perform". That kind of detail does matter! Great to see the old clips of the artists in their prime- teenagers and 20 somethings. I wonder how many of them thought they would still be around and enjoying a successful career almost 60 years later? It was great to see a large section of the documentary devoted to R&B/Motown. I was surprised that the Supremes did not feature in the performances documentary that followed- Motown's biggest act!

Just now, Hooker1951 said:

7 hours ago, Tam La Motown said:

I enjoyed the documentary but was also frustrated by it. Detail seemed to be secondary, for example no mention of when it was first broadcast. It would've been nice to know which artists appeared on the debut show and what songs did they "perform". That kind of detail does matter! Great to see the old clips of the artists in their prime- teenagers and 20 somethings. I wonder how many of them thought they would still be around and enjoying a successful career almost 60 years later? It was great to see a large section of the documentary devoted to R&B/Motown. I was surprised that the Supremes did not feature in the performances documentary that followed- Motown's biggest act!

Hi Tam

the show was first aired late summer of 1963 around 6.30 Friday evenings it then went to a later time around 10.30 pm for awhile I watched all the shows in 1963 and 64 and didn’t miss many in 65 66 except when in late 66 I was holidaying with HMP, the show was good because it didn’t just play what was current hits ect but also established RnB acts American and British it was a great show highlighting what was going on at the time around the clubs in the UK beside the current hit parade I remember James Brown having nearly a complete show to himself and Otis Reading they were both at their peak at the time, It was a great innovator of a show at the time a great mix of music and the best acts around American and British, it would be great if they could show them all from the Start again but I believe some idiot wiped them probably the same one who wiped Thank your Lucky Stars another treasure chest of memories and music gone forever

KR

ML

Thanks for starting this -we need all the distractions we can get in these wretched and worrying times.When I noticed this thread I went to look for my complete episode list of RSG which I photocopied many years ago from an archive listing.Finally found it!  It lists all the performers(and a pretty mouthwatering list it is,too) although not the songs performed;these can be guessed at though, by the transmission dates.For example, the 3rd December 1965 edition featured Major Lance ,The Toys, Ketty Lester The Who ,Hollies & Walker Bros. Major Lance almost certainly did his latest 45'-  'Everybody Loves A Good Time',as it was released on Columbia that very day! (though sometimes artists did two-or more- songs) Ditto the 24th Sept. 65' show,which had Lou Johnson -the day 'Unsatisfied' was issued on London-although Lou almost certainly did the A side 'A Time To Love, A Time To Cry' (Manfred Mann & Wayne Fontana were the other guests)

Just in 1965 the guests included greats like The Exciters,Solomon Burke,The Marvelettes ,Inez & Charlie Foxx ,Dee Dee Warwick,Wilson Pickett Ben E. King,The Soul Sisters etc. 1966 saw the aforementioned James Brown Special, Joe Tex,Arthur Alexander,Doris Troy(probably doing 'I'll Do Anything')Patti Labelle & Bluebelles, Edwin Starr (prob.Headline News)Little Richard(prob.I Need Love ) and of course the great Otis Redding special which we know survives-I remember Channel 4 showing it in the early 80's -it was one of the 1st things I recorded on the then new family video recorder.Still have the tape,if no machine to play it!

Tragically ,many of the shows are probably lost forever (not only Soul but priceless performances by Sonny Boy Williamson,  Davie Jones (Bowie) & the King Bees in 64',Marc Bolan in 66' ,The Game,The Action etc.) Associated Rediffusion, who made the show,wiped/junked many of their programmes at the end of the 60's when they became London Weekend Television. If we look at another AR TV series from the same  time period,the great police drama series 'No Hiding Place'-only 20 or so episodes survive out of 230;  'Ready Steady Go' ,which had close to 200 episodes, is probably the same.Dave Clark bought the rights to the surviving episodes in the 80's-now BMG own them -but we still don't know exactly which episodes-in whole or in part- survive!

Thanks for the info guys. I remember Channel 4 broadcasting a short run of RSG shows in 1984/5. The Morown Special being a particular hi light. Dave Clark released a couple of video compilations at the time. Videotape was expensive back in the 60s and TV stations around the world were in the habit of wiping shows after they were broadcast in order to reuse the tape for future episodes. So many great performances and iconic shows have been lost forever. There is always the hope that someone somewhere has a copy in their loft or garden shed and will be uncovered someday soon. The James Brown Show sounds electrifying!

Found this, Record Mirror readers letters page from 1966. Complaints galore about James Brown's RSG special...