Danny Baker's Great Album Showdown Bbc4 9Pm R&b Tonight 07.02

[Derek Pearson]

File under: R&B

Episode 3 of 3

Duration: 1 hour

What is the essence of a great R&B album? Danny Baker celebrates the golden age of the analogue, vinyl LP with soul singer Mica Paris, actor and soul aficianado Martin Freeman, DJ Trevor Nelson and finally an avid member of the internet based soul forum Soul Source.

Opinionated and impassioned, Baker and his guests select their favourite soul and funk albums and discuss how the great R&B LPs of the 60s and 70s were a product of their times - and often rapturously received by their audience.

derek x

Edited February 7, 2013 by Derek Pearson

[Pete S]

The first two programs have been brilliant, but now that you've told me Trevor Nelson is going to be on tonights show, I don't think I'll bother.

[Seano]

Danny Baker series of 3 programmes about the LP format focussing in this 3rd episode on BBC4 right now.

Trevor Nelson, Mica Paris and Martin Freeman talking about their interest in various sides of soul.

[pikeys dog]

Grim.

[Modernsoulsucks]

I watched a little bit.

Tyrone Davis did well.

ROD

[Rich B]

Disappointing.

[MrsWoodsrules]

Not bad I'd rather listen to Danny Baker talking football though, in this show he just strikes me a a middle aged old sod indulging himself, he certainly has no musical knowledge to offer me about any genre so to hear talking about 'Marvin' or 'Smokey' with such gusto, makes me want to vomit.

Trevor Nelson is a balloon, who's condescending film about Northern Soul shall forever make me loathe him.

Mica Paris, a great vocalist & singer, but it was obvioius she's not really 'with it'.

Martin Freeman came across as okay, he's just about passed & that was probably because I liked his shirt.

But can't be doing with lectures about 'great' music from (white celebrity) people, who IMO, are detached & narcissistic and generally they all fall into that category.

I'd rather listen to a drunken stranger's opinion in a pub than they self righteous sods, or of course, any other soul sourcers.

Sky Arts have some good music (all genres) programmes, beats the bumbling BBC, (who ditched this genre of youth/style cultural audit shows years ago to chase ratings). I suppose the penny dropped, needs must & they don't cost any money to make)

Other than that, it was okay & that's my critique.

Aid.

[Only Dreaming]

That's a an hour of my life I'll never get back. I was going to spend the time ripping some vinyl :-(

Dave

[Modernsoulsucks]

Is it us who are out of step ?

Too anal ? Expect too much ?

I watched 20-25 minutes.

Like window cleaners explaining nuclear fission.

ROD

[Bigsoulman]

Pseudos once again rule the box with boooooring chat about stuff like Motown Chartbusters and other compilation albums, I switched off after 15 minutes, I can't stand Trevor Nelson and he knows eff all about real soul imo, Mica Paris looked dead sexy though!

[Modernsoulsucks]

Merged the post in Soul/Video section with this in Freebasing as same topic.

Then as R&B moved to AATS

Hope not too confusing.

ROD

[Mark R]

Not seen it all, that's a job for a glass of wine later, but I couldn't resist the first ten minutes on iPlayer at lunchtime.

I'll reserve judgement, but I think we expect too much out of these things. We get to anal. Re the Motown Chartbusters etc......we all started somewhere, and the populist stuff was probably it for most.

It's a bit like me trying to deny that I ever had an early C90 with The Exciters "Blowing Up My Mind" on it, having since discovered the joys of Roy Robert's "I Know What To Do". You get my drift!

Accept it for what it is, and don't expect to agree with the choices. And I do understand that some have issue with WHO has the say, but they are always going to pick celebs that most people recognise aren't they?

Cheers,

Mark R

[Guest posstot]

Shockin'.

[Guest Dave Turner]

28.45 Danny Baker rates Millie Jackson's "Caught Up" and "Still Caught Up" ........ therefore he's alright wi me

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01qlcss/Danny_Bakers_Great_Album_Showdown_File_under_RandB/

[Linky]

Wish I'd spent the hour doing what Millie did

[Guest posstot]

Wish I'd spent the hour doing what Millie did

pffft quality!

[Seano]

Merged the post in Soul/Video section with this in Freebasing as same topic.

Then as R&B moved to AATS

Hope not too confusing.

ROD

Thanks Rod - I don't seem to be able to post in the main Soul Forum area so placed it in the video/media bit as it seemed to make sense, but hard to find.

[Guest sharmo 1]

Wish I'd spent the hour doing what Millie did

Anyone have a copie of this album sleeve for sale ? regards cosmo.

[Pete S]

What a truly horrible album sleeve.

[Stuart Bower]

Quite promising but ultimately disappointing. Just kept it on in the background as it were as I was otherwise occupied with something else. Didn't deserve my full attention.

[Pete S]

Quite promising but ultimately disappointing. Just kept it on in the background as it were as I was otherwise occupied with something else. Didn't deserve my full attention.

Trevor Nelson dominated the debate despite not appearing to know what he was talking about most of the time. It was very, very poor. But the two previous night's shows were the best thing on tv this week by a mile.

[Jimmy Mack]

trevor nelson thinks soul music started in the mid 70s wouldn't know a proper r'n'b record if it slapped him in the head and mica paris the same martin freeman also the same couldv'e got some one from on here to speak about it ,also philly never got a mention which surprised me ???.

[Dave Thorley]

Should have got Mica's dad on, she quoted and mention him enough, in fact he seems to know more about the subject than all four of them. But what did you expect, The BBC usual, let's reduce it to the most common denominator.

Edited February 9, 2013 by Dave Thorley

[Gogger]

Wish I'd spent the hour doing what Millie did

looks like she needs a few pints of sam smiths

[Guest Andy Kempster]

surely the ROCK officianado's will be just as disappointed, wont mention the POP episode because that was just silly

its aimed for middle of the road listeners not hardcore fans

personally i'm quite a danny baker fan and i think if you look at it from a complete overview of the 3 nights then the LP was lorded in the manner it should be and to be fair on the soul LP night there were no real turkeys really were there

fairs fair it wasnt aimed at us lot was it

[Pete S]

surely the ROCK officianado's will be just as disappointed, wont mention the POP episode because that was just silly

its aimed for middle of the road listeners not hardcore fans

personally i'm quite a danny baker fan and i think if you look at it from a complete overview of the 3 nights then the LP was lorded in the manner it should be and to be fair on the soul LP night there were no real turkeys really were there

fairs fair it wasnt aimed at us lot was it

Obviously didn't read my posts...the rock and the pop nights were excellent

[Quinvy]

I've always hated albums, and this series just enforced my opinion of the long player and the sad people who spend their lives listening to them. What a load of pretentious rubbish. What a waste of valuable vinyl.

45's are where it's at as far as I'm concerned. Any tune over three minutes duration is a sin.

[Johnmcc]

I've always hated albums, and this series just enforced my opinion of the long player and the sad people who spend their lives listening to them. What a load of pretentious rubbish. What a waste of valuable vinyl.

45's are where it's at as far as I'm concerned. Any tune over three minutes duration is a sin.

Glad to be sad.

[Guest Andy Kempster]

Glad to be sad.

i don't get the hatred of lp's. perhaps i'm missing the point. we all love 45's with a passion but lp's have their place too surely

[Steve G]

trevor nelson thinks soul music started in the mid 70s wouldn't know a proper r'n'b record if it slapped him in the head and mica paris the same martin freeman also the same couldv'e got some one from on here to speak about it ,also philly never got a mention which surprised me ???.

Should have got Mica's dad on, she quoted and mention him enough, in fact he seems to know more about the subject than all four of them. But what did you expect, The BBC usual, let's reduce it to the most common denominator.

BBC2 wasn't it? I could understand if it was on BBC1 they'd need to dumb it down, but on one of the other channels no way Jose!

We want proper journalism. They've done some excellent documentaries in the past. Saw one on Pet Clark the other week - great. I take Pete's word for it on the first two episodes (I gave up), so why was the soul one so bad?

It must be down to the BBC's "DIal up a Talking Head" policy where they have a short list of subject matter experts. I don't understand why Trevor Nelson is viewed as some sort of expert - he know nuffink! Mica Paris - game bird, but again the knowledge ain't there. Wasted opportunity.

Edited February 10, 2013 by Steve G

[Guest Andy Kempster]

Obviously didn't read my posts...the rock and the pop nights were excellent

i did read your posts Pete, i just think that we all look at these things from a slightly? different view point from most people that watch these shows. even with respect of the pop and rock sections. how many of their top 13 baker's dozen would you honestly have put in there?

[Steve G]

i did read your posts Pete, i just think that we all look at these things from a slightly? different view point from most people that watch these shows. even with respect of the pop and rock sections. how many of their top 13 baker's dozen would you honestly have put in there?

Hey Andy - see you at Groovesville next week - we can talk proper music!

[Guest Andy Kempster]

can't wait Steve , got my original acetate of hatful of hollow in the box already!

[Kev Cane]

i don't get the hatred of lp's. perhaps i'm missing the point. we all love 45's with a passion but lp's have their place too surely

Quite right, I can,t imagine life without Sam Dees "Show must go on" Jimmy Lewis "Totally involved" Don Covay "Super Dude" countless Womack and Dells albums, Marvin Gaye "Whats going on" I could go on all night

Kev

[binsy]

I'm with you on all of those Kev,but you knew that anyway

[Tony Smith]

Well I thought Stuart Cosgrove was great!

[Pete S]

Anyone notice Danny Baker even get the name of the Stylistics lead singer wrong at the end... "In the words of Russell Thompson Jr".

Very poor.

[Dave Thorley]

Anyone notice Danny Baker even get the name of the Stylistics lead singer wrong at the end... "In the words of Russell Thompson Jr".

Very poor.

He also referred to Bobby Womack, as Billy Womack !!!!!!............

[Mark R]

Anyone notice Danny Baker even get the name of the Stylistics lead singer wrong at the end... "In the words of Russell Thompson Jr".

Very poor.

Yes I did Pete..........in fact, I made a few observations as I recall, all of which escape me now as that glass of wine I referred to on Friday before the show turned in to several before the show started. I need to watch it again really, but you've jogged my memory on the Russell Thompkins Jr thing.

I mssed the Billy Womack bit completely though.....didn't catch that!

Cheers,

Mark R

[Mark R]

I just watched the first half-hour of the rock one as I forgot to record it at the time, and I can't believe that Danny Baker didn't understand that if you crammed the tracks on an LP it compromises the sound!!

How can you do his job for all those years without coming across facts like that????

Cheers,

Mark R

[Daved]

It wasn’t that bad. Quite reasonable entertainment. If they put real train spotters on there, then most of the general public would’ve been bored. At least a Donny Hathaway LP made it onto the Wall of Sound.

[Pete S]

It wasn’t that bad.

[Steve G]

It wasn’t that bad. Quite reasonable entertainment. If they put real train spotters on there, then most of the general public would’ve been bored. At least a Donny Hathaway LP made it onto the Wall of Sound.

Come on Dave. They don't need label-retentives pawing over matrix numbers, but surely they can rustle up someone with a bit more knowledge than Trevor friggin' Nelson. I mean when they do sixties music documentaries, they go and find people that were actually there / involved. Bacharach documentary a case in point. This was just lazy cheap TV. Typical - Danny Baker all over I am afraid.

A Donny Hathaway LP on the wall behind the talking heads? - well well wonders never cease. What next, a bus in a documentary about the history of buses?

[Geeselad]

watching this now, its proper shite, bbc4 has gone downhill imho, recently. its all so past tense, 3 middle age white guys talking, in the main prog rock. DB thinks focus and scorpions are obscure! f'gods teeth! very self indulgent, but I'm still watching, wonder whats on itv 4?

[Dave Thorley]

Yes I did Pete..........in fact, I made a few observations as I recall, all of which escape me now as that glass of wine I referred to on Friday before the show turned in to several before the show started. I need to watch it again really, but you've jogged my memory on the Russell Thompkins Jr thing.

I mssed the Billy Womack bit completely though.....didn't catch that!

Cheers,

Mark R

Might have been the bottle of wine I had, Mark and I can't be bothered to watch i again to check.....

[John Reed]

I’m going to sound naive here, but what’s the beef with Trevor Nelson?