Video Beat MAX Part 3 - VIDEO REVIEW - BEATLES & DREAM GIRLS

James Loving - National Radio Text Service

For the music enthusiast The Beatles Live at Shea Stadium is a must have for anyone who is interested in the group or the history of music. The group performs 12 songs on the DVD. - Another must have for music history is the film Dream Girls starring eliminated American Idol Jennifer Hudson. This is one dynamite film that is largely based on the Motown Records group The Supremes with Hudson playing the role of Florence Ballard.

Thursday January 22, 2009

1965 WAS A VERY GOOD YEAR

Individually they weren't great musicians but as a group their blend of vocals, playing and excellent original songs made them the best band on the planet. To some the Rolling Stones were the best but they were more a rock band whose material wasn't as strong as proven in overall record sales. The Beatles were considered more commercial and appealed to a wider demographic of music enthusiasts internationally.

The Beatles didn't move around that much but did enough hopping and jumping up and down to keep the crowd captivated. Young girls were passing out from emotional reactions and the crowd at Shea Stadium on the DVD was in a hysterical state.

Ed Sullivan who was the top TV host at the time made an appearance. It was on Sullivan's variety show that the band previously made its first appearance in the USA. Sullivan's production' company is noted in the credits of the Shea Stadium Concert video as well as the ABC television network.

For me it was an eye opener as that year was a very busy year for me as a musician. Our band rarely had a free day. Much of our success was due to our singing Beatles songs. When I was a guest at Beatle Ringo Starr's estate 10 years later in 1975 I mention the hysteria they created in America. Surprisingly though he lived it he didn't think it was that big of a deal. Given Ringo's dry sense of humor in today's terminology you could say as singer Trace Adkins said of the Back Street Boys that he (Ringo) was punkin me (making fun of or as the English say taking the piss out of me).

As busy as our band was I really didn't know the Beatles personalities. As a working musician with seldom a day off I didn't have time to be a fan but knew of their talent since we did so many of their songs and our crowds outside were many times stretched around the corner waiting to get into the club. Every time we did a Beatles song is drew a strong positive reaction.

Come full circle it took this concert video and the comments from interviews that they made at press conferences which are included on the video that put things into perspective for me. It was only minutes before writing this piece that I read some of the background of the group and Ringo.

The video fills in a lot of gaps of knowledge for a group that was somewhat mysterious. For the music enthusiast it is a must have for anyone who is interested in the group or the history of music. The group performs 12 songs on the DVD.

Following this US tour the group's newly written songs were better and mellow. Their sixth album, Rubber Soul, was released in early December 1965. It was hailed as a major leap forward in the maturity and complexity of the band's music.

Given their immense popularity there isn't a lot of video footage on the group. The band made four films, A Hard Day's Night (1964), Help! (1965), Magical Mystery Tour (1967) and Let It Be (1970) all of which are all worth having in a music/video DVD collection.

DREAM GIRLS

Another must have for music history is the film Dream Girls starring eliminated American Idol Jennifer Hudson. This is one dynamite film that is largely based on the Motown Records group The Supremes with Hudson playing the role of Florence Ballard.

As a result of her performance Hudson walked away with an Oscar at the Academy Awards in 2007 as the winner of Best Supporting Actress for her role in Dream Girls. Hudson's version of a song from the film "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" debuted at number 98 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the January 13, 2007 issue. The "Dreamgirls" track has since become Hudson's first Top 10 hit, albeit not on the Hot 100, as the track registered a new peak at #7 on the Billboard Hot Adult R&B Airplay chart on February 24, 2007

In 1965 the Supremes were launching their nightclub career and broke in their act at the Riptide club in Wildwood, New Jersey. They were tuning up their performance to appear at the Copacabana nightclub in New York City. The Riptide is where I met the group and it was around that time that Diana Ross took over as the lead singer in the group although Ballard had the stronger voice just as depicted in the Dream Girls film.

What makes this DVD so strong is the acting talent of Hudson, Eddie Murphy, Jamie Foxx and Beyonce Knowles. The film's balance of music and acting blends so well that there are no dead spots in the story, it moves at a steady pace that is gripping. It is so good just listening to the sound track is worth the rental or purchase.

We recommend this as a must buy for anyone's video collection who enjoys music as well as the story it tells about one of the strongest era's of music history. The Beatles and Motown is a combination where you can't go wrong.

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Part 1 - CELEBRITY APPRENTICE FINAL

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