Remarkable "T.A.M.I." concert resurfaces after decades

The much-acclaimed but long-suppressed “T.A.M.I. Show” rock-and-soul concert has finally been released in DVD, much to the joy of hardcore music aficionados.

The black-and-white movie, in fact, was never released on videotape, making its release (from Shout! Factory for a mere $11.99 at Amazon) all the more exciting.

“T.A.M.I.,” short for the oddly named “Teenage Awards Music International,” was a 1964 concert at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium that was remarkable for its time, blending white and black rock, pop and soul acts onstage in a revue recorded for showings in theaters around the country a mere two weeks later.

The show – which cost $450,000 to produce -- features more than 45 songs in rapid fire order, featuring, in order, hosts Jan & Dean, Chuck Berry, Gerry and the Pacemakers, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, Marvin Gaye, Lesley Gore, The Beach Boys, Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas, The Supremes, The Barbarians, James Brown and the Flames and The Rolling Stones.

And they’re all at the top of their games. The show wasn’t intended to be an infomercial for diversity and civil rights but it certainly works on that level. 

"T.A.M.I. Show" features nearly 50 songs from a diverse group of performersHighlights include:

• A fun intro featuring many of the acts, and Jan & Dean skateboarding using what seems like tiny boards.
• Chuck Berry appearing to be enjoying himself (unlike later years) and adopting some killer guitar stances that I’ve never seen replicated. It should be said, however, that Berry reportedly at the last minute refused to take the stage unless he was paid several thousand dollars. That kind of behavior became commonplace with his shows in later years.
• Berry starting his song “Maybellene,” then handing the song off to an over-the-top goofy Gerry and the Pacemakers. The insane Chuck Berry would never have allowed that.
• Very enthusiastic male and female dancers (including a few go-go slots), some of whom were scantily clad for the times. Actress Teri Garr was among the dancers and Toni Basil (who had a solo hit in 1982 with the dance song “Mickey”) was an assistant choreographer.
• An audience of teens screaming throughout. As best I can tell, the screaming wasn’t piped in, as was sometimes the case for other TV shows.
• A goofy Billy J. Kramer repeatedly waving to fans during several of his songs.
• Lightweight drum kits that shifted place during songs, requiring drummers to pull them back into place. These days, kits are pretty much locked down.
• James Brown’s drummer losing a stick at the end of “Prisoner of Love.”
• The famed Wrecking Crew group of LA studio musicians served as the backing band. Members included drummer Hal Blaine, guitarist Glen Campbell, pianist Leon Redbone and arranger/conductor Jack Nitzsche, fresh from an apprenticeship with Phil Spector.
• Restored footage of The Beach Boys performing four songs. The Beach Boys sued to have their performances removed from theater copies of the film, so their segment hasn’t been seen for years (their performance is perfectly fine, by the way).
• Lesley Gore looks like a statue, performing hit songs with almost no real emotion. It’s almost painful to hear Gore sing -- with a smile -- “Maybe I Know,” whose lyrics include these lines:

Maybe I know that he’s been a cheatin’

Maybe I know he’s been untrue

But what can I do?

and

Deep down inside he loves me

Though he may run around

• Early punk from The Barbarians
• James Brown delivering a primer on stage dancing. You can see where Michael Jackson got his moves. James also performed his famous “dying performer” act on “Please, Please, Please,” leaving his pants dusty at the knees.
• Headliners The Rolling Stones – who did not want to follow Brown, for good reason -- were super tight, banging out four R&B songs plus “Time is On My Side.”

The DVD extras include commentary from director Steve Binder and music historian Don Waller, as well as original radio and TV promos (one with commentary from director John Landis, who attended the concert as a young student).

I first saw "T.A.M.I." in a music-appreciation class at Fresno State. Even then, I knew I was watching something magical, and the movie drew me into the worlds of soul and R&B, as well as deeper into roots rock and Southern soul. Watching the show for the first time in 30 years is equally magical, and I hope others can discover what should be considered a great piece of American pop culture history.

Sharon Jones + Southern soul + analog = good times

Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings are popping up all over the place in advance of a new album hitting stores next week. That's a good thing.

Jones generated critical acclaim a few years ago with the release of "100 Days, 100 Nights," a throwback to mid-60s Memphis soul. The Dap-Kings earned some fame on its own, backing Amy Winehouse on her hit "Back to Black" album.

Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings give old-school soul a new twistJones and the DK's will release a new album "I Learned the Hard Way" next week. NPR is streaming the entire album for free until then. After one listen, I can't say "Hard Way" knocked my socks off like "100 Days" but it's still top-notch soul worth follow-up listens.

And I'll be listening more closely after reading Jim Fusilli's band profile in The Wall Street Journal today that reveals the new album was recorded using analog equipment at a homegrown studio (as opposed to the digital formats that represent 99% of all music released today). Such techniques, favored by people like Jack White of the White Stripes, provide a warmer sound than the harsh, compressed digital recordings so common in modern music. It's a perfect match with Southern soul, a genre known for punchy, passionate arrangements.

Jones was so into the analog thing that she herself wired the electrical sockets in building the studio. Can you imagine any star other than Jack White tackling dirty work like that?

If you're a glutton for more, head over to NPR/all songs, which is streaming a recent Jones/DK gig at SXSW. I say the more the merrier.

Great, great record store

Great, great record store

Good record stores seem to be making a comeback, but one that’s never gone away is the Jazz Record Mart in Chicago.

I’ve visited JRM several times, including Sunday, not so much for the jazz stuff but a deep selection of R&B, soul, blues and gospel music and books. I’ve written previously about my love of Southern soul and Jazz Record Mart is a great place to hunt down hard-to-find CDs or LPs if you’re a fan of soul, R&B, blues or early 20^th century roots music.

"The Hi Records Story" features artists like Al Green, O.V. Wright and Ann PeeblesI still haven’t run across an out-of-print collection of great 1960s' songs recorded at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Ala., but did find "The Hi Records Story," a collection documenting a terrific label that operated in the shadow of Stax in the thriving Memphis scene in the 1960s and early ‘70s. I’ve previously discovered terrific gospel, R&B, rockabilly and blues discs.

Jazzmart is an eclectic place, with treasures buried all over the place. They still proudly proclaim to be the "world's largest jazz and blues record store." It’s organized in a disorganized way, and you’ll find yourself finding stuff to buy all the way up to the checkout counter. I just hope the store -- an anachronism in these digital times -- survives until the next time I return.