For anyone anxious to see some of rock’s greatest and most eclectic performers in their prime, The Old Grey Whistle Test, Vol. 1 is a virtual goldmine. The Old Grey Whistle Test was a unique pop music television series on the BBC, England’s principal network, that debuted in 1971 and lasted for 16 seasons. Even though some of early footage is forever lost, this 180-minute disc does an admirable job showcasing the show’s high points.
Over the span of 28 individual spots are clips of Alice Cooper, Bob Marley & the Wailers, John Lennon, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, the Police and U2. Some of the sequences are curiously lip-synced (see Roxy Music and Talking Heads), while others are off-site clips that somehow ended up with the BBC (see John Lennon and Bruce Springsteen). At the heart of the disc are taped live performances that took place on the The Old Grey Whistle Test sound stage.
The Edgar Winter Group blows through a lively “Frankenstein”; Rory Gallagher rips it up on “Hands Off”; and what a treat it is to see Lowell George lay down some solid slide during Little Feat’s “Rock N’ Roll Doctor.” The DVD features a healthy serving of strange characters (Captain Beefheart, Tom Waits and Iggy Pop), punks (the Specials, the Damned, the Ramones), new wavers (XTC, Blondie), and a wide assortment of world-class stylists (Curtis Mayfield, Bill Withers, Randy Newman, Bonnie Raitt, Emmylou Harris). Song introductions sandwiched in between provide a rare insight into many of the clips.
You can read about the artists and their performances in the Artist’s Gallery and catch interviews in the Extras section with Lennon, Springsteen (check out the Twinkies), Elton John, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Robert Plant — all of which sums up the show’s affiliation with rock royalty. You could say The Old Grey Whistle Test, Vol. 1, despite its limited menu range, has something for everyone with a taste for nostalgia, eccentricity and subversion. It’s custom-made for any vintage rocker’s DVD library.
~ Shawn Perry
