the T.A.M.I. Show

[retrokid67]

I just got the "Beach Boys In Concert" book.  So far so great ! I read the part about the T.A.M.I show and it said that the beach boys stole the show and that they were  paid double the amount that the Rolling Stones got. Other critics say that James Brown stole the show and growing up in the black community he's an important figure to us; but as much as I know that he broke barriers for us with this particular performance, the beach boys were still my favorite act.  So now that I've read that in the book, was James Brown's performance to critics back then just as good as the Beach Boys' or was it noted then that the Beach Boys stole the show and James was a close second?

[Andrew G. Doe]

Buy the DVD and judge for yourself ! 

[retrokid67]

I do have the DVD next year for the 50th anniversary they should re-release it in color who's with me; but, both acts were awesome and yes James was a tough act to follow (poor Rolling Stones) and Billy Kramer and the Dakotas looked pretty lame after the Beach Boys rocked the house, but when people went home from the show and the theaters, who won them over the most?  and if the Beach Boys were paid $50,000 as the book says, how much did James get for his appearance?  And one more question (I sound like a little kid rambling on, I am still a kid lol), how come the Beatles weren't there (even though I'm kinda glad they weren't...)?

[CenturyDeprived]

I do have the DVD next year for the 50th anniversary they should re-release it in color who's with me; but, both acts were awesome and yes James was a tough act to follow (poor Rolling Stones) and Billy Kramer and the Dakotas looked pretty lame after the Beach Boys rocked the house, but when people went home from the show and the theaters, who won them over the most?  and if the Beach Boys were paid $50,000 as the book says, how much did James get for his appearance?  And one more question (I sound like a little kid rambling on, I am still a kid lol), how come the Beatles weren't there (even though I'm kinda glad they weren't...)?

My mother attended The T.A.M.I. Show in the audience as a teenager, and was bowled over by James Brown and The Rolling Stones. The Beach Boys were a distinct afterthought. Granted, she's never been much of a BB fan, and thinks of their material as merely "pleasant enough".

In terms of showmanship, if you were a casual music fan at the time, I'd imagine that, for a good chunk of the audience (maybe the majority), James Brown and The Rolling Stones were the acts that left the biggest lasting impression of all bands on the bill.

[retrokid67]

You're mom was lucky to attend that piece of music history  And to be honest, the only two people keeping my attention during the Beach Boy's performance was Denny and Brian( on "Surfer Girl")  .  I wish someone would build a time machine already  My generation's music overall SUCKS (at least mainstream).  I don't get it, it's like around 2006 or 7 something went wrong all across the board.  All the decades before it had something unique to bring to the music world and they were all awesome.  I just hope this "no talent" phase in mainstream will end soon before we reach 10 years of this nonsense.  Just the other day my mom told me that their trying to make Miley Cyrus into an icon  What the crap!

[Mr. Wilson]

Fifty thousand dollars for 4 songs in 1964 ..??  That cant be right.. !!

[leggo of my ego]

  I have a lot of opinions about the TAMI show but heres just a few. 

Favorite set hands down, James Brown. Favorite Comic scene, watching Jagger flounder in JB's shadow!

Beach Boys & Gerry and the Pacemakers tie for #2 (If Gerry didn't have to "share" numbers along with Chuck Berry I think his set would have been better, flame me if you must...)

Cons: 
Go go dancers are over the top and really an unfortunate distraction when they prance all around the artists trying to perform.
Not enough numbers by Jan & Dean even if they did Emcee the show.

All in all TAMI was an amazing event, produced by professionals using truly visionary technology for the time... glad a DVD was finally released!

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

My mom was there too and she says her and all other other little girlfriends basically just went there to see Dennis!!!

She also says they smoked cigarettes out back with the Stones, not really caring who they were. She said she talked to Charlie  mostly who just nodded along silently with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth.....

A high school English teacher of mine was there too and said Mick tried to talk her into getting into a car with him

[retrokid67]

Fifty thousand dollars for 4 songs in 1964 ..??  That cant be right.. !!

I know right.  The book said that that was a huge some of money for 1964 

[retrokid67]

My mom was there too and she says her and all other other little girlfriends basically just went there to see Dennis!!!

She also says they smoked cigarettes out back with the Stones, not really caring who they were. She said she talked to Charlie  mostly who just nodded along silently with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth.....

A high school English teacher of mine was there too and said Mick tried to talk her into getting into a car with him

That's a cool story  , I know if I was alive back then the only people I would want to see are Denny, Jan Berry, and Marvin Gaye  .  James Brown's act is the same all the time and most of his songs sound the same but your eyes are still glued to the screen and you still can "get down" to the beat.  Darlene Love said that people reacted the way they did with him because he wasn't a mainstream artist at that point and neither most of the audience members or even some of the people backstage knew about what he could do on stage.  Denny himself said in an interview a year later that one of his favorite artists was James Brown  .  .  But the thing about the BB performance that was so special for me is that up to that point, this was the best live footage of them caught on screen    The vocals were on point and Denny was killin it  .  when I first saw the special on PBS, I was actually mad at him (long before I became a BB fan) because I thought he was copying off of Ringo  Then I saw in the Jon Stebbins documentary that he was the first one to do "the hair thing".    My favorite part was during "I Get Around" when he broke his stick and acted like nothing happened, threw it, and came back right on the money! That was epic.  but here's the thing, it was filmed in bw and I couldn't tell that the stick had been broken, I thought he just threw it because he was in the heat of the moment (me being dumb) .

[Mitchell]

The BBs set is great. Not quite legendary but it does show how GOOD they were live.

The other artist I really enjoy (on the DVD) is Lesley Gore. Fantastic songs and performance.

[The Shift]

Is the TAMI show available as a region 0 or 2 release?

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

Is the TAMI show available as a region 0 or 2 release?

seems to be only avialiable as a US Import, however most Blu-Ray players will play all region DVDs...... and all region DVD players are pretty cheap nowadays.

[retrokid67]

Is the TAMI show available as a region 0 or 2 release?

seems to be only avialiable as a US Import, however most Blu-Ray players will play all region DVDs...... and all region DVD players are pretty cheap nowadays.

It's a must have

[LostArt]

The BBs set is great. Not quite legendary but it does show how GOOD they were live.

The other artist I really enjoy (on the DVD) is Lesley Gore. Fantastic songs and performance.

Lesley Gore was the surprise of the show for me.  Great stuff.  James Brown was a fantastic performer then, and his set on this show was incredible.  It's obvious that he made a big impression on Mick Jagger that day.  Of course, The Beach Boys rocked the house, too.  I think I'm going to have to play this DVD this weekend.

[Mooger Fooger]

I would really love a blu-ray release. Don't care about color, though. Given the material was shot on 800 line HD TV gear, that would be just dandy in HD. With the remastering that went into the DVD, I can only imagine how nice the picture would look.

[Jon Stebbins]

Fifty thousand dollars for 4 songs in 1964 ..??  That cant be right.. !!

For their top-billed appearance in a nationally distributed feature film...yes it can.

[feelsflow]

Is the TAMI show available as a region 0 or 2 release?

Hey John,  Hope you and the family had a great Christmas.  Saw on the "gifts" thread you got the Jimmy Webb album, It was on my list - but didn't get it.  I'll have it soon enough.  I did get the Jimmy Webb Rhino Handmade Box back in the summer.  That took me awhile to find after it went quickly out of print, which is why I didn't wait to grab the Martyn Box (I'm enjoying it a lot).  This was the best year ever for Box Sets:  MIC, and I also got the Nilsson Box.

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The TAMI show can be had in the UK.  The one Pinder is referring to was put out by Shout Factory in 2009 - the same one I have.  In 2011 it was released by our "old friend" Universal as Region 0/Exempt.  You can find it at Amazon UK, but when I checked there was only one copy left in stock - so be quick.

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As for the show...I watched this just a few weeks ago, so fresh in mind.  I'm not that much of a James Brown fan, though I was at a couple of his shows in the mid-60's.  His show needs more time to get the groove going - He's doing his big closing number with the cape, too soon, and it doesn't work for me.  I do love Motown.  And they had some of their best on show.  Marvin Gaye is the best.  As was the way back then nobody got to play very long, but he did the best with his time, with four classics - Hitch Hike is my favorite.  The Supremes did a great job, but they got a lot better in the future.  Favorite would have to be Where Did Our Love Go.  Smokey seems to be having trouble with his voice, Mickey's Monkey comes off the best.  The opening segment, where they alternate numbers works fine for me.  Both Chuck and Gerry were at the top of their game.  The Barbarians are Great, too bad they only get one number.  Lesley Gore, I loved her when I was in Jr. High, but she doesn't come off too well.  Her closer, It's My Party and Judy's Turn To Cry work best.  In America nobody really knew Billy J. Kramer, beyond the Beatles connection.  I like their set, and was surprised - as I never have bought their records.  The Rolling Stones are Rockin' Good.  Wish I could have picked the set numbers, but while they had Brian they could do no wrong.  Favorite is Around and Around, and Off The Hook is better live than on record.  Somebody mentioned that Mick was coping Brown's moves - yes, comical.  Jan and Dean open the show with one of my very favorites from them - (Here They Come) From All Over The World.  Their live bit is okay, it would have worked much better if Brian would have walked out to help.  The Beach Boys rule the night.  Picking two of my very favorite early numbers - I Get Around and Dance, Dance, Dance - Brian just rocks on bass.  Wish he would have done more road work in between making classic records.

Overall this is a great showcase for late 1964.

I do hope they figure out how to get the rights worked out to release the full TNT Show, I've never seen more than bits here-n-there.  I do have on VHS, the release where they put both shows together.

I saw T.A.M.I. in a Theater once, but many years later, it may have been edited - can't recall.  The Beach Boys were very protective of their complete set.

[feelsflow]

Fifty thousand dollars for 4 songs in 1964 ..??  That cant be right.. !!

For their top-billed appearance in a nationally distributed feature film...yes it can.

Jon,  Is the order of the performances the way it played live?

[Jon Stebbins]

Fifty thousand dollars for 4 songs in 1964 ..??  That cant be right.. !!

For their top-billed appearance in a nationally distributed feature film...yes it can.

Jon,  Is the order of the performances the way it played live?

Yes, I think it was filmed twice...two duplicate performances over two days in case they needed to fix anything, but I've heard they ended up using just one complete concert for the film.

[Bicyclerider]

If I remember the booklet in the DVD talks about the James Brown/Stones end of the the show - the Stones didn't want to follow Brown and Brown wanted to end the show but the producers were fixated on the Stones, as an up and coming British invasion act more likely to appeal to the teenagers and teen girls, to go on last.

The Beach Boys did a great job but the excitement of Brown and the novelty of the Stones definitely put a shadow on their performance IMO.

[retrokid67]

Fifty thousand dollars for 4 songs in 1964 ..??  That cant be right.. !!

For their top-billed appearance in a nationally distributed feature film...yes it can.

Jon,  Is the order of the performances the way it played live?

Yes, I think it was filmed twice...two duplicate performances over two days in case they needed to fix anything, but I've heard they ended up using just one complete concert for the film.

Hey Mr. Stebbins, do you have any idea why the Beatles weren't there (even though I'm kinda glad they weren't...)

[Jon Stebbins]

Fifty thousand dollars for 4 songs in 1964 ..??  That cant be right.. !!

For their top-billed appearance in a nationally distributed feature film...yes it can.

Jon,  Is the order of the performances the way it played live?

Yes, I think it was filmed twice...two duplicate performances over two days in case they needed to fix anything, but I've heard they ended up using just one complete concert for the film.

Hey Mr. Stebbins, do you have any idea why the Beatles weren't there (even though I'm kinda glad they weren't...)

I have no idea if they were approached regarding this film/concert...but they were certainly busy. During the week of the TAMI Show concert the Beatles were recording at Abbey Road and also playing a short UK tour.

[feelsflow]

Thanks Jon,  Hope you and yours are having a great Holiday week.  Notice though how we can't take a few days away from the board.  I spent part of yesterday posting, until being pulled over to my chair to watch movies.

[retrokid67]

Fifty thousand dollars for 4 songs in 1964 ..??  That cant be right.. !!

For their top-billed appearance in a nationally distributed feature film...yes it can.

Jon,  Is the order of the performances the way it played live?

Yes, I think it was filmed twice...two duplicate performances over two days in case they needed to fix anything, but I've heard they ended up using just one complete concert for the film.

Hey Mr. Stebbins, do you have any idea why the Beatles weren't there (even though I'm kinda glad they weren't...)

I have no idea if they were approached regarding this film/concert...but they were certainly busy. During the week of the TAMI Show concert the Beatles were recording at Abbey Road and also playing a short UK tour.

thanks Mr. Stebbins and I'm really enjoying you're book  I have one more question regarding the Christmas album but i'll phrase in another way cuz I myself am sick of writing this and I'm sure others are tired of reading it  but I've had this question in the back of my mind for a long time now....were both Denny and Al present for recording harmonies for all the Christmas songs (particularly the slower ones  )?