Passages

[domino harvey]

Xanadu is no secret masterpiece but it’s certainly better than the film it’s remaking, whatever that horrible Here Comes Mr Jordan sequel with Rita Hayworth was called

[FrauBlucher]

She was pretty big in the seventies. When you think of mainstream 70’s women, she is right up there with Farrah Faucet. As I recall, she seemed to appear on many of the variety shows from that era.

[artfilmfan]

Very sad news. I love all of the songs on the “Magic: The Very Best of …” CD. I was holding a copy of it just two days ago. For those who are a fan of her, there are two late-career songs that might not have been widely heard but are really wonderful: “Love Is a Gift” and “Change of Heart”. May she Rest In Peace.

[colinr0380]

It appears that Newton-John was in a couple of recent films too with the fourth Crocodile Dundee film and Sharknado 5(!) along with Samantha Fox(!!). Although I would assume that these are just small cameo roles until I find out differently.

Xanadu is no secret masterpiece but it’s certainly better than the film it’s remaking, whatever that horrible Here Comes Mr Jordan sequel with Rita Hayworth was called

I keep thinking that BFI's Flipside label should really look into rescuing that bizarro 1970 sci-fi/musical/alien abduction film by Val Guest Toomorrow some time, as if possible that would perfectly fit in with their remit.

It does seem interesting that Olivia Netwon-John (or "Neutron-Bomb" as my father referred to her!) was in so many films with bizarre fantastical elements. Even in her most famous film she is still in a flying car driving off into the clouds in the final moments! She seems by all accounts to have been a rather down to earth person in real life, so maybe unlike certain co-stars she kept the flights of fancy in music and on the cinema screen, where they belong!

Aside from the overwhelming success of Grease (which must have been a bizarre leftfield proposal in itself originally, almost a strange sanitisation of the youths run wild genre of Rebel Without A Cause or High School Confidential into something more glossy, peppy and happy) it appears to have been a weird period for musicals as musical tastes changed and before the rise of shorter form cinematic music videos killed the theatrical genre off somewhat, and I wonder if this is just the way that musicals were trying to somewhat falteringly adapt to the changing mores of the late 70s-early 80s by merging those larger than life Busby Berkeley-style musical sequences with something similar to the Star Wars-zeitgeist of the time, and unfortunately coming across as seriously un-cool (but in a wonderfully cheesy way) in doing so.

[Quote Perf Unquote]

Olivia Netwon-John (or "Neutron-Bomb" as my father referred to her!)

Ha!

Aside from the overwhelming success of Grease (which must have been a bizarre leftfield proposal in itself originally, almost a strange sanitisation of the youths run wild genre of Rebel Without A Cause or High School Confidential into something more glossy, peppy and happy) it appears to have been a weird period for musicals as musical tastes changed and before the rise of shorter form cinematic music videos killed the theatrical genre off somewhat, and I wonder if this is just the way that musicals were trying to somewhat falteringly adapt to the changing mores of the late 70s-early 80s by merging those larger than life Busby Berkeley-style musical sequences with something similar to the Star Wars-zeitgeist of the time, and unfortunately coming across as seriously un-cool (but in a wonderfully cheesy way) in doing so.

I think the success of the film adaptation of "Grease" is part and parcel of the entire decade's 1950s fetishization. I believe Grease the musical preceded Lucas' "American Graffiti" by a couple years, have no idea when it took off and achieved popularity, but his film seems to be the one that popularized that nostalgia. Which no doubt eventually led to greenlighting the stage play as a film, curiously enough directed by his film school partner Kleiser.

The decade is then littered with stuff like Happy Days, The Sha Na Na Show, De Palma's "Phantom of the Paradise" which Paul William's soundtrack is a nice indicator of glam rock's 50s influence. And that 50s raw flamboyant rock of course was a significant influence on punk, which also took wardrobe cues from the era as well. Interesting how those influences can fork off like that, one road sanitized and cozy, the other nearly apocalyptic.

I'm guessing it has everything to do with the age of the tastemaking demographic at the time: Boomers in their twenties, having their own kids like me, who similarly nostalgized the 70s in the 1990s.

[brundlefly]

Grease (which must have been a bizarre leftfield proposal in itself originally, almost a strange sanitisation of the youths run wild genre of Rebel Without A Cause or High School Confidential into something more glossy, peppy and happy) it appears to have been a weird period for musicals as musical tastes changed and before the rise of shorter form cinematic music videos killed the theatrical genre off somewhat, and I wonder if this is just the way that musicals were trying to somewhat falteringly adapt to the changing mores of the late 70s-early 80s by merging those larger than life Busby Berkeley-style musical sequences with something similar to the Star Wars-zeitgeist of the time, and unfortunately coming across as seriously un-cool (but in a wonderfully cheesy way) in doing so.

Maybe the original stage proposal (and the original version was apparently rougher), but the film proposal should have been a slam-dunk even if movie musicals were out of favor. The show had been running on Broadway for years, Travolta had been in that cast (in a different role) and was already a TV and pop star; Saturday Night Fever hadn't been released but was at least in the can. Happy Days had been doing the sanitized '50s thing for years. Savvy cross-generational collab between Gibb and Frankie Valli for the single; like Quote said, it's a prime candidate to marry parents' nostalgia to a current teen idol.

[Lemmy Caution]

The past 2+ months Olivia Newton John's I Honestly Love You snuck into a playlist or two. And I've really enjoyed the sweet ballad and ONJ's gentle breathy delivery. It's the only song of hers I have on my computer, from some Top 100 songs of the 70's comp (#97). So I've been vaguely meaning to add more.

I thought the unexpected success of Sha Na Na in the early 70's kicked off the 50's nostalgia that followed.

[MichaelB]

I keep thinking that BFI's Flipside label should really look into rescuing that bizarro 1970 sci-fi/musical/alien abduction film by Val Guest Toomorrow some time, as if possible that would perfectly fit in with their remit.

Assuming it ended up with the Rank catalogue, and therefore ITV, Network's the most realistic label to pick that one up.

[agnamaracs]

Lamont Dozier

[bdsweeney]

Lamont Dozier

What an astonishing songwriter (along with the HDH partnership). Even if he’d just written Heatwave, he’d deserve reverence. But songs of equal quality just seemed to tumble out of him.

[Lemmy Caution]

Here's a few versions of Holland Dozier Holland songs you might not know:

Kim Weston - Stop! In the Name of Love
Done at a slow mournful tempo which fits the lyric much better. I never understood the jaunty upbeat Supremes version.

How Sweet It Is - Cissy Houston
transformed into a gospel tune.

The Chambers Brothers - Reflections
Such a clever song.

[colinr0380]

I think the success of the film adaptation of "Grease" is part and parcel of the entire decade's 1950s fetishization. I believe Grease the musical preceded Lucas' "American Graffiti" by a couple years, have no idea when it took off and achieved popularity, but his film seems to be the one that popularized that nostalgia. Which no doubt eventually led to greenlighting the stage play as a film, curiously enough directed by his film school partner Kleiser.

The decade is then littered with stuff like Happy Days, The Sha Na Na Show, De Palma's "Phantom of the Paradise" which Paul William's soundtrack is a nice indicator of glam rock's 50s influence. And that 50s raw flamboyant rock of course was a significant influence on punk, which also took wardrobe cues from the era as well. Interesting how those influences can fork off like that, one road sanitized and cozy, the other nearly apocalyptic.

I'm guessing it has everything to do with the age of the tastemaking demographic at the time: Boomers in their twenties, having their own kids like me, who similarly nostalgized the 70s in the 1990s.

Plus De Palma's Carrie, which feels very like the anti-Grease (and features Travolta as a baddie!), and the nostalgic Rocky Horror Picture Show, which both feel about apocalyptically upending 50s norms.

[hearthesilence]

Here's a few versions of Holland Dozier Holland songs you might not know:

Kim Weston - Stop! In the Name of Love
Done at a slow mournful tempo which fits the lyric much better. I never understood the jaunty upbeat Supremes version.

How Sweet It Is - Cissy Houston
transformed into a gospel tune.

The Chambers Brothers - Reflections
Such a clever song.

Thanks for these!

And yes, absolutely astonishing. The Motown collections from the '90s were my introduction to Motown (all highly recommended for bringing the original mono 45 mixes back into print), and that trio of names came up over and over again. The hits they wrote for either the Supremes or the Four Tops alone would've secured them a place among the greats.

[hearthesilence]

Darryl Hunt, bassist for the Pogues (he started in September 1986).

[beamish14]

Lamont Dozier

What an astonishing songwriter (along with the HDH partnership). Even if he’d just written Heatwave, he’d deserve reverence. But songs of equal quality just seemed to tumble out of him.

I firmly believe that Holland/Dozier/Holland have a better Western popular music songwriting catalog than any other writers in history. I love his solo composition “Invisible” for the great Alison Moyet

[hearthesilence]

Sam Gooden of the Impressions, one of my very favorite vocal groups.

[MichaelB]

Raymond Briggs, author/illustrator of (amongst much else) The Snowman and When the Wind Blows, both of which became memorable animated films.

[Swift]

For probably most other people of my generation, The Snowman is a childhood classic. I actually honestly thought Briggs had died decades ago

[colinr0380]

I still remember reading When The Wind Blows in my school library as a kid, and inevitably being rather traumatised by it. Some of the things it did with the frames were so vivid they have stuck in my mind for decades such as the wordy, comic-booky ordered panels of the couple's daily routines suddenly being interrupted by the giant double page spreads of the rockets on the launch pad, plane flying through the sky or the nuclear submarine gliding through the depths of the ocean, both awaiting the orders to fire. Or the vivid fantasy sequences. The double page white flash post bomb of the lines of the panels slowly wobbling back into focus. And of course that brutal ending.

The Snowman is the inescapable Christmas perennial in the UK with its water cycle of life devastating ending and helium voiced singer warbling away over its reimagining of the Superman scene. You will believe a snowman can fly! Though Father Christmas is just as good, and may be Mel Smith's best role.

I still have yet to get to that 2016 autobiographical adaptation of Briggs' parents life, Ethel & Ernest as yet (I am currently assuming that Briggs' birth is the equivalent of the nuclear bomb being dropped in this story!)

[beamish14]

Raymond Briggs, author/illustrator of (amongst much else) The Snowman and When the Wind Blows, both of which became memorable animated films.

Oh, no. Seeing When the Wind Blows with my father at age 8 was a truly transformative experience, both in terms of my awareness of how society operates and the potential of animation. I’m hugely fond of his Falklands allegory The Tin-Pot Foreign General and the Old Iron Woman as well

[CSM126]

Martial artist, stuntman and actor “Judo” Gene Lebell who, among many things, inspired Brad Pitt’s character in Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood.

[colinr0380]

Fashion designer Issey Miyake, who has a couple of notable forays into film as one of the slew of designer cameos in Robert Altman's Prêt-à-Porter and perhaps even more notably designer of Grace Jones' wardrobe in Vamp!

He also gets namechecked in one of the best Pet Shop Boys songs, Flamboyant.

[Mr Sausage]

Martial artist, stuntman and actor “Judo” Gene Lebell who, among many things, inspired Brad Pitt’s character in Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood.

Famously choked Steven Seagal unconscious on the set of Under Siege after Seagal bragged that he had special techniques that made it impossible for anyone to choke him out.

[Lemmy Caution]

This is a good read:
Gene LeBell, Last of the Sadistic Bastards, Part One

Ed Lewis. Lou Thesz. Sugar Ray Robinson. Karl Gotch. Billy Robinson. Muhammad Ali. Freddie Blassie. Bruce Lee. Chuck Norris. Roddy Piper. Ronda Rousey.
Those are just some of the names that Gene LeBell has trained with ...

Judo Gene was also the ref for the infamous Ali v. Onoki boxing/wrestling match.

[GaryC]

Again no online obits yet, but Australian cinematographer, producer, one-time director Robin Copping on 9 August aged 88 (born 1934 - second quarter, according to FreeBMD).