A WHIRLWIND BLOWING THROUGH THE OLD GREY WHISTLE TEST IN THE LATE SEVENTIES
The Arctic Mokeys's homage
The old grey Whistle test. Bastion of pomp and circumstance witnessed some great performance from the new breed during the late seventies. The bands that shook things up appeared on the staid show and livened things up.
Dr Feelgood 1975-this was the first time I remember something genuinely exciting on the show, nearly two years before Punk really became seen on TV
Of course some of them were just jumping aboard the band wagon but the rawness of these bands made a refreshing change from the intricate musicianship of the average Old Grey Whistle Test performer up to that point. This was all before it became simply Whistle Test, ditched Bob Harris and started to cater to students and other self proclaimed 'right on ' types.
The Specials 1979
The Jam 1978
Siouxsie and the Banshees 1978
Talking Heads 1978
The Adverts 1978
The Undertones 1979
Buzzcocks 1978
The Police 1978
Ramones 1978
Public Image Limited 1980
I've got the two dvds available here in the States but sadly half of the performers you mention aren't on 'em! Since most of us puny Americans never heard of Dr. Feelgood (Myself definitely NOT included), I am sad to report Dr. Feelgood ain't on 'em. However, I can take comfort in the fact that I can watch the doco OIL CITY CONFIDENTIAL.
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