Jools Holland Show - Still Worth Watching?

[spongebob]

The addition of Hugh Lawrie to this week's later is an all-time low for me.

Maybe it's just been on too long, or his bookers just need to be shot...but as the only main channel 'live' music show, doesn't it need to offer us more than a millionaire Oxbridge actor/comic dabbling into his music hobby?

The show's had some great performance is years past - it was always worth a watch to try and catch something new. However, it just seems to now be pretty obvious stuff, and often bands/acts returning series after series.

Another thing is the sound....you watch an older show, like Whistle Test (repeat for me, too young first time round), etc, and the sound is a bit more defined. I've always thought Later sounds like an aircraft hanger.....there's never any bass tone going on, no matter what they play.

Maybe I'm in the minority here, or hard to please, but I just feel that the show used to offer more. Lawrie's appearance reminded me of something on BBC4 last week about the state of Top Of The Pops, etc, in 1976, pre-punk light entertainment and variety acts....it had to change. Now Later, once the home of scary one-off's such as At The Drive In's chaotic trashing performance, showcases him from 'House'!

Time for a shake up?

[seashell]

Yep, I'd agree with pretty much all of that, spongebob. Although I didn't see the Hugh Laurie episode mysfelf.
Totally agree about the sound - a bit tinny. Although maybe that does have something to do with my poxy little TV!

[Jigster]

the acts this week feel very uninspired - I'm glad it's not just me

Vintage Trouble - okay so the guy can play blues lick after blues lick after blues lick

Two drummers and a singer (can't remember their band name)- the Ting Tings in a very roundabout way

Hugh Lawrie - ugh?

There's another guy with a pretty unusual and amazing voice - but I challenge anyone to listen to a whole album


Fleet Foxes - AT LAST! SOME QUALITY....

[WalMan]

Difficult for me to answer.
[list]
[*]Years back I used to sit and (for my own amusement) record the sound to MD
[*]More recently I have had it on series record on the +Box and watched it the next day
[*]Last series sat on the +Box for ages and I made half hearted attempts to watch the shows and spin through the bits that were dross to my ear, and in the end just deleted the last few unwatched
[*]This series I haven't even worried about setting the series record option
[/list]
Perhaps that means I am either getting old, or have developed a cloth ear, or perhaps both.

Mind I caught a bit of Ce-Lo on Tuesday and it looked good, but I was rather wondering where all the b vox were coming from as there appeared to be no-one on mic except him.

Perhaps I ought to give it another go, but....

[daz]

Much prefer OGWT. whispering Robert could be a terrible music snob tit, (but then i was the same when i got ino Punk as a kid. Very [i]Stalin revisionist [/i]with the older music I was, but then we all were. However we were kids so hey, were allowed some slack) but give me the [i][b]OGWT[/b][/i] over [i][b]Later[/b][/i] any day. Even [i][b]The Tube [/b][/i]was far superior to Later. Just go out and buy [i]The tube [/i]DVD and the [i]OGWT[/i] box set and see if its not true.

PS: this lets all form a circle and play to each other with a friendly lil ole jam at the beginning is something in the format that i hate. I'm convinced it was only brought in so Jules could play along on his bloody Steinway. One of the original production assistants was quoted as saying that they couldn't believe that any bands went along with it in the first place and they fully expected to be told to bog off by the bands in the first series.

Cant wait til the bbc actually gets off its arse and puts all its back catalogue online like it said it was going to. I think the thought of all that potential dvd money made them think twice about what they'd promised.

Edited May 5, 2011 by daz

[Count Bassy]

I wanted to vote for B and C (They're not mutually exclusive), but couldn't.

Well well past its sell by date. Time for something new with a different (less nauseating) presenter.

Actually to paraphrase an old joke:

A: "Jules Holland is my second favourite presenter."

B: "Oh really, who is your first?"

A: "Anybody else!"

[BassBus]

OGWT went the same way towards the end. These programs can only ever be as good as the acts appearing on them. When Bob Harris presented OGWT it was in the hayday of british rock. Bands also produced albums pretty well every year so you could see your fave bands quite regularly.

It's perhaps more of a reflection on the state of the music business at the moment. People will download and exchange music for free so how can any new tallent make a successful living? That's life I suppose. Things move on and most good things come to an end sometime.

I do wonder why they had Bootsy Collins on though. Would have preferred to hear him play with a band.

Edited April 20, 2011 by BassBus

[acidbass]

[quote name='daz' post='1206181' date='Apr 20 2011, 05:55 PM']Even [i][b]The Tube [/b][/i]was far superior to Later. Just go out and but [i]The tube [/i]DVD and the [i]OGWT[/i] box set and see if its not true.[/quote]

+1. I once saw a tune on The Tube by Wings, one where Paul McCartney played a great walking bassline on a Rickenbacker but could never find out what it was! Must buy the boxset soon!

[Chris2112]

Its a right load of cack these days. Gone are the days when you could switch it on and see something interesting. I wouldn't waste my time on it.

[chris_b]

Later has changed for the worst. I used to think it was me but it's just become a music business PR tool for touring bands or someone with a new TV show starting next week. Unfortunately it's still the best we've got so I'd hate for it to be scrapped.

I cheat; I record it and FF through the bits I don't like, which, sadly, is most of it!!

[Slipperydick]

Its gone the same way as OGWT did.

Every week I look and see who is on, then watch something else. Just cant be arsed with it anymore. The format, the choice of artistes (most anyway), even Jools himself. Time the BBC had a rethink

[Bassassin]

Still worth watching because it's live* music, even if 90% of it is wincingly awful guff.

Jon.

[i]*Unless those Glasvegas tossers have set a precedent, in which case I'm out.[/i]

[thepeanmachine]

[quote name='Bassassin' post='1206266' date='Apr 20 2011, 06:53 PM']Still worth watching because it's live* music, even if 90% of it is wincingly awful guff.

Jon.

[i]*Unless those Glasvegas tossers have set a precedent, in which case I'm out.[/i][/quote]

I agree, still rather depressing as each time I get excited when it's back on, and most times I'm disappointed! Really can't see the point in the Hugh Lawrie thing...very odd indeed to have him on there. I wonder what the Fleet Foxes thought when they found out he was on?! The Fleet foxes, by the way are the real deal live and are amazing, well worth going to one of their shows. Saw them at Hard Rock calling a couple of years ago.

[Rayman]

I still think it's a great show. Some of the acts aren't up my strasse, but the programme still shows me new bands and music that I wouldn't normally give the time of day, which I really like. KD Lang was magnificent this week, but agreed on Hugh Laurie, not my bag at all, but is he less relevant because of that? I dunno.

I think it's vital that shows like this stay on TV, the Tube, TOTP, Whistle Test, all sadly missed in my book, and if LWJH gets the elbow too, what are we left with?

Long live Later.

[lojo]

Still worth watching, yes, but only after the broadcast with the use of fast forward to the good bits

Used to watch everything on the show during the 90s, but its not worth doing that now, this could however just be my age and narrowing taste rather than a problem with the content

[steve-soar]

It's beyond awful.

And Jools is a slimey kent.

[kevin_lindsay]

It's still a great dhow as it'd the only live music programme on UK tv these days.

A comment earlier mentioned that the standard of bands on the dhow these days is a reflection of theistic business these days. I have to agree, surely it's time for a new movement, in the way we experienced punk, new romantic, electro-pop or the like in the past? Or maybe today's youth have been brainwashed by Simon Cowell and the modern obsession with 'celebrity' rather than talent?

[steve-soar]

[quote name='kevin_lindsay' post='1206351' date='Apr 20 2011, 08:10 PM']It's still a great dhow as it'd the only live music programme on UK tv these days.

A comment earlier mentioned that the standard of bands on the dhow these days is a reflection of theistic business these days. I have to agree, surely it's time for a new movement, in the way we experienced punk, new romantic, electro-pop or the like in the past? Or maybe today's youth have been brainwashed by Simon Cowell and the modern obsession with 'celebrity' rather than talent?[/quote]The "cult of personality" is at epidemic levels.

The vast majority of people are sheep, willing slaves. Money needs to be circulated, trends are therefore geared towards lowest common denominators of entertainment. It's been this way since mass communication and with globalization reaching a zenith it will saturate and feed upon itself until weird and strange forms emegre, the like of which we can't imagine.

Edited April 20, 2011 by steve-soar

[4-string-thing]

Whistle test was brilliant, I used to love those old thirties cartoons they used to have when they didn't have live bands.... And the Otway performance of Cheryl's going home, remains one of my most watched youtube vids, brilliant!

Mind you, I'm still lamenting the passing of "something else" and the brilliant Tony Wilson, now there was a live music programme!

I only ever watch Later if Richard Thompson is one, which he seems to be every other series.

[url="http://youtu.be/G8C-BwAbAdc"]Otway OGWT[/url]

[steve-soar]

[quote name='4-string-thing' post='1206374' date='Apr 20 2011, 08:25 PM']Whistle test was brilliant, I used to love those old thirties cartoons they used to have when they didn't have live bands.... And the Otway performance of Cheryl's going home, remains one of my most watched youtube vids, brilliant!

Mind you, I'm still lamenting the passing of "something else" and the brilliant Tony Wilson, now there was a live music programme!

I only ever watch Later if Richard Thompson is one, which he seems to be every other series.

[url="http://youtu.be/G8C-BwAbAdc"]Otway OGWT[/url][/quote]
Something Else, fantastic.

Revolver with Peter Cook anyone?

[Doddy]

[quote name='4-string-thing' post='1206374' date='Apr 20 2011, 08:25 PM']Whistle test was brilliant, I used to love those old thirties cartoons they used to have when they didn't have live bands.... And the Otway performance of Cheryl's going home, remains one of my most watched youtube vids, brilliant!

[url="http://youtu.be/G8C-BwAbAdc"]Otway OGWT[/url][/quote]

I wasn't really digging that until about 3 minutes in,and then it gets ace.

[4-string-thing]

[quote name='steve-soar' post='1206385' date='Apr 20 2011, 08:33 PM']Something Else, fantastic.

Revolver with Peter Cook anyone?

[/quote]

ooh... now you're bringing back some memories, I'd forgotten all about that!

[Lozz196]

Bring back TFI Friday, but have more music, and less guests.

Agree about the sound on Jools. Only one I`ve seen recently was Beady Eye, and Liam Gallaghers vocals were barely audible. Maybe that was his choice, but I doubt it.

[4-string-thing]

[quote name='Doddy' post='1206388' date='Apr 20 2011, 08:35 PM']I wasn't really digging that until about 3 minutes in,and then it gets ace.[/quote]

exactly!

[thisnameistaken]

There's rarely anything vital and new on telly. I don't know what you expect from Jools Holland, really.

Someone mentioned the sound being poor. I've noticed on the BBC's Glasto coverage the sound usually starts out a bit pants and improves over the first couple of tunes of a band's set. Same seems to happen with Jools - the mix seems to happen while they're playing their first tune.