Music Scene - Best of 1969-1970 (Vol. 2)

Starring:Music Scene-Best of 1969-70
Studio: Mpi Home Video
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
Whereas Music Scene, Vol. 1 preserved a daring TV show's moment in the low-rated limelight, Vol. 2 shows the series in a fascinating tailspin, in the ratings cellar before cancellation in January of 1970. A bold attempt to combine liberal political comedy, harmless pop, and Woodstock-era rock & roll, Music Scene drew its guests from current Billboard pop charts, supplementing those acts with host David Steinberg's intellectual sarcasm and shrewd assaults on the Nixon administration. In these four complete episodes, however, the show is clearly dying, and while the collected performances still qualify as outstanding relics from the volatile Woodstock/Altamont time frame, it's amazing to watch Steinberg--now stripped of his merry band of cohosts--exchanging genial wisecracks for a darker, more cynical acceptance that Music Scene was doomed from the start.

Amazon.com

Whereas Music Scene, Vol. 1 preserved a daring TV show's moment in the low-rated limelight, Vol. 2 shows the series in a fascinating tailspin, in the ratings cellar before cancellation in January of 1970. A bold attempt to combine liberal political comedy, harmless pop, and Woodstock-era rock & roll, Music Scene drew its guests from current Billboard pop charts, supplementing those acts with host David Steinberg's intellectual sarcasm and shrewd assaults on the Nixon administration. In these four complete episodes, however, the show is clearly dying, and while the collected performances still qualify as outstanding relics from the volatile Woodstock/Altamont time frame, it's amazing to watch Steinberg--now stripped of his merry band of cohosts--exchanging genial wisecracks for a darker, more cynical acceptance that Music Scene was doomed from the start.

Customer Reviews:

THIS WAS A GOOD MUSICAL VARIETY SHOW,THAT BEGGED TO BE DIFFERENT........2005-11-11

THIS IS PART TWO OF MUSIC SCENE.!!!SEE MY PART ONE REVIEW.THE SHOW FEATURED MANY ROCK GROUPS,COMEDY ,FOLK AND MUCH MORE.THE SHOW TRIED TO APPEAL TO A YOUNGER AUDIENCE.THIS WAS UNUSUAL FOR ABC IN 1969.THE SHOW BOMBED,IN SHORT ORDER.1/1/2 YEARS TOTAL,AS I REMEMBER BACK THEN.THEY TRIED TO HAVE THE SUCCESS OF HUABLOO, BUT THIS NEVER HAPPENED REGRETFULLY...THERE ARE SOME VERY RARE MOMENTS MAKING THIS SHOW,PART ONE AND TWO,A MUST FOR YOUR DVD COLLECTION. RECOMMENDED. I OWN THIS DISC.

Top 40 nightmare, not flower power heaven.......2004-05-17

These comments apply to both Music Scene dvds equally (this dvd and the other dvd).

Disappointing collection of rock and pop performances. Mostly pop, unfortunately, and some of the worst (the Archies, Tom Jones, too many times Bobby Sherman). The program was run by BillBoard, the hit rating service still around today. Most of the musicians are second, nay third-rate.

True, once in a while you get Crosby Stills Nash and Young, or Ten Years After, or Janis Joplin. But those acceptable performances are few, far between and a pitiful minority of the program. Plus often they aren't playing tunes you'd most like to hear, and they are playing them on stages that are wrong for them, that fail to showcase them. And what do you do with for instance, one measly song from CSNY? You need 3 or 4 to have the opportunity to enjoy it. The program forces Sly and the Family Stone to mush together its songs into a medley so rushed through you don't get a chance to savor it (heck, you question whether you even heard it).

The people who put on the program selected their musicians disastrously, and apparently were rightly cancelled due to deservedly poor ratings.

The show is somewhat interesting sociologically for those who experienced those times first hand. You are revisiting the TV culture of 1969, after all, for better or for worse. But that's about it. Save your money for a better purchase than this.

Get it for GROUCHO!.......2002-08-07

As a nerdy 12-year-old in 1969 who spent too much time listening to music (a habit I hold to this day), I absolutely LOVED this show. However, thinking back, I really didn't appreciate what was going on here; mixing different styles of music to make everybody happy--if you don't like rock, hang on a minute, here comes Buck Owens! Don't like country? Here's some soul music, etc.

While both of these volumes are worth having, Volume 2 takes the cake simply because some of the show lineups are positively bizarre--no more so than the last show, which the cast and crew KNEW would be the last show.

Host and comedian David Steinberg had become a good friend of Groucho Marx and invited him to be on the show. Great move. Still "with it" at age 74, Steinberg's interview with Groucho in the middle of the show is positively classic. His genuine compliments and good-natured kidding of singer John Sebastian, who is clearly in awe of Groucho, are positively touching.

At the end of the show, Steinberg brings Groucho back and Groucho pretty much takes over; so much so that Steinberg finally stops him in mid-"shtick" and says, "Uh, Groucho, I have to go home!"

Musically, this disc has some neat stuff. Pete Seeger leading a group of kids singing "Bring 'em Home" still gets you going, and you want to go start a war just so that you can send boys over there and bring 'em back.

Janis Joplin's "Try" is great, too, shot in the same studio as the Seeger bit (it appears this show was shot in various locations depending on the audience needed to make the act work.)

It would have been nice if they could have licensed the use of the Beatles' video "The Ballad of John and Yoko" (Music Scene was the only show that dared to show this video in '69, albeit with the "Christ" bleeped out), but alas, it's not here.

Interesting to see Lily Tomlin in her pre-Laugh-In days, and it's easy to see why she jumped ship before the show was finished.

The MOST interesting thing about these DVDS are the trailers that sold this show. They featured some of the comedians that showed up on the program along with comedians (including Howard Hesseman under a different name) and a band that didn't--The Rolling Stones. Obviously, the Stones were supposed to play a much bigger part in what this show was supposed to be, and somewhere between preview and premiere, that all fell through.

Whether you really need more than one version of "Take a Letter Maria" is totally up to you, but otherwise this is a great collection. Get both volumes and enjoy!

What a memory trip........2001-07-23

I just watched "MUSIC SCENE"-Best of 1969-1970 Vol. 2. I didn't know what to expect in the title of this DVD, I haven't heard of this show before now, so I didn't go out and buy it like I did hullaballoo when it came out on DVD. I like Classic Rock, I was too young to experience most of it in my early life, being 2 years old when this show started, but this DVD Video brings it to life. I loved Pete Seeger's Anti-War song, I have neve heard it before, but loved it. Watching most of the kids on this show clapping and singing with a lot of urgency, made me see how scary it must have been to have to worry about the draft. It was great to see these artists (some being the first time for me), who sang these classic songs from over 30 years ago. I liked Neil Diamond singing "both sides now", I've never heard a guy sing it before... Take a letter Maria, is a classic, and great to see RB Greaves sing it. Cass Elliot is great on it too. So much music on this DVD. The clothes people used to wear at this time on this DVD, make the Brady Bunch clothing look tame... :) haha I can't wait to get Volume 1.

Video Content OK. Audio is ONE channel ONLY........2001-07-04

I purchased Music Scene - Best of 1969-1970 (Vol. 1) DVD and decided to go for number 2.

Number 2 has excellent video but ONLY ONE audio channel.

Vol 1 has, at least, 2 channels and I do not know how vol 2 comes with ONLY one audio channel (which is the center channel, by the way).

If you are looking for video and the images, its OK. If you are looking for the audio, be ready to listen to ONE channel only.

Ed.

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