In the realm of concert films, “Rockshow” never seemed to get much love. The 1980 theatrical release – the first for the start-up Miramax – was relatively brief and not celebrated by either film or music critics. The initial home entertainment releases cut out several numbers, and then the film was out of circulation until a full restored re-release in 2013 that electrified Paul McCartney’s most die-hard fans but left everyone else mostly unmoved.
Continue reading
BOOTLEG FILES 883: “Let the Good Times Roll” (1973 concert film featuring Chuck Berry, Little Richard and Bo Diddley).
LAST SEEN: On YouTube.
AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.
REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: Music rights clearance issues are a big obstacle.
CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Not likely.
During the early 1970s, there was a wave of nostalgia for the music and pop culture of the late 1950s and early 1960s. The Broadway musical “Grease,” the movie “American Graffiti” and the sitcom “Happy Days” were the most prominent examples of this retro celebration of the era, while Sha Na Na kept the old tunes alive with their kinetic stage and television appearances, but a series of concerts dubbed “The Rock and Roll Revival” brought a number of the prominent music stars from that period to perform their old hits for admiring audiences.
Continue reading
BOOTLEG FILES 616: “Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music” (filmed version of award-winning 1981 Broadway show).
LAST SEEN: It is on YouTube.
AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: A VHS release in 1984.
REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: Most likely due to music rights clearance issues.
CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: It’s possible.
In March 1980, Lena Horne announced that she would be retiring from show business. That did not last very long. In May 1981, she was back in what became the crowning commercial achievement of her long and often tumultuous career: the Broadway production “Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music.” The show ran for 333 performances, earned Horne a special Tony Award, then successfully toured North America and played in the West End to standing ovations.