The Beat: Legendary R&B and Soul Shows From 1966, Vol. 3 (Shows 10-13) (2005) Review

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(More customer reviews)Every once in a while a premium priced DVD set comes along that it worth every dime of its list price. Such a set is The !!!! Beat, a long-forgotten music show from 1966 that is absolutely unbelievable in its scope and quality. The DVD's of this important series are released by Bear Family Records, long known for their quality re-issues of entire catalogues of some of the most revered artists in roots music.
The !!!! Beat, which followed hot on the heels of The Night Train, the first all-black music television show, began production in January 1966, and was the brain-child of famed radio disc-jockey William "Hoss" Allen. The !!!! Beat did The Night Train one better; it was produced in full-color, and guest-starred a who's-who of national and regional stars from the world of Blues and R & B. The six-volume DVD series contains all 26 episodes, and was shot at WFAA in Dallas Texas, one of the few Southern stations to have color facilities at the time. Interestingly, all of the performers were recruited from one of four cities; Nashville, Dallas, Chicago or New Orleans. Most of the performers were managed by "Hoss" Allen or his associates.
The video quality is generally excellent, although there are some imperfections in the source tapes due to the age of the materials. Each DVD contains 4 or 5 half-hour episodes; the performers range from some of the biggest names in R & B or Blues of the time to relative unknowns. Even so, the performances are generally spirited and of the highest artistic quality. Although a number of the performances are lip-synched to any given artist's hit records, many songs were taped "live" with the show's excellent house band. According to the notes in the 20-page booklet which accompanies each DVD, "live" takes outnumber the lip-synched performances about two to one. Each booklet contains the fascinating story behind the show, and a brief bio of each artist! Take a chance on any one volume, and you may find yourself buying the whole series, which is exactly what happened to me.
Volume Three includes performances by Jimmy Church, Wanda Rouzan, Gatemouth Brown, Louis Jordan, Charles "Charlie" Hodges, Howard & the Commanders, The Mighty Hannibal, Little Gary Ferguson, Johnny Taylor, The Beat Boys, The Dolls, Bobby Powell, Rodge Martin, Maurice & The Radiants, and The Poppies.
Highly recommended.

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Once THE !!!! BEAT show was only a legend. Fans and collectors heard that there was a T. V. show in the mid-1960s that captured the very best of the soul and R&B singers of the day. Some said it was made in Nashville and some said that it was made in Dallas. Now, nearly 40 years later, Bear Family has all the answers. All the episodes still exist! It really was in color! And whereas once just fragments of the shows made their way onto bootlegs, now the entire series is available in first-generation quality. This DVD of The !!!! Beat T. V. program contains shows 10 through 13, recorded in 1966. Features Jimmy Church, Wanda Rouzan, Gatemouth Brown, Louis Jordan, Charles 'Charlie' Hodges, Frank Howard & The Commanders, The Mighty Hannibal, Johnny Taylor, The Beat Boys, The Dolls, Rodge Martin, Maurice & The Radiants, Bobby Powell, The Poppies and others.

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