The Old Grey Whistle Test

[amethyst]

Who remembers the programme Old Grey Whistle test,shown on BBC2 late at night

[xmark1234]

Re: The Old Grey Whistle Test

oh yea i remember this but never use to watch it to tell you the truth

[Cooldeepblue]

Re: The Old Grey Whistle Test

Remember it very well. It was the only programme where you could get to see "non Top of the Pops" type music. Leaned towards rock, but did feature many kinds of music. Possibly the most boring presenter "whispering" Bob Harris, but later the lovely Annie Nightingale took over. There was always the rather creepy feature of an old black and white silent cartoon shown to the music of a band which obviously couldn't appear on the show. I haven't looked but I'm sure there will be many episodes on YouTube.

[Richard1978]

Re: The Old Grey Whistle Test

I'm bit too young to remember seeing this but my Dad used to stay up late to see it.

BBC4 had a best of compilation a year or 2 back.

[Cartimand]

Re: The Old Grey Whistle Test

I loved those creepy old cartoons (several Betty Boops were used I recall) as the backdrop to some great rock music!

[Richard1978]

Re: The Old Grey Whistle Test

Pop Quiz also used some clips from old cartoons where songs didn't have a video.

The BBC also seemed to used a lot of live action clips as visual filler (not just for songs), even as late as the 1990s for the later series of Going Live.

Queens 1st TV appearance on TOGWT in 1973 used a mixture of cartoons & live action clips.

[Cooldeepblue]

Re: The Old Grey Whistle Test

According to presenter Bob Harris, the programme derived its name from a Tin Pan Alley phrase from years before. When they got the first pressing of a record they would play it to people they called the old greys—doormen in grey suits. The songs they could remember and whistle, having heard it just once or twice, had passed the old grey whistle test !!

Just read this bit of trivia on Wiki which I must confess I didn't know !!

And of course you oldie rockers will remember this guy !!

[zip55]

Re: The Old Grey Whistle Test

That's 'Starkicker' ... and the opening track was 'Stone Fox Chase' by Area Code 615.

[Cooldeepblue]

Re: The Old Grey Whistle Test

10 out of 10 zip you are of course quite correct. I remember buying a harmonica...learning how to play the tune perfectly....but never quite seemed to achieve the same sound lol.

[amethyst]

Re: The Old Grey Whistle Test

I loved those creepy old cartoons (several Betty Boops were used I recall) as the backdrop to some great rock music!

One of the videos was dancing in the 1920s to a Led Zeppelin track

[Cartimand]

Re: The Old Grey Whistle Test

Two Betty Boop cartoons - Snow White, and Minnie The Moocher, are amongst the creepiest and most surreal you'll ever see. I mean, a moon-walking ghost walrus? What was Max Fleischer smoking to come up with that? And the St. James Infirmary Blues section of Snow White (which I'm sure I first saw on TOGWT) is nightmarishly bizarre.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qq17wODD88M&noredirect=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaZOXF83zBg&noredirect=1

[amethyst]

Re: The Old Grey Whistle Test

The xmas special of 1987 was good