(Bart Mendoza gets a sneak peek at a new DVD collection straight out of SD.)
San Diego has many great music-related companies within its borders; besides music labels, Taylor Guitars, NARM, Carvin Guitars and Deering Banjos immediately spring to mind. Top of the list for me, however, is El Cajon’s Grammy-nominated music archivist Reelin’ in the Years, “The world’s largest and most respected source of music footage.”
I bring this up because I’m really excited about a new DVD series from RITY, The British Invasion. The first four discs are out March 30, the box set featuring a bonus disc. I love that this, and RITY’s other series devoted to jazz, folk, blues and Motown, are from a San Diego company. But as you’d guess, any series that includes The Small Faces is especially going to get my attention.
And it made me consider all the music-history projects that seem to be in the air right now. In San Diego, we are fortunate to have the likes of Liz Abbott & Kent Johnson, Eric Rife, Ray Brandes, Lou Curtiss, Jay Allen Sanford, Steve Thorn and Mike Stax, to name a few, helping to preserve musical history. One look at these DVDs and you’ll see that RITY is setting the bar pretty high for future music documentaries and clip collections alike.
I got an early copy of this series … The first four artists are: The Small Faces (27 complete clips!), Herman’s Hermits (22), Gerry & The Pacemakers (17) and Dusty Springfield (20). All fully licensed vintage footage, in the best quality possible, with remastered sound — these are a must! You can watch as a documentary with excellent interviews or just the clips on their own. Cool extras, too — like the Herman’s Hermits bonus is a 1966 Australian concert, the box includes 10 bonus Dusty tracks and more. I’d seen a few of these on YouTube, but never like this. These decades-old clips are so pristine, you’ll wonder if someone made a time machine just to go back and film cool musicians.
Catch more San Diego Anglophilia from Paul Kaufman!
Seriously, these are definitive — this is a set of DVDs that needs to continue. I’ve got my own list of artists I’d like to see in a series like this — who are some of yours?
Here are some preview clips, mini-documentaries in themselves:
— Bart Mendoza
More from Bart Mendoza:
Aw, Dusty! Thank you!
Bart, you gotta connect Dave Peck to the Che Undeground. Dave is one of the guys behind Reeling in the Years. He was a visitor to Dave Klowden’s pad when he shared an apartment with Ron Silva late 1985 ish? on 24th street offa Adams. We’d gleen our eyes on amazing TV show footage none of us had ever seen. Klowden can add to this.
Looks like a fully fab series!
I’d luv to see future DVD’s of The Zombies and Freddie And The Dreamers.
…and Bonzo Dog Doo Dah band. Really.
I thought David Peck might be involved. We went to high school together, and he had started his collection back then. I remember him being a rabid Stones fan with a direct line to Keith Richards.
I got an advance look at the next batch (unassembled components, but still 🙂 -- Wow! seriously, there were a couple of moments I had a tear in my eye seeing some of this footage -- if you’re a fan (and who isnt) you need to see these. I expect new trailers will be out eventually, but anyway, the next three are: The Pretty Things, Manfred Mann and the Hollies, with a fourth title in the series tba. Absolutely essential…