Seamus2829 Long before MTV (or as I prefer to call it now...empty vee),for bands to get their image across, they had to either appear on various television programmes,or appear in self produced film clips. This feature film seems to be made up of a batch of these early film clips, with somebody named Jimmy Saville as the M.C. of sorts. The Beatles book end this compilation of clips,and along the way we are treated by footage of Eric Burdon & The Animals,Sounds Incorporated,etc. Like concert films that would appear in the wake of this film,it seems to be aimed mostly for rabid fans of the various bands in the film (i.e. most regular folk who just like movies for mere entertainment would probably be bored out of their skulls over this). Although the film does boast of some fine performances by the various bands, personally I find this Whitman's Sampler of the British invasion to be rather poorly filmed & edited (the camera sometimes seems to be where it shouldn't be---kind of like David Bowie's concert film,'Ziggy Stardust & The Spiders From Mars',from 1973/1983). This film sometimes pops up on late night television (which is where I first saw it some years ago).

dojo625 It's a very entertaining time capsule of pop culture and lots of fun to watch. The host is such a 60's stereotype that he's sometimes distracting. Yes, I know he's a very famous British artist, but no less off putting.It's a shame some of the performers aren't identified - the lesser known bands remain unknown. But you can't miss a very young Steve Winwood with the Spencer Davis Group. Wow, he really stands out with his bluesy voice...loved it.I'm still wondering how all those musicians played electrical instruments in the movie without any cords or cables. Ahhh..the 60s were indeed magical.

Lloyd Lawrence This is a fun film showcasing a number of hits from 1964, many of the performances stages specifically for the film. I had not seen it in years, but it has re-emerged on AMC, so if that year's music holds any interest to you, watch and have a ball.

barham I had wondered what had happened to a little film I saw in the early 70s called Go-Go Mania and now I know - its original English title is Pop Gear.Nice viewing for pop music historians. There are good performances by obscure groups here that never made it to the US. Too bad the performers didn't always think to write the name of their group in bigger letters on their drum kits, sort of as a way of preserving their work for posterity. Nor does the film pop up the name of the group and the song the group performs (the benefits of pop-up video!)I caught this film on a cable channel over the July 4 holiday and sat frantically flipping through a book on British pop music trying to identify some of these groups!Anyway, for those of you not familiar with British pop music of the 60s, here's what I caught:The Nashville Teens perform "Tobacco Road" and "Google Eyes", both written by John D. Loudermilk. Do not be fooled by the name - it is a British group.The Honeycombs are identifiable by their female drummer, Honey Langtree.I thought the performance by the Four Pennies was particularly good - they sang with a passion. This was a group that unfortunately never even surfaced in the US - Lionel Morton, Fritz Fryer, Mike Walsh, and Alan Buck. Too bad we missed out!Another good performance by a 5?-man group whose lead singer has red hair - sadly I couldn't identify these fellows. Anybody out there who can help me out?Eric Burdon and the Animals are always a treat. A little guy with a huge voice.The description of the film says Spencer Davis is in here too, though I turned it on too late to catch them.And the grand finale looked like footage of the Beatles from "A Hard Day's Night". 'Nuff said about the Beatles.The music holds up extremely well - the dance numbers were something else. They positively date the thing in the 60s. The tight gold pants worn by one group of women look awful. And the dresses worn by another group look like sacks - they called this fashion?