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Hullabaloo, Vols. 5-8
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 12
Average rating: 4.0 of 5
Editorial Review:
Spanning 14 months from February 1965 to early April 1966, this second DVD compilation of the short-lived NBC pop-music series Hullabaloo is fascinating more as an ethereal glimpse of mid-'60s pop trends than a record of enduring music. The majority of these performers (Chad & Jeremy, Leslie Gore, Barry McGuire) were enjoying their relatively brief time in the spotlight, so they're little more than time-capsule curiosities to anyone born after these shows were originally broadcast. The format was so safely mainstream that one "Top Pop" medley segment features guest host Peter Noone (from Herman's Hermits) singing Bob Dylan's "Positively 4th Street," with predictably ludicrous results. But the menu of then-current chart-toppers also includes a generous sampling of the British Invasion (the Kinks, the Rolling Stones, and even Marianne Faithful, with several London-scene reports from Beatles manager Brian Epstein), and bonus track highlights include the Zombies, Junior Walker & the All-Stars, and the Supremes at the start of their meteoric rise.Although many of these acts lip-sync to canned music (you'll notice a lot of unplugged guitars), the sound quality surpasses the video, which was mastered from salvaged black & white kinescopes (sadly, the color videos were destroyed). In addition to the hit-or-miss music menu, the Hullabaloo dancers and popular guests hosts provide a welcomed trip down memory lane, especially when David McCallum ("Ilya Kuryakin" from TV's The Man from U.N.C.L.E.) struggles through several attempts at spy-thriller sketch comedy. Hullabaloo is a refreshing reminder that television in the mid-1960s had yet to lose its innocence to the turmoil of years to come. --Jeff Shannon
Hullabaloo, Vols. 1-4
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 14
Average rating: 4.5 of 5
Editorial Review:
The short-lived (1965-66) Shindig! knockoff Hullabaloo epitomizes the often-faltering steps U.S. network television made to keep up with the explosion of rock & roll culture in the wake of Beatlemania. Sometimes inspired, sometimes silly (definitely the latter with hosts and guests like Jerry Lewis, Michael Landon, Freddie and the Dreamers, and Vikki Carr), seven episodes plus bonus performances fill this DVD compilation of previous VHS releases. Over its four and a half hours, in black-and-white and color, true rockers ranging from Chuck Berry, the Lovin' Spoonful, Martha and the Vandellas, and the Animals slam into the slightly clueless (Chad & Jill) and the utterly hopeless (Joanie Sommers, Frankie Avalon, the aforementioned Freddie). Moments of irrepressible pop genius (Marvin Gaye's "Ain't That Peculiar") and sheer drama (Dionne Warwick's "Message to Michael") make this a must, though. Throw in a bit of apparent collusion between an NBC director and Byrd Roger McGuinn as he aims the "Your sons and daughters are beyond your command" verse of "The Times They Are A-Changin'" in extreme close-up to millions of American parents, and Hullabaloo's ultimate success is demonstrated. --Rickey Wright
Hullabaloo, Vols. 9-12
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4
Average rating: 4.0 of 5
Editorial Review:
Back in the mid-'60s, television's Hullabaloo was a show that gave music-hungry baby boomers a rare chance to see some of their heroes in action. But it was far from perfect, as the six episodes (plus 17 bonus performances) contained on this four-and-a-half-hour disc make abundantly clear. The shows are in black and white; the quality of the images is poor, especially by today's digital standards, and the sound mixing is generally atrocious. The performances mostly consist of live vocals set to prerecorded tracks. And as for the overall tone... well, suffice to say that in 1965-66, when Hullabaloo originally aired, Hollywood and the TV industry were utterly clueless when it came to youth culture and the burgeoning rock & roll scene, resulting in a hokey quality--ridiculous sets and props, go-go dancers galore--that was laughably square then, let alone now.Still, mixed in with the horrible Beatle medleys (the Supremes doing "I Feel Fine"? Oy!) and predictably disposable pop hits of the era (by Nancy Sinatra, Peter & Gordon, Freddie & the Dreamers, Herman's Hermits, etc.) are the Byrds, the Animals, the Hollies, the Lovin' Spoonful, the Young Rascals, and other significant mid-'60s rockers, as well as the likes of Marvin Gaye, the Everly Brothers, and the Impressions. And the beauty of selectable DVD menus is that you don't have to wade through the tripe in order to locate the several gems that can be found here. Recommended... with reservations. --Sam Graham
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