Boring

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

Man, barely unwatchable.As staged as you can get, lipped synced the whole way, except for a few of the Beatles numbers, which was filmed for other reasons but includied here for a perk that 3 other groups appear in the film that the Beatles's manager had under contract.The backdrops scenery, spoiler, they spared no expense thru most of this, a painted bed sheet would have been better.About the only bright spot was Matt Monro, a guy with a wonderful voice. A couple of typical The Animals songs we have seen before and synced, would have been nice to see a live performance. Most of the rest pretty MEH, especially the music. This looks just like what it was a cheesy cashing in on things like Hard Days Night. Maybe it's a British thing to like this?

So, I found this movie while scrolling through the program guide on my cable box. Anything that features Eric Burdon and the Animals will cause me to watch! And I must say, it was an extremely satisfying experience!! I was familiar with some of the bands, especially those who had hits in America, such as Billy J. Kramer & the Dakotas, the aforementioned Animals, the Nashville Teens, the Spencer Davis Group (featuring Steve Winwood), the Honeycombs, Herman's Hermits and, of course, the Beatles. Many of the other bands I've encountered during my BritPop research in the 70s and early 80s (while I was working in radio). It was a great opportunity for me to see these artists in action, and get a feel for what my friends in the UK were listening to. An earlier post listed the artists and songs in the order in which they appeared on the film. I disagree with some of the song titles that were used and I'd like to share my research!The Beatles, "She Loves You", in concert, screaming girls and all! Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas, "Little Children". A number one in the UK, it was their first top 10 hit in the US (its flip side, "Bad to Me" also was a top 10). They charted four more songs in the US.Susan Maughan, "Make Him Mine". Never charted in the US, and not one of her charted hits in the UK.The Four Pennies, "Juliet". A UK #1, they never reached that pinnacle again. It never was a big hit in the US, but did garner some airplay. Here's a bit of trivia. The US girl group, the Chiffons, also were known as the Four Pennies! The Animals, "House of the Rising Sun". #1 in both the US and UK. Their first US release.The Fourmost, "A Little Loving" (sometimes listed as, "A Little Lovin'"). Reached #6 on the UK charts, never charted in the US. They did get some US airplay with "Here, There and Everywhere".The Rockin' Berries, "He's in Town". #3 in the UK, never charted in the US.The Honeycombs, "Have I the Right". Do I ever remember this tune! The deejays used to comment on the fact that the group had a female drummer (Ann "Honey" Lantree), an anomaly in the 60s. The song was #1 in the UK and #5 in the US.Sounds Incorporated, "Rinky Dink". The flip side of their UK hit, "Spanish Harlem" (#35 in the UK). A six-piece instrumental group, they backed Gene Vincent and Little Richard. They even appear on the Beatles "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" album on the track, "Good Morning, Good Morning". They never made it as big as the Shadows .Peter (Asher) and Gordon (Waller), "A World Without Love". Went to number one in the UK and the US.Matt Monro, "Walk Away". Top ten in the UK (#4), top 25 in the US (#23).Herman's Hermits, "I'm Into Something Good". Their first release, it hit number done in the UK, but stalled at lucky 13 in the UiS.Tommy Quickly and the Remo Four, "Humpty Dumpty". The Remo Four originally backed Johnny Sandon, but it was Beatles manager Brian Epstein who decided to replace him with Quickly. Only one of this lineup's songs made the charts, but not this one.Billie Davis, "Whatcha Gonna Do". Didn't chart.Spencer Davis Group, "My Babe". A cut from their first LP entitled, "Their First LP". I kid you not. The album was also released as "Every Little Bit Hurts" on another label. The same album re-released as "Sittin' and Thinking'" with the order of the songs changed. It was great to see and hear Steve Winwood perform.Nashville Teens, "Tobacco Road". #14 in the US and #& in the UK. I still hear oldies stations playing it! The Rockin' Berries, "What in the World's Come Over You". #23 in the UK; Tom Jones' version was played in the US.Matt Monro, "For Mama". Not a big hit on either side of the pond - #36 on the UK charts and barely caused a ripple in the US.The Four Pennies, "Black Girl". A Leadbelly tune, hit #20 in the UK.Sounds Incorporated, "William Tell". Didn't reach the charts.The Nashville Teens, "Google Eye". A top ten hit (#10) in the UK; it received some airplay in the US.The Honeycombs, "Eyes". Never made the charts. Their song "That's the Way", was the only other Honeycombs' single to break the top 15 in the UK (#12).The Animals, "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood". #10 US and #3 UK. I admit to being an Eric Burdon fan. When I worked at Oldies radio in the US I looked for opportunities to play the Animals. One cut a night! Matt Monro sang a "Pop Gear" ditty. As far as I know, it was never released as a single.The Beatles ended the show with "Twist and Shout".

I grew up listening to the early British bands and loved their music. This is a wonderful time capsule preserving for everyone a rare glimpse of the early British music invasion. I still have some of the albums from those bands and listen from time to time to reminisce. "Pop Gear" sets the stage for the visual British invasion experience. Highly recommended to anyone interested in this music.

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?