Pop Gear (1965)

I love this movie so much

Absolutely the worst movie.

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

What a great relief it was to see this rare "rocumentary" again this year....I first saw it on cable TV during the July 4th holiday in the US. Since then, I had been searching the WWW for more information for this rare film, with not much success, except from the exhaustive database by IMDB. (Luckily, it came back onto cable TV on October 14.)I really like this film because of the music and the fashion during the 1960's. True, the Beatles, the Animals, Peter & Gordon, and Herman's Hermits were very popular during the 1960's here in the US and many of their songs have become a permanent part of our musical memories.However, it was wonderful to see and hear some of the less popular British bands of the 1960's, such as Sounds Incorporated and the Honeycombs as well as the Rocking Berries and the Four Pennies. Each of them had their own "60's" flavor. (But, not all of those featured were bands as there were a few British solo singers on Pop Gear. They were a treat to listen to also.)Personally, I liked the female drummer of the Honeycombs, whose name was Honey, as I found out on the WWW. I also liked the first dance routine with the female dancers and their colorful tops and gold hiphuggers. The second dance routine was interesting with the men wearing coats and ties and the women wearing short dresses.(Today, you can't see many dancers wearing that kind of garb. But, there were a few all male bands on Pop Gear who didn't coats and ties.) The music during those dance routines is very symbolic of how unique the 1960's really was. (I can't find much of that "uniqueness" during the year 2000.)Overall, I would definitely recommend this film to anyone who is interested in British pop, the 1960's, or is in a band. Kudos to this rare unique "rocumentary" even if the bands were staged, except for the live footage of the Beatles at the beginning and the end of Pop Gear.

Not a movie, but a lip synched collection of performances from acts that were part of the British Invasion, that followed the dynamic entrance of the Beatles to the music world. Some of these acts did not make a big splash on this side of the pond, but a lot of them did. Featured are: Herman's Hermits, Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas, Peter and Gordon, Honeycombs, Nashville Teens, Animals, and of course,the Beatles.It is so much fun watching these young acts before they honed and polished their acts.

Thanks to AMC, we now have the opportunity to see this technicolour marvel in all its widescreen glory. Starting out with some welcome (if inessential) Beatles footage, the film soon hits its stride with compere Jimmy Savile's wide-eyed introductions to the pop leaders of Britain, 1964. Some of the highlights: The Animals looking menacing during House of the Rising Sun, the undervalued Billie Davis, a terrific appearance from the Nashville Teens doing Tobacco Row, and The Honeycombs doing Have I the Right. The Rockin' Berries He's In Town still sounds great, too. The overall quality is dragged down a bit by housewife's choice Matt Monro (nothing against your voice, Matt, but you're a bit if a square), the already cringe-inducing Herman's Hermits, and an embaressing turn by Tommy Quickly and the Remo Four. Plus bits from Billy J Kramer and the Dakotas(Little Children), Peter and Gordon (World Without Love)and The Four Pennies. Essential viewing for fans of Merseybeat and 60s pop.

Ostensibly a film that predicts the coming trends in British popular music, it's wrong on so many fronts that it's laughable. Tommy Quickly? The Honeycombs? The movie DOES include a song by the Spencer Davis group, two by the Animals, and one tacked on live film of the Beatles doing their live version of Twist and Shout (all 1:20). But all in all, an awkward display of British music circa 1964. Oh, and Herman's Hermits.