Battle of the Bands 1967

[K.O.]

Came across this video on youtube today. Pretty neat 10 minute video from a battle of the bands contest in 1967. A couple of cool vintage (although probably nearly new at the time) sets in use. The drummer using the Oyster Black set seems to have duplicated Ringo's setup right down to the drooping to the right mounted tom. Varying degrees of professionalism on display but one wonders how good even a big name band might sound recorded performing under similar circumstances given the primitive sound equipment of the day. I'm guessing there were no monitors and the sound on the film was captured by live mics in the room, possibly those two RCA 77s situated on stage. Still, if you were in one of these bands I'm sure this is an almost priceless look back in time.

I was only 5 years old during most of 1967 so my band days were about 10 years ahead of me. Still not much personal video equipment around even in 1977 when I was starting in a gigging band and unlikely to be professionally filmed as this appears to have been. I'd give about anything to see images of us performing....even as bad as it was (I do have cassette tapes....yeesh!).

Anyway this is pretty cool. Anyone here a participant?

 

[EvEnStEvEn]

Not a bad crowd for a Monday night.

 

[Ludwigboy]

Very interesting! Did you see the bass player in the red shirt is playing a Hofner Beatle bass ?

 

[hsosdrum]

I love that the youngest drummer was playing so hard he knocked himself off his stool for a moment! That's commitment to the music!

 

[studrum]

I love that the youngest drummer was playing so hard he knocked himself off his stool for a moment! That's commitment to the music!

He was a frantic little dude! Looked like he had decent, "proper" chops, too.

The one band with the singer with the milk bottle glasses was seriously good. That guy has a great voice, and it sounded like a bunch of the tunes were original: "And Cheryl's going home." I just watched the Greenwich Village doc, and they seem like likely suspects for the talked-about transition from folk to folk rock. Some from that group must have done something on a larger scale, I'd wager.

Thanks, KO. This is great to see, a-Twistiin', Jerkin', and Frugin' on a Monday night! Everybody's having a ball.

 

[Mcjnic]

That was a very interesting watch. I was fascinated with some of those musicians. A few were extremely clever.
I cracked up when that little dude looked up and said we sucked on that tune. He was a character.

 

[Old Drummer]

This brings back memories. By the next year, I was playing in the same kinds of bands in the same kinds of settings and even some of the same songs.

This also prompts social commentary. People say that the 1960s were creative years, and I think they were. But the creativity wasn't limited to the superstars. Ordinary kids were forming bands and other ordinary kids went to dances where the bands played. Most of that seemed to end sometime during the 1970s. I don't remember any such dances when my own kid was growing up during the 1990s and beyond. I think what few there were featured DJs. In my opinion, that's a loss. I prefer it when people play the music themselves.

Were the kids in this video especially talented? Oh, most don't seem to have been, although a few seemingly were. How many high school football players end up going pro? Not many. It's still good that they play football and crowds come out to see the games.

Kids should still form bands and be able to perform at dances that other kids attend.

 

[studrum]

Cue the great song by the Turtles, "The Night They had the Battle of the Band's."

 

[piccupstix]

Any band that copped The Rascals version of Midnight Hour gets my nod.

 

[Stickclick]

That Doors song sounds good. Looks like a fun event overall.

 

[K.O.]

I cracked up when that little dude looked up and said we sucked on that tune. He was a character.

I was surprised to hear him say that. I don't recall ever hearing anyone say that something "sucked" prior to the late 1970s, but maybe I just led a sheltered youth here in the midwest

Given the picture and sound quality this must have been at least semi-professionally filmed (16mm at least) as it was happening. A lot of expense involved in that at the time. I wonder who did it and why? Perhaps it was intended as part of something longer that never was finished. Either way it's a cool time capsule for sure.

This one popped up on autoplay after another video the other day and until it zoomed in I thought for sure it must be some sort of Hendrix tribute show because the color and clarity was so vivid. But no, it's of the period and Jimi himself. Fantastically filmed.

 

[Slingwig26]

Came across this video on youtube today. Pretty neat 10 minute video from a battle of the bands contest in 1967. A couple of cool vintage (although probably nearly new at the time) sets in use. The drummer using the Oyster Black set seems to have duplicated Ringo's setup right down to the drooping to the right mounted tom. Varying degrees of professionalism on display but one wonders how good even a big name band might sound recorded performing under similar circumstances given the primitive sound equipment of the day. I'm guessing there were no monitors and the sound on the film was captured by live mics in the room, possibly those two RCA 77s situated on stage. Still, if you were in one of these bands I'm sure this is an almost priceless look back in time.

I was only 5 years old during most of 1967 so my band days were about 10 years ahead of me. Still not much personal video equipment around even in 1977 when I was starting in a gigging band and unlikely to be professionally filmed as this appears to have been. I'd give about anything to see images of us performing....even as bad as it was (I do have cassette tapes....yeesh!).

Anyway this is pretty cool. Anyone here a participant?

I love the young kids, they are alright (band with the drummer with orange shirt). I was born in ‘67, what a trip.

 

[bob]

that was great .... hard to believe most of the people dancing in that video are now grand parents

 

[Rockin' Billy]

For me everything about that video was great!(8 years old at the time) Cars, fashion, instrument, music, songs. Croton on the Hudson not that far from me either. Would love to find out somehow if any of the band members are still around with recollection of their memories. Thanks for posting!

 

[richardh253]

Plus Points for the group that copped the Blues Project "Steve's Song' and "Cheryl's Going Home"!

 

[BennyK]

1967 . wow . loved that , thank you .

 

[Sinclair]

That gear...!! I saw some Silvertone amps back there. I was in two bands in jr high school that did the same material around that time. We even opened for Love one night. Ahhh the good ol days.

 

[Rich K.]

I was surprised to hear him say that. I don't recall ever hearing anyone say that something "sucked" prior to the late 1970s, but maybe I just led a sheltered youth here in the midwest

Given the picture and sound quality this must have been at least semi-professionally filmed (16mm at least) as it was happening. A lot of expense involved in that at the time. I wonder who did it and why? Perhaps it was intended as part of something longer that never was finished. Either way it's a cool time capsule for sure.

This one popped up on autoplay after another video the other day and until it zoomed in I thought for sure it must be some sort of Hendrix tribute show because the color and clarity was so vivid. But no, it's of the period and Jimi himself. Fantastically filmed.

Home use film cameras, 8mm, super 8 and 16mm were as popular as personal video cameras came to be years later. Having synch sound was more deluxe, but the film would have audio tape directly on the film and a mic into the camera, so it wasn't as complex as professional sound and film.
It was very common back then to have a splice for home editing.

 

[lanebune]

My band "The Amboyds" won the 1967

battle of the bands regionally. We did not win the state Battle of the bands however.

 

[K.O.]

Home use film cameras, 8mm, super 8 and 16mm were as popular as personal video cameras came to be years later. Having synch sound was more deluxe, but the film would have audio tape directly on the film and a mic into the camera, so it wasn't as complex as professional sound and film.
It was very common back then to have a splice for home editing.

Yes, lots of movie cameras around just like camcorders were to become in the late 1980s into the 1990s but this looks too good to be 8mm or super 8. Not as grainy as those small frames tend to be. Audio quality seems pretty good too for the typical lo-fi camera mic. Hard to say for sure but more likely 16mm. People did own those too, and TV stations used them for news gathering. That would be my guess that maybe a local TV station filmed some of the battle.

I got a super 8 camera in the early 70s in my quest to be the next Hitchcock ( Speilberg wasn't a thing yet). Actually I wanted to be the next Willis O'Brian ( or Harryhausen). But my camera got broken in Yellowstone during a family vacation and, now wanting to buy drums and such, I never bought a replacement. In recent years I've picked up a couple of higher end Canon super 8 cameras of the type I could only dream about owning back then. I keep thinking I'm going to shoot some film in them but it's hard to find, expensive to buy, and more so to have it processed. All for a 3 minute chunk of movie. Maybe someday. I thought about doing some sort of band footage back before covid rendered that pointless.