Music Scene - Best of 1969-1970 (Vol. 2)

Whereas Music Scene, Vol. 1 preserved a daring TV show's moment in the low-rated limelight, Vol. 2 shows the series in a fascinating tailspin, in the ratings cellar before cancellation in January of 1970. A bold attempt to combine liberal political comedy, harmless pop, and Woodstock-era rock & roll, Music Scene drew its guests from current Billboard pop charts, supplementing those acts with host David Steinberg's intellectual sarcasm and shrewd assaults on the Nixon administration. In these four complete episodes, however, the show is clearly dying, and while the collected performances still qualify as outstanding relics from the volatile Woodstock/Altamont time frame, it's amazing to watch Steinberg--now stripped of his merry band of cohosts--exchanging genial wisecracks for a darker, more cynical acceptance that Music Scene was doomed from the start.

The music is an eclectic, full-course buffet, from lip-synced performances by Creedence Clearwater Revival to the chart-topping ballads of Neil Diamond and Gordon Lightfoot to the defiantly leftist folk of Pete Seeger and Buffy Sainte- Marie. Unexpected highlights include Joe Cocker's sublime rendition of the Beatles' "Something" and Frankie Laine's emotional delivery of "Lord, You Gave Me a Mountain." Throughout, Steinberg is like a protestor with a lost cause, and by the time he's joined by cohost Groucho Marx for the mesmerizing final show, he's lost all pretense of mainstream propriety, and it's TV history like nothing before or since. A full menu of 21 bonus songs is icing on a bittersweet cake, from one-hit-wonders Zager & Evans ("In the Year 2525") to an impassioned "Try (Just a Little Bit Harder)" by Janis Joplin, whose own fate would soon echo that of this remarkable, short-lived TV show. --Jeff Shannon more

Price Range:$17.81 to $22.49 | 3 stores
Product Rating:

8 Reviews
Info:
Set Price Alert Save to Wish List
Tags:
Music Scene-Best of 1969-70, DVD, Amazon, Buy.com, Best Buy

ComparePrices

title,desc	merchant	price	seeit
Smarter Choice Music Scene-Best of 1969-1970 Vol 2 Music Scene-Best of 1969-1970 Vol 2	Buy.com 23,982 reviews *smarter certified	$17.81 Coupon 1 coupon available Code: Detail: Take $5 OFF the purchase of $100 or more at Buy.com Expires:Nov-30-2009 Restriction:New Customers Only. Coupons are not valid on Marketplace items	See it
Music Scene - Best of 1969-1970 (Vol. 2) Whereas Music Scene, Vol. 1 preserved a daring TV show's moment in the low-rated limelight, Vol. 2...	Amazon 11,406 reviews	$22.49 Coupon 1 coupon available Code:No Code Required Detail: FREE Shipping on orders over $25 at Amazon. Expires:Dec-31-2010 Restriction:Some restrictions apply. See site for details.	See it
Music Scene 2: The Best of 1969-1970... Includes:Music Scene: The Best of 1969-1970, Vol. 5 (1999) Music Scene: The Best of 1969-1970, Vol. 6 (1999) Music...	Best Buy 14,835 reviews *smarter certified	$19.99	See it

*Shipping costs are based on an estimate of the lowest shipping rate available within the contiguous US, excluding Alaska and Hawaii. Only merchants with this product in stock are listed (Merchants with this product back ordered have been removed from this list).

Do you see a pricing error? Please let us know by filling out a simple form: Click here

MoreStores

Write a review

ProductReviews60/100 (8 Reviews)

Recent Reviews

3/5: From: Amazon; Posted: Nov-24-2008; An amusing blast into the past; If the DVD was in stereo, I would have given a higher score.Although this program might be laughable by todays standards, Music Scene provides a glimpse into what we used to enjoy watching on TV on Monday evenings (if we stayed home)....; read full review | report as inappropriate

3/5: From: Amazon; Posted: Mar-01-2008; Nostaliga 1969; Not quite what I thought it was going to be, my dvd never played right.; read full review | report as inappropriate

3/5: From: Amazon; Posted: Jan-28-2008; A reminder; This disc of videos and performances from the late 60s is an embarrassing reminder of how silly some of that music actually was. Hearing it on the radio is okay, but watching some of the performers live caused me to question my affinity...; read full review | report as inappropriate

4/5: From: Amazon; Posted: Nov-11-2005; THIS WAS A GOOD MUSICAL VARIETY SHOW,THAT BEGGED TO BE DIFFERENT.; THIS IS PART TWO OF MUSIC SCENE.!!!SEE MY PART ONE REVIEW.THE SHOW FEATURED MANY ROCK GROUPS,COMEDY ,FOLK AND MUCH MORE.THE SHOW TRIED TO APPEAL TO A YOUNGER AUDIENCE.THIS WAS UNUSUAL FOR ABC IN 1969.THE SHOW BOMBED,IN SHORT ORDER.1/1/2...; read full review | report as inappropriate

Selected Reviews

4/5: From: Amazon; Posted: Nov-11-2005; THIS WAS A GOOD MUSICAL VARIETY SHOW,THAT BEGGED TO BE DIFFERENT.; THIS IS PART TWO OF MUSIC SCENE.!!!SEE MY PART ONE REVIEW.THE SHOW FEATURED MANY ROCK GROUPS,COMEDY ,FOLK AND MUCH MORE.THE SHOW TRIED TO APPEAL TO A YOUNGER AUDIENCE.THIS WAS UNUSUAL FOR ABC IN 1969.THE SHOW BOMBED,IN SHORT ORDER.1/1/2...; read full review | report as inappropriate

3/5: From: Amazon; Posted: Nov-24-2008; An amusing blast into the past; If the DVD was in stereo, I would have given a higher score.Although this program might be laughable by todays standards, Music Scene provides a glimpse into what we used to enjoy watching on TV on Monday evenings (if we stayed home)....; read full review | report as inappropriate

1/5: From: Amazon; Posted: May-17-2004; Top 40 nightmare, not flower power heaven; These comments apply to both Music Scene dvds equally (this dvd and the other dvd).Disappointing collection of rock and pop performances. Mostly pop, unfortunately, and some of the worst (the Archies, Tom Jones, too many times Bobby...; read full review | report as inappropriate