The Passing Show - Ronnie Lane DVD

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by kentb47, Oct 5, 2006.

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  1. kentb47

    kentb47 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Hot Springs Ark.
    I'm one of the producers of a documentary on the life of Ronnie Lane, founder of both the Small Faces, The Faces, and Slim Chance.

    Just wanted to let you know that the film is coming out on DVD Oct. 23 in the UK and Oct. 31 in the States, on Eagle Rock.

    It's called The Passing Show - The Life and Music of Ronnie Lane, and was made by several BBC-affiliated staffers, James Mackie and Rupert Williams, with Darinagh O'Hagan as assistant producer. (and I should note that while the family will get paid for this, I don't, and didn't edit the film, so I think it's cool for me to post this).

    The film features a huge amount of rare footage, televised performances from around the world, home movie footage, family photos, etc., and the filmmakers shot all the interview footage actually on location (for instance, Ronnie's step-daughter Lana was filmed overlooking the site of Ronnie's old farm, Ian 'Mac' McLagan was filmed in London at the actual Small Faces communal flat in Pimlico, and at his current home in Manor, Texas outside Austin) whenever possible, in London, Austin, Houston, Los Angeles, and Trinidad, Colorado.

    Interviewees include Lane's wives (both his first wife Susan Tacker, and his last wife, Susan Gallegos Lane), girlfriends, caretakers, friends, and dozens of his musical companions, including Pete Townshend (who was really enormously supportive of the whole project, and provided rare Meher Baba films to us), Eric Clapton, Ian McLagan, Kenney Jones, Joe Ely, Charlie Hart, Gallegher & Lyle, Henry McCullough, and many more. Faces/Slim Chance road manager Russell Schlagbaum is also a co-producer of the film. We were able to tell a lot of the story in Ronnie's own voice via a local television show I did with him in 1988 in Austin, and via several radio interviews from over the years collected when I did the Live in Austin CD (Burnside Records, and not sold out yet, and the family, not me, gets paid for that, too).

    It'll have only limited US distribution (Ronnie's not exactly a household name over here), so my advice would be to mail order it if you're interested.

    It can be pre-ordered, for instance, here (and no, I'm not recommending them over anyone else, but they DO have it listed already):
    http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_d...ield-keywords=ronnie+lane&Go.x=0&Go.y=0&Go=Go

    Three US TV networks have expressed an interest in running the 60-minute version done for the BBC (which aired Jan. 6, 2006, and will be re-broadcast this month on BBC2).

    The DVD has bonus footage -- live performances of Lane's songs that were shot exclusively for the film (which I haven't gotten thru watching yet, and therefore can't preview for ya).

    And hopefully, down the road, there'll be authorized Faces (which I can tell ya will come first) and Small Faces DVDs (Mac, Kenney, and the estates very much want this to happen) with lots of leftover footage and new interviews the filmmakers did for this project included.

    It's one of rock's most colorful and touching stories, and there's great chunks of his career that've barely ever even been told in print, and I think the filmmakers have done a really fantastic job with it. I only wish it were hours llonger, to be honest, but it's probably at the length it needs to be. We debuted it at SXSW in March, and it's had a few theatrical showings in longer, less tight versions. Hope you guys enjoy it as much as I have.
     
  2. Clarkophile

    Clarkophile Through the Morning, Through the Night

    Location:
    Oakville, ON
    Congratulations. This is the best music news I've heard all year. Utterly fantastic. I'm a huge fan of Ronnie's and this is going to be an early Christmas gift for myself. I'm thrilled. Can't wait!:righton:
     
  3. mudbone

    mudbone Gort Annaologist

    Location:
    Canada, O!
    Thanks. I'll be picking this up.

    Maybe you can answer a question. What's the deal with the ARMS Concert and a DVD release?

    mud-:D
     
  4. ChrisM

    ChrisM Reclusive Enabler

    Location:
    SW Ontario, Canada
    Wow! Looking forward to seeing this!

    Cheers,
    Chris
     
  5. Guy E

    Guy E Senior Member

    Location:
    Antalya, Turkey
    That's fantastic news. I treasure Ronnie's music... it was an incredibly soulful, baroque stew.
     
  6. kentb47

    kentb47 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Hot Springs Ark.
    Re: the A.R.M.S. concert, the short answer is that it might never again be available. Too many lawsuits were exchanged, and I don't think anyone can even legally use the name A.R.M.S. now.

    Great shame. I was thrilled to buy a still sealed laser disc of it when laser discs were being liquidated by retailers.

    I note on Amazon that you can buy the concert on two discs as a 'Portuguese import.' One can only imagine who gets paid for that, but you can be certain the money goes neither to charity nor to the artists.

    Not a second of it was used in the film, but the filmmakers were fortunate to find in BBC archives a short piece of the band rehearsing for the show (with a really funny exchange between Ronnie and Bill Wyman).
     
  7. mudbone

    mudbone Gort Annaologist

    Location:
    Canada, O!
    Thanks! I also have the ARMS Concert on LD.

    mud-:D
     
  8. nojasa

    nojasa Forum Resident

    This is great news. Thanks for letting us know. I've been a Ronnie Lane fan for so long and I'm looking forward to seeing this. :)
    Ed
     
  9. kentb47

    kentb47 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Hot Springs Ark.
    There's some cool new audio up at the official website, www.ronnie-lane.com

    First is an interview that Pete Townshend did by phone with Jody Denberg at KGSR-FM in Austin on 10-2-2006 about Ronnie Lane, The Passing Show -- The Life and Music of Ronnie Lane DVD, and Rough Mix (not to mention a bit about the new Who CD, released the same day).

    There's also a live performance of Ronnie Lane and the Tremors with special guest Bobby Keys from the Back Room, 1987, in an outtake from the Ronnie Lane Live in Austin CD.

    And finally, a funny little story Ronnie told on the radio abuut Eric Clapton and the Jacob's Ram, also a Live in Austin outtake.
     
  10. kentb47

    kentb47 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Hot Springs Ark.
    Hope it's not too dorky to post on my own thread, folks, but I bought the UK edition of the remastered/expanded Ronnie Lane/Pete Townshend Rough Mix album in May, and didn't pay attention to the two week old US edition.

    Last night I borrowed the US version from a fellow writer so that I could hear/see the DVD version with a 5.1 mix on it. Townshend had very generously scheduled the reissues to coincide with The Passing Show.

    The filmmakers of The Passing Show shot dozens of hours of original interviews (there's two hours of Townshend alone), and we'd decided over 18 months ago that outtakes would go on the upcoming Faces DVD set (two discs, with extras -- the ball's in WBR/Rhino's court now -- Mac pitched it to them last year). We've found the Faces long-lost Edmonton concert (the master was thought to be gone for good), and have hours of footage to condense to a really amazing set. Ditto the Small Faces, down the road.

    BUT, what the filmmakers forgot to tell me was that outtakes of the film featuring interviews with Glyn Johns, Townshend, and Faces/Ronnie Lane road manager Russ Schlagbaum (another co-producer of The Passing Show) were included on the DVD of the dual disc US version of Rough Mix. Big thrill for me as a Townshend/Who/Lane fan to find that out, let me tell ya!

    One last bit of news, I'm also going to be posting some additional outtake interview bits from the film, probably from McLagan, Townshend, Clapton, and more, as viewable clips on the official website, url]www.ronnie-lane.com[/url]. Very soon, I promise.
     
  11. detroit muscle

    detroit muscle MIA

    Location:
    UK
    It's on tonight if any UK forum members want to check it out.
     
  12. shinedaddy

    shinedaddy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Valley Village, Ca
    I have both of the hour long BBC specials they aired this year, the Music of and The Life Of...both excellent. IS there a lot fo material NOT on these 2 hour-long shows on the upcoming dvd, because you only mention that the BBC aired one hour (there were 2 different hour long shows)

    I have been PRAYING for a Faces DVD set like the Led Zeppelin or just-released Free set for years!!

    There is a lot of great footage I hope makes it....Paris TV 1971, the Marquee late 1970, some Holland and German TV appearances from 71/72, The Roundhouse 1972....can you say if any of these were at least found and or worked up for the DVD?

    That Edmonton show is OK but IMHO is not quite as raw as the stuff I listed above...oh yeah, the BBC Sounds for Saturday has got to go on complete..hell it is only 40 or so minutes and what a SHAME if they hacked it into pieces!!
     
  13. kentb47

    kentb47 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Hot Springs Ark.
    The Faces DVD isn't yet approved by Rhino/WBR so no editing has been done. There are literally hours of material to pick from.

    Sounds for Saturday will certainly be included intact (probably the featured part of Disc one). That's the one show everyone agrees about.

    I agree with you about Edmonton but it's a great bit of history. And the best surviving film with the Can Can girls, etc. I think all that was used in The Passing Show was a bit from the end, the band saying goodnight on stage for the last time with Ronnie. But still, compared to, say, The Song Remains the Same, the Edmonton show is pretty great!
     
  14. child of nature

    child of nature dreaming, more or less

    Location:
    Tennessee
    I am so excited about this--I immediately pre-ordered it as soon as a friend directed me to your post here. This is fantastic news! Thank you! :D :agree:
     
  15. ChrisM

    ChrisM Reclusive Enabler

    Location:
    SW Ontario, Canada
    Since I'm in the UK for a couple of weeks, I did get to see a bit of the show the other night. It looked great. I'm really looking forward to seeing the version on the DVD.

    Cheers,
    Chris
     
  16. rstamberg

    rstamberg Senior Member

    Location:
    Riverside, CT
    Okay, first:

    The A.R.M.S. DVD was released in Japan about a year ago -- I have it.

    Second, the are two Faces DVDs available: "The Final Concert" and a collection that was released in Europe and Japan two years ago -- I have it but forget the title. In any event, although Polygram released it, the latter DVD wasn't "authorized" by the band. It's an okay (mostly) concert doc, the quality could've been better, but it is what it is.

    And, last, I pre-ordered the Ronnie Lane DVD the minute I read about it!
     
  17. Steve Litos

    Steve Litos Senior Member

    Location:
    Chicago IL
    Great news Kent. I can't wait to pick this up!
     
  18. RickA

    RickA Love you forever Luke, we will be together again

    Location:
    Tampa, FL

    I as well (need to transfer this to DVD now I think about it).

    Thanks Kent about the Ronnie Lane news. I will be preordering this and maybe when Rhino see's the success of this release they will move forward on the Faces DVD.

    Thanks for your posts. Most welcome! :agree:

    Rick A.
     
  19. kentb47

    kentb47 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Hot Springs Ark.
    Hey Shinedaddy, I just realized I didn't answer one of your questions. You mentioned 'two' not one Ronnie Lane BBC special, and I just remembered that when they showed the one-hour edit of the film on the Beeb, they also showed an hour-long program of clips from their archives. It wasn't connected to the film or the DVD, really, just something cool that the BBC folks decided to air with it as a companion piece.

    Haven't seen it myself, tho The Passing Show's director did tell me what was in it at the time.

    You'd be amazed at some of the footage that has turned up, tho. I certainly was. I would have loved to have lots of complete performances on the DVD as bonus tracks, but unfortunately, there was so much music in the film as is (there's songs running more or less complete underneath, I think, the entire film) that the licensing was so expensive that it almost prohibited the film being released. More would've made the label have to price it so high that no one would've bought it, I'm afraid.

    Re: the Faces stuff out on DVD already, the band are really PO'd that those things are out. They're complete unauthorized bootlegs, just a step above the kind you find at a swap meet with photocopied covers. They're NOT from master sources. VH-1 has run 'em as have other TV channels in the past. Sad that it's the only thing available, but hopefully that 'will soon be rectified' (to paraphrase Kenney Jones). I'd never encourage someone to copy something as opposed to buying it, but when the band doesn't get paid .... I have pretty much everything, and I haven't bought one for myself, simply because I know how upset Mac was about that coming out.
     
  20. shinedaddy

    shinedaddy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Valley Village, Ca
    thanks for the reply. I also have never paid for a Faces boot nor would I. You did say they is no other alternative and so we are left with nothing else if we want the footage.....I love the stuff and cant wait for Warner to release at LEAST a 2DVD set of highlights. I trust you did a good job selecting. I prefer 1972 or before but that is just me, but I do hope Paris 1971 is in consideration along with the 71/72 TV appearances they did
     
  21. shinedaddy

    shinedaddy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Valley Village, Ca
    also, when are the Expanded remasters of the regular Faces LP's going to come out??? 2 discs per, right...
     
  22. kentb47

    kentb47 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Hot Springs Ark.
    Release date bumped one week to Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2006, for the DVD.

    Sorry, I didn't know in advance. Don't know if it came out today in the UK or not.
     
  23. child of nature

    child of nature dreaming, more or less

    Location:
    Tennessee
    I received the DVD on Wednesday, and I finally had time to watch it last night. I highly recommend it for anyone who loves Ronnie, or who would like an introduction to this forgotten musical hero. I literally had tears in my eyes as the credits rolled. The film is a true credit to the man, his music, and his ethos.
    It's heartfelt, genuine, and honest--just like Ronnie's music.

    "The smile on your face comes straight from your heart."

    I love it when people discover the Small Faces and the Faces--and then find Ronnie's other albums, too.
     
  24. sberger

    sberger Dream Baby Dream

    got mine a couple of days ago and watched last night. ditto. amazing stuff. great job!
     
  25. babyblue

    babyblue Patches Pal!

    Location:
    Pacific NW
    I've been waiting for this film on DVD. I gotta order it now. Thank you to everyone who put this together. Ronnie deserves it!

    Steve
     
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