For you old farts (like me) out there. What OGWT moment was life changing for you?

equalsql · April 28

OGWT = The Old Grey Whistle Test.

For me, It was seeing Pat Travers playing Makin' Magic on the show back in 1976.

His playing was just incredible, at one point he's bending one of the low strings massively across the fretboard to sound like a motor revving up. It was mind blowing, I'd never seen anything like it. His bass player, Peter 'Mars' Cowling was on a different level from his peers, in rock music, at the time. An astonishing player and of course Nicko McBrain on drums was as tight as feck.

I went out immediatly and picked up his newly released album at the time: Putting It Straight which just confirmed how damn good he was.

I've hunted for that OGWT performance for years but, sadly, have never found it.

That low string bend appears at 4:28 in the studio cut of Makin' Magic.

Awesome stuff.

Any of you old folks have a similar OTGWT moment?

JezWynd · April 28

It didn't change my life but it certainly stuck in m memory...
Alex Harvey
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugoQKLbZCs8

Philtre · April 28

rze99 · April 28

Seeing The Jam on the Marc Bolan show when I was 11

guitars4you · April 28

At the time, in the 70's I can think of 3 or 4 that I thought wow

Gary Moore - Back on the streets
Fleetwood Mac and Rhiannon - live version
Springsteen - again live - Rosalita
And probably the big one - freebird lynyrd skynyrd - the live version

A couple of years later I was watching a re-run and came across Little Feat and Rock n Roll Doctor

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=little+feat+old+grey+whistle+test&client=safari&sca_esv=e08c057435075756&channel=iphone_bm&ei=K70uZuCaI56whbIP9LST-A4&oq=little+feat+old+gr&gs_lp=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&sclient=gws-wiz-serp#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:f0e6488a,vid:2iw35z8qp-Q,st:0

goldtop · April 28

Can't remember when exactly, but it was John Martyn playing the acoustic with a Strat pickup and making it sound like no acoustic I'd heard before.

BillDL · April 28

@equalsql There is a video of Pat Travers playing live in London in 1977 but it's not of the OGWT performance. The VHS tape was obviously a bit worse for wear but it improves a bit as it goes through. They closed with Makin' Magic (starts at 21:15). Video HERE. The audio only of Makin' Magic from the same concert is HERE.

Blueingreen · April 29

They broadcast a whole live concert of Van Morrison, some of which I believe became part of the “It’s Too Late to Stop Now” album, for a long time regarded as one of the greatest live albums ever made. Turned me into a lifelong fan, although perhaps a bit less of one nowadays. Like a lot of blokes at the time it also left me mildly besotted by his beautiful cellist, Terry Adams.

Ry Cooder’s performance of Vigilante Man also blew me away. I was never really much of a slide guitar fan but after seeing that I made an exception for Cooder (nowadays I’d add Derek Trucks).

Deadman · April 29

The big three for me that I remember watching as a kid and being genuinely moved by were

Are friends electric?

I will follow

Sultans of swing

FastEddie · April 29

Rory Gallagher - Hands Off
Focus - Hocus Pocus
The Dammed - Rip it Up

among many......

In 2002 during my divorce I bought all the DVD's and watched them repeatedly. That was a warm bath of musical joy.
I leant one to Natasha Khan, Bats for Lashes, who was our au pair. We used to hang out a lot watching them.

drofluf · April 29

Blueingreen said:

They broadcast a whole live concert of Van Morrison, some of which I believe became part of the “It’s Too Late to Stop Now” album, for a long time regarded as one of the greatest live albums ever made. Turned me into a lifelong fan, although perhaps a bit less of one nowadays. Like a lot of blokes at the time it also left me mildly besotted by his beautiful cellist, Terry Adams.

Ry Cooder’s performance of Vigilante Man also blew me away. I was never really much of a slide guitar fan but after seeing that I made an exception for Cooder (nowadays I’d add Derek Trucks).

Seem to remember watching the Van Morrison one New Year’s Eve at my grandmother’s?

But my answer would be “most of it” it was the only TV programme of its time that showed rock/non-pop music.

ToneControl · April 29

Philtre said:

wow, I had a tape of the acoustic version of this with Larry Coryell when I was at school

https://open.spotify.com/album/7L1FK39PFS7yAZIiTbGY4x?si=lINg_rIIQm6o8acOsvOq6A

prowla · April 29

When Heart were on I went out and bought the album next day.

I remember Dr Hook getting changed behind a sheet before starting their set on one of the Rock Goes to College shows; it wasn't life-changing in that I never particularly wanted to do that, but it was memorable.

Rush was another one where I bought the album next day.

Steve Hackett doing Clocks with the Moog Taurus was something; I haven't got round toforking out for a real set of Taurus, but I do have a Minitaur and more recently a Behringer Toro (which is 90% of the sound for 10% of the price).

ToneControl · April 29

goldtop said:

Can't remember when exactly, but it was John Martyn playing the acoustic with a Strat pickup and making it sound like no acoustic I'd heard before.

this?

TTony · April 29

For me, there are many individual performance "wow" moments, but I'd not say that any of those "changed my life".

What probably did change my life was the OGWT itself. Having a regular TV show that broadcast live performances of a pretty wide spectrum of non-pop bands really fuelled my interest in music and my desire to play music.

I don't think that TOTP (the only similar alternative at the time) would have had that same effect.

So, Bob, it's all your fault.

Offset · April 29

There are many but if I had to pick just the one performance - which got EVERYONE talking about it at school the next day - it would have to be Focus.

Blueingreen · April 30

drofluf said:

Blueingreen said:

They broadcast a whole live concert of Van Morrison, some of which I believe became part of the “It’s Too Late to Stop Now” album, for a long time regarded as one of the greatest live albums ever made. Turned me into a lifelong fan, although perhaps a bit less of one nowadays. Like a lot of blokes at the time it also left me mildly besotted by his beautiful cellist, Terry Adams.

Ry Cooder’s performance of Vigilante Man also blew me away. I was never really much of a slide guitar fan but after seeing that I made an exception for Cooder (nowadays I’d add Derek Trucks).

Seem to remember watching the Van Morrison one New Year’s Eve at my grandmother’s?

But my answer would be “most of it” it was the only TV programme of its time that showed rock/non-pop music.

The idea that it was on at New Year’s Eve rings a faint bell but I couldn’t be certain.

DesVegas · April 30

P.I.L. Careering Public Image Ltd. - Careering (youtube.com)

ALR · April 30

There should be a show like that again. No sets, no lights, no production - just get on stage and perform your song with 2 cameras to record you.

Hootsmon · April 30

Offset said:

There are many but if I had to pick just the one performance - which got EVERYONE talking about it at school the next day - it would have to be Focus.

THIS

guitartango · April 30

1978 Dire Straits- Sultans of Swing. Looking at the footage and thinking - All these youtubers play it wrong !

10th fret and not 5 Fret

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For you old farts (like me) out there. What OGWT moment was life changing for you?

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