Re: Beatles music on Ordeal

Given that UFO was SUPPOSED to take place in the 1980's NOT the late 60's -
the usage of a top chart Beatles track was actually a blunder! It
re-positioned UFO as being of the 60's as opposed to the 15 yr plus period
UFO was meant to take place in. Maybe the UFO people wanted to cash in on
the song's popularity, etc., but when you're doing a show that takes place
in the future, you should avoid current slang, expressions, modes of
speaking, music, fashion, etc that dates you to the present. I saw a few
mins of a very poor sequel to Gone With The Wind on TV a few yrs ago, and
even tho the story was meant to take place in the deep American South in the
1870's, the characters were speaking like late 20th century people, complete
with modern expressions, and lacking southern accents. It was not great TV,
suffice it so say.....Pam

Sorry Pam baby I have to strongly disagree with you on that one. The Beatles
recently had all their no 1 hits re released in the UK - the album was
called '1' and it got to no 1 in the charts and stayed there for several
weeks - not bad for a band that disbanded over 30 years ago.Also on
satellite we have a channel called QVC, and recently yjhay were selling
Beatles merchnadise - I tried to get a complete copy of the Beatles ep's on
CD and I could not do so because within 15 minutes of this product being
announced it had sold out.So you can indeed take things from the past and
use it in a current context - look at Austin Powers - a character based on
the 60's life style and the movies are fantastically popular - for some of
us at least:-)

Besides how could the writers have used a style of music that was yet to be
invented?

Be groovy Pam.

John
>
>
>
>
>
>Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
>
>

_________________________________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com.

In message <[hidden email]>, Pam McCaughey
<[hidden email]> writes
>Given that UFO was SUPPOSED to take place in the 1980's NOT the late 60's -
>the usage of a top chart Beatles track was actually a blunder! It
>re-positioned UFO as being of the 60's as opposed to the 15 yr plus period
>UFO was meant to take place in. Maybe the UFO people wanted to cash in on
>the song's popularity, etc., but when you're doing a show that takes place
>in the future, you should avoid current slang, expressions, modes of
>speaking, music, fashion, etc that dates you to the present.

Very good point Pam! Mind you, it's one hell of an achievement to be
able to predict with any amount of accuracy what's going to happen in
ten year's time and especially in that particular era. IMHO,
music/fashion/speak hasn't changed all that dramatically from the late
eighties/early nineties period, whereas I think there was an incredible
"jump" in style from late sixties to the early eighties. It would
probably have taken a genius to see beyond Flower power, beads & Beatles
& transmute it into the Sex Pistols (can't picture Foster pogo-ing to
Pretty Vacant, at all) Jam, Human League, Gary Numan etc...

If the series HAD been filmed in the late eighties (and therefore
probably not seem particularly dated to our 21st century palates) would
it have the same appeal for us as it does now???? Just a thought....:)
Di

True enough about the Beatles stuff, I guess. But, whether you're producing
a story which takes place in the future or in the past, it's best for
realism's sake, to make some attempt to restrict the number of "clues" that
are not cogent with the time period you're trying to depict.

Pam

"John Wadsworth-Ladkin" wrote:

> So you can indeed take things from the past and use it in a
> current context - look at Austin Powers - a character based on
> the 60's life style and the movies are fantastically popular -
> for some of us at least:-)
>
> Besides how could the writers have used a style of music that
> was yet to be invented?


I sort of agree and disagree here - they could have made up a
style of music, just like they made up the early '80s fashion
and the high tech spacecraft that hadn't (and still haven't)
been invented, I suppose ..

It's true that while the use of Get Back in 1980 isn't exactly a
blooper (I'm sure I must have listened to it quite a few times
myself that year) it *does* suggest 'present day' to UFO's early
seventies audience, which is unfortunate.

In message <[hidden email]>, John Wadsworth-
Ladkin <[hidden email]> writes
Funkadelic, John babe! Yeah Sixties stuff is very "in" now for sure -
but it wasn't quite the same story back in 1980 UFO's "year" - the
tragic & untimely death of John Lennon bought the fab four back into
incredible prominence after that. It could even be said that the whole
flares, Austin Powers, groovy chic thang wer'e enjoying now goes in
perfect harmony with the current revival of 70's genre series.....
Di

I don't agree at all it is unfortunate - remember we are in the 21st century
and the episode as well as the the 'Get Back' song has very much stood the
test of time i.e as I indicated before, 'Get Back' is still played on music
stations and in disco's in the new century so it has not dated - quality
never dies and can be as fresh in the modern era as it was when it was
originally produced.

John
>
>
>
>Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
>
>

_________________________________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com.

At 01:06 PM 5/15/01 -0400, you wrote:
>Given that UFO was SUPPOSED to take place in the 1980's NOT the late 60's -
>the usage of a top chart Beatles track was actually a blunder!

Again jumping in the middle as I'm ignoring work I need to do to grab I
quick fannish fix! : -)

The Beatles 1 album was a BIG hit in the US this past Christmas. I work
with disabled students so this probably isn't a true measure but my high
school kids preferred The Beatles 1 over the current crop of crap (Britney,
BSB, WE*STINC, etc). I not a super big Beatles fan myself but I wonder if
that Beatles 1 album winds up on the 2001 grammy show next year! Or at
least the Billboard show next December!

Maybe the powers that be didn't know it at the time but the music became
classic and probably usable in any circumstance. On a similar note the end
of Lathe of Heaven also has a Beatles song (Help from my Friends???)

I probably would agree with you except the Beatles have become such a
phenomenon over the years. I think any Beatles music would fit anywhere
from 1970 on. Now, Mott the Hoople? Rick Springfield? Right Said
Fred? They would have been quite a blunder! : -)

In Babylon 5 Garibaldi loved watching old Daffy Duck cartoons, he made for
some very humorous scenes, some very touching ones when Zack explained the
meaning of the picture of Daffy to him when Garibaldi went missing and
chilling ones when Garibaldi was loosing his marbles (So to speak). Daffy
Duck still popular in 2258?

I think, whever you bring something from our "era" into a fictional future
though, it better be something really good, artistic and valuable. I think
UFO got lucky on this one.

Want to cringe at some really bad "future music" in a Sci Fi show? Check
out Space Rockers in the Buck Rogers in the 25th Century. I can only watch
that episode with the sound off! : -)

At 07:48 PM 5/15/01 +0100, you wrote:
>"John Wadsworth-Ladkin" wrote:
> > Besides how could the writers have used a style of music that
> > was yet to be invented?
>
>I sort of agree and disagree here - they could have made up a
>style of music, just like they made up the early '80s fashion
>and the high tech spacecraft that hadn't (and still haven't)
>been invented, I suppose ..

Yes, but when a non fan looks at UFO and listens to the title music (Which
I love and think is brilliant IMNSHO) they see and hear cheese. They laugh
at the clothes! (I know, I know, I keep hanging out with the wrong type of
people!)
But I don't mind that at all. What would grate on my nerves would be if
they "guessed" at what would be popular in 1980, or 2001.

Who knew that barbershop style, doo wop boy bands would be the rage in
2001? Who knew that sampling old music would reinvent popular music! Who
could predict the weird fusion of style in Kid Rock. Who could have
predicted that kids wouldn't like Greenday any more! (My fault, I
mentioned to a class I really liked one of Green day's albums and the
instantly became "uncool"!)

>It's true that while the use of Get Back in 1980 isn't exactly a
>blooper (I'm sure I must have listened to it quite a few times
>myself that year) it *does* suggest 'present day' to UFO's early
>seventies audience, which is unfortunate.

To watch it in 1971 I agree, but now Get Back is as much a classic in the
world of music as Forest Murmurs is!

In message <[hidden email]>, Pam McCaughey
<[hidden email]> writes
>Given that UFO was SUPPOSED to take place in the 1980's NOT the late 60's -
>the usage of a top chart Beatles track was actually a blunder!

Yes, but at the time of first viewing I thought it was extremely cool
that a Beatles song was included in an episode of UFO.

Perhaps in Gerry and Sylvia Anderson's UFO universe, the '80s were a
time of retro music? You know, a bit like the early '90s when that UFO
disco music was produced (in our universe)?

>It
>re-positioned UFO as being of the 60's as opposed to the 15 yr plus period
>UFO was meant to take place in. Maybe the UFO people wanted to cash in on
>the song's popularity, etc., but when you're doing a show that takes place
>in the future, you should avoid current slang, expressions, modes of
>speaking, music, fashion, etc that dates you to the present.

Really? I seem to re-call the artistic designer for UFO stating on the
UFO documentary that he had a book from the States that maintained
certain colours shouldn't be used for filming purposes. He,
figuratively, threw that idea out the window and I'm so glad he did. The
use of reds and blues were a refreshing idea.

I really don't think using a Beatles song detracted from the idea that
UFO was set in the future. There were other cool indicators that this
was set some time in the future (the cars and fashions, for example).

>I saw a few
>mins of a very poor sequel to Gone With The Wind on TV a few yrs ago, and
>even tho the story was meant to take place in the deep American South in the
>1870's, the characters were speaking like late 20th century people, complete
>with modern expressions, and lacking southern accents. It was not great TV,
>suffice it so say.....Pam

Sounds ghastly but I'm not going to comment any further;-)
--
SuzannEd Sutherland

> >
> I don't agree at all it is unfortunate - remember we are in the 21st
century
> and the episode as well as the the 'Get Back' song has very much stood the
> test of time i.e as I indicated before, 'Get Back' is still played on
music
> stations and in disco's in the new century so it has not dated - quality
> never dies and can be as fresh in the modern era as it was when it was
> originally produced.

Everyone plays retro music at parties so no reason why it should not have
been the case in the UFO world of 1980.

Sheila

Still UFO Crazy crazy crazy crrraaazzzzy!