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Album review: EXTREMES – CD/DVD (Supertramp, Arc)
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Gonzo
Multimedia [Release date 30.06.17]
Ah,
those heady early 1970s. Flower power, the permissive society, long hair and …
dangly bits. There are a lot of them on show in this fascinating social
snapshot.
Heady
times indeed. “Extremes” was a film produced by two guys Tony Klinger and
Michael Lytton who worked on ITC productions in the 1960s (Klinger was Assistant
Director on The Avengers) and seemingly used that connection to “borrow” some of
the firm’s film equipment. They documented the counter culture in 1970 with
segments on Hell’s Angels, drug use and nudity including the Isle of Wight
Festival.
The
musical backdrop was an excellent soundtrack provided by bands such as “Arc” and
“Crucible”, but more interestingly a formative Supertramp. The interesting
liner note underlines that – due to lack of finance – the two entrepreneurs
missed out on gaining half the rights to what would become “Crime Of The
Century”.
This
leaves three tracks from Supertramp (all available on their debut album) but
perhaps more impressive is Arc, it made me want to go and investigate their one
and only album which similarly includes the four tracks featured here.
In
Arc’s ranks were Micky Gallagher and John Turnbull who would emerge a few years
later in Ian Dury’s band. There is a link because Arc’s music was both rocky in
a prog sort of way, and gutsy.
The
soundtrack also features singer songwriter Mark McCann and Crucible, a pseudonym
for the band “The White Plains” who had several Top 20 hits including their most
successful ‘My Baby Loves Lovin’ in 1969.
The
DVD is expanded with Tony Klinger underlining the anarchic times documented in
the film in both a lengthy interview and via director commentary. He went on to
produce films for Deep Purple and The Who. His comments about the film
highlight the organic and unscripted nature of the filming and also the
difficulty in financing such a venture.
In
1971 it had won the London Film Festival “outstanding film of the year” award.
‘Extremes’ has previously been available on VHS and the soundtrack was
originally released in 1972 on the Deram label. This is the first release on CD
and DVD.
At
times – notably the drug sequences – it makes for uncomfortable viewing and was
controversial when released. It tells the story of a generation seeking new
forms of expression and freedom, and in their own words.
As
a social document the film provides fascinating insight and whilst some of the
visuals may seem from another planet, some of the themes – such as drug use and
youthful rebellion – are still relevant. ****
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