Atlantic Records: The House That Ahmet Built (PBS)

JustAlice

Man, PBS has been really keeping my interest a lot lately. Jonestown, the Hippies, America at a crossroads. The story about the Gardner Museum. Coming up this week they have a story on the Atlantic records founder, Ahmet Ertegun and I think it will be good. I think it premiers on Wed. but I wont be able to catch it until Friday @ 3am or Sunday afternoon. No Tivo. I just hope they keep it coming, not that I have ever been let down. Just particularly cool the past few weeks.Anyone else looking for this?

pickwick33

Man, PBS has been really keeping my interest a lot lately. Jonestown, the Hippies, America at a crossroads. The story about the Gardner Museum.

Coming up this week they have a story on the Atlantic records founder, Ahmet Ertegun and I think it will be good.

I think it premiers on Wed. but I wont be able to catch it until Friday @ 3am or Sunday afternoon. No Tivo. I just hope they keep it coming, not that I have ever been let down. Just particularly cool the past few weeks.

Anyone else looking for this?

First, we'd have to know how to FIND it. Unless it's Sesame Street, PBS hasn't always been good about promoting their shows (like Soundstage - I was at a taping for the Burt Bacharach/Ronnie Isley ep a few years back, but if it aired, I ain't seen it). Do you gotta keep checking their website every day or something?

batmon

(like Soundstage - I was at a taping for the Burt Bacharach/Ronnie Isley ep a few years back, but if it aired, I ain't seen it).

How was that session? How was was Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head?

pickwick33

(like Soundstage - I was at a taping for the Burt Bacharach/Ronnie Isley ep a few years back, but if it aired, I ain't seen it).

How was that session?

It sounded real good, but then again Burt Bacharach is such a perfectionist that he kept doing multiple takes of the same song (remember, this was a TV show more than it was a concert). This kind of killed the excitement; members of the audience started filing out two by two when that happened.

Best moment: after random shoutouts from the audience to sing one of his hits, Ronnie Isley teased us with an acapella version of the opening verse from "Twist & Shout." As soon as he hit that "shake it up, baby!", all these baby-boomer-aged black ladies just swooned...

How was was Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head?

I don't remember them doing that while I was there (we left early too; Bacharach and his "do-overs" were kinda maddening).

DB_Cooper

First, we'd have to know how to FIND it. Unless its' Sesame Street, PBS hasn't always been good about promoting their shows (like Soundstage - I was at a taping for the Burt Bacharach/Ronnie Isley ep a few years back, but if it aired, I ain't seen it). Do you gotta keep checking their website every day or something?

Well, PBS programs air at different times in different markets. What's you local station? You can always check their online schedule, or, for a more general overview of the bigger projects coming up, here's a little inside info.

That's the PBS Pressroom we use internally to write promotional copy.

Also, many stations have a monthly program guide that they send to their members. In Boston, membership costs $50/year, but that may vary from place to place. Here's ours:

pickwick33

First, we'd have to know how to FIND it. Unless its' Sesame Street, PBS hasn't always been good about promoting their shows (like Soundstage - I was at a taping for the Burt Bacharach/Ronnie Isley ep a few years back, but if it aired, I ain't seen it). Do you gotta keep checking their website every day or something?

Well, PBS programs air at different times in different markets. What's you local station? You can always check their online schedule, or, for a more general overview of the bigger projects coming up, here's a little inside info.

That's the PBS Pressroom we use internally to write promotional copy.

Also, many stations have a monthly program guide that they send to their members. In Boston, membership costs $50/year, but that may vary from place to place.

Thanks for the info. PBS does show some good stuff, it's just hard to keep up with the schedule sometimes.

mordecai

That's the PBS Pressroom we use internally to write promotional copy.

Also, many stations have a monthly program guide that they send to their members.

I help design ours (Richmond, VA).

CousinLarry

That's the PBS Pressroom we use internally to write promotional copy.

Also, many stations have a monthly program guide that they send to their members.

I help design ours (Richmond, VA).

I just checked it:

American Masters

Atlantic Records: The House That Ahmet Built

Season 20 opens with a profile of Ahmet Ertegun (1923-2006).

Wednesday, May 02, 9:00 PM



American Masters

Atlantic Records: The House That Ahmet Built

Season 20 opens with a profile of Ahmet Ertegun (1923-2006).

Saturday, May 05, 2:00 AM

DB_Cooper

That's the PBS Pressroom we use internally to write promotional copy.

Also, many stations have a monthly program guide that they send to their members.

I help design ours (Richmond, VA).

No shit? And here I thought I was the lone PBS rep 'round these parts. Well, if I ever find some extra station copies of Stark Reality, you can have the second one.

TheBeatGoes

i thought i saw Kid Rock in the preview for that....please tell me i'm mistaken.

also PBS related, who saw Bill Moyers - Buying The War. If not you can watch the whole thing online http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/btw/watch.html Moyers rocks.

JustAlice

I missed Kid Rock, Ill have to keep my fingers crossed on that one though.... j/k

But I do know that the Atlantic show is on Wednesday at 9pm on OPB, our local pbs channel for all the oregonians....and I'm hoping to be able to see it Sunday afternoon when I get up...around 1pm or so. I would think a quick check on your local pbs channel guide website would give exact times.

That Mormon one looked interesting as well.... I guess that was on tonight but I was at work and missed that one too.

ToccuDomu

i thought i saw Kid Rock in the preview for that....please tell me i'm mistaken.

I read a review of this program in our local paper on Sunday, and it specifically mentioned Kid Rock, since he was "..going to be bigger than Elvis" according to A.E.

The author of the article went on to say that Bette Middler gets an inordinate amount of coverage, probably due to the fact that she narrates.

also PBS related, who saw Bill Moyers - Buying The War. If not you can watch the whole thing online http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/btw/watch.html Moyers rocks.

The Moyers program was very necessary. Damn, I haven't watched this much PBS since I was a little kid.

DB_Cooper

Damn, I haven't watched this much PBS since I was a little kid.

MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH! Our evil plan is working perfectly....


You know, I've never really abused graemlins like that before, and to be honest, it felt pretty good.

pickwick33

i thought i saw Kid Rock[/b] in the preview for that....please tell me i'm mistaken.

I read a review of this program in our local paper on Sunday, and it specifically mentioned Kid Rock[/b], since he was "..going to be bigger than Elvis" according to A.E.

The author of the article went on to say that Bette Middler[/b] gets an inordinate amount of coverage, probably due to the fact that she narrates.

Just a reminder that Atlantic is as capable of releasing schlock as CBS or anybody else. Not everything they released sounded like Aretha Franklin or Big Joe Turner. So if there's a surplus of pop acts you or I could do without, don't be surprised.

The_Hook_Up

I thought is was really good...but what was perplexing was going from Bette Midler to Phil Collins...it left out about 10 years. I was hoping to see Ahmet talking about AC/DC and see a little about them...I mean, "Back In Black", I am willing to bet, is one of Atlantics biggest selling LPs. Next to Led Zeppelin, I am sure AC/DC is Atlantic's biggest money maker...but not one mention...I thought that was strange. Yeah, the Kid Rock part was silly, but Ahmet thought Kid Rock was bad-ass...

the old footage of Ruth Brown and The Clovers was really cool, and for the most part the interviews were really good.

DJPrestige

i dug it. the mick jagger/ peter grant coke story was quite amusing.

all in all, good stuff. i'm looking forward to the stax documentary airing in june on pbs.

bassie

all that amazing live footage of Booker T and Otis, and Aretha in the studio was such a tease. Has Atlantic studio footage ever been released for folks to buy?

I really liked the interviews with his wife, Mica, as well.

The_Hook_Up

all that amazing live footage of Booker T and Otis, and Aretha in the studio was such a tease. Has Atlantic studio footage ever been released for folks to buy?

I really liked the interviews with his wife, Mica, as well.

yes, there is a DVD called "Remembering Otis" that features that Booker T. footage and the Otis footage...it also has some killer Sam and Dave footage from that euro tour...dont know about the studio footage though...

undertheradar

Does anyone know of a torrent link for this? I just missed my local stations last showing (it's showing a bunch more times in HD though). I checked around last night on the torrents and came up empty. I'm not too great at the torrent thing.

Thanks.

LaserWolf

Trying to cover 60s years in 2 hours is always going to impossible.

It was an Ahmet lovefest. Which is deserved.

All that said I have plenty of complaints. They glossed over the non-royalty payment issue. Made it seem like a little oversight that was quickly corrected.

PBS is having a love affair with Kid Rock. I watched a Lerry Lee Lewis fundraiser celebraty concert. Kid Rock was on there, an absulote low low low point. He got up and started dancing on the piano, JLL gave him a get off my piano . Highlight was a duet with Solomon Burke. Sol brought his own thrown to sit on while singing.

Back to Atlantic. When someone at Atlantic, probably Wexler, heard Duane Alman who was working at Muscle Shoals studio. They immediatly got on the phone and signed him to contract. Not an artist deal, a studio musician, whatever you want to do deal. Supposedly a first in the industry. Allman bros got mentioned in passing, but appearantly don't deserve the air time that Phil Collins and Bette Midler do. Or more likely they don't have the same connection with Ahmet.

Lazer

I too was really disappointed in the lack of talk of Duane Allman and the Muscle Shoals studio. Thought it was a good doc overall but the gaps were big the lyor cohen question about drugs was fun. The Otis footage had my jaw hanging. It was good in general, but as was said, hard to pack 60 yrs into 2 hours. Ahmet seemed pretty damn hip.

pickwick33

All that said I have plenty of complaints. They glossed over the non-royalty payment issue. Made it seem like a little oversight that was quickly corrected.

That's why I thought it ironic that Ruth Brown and Ahmet passed away so close to each other...Ruth seemingly griped about being gypped by Atlantic right up to her dying day.

hammertime

that's not ironic, Alanis.

SPlDEY

Can't wait to catch this.



- spidey

PABLO

Trying to cover 60s years in 2 hours is always going to impossible.

Yeah, that's pretty much what I thought afterward. It could of been better but it was cool to get a little more insight into the man. Hopefully any DVD release will have copious uncut bonus footage/interviews.
For those wanting to fill in some gaps left in the Ahmet film the "Tom Dowd and the Language of Music" DVD is outstanding. I think it's even free on On-Demand digital cable.

DB_Cooper

Hopefully any DVD release will have copius uncut bonus footage/interviews.

Unfortunately, most of our programs do not include much bonus footage on the DVD release. My employer, WGBH, is by far the largest producer of PBS content, and we're moving into a new headquarters over the course of the summer. My hope is to be able to gain access to the archives after the move, which contain everything from the original Stark Reality recordings to extensive performances by a wide variety of soul artists on the series "Say, Brother".

I'll report back.