Well, as they say, all good things must end. And for me, that means my tenure as Goldmine editor and the man behind the World's Forgotten Boy blog.

I've greatly enjoyed my time here, and to everyone who's kept up with this blog, thanks for reading. This blog was a real labor of love for me, and I'm going to miss it. Look for a whole new group of Goldmine bloggers when we roll out the new Goldmine web site, which will be happening soon.

In the meantime, so long and keep reading Goldmine. It's been a great magazine to work for and they've got some great new things happening.

David Peck was part of the team that brought the incredible new "British Invasion 5 DVD Box Set" to life. With individual documentaries on Dusty Springfield, Herman's Hermits, Gerry & The Pacemakers and Small Faces, as well as a bonus disc of treasures from that era, the collection is a must-see for anybody who is fan of the British Invasion era or just music in general.






Peck, who served as producer, was kind enough to answer a few questions about the set (visit www.the-britishinvasion.com for more information).

What sparked your interest in producing this set of documentaries?
David Peck: We'd been quite successful with producing DVD series including the "American Folk Blues Festival," the "Motown Definitive Performance" series (Marvin Gaye, Temptations, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles) and our 30 title "Jazz Icons" series.

In November of 2008 I was thinking what monumental dates in music history were coming up that we could tie something into, and then I realized that 1964 was the start of The British Invasion, making it a 45th anniversary. I then started to think about all the great British Invasion artists that never got their due and decided to try to build a series around that idea. There have been many things produced about The Beatles, Rolling Stones and The Who but nothing official or authorized on many of the artists we currently have releases on.

The goal with the series is to entertain and educate as to the importance these artists had on the music and culture of the world. While The Beatles kicked the door in, it would have stopped with them were it not for all of these other amazing and diverse talents that made up "The British Invasion."

This isn't about the screaming girls or the mayhem that ensued but, rather, the lasting impact this music has had on all of us. Each title is like another piece of the puzzle, and I think that after watching these, the viewer will have a better understanding of the music and the overall music scene. What's fascinating to me is that not one of these groups sound the same, even though many of them cite the same influences. Certainly, one could classify Gerry & The Pacemakers and Herman's Hermits as "pop," but they sound nothing alike, even though they formed only an hour's drive from one another; Gerry is from Liverpool and the Hermits are from Manchester.
 

How long did it take to put these together?
DP: Once I had the idea I ran it past Ian Brenchley at Voyage Digital Media, and while he loved it, he had to get approval from the heads of his company. Based on my previous work with Ian when he was at Universal we were given the go-ahead in December of 2008. We then began the clearance process, which is a royal pain in the (fill in any word you like as long as it rhymes with grass). We approached some artists who said "no" due to differences within their respective groups that go back 40 years. Others I had to chase down through agents or managers. Trying to convince someone to be part of a series that hasn't proven itself is a hard argument to make, but the thing that helped in the end was when they saw our previous work and the love and respect we show the music.
 
What was the most difficult part of the job, and conversely, what was the most interesting?
DP: The most difficult was dealing with clearance issue; the most interesting part is when we sat in the room and listened to the artists tell these stories like it happened yesterday. When you hear Gerry Marsden speak of calling John Lennon up on the phone and rubbing his nose in the fact he turned down "How Do You Do It" which gave Gerry & The Pacemakers their first #1 — on some British charts they beat The Beatles to the top! When you're sitting there listening to this guy speak about John Lennon like you and I might speak about our next door neighbor, it's a very powerful experience. Of all the British groups from 1963-1964 none is more closely associated with the Beatles then Gerry & The Pacemakers: same city, manager and label.
 
How much tape did you have to dig through to get the performances you wanted?
DP: Because I've been dealing with music footage for the past 25 years I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted before I approached the artists for clearance. 
 
Was there any piece of footage that was particularly hard to find or that surprised you in any way?
DP: The footage of Herman's Hermits at the Cavern club before they had a record deal in February of 1964 was an amazing find. On the Small Faces DVD the footage of them during their debut performance was jaw-dropping. It was filmed by a Belgian news crew and sadly only a few minutes survived. There are so many amazing moments on all of them that it's hard to single out individual performances. 
 

What's been the most gratifying aspect about this whole project?
DP: That these artists have trusted me to document their music and preserve it for the world to enjoy is truly an honor and not something I take lightly. Whenever I'm doing one of these films I always remember that's it not my music, it's theirs and I owe it to their legacy to do it right. What we do is different than most filmmakers because our first goal is to show FULL songs, not a 30-second snippet and then cut to a photo and then a talking head that has nothing to do with the actual music. 
 
The interviews are really in-depth. You were able to get them to really go into detail about the music without getting bogged down in minutia. Did you find that everybody was really enthusiastic to talk about their careers and interested in trying to get across to people something about themselves that few people know about?
DP: First of all it's VERY important that most of the credit for the interviews goes to Rob Bowman who is a Grammy-award winning writer and a professor of music at York University in Toronto. Every single DVD I've done that requires new interviews has involved Rob, because his style is so amazing.

When we did Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, Smokey sat for 4 1/2 hours! When the interview was over, he told Rob that not only was it the longest interview he had ever done, but the best. People think that anyone can ask questions, but they're wrong. it takes a certain style and an incredible knowledge of the subject to be able to converse properly with the artist and to make them comfortable and let them know that you care about their work.

When that happens you get AMAZING stories from them. It's also important to note that with all of our DVDs, we only care about the music, not who is sleeping with whom or what drug they might have taken. I just care about the music. When I listen to "What's Going On" by Marvin Gaye, I don't think about his father shooting him to death. What I do think about is how beautiful the melody is and what was the inspiration behind the lyrics. My philosophy is quite simple: If it has nothing to do with the music or it's not focusing on the positive, then it's not going in my film. If someone wants to find out the "dirt," then use Google; it's easy to find. Our films are designed to entertain and educate. I enjoy making films that I can show my children and other parents can show their children, and they can learn about these great artists. Were these artists saints? No, but was their music timeless? The answer to that would have to be "yes' or we wouldn't be having this conversation right now. 

Looking back, do you think you accomplished what you set out to do?
DP: One of the biggest goals with the series is to make people re-evaluate an artist about whom they may have thought negatively or were, perhaps, just not all that familiar with. I can’t think of a more perfect example than the Herman’s Hermits title. Here’s an artist that, second to The Beatles, were the biggest-selling British Invasion artist between the years 1965 -1967, and yet when they’re discussed in the context of the era, most critics act as though they are just a novelty act that didn’t play their instruments — none of which is true.

The thing that makes me most proud is when people who had this negative view of the group watch this film and come away with a new outlook. Of course, they are not The Beatles, but that’s what makes this whole series so great. So many artists made great music that shouldn’t be compared to The Beatles but should stand on its own merits. I think that's certainly true of all of the artists we've covered so far. 

It's amazing what can happen in a very short window of time. Overnight, in the spring of 1969, everything changed for legendary guitarist Peter Frampton, who went from the up-and-coming band The Herd to the powerful blues-rock supergroup Humble Pie in short order.

But Frampton had another difficult decision to make, one that he's not sure if he's ever talked about before. Had he chosen differently, the entire history of pop music could have changed.






Let's set the scene. Frampton had just returned to England after working with the Small Faces and producer Glyn Johns on French rockabilly sensation Johnny Hallyday's 1969 self-titled album. A huge Small Faces fan, who idolized singer/guitarist Steve Marriott, Frampton had become fast friends with all of them and was still basking in the afterglow as Johns invited Frampton to his home to hear a new album that he'd mixed and recorded in just 10 days.

"'Who is it?' I asked," remembers Frampton. "'Led Zeppelin,' he says. Never heard of them. Anyway, my jaw is on the floor, and then Steve calls and says, 'Can I talk to Pete?' Steve says, 'I've left the band.' I said, 'You're kidding me!' He says, 'Can I join your band?' And I just had (drummer) Jerry Shirley in my band. I said, 'Well, OK. Of course.'"

Frampton had also spoken with former Spooky Tooth bassist Greg Ridley about possibly joining forces. He was up for it, and within a few days, what became Humble Pie was rehearsing in the front room of Shirley's mother's house. But that's only half the story.

"The following day, I get a call from Ronnie Lane," says Frampton. "He says, 'Can we come 'round to see you?' I had a feeling what would happen. They asked me to join the Small Faces. I said, 'First of all, a little late (laughs).' I would have loved to join the Small Faces, but I said, "I can't really turn down this situation. I'm honored that you would think of me.' The only thing is, it would take more than one person to replace Steve Marriott."

It was tough being caught in the middle, and for Frampton, who had gained some fame with his band The Herd, this was the crossroads. There was no turning back, whatever choice he made.

"It was a very sad situation for me," says Frampton. It was the one time in my life where there was no clear direction."

The good-natured Frampton wants to make it clear that " ... I was not the Yoko of the Small Faces," he jokes, "but I guess I was the last straw. But believe me, that's not what I wanted. But who's going to turn down a chance to be in a fresh band with Steve Marriott."

These days, Frampton is promoting a new solo album called Thank You, Mr. Churchill. We'll have more on Frampton in a future edition of Goldmine's print edition. To learn more about what he's up to, go to www.frampton.com.