Songs & Visions: The Carlsberg Concert '97 (part I)

Concert tickets and memorabilia

Probably the best concert in the world? SPL editor Mark Cunningham joined the artists and crew in rehearsal at Olympic Studios, and at front of house at Wembley Stadium to discover wether this all-star celebration of 40 years of pop would live up to its promise.

Throughout the spring and summer months, it was impossible for patrons of british ale houses not to have noticed the hordes of beer mats and flyers confidently advertising what was going to be "probably the best concert in the world" - the Carlsberg-sponsored Songs & Visions show at Wembley Stadium on August 16, the 20th anniversary of Elvis Presley's death.

Upon the initial announcement that Songs & Visions would be broadcast either live or post-produced in 60 countries, the concert was described as a celebration of the classic songs of the last 40 years, sung by a cross section of contemporary stars, and with each year introduced by archive video footage depicting familiar events. Much like a live concert version of BBC TV's immensely popular series The Rock 'n' Roll Years, really.

There was no doubt that with Executive Producer and Chairman of Tribute Productions Tony Hollingsworth at the helm, the involvement of the high priests of set and lighting design, Mark Fisher and Patrick Woodroffe, and an investment of $8 million, this was going to be a major spectacular. A unique evening was certainly guaranteed with such a glittering array of artists: Rod Stewart, Jon Bon Jovi, Chaka Khan, Steve Winwood, Robert Palmer, Toni Braxton, Kd Lang, Seal Mary J. Blige and, the ultimate wild card, Eikichi Yazawa, the 'Japanese Elvis' who has sold more than 10 million albums in his native land, and whose appearance at Songs & Visions was allegedly inluenced by the sale of broadcast rights to Japan's NHK television channel.

As I wrestled uncomfortably with mixed feelings of intrigue and bemusement, my cabaret alarm bell was beginning to ring loudly and my worst fear was that I might witness Kd Lang bringing a sassy respectability to Black Lace's holiday fave Agadoo. Thankfully, it was not be, as Tony Hollingsworth confirmed on June 23 when he invited me to the Tribute office to explain the show concept. It was Hollingworth's idea for Songs & Visions which gave Sensible Events' Andrew Zweck the perfect solution when approached by Carlsberg about a concert package that would boost the beer giant's profile in entertainment. Once the marriage between Carlsberg and Tribute was consummated, Zweck ducked out of the frame and Hollingsworth began the brainstorming.

He said: "We looked back at all the major international television music events and asked the broadcasters what they remembered about them. The most vivid memories were of the unique combinations of artists and the special moments that would never happen again. People remembered Bowie and Jagger at Live Aid and the fantastic Eric Clapton/Dire Straits set at the Nelson Mandela 70th birthday Tribute, and international television wants that extra 'something'. We then decided to design a show where 50% of the programme would focus on special combinations. So what could we choose as a subject to get people to do a whole series of duets and trios? We settled on the greatest hits of the last 40 years and decided to choose one hit per year, from 1996 to 1956. To give it an extra televisual element, we would put on the front of each number a set of iconic images that introduced the audience to that year."

This was clearly an event that was all about making great music for the benefit of the 70,000 at Wembley, and the estimated 500 million television viewers around the planet. Shortlisting, never mind finalising, the 40-song set list was always going to cause much pain and frustration, and as I will explain later, I had some severe reservations about the inclusion of some titles. At our meeting, Hollingsworth stressed the importance of "divorcing the artists from their own material", and instead get them to perform faithful interpretations of the classics.

"Over the years, people have increasingly become locked into the idea that artists have to do their own songs. But if you look back at entertainment over the last 200 years, singers just went out and performed the greatest songs they could get hold of. There are some fantastic pop songs and voices, and we're putting them together. The important thing is that no one is performing in order to promote his or her latest single or album. Even though we are putting it on international television, we are doing exactly the opposite of any other television company which will normally buy finished acts, put them on the stage and record them. But we are creating something different which will eventually come out on record and hopefully last as a piece of television for over five years."

RP and Rod Stewart performing Some Guys Have All The Luck

Sure enough, the show kicked off in style with Papa Was A Rollin' Stone (deliberately out of chronological order), as the TV cameras "explored the geography" of the music before focusing on each member of the UnAffordables, the aptly-named stellar backing band and 32-piece orchestra led by Musical Director Stewart Levine. The famous Temptations track provided an excellent means by which to introduce the first group of artists before spinning back through the decades.

It was with the next number that I began to see the show shift away from the concept described to me. The hit of 1996 was not an Oasis song as pre-advertised, but Toni Braxton's Unbreak My Heart, sung by... Toni Braxton. OK, it would have been hard to imagine this soul diva performing Don't Look Back In Anger, but wasn't this missing the point? In fact, only one of the first seven 'chronological' numbers - Rod and Mary J.'s version of Nothing Compares 2 U - kept to this brief of "divorcing the artists" from their own songs. By the end of the show, more than a quarter of the 40 songs had been sung by their original hitmakers. Artist pressure, perharps?

On reflection, there were a number of genuine highpoints. Seal and Steve Winwood gave a rousing version of U2's I Still haven't Found What I'm Looking For, Rod and Robert Palmer were tremendous on Some Guys Have All The Luck, Kd Lang and Chaka divine on Every Breath You Take, and Winwood's own Gimme Some Lovin', with that grinding Hammond organ, sounded every bit as electrifying as it did back in '66 (not 1967 as the screens stated). And as for Jon Bon Jovi, well, it seemed as if his entire international fan club had just flown in to drool at the sight of their idol.

As a celebration of classic songwriting, the concert worked, but I cannot ignore some irritating negatives. For a show so preoccupied with its historical theme, its indifference to the most important cultural landmarks of our time bordered on insult. 1976 was, you may recall, the year of Punk, and like it or not, it marked a total music revolution which continues to inspire today's bands. At Wembley, the video screens may have showned a fleeting, token glimpse of some spiky-haired revellers, but there was no musical reference to this phenomenon. Instead, '76 was represented by Rod's Tonight's The Night. Similarly, the psychedelic watershed year of 1967 was celebrated by Mary J. singing You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman. Far out.

UnAffordables' keyboard player and one-time Paul McCartney band member Wix Wickens attempted to explain the dilemna: "The set list is a very subjective area because what might have been a million-selling classic in one country might not mean much in another. Ultimately, the final set depends on global recognition."

Two observations of Tribute's attention to historical accuracy had me floored. Seal's version of Led Zep's Stairway To Heaven (bereft of the guitar solo that everyone surely expected) was supposed to represent 1972. That song was released in 1971, folks. The screens also dared to cut one year off of Jim Morrison's already tragically short life. With so much money ploughed into this production, how did these errors occur? Maybe I'm just being too picky. Production Designer Mark Fisher made me feel as if I should lighten up.

He underlined Wickens' comments: "The show traced pop history through songs which would be enjoyed buy the masses, and achieving that is no mean feat. It was interesting to contrast it with U2's show, on which some part of the agenda is to make people think. Most people like to think in their own time and sometimes they just want to go out, sing and dance, and have fun. Songs & Visions was all about enjoyment and didn't pretend to be anything else. It was never about saving the world; it was about making people feel good about the popular culture of the last 40 years and giving it value."

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