Shindig!: America’s Flat-Out Ass-Kickin’ Rock ‘n’ Roll TV Show (The Rock & Pop on TV guides)

It is AD 2022. A book detailing the meteoric rise and painful fall of this historic mid-’60s pop music show would be virtually impossible to research and write today. The two most recognizable “faces” of Shindig! – British producer Jack Good and L.A.-based series host Jimmy O’Neill – are both gone. So are most of the performers who gave this show its near-mythical status. Even some of the dancers, such as glasses-wearing dynamo Carole Shelyne, are gone.Those sobering truths, along with the fact that little was ever written about Shindig! to begin with, leave us with this terrific book from author Peter Checksfield. It is, as other reviewers have stated, an episode guide. It also has a “fun facts” page to open the book.I would stress that this is a DETAILED episode guide, one filled with basic biographical info (including birth and death dates) for many of the performers, song trivia, anecdotes, and Peter’s personal observations on not only many of the performances but, where warranted, a few misguided full episodes that had no business being flown under the Shindig! banner. Further, he has included welcome screen captures from time-coded copies of each episode. With that in mind, a sidebar is in order:Shindig! is available in its entirety from private sellers on eBay. BUT PLEASE KNOW THIS: The images – particularly when it’s a long camera shot that takes in the extraordinary Shindig! dancers on a riser in the back – sometimes lack the clarity one might hope for. That said, medium shots and close-ups are fairly sharp, a real plus when one remembers these black-and-white shows originally aired in 1964 and 1965. The audio is surprisingly good throughout, which is essential. One tends to ignore the time-coding often displayed on screen.Okay, back to Peter Checksfield’s book. He’s done a great service for those of us who watched Shindig! every week as if it were a religious experience. The guy gets why this ABC Network show was groundbreaking. (Most of the performances were live.) He gets why its historical value cannot be dismissed. (Seminal rock 'n' roll legends of the 1950s joined a who’s who of mid-’60s greats and near-greats. Just check the show’s Wikipedia entry.) And he gets why it was unquestionably the best of the era’s pop music shows geared to the millions of kids raised on Top 40 radio here in the States. (Most of the day’s big-name rock bands, soul artists, and pop singers did their own current or best-known hits.)Shindig! also had an abundance of riches among its series regulars: the Blossoms (led by the fabulous Darlene Love) were the backing vocalists for many of the guests, and the revolving house band often included talented singer/guitarist Delaney Bramlett, pianist/singer Leon Russell, and picker James Burton, along with session musicians from the legendary Wrecking Crew. Other series regulars or semi-regulars included Donna Loren (a personal crush of mine), Bobby Sherman, Glen Campbell, Dick and Dee Dee, Billy Preston, and the Righteous Brothers.Shivaree, Hollywood a Go-Go, Hullabaloo, and Where The Action Is all had some fine moments during their own brief runs, but Shindig! was the energetic crown jewel of American pop music shows in the 1960s. Author Peter Checksfield has penned the ultimate episode guide to that cultural treasure. Five stars all the way!

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Each episode has songs and performers in order of appearance on left pages(with brief bios and trivia) and multiple screen captures on right page. Author watched every episode. Complete series bootlegs have been available on eBay in recent years so this book is a must if you're fortunate enough to have a set. Well done.

- No stories about the show! Just a listing of dates, bands played and songs. Buyer BEWARE !

Another excellent music TV reference book from Peter Checksfield., this time concentrating on the 1960s American show Shindig!, a sort of US Top of the Pops. The show included studio performances from pop royalty such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Supremes and The Beach Boys across its 2 year lifespan, and this comprehensive guide gives full details of all 86 shows. It includes artist and song listings, artist biog details and song trivia, plus frame grabs from timecoded preview copies of the shows, which all survive in the archives. I've never seen a full edition of the programme, as it wasn't broadcast in the UK, but I've seen clips on various music compilations and documentaries. It would be great if the series could be made commercially available - TV gold! - but I imagine that the clearance issues would make it near-impossible.

I love Shindig!I love the books Peter writes.So I knew I was onto a winner here.It's another great, well researched book from Peter.Once the football is over, I'm going to dust down my Shindig! dvds and watch them with Peter's book by my side.I love the fact his books spark ideas and get you scuttling off to Youtube to look at footage you thought was wiped.The book has nice telesnaps from the show and plenty of info on the guests.I can recommend all Peter's book. They are a terrific addition to any library.The book is an ideal size and you won't be disappointed.Now, I wonder what he's got up his sleeve next?

First class research book on the highly popular US pop music show.Detailed records of artists appearing and lavishly illustrated with b&w screenshots.For research or just wallowing in nostalgia this is absolutely fabulous!

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