I was 7 in 1965 but already totally into the music scene. It feels like I am going back once again to my happy childhood when I watch this DVD Hullabaloo Vols. 1-4. I am hoping to get my hands on the other 2 DVDs -- volumes 5-8 and 9-12. Hullabaloo wasn't as sophisticated as many music shows I also watched around this time and later (such as Solid Gold, American Bandstand, Soul Train, Don Kirschner's Rock Concert, and Midnight Special), but Hullabaloo still entertains! The writers WERE a bit corny and a lot of unnecessary hamming it up was thrown in between musical segments. But, this was the mid-1960's don't forget. For example, there's some klunky comedic play between Jerry Lewis (the telethon guy) and his son Gary Lewis (of the Playboys) I personally can do without. But that's the beauty of DVD - just press that "16x speed up" button on your remote!
Of particular interest are the British bands which were featured on segments from London hosted by Brian Epstein. Brian doesn't really do much, just kind of sways to the music and looks appreciative. But I especially love those British bands! It's a real treat to see Denny Laine of the original Moody Blues' lineup singing, one of my all-time favorite songs, "Go Now". This performance is included in the special features section of the DVD, so one might miss it. I'm pretty sure it is also included in the VHS version on volume one. I, of course, loved a lot of the music by the subsequent assemblage of the Moody Blues without Denny Laine. But never any as much as the song he wrote, "Go Now". He also went on to other fame in Wings. I still find I like HIS Wings' songs better than Paul McCartney's! I would buy this DVD for that one Denny Laine performance alone!
Another segment on the show was called "Tops of the Pops" where that episode's guests would sing shortened versions of 5 (other performers') top-rated songs of that time period. Even then, I always cringed when listening to these covers, however brief they were! I laugh to see that I still cringe at hearing them! They're fun to watch though, or skip ahead through them if you must!
Other great performances I like to watch over and over are The Mamas and the Papas singing "California Dreamin'", Marvin Gaye singing "Ain't That Peculiar" and Barry McGuire singing "Eve of Destruction", along with many, many others. You get more of your money's worth when you buy the DVD as you get 7 complete episodes, plus 18 bonus individual performances on a double-sided DVD. If you get the videos they each only have one episode.
Warning!: Your kids might freak out when they see the black and white episodes on the TV screen as my two little boys did! They thought they'd somehow get blamed for breaking the TV! Now they can't believe how deprived my childhood was! TV without color, imagine that!
Additional Warning!!!: You might throw your back out trying to outdo the Hullabaloo go-go dancers doing all the crazy dances we used to do! No wonder I was so skinny back then -- that dancing was a REAL aerobic workout! I'll just skip the mini skirt and go-go boots this time around though!
