Helen Shapiro a huge teenager star! She met the BEATLES and topped the bill in front of them before their success exploded in Britain and around the world!! Helen was great!!
I remember my dad coming in from work one evening and telling us the story of this short film and how interesting he had found it. He had nipped into the cinema in Liverpool during his lunchtime to catch a couple of these shorts as was his wont. He also told us to listen out for Helen Shapiro and Walking Back to Happiness as he thought it was a catchy number. I would have been 8 or 9 then and today is the first time I have seen the film itself. Thank you.
Jean Metcalfe who narrated this was a well known BBC presenter of two way family favourites broadcast every Sunday in the 50s and 60s on the light programme, then radio 2. There should be a place for her like on the BBC today. Highly professional, and articulate. Helens song is a page in the history of the 60s when I was at school.
This song by Helen Shapiro "Walking Back To Happiness" also hit Poland in 1961. I was 9 years old then, but it stuck in my memory very much. Despite my young age, I really liked Helen Shapiro's strong and persuasive voice. In the following years, I became interested in the Beatles, but I was also very happy to come back to this singer. Years later, I found out that her grandparents came from Poland. goombay
a very charming production about how a recording of a song is made back in the 1960's using a tape recorder to catch the sound, lateron used to engrave the " master record "
My favourite song. I loved seeing Helen's face when she sang the wrong word - see 4.49 to 4.55. Her eyes widened. Bloopers weren't advertised in those days. Great video, great singer.
The old EMI plant in Hayes was only a couple of miles from where I used to live as a kid, they used to dump rejects by the box load in the old gravel pits in Heston, that's where I got most of my singles and lp's from.
So good to see this, I knew about this years ago but have never seen the full version. So great to see Helen get her miming wrong at 4:51, she realises and makes a face. Glad they left that in.
Hi. Helen is my all time favourite voice. I'm 66 and she was on tv a lot when I was a child. Thank u so much for posting the 4.52 voice over error. I love the look on her face. As if to say "oops sorry". I had watched this vid a few times but never spotted it. Thanx again.
How very interesting.. I always thought this terrific song from helen was recorded in a large studio with a large orchestra. I also thought that it was young teenage girls doing the back up bit ...suprised to see the somewhat older woman . Wonderful to see...thanks !
@Quincy Breed Indeed you are correct, the middle backing singer is Marjorie Daw a session singer and a former singer with the Oscar Rabin Band (1949-54). I believe she had a record release of her own in 1958, She was married to the famous English jazz drummer Kenny Clare who sadly died in 1985.
@Quincy Breed Yes I am 68 years young and like you a great music lover but not the modern stuff I am afraid. I had viewed the Mary Hopkin video some time ago as its one of Mary's tracks I do like and especially as its been remastered like you say, and like some others have commented I don't think Mary looked too enthusiastic stood with Paul during the session, I don't think from what I have read she was always happy with some of his ideas. Nevertheless its a good production. Interesting to note it's down as written by Lennon & McCartney, Not sure John had any input to the song Or did he ! Spending a lot of my spare time these days converting old 50's and 60's Mono tracks to stereo which is great fun.
@Quincy Breed I like yourself try and seek out the stereo versions of favourite songs of mine if they are available. But many do not show up either because they were recorded in mono or the multitrack tapes are sitting on a shelf somewhere in the vaults, that's if they haven't been wiped or lost. plus they would say it would cost too much money to have them fetched out of the vaults and have someone mix them down to stereo, I'll do it for nothing ! The stereo conversion process some have used in the past has been with spectral editing software unfortunately some skill and time is required with this method. I use an online conversion programme Moises.ai where you can upload a mono file and get back usually in minutes up to 5 tracks. They are not totally isolated tracks as such but with a bit of careful mixing etc you can get some very good results.moises.ai does have a built in mixer but it is a bit basic. The quality you can achieve is vastly superior to the stereo enhanced rubbish of the sixties and seventies provided you take a bit of time and trouble with the track. The programmes I use are Adobe Audition (Mixing), Izotope RX7 advanced (Faults etc) and Diamond Cut 10.7 (Tweaks etc) One track I have converted recently is the Adam Faith track 'Poor Me' issued in the UK in1960, I had been looking for this one for years as a lot of Adam's releases had been issued in stereo back then. ua-cam.com/video/mtdcFgmtCG8/v-deo.html is the link if you want to take a listen.(Would be interested as to what you think) I have the Marianne Faithfull track you mentioned 'As tears go by' also on my channel.I also have on there a alternate take of Dusty's 'I only want to be with you' single tracked vocal as opposed to the double track vocal on the released version.
@@dippey In 1990 I was the first to release John Barry's Beat Girl album, with its 3 Adam Faith vocals, on CD, and was disappointed to discover it was recorded in mono. I've often wondered how different it would sound in stereo!
At 7 minutes and 40 seconds into this famous short, a woman is seen holding an NME (New Musical Express). This issue was dated September 22nd, 1961, and I’m happy to say I bought it on eBay and received it today, Monday, August 19th, 2024. It also contains a very interesting article about the filming of this Look at Life short and Helen Shapiro’s thoughts on it.
Que Voz maravilhosa,amo os Beatles,e Helen Shapiro,uma cantora maravilhosa,um grande talento, Contralto lindo de se ouvir, anos sessenta, dourados,até nas canções 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵❤️❤️
Thanks so much for putting this up and well done for tracking down this rare and priceless film= I just wish more people were aware of your vid and could share this wonderful memory from long ago= in my case the age of 13!=== One of my all time faves
The picture quality of “LOOK AT LIFE - FOR THE RECORD (1961), which had its first screening on British television this morning (Saturday, December 11th, 2021) at 7:35, was vastly superior to this terribly faded upload on UA-cam. Clear image, unfaded colour. The same version is available on one of the Network DVD Look at Life volumes.
Helen Recording Her Third Record and eventually a Number One In the UK. Hard to think She was only 15 spotted by Paul McCartney. I Remember this one and the one on Fashion.
A pity that this is the only Look at Life on the many DVD volumes of those shorts released by Network that has poor, muffled sound...like a recording played with a very blunt needle. I remember showing this as a cinema projectionist in 1962 and the sound on it then was clear as a bell. So where have Network got this one from with the muffled sound? A fault in the DVD mastering, perhaps? Whatever the reason, they should go back to the original and do it again properly. We used to have a new Look at Life every week in those days, but the Helen Shapiro one is the one I'll always remember.
Compared to what came later, the recording equipment in Studio 2 at EMI's Abbey Road Studios in 1961, complete with orchestra, conductor, chorus and performer, was a bit primitive. Twelve years later in 1973, when eleven years old DARREN BURN was recording his first record, he sang in an empty Studio 2 to a pre-recorded backing track (see MAN ALIVE - TWINKLE TWINKLE LITTLE STAR).
Totally interesting to see how this was done. I knew someone who worked in a record pressing factory in the U.S. They'd melt the wax on the master metal to produce the hits of the Bee Gees, the Roberta Flack, Barbara Streisand and many other legends, but it was just factory work. For all the glamor involved, it might as well have been canning tomatoes.
You never know how problematic was to take quality live sound until late 60s. It was always much simpler to make the sound in the studio and just film the footage silently.
She would have been a lot more popular in America, but British rarely came to the US before the Beatles opened the door. After they opened the door there was the British invasion.
I'm an American, and the 1960s were my elementary school/junior high school years. Yes, I remember the Beatles and other British singers (The Dave Clark Five, Herman's Hermits, Chad and Jeremy, et al.). My favorite pop group of the 1960s were The Seekers (Australians!). I love their songs "Georgy Girl" and "I'll Never Find Another You."
Record execs were crazy cheap and wouldn't risk company money financing a American tour so if you really wanted international exposure you had to move to America on your own. I think successful American songs became international because music was sent out to American troops around the world. Would the US know Lulu if it wasn't for the movie? I don't think she's anything special but I know the female teen singers in America at that time (pre-Beatles) compared to them Helen would have been huge. The only good ones I can think of was Brenda Lee and Ronnie Spector of the Ronettes. Most of the really good female vocalists were doing Country.
@@matrox I had no doubt you could add a name or two to the ones I mentioned . But I wasn't talking about the 60s in general I was talking about when Helen became huge in England at 14 soon to be turning 15 which would be 1961. Leslie's hit was in '63 almost 3 years after Helen's first hit song and during the time when Helen was 16 turning 17 with the Beatles. I think at the time of '61 the position for the top female rock icon was vacant and almost any teen in movies, tv, Elvis and Disney movies too had a song on the chart at one time.
Compared to the music in the States at that time the Beatles sound was a shock to the senses. Plus you're using an example from a song that only became popular because their other songs made fans want to hear everything they had. Whenever old singers like Lewis and Martin made fun of the Beatles in the 60s it was always the She Loves You yeah yeah yeah. Jerry Lewis not being bright enough to see the changing of times once did a skit on his show mocking 4 man rock bands. I've never heard of Helen Shapiro and I would have made a terrible music exec because I don't think she's anything special and I probably wouldn't have signed her. Petula Clark and Lulu are the type of voices that find success overseas.
Helen Shapiro a huge teenager star! She met the BEATLES and topped the bill in front of them before their success exploded in Britain and around the world!! Helen was great!!
Don't believe you
I remember my dad coming in from work one evening and telling us the story of this short film and how interesting he had found it. He had nipped into the cinema in Liverpool during his lunchtime to catch a couple of these shorts as was his wont. He also told us to listen out for Helen Shapiro and Walking Back to Happiness as he thought it was a catchy number. I would have been 8 or 9 then and today is the first time I have seen the film itself. Thank you.
Jean Metcalfe who narrated this was a well known BBC presenter of two way family favourites broadcast every Sunday in the 50s and 60s on the light programme, then radio 2.
There should be a place for her like on the BBC today. Highly professional, and articulate.
Helens song is a page in the history of the 60s when I was at school.
what a beautiful voice and she looks good as well ...so long ago and i learnt how records are made wow
This song by Helen Shapiro "Walking Back To Happiness" also hit Poland in 1961. I was 9 years old then, but it stuck in my memory very much. Despite my young age, I really liked Helen Shapiro's strong and persuasive voice. In the following years, I became interested in the Beatles, but I was also very happy to come back to this singer. Years later, I found out that her grandparents came from Poland.
goombay
Thats great information thanks tomasz
Great nostalgia, Helen was my first 'crush' as we are the same age. Good to hear and see Jean Metcalf too.
a very charming production about how a recording of a song is made back in the 1960's using a tape recorder to catch the sound, lateron used to engrave the " master record "
My favourite song. I loved seeing Helen's face when she sang the wrong word - see 4.49 to 4.55. Her eyes widened. Bloopers weren't advertised in those days. Great video, great singer.
Great to watch thanks
Helen was awesome.
This was so interesting ... Thanks.
The old EMI plant in Hayes was only a couple of miles from where I used to live as a kid, they used to dump rejects by the box load in the old gravel pits in Heston, that's where I got most of my singles and lp's from.
I bet you got some rare songs in there, huh. You lucky soul.
Jrgboy is not answering because he fell down the gravel pit
he fell for the shapiro's
So good to see this, I knew about this years ago but have never seen the full version. So great to see Helen get her miming wrong at 4:51, she realises and makes a face. Glad they left that in.
Hi. Helen is my all time favourite voice. I'm 66 and she was on tv a lot when I was a child. Thank u so much for posting the 4.52 voice over error. I love the look on her face. As if to say "oops sorry".
I had watched this vid a few times but never spotted it. Thanx again.
Yes thats a great moment. I am looking for the pathe news clip where they show her leaving school
It might be a mistake on the editor's part, putting the clip on the wrong part of the song but you could be right, she does look faintly alarmed!
Fascinating insight in to how it used to be done. Thanks for sharing.
Have a CD of Helen,always enjoy listening to many of her songs(looking back..look who it is keep away...etc)Helen is a classy performer
How very interesting.. I always thought this terrific song from helen was recorded in a large studio with a large orchestra.
I also thought that it was young teenage girls doing the back up bit ...suprised to see the somewhat older woman .
Wonderful to see...thanks !
@Quincy Breed Indeed you are correct, the middle backing singer is Marjorie Daw a session singer and a former singer with the Oscar Rabin Band (1949-54). I believe she had a record release of her own in 1958, She was married to the famous English jazz drummer Kenny Clare who sadly died in 1985.
@Quincy Breed Yes I am 68 years young and like you a great music lover but not the modern stuff I am afraid. I had viewed the Mary Hopkin video some time ago as its one of Mary's tracks I do like and especially as its been remastered like you say, and like some others have commented I don't think Mary looked too enthusiastic stood with Paul during the session, I don't think from what I have read she was always happy with some of his ideas. Nevertheless its a good production. Interesting to note it's down as written by Lennon & McCartney, Not sure John had any input to the song Or did he ! Spending a lot of my spare time these days converting old 50's and 60's Mono tracks to stereo which is great fun.
@Quincy Breed I like yourself try and seek out the stereo versions of favourite songs of mine if they are available. But many do not show up either because they were recorded in mono or the multitrack tapes are sitting on a shelf somewhere in the vaults, that's if they haven't been wiped or lost. plus they would say it would cost too much money to have them fetched out of the vaults and have someone mix them down to stereo, I'll do it for nothing !
The stereo conversion process some have used in the past has been with spectral editing software unfortunately some skill and time is required with this method. I use an online conversion programme Moises.ai where you can upload a mono file and get back usually in minutes up to 5 tracks. They are not totally isolated tracks as such but with a bit of careful mixing etc you can get some very good results.moises.ai does have a built in mixer but it is a bit basic.
The quality you can achieve is vastly superior to the stereo enhanced rubbish of the sixties and seventies provided you take a bit of time and trouble with the track.
The programmes I use are Adobe Audition (Mixing), Izotope RX7 advanced (Faults etc) and Diamond Cut 10.7 (Tweaks etc)
One track I have converted recently is the Adam Faith track 'Poor Me' issued in the UK in1960, I had been looking for this one for years as a lot of Adam's releases had been issued in stereo back then. ua-cam.com/video/mtdcFgmtCG8/v-deo.html is the link if you want to take a listen.(Would be interested as to what you think)
I have the Marianne Faithfull track you mentioned 'As tears go by' also on my channel.I also have on there a alternate take of Dusty's 'I only want to be with you' single tracked vocal as opposed to the double track vocal on the released version.
@@dippey In 1990 I was the first to release John Barry's Beat Girl album, with its 3 Adam Faith vocals, on CD, and was disappointed to discover it was recorded in mono. I've often wondered how different it would sound in stereo!
@@dippeyknown as ‘See-Saw’ to her friends
GREAT DAYS NO1 SONG WALKING BACK TO HAPPINESS
BY HELEN SHAPIRO ⚘⚘⚘
LOVELY FILM 🎥🎥🎥
It's great to see Norrie Paramor and Helena Sharpiro in recording session.
I remember Jean, she was wonderful but I love Helen xx
Hoepah Oh Jéé .....a mere four years later The Beatles would adopt that same studio as their living quarters for the rest of the 60's.
A great film,thanks for sharing!
Fascinating thank you
63 ' Beatles begin their run later.
“WALKIN’ BACK TO HAPPINESS” and its ‘B’ side “KISS ‘N’ RUN” were recorded in Studio 2 at the Abbey Road Studios on Friday, July 28th, 1961.
At 7 minutes and 40 seconds into this famous short, a woman is seen holding an NME (New Musical Express). This issue was dated September 22nd, 1961, and I’m happy to say I bought it on eBay and received it today, Monday, August 19th, 2024. It also contains a very interesting article about the filming of this Look at Life short and Helen Shapiro’s thoughts on it.
at4-41 the middle woman is the same one that sang on "those were the days my friend" Mary Hopkin Paul mcartrneys song
My fav singer ❤
Thanx for telling the error at 4.51. I have watched this many times and never spotted. The look on her face said it all. As if she says oops sorry.
Fantastic video, well done for uploading it.
Здравствуйте. У вас получился фильм урок изготовления пластинок. Очень интересный фильм. Очень вам благодарна.
Какая она миленькая и голос такой приятный...чувственный! А песни все как на подбор мелодичные и красивые!!!
Que Voz maravilhosa,amo os Beatles,e Helen Shapiro,uma cantora maravilhosa,um grande talento, Contralto lindo de se ouvir, anos sessenta, dourados,até nas canções 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵❤️❤️
Thanks so much for putting this up and well done for tracking down this rare and priceless film= I just wish more people were aware of your vid and could share this wonderful memory from long ago= in my case the age of 13!=== One of my all time faves
6 years later guitar bands spent time in studio for the weeks.
GREAT FILM SHE WAS LOVLY WISH ID GROWN UP IN THE 60S
I did. Yes, it had great aspects and ordinary aspects. Like all decades.
wow great vid 100
Jongste zangeres allertijden 13jaar oud. Nummer 1 Engeland
The picture quality of “LOOK AT LIFE - FOR THE RECORD (1961), which had its first screening on British television this morning (Saturday, December 11th, 2021) at 7:35, was vastly superior to this terribly faded upload on UA-cam. Clear image, unfaded colour. The same version is available on one of the Network DVD Look at Life volumes.
Helen Recording Her Third Record and eventually a Number One In the UK. Hard to think She was only 15 spotted by Paul McCartney. I Remember this one and the one on Fashion.
This was spoofed in the film Smashing Time.
A pity that this is the only Look at Life on the many DVD volumes of those shorts released by Network that has poor, muffled sound...like a recording played with a very blunt needle. I remember showing this as a cinema projectionist in 1962 and the sound on it then was clear as a bell. So where have Network got this one from with the muffled sound? A fault in the DVD mastering, perhaps? Whatever the reason, they should go back to the original and do it again properly. We used to have a new Look at Life every week in those days, but the Helen Shapiro one is the one I'll always remember.
Compared to what came later, the recording equipment in Studio 2 at EMI's Abbey Road Studios in 1961, complete with orchestra, conductor, chorus and performer, was a bit primitive. Twelve years later in 1973, when eleven years old DARREN BURN was recording his first record, he sang in an empty Studio 2 to a pre-recorded backing track (see MAN ALIVE - TWINKLE TWINKLE LITTLE STAR).
Totally interesting to see how this was done. I knew someone who worked in a record pressing factory in the U.S. They'd melt the wax on the master metal to produce the hits of the Bee Gees, the Roberta Flack, Barbara Streisand and many other legends, but it was just factory work. For all the glamor involved, it might as well have been canning tomatoes.
UAU!! SHOW!
wsoo-greates herr..xxxx
And I got one of the copy’s ….
Is that Studio 2 - the Beatles studio?
What's with the Color cutting to faded then back to normal?
Only 60 years ago. Seems like 600.
A few hundred feet of tape and about 100 cigarette butts...
He's thinking about a Ruby Murray.. 🤣
I'm confused - why can't we hear the actual live recording session - this is the hit record dubbed on to the film...
You never know how problematic was to take quality live sound until late 60s. It was always much simpler to make the sound in the studio and just film the footage silently.
I wish we could hear that too, but I’m sure it would’ve been tough to do back then
She would have been a lot more popular in America, but British rarely came to the US before the Beatles opened the door. After they opened the door there was the British invasion.
I'm an American, and the 1960s were my elementary school/junior high school years. Yes, I remember the Beatles and other British singers (The Dave Clark Five, Herman's Hermits, Chad and Jeremy, et al.).
My favorite pop group of the 1960s were The Seekers (Australians!). I love their songs "Georgy Girl" and "I'll Never Find Another You."
@@orvilleh.larson7581 Yeh..great music back then. I grew up with it too.
Record execs were crazy cheap and wouldn't risk company money financing a American tour so if you really wanted international exposure you had to move to America on your own. I think successful American songs became international because music was sent out to American troops around the world. Would the US know Lulu if it wasn't for the movie?
I don't think she's anything special but I know the female teen singers in America at that time (pre-Beatles) compared to them Helen would have been huge. The only good ones I can think of was Brenda Lee and Ronnie Spector of the Ronettes. Most of the really good female vocalists were doing Country.
@@Calers-gu1ib Leslie Gore was very popular then not only as a singer but as a writer.
@@matrox I had no doubt you could add a name or two to the ones I mentioned . But I wasn't talking about the 60s in general I was talking about when Helen became huge in England at 14 soon to be turning 15 which would be 1961. Leslie's hit was in '63 almost 3 years after Helen's first hit song and during the time when Helen was 16 turning 17 with the Beatles.
I think at the time of '61 the position for the top female rock icon was vacant and almost any teen in movies, tv, Elvis and Disney movies too had a song on the chart at one time.
Hop off that chair Helen 1:55
All it took for the Brits to break into the American market was dumb down the "Oompah o yeah yeah" to "yeah yeah yeah". 😅
Compared to the music in the States at that time the Beatles sound was a shock to the senses. Plus you're using an example from a song that only became popular because their other songs made fans want to hear everything they had. Whenever old singers like Lewis and Martin made fun of the Beatles in the 60s it was always the She Loves You yeah yeah yeah.
Jerry Lewis not being bright enough to see the changing of times once did a skit on his show mocking 4 man rock bands. I've never heard of Helen Shapiro and I would have made a terrible music exec because I don't think she's anything special and I probably wouldn't have signed her. Petula Clark and Lulu are the type of voices that find success overseas.
ale że tak bez kompa........
Прямо музыкально научный урок. Гм..
I do believe that's Brian Epstein's record store at 1:08 because I'm pretty sure that's him standing there at the far left at the counter.
Good old manufactured pop americans are adoring to this day -- let pros do their jobs in a studio and let amateurs pose on stage.
2:55 If they had known, they wouldn't have let that trio of ladies ruin the record with those ridiculous Ye ye ye ye
Agreed - the whole phrase should’ve been on the violins. But different times different sensibilities maybe
Norrie Paramour. Not well liked in the business. He had the arrogance to place this on the bottom of a record: W.A. Mozart (Arr Paramour).
Norrie was a lovely man and we all loved him
1:35 Tell me that's not a bl0ke. I double dare ya