Live From Abbey Road (Show 1, Series 2 - 27/06/2008)

With the temporary demise of the only decent music show on television, Later…with Jools Holland, I thought I would write about another. Live From Abbey Road is now back on More4 (one of Channel 4’s more artsy siblings) for a second series. I must admit that I missed the first shows which showcased the likes of Paul Simon, Massive Attack, Primal Scream, Kasabian and The Zutons.

The first episode in series two features three artists: Mary J. Blige, Dashboard Confessional and James Blunt. On paper this isn’t a very inspiring line up but the show surprised me.

It is worth talking about the format of the show. It is the antithesis of Later. There is no host, no audience and no voiceovers. The artists perform separately and never meet each other. The ‘live’ recordings take place in the studio, more like a recording session than a gig. And the musicians talk about their music.

The set list for Friday’s show is:

Mary J. Blige

• Just Fine
• Come To Me
• Family Affair

Dashboard Confessional

• Where There‘s Gold
• Hands Down

James Blunt

• Same Mistake
• I‘ll Take Everything
• 1973

The show starts with a introduction from each artist, in this case we have some world-weary philosophising from Mary J Blige, mystical wonderings from Dashboard’s front man Chris Carrabba and typical wide-eyed innocence from James Blunt.


First up, Mary J. ‘Just Fine’ is nothing unexpected but ‘Come To Me’ (also from latest offering ‘Growing Pains’) is a softer ballad which starts well - strings, piano and harmonies - but then descends into Whitney-esque wailing. Earlier song ‘Family Affair’ just doesn’t work at all now that Blige has grown up and is now more worldly wise.

Dashboard Confessional, sadly, only get two songs to perform. They kick off with the simple duel guitars and voices of ‘Where There‘s Gold‘, which Carrabba declares at the end as not as fun as he remembers, and then the fuller emo of ‘Hands Down‘. This works much better.


But it is James Blunt who is the real surprise. His band do a wonderful job of telling us all how great he is and talk about him fondly. That’s not much of a surprise but his performances are. ‘Same Mistake’ is excellent and flawless. There is such emotion and passion in his vocals and despite the clinical surroundings of studio, headphones and a rigid process, it is a genuine and heartfelt rendition. ‘I’ll Take Everything’ is also very good - an average song but a solid performance. If anything, the final song ‘1973’ is a little too precise and rigid. All three songs are from All The Lost Souls, the album Blunt wrote initially in isolation and then refined and recorded with a band. The band dynamic really shows.

In between the music, the artists talk about the songs which is a revealing insight into their mentalities and processes. The drummer from DC has pictures of his family on the drums so he can take his family on the road, for instance, and Carrabba talks about how his ‘art’ comes to him when he least expects it or wants it to. He is clearly overwhelmed by the occasion and the ‘magic’ of the studios, as he puts it. This affects the performances which is a shame. Mary J. has been through much in her life and constantly reminds us. But her music is now more relevant and personal than ever, reinforcing her status as one of the world’s best R&B stars. Blunt talks briefly about the difference between being in the music industry and being a musician, his 1970s influences and working with a band. It is all a bit sycophantic but credible enough to not be too disingenuous.

What is interesting about the studio format is the silence at the end of each recording. The end of ‘Same Mistake’ is spine chilling as Blunt tries to hold back the emotion he wouldn’t have if he was in front of a crowd. Blige is the same after ‘Come To Me’. It is unique and compelling. This is a double-edged sword. The ‘live’ tag of the show is really misleading as each song plays out like a recording session and not a session. So everything is far too polished. It looks (and sounds) at times like a final mastered song playing over footage of the recording, perfectly lip-synched. The big screen TV in the studio is a nice touch but gets annoying after a while. And if you can cope with the AD breaks, there is a ‘coming up…’ section before each and then after, a nice caption reminds you of who you were watching five minutes ago. This may seem petty but the show’s demeanour suggests a mature audience who don’t need to be dumbed down and know the artists well.

Live From Abbey Road is an interesting new show and totally different from anything else, not that there is much to choose from. I still say bring back The White Room but for now, this will have to do…