Let's Have A Party - The Piano Genius of Mrs Mills

[AndyM]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0 ... Mrs_Mills/

Now here's a test for seeing how strong your musical stomach is!! Brilliant BBC4 documentary about Mrs Mills, the rotund, jolly piano player who sold shedloads of albums in the 60s and 70s. She was the soundtrack to the working-class family parties of my childhood, which meant that (a) I was duty bound to despise her music as my own tastes formed and (b) this documentary knocked me sideways by inducing intense surges of nostalgia.

It seems some are now 'reclaiming' her in various ways, but whatever you think of that, her success and popularity shed light on the musical zone of the irredeemably unhip. Also lots of stuff about class, taste and memory, which ticks my boxes and no mistake. And the history of piano playing, and recording the piano. I found this to be a fascinating show, but I expect some won't be able to last more than five minutes!!

It does tell you about her connection to 'Penny Lane', though.........

[will vine]

There was a Winifred Attwell thread going here a while back, but what of Russ Conway and Joe "Mr. Piano" Henderson?

[AndyM]

They feature in the Mrs Mills programme (Joe only in verbal passing), as does Charlie Kunz! It's another world......

[Hugh Weldon]

I remember her as she was always guesting on TV shows but never met anyone who had any of her records. But quite amazing what a market there was for that sort of piano playing. Surely a connection to the piano in the parlour and the pub piano? - but at the same time a move away from the more communal to the commercial.

Can't think of anyone else in that line, except Les Dawson's wrong notes act. Liberace?Richard Clayderman???

[AndyM]

They had pseudo-classical virtuousity in their repertoire, unlike Mrs M. She was the old-school pub pianist, as you say. The show connects her to 1920s stride piano too.

[gary booth]

It was fascinating on many levels: the appreciation of her technique, the manifesto of 'partying' - almost everyone of her albums had 'party' in the title. The album cover with the penguins has to be seen - as does Bobby Crush and Rick Wakeman who are living proof of Danny Baker's phrase: "Beer & Beef give a man shape." But it didn't need Rowland Rivron making the same point over and over - if it, or TV needs him at all.

[Hugh Weldon]

Well I watched it and it's well worth a look. It reminded me of that phrase 'light entertainment' and I was lightly entertained, not least by the fact that the 'Mrs Mills piano' at Abbey Road was used for 'Penny Lane'.

Agreed the talking heads varied in quality as they usually do. Why do they never get Richard Dyer in for things like this? He's still around isn't he Andy? Maybe his interests have moved on these days.

[AndyM]

Agreed the talking heads varied in quality as they usually do. Why do they never get Richard Dyer in for things like this? He's still around isn't he Andy? Maybe his interests have moved on these days.

He is still around, now Professor of Film at King's College London. Closer to home, they could ask me!! Quite a few of my media performances have been things Richard didn't want to do! Even I'm more perceptive than Roland bloody Rivron.

[Adam Blake]

Fabulous! Thank you for the heads up, Andy.

Mrs Mills seems to have been one of those very rare personalities who crop up in showbiz from time to time whose talent is for making people feel warm and comfortable and happy. That is surely the mark of a true entertainer - as opposed to an artist whose work may or may not be entertaining.

Cilla Black and Gracie Fields also spring to mind. And of course your friend George Formby!

Chuckled out loud at Rick Wakeman's attempt to impersonate her style on the piano. It still sounded like Rick Wakeman. But it was nice to see the old curmudgeon smiling and twinkling - that's the Mrs Mills effect.

That Roland Rivron really doesn't have any insight at all, does he? What was he doing there? I wasn't particularly impressed by Alex Petrides, either. Much more interesting were the musicologists, and the choreographer/musician, and especially the young musicians who are carrying on her work. The scene of a recent pub gig with people singing along to those songs was extraordinary.

I could have done with a bit more about the provenance of her material - the roots of music hall etc. I liked the fact that nobody dotted the i's or crossed the t's about the fact that Mrs Mills slightly risque duet was with a black man (Geoff Love) at a time when that could have been construed as having considerable political significance. I liked the respect that one and all had for her musicianship but I would like to have known a little more about how she developed her style.

All told, though, a very enjoyable program and very thought provoking about the slow death of community in working class Britain, the inexorable rise of individualism and maybe, just maybe, signs that communality may be on the rise again.

[Rob Hall]

That Roland Rivron really doesn't have any insight at all, does he? What was he doing there?

Not having watched the programme, nor possessing any knowledge of how it came to be made, I'll go out on a limb here with these thoughts: they wanted Jools Holland; Roland Rivron is big mates with Jools; Jools turned them down and suggested his mate Roland.

[Adam Blake]

Aaaaah, yes. Of course. They should have had Prof Medhurst to delineate it all properly for them. Andy, sack your agent, darling. He's ab-solutely bloody useless.

[AndyM]

All told, though, a very enjoyable program and very thought provoking about the slow death of community in working class Britain, the inexorable rise of individualism and maybe, just maybe, signs that communality may be on the rise again.

Well said.

[Rob Hall]

Mmm.... now I've watched it, I'm amazed/delighted to discover just how familiar it all is. I've dropped hints here and there, but my formative years - from 5 to 11 (roughly, 1960-1966) were spent as a snotty kid living in a backstreet pub in Stoke on Trent. Singalongs around the pub piano are some of my earliest musical memories, and Mrs Mills' repertoire featured prominently. My mother was from down south, and my dad revelled in his (limited) knowledge of cockney, so the whole London-centric aspect of Mrs Mills presented no barriers.

Mind you, the guy tap-dancing over the closing credits could do with a bit of practice - his timing was way off. And that last sequence - at the Palladium? - with the Pearly Queens dancing behind her: at least one of those girls must have been Una Stubbs.

[Ted]

I think it's safe to admit this here....

In 1972 I was arrested for writing "Mrs Mills Is Far Out" on a wall in Romford.

[NormanD]

Well done Ted. Should be up there with "Marcel Proust Is A Yenta"