@PaulMcCann92 Ignore him dear; he was only in a moody because he lost his favourite teddy. I did warn him he'd never get into a 12 but he still tried forcing it on. Tore the arse right out he did, and split the crotch from ear to hole.
I think this is an excellent video which offers a glimpse into the past as well as the present. Wonderful to see the archive footage of the Tower and the Pleasure Beach.
nothing for free in blackpool...but you cant take away the memories of its golden era...i could just sit in the ballroom and have a coffee...AND FEEL THE HiSTORY..shame is come to money
Filming anyone inside the ballroom is strictly prohibited without the individuals permission (there are signs posted on every door). Naturally the only way to get around this is to blur out every person's face. So I used the Neon colour effect to hide their features.
@nickysqq123 he would be up in arms i found a radio interview he did and some days he had to broadcast at three in the morning and then be back in the tower for 9 that same morning then he would record till one in the morning after the ballroom shut too the public at 9 in the evening he never stopped playing that wurlitzer and there are 4 current resident organists at the moment the dont do half as much put together as he did not too forget his sunday braodcasts all of the braodcasts were live.
In awe! Does the Tower still stand? I hope so and it is restored to original condition....If not thank God for the film and the good times had by so many..
Is that really Reginald Dixon at the start of the film? Did the Tower organ have a trolley before the lift? I think my grandfather told me that Dixon used to 'slide on' rather than the cinema method of rising from the pit.
Correct.... It was on an electrically operated trolley right up to the end of the 1956 season. The near disastrous fire in December that year all but destroyed the vulnerably positioned organ console right there on the stage.
A replacement console was obtained and rebuilt to the design of the original. Since then then the console has been on the lift centre stage. The electronic organ in the ballroom is now on a mobile trolley just as was the original pipe organ console.
True .... Blackpool Tower did open in 1894 but at that time the ballrroom was a rather plain pavilion with the band stage on the long south side. The ballroom was redesigned into its present opulent state by Frank Matcham just a few years later and re-opened as such in 1899. It remains to this day in this design. The only major change being when a WurliTzer organ was installed for the 1929 season. This was replaced by the present larger instrument in 1934 built to Reginald Dixon's design.
Dixon at the organ, but the music is Phil Kelsall playing a tribute to him. the song being "love makes the world go round". "Going for Gold" is the video. A celebration of the Towers 100th year.
One of my absolute favourite Youtube videos. 5 stars and then some! And now being available in high quality just makes it even better. Really grabs the atmosphere and panache of the awesome Tower Ballroom and showcases the organ technique that I know and adore.
A very, VERY nicely produced bit of nostalgia! You must have experienced a real thrill and satisfaction in editing this! And yes, I know from experience, the necessity of having to hide facial identities through the use of special effects. The legal, but necessary measures that must be taken in obtaining a signed release form from each and every person for public exhibition is a tedious if not impossible task, and I respect that! A job WELL DONE!!
The Visual footage from 0:40 is Reg when the WurliTzer was on a sliding rostrum much like the Wersi is today, this lasts for aprox 6 seconds and is very cleverly merged into visual archive footage of Phil Kelsall. All of the excellent audio is by Phil Kelsall.
It was certainly audience footage from his time, but the organist shots looked more like Phil Kelsall.
I've never understood, considering the success of the Tower Ballroom Wurlitzer it never happened anywhere else in Britain away from the Tower, Empress, Palace etc. I suppose there was a brief wartime burst of dancing at the Dome but so long ago and so shortlived.
As delightful as this is, it has a severe shortcoming, i.e., it needs to be 5 times longer! Not previously familiar with it, I love the promenade style of dancing. Elegance personified. Genovee in Pittsburgh, PA USA
This video is what it is. Charming and original for sure. Whether on the dance floor, or playing the instrument, everyone seems to be having a good time. So, let it be. Absolutely nothing is served by being critical. If you don't like it, there is always the sound of jet planes landing at an airport in South America.
This hall if palacially beautiful - - can you imagine it when people wore such fabulous clothes when they went out to dance and socialize? Must have been even more wonderful. Does anyone know what the specs are for this Wurlitzer - - certainly not as large as some it seems, but handles itself well in the great acoustics of this cavernous room.
i love the video,and the music but WHY WHY WHY spoil it by using Particle illusion!! you can just tell its done on that :(
if it was a better fx program it would of been better, and yes we get it that you have that OUTLINE negative Film effect like on I-movie!! lol just show the normal vid ;)
like the way you put it all together though :D nice video
I wanted to hide the peoples identities so they wouldn't complain that I didn't get their permission to show themselves, which would cause this video to be rejected.
Could have been a great video except you ruined it with special effects. Why? Also I recognise clips of this from a video that was on the market some years ago, which video was this?
Not when it's a specialist subject and the image is ruined in such a way. It happened to be very well shot video, very rare to get tripod mounted and well composed shots. I didn't see the point of putting effects on it.
This comment has received too many negative votesshow
Ah - that Blackpool sound we know and... ......HATE!!!
One day someone might just play that thing with some taste!
Other organists manage to do it on other organs. Why do Phil and that bunch always make the Tower Wurlitzer sound like a bloody fairground organ? I'm sure the organ is not much different to other Wurlitzers (except for the 'Blackpool' couplers) but it always seems gets played with awful registrations and tasteless playing!!
One thing it most certainly is NOT is jazz. I'm a jazz pianist on the pro London jazz scene - I should know. I'm also an organist and pipe organ restorer and have restored four of London's theatre organs including the wonderful Hammersmith Apollo (formerly Odeon) organ.
Don't get me wrong though, it's a fun clip and well done for posting it. It's also great that the Tower Ballroom keeps going and that the Wurlitzer is played most days.
My gripe is the way the Blackpool organists play that organ is not good as far as I'm concerned. A matter of taste I guess.
Sounds great to me...on this clip they play a bunch of fun 20's dance-band JAZZ tunes...Jazzy music before the Be-Bop crowd hi-jacked jazz and turned it into awful cacophony.
OK fair enough, my jazz starts with BeBop and goes forward from there. If you're a trad/dixieland fan then it's a different ballgame. Each to their own I guess. I still say though that the choice of tonecolours that Phil and co use are pretty awful. Matter of taste and opinion again though. Regards to all.
I totally agree, the wurlitzer at the ballroom is played in a very silly way, it just sounds cheezy, everything on it is over used, and it sounds messy at times. They over use the quint couplers e.t.c and the percussion to the point where it just becomes noise.
You are so right! Quint and tierce couplers are pretty damn awful things - Reg Dixon only had them put on the Blackpool organ to try to boost the volume levels I believe. Decent amplification these days would be far better.
it would be okay if they used them as they were supposed to be used, and use them only for certain effects, and play the organ like an orchestra, not a big cheezy music machine.
Note the comment ive made at the top. . .these features ARE being used as they should be used. Playing the Wurlitzer for dancing is a different kettle of fish compared to "concert" style. "Orchestral" registrations would make the dancers walk out!
I agree with acchos, that some organists, Kelsall and the Kelsall wannabes, play this intrument very badly at times. Too many sounds at once, over use of percussion. Last time I heard him play 12th St Rag for a quickstep dance it was just embarrassing; bish bash bosh up and down the manuals - only the rythm kept them dancing, but it was a tuneless mess
I do agree with 12th Street Rag - That is one "Blackpool" style piece that winds me up a little. A little bit of "bish bash" doesnt hurt for those who want to see and hear it, but there are some, I agree, who just smack any notes and be done with it. A shame really, as Phil when he puts his mind to it is a good organist, and excellent at playing for dancing.
I would like to say, as a concert and dance organist myself, we are talking about two completely different styles of playing. The way you handle a theatre organ for dance playing, including registrations is entirely different to playing a "concert". The tower organ has harsher sounds so that the beat cuts through the noise in the ballroom. Vamping the left hand using piano, xylophone or just reeds helps keep the dancers on the beat.
Well put. I have always been a fan of the more "showy" style adopted by such organists as Phil, Nicholas and Robert; it's good fun, and is intended for entertainment without the starchiness and over-seriousness of the few. Any possible future Youtube postings in the pipeline Matthew? Just thought I'd whip that one in... ; )
Magnificent stuff! Its great to see the ballroom with such a crowd- amazing how much its dwindled in only a couple of years. The footage of Phil Kelsall playing tiger rag at the end is great! I heard him play it about 3 years ago live and remember having goosebumps at the sight and sound of it! Do you have any more clips of kelsall or the tower team without the fancy film effect? Would be great to see the organ being played for a bit longer without the visial effect.
Wow! What a superb video, astounding stuff Aaron1912!
Some great shots of Phil Kelsall at the Tower's 3/14 WurliTzer, and that unmistakable Blackpool Sound we know and love. Five stars and them some! I love the black and white clip of the Ballroom filled to capacity; that must have been thrilling for the Tower Dance Band and of course, the unforgettable Reginald Dixon at the organ. Bravo!
Truly superb cinema organ playing (Blackpool style!!) !!! Thank you for this wonderful clip.
Heard one of your Blackpool organists in Delaware several years ago on a huge Kimball organ. At the end of his concert, he got a standing ovation which is very rare with this audience.
Yes, most of the footage seen here was taken in the past few years. I was at the Ballroom a few weeks ago, and you can feel the vibration and pounding of the organ in your chest.
Comment removed
PaulMcCann92 7 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@PaulMcCann92 Ignore him dear; he was only in a moody because he lost his favourite teddy. I did warn him he'd never get into a 12 but he still tried forcing it on. Tore the arse right out he did, and split the crotch from ear to hole.
MrComptonCockfondler 6 months ago
Where did you manage to find the footage of Dixon at the start?
3dwurli 7 months ago
I think this is an excellent video which offers a glimpse into the past as well as the present. Wonderful to see the archive footage of the Tower and the Pleasure Beach.
gymnos2010 1 year ago
nothing for free in blackpool...but you cant take away the memories of its golden era...i could just sit in the ballroom and have a coffee...AND FEEL THE HiSTORY..shame is come to money
john111257 1 year ago
since 1977 over 1,730,000 peices of music have been played on the tower organ!
bmhall100 1 year ago
good video ruined
barneyboscoe 1 year ago
Filming anyone inside the ballroom is strictly prohibited without the individuals permission (there are signs posted on every door). Naturally the only way to get around this is to blur out every person's face. So I used the Neon colour effect to hide their features.
Aaron1912 1 year ago 2
where did you get the video from 4 : 35 onwards from ??? and is it your own video if soo can you put the whole of the video on please
Thedoctorsbiggestfan 1 year ago
A nice complement to this video is one called "Blackpool Tower Ballroom 1927" with actual footage of that time but so wonderfully dreamlike
VJCZAJA 2 years ago
Very nice, thanks for posting.
bartonorgan 2 years ago
What a magnificent organ!
advisorC101 2 years ago
just found out that the times of the ballroom are being shortend to 10 am to 5 and its being shut monday and friday what would reganald dixon say
nickysqq123 2 years ago
I know its such a shame :(
shazeroon 2 years ago
@nickysqq123 he would be up in arms i found a radio interview he did and some days he had to broadcast at three in the morning and then be back in the tower for 9 that same morning then he would record till one in the morning after the ballroom shut too the public at 9 in the evening he never stopped playing that wurlitzer and there are 4 current resident organists at the moment the dont do half as much put together as he did not too forget his sunday braodcasts all of the braodcasts were live.
Thedoctorsbiggestfan 1 year ago
i could sit in here all day and listen
megablocksmad 2 years ago
i love this place
megablocksmad 2 years ago
In awe! Does the Tower still stand? I hope so and it is restored to original condition....If not thank God for the film and the good times had by so many..
HarborGuy 2 years ago
Course it does. Some of the footage in this is from the present day.
archt01 2 years ago
brilliant nostalgia very cleverly done.Like some one once said,"Those were the days"
insoucciant 3 years ago 2
would love to visit it one day
rammergramps 3 years ago
I have danced many times on that famous dance floor although i'm 36yrs this video was a pleasure to watch WELL DONE
Foxybiker72 3 years ago
Is that really Reginald Dixon at the start of the film? Did the Tower organ have a trolley before the lift? I think my grandfather told me that Dixon used to 'slide on' rather than the cinema method of rising from the pit.
Interesting film...thanks for posting.
stentorp 3 years ago
Correct.... It was on an electrically operated trolley right up to the end of the 1956 season. The near disastrous fire in December that year all but destroyed the vulnerably positioned organ console right there on the stage.
A replacement console was obtained and rebuilt to the design of the original. Since then then the console has been on the lift centre stage. The electronic organ in the ballroom is now on a mobile trolley just as was the original pipe organ console.
Wnoronz 3 years ago
"getting sentimental................" built in 1899? opened in 1894 surely! Great video!!
jameskinmond1980 3 years ago
True .... Blackpool Tower did open in 1894 but at that time the ballrroom was a rather plain pavilion with the band stage on the long south side. The ballroom was redesigned into its present opulent state by Frank Matcham just a few years later and re-opened as such in 1899. It remains to this day in this design. The only major change being when a WurliTzer organ was installed for the 1929 season. This was replaced by the present larger instrument in 1934 built to Reginald Dixon's design.
Wnoronz 2 years ago
oh i remember dancing with my nan there,thanks for the memories xx
atkezsagin 3 years ago
who is the organist that plays at the begining of the video and at the end with the really fast happy playing he's great
kinura26 3 years ago
hi kinura26. the video at the start is of Reg
Dixon at the organ, but the music is Phil Kelsall playing a tribute to him. the song being "love makes the world go round". "Going for Gold" is the video. A celebration of the Towers 100th year.
jameskinmond1980 3 years ago
Five generations of my family have danced in the Tower...Lovely!!
maggiemay1308 3 years ago
One of my absolute favourite Youtube videos. 5 stars and then some! And now being available in high quality just makes it even better. Really grabs the atmosphere and panache of the awesome Tower Ballroom and showcases the organ technique that I know and adore.
EddieE1977 3 years ago 2
Truely fantastic and beyond exception as always.
chrisr19897 3 years ago 3
A very, VERY nicely produced bit of nostalgia! You must have experienced a real thrill and satisfaction in editing this! And yes, I know from experience, the necessity of having to hide facial identities through the use of special effects. The legal, but necessary measures that must be taken in obtaining a signed release form from each and every person for public exhibition is a tedious if not impossible task, and I respect that! A job WELL DONE!!
steverabb 3 years ago 3
Is this the same Ballroom which was used for the film shall we dance ?
xchloegoldingx 3 years ago 2
hot enuff ta burnnnnn
hughworkman 3 years ago
Sorry forgot to say - great video here!
manniemain 3 years ago 2
The Visual footage from 0:40 is Reg when the WurliTzer was on a sliding rostrum much like the Wersi is today, this lasts for aprox 6 seconds and is very cleverly merged into visual archive footage of Phil Kelsall. All of the excellent audio is by Phil Kelsall.
A VERY NICE SET OF CLIPS WELL PUT TOGETHER!!
graemescarlett 3 years ago 3
Absoloutly Great. Did I see the one and only Mr Blackpool - Reginald Dixon - playing towards the end? Many thanks for posting.
blindpugh12 3 years ago 2
It was certainly audience footage from his time, but the organist shots looked more like Phil Kelsall.
I've never understood, considering the success of the Tower Ballroom Wurlitzer it never happened anywhere else in Britain away from the Tower, Empress, Palace etc. I suppose there was a brief wartime burst of dancing at the Dome but so long ago and so shortlived.
manniemain 3 years ago 2
As delightful as this is, it has a severe shortcoming, i.e., it needs to be 5 times longer! Not previously familiar with it, I love the promenade style of dancing. Elegance personified. Genovee in Pittsburgh, PA USA
genovee 3 years ago 8
This video is what it is. Charming and original for sure. Whether on the dance floor, or playing the instrument, everyone seems to be having a good time. So, let it be. Absolutely nothing is served by being critical. If you don't like it, there is always the sound of jet planes landing at an airport in South America.
AlleninSF2007 4 years ago 6
SUPERB!!
nanabid 4 years ago
This hall if palacially beautiful - - can you imagine it when people wore such fabulous clothes when they went out to dance and socialize? Must have been even more wonderful. Does anyone know what the specs are for this Wurlitzer - - certainly not as large as some it seems, but handles itself well in the great acoustics of this cavernous room.
skyler6290 4 years ago 2
The Wurlitzer is 3 Manuals and 14 Ranks and two of those are tibias
Theyoungorganist01 2 years ago
Does anyone know the name of the snappy number Mr Dixon plays near the start?
PMB4 4 years ago
love makes the world go round
hoflapper 4 years ago
i love the video,and the music but WHY WHY WHY spoil it by using Particle illusion!! you can just tell its done on that :(
if it was a better fx program it would of been better, and yes we get it that you have that OUTLINE negative Film effect like on I-movie!! lol just show the normal vid ;)
like the way you put it all together though :D nice video
jamez123123 4 years ago
I wanted to hide the peoples identities so they wouldn't complain that I didn't get their permission to show themselves, which would cause this video to be rejected.
Aaron1912 4 years ago
ah thats a good idea i suppose :)
but partical illusion :(
lol
jamez123123 4 years ago
I only used Sonic Showbiz studio for the effects.
Aaron1912 4 years ago
@Aaron1912 Yeah! Good explanation - but it's still dead easy to recognise who the organist is!
Wnoronz 1 year ago
I LOVE THIS SONG!!!
liam56789qwerty 4 years ago
Ok, OK, OK, OK
i give in, i like it really.hehe, but that ending on tiger rag was abit messy.
acchos 4 years ago
Could have been a great video except you ruined it with special effects. Why? Also I recognise clips of this from a video that was on the market some years ago, which video was this?
alijanlondon 4 years ago
Isn't having a few special effects all part of being a "YouTube" broadcaster?
matthewbason 4 years ago
Not when it's a specialist subject and the image is ruined in such a way. It happened to be very well shot video, very rare to get tripod mounted and well composed shots. I didn't see the point of putting effects on it.
alijanlondon 4 years ago
Im going next weekend! Whoop! Cheerleading competition!
zorostar26 4 years ago
aaron great clip mate, it reminds me of the ballroom on where i havent been for years.thanks for posting.
whitefield4 4 years ago 2
wow
jamez123123 4 years ago
Brilliant editing Aaron I love the bit where you cut from Reg to Phil at the start, and the Tiger Rag at the end is brilliant too!
graemescarlett 4 years ago 3
would many times better if it did not have that effect. But thanks for posting it is great.
azzx96 4 years ago
what a wonderful clip thank you .
bearcub410 4 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
Ah - that Blackpool sound we know and... ......HATE!!!
One day someone might just play that thing with some taste!
Other organists manage to do it on other organs. Why do Phil and that bunch always make the Tower Wurlitzer sound like a bloody fairground organ? I'm sure the organ is not much different to other Wurlitzers (except for the 'Blackpool' couplers) but it always seems gets played with awful registrations and tasteless playing!!
jazzboyfin 4 years ago
I haven't a clue what your talking about???
It's Brilliant. This is true jazz.
Aaron1912 4 years ago
One thing it most certainly is NOT is jazz. I'm a jazz pianist on the pro London jazz scene - I should know. I'm also an organist and pipe organ restorer and have restored four of London's theatre organs including the wonderful Hammersmith Apollo (formerly Odeon) organ.
jazzboyfin 4 years ago
Don't get me wrong though, it's a fun clip and well done for posting it. It's also great that the Tower Ballroom keeps going and that the Wurlitzer is played most days.
My gripe is the way the Blackpool organists play that organ is not good as far as I'm concerned. A matter of taste I guess.
jazzboyfin 4 years ago
Sounds great to me...on this clip they play a bunch of fun 20's dance-band JAZZ tunes...Jazzy music before the Be-Bop crowd hi-jacked jazz and turned it into awful cacophony.
perfectjazz78 4 years ago
OK fair enough, my jazz starts with BeBop and goes forward from there. If you're a trad/dixieland fan then it's a different ballgame. Each to their own I guess. I still say though that the choice of tonecolours that Phil and co use are pretty awful. Matter of taste and opinion again though. Regards to all.
jazzboyfin 4 years ago
Slightly disagree with that. Its entertaining certainly, but not "true" jazz. Something tells me you had fun making this! Well done!
matthewbason 4 years ago
I totally agree, the wurlitzer at the ballroom is played in a very silly way, it just sounds cheezy, everything on it is over used, and it sounds messy at times. They over use the quint couplers e.t.c and the percussion to the point where it just becomes noise.
acchos 4 years ago
You are so right! Quint and tierce couplers are pretty damn awful things - Reg Dixon only had them put on the Blackpool organ to try to boost the volume levels I believe. Decent amplification these days would be far better.
jazzboyfin 4 years ago
it would be okay if they used them as they were supposed to be used, and use them only for certain effects, and play the organ like an orchestra, not a big cheezy music machine.
acchos 4 years ago
Note the comment ive made at the top. . .these features ARE being used as they should be used. Playing the Wurlitzer for dancing is a different kettle of fish compared to "concert" style. "Orchestral" registrations would make the dancers walk out!
matthewbason 4 years ago 2
I agree with acchos, that some organists, Kelsall and the Kelsall wannabes, play this intrument very badly at times. Too many sounds at once, over use of percussion. Last time I heard him play 12th St Rag for a quickstep dance it was just embarrassing; bish bash bosh up and down the manuals - only the rythm kept them dancing, but it was a tuneless mess
alijanlondon 4 years ago
I do agree with 12th Street Rag - That is one "Blackpool" style piece that winds me up a little. A little bit of "bish bash" doesnt hurt for those who want to see and hear it, but there are some, I agree, who just smack any notes and be done with it. A shame really, as Phil when he puts his mind to it is a good organist, and excellent at playing for dancing.
matthewbason 4 years ago
I don't doubt he's a good organist. I've heard him on good days. He just comes across as being bored sometimes.
alijanlondon 4 years ago
I would like to say, as a concert and dance organist myself, we are talking about two completely different styles of playing. The way you handle a theatre organ for dance playing, including registrations is entirely different to playing a "concert". The tower organ has harsher sounds so that the beat cuts through the noise in the ballroom. Vamping the left hand using piano, xylophone or just reeds helps keep the dancers on the beat.
matthewbason 4 years ago 5
Well put. I have always been a fan of the more "showy" style adopted by such organists as Phil, Nicholas and Robert; it's good fun, and is intended for entertainment without the starchiness and over-seriousness of the few. Any possible future Youtube postings in the pipeline Matthew? Just thought I'd whip that one in... ; )
wrighty205 4 years ago 3
Im looking into it as we speak - - My video skills arent the greatest! :-D
matthewbason 4 years ago
You clearly have no clue as to what you are talking about - this organ really is unique, and special
richgarn79 2 years ago 2
Brilliant Clips, and Phil proving why he is still number 1 on the WurliTzer at the tower!, keep up the good work mate for many more years.
graemescarlett 4 years ago
Excellent piece of editing. Well done!
wurlitzerwilly 4 years ago
Magnificent stuff! Its great to see the ballroom with such a crowd- amazing how much its dwindled in only a couple of years. The footage of Phil Kelsall playing tiger rag at the end is great! I heard him play it about 3 years ago live and remember having goosebumps at the sight and sound of it! Do you have any more clips of kelsall or the tower team without the fancy film effect? Would be great to see the organ being played for a bit longer without the visial effect.
spudweiser0 4 years ago
The footage can be bought on DVD inside the ballroom. I didn't want to show peoples faces for copyright reasons so I added the neon effect.
Aaron1912 4 years ago
Brings back memories of when i was kid growing up in UK a yearly adventure in Blackpool top stuff
3DDodger 4 years ago
Wow! What a superb video, astounding stuff Aaron1912!
Some great shots of Phil Kelsall at the Tower's 3/14 WurliTzer, and that unmistakable Blackpool Sound we know and love. Five stars and them some! I love the black and white clip of the Ballroom filled to capacity; that must have been thrilling for the Tower Dance Band and of course, the unforgettable Reginald Dixon at the organ. Bravo!
wrighty205 4 years ago 2
Truly superb cinema organ playing (Blackpool style!!) !!! Thank you for this wonderful clip.
Heard one of your Blackpool organists in Delaware several years ago on a huge Kimball organ. At the end of his concert, he got a standing ovation which is very rare with this audience.
Wonderful. Thanks again!!!
chem100 4 years ago 2
Brilliant footage!
kspm01 4 years ago
Yes, most of the footage seen here was taken in the past few years. I was at the Ballroom a few weeks ago, and you can feel the vibration and pounding of the organ in your chest.
Aaron1912 4 years ago
How beautiful, does it still stand and is it in use? Very creative film artistry. Seems people had so much with so much less......
HarborGuy 4 years ago 2