I recently caught this old TV special on a local music channel and I couldn't believe what I was watching. Over-the-top comes to mind. My jaw was on the floor. They must have spent a lot of money on this TV special.
RAQUEL! is true time capsule. Except for the studio bound ending with Bob Hope (the weakest part of the special, even though Raquel makes a sexy Mae West), the rest was filmed all over the world, most of it in outdoor settings and the effect is quite surprising. The over-the-top musical moments are like watching over-the-top Duran Duran videos, made a decade before the Brit pop band was formed. The "Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In" moment has to be seen to be believed. And the trippy dance sequence during the opening song "California Dreamin'" set in Paris is a total hoot! BTW, beautiful Raquel was made to look a lot like Brigitte Bardot in the Paris bit.
It's trippy, gaudy, and a true glimpse of what was "in" in 1970. But what's really surprising is how much I like Raquel's version of those songs. I wish they were available on CD. The orchestration is excellent.
RAQUEL! is a true oddity (why John Wayne and Bob Hope?) and a true one-of-a-kind TV special. I love it!
RAQUEL! is true time capsule. Except for the studio bound ending with Bob Hope (the weakest part of the special, even though Raquel makes a sexy Mae West), the rest was filmed all over the world, most of it in outdoor settings and the effect is quite surprising. The over-the-top musical moments are like watching over-the-top Duran Duran videos, made a decade before the Brit pop band was formed. The "Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In" moment has to be seen to be believed. And the trippy dance sequence during the opening song "California Dreamin'" set in Paris is a total hoot! BTW, beautiful Raquel was made to look a lot like Brigitte Bardot in the Paris bit.
It's trippy, gaudy, and a true glimpse of what was "in" in 1970. But what's really surprising is how much I like Raquel's version of those songs. I wish they were available on CD. The orchestration is excellent.
RAQUEL! is a true oddity (why John Wayne and Bob Hope?) and a true one-of-a-kind TV special. I love it!