THE COMMITTEE

AVAILABLE AS A DVD FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME SINCE ITS ORIGINAL CINEMA RELEASE IN 1968

Thought to have been lost for the past 35 years this 1968 arthouse movie, written by Max Steuer and directed by Peter Sykes, is a surreal, slightly chilling exploration of the individual, society and alienation, that’s loosely based around the thoughts of radical sixties psychiatrist RD Laing. Atmospherically shot in black and white, there’s more than a whiff of Antonioni’s early sixties films as the central chraracter - ex-Manfred Mann singer and former Jazz FM presenter Paul Jones - haunted presence is framed by long lingering camera pans and tracked by an eerie improvised Pink Floyd soundtrack, that’s among their most obscure and sought after unreleased recordings. Featuring early outlines of ‘Careful With That Axe Eugene’ and the final part of ‘Saucerful of Secrets’, among other random sonic sketches, it was recorded weeks after guitarist David Gilmour replaced Syd Barrett and still exhibits their early fascination with the work of AMM and John Cage. The movie also features underground compatriots The Crazy World of Arthur Brown performing the jazzy, jarring ‘Nightmare’ and a Jimmy Smith-like Hammond organ groover filmed at a party scene in the LSE, while a bonus CD features a recent arrangement of the song ‘The Committee’ by saxophonist Tim Whitehead, with vocals by Paul Jones, plus two tracks from Whitehead’s Homemade Orchestra. Brilliant to some and bonkers to others, it’s a brave move for Basho and one of their most intriguing projects to date.

Jon Newey, Jazzwise

£12.95 Add to Cart

Starring: Paul Jones
with: Tom Kempinski and Robert Lloyd,
and: Pauline Munroe and Jimmy Gardner

Directed by: Peter Sykes

Produced and Written by: Max Steuer

Featured Interlude: The Crazy World of Arthur Brown

Musical Score composed and performed by: Pink Floyd

Director of Photography: Ian Wilson

Interview by Oscar winning director Jon Blair with Max Steuer and Peter Sykes (50 min)

Includes CD of the song The Committee (Jones/Steuer) arranged by Tim Whitehead for the Homemade Orchestra, plus two tracks from earlier Homemade Orchestra CDs.

The Committee website www.thecommitteethemovie.com