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Watch the video
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When Jeff's first group The Outer Limits
eventually decided to break up after struggling for years for
success, the local television station, Yorkshire TV, made a documentary
on the demise, calling it Death of a Pop
Group.
Shown in 1969,
the program was watched by a wide viewing audience, and ironically,
by doing so it achieved the sort of recognition which the group
had hoped to attain.
The feature
starts off with footage of the band playing at a nightclub, and
then addresses the question of why an emerging, popular band like
The Outer Limits subsequently failed to break through nationally.
Interspersed
with interviews with all the group members, the documentary tracks
the history of the band, and explains how difficult it is for
struggling musicians to simply survive while meeting expenses
and paying debts, and what a difficult life it can be constantly
on the road. The camera follows Jeff and the boys through a music
shop as they choose their instruments and wince at the cost of
the items.
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The narrator explains
how glowing reviews (such as The Outer Limits enjoyed) was
no guarantee of success. Despite optimism about their singles,
the band members express their disappointment at how the songs
were not given enough support by the record company, the radio
stations, and the record-buying public. The Outer Limits played
cutting edge, progressive music, but as the documentary says,
that did not help them progress. Jeff points the finger at
the state of the music industry, which only wanted to hear
"Motown and the same old, safe music". Teenagers
and discotheque patrons are even quizzed about the sort of
music that they prefer to listen to instead ("Rocksteady
and Tamla" being a common answer).
While
a couple of the band members sound relieved at the break-up
because they wouldn't have to travel so much anymore, Jeff
shows his determination by stating that he will go on even
if his band doesn't. If he can't make it as a performer, he
vows to make it as a songwriter .. and of course, as it turned
out, he succeeded on both counts.
The
documentary ends with The Outer Limits playing an unreleased
Jeff Christie song, Writing On The Wall,
and a reprise of their biggest hit, Just
One More Chance.
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