Wow, Man Alive! That theme takes me right back to being sat on the floor next to the open fire with mum and dad wandering around the living room . A few houses and a lifetime ago!
Some of the locations seen in this film, filmed during July and August, 1973: Grovelands Park, Southgate, Middlesex (Darren riding his Chopper bike); EMI House, 20, Manchester Square, Westminster, London (launch of Darren’s first record, since demolished); 17, Queen Elizabeth’s Drive, Southgate (Darren’s home in 1973, still there but considerably upgraded since then). Southgate Underground Station (Darren and his mother pass it in their chauffeur driven car while on their way to EMI House) Studio 2, EMI Abbey Road Studios (Darren’s recording session); 38, Hertford Street, Mayfair, London (Radio Luxembourg studios with interviewer Tony Prince) Sundown music venue, formerly the Regal cinema, corner of Fore Street and Silver Street, Edmonton, north London (the site of Darren’s first public appearance. It was demolished in 1985 and a supermarket now occupies the site).
July 20th, 2021. It was 48 years ago today that Darren's first EMI single, “Something's Gotten Hold Of My Heart” backed with “True Love Ways” was released.
Darren's mother "It's the first time I've been driven around in a limousine" You still haven't, it's a badge engineered Landcrab. (Wolsey Six, posh version of the Austin/Morris 2200)
I still remember watching this on a black /white tv as a child... I still have the recording on a cassette tape. I loved his voice, very sad to learn about Darren.
I remember watching this I was about 6/7 years old , I remeber cos I have the 7 inch single, it would take me an age to find but its still in my possession... Demo not for sale when my Aunt used to work for a Jukebox company and we had samples... even those with the hole missing in the middle..
None of the kids profiled ever had any real success as performers, and the records all flopped. Darren Burn had everything going for him, the big EMI publicity machine, recording in the Beatles' Studio 2 at Abbey Road with top session players, producer Eric Woolfson who went on to be half of the Alan Parsons Project. How could it fail? Well, it seems like Darren really wasn't that into it, and was just being pushed by his parents, despite the claims to the contrary. Jonathan King says it perfectly @ 22.50. Ironically, it was Ricky Wilde's big sister Kim who eventually really did become a star, with a pile of big hit records around the world.
He wasn't very good was the lad, he wasn't rubbish though. Pushed by his mother. I grew up in the 70s I never heard of him or slipped my memory. R. I. P.
Darren & the other kids all seem really mature, compared to other kids their ages. But all of them sound just alike, in my opinion. All of them are cute as bugs ears though. I guess being from the US, we never heard of them over here. We were all banzai about The Jackson 5, The Osmond Brothers, Leif Garrett (he was my sweetiepie when I was in grade school, all the way up to 8th or 9th grade). I even remember being into Bobby Sherman back whenever I was in early elementary school - like 2nd & 3rd grade. I actually still have a Bobby Sherman Comic book!! I can't believe I still have that thing after all these years. I think that all of these pre-teen/teeny boppers are always in our hearts as young girls...those were our heart throbs whenever we first realize what "cute boys" are, & they never really leave. Lol, brings back memories!! Lol....
I’ve just received from an eBay seller in Stockton on Tees an interview with Darren cut from the music paper Disc and dated July 28th, 1973, in which it states that one of the recordings he made at his first recording session was “There’ll Never Be Anyone Else But You”, a track that was subsequently never released. I wonder if EMI still have it in their vaults, as it would be very interesting to hear it. Darren also says that he found “True Love Ways” very difficult to sing, although you’d never guess that from listening to it. The article also reveals that he called his father Colin. “I always have”, said Darren. When asked what Colin Burn did at EMI, Darren says: “Sits in his office and chain smokes.”
I was not familiar with that song- but after hearing Ricky Nelson's version, link below, I'm sure Darren would have done the song justice. I'd love to hear his version. I know someone who recorded for EMI back in the 70's. When I get a chance I'll ask him what happened to all the EMI archives. ruclips.net/video/UMO39gwswmY/видео.html
Yes, I have the old Ricky Nelson version on a London single. Darren recorded enough tracks to fill an LP because EMI were so sure he would be the new weenybopper superstar of 1973 and that his first single would be a hit. But of course, he wasn't and it didn't, so the LP never got released.
@@MadBiker-vj5qj I just wish that there was a grave to visit and pay our respects at. Having his ashes scattered under some trees somewhere in Groveland's Park isn't the same somehow...unless we look upon the whole of Groveland's Park as his memorial.
Darren committed suicide at 30, so maybe he should never have been pushed in this direction. His mother does appear to be living through him in this programme and yet there is a huge sadness about her.
And you get chauffeur driven by who, let alone what? Drove past the EMI reg, chauffeur driven limousine back in May 1994 on the Forth road bridge. Couldn’t see who was sitting in the back. Anyway, he died in 1991, before both his parents of a drug overdose because of the whole scenario and before both his parents had died too. Not a pleasant story, but perhaps a warning about the price of fame and the pursuit of financial wealth.
I was 10/11 in 1973. It was the year I got into music. Aside from the obvious big stars of the day, I dimly remember acts like Glyn Poole & Andy & David Williams. Don't recall Darren at all, though. He did have an excellent voice and I like all the songs I've heard on RUclips, especially Is It Love. The documentary was very good, though the last few words (by Tony Prince?) were chilling considering what became of the boy. Darren did seem like a down to earth and intelligent lad. I would never have expected him to end up like he did when watching him in this doc. Would love to see the 1988 follow up documentary though I can't find it on RUclips.
The voice over towards the end of the film, where Darren is signing autographed photos of himself surrounded by a large crowd of fans, was that of the NME columnist and music critic Roy Carr, who obviously didn't think much of boy singers.
Just an aside, his dad is a top exec at EMI, but seems to be driving a Morris Marina, perhaps the school fees were higher than I realised! On a serious note, Jonathan King talks a bit of sense there, and he is the man who launched Genesis. Obviously, none of this excuses his vile offences later on.
Yes, back in the 70's the fees at City of London were comparable to, if not actually higher than, a day-boy at Eton. What you say about J King is vey true... these manipulative people often put their skills to very devious purposes.
I've just learned from the IMDb and Wikipedia that John Pitman, who interviewed Darren on both the Man Alive and People programmes, passed away on February 14th, 2018, aged 78. So both interviewer and interviewee are gone now.
Saturday, November 16th, 2019. Terry O'Neill, CBE, the world famous photographer who was commissioned by EMI in 1973 to take promotional photos of Darren Burn to launch his first record, has died from prostate cancer at the age of 81. Although many of the photos he took of Darren were printed in the newspapers of the day in black and white, many, if not all of them, were photographed in colour and appeared in colour in many music magazines of the time. It would be nice to see colour versions of those that were only published in black and white, particularly the one of him on the centre pages of the Daily Mirror on Wednesday, July 18th, 1973.
Hi Dino. I was at CLS too- we may well have known each other. I started in the Autumn of 1972 in MG then went 2B1, 3B1, 4B4, 5B1 and then Economics 6th- with the famous Frank Gregory as form master..
Biker, I was at his prep school, Franklin House in Wood Green. A nice lad who had pushy parents. Didn't work out for him and ended in tragedy. Very sad.
I seem to recall that Franklin House school was in Palmerston Road, Palmers Green. According to my research on Darren, in 1972, while at Franklin House, he passed an entrance exam to City of London School, which I understand was a private, fee paying school. And yet research showed that he actually got there through something called an Enfield Assisted Place, which was something that was awarded by the local authority to very bright, intelligent boys who came from poor, impoverished families. As Darren's parents at the time could hardly have been described as poor and impoverished, I just wonder how they managed to get an Enfield Assisted Place for Darren. A bit of a mystery there.
That's a very interesting point. I suppose his parents may have been a bit 'economical with the truth'. The fees at the City of London back in the 70's were very expensive. My dad had a good job but still had to do a lot of extra private work to pay the fees. I remember at the City there were (and still are) scholarships available to boys from poor backgrounds. However back in the 70's many of the scholarship boys did not seem poor at all, often living in quite posh houses in smart areas.
Darrenburnfan, it was on Palmerston Rd which I think had an N22 post code, which makes it Wood Green. Don't know how he got to CLS or how the fees were paid. Nice lad and a terrible shame what happened to him.
It's very sad watching this now, knowing what the future had in store for Darren. His depression and heroin addiction destroyed his life to such an extent that to him, the only way out was to kill himself. In the follow up documentary in 1988, where John Pitman interviewed Darren as a 26, going on 27 year old, he found Darren to be a pale imitation of the bright and bubbly eleven year of fifteen years earlier. As someone once observed, the youthful twinkle had been replaced by a cold bitterness. He seemed to be blaming his parents, especially his mother, for the 1973 - 1974 disaster at EMI and his last words on camera were "I wouldn't allow one of my children to do that...should I ever have any". Sadly, he never got married, nor had any children and three years later, he took his own life. The BBC should remaster this Man Alive film to its original colour and picture quality. Us Darren Burn fans have had to put up with this old editing copy for far too long. But thank you for uploading it, as for now, it's this or nothing.
Yes, the whole story was a tragedy. I would love to see the programme restored but uploaded this copy so that people can get some idea of what was going on back then. Hopefully he might even get some more fans after people have seen this.
IT’S HERE! AND NOW! Saturday, December 15th, 1973. SISTER SINGS TOO! Remember Sonny and Cher? Well then, you’ll know that some time ago, they had a hit with “I Got You Babe.” It was a great song and went to number one all over the world. Now, Darren Burn has recorded it as his next single. But guess who’s singing the other part? His ten-year-old sister, Deborah! What a talented family! (Note from David Rayner: To the best of my knowledge, the above mentioned record was never released).
The best bit was seeing those young teenyboppers dancing away to what the D.J. was playing in The Edmonton Sundown . Around the 45 minute mark. The track being played ironically was more vibrant & exciting than what the wannabe young stars were singing. Sad about poor Darren though. The parents should share some responsibility though.
All the talk of 'good intentions' must surely be tongue-in-cheek. The music industry was, & still is, totally parasitic. Even the Punk Rock movement that I was involved in was a total con.
Just to let everyone know that due to a technical glitch on RUclips that started in early September, 2017, I have been unable to log in to my darrenburnfan channel and to the nine videos of Darren’s records uploaded on there. Therefore, I can’t get into the channel to approve any comments that members may have added to the videos. This all began when I had an accident with my Laptop that rendered it unworkable and I bought a new one for £300. For some reason, when I tried to sign in to my darrenburnfan account on RUclips on the new Laptop, my email address and password were no longer accepted and I had to create this new David Rayner account. So it looks like, although all the Darren Burn videos will remain on RUclips indefinitely, I can’t have any access to them. I am announcing this in case you have been commenting on the videos and are wondering why your comments haven’t appeared.
Thank you for letting us know this David. I should also let people know that a while back I said I would upload the recording of Darren on the "People" proramme. I have not forgotten about this but all my DVDs are packed up ready to move house so I will have to do it when the boxes are unpacked.
I hope your move goes well, Dan, and that you settle in easily in your new home. I look forward to seeing the 'People' segment up on RUclips. I would have uploaded it myself, but, not being that computer literate, I don't know how to do it. All the Darren videos of his records were uploaded for me on my behalf by an Internet friend some years ago now. I just sent him a CD of the records and the DVD-R of Darren's films and he did the rest.
I've just found a photo of Disc Jocky Paul Burnett interviewing Darren at the Radio Luxembourg Day at Brands Hatch in Kent on Sunday, August 12th, 1973. A pity that there's no way of uploading the photo on here with this comment like there would be on my Facebook page. Darren was wearing his white Barclay James Harvest T-shirt. I wonder if the recording of the interview has survived from over 48 years ago.
@@BadgerBotherer1 I know that Darren was a fan of Barclay James Harvest and yesterday, I found one of their singles on eBay in mint condition and in its original Harvest sleeve from May, 1973. THE JOKER / ROCK AND ROLL WOMAN on Harvest HR 5068. I bought it for a tenner to add to the Darren part of my 1973 collection as I feel sure that Darren would have bought it at the time of its release.
On Sunday, August 12th, 1973, there was a Radio Luxembourg Day at Brands Hatch motor racing circuit in Kent, in which a host of recording stars of the day attended, including Darren Burn; The James Boys; Olivia Newton John; Emerson, Lake and Palmer; The New Seekers; Slade; Susie Quatro; Labi Siffre; Linda Lewis; DJ Tony Prince and many more. I've just received the special programme booklet for the day from an eBay seller in Cambridge. I bought it to see if there was a photo of Darren in it, but although a few of the stars were pictured, he wasn't among them. However Radio Luxembourg took out a display advert in the August 25th, 1973 issue of Record Mirror thanking all the long list of stars who attended, including Darren, and thanking him and them for making it a such a roaring success. I wonder if any photos of Darren at the event have survived.
🎉The superb John Pitman who I first watched on telly along with Esther Rantzen on Braden's Week which was unlike anything else on tv at the time. I watched the original of this Man Alive broadcast ( that evocative theme music !). I know this because the boy featured was the same age as me and had the same name as my nephew. Saddened to see from the comments that things ended badly for him.
19:35 The mother of the brothers uses the example of Shirley Temple, when maybe she might have just as easily cited Judy Garland. Judy's life was ruined by her treatment by the film studios, and she was addicted to a cocktail of drugs from her teens till she died from overdosing aged 47. As for these boys, they were tossed aside almost immediately after their early flops. The early 1970s' desperation for the latest novelty resulted in some truly abysmal music (and practices) which sat oddly next to the classics of the era..
From about 11:40 look at the way Darren's father is looking at him. He's obviously pressuring the kid and sees him as nothing more than a golden egg. I find rather disturbing to watch the way he whispers to Darren. As if he was saying "toe the line and get your act together"
While watching the lack lustre 1972 version of Treasure Island on television, I was captured by the facial resemblance between the then 11 years old Kim Burfield as Jim Hawkins and Darren Burn. The resemblance was definitely there...the eyes; the mouth; the shape of the nose, ect, and I wondered if they may in some way have been related. Perhaps as cousins. They were both born in 1961 and were both born in the Greater London area. It could be just a coincidence, but you never know.
That's intriguing, I'll look out for that film. An internet search found this photo where the resemblence is very striking. He's still alive, so he could be asked... www.rarefilmfinder.com/photos/6858/images/3accf8c6cd85c5545a2311b27da8022b.jpg
Yes, there's definitely a resemblance there. The film itself is nowhere near as good as the classic 1949 Walt Disney version, but Kim is so photogenic and fascinating to watch that he makes the film seem far better than it actually is. As far as Long John Silver is concerned, Orson Welles is no Robert Newton.
"Go round to 500,000 young children and ask them to get sexually involved" - I bet nobody batted an eyelid at that at the time... Oh the 1970s entertainment machine, shame it took us more than 40 years to realise how repugnant the whole thing was 😔
The entertainment industry doesn't care at all about their clients mental or physical health, all they care about is the money coming in and lining their own pockets.
This is fascinating but also quite horrific to watch. Thankfully Hall slightly redeemed himself a few years later by getting the Pistols on the Grundy Show.
He had the teeny pop look and personality but not the good songs if you dont have well written songs you dont have nothing. If he had song writers like Lennon McCartney or song writers of that stature his life could have been very different. having said that some people are destined to be depressed in their lives this could have happened whether he was successful or not
Spot-on analysis Mark. I would go a little further: IMHO he was deliberately sabotaged by someone at EMI. My reasons for thinking this are that, on the singles, the weaker song was on the A side and they put the good one on the B side, thus ensuring that the less-good song would be the one played on the radio. Then consider that they called him in and sacked him on his birthday. The whole affair stinks of foul play.
I loved these documentaries from the 60s and 70s. Don’t recall Darren, sadly, nor Riki nor the brothers. Not a fan of kids adult singing love songs with fake American accents, plus the annoying echoey sound disguises flaws in a voice. The James Boys are dire, who on earth decided they could ‘sing’? They are way off key and that awful awkward dancing! Also sadly they vanished without trace- how dare mum mention Judy and Shirley (Judy had a pushy mother). You can just hear it now from Darren...Daaaaaad I wanna make a record. as if. As Dad works for EMI they are pushing him to far. Stick to the fantastic Pitney version. These kids cannot sing and are singing the wrong songs for their ages. How Marty can say Riki can sing is just giving false hope. Darren is high pitched and squeaky
Terrible mismanagement of a young life, with a load of crappy unsuitable whining songs, compare it to the slick and humorous 'little' Jimmy Osmond at the same time..
1970s Office. A couple of biros, several note books, probably a half eaten Wimpy and when youve finished all that, a bin under the desk. Oh yes air conditioning = one open window.
I wonder what Darren would say if he knew that 44 years later, his Man Alive film was still being seen and his records were still being sold on eBay. I think he would be somewhat amazed.
Yes, I think he would be happy to know that his memory and music live on. I am quite astounded to see 225 views after just a couple of weeks- although I did spam the link around a bit. ;-)
I doubt that Jonathan King ever met Darren, as he wasn't signed to King's UK Records label, but to EMI. Ricky Wilde was signed to King's label but I never heard of any complaints from Ricky about him.
He committed suicide at the age of 30 in October, 1991, while suffering from severe depression and heroin addiction, by taking an overdose of anti depressants called Dotheipin. He lived alone in his flat in Southwark, London, and was eventually found lying on the floor of his bathroom. The tablets had made him violently sick and he had died through choking on his own vomit. Someone in his mental state should have had someone with them at all times. His doctor, if he had cared for his patient at all, should have had him in hospital.
Quite a poignant programme. Poor Darren’s emotional, attachment and identity needs totally ignored. And the arrangement on that debut single was totally dreary. No wonder it didn’t chart. They should have started with an uptempo song not an adult ballad performed splendidly by Gene Pitney only a few years earlier.
I think most kid's were into Slade, Sweet, Marc Bolan, Bowie, Alice Cooper etc.. like myself when this was filmed? And then three years later SeX PiStOLs and PuNk. A breath of fresh hair for us bored teenagers. 🧷😁
![MAN ALIVE "The Other Half" [1970]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/RNwerW7WhBo/mqdefault.jpg)
![MAN ALIVE "The Other Half" [1970]](/img/tr.png)
Wow, Man Alive! That theme takes me right back to being sat on the floor next to the open fire with mum and dad wandering around the living room . A few houses and a lifetime ago!
You cheered me up.
Thanks!
Some of the locations seen in this film, filmed during July and August, 1973: Grovelands Park, Southgate, Middlesex (Darren riding his Chopper bike); EMI House, 20, Manchester Square, Westminster, London (launch of Darren’s first record, since demolished); 17, Queen Elizabeth’s Drive, Southgate (Darren’s home in 1973, still there but considerably upgraded since then). Southgate Underground Station (Darren and his mother pass it in their chauffeur driven car while on their way to EMI House) Studio 2, EMI Abbey Road Studios (Darren’s recording session); 38, Hertford Street, Mayfair, London (Radio Luxembourg studios with interviewer Tony Prince) Sundown music venue, formerly the Regal cinema, corner of Fore Street and Silver Street, Edmonton, north London (the site of Darren’s first public appearance. It was demolished in 1985 and a supermarket now occupies the site).
Thank you for posting the Man Alive documentary showcasing child prodigy Darren Burn.
Beethoven was a child prodigy.....this is a joke
@@aquaboy68
And today’s child prodigy’s are????
July 20th, 2021. It was 48 years ago today that Darren's first EMI single, “Something's Gotten Hold Of My Heart” backed with “True Love Ways” was released.
Darren's mother "It's the first time I've been driven around in a limousine" You still haven't, it's a badge engineered Landcrab. (Wolsey Six, posh version of the Austin/Morris 2200)
You sound like Alan Partridge talking about rebadged Austin metros.
In July of this year (2023) this Man Alive film will be fifty years old. An incredible half a century.
I've just discovered that Darren's mother, Johanna, passed away on Wednesday, December 22nd, 2021, aged 85.
This is so sad. I loved his voice and his version of Something.
I still remember watching this on a black /white tv as a child... I still have the recording on a cassette tape. I loved his voice, very sad to learn about Darren.
Wow that cassette is probably unique. It's wonderful you have preserved it all these years.
A truly wonderful voice.
I remember watching this I was about 6/7 years old , I remeber cos I have the 7 inch single, it would take me an age to find but its still in my possession... Demo not for sale when my Aunt used to work for a Jukebox company and we had samples... even those with the hole missing in the middle..
So crazy that Marty Wildes daughter Kim ended up being a real and natural star - still touring today!
It's poignant to think Darren Burn would have been sixty this year, had he lived.
Yes, I shall give it a mention on August 28th.
@Aaron Thomas, yes, incredibly sad.
R.I.P Darren. He seemed so grounded at such a young age.🙏🫶🏼✌🏼
None of the kids profiled ever had any real success as performers, and the records all flopped. Darren Burn had everything going for him, the big EMI publicity machine, recording in the Beatles' Studio 2 at Abbey Road with top session players, producer Eric Woolfson who went on to be half of the Alan Parsons Project. How could it fail? Well, it seems like Darren really wasn't that into it, and was just being pushed by his parents, despite the claims to the contrary. Jonathan King says it perfectly @ 22.50. Ironically, it was Ricky Wilde's big sister Kim who eventually really did become a star, with a pile of big hit records around the world.
He wasn't very good was the lad, he wasn't rubbish though. Pushed by his mother. I grew up in the 70s I never heard of him or slipped my memory. R. I. P.
Darren & the other kids all seem really mature, compared to other kids their ages. But all of them sound just alike, in my opinion. All of them are cute as bugs ears though. I guess being from the US, we never heard of them over here. We were all banzai about The Jackson 5, The Osmond Brothers, Leif Garrett (he was my sweetiepie when I was in grade school, all the way up to 8th or 9th grade). I even remember being into Bobby Sherman back whenever I was in early elementary school - like 2nd & 3rd grade. I actually still have a Bobby Sherman Comic book!! I can't believe I still have that thing after all these years. I think that all of these pre-teen/teeny boppers are always in our hearts as young girls...those were our heart throbs whenever we first realize what "cute boys" are, & they never really leave. Lol, brings back memories!! Lol....
I love these old man alive documentaries, especially now we all know what we now know about the entertainment industry especially in the 70s.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 28th, 2021. Had he lived, Darren would have celebrated his 60th birthday on this day. Happy Birthday, Darren.
Life is all memory 💙💚
Bullshit. Just because you are watching the past doesnt mean you cannot live in the moment.
I wish the bbc would put Man Alive documentaries on iplayer, so that we could watch them in high quality, without lots of adverts.
High quality without the adverts? 😂
I’ve just received from an eBay seller in Stockton on Tees an interview with Darren cut from the music paper Disc and dated July 28th, 1973, in which it states that one of the recordings he made at his first recording session was “There’ll Never Be Anyone Else But You”, a track that was subsequently never released. I wonder if EMI still have it in their vaults, as it would be very interesting to hear it. Darren also says that he found “True Love Ways” very difficult to sing, although you’d never guess that from listening to it. The article also reveals that he called his father Colin. “I always have”, said Darren. When asked what Colin Burn did at EMI, Darren says: “Sits in his office and chain smokes.”
I was not familiar with that song- but after hearing Ricky Nelson's version, link below, I'm sure Darren would have done the song justice. I'd love to hear his version. I know someone who recorded for EMI back in the 70's. When I get a chance I'll ask him what happened to all the EMI archives.
ruclips.net/video/UMO39gwswmY/видео.html
Yes, I have the old Ricky Nelson version on a London single. Darren recorded enough tracks to fill an LP because EMI were so sure he would be the new weenybopper superstar of 1973 and that his first single would be a hit. But of course, he wasn't and it didn't, so the LP never got released.
That is very sad. He deserved so much more. :-(
Wednesday, August 28th, 2019. Remembering Darren today on what would have been his 58th birthday.
Thanks for your comment David. I had a quiet moment on Wednesday.
@@MadBiker-vj5qj I just wish that there was a grave to visit and pay our respects at. Having his ashes scattered under some trees somewhere in Groveland's Park isn't the same somehow...unless we look upon the whole of Groveland's Park as his memorial.
@@davidrayner182 Perhaps you should institute "Burn's Night," i.e. August 28th.
People could think of Darren at a certain time.
This is tragic on many levels.
Darren committed suicide at 30, so maybe he should never have been pushed in this direction. His mother does appear to be living through him in this programme and yet there is a huge sadness about her.
Oh that is so sad
Well he maybe he was destined to develop depression whether he was successful or not.
@@yell50 Maybe.
And you get chauffeur driven by who, let alone what?
Drove past the EMI reg, chauffeur driven limousine back in May 1994 on the Forth road bridge. Couldn’t see who was sitting in the back.
Anyway, he died in 1991, before both his parents of a drug overdose because of the whole scenario and before both his parents had died too.
Not a pleasant story, but perhaps a warning about the price of fame and the pursuit of financial wealth.
I was 10/11 in 1973. It was the year I got into music. Aside from the obvious big stars of the day, I dimly remember acts like Glyn Poole & Andy & David Williams. Don't recall Darren at all, though. He did have an excellent voice and I like all the songs I've heard on RUclips, especially Is It Love. The documentary was very good, though the last few words (by Tony Prince?) were chilling considering what became of the boy. Darren did seem like a down to earth and intelligent lad. I would never have expected him to end up like he did when watching him in this doc. Would love to see the 1988 follow up documentary though I can't find it on RUclips.
I'll be uploading it soon.
Mad Biker 3020 Thanks. Looking forward to it.
The voice over towards the end of the film, where Darren is signing autographed photos of himself surrounded by a large crowd of fans, was that of the NME columnist and music critic Roy Carr, who obviously didn't think much of boy singers.
darrenburnfan Oh right. Sadly his words turned out to be prophetic in Darren's case.
"Soon" turned out to be nearly a year... but now uploaded:
ruclips.net/video/p_33qGE0pg0/видео.html
What a sad story. I was a junior master at Franklin House School in 1972-1973. I remember a Burns there. But I think Darren left in July, 1972.
August 28th, 2020. Thinking of Darren Burn today on what would have been his 59th birthday.
Just an aside, his dad is a top exec at EMI, but seems to be driving a Morris Marina, perhaps the school fees were higher than I realised! On a serious note, Jonathan King talks a bit of sense there, and he is the man who launched Genesis. Obviously, none of this excuses his vile offences later on.
Yes, back in the 70's the fees at City of London were comparable to, if not actually higher than, a day-boy at Eton.
What you say about J King is vey true... these manipulative people often put their skills to very devious purposes.
I've just learned from the IMDb and Wikipedia that John Pitman, who interviewed Darren on both the Man Alive and People programmes, passed away on February 14th, 2018, aged 78. So both interviewer and interviewee are gone now.
Saturday, November 16th, 2019. Terry O'Neill, CBE, the world famous photographer who was commissioned by EMI in 1973 to take promotional photos of Darren Burn to launch his first record, has died from prostate cancer at the age of 81. Although many of the photos he took of Darren were printed in the newspapers of the day in black and white, many, if not all of them, were photographed in colour and appeared in colour in many music magazines of the time. It would be nice to see colour versions of those that were only published in black and white, particularly the one of him on the centre pages of the Daily Mirror on Wednesday, July 18th, 1973.
Went to school with Darren in early 70s. Very sad how it turned out for him.
Hi Dino. I was at CLS too- we may well have known each other. I started in the Autumn of 1972 in MG then went 2B1, 3B1, 4B4, 5B1 and then Economics 6th- with the famous Frank Gregory as form master..
Biker, I was at his prep school, Franklin House in Wood Green. A nice lad who had pushy parents. Didn't work out for him and ended in tragedy. Very sad.
I seem to recall that Franklin House school was in Palmerston Road, Palmers Green. According to my research on Darren, in 1972, while at Franklin House, he passed an entrance exam to City of London School, which I understand was a private, fee paying school. And yet research showed that he actually got there through something called an Enfield Assisted Place, which was something that was awarded by the local authority to very bright, intelligent boys who came from poor, impoverished families. As Darren's parents at the time could hardly have been described as poor and impoverished, I just wonder how they managed to get an Enfield Assisted Place for Darren. A bit of a mystery there.
That's a very interesting point. I suppose his parents may have been a bit 'economical with the truth'. The fees at the City of London back in the 70's were very expensive. My dad had a good job but still had to do a lot of extra private work to pay the fees. I remember at the City there were (and still are) scholarships available to boys from poor backgrounds. However back in the 70's many of the scholarship boys did not seem poor at all, often living in quite posh houses in smart areas.
Darrenburnfan, it was on Palmerston Rd which I think had an N22 post code, which makes it Wood Green. Don't know how he got to CLS or how the fees were paid. Nice lad and a terrible shame what happened to him.
It's very sad watching this now, knowing what the future had in store for Darren. His depression and heroin addiction destroyed his life to such an extent that to him, the only way out was to kill himself. In the follow up documentary in 1988, where John Pitman interviewed Darren as a 26, going on 27 year old, he found Darren to be a pale imitation of the bright and bubbly eleven year of fifteen years earlier. As someone once observed, the youthful twinkle had been replaced by a cold bitterness. He seemed to be blaming his parents, especially his mother, for the 1973 - 1974 disaster at EMI and his last words on camera were "I wouldn't allow one of my children to do that...should I ever have any". Sadly, he never got married, nor had any children and three years later, he took his own life. The BBC should remaster this Man Alive film to its original colour and picture quality. Us Darren Burn fans have had to put up with this old editing copy for far too long. But thank you for uploading it, as for now, it's this or nothing.
Yes, the whole story was a tragedy.
I would love to see the programme restored but uploaded this copy so that people can get some idea of what was going on back then. Hopefully he might even get some more fans after people have seen this.
21:10 *Johnathon King, 'mentoring' children* (is that what they called it, back then?)
A tip: watch movies at Flixzone. Me and my gf have been using them for watching loads of movies recently.
Yeah, Jimmy Savile was expert.
IT’S HERE! AND NOW! Saturday, December 15th, 1973.
SISTER SINGS TOO!
Remember Sonny and Cher? Well then, you’ll know that some time ago, they had a hit with “I Got You Babe.” It was a great song and went to number one all over the world. Now, Darren Burn has recorded it as his next single. But guess who’s singing the other part? His ten-year-old sister, Deborah! What a talented family!
(Note from David Rayner: To the best of my knowledge, the above mentioned record was never released).
The best bit was seeing those young teenyboppers dancing away to what the D.J. was playing in The Edmonton Sundown . Around the 45 minute mark. The track being played ironically was more vibrant & exciting than what the wannabe young stars were singing. Sad about poor Darren though. The parents should share some responsibility though.
Absolute tragedy - RIP Darren
All the talk of 'good intentions' must surely be tongue-in-cheek. The music industry was, & still is, totally parasitic. Even the Punk Rock movement that I was involved in was a total con.
Sad and intermittently distasteful. Poor Darren.
Just to let everyone know that due to a technical glitch on RUclips that started in early September, 2017, I have been unable to log in to my darrenburnfan channel and to the nine videos of Darren’s records uploaded on there. Therefore, I can’t get into the channel to approve any comments that members may have added to the videos. This all began when I had an accident with my Laptop that rendered it unworkable and I bought a new one for £300. For some reason, when I tried to sign in to my darrenburnfan account on RUclips on the new Laptop, my email address and password were no longer accepted and I had to create this new David Rayner account. So it looks like, although all the Darren Burn videos will remain on RUclips indefinitely, I can’t have any access to them. I am announcing this in case you have been commenting on the videos and are wondering why your comments haven’t appeared.
Thank you for letting us know this David. I should also let people know that a while back I said I would upload the recording of Darren on the "People" proramme. I have not forgotten about this but all my DVDs are packed up ready to move house so I will have to do it when the boxes are unpacked.
I hope your move goes well, Dan, and that you settle in easily in your new home. I look forward to seeing the 'People' segment up on RUclips. I would have uploaded it myself, but, not being that computer literate, I don't know how to do it. All the Darren videos of his records were uploaded for me on my behalf by an Internet friend some years ago now. I just sent him a CD of the records and the DVD-R of Darren's films and he did the rest.
"People" programme now uploaded:
ruclips.net/video/p_33qGE0pg0/видео.html
Monday, August 28th, 2017. Remembering Darren on what would have been his 56th birthday.
It is nice to see a pre-Alan Parsons Project Eric Woolfson
Not to mention a very early appearance by football agent Eric "Monster" Hall
I've just found a photo of Disc Jocky Paul Burnett interviewing Darren at the Radio Luxembourg Day at Brands Hatch in Kent on Sunday, August 12th, 1973. A pity that there's no way of uploading the photo on here with this comment like there would be on my Facebook page. Darren was wearing his white Barclay James Harvest T-shirt. I wonder if the recording of the interview has survived from over 48 years ago.
The mighty Barclay James Harvest! Sadly, Woolly from BJH also committed suicide.
@@BadgerBotherer1 That's very sad. I didn't know that.
@@davidrayner9376 Yes. Looks like my original post (which I think was about Woolly from BJH) disappeared!
@@BadgerBotherer1 I know that Darren was a fan of Barclay James Harvest and yesterday, I found one of their singles on eBay in mint condition and in its original Harvest sleeve from May, 1973. THE JOKER / ROCK AND ROLL WOMAN on Harvest HR 5068. I bought it for a tenner to add to the Darren part of my 1973 collection as I feel sure that Darren would have bought it at the time of its release.
I've recently discovered that Thames Television also did a programme on Darren in 1973, as well as the BBC. I wonder if it has survived.
Wow that's an incredible discovery. The search begins...
On Sunday, August 12th, 1973, there was a Radio Luxembourg Day at Brands Hatch motor racing circuit in Kent, in which a host of recording stars of the day attended, including Darren Burn; The James Boys; Olivia Newton John; Emerson, Lake and Palmer; The New Seekers; Slade; Susie Quatro; Labi Siffre; Linda Lewis; DJ Tony Prince and many more. I've just received the special programme booklet for the day from an eBay seller in Cambridge. I bought it to see if there was a photo of Darren in it, but although a few of the stars were pictured, he wasn't among them. However Radio Luxembourg took out a display advert in the August 25th, 1973 issue of Record Mirror thanking all the long list of stars who attended, including Darren, and thanking him and them for making it a such a roaring success. I wonder if any photos of Darren at the event have survived.
🎉The superb John Pitman who I first watched on telly along with Esther Rantzen on Braden's Week which was unlike anything else on tv at the time. I watched the original of this Man Alive broadcast ( that evocative theme music !). I know this because the boy featured was the same age as me and had the same name as my nephew. Saddened to see from the comments that things ended badly for him.
19:35 The mother of the brothers uses the example of Shirley Temple, when maybe she might have just as easily cited Judy Garland. Judy's life was ruined by her treatment by the film studios, and she was addicted to a cocktail of drugs from her teens till she died from overdosing aged 47. As for these boys, they were tossed aside almost immediately after their early flops. The early 1970s' desperation for the latest novelty resulted in some truly abysmal music (and practices) which sat oddly next to the classics of the era..
From about 11:40 look at the way Darren's father is looking at him. He's obviously pressuring the kid and sees him as nothing more than a golden egg. I find rather disturbing to watch the way he whispers to Darren. As if he was saying "toe the line and get your act together"
We could do with a lip reader watching it and telling us what his father was saying.
Poor little sod. In defence of his parents, this was in the early days of the music business and I suppose they just didn't see the dangers.
While watching the lack lustre 1972 version of Treasure Island on television, I was captured by the facial resemblance between the then 11 years old Kim Burfield as Jim Hawkins and Darren Burn. The resemblance was definitely there...the eyes; the mouth; the shape of the nose, ect, and I wondered if they may in some way have been related. Perhaps as cousins. They were both born in 1961 and were both born in the Greater London area. It could be just a coincidence, but you never know.
That's intriguing, I'll look out for that film. An internet search found this photo where the resemblence is very striking. He's still alive, so he could be asked...
www.rarefilmfinder.com/photos/6858/images/3accf8c6cd85c5545a2311b27da8022b.jpg
Yes, there's definitely a resemblance there. The film itself is nowhere near as good as the classic 1949 Walt Disney version, but Kim is so photogenic and fascinating to watch that he makes the film seem far better than it actually is. As far as Long John Silver is concerned, Orson Welles is no Robert Newton.
Them two brothers are extremely odd
Neil Reed from Scotland and David Curtis from New Zealand
So sad what happened seemed such a nice grounded kid then
Poor boy did not have 'the X factor'. He had a pleasant voice but whilst singing, appeared to have zero personality.
What happened to the james boys? They must be in their 60s now
"Go round to 500,000 young children and ask them to get sexually involved" - I bet nobody batted an eyelid at that at the time... Oh the 1970s entertainment machine, shame it took us more than 40 years to realise how repugnant the whole thing was 😔
...and then 'Jonathan King has done a wonderful job on Ricky Wilde'... Ricky would probably question that statement?
@@SupernovaSymieI couldn’t believe it when he popped up
The entertainment industry doesn't care at all about their clients mental or physical health, all they care about is the money coming in and lining their own pockets.
Well Ricky Wilde did endure in the music industry. See his Wikipedia!
This is fascinating but also quite horrific to watch. Thankfully Hall slightly redeemed himself a few years later by getting the Pistols on the Grundy Show.
He had the teeny pop look and personality but not the good songs if you dont have well written songs you dont have nothing.
If he had song writers like Lennon McCartney or song writers of that stature his life could have been very different.
having said that some people are destined to be depressed in their lives this could have happened whether he was successful or not
Spot-on analysis Mark. I would go a little further: IMHO he was deliberately sabotaged by someone at EMI. My reasons for thinking this are that, on the singles, the weaker song was on the A side and they put the good one on the B side, thus ensuring that the less-good song would be the one played on the radio. Then consider that they called him in and sacked him on his birthday. The whole affair stinks of foul play.
I loved these documentaries from the 60s and 70s. Don’t recall Darren, sadly, nor Riki nor the brothers. Not a fan of kids adult singing love songs with fake American accents, plus the annoying echoey sound disguises flaws in a voice. The James Boys are dire, who on earth decided they could ‘sing’? They are way off key and that awful awkward dancing! Also sadly they vanished without trace- how dare mum mention Judy and Shirley (Judy had a pushy mother). You can just hear it now from Darren...Daaaaaad I wanna make a record. as if. As Dad works for EMI they are pushing him to far. Stick to the fantastic Pitney version. These kids cannot sing and are singing the wrong songs for their ages. How Marty can say Riki can sing is just giving false hope. Darren is high pitched and squeaky
A lot of creepy adults in that doc
Terrible mismanagement of a young life, with a load of crappy unsuitable whining songs, compare it to the slick and humorous 'little' Jimmy Osmond at the same time..
1970s Office. A couple of biros, several note books, probably a half eaten Wimpy and when youve finished all that, a bin under the desk. Oh yes air conditioning = one open window.
Really, he was too young to be doing this, nothing remarkable about his voice, no star appeal.
I wonder what Darren would say if he knew that 44 years later, his Man Alive film was still being seen and his records were still being sold on eBay. I think he would be somewhat amazed.
Yes, I think he would be happy to know that his memory and music live on. I am quite astounded to see 225 views after just a couple of weeks- although I did spam the link around a bit. ;-)
The James Boys -- Shoog Shoog (Sugar Baby)
Great glam song 🤌🏽✨
Well at least with someone like Johnathan King watching over their son, they know he’s in safe hands. Yes I know!!
I doubt that Jonathan King ever met Darren, as he wasn't signed to King's UK Records label, but to EMI. Ricky Wilde was signed to King's label but I never heard of any complaints from Ricky about him.
Johnathan King Oh dear ! We all know what happened with him. My god those poor kids I hate to think what happened to them with these pedos .
There was another documentary about Darren Burn when he was quite a bit older.
Yes, that was the 'Where Are They Now?' section of the BBC1 'People' programme first broadcast in July, 1988, when Darren was 26, going on 27.
Uploaded here:
ruclips.net/video/p_33qGE0pg0/видео.html
How old was he when he died.. and how?
He committed suicide at the age of 30 in October, 1991, while suffering from severe depression and heroin addiction, by taking an overdose of anti depressants called Dotheipin. He lived alone in his flat in Southwark, London, and was eventually found lying on the floor of his bathroom. The tablets had made him violently sick and he had died through choking on his own vomit. Someone in his mental state should have had someone with them at all times. His doctor, if he had cared for his patient at all, should have had him in hospital.
@@davidrayner9376 thankyou for telling me ...I had know idea he passed.
Didn't rikki wilde became s backing musician for his sister kim wilde.
Dreadful doesn't come close to describing these acts 😂
Quite a poignant programme. Poor Darren’s emotional, attachment and identity needs totally ignored. And the arrangement on that debut single was totally dreary. No wonder it didn’t chart. They should have started with an uptempo song not an adult ballad performed splendidly by Gene Pitney only a few years earlier.
35:00 ~ 38:31
RIP Darren
A young Simon Cowell must have watched this, and thought he would jump on the bandwagon when he grew up.
Child model, then singer - Marc's template!
The chopper bikes ❤
I used to love riding a big chopper!
@@BadgerBotherer1 I bet you did lol.
@@melgrant7404 It was my neighbour's. He had a lovely big red one. Used to come once a week to let me ride his Chopper!
Where's the one about Middlewood?
Probably in the BBC vaults and. like so many old BBC films, will never be shown again.
Eric Monster Monster Hall
Teenage girls screaming over crap artists is nothing new 😂
Jonathan kiing around children 😮
who cares
I think most kid's were into Slade, Sweet, Marc Bolan, Bowie, Alice Cooper etc.. like myself when this was filmed? And then three years later SeX PiStOLs and PuNk. A breath of fresh hair for us bored teenagers. 🧷😁