Lambert & Stamp

Greetings again from the darkness. Considering myself a big and long-time fan of the rock band The Who, this documentary from first time filmmaker James D Cooper caught me off-guard with the surprising amount of detail and behind-the-scenes insight into how the band broke out from the dingy club circuit to a world of gold records, massive arena shows, mansions, and international acclaim. The answer is in the title: Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp.

Unless you are a Rock Music historian, these names are probably new to you. Lambert was the son of renowned British composer Constant Lambert and had a "proper" private school upbringing, including an Oxford education. Stamp, the brother of actor Terrence Stamp and son of a tugboat captain, was the polar opposite – blue collar family with a street-wise education. This odd couple bonded over their love of French New Wave films, and decided to create their own film project to capture the restlessness and rebellion of British teenagers in the early 1960's. Their idea was to film a band that captured the essence of the times, and this led them to put off the film project, and instead manage and mentor a group of "unattractive" mods known as The High Numbers … soon to the The Who.

Much of the film is dedicated to interviews of the survivors. Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey from The Who, seem quite complimentary in their recollection of the influence of Lambert and Stamp, as well as the band's late members Keith Moon and John Entwistle. Since Kit passed away in 1981, the bulk of the interview time goes to Chris Stamp, who is unabashed in his respect for Lambert and how their differing styles but single vision helped drive the band's development through some pretty lean early years. Stamp passed away in 2012, so his interviews and recollections helped capture a time that would otherwise be little more than newsclips and home movies. His memories are a treasure trove for an era.

The film opens with a perfectly placed 8th century quote from Hesiod. This band of misfits and outsiders was being managed by two fellows who were equally misfit – the result being musical genius and never before seen stage theatrics. There is a segment with Townshend and Daltrey conversing about drummer Keith Moon that drives home the frustration and sadness that these two felt towards their bandmate, who was an exceedingly troubled man (Moon died in 1978 at age 32). When Townsend says "Keith Moon wasn't a drummer … He was something else". We know exactly what he means.

Director Cooper does a really nice job of keeping the focus on the two men behind the band, rather than the four lads on stage. We all know the music. We all know the tragedies. What we weren't aware of is how Lambert and Stamp managed this band to reach the huge heights of success … and this theme is never lost. One of the most fascinating clips has Townshend playing an early and very rough cut of a song that he is working on for the two managers. He is begging for their input and suggestions – a level of openness we rarely glimpse from artists, and one that clarifies just how much impact the titular characters had on the band … right down to the songs and the stage act.

The film is a bit tough to watch at times what with all the quick cuts of photographs and clips … kind of dizzying and distracting. That reaction is probably a result of this being such a non-traditional … actually quite unconventional documentary. It is by no means a retrospective or tribute to The Who. Instead, and much more impressively, it's a rare look at the fearless approach of two British gents who set out to make a statement on the times, and instead helped create something timeless.

The British Navy ruled the waves for hundreds of years. The British also ruled the waves in the 60s, the airwaves. This doc gives you insight into the incredible management team of Kit Lambert and Christopher Stamp. I think any one studying management or leadership would benefit from all the insights presented in the film.

Kit Lambert came from an aristocratic background; private schools, Oxford, British Army and adventure trek up the Amazon (this could be a movie all by itself). Christopher Stamp from a rough working background, his dad was a tugboat captain. The family survived the Blitz and his brother Terence began a film career in 1962, so the future looked promising. He met Kit at the Shepperton Film Studios, where they were both working on film projects. You can almost feel how the pair worked from various clips in the film. Chris was the charismatic charmer and Kit won the trust of the artists and helped shape a vision. They planned their project with the Who with a multimedia approach, years ahead of their time.

I think the two most revealing moments in the doc were the two interviews with the German and French crews. Kit described his total philosophy in impeccable German and French, no mean feat in itself. Pete Townsend and Roger Daltry also give invaluable insight into the formation and development of the WHO. I remember seeing the WHO in Montreal around 1967 at the Forum. It was a sensational show, and yes Pete put his guitar through the amp! Cool!

"Lambert & Stamp" (2014 release; 117 min.) is a documentary about Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp, 2 Brits best known for managing the Who for about a decade (mid-60s to mid-70s). As the documentary opens and after a few words from Pete Townsend, we are introduced to Chris Stamp, who starts telling stories of how t all began, him and Lambert in the early 60s trying to make the jump from assistant director to director. One day, they decide to shoot a movie, cinema verite-style, about an unknown band that they would manage. After looking for months for the right band, Lambert comes across a packed club full of Mods, dancing to an unknown band call the High Numbers. To tell you more would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.

There are several factors why this is such an entertaining documentary: for one, it's a great story, I mean you can't make this stuff up! Then we are blessed to have the interviews with Chris Stamp, who turns out to be a master story teller (other interviewees include Pete Townsend, Roger and Heather Daltrey, and many others). Then we have the incredible luck that these guys were trying to shoot a movie, and hence we have all this incredible footage from the earliest days of the High Numbers/the Who (1964-65), and that alone is worth the price of admission for this documentary. There is tons of other worthwhile archive footage, such as the 1967 French TV footage, where we see Lambert give an interview in perfect French. We reach the "Tommy"-era about 75 min. into the movie, and I was afraid that things were going to become less interesting after that, but as it turns out, that's where the fireworks are about to start... As a casual fan of the Who but an ardent fan of rock music and its history, I found this documentary absolutely worth seeing. The only negative comment that I have is that for some strange reason, the sound mix in the theater was such that at times the background music (usually of the Who) played too loudly and as a result I had trouble understanding the interviewee at times. Very strange.

"Lambert & Stamp" opened last weekend at my local art-house theater here in Cincinnati, and I finally had a chance to see it today, which is the last day of its one-week run here. The early evening screening where I saw this at was surprisingly well attended. Probably other movie or music fans who noticed it would not longer be playing. If you are a fan of the Who or of rock music history, you will not want to miss this. "Lambert & Stamp" is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

In comparisons to such documentaries about musical artist like Nas, Time is illmatic and I Can't stand loosing you, which is about the Police, I found this movie uninspiring. The inspiring ones usually make me what to listen to their music all day long, and I have the Who's records on my iPhone, so I was ready. This doc did not do this for me.

In all fairness, the film was more about Two filmmakers names Kit Lambert and Chris Tramp who began managing the Who as a way to make a documentary of the band. Yet, I'm still left with the same unspring feeling as I'm a huge fan of films and the idea that the Who was practically created as a film project seem right up my alley.

The documentary is too self-serving. I know that seems a little Ironic to say, but I've seen docs that praise Keith Moon as a legendary Drummer and barely mentions John Entwistle (how unfortunate to be a great musician who got to live to old age). Pete Townsend attempted to tell us how awesome John was to the band, but it wasn't enough, and this goes for anyone vital to the band (like Keith) who is not alive to tell their own story (In defense the people getting interviewed seem unapologetic about their own self- worth). It's a little uneven.

So while well crafted, Lambert and Stamp seems to show me that one of the most interesting bands in the world has a very uninteresting origin story. I just prefer to listen to the music.

The fact that my wife sat with me and watched this documentary is a bit of a shock. After all, she hates music like the stuff sung by The Who and couldn't relate to "Lambert & Stamp" in any discernible way. Yet, it did pique her interest and it's a film that may appeal to you...be you a Who fan or not.

The film is about two men who helped to create The Who, created their personas and fostered Pete Townsend's songwriting abilities. They managed the band for about a decade--from total obscurity to superstardom. It also is about the group's falling out and eventually firing these men they loved and once respected. See the film and see why.

Unfortunately, while the film is quite good, many of the particulars involved are dead...several through drug abuse. Fortunately, they did have some footage of Stamp before his recent death as well as the participation of Roger Daltry, Pete Townsend and a few others. All in all, it makes for an interesting and diverting film.