Even when their mammoth hit You To Me Are Everything could be heard on every pub jukebox in the summer of 1976, The Real Thing didn't receive the closest of attention from the media, with many assuming they were an American group. This has tended to remain the case, with cultural commentaries on the era tending to focus on the Punk phenomenon.
Director Simon Sheridan decided to put this right and has interviewed all those who knew the band and were familiar with their development, the pressures they faced, and the difficulties in establishing themselves in an often hostile environment. This inevitably means a reliance to a large extent on talking heads, but all concerned have something relevant and interesting to say and are an indispensable part of the story. This goes right back to the memorable time when Eddie Amoo's first band, The Chants, were backed by no less than The Beatles at the Cavern Club in the early Sixties. Time is also devoted to the album Eddie and his brother Chris were most proud of, 4 From 8, on the experience of growing up in the deprived Liverpool 8 district.
Despite moments of poignancy, not least the later troubles and tragic early death of backing vocalist Ray Lake, this is essentially a story of triumph in the face of adversity, and is recommended for all fans of the group, as well as those with an interest in black British cultural history.
