THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “In 1970, Blood, Sweat & Tears were arguably the hottest band in America. Their second album, the eponymously titled Blood, Sweat & Tears, had recently spent seven weeks atop the Billboard Album charts, spawning the Top 5 singles You’ve Made Me So Very Happy, Spinning Wheel and And When I Die. The LP had been nominated for four Grammy awards, ultimately winning two — including Album Of The Year over The Beatles’ Abbey Road — and sold more than four million copies. They were touring to sold-out audiences around the world and had just completed their third album in the studio. What could possibly go wrong? Enter the U.S. State Department and Richard Milhous Nixon…
That’s the story at the heart of the upcoming acclaimed documentary What The Hell Happened To Blood, Sweat & Tears? — a political thriller with a classic rock band at the centre of a controversy that has been suppressed for more than 50 years. At the height of that 1970 peak, Blood, Sweat & Tears became the first American rock band to perform behind the Iron Curtain, doing concerts in Yugoslavia, Romania, and Poland. The tour was sponsored by the U.S. State Department. A documentary crew accompanied the band and shot over 65 hours of material for what was to be a theatrical film. But it was never released and the footage disappeared. The music was also captured on tape but never issued or even heard by the band. Upon returning to the States after the tour, the group became victim of the significant societal upheaval and culture wars in a polarized America. The toxic environment found them in a crossfire between the right and left and the group suffered as a result.
What The Hell Happened To Blood, Sweat & Tears? is a film about this tour, this journey and the discovery of the film and music that documented one of the world’s biggest bands at the summit of their powers. Award-winning director John Scheinfeld (Who Is Harry Nilsson (And Why Is Everybody Talkin’ About Him?), The U.S. vs. John Lennon, Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary, Herb Alpert Is…) has once again captivated audiences with a thrilling story that contains amazing previously unreleased film footage and stunning musical performances.
The soundtrack album features 10 performances from the 1970 Iron Curtain Tour, including their biggest hits (Spinning Wheel, And When I Die and more) and music from their then-upcoming third album Blood, Sweat & Tears 3. Lovingly produced and curated by founding member Bobby Colomby, this album is a tour de force that never stops surprising or pleasing the listener.
As a companion piece to the original soundtrack, there’s also the film’s original score, composed by Colomby and David Mann, and performed by the current 2023 lineup of Blood, Sweat & Tears, bringing the musical vibe right up to date.”
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mUTpXjzls36Yiv3tSTdjbv6cjus_lpGNA
