BeebRock II - Music Shows on BBC Four, Sky Arts and everywhere else

The vocals of whichever Sister Sledge is singing lead seem very weak.

Sorry Sisters.

Ha, yeah that's the one, Plenty.

This is the version that I remember, with Diego Maradona warming up before a Napoli game in time to the tune.

Not sure why or for what reason but if Diego approves then I do too.

La na, naa na na

Hello, lets have a look at whats going on this Easter Weekend. There is a mixed bag of Oasis, Blur, The Highwaymen, Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton,Indie and look out for a showing of that vintage No Disco Planxty special we were looking at a while back ...



Wednesday Evening
7.30pm Danny Baker Rocks The Nineties a Bit (BBC4)
With the help of a couple of morris dancers, the presenter showcases performances by rocking Brits such as the Justified Ancients of Mu Mu, Radiohead, Happy Mondays and Portishead.

11.25 Ar Stáitse: Scullion (TG4)
A 1980 performance by Irish folk-rock band Scullion, featuring hits including The Cat She Went a Hunting, Down in the City and Spencer the Rover



Thursday
10.30am Video Killed The Radio Star - Crowded House (Sky Arts)

3.30pm Video Killed The Radio Star - Lou Reed (Sky Arts)

7.30pm & Midnight Top Of The Pops 1985 - July 25th (BBC4)
Gary Davies and Dixie Peach present the pop chart programme, first broadcast on 25 July 1985. Featuring Madonna, Feargal Sharkey, the Cure, Dire Straits and the Eurythmics https://www.thetvdb.com/?tab=episode&seriesid=78332&seasonid=655748&id=5857980&lid=7

9pm The Secret Science Of Pop (BBC4)
Evolutionary biologist Professor Armand Leroi gathers a team of scientists and researchers to analyse more than 50 years of UK chart music. When the results are in, Armand teams up with producer Trevor Horn. Using machine-learning techniques, they try to take a song by unsigned artist Nike Jemiyo and turn it into a potential chart-topper

10pm Britpop at the BBC (BBC4)
A look at the vibrant form of indie music known as Britpop, which in the 1990s stamped its presence onto the UK cultural scene and led to the notion of `Cool Britannia', as a new wave of bands re-evaluated what it meant to be British. The movement was dominated by the battle between its biggest-selling exponents, Blur and Oasis, who in August 1995 did battle in a memorable bid for the number one spot. The programme also features the bands Elastica, Sleeper, Suede and Menswear

10pm Belladrum 2017: Sister Sledge (BBC Alba)
A set by ultimate disco group, Sister Sledge who headlined the Garden Stage on the opening night in Beauly

11.05pm Other Voices (RTE2)
Music by Mount Kimbie, Rosie Carney and Beoga. Presented by Annie Mac, Huw Stephens and May Kay

11pm ... Sings The Great American Songbook (BBC4)
A compilation of archive performances of hits composed by American songwriters including Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Johnny Mercer and Harold Arlen. Featuring music by Shirley Bassey, Bryan Ferry, Captain Sensible, Jamie Cullum and Florence and the Machine

1.30am Film: Metallica - Through The Never (Film4)
A roadie working for the heavy metal band is sent to retrieve a package from a broken-down tour bus during a gig. The simple errand turns into a surreal adventure when he is hunted through the night by a mysterious horseman. Thriller, starring Dane DeHaan and Kyle Thomson, featuring footage of Metallica in concert




Good Friday
10.30am Video Killed The Radio Star - Lou Reed (Sky Arts)

7pm Johnny Cash Song By Song - I Walk The Line (Sky Arts)
Documentary examining the life and character of the musician through some of his most significant hit songs, beginning with his first US number one I Walk the Line

7.30pm Dolly Parton Song By Song - Coat Of Many Colours (Sky Arts)
The Country and Western singer looks back at her most famous songs, discussing what inspired them, their impact and how they continue to influence people to this day. She begins with Coat of Many Colors, which tells the story of the jacket her mum made her from multicoloured rags - and the bullies it attracted at school. Including contributions from Hollywood actress Kristin Chenoweth and record producer Steve Buckingham

7.30pm & Midnight & 3.30am Top Of The Pops 1985 - August 8th (BBC4)
Richard Skinner and Simon Bates introduce performances by Dire Straits, Princess, Go West, Phil Collins and Amazulu. First aired August 8 1985 https://www.thetvdb.com/?tab=episode&seriesid=78332&seasonid=655748&id=5857983&lid=7 (Three showings in one night!)

8pm The Kate Bush Story: Running Up That Hill (BBC4)
Documentary exploring the singer-songwriter's career and music from her 1978 debut single Wuthering Heights to her 2011 album 50 Words for Snow with testimony from collaborators, fellow artists inspired by her work and fans. Featuring David Gilmour, the guitarist who discovered Bush, as well as Peter Gabriel, Elton John, Stephen Fry, Outkast's Big Boi and Steve Coogan

8pm Video Killed The Radio Star - Oasis (Sky Arts)

8.30pm Discovering Music - Blur (Sky Arts)

9pm Johnny Cash - The Man, His World, His Music (BBC4)
Robert Elfstrom's 1969 musical documentary charting the career of Johnny Cash, and capturing `the Man in Black' at the peak of his career. The country singer is seen performing with his new bride June Carter Cash, as well as in a rare duet with Bob Dylan. The film-maker also presents a behind-the-scenes look at the influential American musician as he interacts with friends, family, and aspiring young musicians
Clip


10pm Music Videos That Defined The Nineties (Sky Arts)
A look at the most memorable videos of the decade, including ones by Sinead O'Connor, Fatboy Slim, Oasis, Blur, the Verve, the Prodigy, Massive Attack and Spice Girls

10pm Arena: Bob Dylan - Trouble No More (BBC4)
In 1979, Bob Dylan released Slow Train Coming, an album of strictly devotional songs and declared he had found God in Christianity. For the following two years, accompanied by the finest musicians and gospel singers, he toured with a repertoire solely of songs expressing his new-found faith. A film was made of one of those performances, though never released until now. This first showing is enhanced by a series of sermons between the songs, all specially written for the film and preached by Oscar-nominated actor Michael Shannon. The result is Bob Dylan's gospel service combining the `then' of the gig with the `now' of the message of The Preacher

10.30pm Sounds Of The Eighties - Def Leppard Special (BBC Red Button, Also on BBC Radio 2, Repeated at various times over weekend)
Sara Cox presents a Rockin' Red Button Special playing some of the loudest rock bands on the planet. Joe Elliot and Phil Collen from Def Leppard join her to share their metal memories. And we salute the best coiffed music genre of all time in a Hairy Metal Megamix. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09wgd2f

11pm ... Sings Dylan 2 (BBC4)
Cover versions of Bob Dylan songs from the 1960s to the present, sourced from the BBC archives. Featuring classic tracks old and new, plus a few surprises. Performers include Joan Baez, Siouxsie and the Banshees, the Hollies, Adele, Julie Felix, Richie Havens, Bryan Ferry and KT Tunstall

11pm Dire Straits - On The Night (Sky Arts)
Concert film shot over the course of gigs at Les Arenes in Nimes and the Stadion Feijenoord in Rotterdam during the band's last concert tour. Mark Knopfler and the group perform tracks from their 1991 album On Every Street, as well as hits including Walk of Life, Money for Nothing, Wild Theme and Romeo and Juliet
Clip


12.25am The Windmill Lane Sessions (TG4)
Performances by some of today's leading Irish and international music acts, featuring Wyvern Lingo, Tucan and the Walls

12.30am - 3.30am Music For Misfits: The Story Of Indie (Parts I, II and III)
I The DIY Movement Mark Radcliffe narrates an examination of the history of the indie genre, beginning by exploring the origins of the UK's alternative music scene with the emergence of independent record labels and the eclectic sound hubs they spawned in cities across the country. It looks at the impact of Buzzcocks' Spiral Scratch EP from 1977, which was the first independently produced and distributed release of the era and inspired others to set up labels including Factory, Postcard and Rough Trade. Featuring exclusive interviews with performers including New Order's Stephen Morris and Gillian Gilbert, Buzzcocks' frontman Pete Shelley, James Dean Bradfield of Manic Street Preachers, Belle and Sebastian's Stuart Murdoch, Malcolm Ross of Aztec Camera and Orange Juice, and the Jesus and Mary Chain's Jim Reid. With contributions from Influential music industry figures such as Pete Waterman, Factory Records' designer Peter Saville, music entrepreneur Seymour Stein, and music producer and Mute Records founder Daniel Miller

II The Alternative 80s During the 1980s, independent record labels transformed from cottage industries into real businesses that could compete with the majors. This documentary recalls the first cross-over of alternative music into the mainstream chart, as well as the emergence of fanzines, whereby aspiring music journalists could access their favourite indie stars at the small and intimate gigs where they performed. Narrator Mark Radcliffe also considers the latter part of the decade when the emerging acid house rave culture spawned a new crop of bands such as the Stone Roses and Happy Mondays. Contributors include Stephen Morris, Gillian Gilbert, James Dean Bradfield and Shaun Ryder

III Into the Mainstream The 1990s saw the original independent labels struggle in the wake of acid house, allowing the major labels to move in with Britpop, spearheaded by Blur and Oasis. Bands with an old indie ethos switched to the majors, which though conservative in nature were commercially astute. By the mid-point of the decade, the spirit of the DIY boom had all but gone. However, a recent renaissance has seen the return of some independent labels, who seem to have learned from the mistakes of the past. Narrated by Mark Radcliffe. Last in the series

12.50am Other Voices (RTE2)

1am Deep Purple with Orchestra: Live in Montreux 2011 (Sky Arts)



Saturday
6pm-8pm BST Hyde Park 2017 (Sky Arts)
Performances from the festival, which included appearances by the Killers, Kings of Leon, Phil Collins, Green Day, Justin Bieber and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

7pm Ultimate Covers at the BBC (Yesterday)

8pm Ultimate Number Ones (Yesterday)
Mark Goodier presents a programme originally made to mark the UK chart's 1000th Number One entry with an exclusive look back at the songs that have reached the coveted position

8pm Music Videos That Defined The Nineties (Sky Arts)

9pm Synth Britannia at the BBC (Yesterday)
A showcase of 1970s and 80s synth music taken from the BBC archives. Popular acts in the genre include Roxy Music, New Order, Ultravox, Soft Cell, OMD, Yazoo and Depeche Mode

Oasis/Blur Night on Sky Arts!
9pm Blur/Oasis - The Britpop Years (Sky Arts) New!
The battle between the two bands for dominance in the era, focusing on when Blur's single Country House went up against Oasis's Roll With It for the number one spot in the charts
https://www.sky.com/watch/title/programme/5174429a-bc1b-4b96-b29a-ba97cbb84fef

10.15pm Liam Gallagher: Live In New York (Sky Arts)
A concert by the singer at Manhattan's McKittrick Hotel, features Oasis songs Morning Glory, Rock n Roll Star and Wonderwall as well as tracks from debut solo album As You Were

11.30pm Video Killed The Radio Star - Oasis (Sky Arts)
Director Nigel Dick chats about the inspiration for the videos for Oasis songs Wonderwall, Champagne Supernova, The Importance of Being Idle and Don't Look Back in Anger, and reflects on his fractious relationship with the Gallagher brothers

Midnight Oasis Live At Barrowlands (Sky Arts)
A 2001 concert by the band in Glasgow, featuring performances of songs including Go Let It Out, Supersonic, Live Forever, Roll with It and Cigarettes & Alcohol

1.15am Blur: New World Towers (Sky Arts)
Documentary chronicling the making of Blur's acclaimed 2015 comeback album The Magic Whip, from its origins in Hong Kong to the band performing material in London's Hyde Park


Others:
10pm The Story of Quadrophenia - Can You See The Real Me? (Yesterday)
Guitarist Pete Townshend revisits his former haunts in Shepherd's Bush and Battersea, London, to reflect on the Who's sixth studio album Quadrophenia, released in 1973. He recalls how the project was nearly abandoned due to financial problems, a culture of drink and drugs, and a studio that was under construction. Featuring contributions by fellow band member Roger Daltrey, manager Bill Curbishley and record producer Ron Nevison

10.30pm & 3.25am Top Of The Pops 1985 - July 25th (BBC4)

11pm Top Of The Pops 1985 - August 8th (BBC4)

11.30pm The Highwaymen: Friends To The End (BBC4)
The Highwaymen - Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson - were American country music's first supergroup, a quartet featuring the genre's pioneering stars. Between 1985 and 1995, the Grammy-winning group recorded three albums and toured the world. This documentary explores how these men came together and the fruits of their historic collaboration. Contributors include surviving members Nelson and Kristofferson, plus Toby Keith, John Mellencamp and Jessi Colter

12.25am The Highwaymen Live (BBC4)
Concert footage of Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson's country music group, recorded at Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, New York, in March 1990. The performance comprises many of the classics they recorded together, and the greatest songs they recorded in their solo careers. Tracks include Highwayman, Sunday Morning Coming Down, Folsom Prison Blues, Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys, Always on My Mind, Me and Bobby McGee, Desperados Waiting for a Train, Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way and Silver Stallion

1.25am Adele in New York City (RTE1)

3.55am Sounds Of The Seventies (BBC4)
The Moody Blues perform Question in 1970



Easter Sunday
7pm Pat Shortt's Music From D'Telly (RTE1)
Rarely seen performances from six decades of RTÉ music television production, featuring Carole King, the Pogues, Christy Moore, Jackson Browne, Phil Coulter and Luke Kelly

9pm Music Legends We Lost (Sky Arts)
From George Michael and Chuck Berry to Glen Campbell and Tom Petty, this film pays tribute to the music greats who died between December 2016 and the end of 2017

9.30pm Gradam Ceoil TG4 2018 (TG4)
Rarely seen performances from six decades of RTÉ music television production, featuring Carole King, the Pogues, Christy Moore, Jackson Browne, Phil Coulter and Luke Kelly

11.05pm The Gloaming at the National Concert Hall (RTE1)
https://www.hotpress.com/news/The-Gloaming-will-release-iLive-At-NCHi-album-ahead-of-concerts-this-March/21690916.html



Easter Monday
11.30pm No Disco Planxty Special (TG4)
Leagues O'Toole presents a tribute to the folk band, featuring interviews with founding members Christy Moore, Andy Irvine, and Liam Og O'Flynn, who died earlier this month



Good to see TG4 picking up on that No Disco show. Maybe they could plunder the archives and show some more No Disco clippage, it was a great show.

In the sidebar from that show on youtube I saw a link to a 1991 BBC NI Show 'Sessions from the Seventies' which looks like a fine hour of folk music performances including Planxty, Paul Brady, Andy Irvine, Pumpkinhead and others




That's more or less that, Happy Easter and the Best Glen Campbell film of the Easter Weekend would have to be True Grit (Friday TG4 9pm). Glen said his acting was so poor in the film that he made John Wayne look brilliant by comparison, and that's what convinced the Academy to give John Wayne his only Oscar!
They got Glen to sing the theme tune, while he was there, which was a good move

I have no recollection of that Feargal Sharkey song at all

He should give Maria McKee a ring, she writes a good tune.

I'd like to think the Sister Sledge // Skid X feud ended when I gave their upcoming BBC Alba appearance a mention on the listings.

I mean, you can't put a price on that kind of publicity