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

Hello, Friday is Valentine's Day so any excuse to roll out anything vaguely love or sex related. In amongst that is a new Classic Albums Doc on Tears For Fears on BBC4 (although it's not The Seeds Of Love)
Sky has a Doc which might have commissioned on the strength of its name, although if you like the Cuban music it might be worth a look ...





Thursday
9pm Autopsy – Michael Hutchence (VM2)
A look at the events leading up to the INXS singers death. Jaws is on ITV4 at the same time, if you like this kind of thing




Friday
7pm Soundtracks – Songs That Defined History (Sky Arts)
Space Music – Bowie, The Byrds and Others

7.30pm Top Of The Pops 1989 – March 16 (BBC4)
Simon Mayo, Sybil Ruscoe and Rod McKenzie host the edition first shown on March 16, featuring performances by New Order, Gloria Estefan, Chanelle, Fuzzbox, Madonna, Soul II Soul with Caron Wheeler, Jason Donovan and Guns N' Roses

8pm & 3am Love Songs At The BBC - A Valentines Special (BBC4)
TOTP performances from Celine Dion, Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes, Jason and Kylie, 10cc and Lionel Richie

8pm Artists In Love – Johnny Cash & June Carter-Cash (Sky Arts)
Music experts and historians reflect on Johnny Cash's relationship with fellow country singer June Carter

9pm Top Of The Pops 1989 – March 23 (BBC4)
Mark Goodier and Andy Crane host the edition first shown on March 23, featuring performances by the Reynolds Girls, Alyson Williams, Donna Summer, Coldcut with Lisa Stansfield, Pat and Mick, Roachford, the Bangles, Kym Mazelle, Kim Wilde, Paula Abdul, Madonna and Bobby Brown

9pm The Barry White Story – Let The Music Play (Sky Arts)
Documentary charting the singer's life and career, looking at his childhood, his time in prison and his life-changing decision to go into music

9.30pm & 2am Classic Albums: Tears For Fears – Songs From The Big Chair (BBC4) New!
Documentary that explores the creation of the seminal, second album by Tears for Fears. Songs from the Big Chair took the gothic synth-pop foundations of the band and combined them with arena-ready anthems, leading to critical acclaim and three international hit singles, Mothers Talk, Shout and Everybody Wants to Rule the World

10.30pm Roy Orbison – Love Hurts (BBC4)
Thirty years since the singer's death, another chance to see this documentary revealing his legacy as a beloved rock legend and a devoted father through intimate interviews with his three sons. Alex, Roy Jr and Wesley Orbison discuss the immense talent and fierce determination that provided the driving force behind their father's success and how his family life offered a strong spiritual base to escape the pressures of the rock ‘n' roll lifestyle

11.15pm Songs To Have Sex To (Sky Arts)
Edith Bowman goes on a musical journey into art, science, history and popular culture as she attempts to answer the question of the best songs to listen to during sex

11.30pm Sounds Of The Seventies (BBC4)
‘Guilty Pleasures’ A celebration of some of the decade's most recognisable classics, including performances by the Carpenters, Bread, Charles Aznavour, 10cc, John Denver, Bellamy Brothers, Exile, Captain & Tennille and Dr Hook

Midnight BBC Radio 2 In Concert – Tears For Fears (BBC4)
2017 concert. It’s on Youtube

12.05am Ceolchuirt – Argentina (TG4)
Sean nós dancer Máire Áine Ní Iarnáin brings her dancing shoes to Argentina to dance with gauchos and native Indians alike, but is seduced by the sexiest and most famous dance of all - the tango. She's got more fadas in her name than most people

1am Sings Bacharach And David (BBC4)
Archive performances of songs penned by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, featuring artists including Aretha Franklin, Dusty Springfield, the Carpenters, Sandie Shaw and the Stranglers. The programme also features Bacharach himself performing alongside Rufus Wainwright on Later with Jools Holland

1.45am Gregory Porter - Don’t Forget Your Music (Sky Arts)
Told through interviews with friends and fans, this documentary traces the Grammy Award-winning singer's journey to international fame




Saturday
5.30pm Celebrity Mastermind (BBC1)
Featuring former Labour MP Alan Johnson answering questions on The Beatles. Look, it’s a slow week.

6.15pm BB King Live At The Royal Albert Hall (Sky Arts)
From 2011, featuring Mick Hucknall, Slash, Ronnie Wood, Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks

7pm Sounds Of The Sixties (Yesterday)
The Who, the Kinks, the Small Faces, the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band and the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Pink Floyd, the Rolling Stones and Fleetwood Mac, Aretha Franklin, Bill Withers, Rose Royce, the Real Thing and Michael Jackson

8pm Sounds Of The Seventies (Yesterday)
The Who, Queen, David Bowie, the Moody Blues, the Rolling Stones and Elton John

8pm Breezin’ – The George Benson Story (Sky Arts)
Documentary about the American soul singer. Wikipedia says "His concerts were well attended through the 1980s, and he still has a large following" which is a cutting compliment

9pm A Tuba To Cuba (Sky Arts) New!
Documentary following the leader of New Orleans' renowned Preservation Hall Jazz Band as he travels to Cuba in search of the indigenous music that gave birth to jazz


9.15pm Film: Straight Outta Compton (RTE2)
Biopic of hip-hop group NWA, examining their rise to fame in the 1980s. This was on ITV4 last week, I think

10.45pm Sound Of Redemption - The Frank Morgan Story (Sky Arts)
Documentary about the jazz saxophonist whose heroin addiction led him on a path to San Quentin prison

12.20am Santana – Greatest Hits Live At Montreux 2011 (Sky Arts)

12.45am Top Of The Pops 1989 – March 16 (BBC4)
1.15am Top Of The Pops 1989 – March 23 (BBC4)




Sunday
4.30pm Norah Jones At Baloise Session (Sky Arts)

7pm Great Film Composers – The Magic Of The Movies (Sky Arts)
A look at soundtracks of the 1990s, like Carter Burwell's work with the Coen brothers, James Horner's work on Braveheart and Titanic, and Hans Zimmer's music for Thelma & Louise

9.30pm Se Mo Laoch – Mairtin O’Connor (TG4)
The life and career of Galway accordion player Mairtin O'Connor, a member of seminal groups Midnight Well, Skylark and De Dannan

11pm Ray Charles Live At Montreux 1997 (Sky Arts)

12.30am The Barry White Story – Let The Music Play (Sky Arts)

1.30am The Marvin Gaye Story – What’s Going On? (Sky Arts)

2.45am BB King Live At The Royal Albert Hall (Sky Arts)




And that's about that, another Valentine's Day passes by without a My Bloody Valentine Doc so lets have a look at an interview where Kevin Shields shows off his guitar collection. Uploaded by the Fender Channel, no less







Hopefully there will be more interesting shows coming up soon, in the meantime if you hear of anything decent do let us know, please and thanks


Finally, the Best attempt by Shaun William Ryder to convince a Panel Show that he taught his cat how to wink of the week might from this episode (Dave, Friday 8.20pm)

Hotblack Desiato wrote: »

You have to love it when he's doing the feedback / whacking the guitar with a drumstick thing and the subtitles say [Music}. Music to my ears but not many others

That's class

Sound man.

Hello, here is a look at what's going on in the television schedules this week. Lots of repeats alas, but maybe there's something to interest you ...




Thursday
11.45pm Great Film Composers – The Music of the Movies (Sky Arts)
A look at the soundtracks of the 2000s and the composers that wrote the scores for blockbusters including Avatar, The Dark Knight and Gladiator

1.35am Film: 24 Hour Party People (Film 4)
Biopic of Tony Wilson, journalist, founder of Factory Records and the Hacienda nightclub and the man credited with breathing new life into Manchester's music scene, introducing the world to bands including Joy Division, New Order and Happy Mondays. Starring Steve Coogan, John Simm, Ralf Little, Andy Serkis and Shirley Henderson





Friday
1pm The South Bank Show Originals – Elvis Costello (Sky Arts)
Melvyn Bragg revisits a 1981 profile of Elvis Costello, filmed when the singer-sonwgriter was tackling country music in America with the recording of his album Almost Blue

7.30pm Top Of The Pops 1989 – March 30 (BBC4)
Gary Davies and Bruno Brookes host the edition first shown on March 30, with performances by Pat and Mick, the Bangles, Roachford, Brother Beyond, Paul Simpson featuring Adeva, Transvision Vamp, the The, Guns N' Roses, Fuzzbox, the Cult, Madonna and Kon Kan

8pm … Sings Disney Songs (BBC4)
Interpretations of music from the Walt Disney Studios' films over the past 40 years, featuring songs including the Bare Necessities, When You Wish Upon a Star and Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah. Celine Dion and Elton John are among the artists on clips from shows including Top of the Pops, Blue Peter, Shirley Bassey, It's Lulu, Louis Armstrong's Show of the Week and Brubeck

8pm Soundtracks Songs That Defined History (Sky Arts)
Battle Of The Sexes

9pm Top Of The Pops 1989 – April 6 (BBC4)
Simon Mayo and Anthea Turner host the edition first shown on April 6, featuring performances by Brother Beyond, Kon Kan, Holly Johnson, Paula Abdul, Coldcut with Lisa Stansfield, Simply Red, Transvision Vamp, Madonna and INXS

9pm Beatles Stories (Sky Arts)
Those who knew or brushed shoulders with the Beatles reveal their personal encounters with the Fab Four in Seth Swirsky's documentary. Fans reveal how they found themselves playing Monopoly with George Harrison, eating beans on toast with Ringo Starr, drinking rum with John Lennon and performing with a Beatles tribute band in front of producer George Martin. Appears to be a Beatles weekend on Sky

9.30pm & 3am Rock Island Line – The Song That Made Britain Rock (BBC4)
Billy Bragg offers a salute to American folk song Rock Island Line, which emerged in the late 1920s. Its first recorded performance of was by inmates of the Arkansas Cummins State Farm prison in 1934. After several covers, Lonnie Donegan's recording, released as a single in late 1955, signalled the start of the UK skiffle craze

10.30pm Chas And Dave – Last Orders (BBC4)
Documentary offering an insight into Chas Hodges and Dave Peacock's successful five decades in the music industry, which has seen them share the same bill as Led Zeppelin and make a big impact on London's cultural landscape. The film blends archive performances with more recent tour footage
It’s all here


10.50pm The Cavern Club – The Beat Goes On (Sky Arts)
It’s the story of the Cavern Club. Paul McCartney contributes to this Doc about the place where The Beatles played 292 times
https://www.cavernclub.com/blog-post/the-cavern-club-the-beat-goes-on/


11.25pm Whatever Happened to Rock n Roll ? (BBC4)
Lauren Laverne leads a discussion from London's 100 Club asking whether rock 'n' roll is in crisis and what it represents in contemporary society. Can the genre still be considered as dangerous and subversive as it once was or has it become more about lifestyle and decoration? Participants include Savages' lead singer Jehnny Beth, Dr John Cooper Clarke and former Animal Eric Burdon. There are also contributions from Noel Gallagher and Dave Grohl and the members of Sleaford Mods and Alabama Shakes

12.20am Donovan And The Beatles In India (Sky Arts)
In 1968 the Beatles visited India, where they discovered meditation and wrote over two dozen songs that were included in the White Album, Abbey Road and later solo albums. In this documentary, folk singer Donovan - who was the ringleader of the trip - retraces the journey

12.25am Rock n Roll Britannia (BBC4)
A look back at the beginnings of British rock 'n' roll, when acts such as the Shadows and Johnny Kidd and the Pirates helped to lay the foundations of an enduring musical culture. Including the current line-up of the Quarrymen - forerunners of the Beatles - performing Rock Island Line, and contributions by Cliff Richard, Marty Wilde, Joe Brown and Bruce Welch

12.30am Backstreet Boys Live In Japan 2013 (RTE2)
Someone in RTE2 has a thing for the Backstreet Boys

1.20am My Beatles Black Album With Charles Hazelwood (Sky Arts)
The conductor creates a compilation album formed of solo tracks made by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr

1.25am Arena: Alone With Chrissie Hynde (BBC4)
Portrait of the rock musician, following her shopping for clothes in Paris, hanging out with Sandra Bernhard in New York, spending time in London and taking a special trip back to her home town of Akron, Ohio

1.25am Film: Northern Soul (Film4)
A teenager living in a Northern town in the 1970s finds his horizons expanded when he discovers American soul music. He develops an inseparable friendship with a fellow devotee and the pair hope to achieve a brighter future beyond their bleak daily life. Drama, starring Elliot James Langridge, Josh Whitehouse, Steve Coogan and Ricky Tomlinson

2.20am A Tuba To Cuba (Sky Arts)
The Doc which was on last week about someone bringing a Tuba to Cuba




Saturday
3.45pm Na Baileid (TG4)
With John Spillane

5pm The Cavern Club - The Beat Goes On (Sky Arts)

6.30pm California Dreamin’: The Songs Of The Mamas And The Papas (Sky Arts)

7pm-9pm Sounds Of The Seventies (Yesterday)
Free, Deep Purple, Jethro Tull, Yes and Dr Feelgood, the Carpenters, Wings, Abba and Kate Bush, Carole King, James Taylor, Neil Young, Randy Newman and Don McLean, the Eagles, Eric Clapton and Dire Straits

7.45pm Classic Albums: Fleetwood Mac – Rumors (Sky Arts)

9pm Peter Green: Man Of The World (Sky Arts)
The story of the blues performer, who found fame in the 1960s as lead guitarist with Fleetwood Mac, but left the public stage for years as he battled drug addiction and mental illness. Featuring archive footage and interviews with Noel Gallagher, Carlos Santana, Green's former bandmates and the musician himself
Trailer here


9pm Film: Phil Spector (Sky Atlantic)
Al Pacino stars as Phil Spector in this drama based on his Murder Trial
Here is a photo


9.17pm Film: Cadillac Records (2008) (TG4)
Biopic of music producer Leonard Chess, whose record label became a key element in the development of blues and early rock, providing a home for some of the most exciting musical talents in 1950s America, including Etta James, Muddy Waters and Chuck Berry. Fact-based drama, starring Adrien Brody, Beyonce Knowles, Jeffrey Wright and Gabrielle Union. Reviews on IMDB are mixed,
Trailer here


10.05pm Joel Dommet: Finding Emo (ITV2)
The comedian tries to re-form the emo band he played in when he was 15 in the hope that they can perform the final song they never played at their one-and-only gig

11.30pm The Who: Tommy Live At The Royal Albert Hall 2017 (Sky Arts)

12.40am Top Of The Pops 1989 – March 30 (BBC4)
1.10am Top Of The Pops 1989 – April 6 (BBC4)

3am Soundtracks Songs That Defined History (Sky Arts)

3.55am Joan Baez – How Sweet The Sound (Sky Arts)



Sunday
7pm Great Film Composers – The Music of the Movies (Sky Arts)
Yet again. May or may not tell you that Hans Zimmer wrote the theme music to Going For Gold

8pm My Beatles Black Album With Charles Hazlewood (Sky Arts)

9pm-11.50pm Concert For George (Sky Arts)
A special tribute concert for George Harrison filmed at the Royal Albert Hall, and featuring surviving Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. Eric Clapton, Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty, Ravi Shankar, Jools Holland and George's son Dhani sing renditions of hits including Taxman and My Sweet Lord. The first half is mostly Indian and Ravi Shankar based, and then it rocks out with the Beatles and Wilburys.


9.30pm-11pm Gradam Ceoil TG4 2020 (TG4)
The annual celebration of traditional musicians live from The Waterfront Hotel in Belfast. Featuring performances from artists such as Laoise Kelly, Seamus Connolly, Josephine Marsh, Sharon Howley, Ned Kelly, Lillis O'Laoire and Beoga. Presented by Dónal Ó Connor and Doireann Ní Ghlacáin

11.40pm Brit Awards 2020 (ITV)

11.50pm Donovan And The Beatles In India (Sky Arts)
Donovan once did an AMA on Boards, although he didn’t answer many questions
https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057370598

12.50am Beatles Stories (Sky Arts)
2.40am Peter Green: Man Of The World (Sky Arts)





That's more or less that, if you have seen anything else do let us know


Now the first and probably last in a new series of Movie Reviews by former TOTP Presenters


https://twitter.com/davidkidjensen/status/1229759722225623041


And finally, the Best Led Zeppelin/Heart mashup in a Shrek Movie Of The Week might be this one from Shrek The Third (RTE1, Saturday 6.35pm)