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

Welsh Megaman wrote: »

Just watched part one of ‘Hits, Hype And Hustle’ - excellent

Especially the part about Blur almost being dropped whilst making ‘Modern Life Is Rubbish’ because the record company didn’t sense a hit.

Good to see Menswear on BBC Four too

Half way through it ... better than I expected ... although I have to object to a line I just heard the narrator say "The Zombies are mentioned in the same breath as the Beatles today ..."

Eh? Is DickDave Clark involved in this? More revisionist Beatle Bashing tripe! All credit to the Zombies but they were no Beatles.

As an aside, I turned on Radio Nova last night in the car and they played two Paul McCartney songs in a row which gave me a sinking feeling until I flicked through the stations and no-one else was playing him! Paul lives!

Ah no, sad to him gone. There was no-one quite like Mark E. There isn't a whole lot new this weekend apart from a Sky Arts Sting Documentary which might have been originally made in French, from what I can see. Monsieur Le Sting must be big over there.

Elsewhere Eric Clapton, Dire Straits, U2, The Kinks,The Doors and eh ... Lisa McHugh all feature along with that BBC Insiders documentary with the very long name ...





Thursday
10.45am & Midnight California Dreamin': The Songs Of The Mama and The Papas (Sky Arts)
Documentary charting the success of the Californian pop group, featuring performance and archive footage, and interviews with band members, including Mama Cass. The band provide accounts of the writing and recording process involved in the creation of their hit songs and how they personally dealt with instant fame and success

7.30pm & Midnight Top Of The Pops 1985 - January 31st (BBC4)
Peter Powell and Janice Long present the January 31st edition, featuring Big Sound Authority, Art of Noise, Bruce Springsteen and Foreigner. Full details here https://www.thetvdb.com/?tab=episode&seriesid=78332&seasonid=655748&id=5857945&lid=7

1am Lisa McHugh Live (TG4)

3.15am Johnny Cash: A Legend In Concert (Sky Arts)
A selection of early recordings by the country star, featuring performances of Five Feet High and Rising, I Got Stripes and Don't Take Your Guns to Town




Friday
7pm Simply Red: Live at Sydney Opera House (2010) (Sky Arts)

7.30pm & Midnight Top Of The Pops 1985 - February 7th (BBC4)
Richard Skinner and Gary Davies introduce performances by King, Bryan Adams, Phil Collins, Kirsty MacColl, Howard Jones, Billy Ocean, and Elaine Paige and Barbara Dickson. First aired February 7, 1985. Full details here https://www.thetvdb.com/?tab=episode&seriesid=78332&seasonid=655748&id=5857949&lid=7

8pm Live From The Artists Den - Alanis Morissette (Sky Arts)

9pm & 1.40am Hits. Hypes & Hustle: An Insider's Guide To The Music Business (BBC4)
Ep 2/3 Music promoter John Giddings tells the story of how live performance has become a billion-pound industry. Where once bands would tour just to promote an album, in the age of downloads and dwindling record sales, the live arena is booming. The programme also tells the story of the original Isle of Wight festival, where a bunch of young promoters with big ideas persuaded Bob Dylan, the Who and Leonard Cohen to perform. The event transformed the music industry, and, for the young John who was in the audience, inspired a whole career. Contributors include Phil Collins, Stewart Copeland, Mel C and Alex James

10pm & 2.40am Glastonbury Golden Greats (BBC4)
A reflection on some of the most popular acts to perform at the music festival over the years, including Shirley Bassey, Tony Bennett, Neil Diamond, Al Green, Willie Nelson, BB King and Johnny Cash. Plus, Queen of Country Dolly Parton's set from the 2014 event

10pm Classic Albums: The Joshua Tree (Sky Arts)
The making of U2's album The Joshua Tree, which features the tracks I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For and With or Without You. Members of the band and producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois reveal stories behind the 1987 classic

11pm Guitar Heroes at the BBC (BBC4)
Archive footage from BBC music shows of the 1970s, including Pete Townshend of the Who, acoustic numbers by Davy Graham and Ralph McTell, and the talents of Americans Nils Lofgren and Ted Nugent. Also featured are performances by the Faces, Chris Spedding, the Runaways, Judas Priest, ZZ Top and the Cate Brothers

11pm Soul Power! (Sky Arts)
The documentary examining the evolution of soul music continues, with leading musicians and performers revealing the impact it has had on their lives and careers

Midnight Pet Shop Boys: A Life In Pop (Sky Arts)
Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe talk about their early days in the 1980s, and artists including Robbie Williams and Scissor Sisters' Jake Shears discuss the influence of the pop duo

12.30am Other Voices (RTE2)
An Electric Picnic special, featuring Le Galaxie, Holly Macve, Heathers, Word Up Collective, Karl Blau, Dr Dog and My Sweet Beloved

12.40am The Kinks At The BBC (BBC4)
Archive performances by the band from shows including Top of the Pops and The Old Grey Whistle Test, charting how their sound developed from the 1960s to the 1980s. The programme also features highlights from lead singer Ray Davies' solo career, including clips from Later with Jools Holland and his 2007 concert at the BBC Electric Proms

1.15am Crowded House Live At Sydney Opera House (Sky Arts)




Saturday
6pm Live From The Artist's Den - Alanis Morissette (Sky Arts)

7pm David Gilmour: Live in Gdansk 2006 (Sky Arts)

9pm & 2.45am Sting: A Free Man (Sky Arts) New!
100 million records sold, 16 Grammy Awards and a place on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: Sting is a genre-breaking, unique paradox in the world of music. Yet we know so little about the man. Behind the global rock star hides an intellectual, a free and frail man who uses his art to express his inner thoughts and bear the battles important to him. This is a unique opportunity to discover him through exclusive interviews with the star singer and testimonies of famous artists like Will I Am, Zucchero or Bob Geldof.
https://www.aboutpremiumcontent.com/programs/sting-free-man/


10.15pm Joe Cocker: Mad Dogs & Englishmen (Sky Arts)
The blues singer in concert at Manhattan's Fillmore East and the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, featuring Delta Lady, The Letter and She Came in Through the Bathroom Window

10.55pm Top Of The Pops 1985 - January 31st (BBC4)

11.25pm Top Of The Pops 1985 - February 7th (BBC4)

12.05am The Easybeats to AC/DC: The Story Of Aussie Rock (BBC4)
The story of the rock band, and how Australian family run company Albert Music launched them in the mid-1970s onto the global music scene. The film recalls how Scottish emigre siblings Angus and Malcolm Young were produced by their older brother George and fellow Easybeats member Harry Vanda, later joined by lead singer Bon Scott. The film retraces the band's explosion in popularity, the relentless touring and the early death of Scott in 1980

12.30am The Doors: Feast Of Friends (Sky Arts)
The Doors' 1968 self-produced documentary film offering a cinematic look at the band on the road during their summer tour

1.05am New York Rock At The BBC (BBC4)
A celebration of the cream of the city's rock scene, featuring archive performances by the Ramones, New York Dolls, Television, Blondie and Lou Reed

1.05am Ceol ar an Imeall (TG4)
Featuring performances from Dublin acoustic hip-hop band the Original Rudeboys and Galway folk-pop group My Fellow Sponges, while Una Mullally chats with London-based duo AlunaGeorge, comprising songwriter Aluna Francis and producer George Reid, about their musical journey since meeting in 2009

1.15am The Doors Live At The Hollywood Bowl '68 (Sky Arts)

2.05am Joy Of The Guitar Riff (BBC4)
Documentary exploring the impact of the guitar riff on popular music over the past 60 years, including a look at how it became the foundation on which rock 'n' roll was built. With stories from Brian May, Dave Davies, Hank Marvin, Joan Jett, Nile Rodgers, Tony Iommi, Robert Fripp, Johnny Marr and more. Narrated by Lauren Laverne




Sunday
9pm Dire Straits Live Alchemy 1983 (Sky Arts)
Concert film recorded over two nights at London's Hammersmith Odeon in July 1983 at the end of the band's eight-month Love Over Gold tour, including performances of Once Upon a Time in the West, Private Investigations, Romeo and Juliet, Sultans of Swing and Telegraph Road

11pm Eric Clapton Live in California 2001 (Sky Arts)

11.05pm BBC Proms 2017: Stax With Jools Holland (BBC4)
At London's Royal Albert Hall, Jools Holland pays tribute to Stax Records, alongside original stars Eddie Floyd, Sam Moore, William Bell, Booker T Jones and Steve Cropper, plus UK artists including Tom Jones, James Morrison, Beverley Knight, Nadia Rose and Sweetie Irie, and Ruby Turner. Founded in 1957, the Memphis-based company was synonymous with Southern Soul, a distinctive blend of funk, gospel and R'n'B, producing soul artists such as Otis Redding, Carla Thomas, and Sam and Dave. Music includes Green Onions, Knock on Wood, Soul Man and Try a Little Tenderness

12.15am Discovering Music: Eric Clapton (Sky Arts)

12.35am Classic Soul At The BBC (BBC4)
Performances from the BBC archive by acclaimed soul singers, including Aretha Franklin, Al Green, Isaac Hayes, Dusty Springfield, Solomon Burke and Percy Sledge

12.45am Sting: A Free Man (Sky Arts)
Same as Saturday




And that's about it, The Blues Brothers moves from ITV3 to ITV4 this week (Friday 11pm), which is nice timing if you want to escape the Late Late Show before it gets to the extra miserable bit.

Shame about Mark E Smith, though - they let him read out the Football Results on Grandstand once. Which was only fair seeing as he wrote the music intro for that bit

I see BBC Four did a Doc on The Fall and Mark E Smith a few years ago,

it's on Youtube but maybe they will give it another airing

Welsh Megaman wrote: »

It’s as if the record company had made the video for A Flock Of Seagulls, but changed their minds at the last minute and simply added footage of Billy Ocean. :O

Maybe there was confusion at the beach and they ended up with the Tears For Fears video by mistake

https://twitter.com/TOTPFacts/status/956978406373183489