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

Hello, news this week of a doc about Travis on Sky Arts, this one has the unusual distinction of being presented by a Journalist who has no interest in the band, maybe that's the way forward

The Country thing continues on BBC4, I thought it got better last week with the features on the likes of Hank Williams, Johnny Cash and Patsy Cline. Bit surprised to see Merle Haggard interviewed on the show, seeing as he died in 2016 (on his Birthday, the same as Ingrid Bergman, Raphael and William Shakespeare)

Several appearances by Nile Rodgers this week, which is good to see ...





Thursday
9pm The Foster And Allen Show (TG4)
Hell Yeah

9pm Studio 54 – The Documentary (Sky Arts)
Featuring Nile Rodgers. And some other people.
https://www.numero.com/en/culture/studio-ian-schrager-matt-tyrnauer-documentary-andy-warhol-yves-saint-laurent-grace-jones-elton-john-nile-rodgers-calvin-klein-david-bowie

10.45pm Bee Gees: In Our Own Time (Sky Arts)
Robin and Barry discuss the Bee Gees. Maurice appears in archive interviews, presumably because he died before they made this

11.20pm The Works (RTE1)
John Kelly meets actress and singer Bronagh Gallagher, whose love of soul music landed her a role in Alan Parker's 1991 musical comedy The Commitments. Since then she has gone on to appear in a diverse range of films, stage plays and is currently working on her fourth album as a singer-songwriter

2am Pink Floyd - A Delicate Sound Of Thunder (Sky Arts)
1988 Concert which Sky show most nights




Friday
7pm Pet Shop Boys Live At The O2 (Sky Arts)
2009 Concert

7.30pm & 1.15am Top Of The Pops 1988 – December 1 (BBC4)
Bruno Brookes and Mike Read present the edition first aired on December 1, featuring performances by Rick Astley, Michael Jackson, Pet Shop Boys, George Michael, Angry Anderson, Cliff Richard, Phil Collins, Bros, Robin Beck and Humanoid

8pm & 1.45am Sound Of Song (BBC4)
Ep 3/3 Mix It Up and Start Again As his exploration of great songs reaches the modern era, Neil Brand charts how the arrival of digital technology and the computer transformed music. He talks synthesisers with Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman, discusses sampling with Public Enemy's chief producer Hank Shocklee, uncovers the surprising lo-fi origins of Bruce Springsteen's Born in the USA, and finds out how Cher changed her voice on the smash hit Believe

8pm Music Videos That Defined The 90s (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

8.30pm Ceol @ Celtic (TG4)
It says here “Memorable performances from the world's biggest winter music festival. Presented by acclaimed musician and music producer Dónal O'Connor”, so no idea really

9pm Top Of The Pops 1988 – December 8 (BBC4)
Nicky Campbell and Caron Keating present the edition first aired on December 8 featuring performances by Status Quo, Angry Anderson, Phil Collins, Petula Clark, New Order, Inner City, Erasure, Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan, Cliff Richard and Bananarama

9pm Oasis: There We Were – Now Here We Are (Sky Arts)
From 2004, Dick Carruthers charts the rise of the rockers, from their earliest rehearsals in Manchester to the release of their debut album. Featuring interviews with the original band members and key players in their journey to stardom, including Noel and Liam Gallagher and Creation label boss Alan McGee
Its all here


9.30pm Country Music By Ken Burns (BBC4)
Ep 5 The Sons and Daughters of America (1964-1968) The history of the art form and how it evolved between 1964 and 1968. During a time of cultural upheaval, country music reflected a changing America, as Loretta Lynn addresseed women's concerns, Merle Haggard championed the common man, and audiences looked beyond skin colour to embrace Charley Pride. Meanwhile, Johnny Cash descended into the chaos of drug addiction, though The Man in Black found salvation through the intervention of June Carter and a landmark album that critics still applaud.
10.20pm Ep 6 Will the Circle Be Unbroken? (1968-1972) How, between 1968 and 1972, country music responded to a US nation divided by the Vietnam War. Army captain-turned-songwriter Kris Kristofferson set a new lyrical standard, and artists like Bob Dylan and the Byrds found a recording home in Nashville. Plus, a hippie combo from California, the Nitty Gritty Band, created a landmark album that bridged the gap between the generations

10.15pm -12.30am Suede – The Insatiable Ones (Sky Arts)
Epic Suede Doc from 2018. Trailer here


11.20pm TOTP2 Christmas 2014 (GOLD)
A selection of festive performances from the 1960s up to and including 2014, including Blur, The Pretenders, The Bluebells, Katie Melua, and Cerys Matthews and Tom Jones

12.15am Other Voices – Berlin Special (BBC4)
Highlights from a special concert for Michael D Higgins' state visit to Germany, featuring performances by acclaimed Irish and German musicians including Lisa Hannigan & s t a r g a z e, Dermot Kennedy and Aoife Ní Bhriain. I saw this on Tuesday, I thought it was decent.

12.15am Sings Stevie Wonder (BBC4)
A trawl through the BBC archives, unearthing 50 years of covers of Wonder's classic songbook, featuring artists including Cilla Black, Jimmy Helms, Dionne Warwick, the Osmonds, India Arie and James Morrison.

12.30am Pulp Live At The Brixton Academy (Sky Arts)

1.30am Roger Waters – The Wall (Sky Arts)
Roger performs The Wall in full




Saturday
2.35pm TOTP2 Christmas 2014 (GOLD)

4pm Frank Sinatra – The Voice Of America (Sky Arts)

6pm Frank Sinatra In Concert At The Royal Festival Hall (Sky Arts)
1970 Concert

7pm Passions: Mick Ronson by Gary Kemp (Sky Arts)
Gary Kemp explores the life and legacy of musician and producer Mick Ronson, who was a vital component of the success of David Bowie and Lou Reed during the 1970s

7.15pm The Tulla Ceili Band (TG4)
Driven by passion and a love for céilí music, the Tulla Céilí Band are stronger than ever more than 70 years after they were formed

8pm David Bowie – Serious Moonlight (Sky Arts)
1983 gig from Vancouver. Songs include Heroes, Fashion, Let's Dance, Rebel Rebel, Ashes to Ashes, Space Oddity, Young Americans, Fame and Life on Mars?

8pm Duran Duran – There’s Something You Should Know (Yesterday)
Recent BBC Duran Doc featuring all the members and Nile Rodgers

8.15pm Opry An Iuir (TG4)

10pm Almost Fashionable – A Film About Travis (Sky Arts) New!
Documentary following music critic Wyndham Wallace as he covers the shows of one of his least favourite bands, and tries to understand the root of his resentment


10.25pm From Elton John To Gary Barlow: 100 Concerts At Eden (BBC4) New!
A look back over the last 18 years of the Eden Sessions. Introduced by Nile Rodgers, who headlined the 100th show, highlights include Pulp, who headlined the first one in July 2002. Set against the backdrop of the Eden biomes, there are also performances by Duran Duran, Bastille, Muse, Gary Barlow, Van Morrison, Madness, Primal Scream and Lionel Richie

11.15pm Coldplay – Austin City Limits (Sky Arts)
2011 Concert

11.25pm Top Of The Pops 1988 – December 1 (BBC4)
11.55pm Top Of The Pops 1988 – December 8 (BBC4)

12.25am Woodie Guthrie – Three Chords And The Truth (BBC4)
Profile of the legendary American songwriter, who from the 1930s until his death in 1967, wrote hundreds of political, folk and children's songs, along with ballads and improvised works, influencing successive generations of musicians such as Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Joan Baez and Billy Bragg. This documentary features a previously unheard recording of one of his most famous songs, among a rare and unseen archive
That’s not online but here’s a similar 1988 Arena Doc


12.30am Oasis: There We Were – Now Here We Are (Sky Arts)
As Friday

1.30am Music Moguls: Masters Of Pop (BBC4)
Ep 2/3 A look at some of the Producers who have shaped the sound of modern music. Narrated by Nile Rodgers

1.45am Oasis Live By The Sea (BBC4)
1995 Concert

3am Beside Bowie – The Mick Ronson Story (Sky Arts)
A profile of the guitarist and producer, who helped shape David Bowie's career while a member of the Spiders from Mars and worked with Morrissey, Van Morrison and Bob Dylan. It’s a bit of a Mick Ronson night on Sky, if you disregard the seven hour interlude since the last Mick programme




Sunday
8pm Simply Red Live In Holland (Sky Arts)
For tax reasons, probably

8pm James Galway At The BBC (BBC4)

9.30pm Ceol Chogadh Na Saoirse (TG4)
Ep 4/4 The complex relationship the Irish people have with songs associated with the Irish War of Independence and Civil War, and how it has changed over the last 100 years

10pm Looking For Lennon () (Sky Arts)
Documentary about the early life of John Lennon and the tragedies that shaped his personality and his music. With contributions by some of his closest family and associates


10.30pm Hup (TG4)
Music From Monaghan

Midnight John Lennon – Imagine (Sky Arts)
Unique footage of the recording of the classic 1971 album, filmed in England, and the subsequent promotional tour to the USA and Japan

1.20am Donovan And The Beatles In India (Sky Arts)

2.20am Beach Boys – Good Vibration Tour (Sky Arts)
1976 Concert





That's more or less that, do let us know if there is anything else on the box of interest

If you are wondering how Shed Seven's Drummer makes a living in between their occasional tours, then you will be relieved to hear he does very nicely out a Pub Quiz App he developed https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/business/how-shed-seven-s-alan-leach-built-a-business-controlling-pub-quizzes-across-the-globe-1-10113795


Anyway, the Best Rat Pack appearance in an 80s Road Caper Move Sequel Of The Week might be in The Cannonball Run II (ITV4 Sunday 8pm)
Frank is in it, but he leaves the heavy lifting to Dean and Sammy Jnr

nomdeboardie wrote: »

Gaah, I subbed for a couple of months NowTV (mainly to see a drama/comedy series, but was looking through the music offerings also) and was sure I saw the "Beside Bowie" doc offered, along with a few other things I planned to view. Then after looking at one of them the others seem to disappear, though one has reappeared. Also, there's a few others from the Skid's Sky Arts listing here I'd like to see, but they're not on NowTV either (Music Videos That Defined The 90s; the Vancouver "Serious Moonlight show (though I got an Asian performance from YouTube a few years ago, so prob not very different; Suede – The Insatiable Ones) - rather disappointing

That's a shame, I thought Now TV would have had full access to the Sky Arts catalogue. Maybe they don't have streaming rights for all the shows.


There was some talk of Sky Arts going free to air a while back, but nothing came of it, sadly.

That was a dark period for Genesis when their line up consisted of Phil Collins and several clones of Phil Collins.