Classic Albums

Last updated

Classic Albums
USA album EV.jpg
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes62 (TV episodes)
Production
Running time45–50 minutes
Production companiesIsis Productions
Eagle Rock Entertainment
NCRV
VH1
Original release
Network BBC
ITV
Sky Arts
VH1/VH1 Classic
Release1992 (1992) –
2021 (2021)

Classic Albums is a British documentary series about pop, rock and heavy metal albums that are considered the best or most distinctive of a well-known band or musician or that exemplify a stage in the history of music.

Contents

Format

The TV series was made by Isis Productions and distributed by Eagle Rock Entertainment. [1] It is shown on various broadcasters including BBC, ITV, Sky Arts, VH1 and VH1 Classic. They are also available on DVD. The show is similar in structure to VH1's short-lived 2001 series Ultimate Albums.

The music, and its production, is dissected by the musicians and/or producer playing the multitrack recordings and singling out tracks that one does not usually consciously hear when listening to the music, giving insight into the way the sound is built up. Also, the individual musicians play back pieces, which are then blended with the original recording. Almost all songs are dealt with, focusing almost entirely on the music itself, how it was composed/realised. Personal aspects of the band or members are occasionally dealt with, but mostly only if they serve this purpose.

TV episodes are 50 minutes long but the DVD releases contain much additional material. All the releases in this series are done with the co-operation and full authorisation of the artists involved. The series producers are Nick de Grunwald and Martin R Smith. Various directors have been used for the series but the majority of the programmes have been directed by Bob Smeaton, Matthew Longfellow and Jeremy Marre.

History

The first hour-long series, produced independently by Pidgeon and Scott, opened with Dire Straits' Brothers in Arms in May 1989, followed by The Rolling Stones' Beggars Banquet , Genesis' Invisible Touch , Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon , The Who's Who's Next , Fleetwood Mac's Rumours , the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds , The Police's Synchronicity , Eagles' Hotel California and U2's The Joshua Tree . Scott died of cancer five months later, and the second series aired posthumously. Further programmes were presented by Richard Skinner.

The first episode of Classic Albums was actually a documentary called "The Making of Sgt. Pepper". This documentary focused on The Beatles' landmark album and was produced in much the same way as the Classic Albums series. Isis Productions and Nick de Grunwald helped co-produce this documentary and it helped lay the template for the Classic Albums series. It aired in 1992 both on the Disney Channel in the United States and ITV's The South Bank Show in the UK. [2]

Episodes

Most episodes focus on one particular album in a band's catalog. The three exceptions have been the Grateful Dead, Rush, and Frank Zappa, each of whom had a pair of albums featured in a single episode.

The Who and The Doors were each featured in three episodes, and Frank Zappa in two – first as a solo artist, and later as a member of The Mothers of Invention.

The albums that have been covered are: [3]

YearArtist – Album
1997
  1. Paul Simon – Graceland (1986) [4]
  2. Grateful Dead – Anthem of the Sun (1968) and American Beauty (1970) (see Anthem to Beauty )
  3. Stevie Wonder – Songs in the Key of Life (1976)
  4. The Band – The Band (1969)
  5. The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Electric Ladyland (1968)
  6. Fleetwood Mac – Rumours (1977)
1999
  1. U2 – The Joshua Tree (1987)
  2. Phil Collins – Face Value (1981)
  3. Meat Loaf – Bat Out of Hell (1977)
  4. Bob Marley and the Wailers – Catch a Fire (1973) [5]
  5. Steely Dan – Aja (1977)
  6. The Who – Who's Next (1971)
2001
  1. Iron Maiden – The Number of the Beast (1982) (see Classic Albums: Iron Maiden – The Number of the Beast)
  2. Elton John – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973)
  3. Metallica – Metallica ("The Black Album") (1991)
  4. Lou Reed – Transformer (1972)
  5. Elvis Presley – Elvis Presley (1956)
  6. Judas Priest – British Steel (1980)
2002
  1. Sex Pistols – Never Mind the Bollocks (1977)
  2. Deep Purple – Machine Head (1972) (see Classic Albums: Deep Purple – The Making of Machine Head)
  3. Def Leppard – Hysteria (1987)
2003
  1. Pink Floyd – The Dark Side of the Moon (1973)
2005
  1. Simply Red – Stars (1991)
  2. Nirvana – Nevermind (see Classic Albums: Nirvana – Nevermind) (1991)
  3. Motörhead – Ace of Spades (1980)
  4. Queen – A Night at the Opera (1975)
2006
  1. Cream – Disraeli Gears (1967)
2007
  1. Frank Zappa – Apostrophe (') (1974) and Over-Nite Sensation (1973)
  2. Jay Z – Reasonable Doubt (1996)
2008
  1. The Doors – The Doors (1967)
  2. John Lennon/The Plastic Ono Band – John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (1970)
  3. Duran Duran – Rio (1982)
2010
  1. Black Sabbath – Paranoid (1970)
  2. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – Damn the Torpedoes (1979)
  3. Rush – 2112 (1976) and Moving Pictures (1981)
  4. The Beach Boys – Pet Sounds (1966)
2011
  1. The Doors – L.A. Woman (1971)
  2. Primal Scream – Screamadelica (1991)
2012 Peter Gabriel – So (1986)
2013 The Who – Tommy (1969)
2017
  1. Don McLean – American Pie (1971)
  2. Carly Simon – No Secrets (1972)
2018 Amy Winehouse – Back to Black (2006)
2019 The Crickets – The "Chirping" Crickets (1957)
2020 Tears for Fears – Songs from the Big Chair (1985)
2021
  1. The Who – The Who Sell Out (1967)
  2. Soul II Soul - Club Classics Vol. One (1989)
  3. Suede – Coming Up (1996)
  4. Gil Scott-Heron - Pieces of a Man (1971)
  5. The Doors - Morrison Hotel (1970)
  6. The Mothers of Invention - Freak Out! (1966)

Dutch episodes

In the Netherlands, special episodes were produced exploring landmark Dutch albums. There were two series produced for two different channels.

The first ran in 1997 on the channel NCRV, in between episodes from the BBC series. These were never released on dvd.

The second ran in 2011-2012 on the channel VPRO. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Concept album</span> Album that uses its tracks to tell a self-contained story

A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Sometimes the term is applied to albums considered to be of "uniform excellence" rather than an LP with an explicit musical or lyrical motif. There is no consensus among music critics as to the specific criteria for what a "concept album" is.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Zappa</span> American musician (1940–1993)

Frank Vincent Zappa was an American musician, composer, and bandleader. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa composed rock, pop, jazz, jazz fusion, orchestral and musique concrète works; he also produced almost all of the 60-plus albums that he released with his band the Mothers of Invention and as a solo artist. His work is characterized by nonconformity, improvisation sound experimentation, musical virtuosity and satire of American culture. Zappa also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed album covers. He is considered one of the most innovative and stylistically diverse musicians of his generation.

Art rock is a subgenre of rock music that generally reflects a challenging or avant-garde approach to rock, or which makes use of modernist, experimental, or unconventional elements. Art rock aspires to elevate rock from entertainment to an artistic statement, opting for a more experimental and conceptual outlook on music. Influences may be drawn from genres such as experimental music, avant-garde music, classical music, and jazz.

<i>The Partridge Family</i> American musical sitcom

The Partridge Family is an American musical sitcom created by Bernard Slade, which was broadcast in the United States from September 25, 1970, to March 23, 1974, on ABC.

Outsider music is music created by self-taught or naïve musicians. The term is usually applied to musicians who have little or no traditional musical experience, who exhibit childlike qualities in their music, or who have intellectual disabilities or mental illnesses. The term was popularized in the 1990s by journalist and WFMU DJ Irwin Chusid.

<i>Were Only in It for the Money</i> 1968 studio album by the Mothers of Invention

We're Only in It for the Money is the third album by American rock band the Mothers of Invention, released on March 4, 1968, by Verve Records. As with the band's first two efforts, it is a concept album, and satirizes left- and right-wing politics, particularly the hippie subculture, as well as the Beatles' album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. It was conceived as part of a project called No Commercial Potential, which produced three other albums: Lumpy Gravy, Cruising with Ruben & the Jets, and Uncle Meat.

<i>The World at War</i> 1973 British television documentary series

The World at War is a 26-episode British documentary television series that chronicles the events of the Second World War. Produced in 1973 at a cost of £900,000, it was the most expensive factual series ever made at the time. It was produced by Jeremy Isaacs, narrated by Laurence Olivier and included music composed by Carl Davis. The book, The World at War, published the same year, was written by Mark Arnold-Forster to accompany the TV series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billy Preston</span> American R&B musician (1946–2006)

William Everett Preston was an American keyboardist, singer and songwriter whose work encompassed R&B, rock, soul, funk, and gospel. Preston was a top session keyboardist in the 1960s, backing Little Richard, Sam Cooke, Ray Charles, the Everly Brothers, Reverend James Cleveland, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. He gained attention as a solo artist with hit singles "That's the Way God Planned It", the Grammy-winning "Outa-Space", "Will It Go Round in Circles", "Space Race", "Nothing from Nothing", and "With You I'm Born Again". Additionally, Preston co-wrote "You Are So Beautiful", which became a No. 5 hit for Joe Cocker.

<i>Freak Out!</i> 1966 studio album by the Mothers of Invention

Freak Out! is the debut studio album by the American rock band the Mothers of Invention, released on June 27, 1966, by Verve Records. Often cited as one of rock music's first concept albums, it is a satirical expression of guitarist/bandleader Frank Zappa's perception of American pop culture and the nascent freak scene of Los Angeles. It was the second rock music double album ever released, following Bob Dylan's Blonde on Blonde just one week earlier, as well as the first double debut album by a rock artist. In the UK, the album was originally released as an edited single disc.

Blues Saraceno is an American rock guitarist, composer and music producer, currently residing in Los Angeles, California. He was discovered by Guitar for the Practicing Musician magazine at the age of 16, which assisted him in releasing instrumental recordings on an independent basis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giles Martin</span> English record producer and musician

Giles Martin is an English record producer, songwriter, composer and multi-instrumentalist. His studio recordings, stage shows, TV and film works have been critically acclaimed and commercially successful around the world. He is the son of Beatles producer George Martin and half-brother of actor Gregory Paul Martin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MTV Live (TV network)</span> Television channel

MTV Live is a 24-hour American pay television music video channel owned by Paramount Global. The channel, which broadcasts exclusively in 1080i high definition, broadcasts music videos and music-related programming from Paramount owned networks MTV, MTV Classic, VH1 and CMT, along with other concert and live music programming from outside producers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martin Lewis (humorist)</span> British humorist

Martin Neil Lewis is a US-based English humorist, writer, radio/TV host, producer, and marketing strategist. He is known for his participation in a variety of projects in the arts and entertainment worlds including his work as the co-creator and co-producer of the Secret Policeman's Balls benefit shows for Amnesty International and as a comedic performer and writer on American TV. He hosts his own daily radio show, heard in America on Sirius Satellite Radio and worldwide on Sirius Internet Radio. He is an occasional contributor to The Huffington Post website.

As an icon of counterculture and underground rock the American rock musician and composer Frank Zappa has been featured and referenced in various different media.

Jeremy Marre was an English television director, writer and producer who founded Harcourt Films and made films around the world. Much of his work focused on musical subjects.

<i>Anthem to Beauty</i> 1998 music documentary

Anthem to Beauty is a music documentary about the making of the Grateful Dead albums Anthem of the Sun and American Beauty. It originally aired in a somewhat shortened version in 1997 as part of the television series Classic Albums. It was released on VHS videotape in 1998 and on DVD in 1999, with a running time of 1 hour and 15 minutes.

<i>Classic Albums: Iron Maiden – The Number of the Beast</i> 2001 video by Iron Maiden

Classic Albums: Iron Maiden – The Number of the Beast is a documentary about the making of the album of the same name by the English heavy metal band Iron Maiden, released on 26 November 2001 as part of the Classic Albums documentary series. Directed by Tim Kirkby, it featured cuts from the title track, "Children of the Damned", "Run to the Hills", and "The Prisoner," in addition to extended interviews and live footage of "Hallowed Be Thy Name", recorded during the band's performance at the Rock in Rio festival in 2001.

James Allan Berkenstadt is an American writer, record producer, and historical entertainment consultant.

<i>Freddie Mercury: The Great Pretender</i> British TV series or programme

Freddie Mercury: The Great Pretender is an Emmy/Rose d'Or award-winning 2012 feature-length documentary film about Queen singer Freddie Mercury and his attempt to forge a solo career. The film is a British venture co-produced by EMP and Mercury Songs for Eagle Rock Entertainment with Eagle Rock serving as distributor.

<i>Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band: 50th Anniversary Edition</i> 2017 compilation album by the Beatles

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band: 50th Anniversary Edition is an expanded reissue of the 1967 album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by the English rock band the Beatles. It was released on 26 May 2017, the album's 50th anniversary. It includes a new stereo remix of the album by Giles Martin, the son of Beatles producer George Martin.

References

  1. ↑ "Classic Albums". Myspace.
  2. ↑ The Beatles – The Making of Sgt. Pepper 5/5. 16 February 2010 – via YouTube.[ dead YouTube link ]
  3. ↑ "Eagle Rock". Archived from the original on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 28 September 2007.
  4. ↑ Director & Producer: Jeremy Marre (25 November 2016). "Classic Albums: Paul Simon: Graceland". Classic Albums. BBC. BBC Four.
  5. ↑ Producer: Jeremy Marre (8 October 2016). "Classic Albums: The Wailers: Catch a Fire". Classic Albums. BBC. BBC Four.
  6. ↑ "Classic Albums on boudewijndegroot.nl". Archived from the original on 5 April 2014. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
  7. ↑ http://zoeken.beeldengeluid.nl/internet/index.aspx?contentid=6&chapterid=1164&filterid=974&searchID=3488645&columnorderid=-1&orderby=1&itemsOnPage=10&defsortcol=12&defsortby=2&pvname=personen&pis=expressies;selecties&startrow=1#pageCounter%5B%5D
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.