Rockumentaries, biopics, music movies and more
A documentary on Kiss’ early career and their 1975 live album, Alive!. It includes interviews with the members of Kiss – Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley, Peter Criss – producer Eddie Kramer, founding manager Bill Aucoin, Ted Nugent, Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit, Art Alexakis of Everclear, Ken Sharp (co-writer of ‘Kiss: Behind The Mask’), Kevin Bacon, Kiss’ original road manager J.R. Smalling and others.
Classic Albums is an ongoing documentary series featuring albums that are considered to be the best or most ground-making that have been made by a particular band or artist, or which mark a unique break-through or moment in the history of rock or pop music. Many of these have been broadcast on BBC, ITV and Sky and several episodes were made specifically for VH1 – most of the Classic Albums series are still available on DVD or Blu-ray.
The following is a complete listing of the series so far, with links to the shows you can watch online right now:
The Band – The Band (1969)
Black Sabbath – Paranoid (1970)
Phil Collins – Face ValueCream – Disraeli Gears (1967)
Deep Purple – Machine Head (1972)
Def Leppard – Hysteria (1987)
The Doors – The Doors (1967)
Duran Duran – Rio (1982)
Fleetwood Mac – Rumours (1977)
Peter Gabriel – So (1986)
Grateful Dead – Anthem of the Sun and American Beauty (1968/1970)
The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Electric Ladyland (1968)
Iron Maiden – The Number of the Beast (1982)
Jay-Z – Reasonable Doubt (1996)
Elton John – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973)
Judas Priest – British Steel (1980)
John Lennon/The Plastic Ono Band – John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (1970)
Meat Loaf – Bat Out of Hell (1977)
Metallica – Metallica (‘The Black Album’) (1991)
Motörhead – Ace of Spades (1980)
Nirvana – Nevermind (1991)
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – Damn The Torpedoes (1979)
Pink Floyd – Dark Side of the Moon (1973)
Elvis Presley – Elvis Presley (1956)
Primal Scream – Screamadelica (1991)
Queen – Making of A Night At The Opera (1975)
Lou Reed – Transformer (1972)
Rush – 2112 and Moving Pictures (1976/1981)
Sex Pistols – Never Mind The Bollocks (1977)
Paul Simon – Graceland (1986)
Simply Red – Stars (1991)
Steely Dan – Aja (1977)
U2 – The Joshua Tree (1987)
The Wailers – Catch a Fire (1973)
The Who – Who’s Next (1971)
Stevie Wonder – Songs in the Key of Life (1976)
Frank Zappa – Apostrophe (‘) / Over-Nite Sensation (1974/1973)
Long-time readers of Melody Maker, NME, Rolling Stone or Sounds will already know the iconic work of Pete Frame – music journalist, author and sometime editor of alternative rock magazine ZigZag, for which he began drawing his Rock Family Trees in 1969. Over the years, Pete’s hand-lettered trees documenting music’s near-byzantine interconnections have been translated into books, album sleeves, CD inserts, exhibitions and limited edition prints.
In June and July 1995, BBC Television broadcast the first of two series of Rock Family Trees. Narrated by John Peel, the programmes relate the fascinating history and backstories of famous bands, artists and musical movements – from the roots of British R&B to New York Punk, by way of Fleetwood Mac and Deep Purple! The second six shows, originally transmitted on BBC2 in September and October 1998, continued the sequence right up to the ‘Madchester’ years.
Rock Family Trees TV shows were never released on VHS or DVD, but the odd episode does still pop up from time to time in the wee small hours of the morning or as part of one the Beeb’s retrospectives on rock, punk or whatever. At 50 minutes per programme with classic interviews, great music and fascinating insights from some of the biggest names in the business these are not to be missed.
Series one, June/July 1995
DEEP PURPLE PEOPLE
Rainbow, Whitesnake, Gillan…
THE BRITISH R&B BOOM
The Yardbirds, Cream, the Manfreds (Manfred Mann), John Mayall…
THE BIRMINGHAM BEAT
The Move, the Moody Blues, ELO, Wizzard…
NEW YORK PUNK
The Ramones, Talking Heads, Blondie, NY Dolls…
THE NEW MERSEYBEAT
Echo and the Bunnymen, The Teardrop Explodes, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Dead or Alive…
Series Two, September/October 1998
CALIFORNIA DREAMIN’
The Mamas and the Papas, Lovin’ Spoonful, Blood Sweat & Tears…
SABBATH BLOODY SABBATH
Ozzy!
THE MERSEY SOUND
Gerry and the Pacemakers, Billy J Kramer, the Searchers, Big Three…
BANSHEES & OTHER CREATURES
Siouxsie Sioux, Public Image Limited, Adam and the Ants, the Slits…
THE PROG ROCK YEARS
Yes, ELP, Nice, Asia, Arthur Brown, the Buggles…
AND GOD CREATED MANCHESTER
New Order, Joy Division, Buzzcocks, Happy Mondays, Factory…