Music Coming Soon to a TV Near You

[DanJennings]

11.00 Sound City
Music documentary which charts the story of Sound City Studios in California and its role in rock 'n' roll history, from the late 1960s through to the facility's closure in 2011. Featuring contributions from Tom Petty and Neil Young.

This is highly recommended. Be warned though, shortly after watching you will be compelled to buy the soundtrack!
Other good contributors are Trent Reznor, Josh Homme, Stevie Nicks, Paul McCartney, Rick Springfield and plenty more!

[Barry]

Tonight on BBC4:


7.30 BBC Proms 2014
Following the last week’s first night of the Proms, presenters Petroc Trelawny and Australian soprano Danielle de Niese begin the regular Friday slot with a concert recorded on Moday. David Zinman appears in his final concert as chief conductor of Zurich’s Tonhalle Orchestra, leading them through Richard Strauss’s tone poem Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche, Beethoven’s Sixth Symphony (Pastoral) and Dvorak’s Violin concerto, which is performed by Julia Fischer.


9.30 Northern Soul: Living for the Weekend
A look at the rise, fall and re-birth of the music and dance movement that took place across the north of England during the 1970s. Featuring contributions by DJs Richatd Searling, Ian Levine, Colin Kurtis, Kev Roberts, plus Pete Waterman, Peter Stringfellow, Marc Almond and others.


10.30 Motown at the BBC
A compilation of studio performances by some of Mowtown’s greatest artists, originally broadcast in 2009 to mark the record label’s 50th anniversary.


11.30 Prince: Purple Reign
A profile of the enigmatic musician, whose singing and song writing and production talents have made him a hugely influential figure since he shot to fame in the early 1980s.

[Barry]

On BBC4 tonight (1 August):

7.30
Friday Night at the Proms
Samera Amhed and Nicholas McCarthy introduce a concert of contrasts, featuring performances by sololist Ingrid Filter and the BBC Symphony Orchestra of Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23, and Ravel’s sumptuously orchestrated ballet Daphnis and Chloe. Plus the first performance of Jonathan Dove’s BBC commission, Gaia Theory. Led by conductor composer Josep Pons. First broadcast Monday 7.30 on BBC3.


9.10
Elvis: That’s All Right Mama 60 Years On
Actor and musician Sam Palladio hosts a musical tribute to Elvis Presley, 60 years after he recorded his first single That’s All Right (Mama) at Sun Studios in Memphis, Tennessee. The presenter traces Elvis’s story from a childhood spent in poverty to the moment he entered a recording booth to perform the track that wouldact as a springboard to his success.


10.10
Kings of Rock ‘n’ Roll
Documentary profiling rock ‘n’ roll greats Elvis Presley, Lottle Richard, Chuck berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly and Bill Haley. Featuring archive footage of the stars and contributions from the likes of Tom Jones, Paul McCartney and Jamie Cullum.


11.10
Rock ‘n’ Roll Britannia
A programme looking back at how British rock ‘n’ roll first began.



12.10am
Elvis: That’s All Right Mama 60 Years On


1.10
Kings of Rock ‘n’ Roll


2.10 –3.10am
Rock ‘n’ Roll Brittania

[Barry]

On BBC4 tonight (Friday 8 August 2014):


7.30
Friday Night at the Proms

A debut Proms appearance by French pianist Alexandre Tharauld, who performs one of Ravel’s last works, the Piano Concerto for the Left Hand.
Conductor Juanjo Mena leads the BBC Philharmonic in a performance of Mahler’s Symphony No 5, which includes one of the greatest love letters ever written, the Adagietto.



9.25
Imagine… Rod Stewart: Can’t Stop Me Now

The singer invites Alan Yentob to his LA home to conduct an interview, in which Stewart looks back on his career. He discusses working with acts like Jeff Beck and the Steampacket in the 1960s and his time with the Faces.



10.50
Rod Stewart at the BBC

A tribute to the singer’s career with a selection of his performances and interviews at the BBC. Songs include Sailing, You’re in My Heart, I Don’t Want to Talk About It and Da Ya Think I’m Sexy? Plus Handbags and Gladrags from Rod’s set at Glastonbury in 2002, and his cover of Dorothy Field’s classic I’m in the Mood for Love.



11.50
… Sings the Great American Songbook

Featuring music by Shirley Bassey, Bryan Ferry, Captain Sensible, Jamie Cullum and Florence and the Machine.



12.50
Imagine… Rod Stewart: Can’t Stop Me Now



2.10
Rod Stewart at the BBC

[Macca]

Very much a Rod Stewart theme tonight then...he used to live in a sweet shop you know...

[Barry]

Tonight (15 August 2014) on BBC4:

7.30
Friday Night at the Proms

Featuring performances of Berlioz’s piracy-inspired overture Le Corsair, and Elgar’s Sea Pictures, which features British mezzo Alice Coote. Plus Mark Elder and the Hallé perform the concert’s epic Beethoven centrepiece, Eroica. Presented by Suzy Klein and Rodney Earl Clarke.


9.10
Great American Rock Anthems: Turn it Up to 11

Huey Morgan presents the story of some of the greatest US rock anthems that emerged during the 1970s, 80s and 90s. A distinct sound evolved from blues and early metal, featuring loud drums, distinct guitar riffs and catchy lyrics, which produced a storm of feel-good tunes. The film focuses on tracks including Alice Coopers’s School’s Out, Don’t Stop Believin’ by Journey and Nirvana’s Smells Like Teen Spirit.


10.10
Forever Young – How Rock ‘n’ Roll Grew Up

Exploring how rock ‘n’ roll stars have coped with growing old after being symbols of rebellion, with contributions by Iggy Pop, Lemmy, Rick Wakeman, Suggs and Alison Moyet.


11.10
Great Guitar Riffs at the BBC

A compilation of clips and performances, including Jimi Hendrix, the Kinks, Cream, AC/DC and the Smiths.


12.10am
Top of the Pops: the story of 1978


1.00
Great American Rock Anthems: Turn it Up to 11


2.00
Forever Young – How Rock ‘n’ Roll Grew Up


3.00 – 4.00am
Guitar Heroes at the BBC

[Barry]

On BBC4 tonight:

7.30
Friday Night at the Proms: In Memoriam WW1
Andrew Manze conducts the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra in a special concert that draws together works by four composers whose lives and music were impacted by the First World War. The evening begins with Rudi Stephan’s Music for Orchestra, followed by Frederick Septimus Kelly’s Elegy for Strings, in memoriam Rupert Brooke, George Butterworth’s Six Songs (A Shropshire Lad), and Vaughan Williams’s elegiac postwar A Pastoral Symphony. With vocal performances by Allan Clayton (tenor) and Roderick Williams (baritone).

9.10
The Kate Bush Story: Running Up That Hill
Exploring the singer’s career and music from her 1978 debut single Wuthering Heights to her 2011 album 50 Words for Snow. Contributors include Dave Gilmour, Peter Gabriel, Elton John, Stephen Fry and Nigel Kennedy.

10.10
Kate Bush at the BBC
A compilation of the singer’s performances at the BBC’s studios between 1978 and 1994. Including hits such as Wuthering Heights, Running Up That Hill, Babooshka and Hounds of Love.

11.10
The Old Grey Whistle Test: 70s Gold
Archive performances, including Elton John, David Bowie, Gladys Knight and the Pops and Bob Marley.

12.40am
The Kate Bush Story: Running Up That Hill

1.40
Kate Bush at the BBC

2.40 – 3.40am
Top of the Pops: 1979 – Big Hits: the year music went portable.

[Barry]

On BBC4 Friday (29 August 2014):


7.30
Friday Night at the Proms
The West-Easter Divan Orchestra and conductor Daniel Barenboim return to the Proms with a Spanish-infused repertoire, beginning with Mozart’s overture to his opera The Marriage of Figaro, set in Spain. This is followed by more Iberian flavours with Ravel’s Rapsodie espagnole and an orchestral version of his Pavane for a Dead Princess, finishing in style with a performance of Boléro. Presented by Razia Iqbal and Wayne Marshall.


9.00
Blondie’s New York…and the Making of Parallel Lines
The story behind the rock band’s third album Parallel Lines – a record that is said to capture the spirit of late-1970s New York. The documentary also features commentary from Debbie Harry about writing music, the media’s focus on her appearance and lyrically inspirational ex-boyfriends.


9.50
Blondie @ Glastonbury
Coverage from the Other Stage of the Debby Harry-fronted American rock band, with their selection of classics such as Heart of Glass and Atomic.


10.50
Synth Britannia
Artists including Bernard Sumner, Gary Numan and Niel Tennant discuss the sounds that defined the 1980s, as synthpop was popularised by Depeche Mode and Pet Shop Boys.


12.20am
As 9pm

1.10
Blondie at Glastonbury.

2.10 – 3.40am
Synth Britannia: the early days of British synthpop.

[Barry]

Tonight on BBC4:


7.30
Friday Night at the Proms
In their Proms debut, the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra perform two classic pieces, Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No 2 in C minor and Tchikovsky's Symphony No5 in E minor, under the baton of South Korean conductor Han-Na Chung. Featuring solo pianist Denis Matsuev.



Now 'turn it up to 11':

9.15
Deep Purple: Mde in Japan
Documentary celebraring the 40th anniversary of Deep Purple's double live album Made in Japan and exploring the recording of the rock band's 1972 recording Machine Head in Montreux. The film also chews over over the meaning behind the song Smoke on the Water while revealing the background to the mystery that lies behind the three nights in Osaka and Tokyo on the group's first Japanese tour.

10.15
Heavy Metal Brittania
Tracking the emergence of heavy metal in the 1960s, pioneered by bands such as Judas Priest. This classic form of metal was challenged by punk in the late 1970s, before a new wave of groups such as Iron Maiden, Def Leppard and Saxon reinvigorated the style. Including contributions by Ian Gillian, Glenn Tipton, Lemmy and Bruce Dickinson.

11.45
Heavy Metal Brittania at the BBC
Memorable performances by bands including Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest and Motorhead.

12.15am
Deep Purple: Made in Japan

1.15
Thin Lizzy: Bad Reputation

2.15 - 3.45am
Heavy Metal Brittania

[Barry]

Tonight on BBC4:

10.00 The Kate Bush Story: Running Up That Hill

Documentary exploring the singer's career and music, from her 1978 debut single Wuthering Heights to her 2011 album 50 Words for Snow, with testimony from collaborators and fans.


11.00 Jack Bruce - the Man behind the Bass

Another chance to see a 2012 profile of the former Cream bassist and vocalist who died last month aged 71. With contributions by ex-bandmates Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker. Narrated by Edith Bowman.