Classic Albums
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''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.


Format

The TV series was made by Isis Productions and distributed by
Eagle Rock Entertainment Eagle Rock Entertainment is an international producer and distributor of music films and programming. It operates two record labels (Eagle Records and Armoury Records), a full-service production company (Eagle Rock Productions) and a music publis ...
. It is shown on various broadcasters including
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, ITV,
Sky Arts Sky Arts (originally launched as Artsworld) is a British free-to-air television channel offering 24 hours a day of programmes dedicated to highbrow arts, including theatrical performances, movies, documentaries and music (such as opera perfor ...
, VH1 and
VH1 Classic MTV Classic (formerly VH1 Smooth, VH1 Classic Rock, and VH1 Classic) is an American pay television network owned by Paramount Media Networks. It was originally launched in 1998 as VH1 Smooth, an adult contemporary and smooth jazz channel. It w ...
. They are also available on DVD. The show is similar in structure to VH1's short-lived 2001 series
Ultimate Albums This is a list of programs currently broadcast or will air soon or formerly aired on VH1. Current Acquired programming *'' 48 Hours'' *''Cheaters'' *'' Eve'' *''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'' *''Living Single'' *'' Martin'' *'' My Wife and Kids ...
. 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 television series is unrelated to a radio show devised by radio producer John Pidgeon as a vehicle for
Roger Scott Roger Scott (23 October 1943 – 31 October 1989) was a British radio disc jockey. He was best known for presenting an afternoon radio show on London's Capital London from 1973 until 1988 and was also best known for presenting his late night ...
, following the disc jockey's move from
Capital Radio Capital London is a radio station owned and operated by the Global media company as part of its national Capital FM Network. As Capital Radio it was launched in the London area in 1973 as one of Britain's first two commercial radio stations. ...
to
BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...
in 1988. 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 ''Invisible Touch'' is the thirteenth studio album by the English rock band Genesis, released on 6 June 1986 by Atlantic Records in the United States and on 9 June 1986 by Charisma/Virgin Records in the United Kingdom. After taking a break in 19 ...
'', Pink Floyd's ''
The Dark Side of the Moon ''The Dark Side of the Moon'' is the eighth studio album by the English rock band Pink Floyd, released on 1 March 1973 by Harvest Records. The album was primarily developed during live performances, and the band premiered an early version of ...
'', The Who's ''
Who's Next ''Who's Next'' is the fifth studio album by English rock band the Who. It developed from the aborted '' Lifehouse'' project, a multi-media rock opera conceived by the group's guitarist Pete Townshend as a follow-up to the band's 1969 album '' ...
'', Fleetwood Mac's '' Rumours'', the Beach Boys' ''
Pet Sounds ''Pet Sounds'' is the 11th studio album by American rock band the Beach Boys, released on May 16, 1966, by Capitol Records. It was initially met with a lukewarm critical and commercial response in the United States, peaking at number 10 on the ...
'', The Police's ''
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'', Eagles' ''
Hotel California "Hotel California" is the title track from the Eagles' album of the same name and was released as a single in February 1977. Writing credits for the song are shared by Don Felder (music), Don Henley, and Glenn Frey (lyrics). Joe Walsh came ...
'' and U2's ''
The Joshua Tree ''The Joshua Tree'' is the fifth studio album by Irish rock band U2. It was produced by Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno, and was released on 9 March 1987 on Island Records. In contrast to the ambient experimentation of their 1984 release, ' ...
''. 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 ''The South Bank Show'' is a British television arts magazine series originally produced by London Weekend Television and broadcast on ITV between 1978 and 2010. A new version of the series began 27 May 2012 on Sky Arts. Conceived, written, ...
'' in the UK.


Episodes

The albums that have been covered are:


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 NCRV (Nederlandse Christelijke Radio Vereniging) (English: Dutch Christian Radio Association) was a public radio and television broadcaster in the Netherlands, mostly transmitting on NPO 1 and NPO 2. On 1 January 2014, NCRV merged with KRO to fo ...
, in between episodes from the BBC series. These were never released on dvd. * Q65 - ''Revolution'' (1966) * Boudewijn de Groot - ''Voor de overlevenden'' (1966) *
Cuby + Blizzards Cuby + Blizzards, also known as Cuby & the Blizzards, were a Dutch blues group, founded in 1964 by vocalist Harry Muskee and guitarist Eelco Gelling.Larkin C ''Virgin Encyclopedia of Sixties Music'' (Muze UK Ltd, 1997) p 137 During the 1960s, ...
- ''Groeten uit Grollo'' (1967) * The Outsiders - ''Outsiders'' (1967) *
Focus Focus, or its plural form foci may refer to: Arts * Focus or Focus Festival, former name of the Adelaide Fringe arts festival in South Australia Film *''Focus'', a 1962 TV film starring James Whitmore * ''Focus'' (2001 film), a 2001 film based ...
- ''
Focus II ''Focus II'' (better known by its international title, ''Moving Waves'') is the second studio album by Dutch progressive rock band Focus, released in October 1971 on Imperial Records. Following the departure of original bassist Martin Dresden and ...
'' (''Moving Waves'') (1971) * Kayak - '' Royal Bed Bouncer'' (1975) The second ran in 2011-2012 on the channel
VPRO The VPRO (stylized vpro; originally an acronym for , ) is a Dutch public broadcaster, which forms a part of the Dutch public broadcasting system. Founded in 1926 as a liberal Protestant broadcasting organization, it gradually became more ...
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Shocking Blue Shocking Blue was a Dutch rock band formed in 1967 in The Hague. It was part of the music movement in the Netherlands that was generally known by the name Nederbeat. The band had a number of hits throughout the counterculture movement during ...
- '' At Home'' (1969) including "
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" (1969) *
Herman Brood Hermanus "Herman" Brood (; 5 November 1946 – 11 July 2001) was a Dutch musician, painter, actor and poet. As a musician he achieved artistic and commercial success in the 1970s and 1980s, and was called "the greatest and only Dutch rock 'n' ...
- '' Shpritsz'' (1978) *
De Dijk De Dijk (English: The Dike (construction), Dike) is a Dutch Rock music, rock Musical ensemble, band which formed in 1981. The band is named after Zeedijk, a street in their hometown Amsterdam. Their music can be described as a mixture of Soul mu ...
- ''Niemand in de Stad'' (1989) *
Bettie Serveert Bettie Serveert is a Dutch indie rock band. The name translates to "Bettie Serves", or "Service to Bettie", which is the title of a book written by Dutch tennis player Betty Stöve, who made it to the Wimbledon Ladies Singles final in 1977. ...
- ''
Palomine ''Palomine'' is the debut studio album by Dutch indie rock band Bettie Serveert. It was released in October 1992 by Brinkman Records. The album was issued in the United Kingdom by the 4AD subsidiary label Guernica on 2 November 1992, and in the ...
'' (1992) *
Caro Emerald Caroline Esmeralda van der Leeuw (born 26 April 1981), known for the project Caro Emerald, is a Dutch pop and jazz singer who mainly performs in English. Active since 2007, she rose to prominence in 2009 with the debut single, " Back It Up". Th ...
- '' Deleted Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor'' (2010)


References

{{reflist


External links


IMDb ''Classic Albums'' listing episode listing
of John Pidgeon 1989 British television series debuts 2021 British television series endings 1980s British music television series 1990s British music television series 2000s British music television series 2010s British music television series 2020s British music television series British documentary television series Documentary television series about music BBC television documentaries VH1 music shows English-language television shows