The Golden Age of the Album - on BBC Radio and TV
Posted by: Kevin-W on 22 January 2013
This (well most of it) looks good - starts in February:
On the 50th anniversary of the famous 12-hour session at Abbey Road which resulted in the Beatles’ genre defining Please Please Me, leading artists including The Stereophonics, Mick Hucknall and Gabrielle Aplin will attempt the same feat, in the same timescale, in the same studio.
The results will broadcast live on BBC Radio 2 in exact order and timing on Monday 11 February and will be captured for a BBC Four special, 12 Hours To Please Me, on Friday 15 February. Starting at 10am and finishing at 10.30pm, Stuart Maconie will host the day at Abbey Road with Jo Whiley joining him to broadcast her show from the studios that evening.
The simple question is, will artists today be able to match the stamina of the Fab Four?
People lucky enough to have been there 50 years ago will tell the remarkable story of what happened that day, busting myths and giving fresh insights along the way, including engineer Richard Langham and Beatles press officer Tony Barrow. Rare audio and visual footage from the archives will help tell the story of the session that shaped a generation.
This recreation of one of the most the most iconic albums in pop music history is the centrepiece of The Golden Age Of The Album - a two-week celebration across BBC Four, Radio 2 and 6 Music.
Richard Klein, Controller of BBC Four, says: “I’m thrilled to be celebrating The Golden Age Of The Album across both television and radio. We’re taking a look behind the scenes of a really exciting moment in popular music history when some of our most iconic albums were recorded, and trying to discover what are the essential ingredients that make an album great.”
Bob Shennan, Controller Radio 2, 6 Music and Popular Music, continues: “This exciting season is a perfect example of how we can work across the BBC to create unique, ‘must watch and listen’ moments across radio, TV and online.
“The recreation of Please Please Me promises to be one of Radio 2’s stand-out moments of 2013. Hearing those tracks brought to life again with a contemporary twist will have the network buzzing as much as the original did. It’s one album that changed the world of pop music and I think the 50th anniversary is a timely moment to remind everyone why.”
Kicking off the season on Tuesday 5 February, Danny Baker hosts a three-part series on BBC Four: The Great Album Showdown with Danny Baker, during which he is joined by music aficionados to discuss the best albums in rock, pop and R&B. His guests include musicians Boy George and Mica Paris, journalists Grace Dent, Kate Mossman and David Hepworth, award-winning record producer Stephen Street, actor and soulman Martin Freeman, presenter and rock fan Jeremy Clarkson and DJ Trevor Nelson. Together they will champion, duel and ponder the best, most notable, most influential albums of each genre.
Meanwhile on Radio 2, Jo Whiley will pick up the debate each evening and ask listeners to get involved in proposing their favourite albums. Radio 2 listeners will also be asked to cast their vote in an online poll to find Radio 2’s Best Album - the results of which will be broadcast later in the year.
Over on 6 Music, Steve Lamacq will be asking listeners to reimagine the covers of their most treasured album choice in Album Grand Redesigns, posting their artwork on the network’s Facebook pages or tweeting them in to the show at @BBClamacqshow. Listeners’ contributions will be judged by former Designer of the Year, Mark Farrow and an overall winner crowned on Friday 8 February.
On Friday 8 February, Rocking All Over The World: The Golden Age Of The Album explores what is arguably the most important period in popular music history. For over a decade from the late Sixties to the early Eighties, popular music – from rock to soul, folk to reggae – swapped the sketch pad of the 45rpm single for the expansive canvass of the 33 1/3rpm album. From Bob Dylan to the Beatles, The Who to Led Zeppelin, Marvin Gaye to Bob Marley, Pink Floyd to Fleetwood Mac, ideas became as important as melody, and music became art in the form of some of the most legendary albums ever recorded. With contributions from musicians, producers and personalities, this one-hour documentary for BBC Four remembers the rise and decline of the vinyl LP – and the slew of unforgettable masterpieces that graced its stereo grooves.
Complete transmission details:
5 February: BBC Four, 9–10pm - The Great Album Showdown with Danny Baker - Pop
6 February: BBC Four, 9–10pm - The Great Album Showdown with Danny Baker - Rock
7 February: BBC Four, 9-10pm - The Great Album Showdown with Danny Baker – R&B
8 February: BBC Four, 9-10pm - Rocking All Over The World: The Golden Age of the Album
11 February: Radio 2, 10–10.30pm - Please Please Me
15 February: BBC Four, 9–10pm - 12 Hours To Please Me
Plus Jo Whiley (Radio 2) and Steve Lamacq (6 Music) throughout the two week season.