OK, that’s a lie, there is some Rolling Stones. But by “Rock” they generally mean a heavier sound and have interestingly and thankfully avoided any mention of Elvis and the Beatles. VH1 Classics.com (Wait! dont go!) is running a series this week (and I’m sure it’ll rerun for a long time) produced by the BBC called 7 Ages of Rock. The fact that it was made by the BBC and not VH1/MTV means that it’s a level above the typical fare you find on the US channels. You know, where they play the same clips over and over again as teasers before the commercials so by the time they are actually highlighting the band or event you’re already numb to the footage. 7 Ages of Rock has seven hour long episodes: The Birth of Rock, Art Rock, Punk Rock, Stadium Rock, Heavy Metal, American Alternative and British Indie. On Monday the aired the Birth of Rock, which was quite interesting from the editorial skew of not considering Elvis ROCK, but still digging up the old bluesmen that fueled rock. Tuesday they aired the Art Rock episode (which includes psychedelic) which was also pretty good, but a little disappointing. Thankfully, you don’t have to sit through any Jefferson Airplane. Tonight is the Punk Rock episode so set your DVR’s. Did I mention they use the Damned in the opening of each episode?
These history of rock and roll documentaries have been done a thousand times by now, but the 7 Ages of Rock still manages to be fresh. Dennis Hopper does a good job of narrating without his presence being distracting and they have interview footage from the past and present with a lot of the characters involved. I credit the BBC for the overall quality of the series so far. The fact that it’s being aired on VH1 Classics means an extra 30 seconds tacked on the credits, including “Standards and Practices” which would account for the occasional blurring of boobs (on artwork no-less!) and curse words dropped out of the audio. Lame. Makes me wonder what else they dumbed down for the American audience. You can get the details, watch highlights and see video companions for the the episodes over at VH1 Classics.com. Supposedly the whole series will be viewable on demand, but their servers were acting up when I wrote this so I can’t verify that.
My biggest complaint is that these aren’t two or three hour long episodes each. I like to geek out on music. I want to see all the obscure footage. I want to find out about the bands that were on the fringe element of some of these scenes. I say more footage, more bands. This is important shit, you know?
18 comments
enemy combatant
“and the way she looked was way beyond compare.”
Kilwag
She’s only seventeen. 17!
L-train
ok the metal one disappointed me. it was sabbath, priest, motley crue, and metallica. the first two and maybe a little metallica i get, but the bob rock metallica they picked to do the most of is not the one we are fond of. absolutely no slayer, pantera, or winger.
jakeandannoy
Kilwag,You’re absolutely right about the BBC/VH1 editing. Anyone who’s seen Zeplin or any other sessions on the actual BBC when they run em’ knows full well they are longer with more footage between sets.
Kilwag
yeah, shit, no NY Dolls.
Jones has pretty much copped to ripping off/emulating Thunders.
Kilwag
I was little let down by this episode as well. I thought they were going to blow off the Clash, actually. They waited till forever to mention them and really didn’t spend much time.
ARRRRGGGGH! Patti Smith. WAY TOO MUCH time on Patti Smith. Ugh! Most of that time would have been better spent on the Buzzcocks, Slits and a host of other bands. Yeah all the UK music press was into Patti Smith before something better came a long… I need a “Barf” button on my remote control.
The episodes are too short. I wonder if the original BBC episodes are longer. There are separate editors listed for VH1 after the BBC credits.
It’s almost like these episodes are just supposed to give you an impression of what was going on, like squinting your eyes and looking at a picture. More the mood than an actual historical documentation.
I had high hopes for this but so far the first episode has been the best. I give the second two a B. I would score them lower but one thing they have going for them is they aren’t using all the same footage and recordings that the usual documentaries do, there is certainly some of the same, but it seems to me there has been some footage I hadn’t seen as much of, and in the Punk epsisode they used a lot of live recordings / demo’/bootleg-ish audio instead of the studio tracks.
jakeandannoy
Filth and Fury was a great documentary.
I agree with Paige in that New York Dolls don’t seem to garner as much attention regarding original puck influence in most documentaries. By Sid’s own admission in Filth and Fury, New York Dolls were a huge and early influence to all bands(Including Pistols)in that first genre of punk rock.
On the other hand, Neil is right. With talking heads, Television, The Stooges,G.G Alan and later, even the Minutemen, the music content and shows were far from simple, especially compared to the Pistols.
Whatever, none of em’ hold a candle to Pharrel, He’s got one of those oversized shirts that bears the Misfits skull w/gold fronts. Now thats P.R!
paige
OK, I’ll retract my simplicity comment as being flippant. I know that Richard Hell or Johnny Thunders or Iggy Pop weren’t “simple.” That’s a really cheap shot to use my age as your punker than thou resort, Neil. I’m pretty studied in things that have come before me, and punk is not a historical topic. I have a lot of love and admiration for the entire culture and music in general, but punk isn’t dead just because your youth is. I may be “misinformed” to you, but I think it’s really glorifying shit to credit the Sex Pistols with being the “big bang” of the punk movement. If you read Rotten, if you watch The Filth and the Fury, the Pistols seem very important, yeah. Sid was a drummer for the Banshees before he was in the Pistols. The Banshees and others may have been influenced by the Pistols, but the Pistols certainly weren’t predating anything or being original. The ball was rolling before Lydon turned Rotten. If we are to credit the Sex Pistols with being so influential, how has punk come so far? Cock Sparrer has influenced oi, Crass and Riot Squad and others influenced a lot of current crust music, and I’ve heard lots of bands right here in our own very city that would be the New York Dolls if you shut your eyes and had enough to drink. Punk would have “happened” with or without the Sex Pistols. If you credit a group assembled for the purposes of fashion and profit for something as autonomous and indefinite as punk, then I would suggest you are misinformed yourself. To me, punk is an attitude and a love affair, so much more than a fashion, and definitely more than a dismissable noun and topic for VH1.
L-train
damn, they blew it. almost all pistols and clash. no fear, naked raygun, dagnasty, circle jerks, descendents, dk, not even black flag. well theyre 2 for 3 so far. eager to see the metal one!
solboy
did someone say the Damned!!? Machime Gun Ettiquette is probably one of the top 5 punk albums released…
all clear winners. I have too much time on my hands today…
houseofneil
oh boy Paige. Really, the young shouldn’t comment on things they know nothing about. So many things in your paragraph are 100% wrong, but I’ll concentrate on one: “In America, however, I think it was a lot more simple. Joey Ramone never had to cut himself up onstage to be great.” Simple? Did you ever listen to any of the NY “punk”/new wave bands that came out of New York circa 75 and 76? Simple wouldn’t be an apt description of bands like Television or Talking Heads. And I think you’ll find that the godfather of punk, Iggy would cut himself on stage at every show. And last time I checked he was from Detroit.
solboy
Paige; watch the Pistol’s Filth and the Fury documentary, for the real story about the band, straight from the horse’s mouth. Sid was pawn put in the band to break it up and provide a commercial face to punk… he just got sucked into the junk and r n’r lifestyle. Too bad for him. Even if you don’t like the Pistols much, the doc is a good portrait of the UK and London in the mid 70s which was basically a run down miserable, divided society,that needed to change; cue Punk.
BDP
Watched the Punk one when it was on over here, was OK but not really as in depth as it could have been, same with the Indie one.
The Metal episode is great tho, especially some of the Rob Halford stuff.
Kilwag
Paige, you are misinformed about the Sex Pistols. Although it may be tiresome and predictable to see them in all these documentaries, the undeniable fact is that during their brief life they inspired the creation of so many bands. Everyone in those early audiences went out and started their own bands or completerly changed their directions. Reading the histories of vast amounts of punk and post punk bands will confirm that. Pogues, Banshees, Buzzcocks, Smiths, Clash, Adam Ant, U2, etc.. etc.. The pistols actual recorded legacy may not be as important as the fact that they were essentially the Big Bang in the UK.
paige
I am truly so sick of the Sex Pistols in all punk documentaries. Everyone knows Sid Vicious was about braindead and Johnny Rotten was a prick. If they want to go in the Malcolm McLaren direction, then the New York Dolls and the Slits deserve as much attention. In the UK, I believe punk began as a fashion that later manifested into aggression, political and otherwise, and spawned bands that were a lot more pivotal and more important than the Sex Pistols. In America, however, I think it was a lot more simple. Joey Ramone never had to cut himself up onstage to be great. I really love UK82, though. Post-punk won’t fall into any of the other episodes, so some Joy Division and Echo and the Bunnymen might be OK too.
I’m stoked to see it. I could ramble on all day until it comes on.
L-train
oh yeah, the eight age of rock should be skate rock.
L-train
I saw the Birth of Rock and it was pretty good. I am glad they didnt waste time on the Beatles or Elvis (we’ve seen docs on them already) and didn’t give any credit to Bill Halley and the Comets or Ike (btw the new york post headline last week was “Ike beats Tina to Death”).
The Art Rock one I am about halfway through. It’s not bad either. I am at the part with Roxy Music, which is kind of boring. The Bowie footage was good.
I’m dying for the Punk Rock one tonight (hint: minimal Sex Pistols would be refreshing).
The metal one should be a blast too. Hope they include Slayer.
Enjoy it everyone!~
paige
PUNK ROCK! I’m sad I missed the Birth of Rock episode, I would have loved to see me some Muddy Waters and Robert Johnson.