Discovering Music
Season 1
British documentary series which explores the 20th century's most interesting musicians.
Where to Watch Season 1
13 Episodes
- Discovering: Bryan Ferry
E2Discovering: Bryan FerryDocumentary exploring the life and career of Roxy Music frontman Bryan Ferry, A rather miserly half-hour is allotted for a career overview of the Roxy Musician turned suave soloist. With his unique, sat-on-a-washing-machine vibrato, the singer has gone from sci-fi art rocker to mid-tempo crooner and from working-class upbringing to tuxedoed high society. Music critics weigh up the influence of pop’s Slave to Love and Jealous Guy, the unswerving vision he had for his group and the impact of their 1972 debut single Virginia Plain, notable for its pounded piano and early, Brian Eno synths. - Discovering: Dire Straits
E3Discovering: Dire StraitsMusic journalists Camilla Pia, John Aizlewood, Will Hodgkinson, Michael Bonner and Hamish MacBain examine the history of the rock band and reflect on their success, Dire Straits. Led by Mark Knopfler, the band recorded six studio albums, including the bestselling Brothers in Arms. Dire Straits were a British rock band who emerged during the post-punk era of the late 1970s, active between 1977 and 1995. - Discovering: Eurythmics
E4Discovering: EurythmicsDiscovering: Eurythmics Documentary exploring the history of Eurythmics, examining Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart's unlikely partnership, the impact of their breakthrough hit Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) and how they conquered the music scene on both sides of the Atlantic. When Annie Lennox first met Dave Stewart in a London restaurant, few predicted that the unlikely pair’s futuristic synthpop would become a defining sound of the 1980s. Critics and journalists including Michael Bonner, Hamish MacBain and John Aizlewood reflect on Stewart and Lennox's first band the Tourists and their early experiments with synthesizers. - Discovering: Fleetwood Mac
E5Discovering: Fleetwood MacMusic journalists Camilla Pia, Will Hodgkinson and John Aizlewood are among those reflecting on the tumultuous history of Fleetwood Mac, from their early days led by founder Peter Green to the departure of Lindsey Buckingham ahead of a world tour in 1987. As well as discussing the band's deeply strained and intertwined personal lives, they examine how 1977 album Rumours exposed the turmoil that existed in the group at the time, and look at the experimental nature of their 1979 release Tusk. - Discovering: Genesis
E6Discovering: GenesisWe defy to you to watch this without singing along. Invisible Touch, In The Air Tonight, Tonight, Tonight, Tonight, Land of Confusion, In Too Deep, we could go on and on about the hits of the Grammy Award-winning band Genesis. This documentary takes a detailed look at the group's roots, which can be traced back to the Surrey school days of Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford and Phil Collins, through to their evolution into global superstars. - Discovering: Pet Shop Boys
E8Discovering: Pet Shop BoysMusic critics Camilla Pia, Will Hodgkinson and Michael Bonner examine the 30-year career of synthpop duo Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe. They reflect on their hit singles, varied albums, reinventions, erudite and witty lyrics and love for highly theatrical costumes and colourful music videos. - Discovering: Pulp
E10Discovering: PulpPulp were arguably the greatest and most idiosyncratic pop group of the 1990s. This slight but hit-packed profile, cobbled together using archive stills, videos and some available talking heads, pays tribute to their glittering legacy. Although they formed in Sheffield in the early 1980s, their career didn't take off until the release of their 1994 album His 'n' Hers. After that, with epoch-defining records such as the volcanic Common People, they became one of the linchpins of Britpop. Their charismatic leader Jarvis Cocker was even a bona fide national celebrity and, with his NHS specs and charity shop clobber, an unlikely style icon. But having achieved fame at a relatively late age, it all proved too much for the band. Jarvis succumbed to cocaine addiction - thankfully, he's long since recovered - and their star eventually waned. Nevertheless, as this programme reminds us, the gangling bard of Sheffield remains one of the wittiest social commentators in the annals of pop. Music critics and journalists Michael Bonner, Hamish MacBain and John Aizlewood explore the band's frustration at the reception of their first three albums. - Discovering: Sting
E12Discovering: StingDocumentary examining the defining moments in the musician's career. After coming to the world's attention as the charismatic leader of arena-filling power trio The Police, the man born Gordon Sumner went on to enjoy a hugely successful and varied solo career. The programme examines the internal bickering that led to his dramatic exit from the band following a sell-out performance at Shea Stadium, and the bold new identity he forged on his debut solo album The Dream of the Blue Turtles. It also explores the impact of his collaboration with rap superstar Nas, and the sampled use of his classic Every Breath You Take on Puff Daddy's hit tribute to the late Biggie Smalls.
