Released as a television documentary in 1995, this is an intensive look into the beginnings of Rock 'n' Roll, with each of it's ten chapters focusing in on a particular aspect or era of the music industry. It begins roughly around the mid-Fifties, tracing the rise of musical icons like Chuck Berry, Little Richard and Elvis Presley, then moves on in successive chapters up through the mid-Nineties with a look at spin off genres like punk, rap and hip-hop.
Having just completed individual reviews of each chapter, I won't get too long winded here. Suffice it to say that a veritable Who's-Who of musical talent is on hand to offer their own particular perspectives of the rock genre, with a number of celebrity performers appearing in multiple chapters. They include Bruce Springsteen, Pete Townshend, Tom Petty and Quincy Jones, who appear most often, while performers like Patti Smith, Country Joe McDonald and Neil Sedaka appear in segments that primarily apply to their own musical style. You also have appearances by promoters and record industry executives like Clive Davis, Sam Phillips and Jerry Leiber.
All in all it's a terrific assemblage of past and present musicians, with a mountain of archive material to enjoy and savor. It's also a wistful reminder that some of our favorite musicians have passed on, some quite recently like David Bowie and Gregg Allman. It would be great if there was a follow up to the series since it's already more than two decades gone by since this one originally aired. Though not as definitive as some rock 'n' roll fans might insist on, it's still a great introduction to the music of the Fifties through the mid-Nineties, with a lot of stops in between to form a springboard for more individual research of your own.
Having just completed individual reviews of each chapter, I won't get too long winded here. Suffice it to say that a veritable Who's-Who of musical talent is on hand to offer their own particular perspectives of the rock genre, with a number of celebrity performers appearing in multiple chapters. They include Bruce Springsteen, Pete Townshend, Tom Petty and Quincy Jones, who appear most often, while performers like Patti Smith, Country Joe McDonald and Neil Sedaka appear in segments that primarily apply to their own musical style. You also have appearances by promoters and record industry executives like Clive Davis, Sam Phillips and Jerry Leiber.
All in all it's a terrific assemblage of past and present musicians, with a mountain of archive material to enjoy and savor. It's also a wistful reminder that some of our favorite musicians have passed on, some quite recently like David Bowie and Gregg Allman. It would be great if there was a follow up to the series since it's already more than two decades gone by since this one originally aired. Though not as definitive as some rock 'n' roll fans might insist on, it's still a great introduction to the music of the Fifties through the mid-Nineties, with a lot of stops in between to form a springboard for more individual research of your own.