The more you love music, the more you'll love this series. It not only presents the music, it presents the context for each musical movement. Unfortunately, it is regularly compared to "The History of Rock 'N' Roll" and this review is no exception. The comparison is necessary for you to fully appreciate it.
Many people take issue with how this series presents the bigotry and social upheaval these songs formed the soundtrack for. The assumption is that bigotry inspired all of these movements. I think they are looking at it from the wrong perspective.
This series was not just meant to document the history of rock. It was meant to deify rock in all of its' forms. It has been said that rock did more to help end racial tension than all politicians combined. The best way to deify rock is to present the social upheaval it affected. This series does this and more.
To fully appreciate this series, it's important to understand that it approaches the history of Rock & Roll from a British perspective. That means, for Americans, there will be a disconnect in which bands were more central to rock's future. The other thing to keep in mind is that British documentaries tend to expect you to have a passing knowledge of the subject. This is where I say, if you can get this series, I recommend that you get "The History of Rock 'N' Roll" at some point as well. They compliment each other quite well giving you a fuller picture of the times in which these styles evolved.
It's also important to understand when both series were made. In the early 90's grunge revolted against the glam & metal sounds, and by the time of this production, metal was seen as passe and almost an embarrassment. A similar attitude seemed to apply to the disco movement. Both series overlook the contributions of both.
Even if you prefer the other series, I highly recommend picking this up if you find it. It's very rare. My copies are actually the VHS copies I taped off of the PBS broadcast.
Many people take issue with how this series presents the bigotry and social upheaval these songs formed the soundtrack for. The assumption is that bigotry inspired all of these movements. I think they are looking at it from the wrong perspective.
This series was not just meant to document the history of rock. It was meant to deify rock in all of its' forms. It has been said that rock did more to help end racial tension than all politicians combined. The best way to deify rock is to present the social upheaval it affected. This series does this and more.
To fully appreciate this series, it's important to understand that it approaches the history of Rock & Roll from a British perspective. That means, for Americans, there will be a disconnect in which bands were more central to rock's future. The other thing to keep in mind is that British documentaries tend to expect you to have a passing knowledge of the subject. This is where I say, if you can get this series, I recommend that you get "The History of Rock 'N' Roll" at some point as well. They compliment each other quite well giving you a fuller picture of the times in which these styles evolved.
It's also important to understand when both series were made. In the early 90's grunge revolted against the glam & metal sounds, and by the time of this production, metal was seen as passe and almost an embarrassment. A similar attitude seemed to apply to the disco movement. Both series overlook the contributions of both.
Even if you prefer the other series, I highly recommend picking this up if you find it. It's very rare. My copies are actually the VHS copies I taped off of the PBS broadcast.