BBC4 - Albums - Great Album Showdown
 

Hi folks,

New series striped through till Friday culminating in When Albums Ruled the World - anyone else watching?

This must have been the pay-off that Baker got when the Beeb ditched his Radio Show , he's allowed to front a TV series about his abiding passion, tedious prog-rock albums of the early 1970's.

He's quite a engaging fellow but get him on the subject of Emerson Lake and Palmer and one would be forgiven for lashing him to Ritchie Blackmore's 4x 12 Marshall stack and pushing it in the Thames.

Oh no, and there's that awful Top Gear git as well.

It's pretty good.

70s rock... not my favourite subject and their conservative, predictable choices haven't convinced me otherwise. Tomorrow's pop programme can only be a breath of fresh air compared to that.

And of course, this is where my We7 subs come into their own - playing out the stuff after they mention it.

Really enjoyed the programme. Danny Baker is one of my favourite broadcasters (though he's better on the radio) and Jezza is always good value - even though, embarrassingly, I would have picked 2 of the 3 albums that he did.

Time to dig out some neglected music from the dark reaches of my MP3 collection...

I enjoyed the show, but one thing has never changed over the years. Danny Baker always sounds entirely at home on radio, yet put him on TV and he always sounds as though he's trying a little too hard...

And of course - while a lot of the acts hadn't played TOTP or ITV's stuff... out came the old OGWT clips :)

Well I'm glad to see the back of vinyl albums, I hated the bloody things, the scratches, the jumping, the having to get up and turn it over.

Enjoyed the show though. The bird was rather fit as well :)

I could listen to DB all day.

The concept of the show sounds actually quite appealing to me, but Clarkson... no thanks. It's a shame they decided to start the series that way. I guess I'll try catching a later one instead.

All too predictable - except the snatches of Joni Mitchell & Frank Zappa.

Most music programming on the Beeb ends up re-hashing the same old same old. The world doesn’t need any more programmes about or featuring The Beatles or The Rolling Stones or Led Zeppelin or David Bowie or Pink bloody Floyd. It’ll be the same tomorrow with all the most obvious choices on display and in a set of programmes like this where it’s largely down to the personal choice of four different people every time that’s just rather pitiful.

Enjoyed the section on album artwork and can only echo Baker’s “could do a whole programme on this”, and yet....they’re not. :rolleyes:

Agreed. He's a marvellous breath of fresh air.

Also agree about him being better on radio but he's still pretty good on TV - I'll live with his slight discomfort with the medium.

I love discussions like this where people talk for a better understanding of a subject as opposed to being pitched against each other on polarised extremes.

Even Clarkson was bearable.

Add this to the Stuart Maconie's documentary about 1962 and an interesting picture is being built about the changes in recording techniques, production capabilities and differences between then and now.

Yes, some of it can be a bit pretentious but no more than numerous other aspects of our pop culture, sport or social behaviours. Is football, as Shankley said not a question of life or death but far more important than that or 22 blokes chasing a pig's bladder around? On reflection, probably both :D

Sent Baker a tweet via his 5Live show page but it will probably get merged with, I assume, many others in the BBC machine.

Also love Baker's side kick Danny Kelly on Talksport - broadcasting with brains which creates laughter and new insight while definately getting the gray matter going.

What would you prefer, Straker?

I have done back to vinyl. The sound is much more better from vinyl than a CD. Yes vinyl can be sratched, but if care is taken over them they can last for years without been scratched. CDs' just sound so tinny and for my liking there is no depth a recording on CD.

I enjoyed the show well considering it was about Rock and Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath , The Who were the pionners to rock. So they should be shown.

I also agreed with the guests choices as there was some iconic albums amonst them.

I thought it was a great programme and will have to listen to some of the artists which were mentioned such as Lou Reed, King Crimson and Frank Zappa to name a few.

I really enjoyed the show, programmes about vinyl are always going to attract a rather conservative crowd as vinyl is a very conservative medium. Like it or not 70's rock (in all is guises) IS the face of vinyl and so deserves its attention and publicity.

If you want watch eclectic or edgy programmes about music don't tune into a nostalgic show about vinyl.

Can anyone put up the list of the 13 albums in the rock wall of sound I want to give them all a listen to and can only remember about 5 of them.

King Crimson (In the court of the crimson king)
joni mitchell(Summer of hissing lawns)
frank zappa (we're only in it for the money and hot rats)
jon hiseman's colisseum (for those about to die, salute you)
rumours (fleetwood mac)
ziggy stardusr (bowie)
sheer heart attack (queen)
dark side of the moon (pink floyd)
london calling (the clash
transformer (lou reed)
crime of the century (supertramp)
physical graffitti (led zeppelin)http://images.digitalspy.co.uk/forum/smilies/smile.gif

it was pretty good , pleased to see Clarkson have the guts to nomm Supertramp (who are largely ignored now ) .

a bit patronising to young people tho , I would bet that more 20-somethings have bought a vinyl album in the last year than 50-somethings have .

I read somewhere recently that vinyl sales have gone up massively in the last couple of years .

I thought that too ! :):)

I'm just catching this show on BBC i-player and the question 'what first album did you buy with your own money/' set me thinking. I can't decide whether mine was The Bonzo's 'Gorilla' or the Moody Blues' 'Days of Future Passed'.
Must go and watch the reat, looks like a great nostalgia-fest!

Have just watched on catch up and it really was a nostalgia-fest. Especially the fact that you would sit there with your headphones on and listen to everyone second of every track before turning the record over. These days I'm as guilty as anyone for listening to spotify and skipping songs (sometimes midway through!) What a wonderful programme and I'd never have known it was on if it wasn't for this thread..roll on the next show.

P.S. There really should be an hour long show devoted to the artwork.

Storm Thorgerson,best known for Hipgnosis' artwork for Floyd,Zeppelin,Black Sabbath etc. albums,could take up an hour on his own.

Sky Arts recently did an hour on album cover artwork I think.