Black Sabbath

The second album by Black Sabbath, released in 1970, has long attained classic status. Paranoid not only changed the face of rock music, but also defined the sound and style of heavy metal more than any other record in rock history. The result of a magic chemistry which had been discovered between four English musicians, it put Black Sabbath firmly on the road to world domination.

This programme tells the story behind the writing, recording and success of the album. Despite vilification from the Christian and moral right and all the harsh criticism that the music press could hurl at them, Paranoid catapulted Sabbath into the rock stratosphere.

Using exclusive interviews, musical demonstration, archive footage and a return to the multi-tracks with engineer Tom Allom, the film reveals how Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward created their frighteningly dark, heavy and ear-shatteringly loud sound.

Additional comments from Phil Alexander (MOJO & Kerrang! editor), Geoff Barton (Classic Rock editor), Henry Rollins (writer/musician) and Jim Simpson (original manager) add insight to the creation of this all-time classic.

In spring 2005, Mötley Crüe embarked on their first world tour in more than six years, the outrageous and globally successful Red, White and Crüe Tour. Infamous for their visually and intensely live stage shows, Carnival of Sins captures original Crüe members Vince Neil, Nikki Sixx, Mick Mars and Tommy Lee in a stage show that sets a new standard for music BDs. Carnival of Sins is a "circus gone bad" concept spectacular taking place under a huge circus tent stage set with pyrotechnics that are excessive, a fire-breathing midget, seductive aerialists and demonic clowns that will keep you roaring for more.

All roads have led to this. Forty-one years in the making, the R40 Live tour took a very real journey back through time. Beginning with the grand design: a state-of-the-art stage set that pivots, rolls and dives, and brings Clockwork Angels in to bombastic, colorful life before marching stridently back in time (through theatre stages, a panoply of band and fan shots, the accrued memories of a life spent playing live) to a mocked-up school gym and the band playing there; a solitary bass amp set on the chair behind Geddy Lee, a mirror ball spiraling crazily above, casting thin rods of light like a light rain across the crowd, 'Working Man' coming to a shuddering halt as the band s beginning becomes their end. Rush recorded and filmed R40 LIVE over two sold-out shows in the band's hometown of Toronto on June 17 & 19, 2015 in the middle of what was rumored to be their last grand-scale tour.

Knebworth, Hertfordshire, June 30, 1990. 120,000 fansgathered for an historic concert event to aid the Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy Centre and the BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology. This incredible benefit concert was an instant success due to the high-energy, awe-inspiring performances of such rock 'n' roll legends as Paul McCartney, Phil Collins, Pink Floyd, Eric Clapton, Elton John, Mark Knopfler, Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, Status Quo, Tears For Fears and Cliff Richard & The Shadows.

In March 2011 Japan was beset by a huge earthquake, a monstrous tsunami and the subsequent meltdown of the Fukushima nuclear plant. In the autumn of 2011, despite advice to the contrary, Aerosmith brought their "Back On The Road" tour to Japan, a country with which they'd always had a special relationship. The Japanese fans came out in their droves and Aerosmith responded with some of the finest gigs of their distinguished career. This film follows the band on that tour combining full length live tracks with behind the scenes footage which is at times touching and emotional and at others humorous and insightful. More than anything else it demonstrates the Japanese fans' love affair with Aerosmith and their music.

Rainbow was formed by Ritchie Blackmore in 1975 after he left Deep Purple at the height of their fame. They were instantly successful and released a string of hit albums, with an ever changing line-up, between 1975 and 1983 when Blackmore broke up the group to join the reformed Deep Purple. This concert from their European tour in 1977 features the line-up responsible for the Long Live RocknRoll album released later that year, including vocalist Ronnie James Dio and drummer Cozy Powell. Blackmore had to be smuggled out of Austria after a trouble with the police at a gig two nights earlier and was very late arriving in Munich, all of which seemed to inspire both the band and the audience to create a truly remarkable gig.

In 1980, MOTORHEAD released their fourth album Ace Of Spades. Loud, fast and overwhelmingly heavy, Ace of Spades would propel MOTORHEAD into the ranks of Heavy Metal's elite and 25 years later is still considered a benchmark album in its genre. MOTORHEAD - Ace Of Spades Classic Album sees Lemmy, "Fast" Eddie Clarke and Philip "Philthy Animal" Taylor talk candidly about the writing and recording of the album and the goings on inside the MOTORHEAD camp at the time. Watch "Fast" Eddie as he demonstrates how the riff for Ace Of Spades came about, and see the trio (with the help of modern technology) together on the same stage once again. Also featured are exclusive interviews with the likes of Slash (Guns & Roses, Velvet Revolver), Lars Ulrich (Metallica), Dave Brock (Hawkwind), and many more. At the front of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal is MOTORHEAD. Formed in 1975 by former Hawkwind bassist Lemmy Kilmister, the band endured several lineup changes in its early years, and the revolving door lineup began again, with Lemmy continuing to be the driving force of MOTORHEAD.

As recent events have proven, Led Zeppelin continues to be one of the biggest bands of all time. Along with Black Sabbath and Deep Purple, they are often cited as the Godfathers of Heavy Metal. But there was more to Zeppelin than just heavy riffs. Led Zeppelin's first album serves as a blueprint for what would follow in the rest of their career. "Led Zeppelin 1" showcased an eclectic mix of styles that would set them apart from their contemporaries. There's a huge debt to the Blues music that they loved so much, which was the initial common thread for Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, with artists such as Howlin' Wolf and Muddy Waters proving particularly influential.
This fascinating program tells the story of the music and artists that have influenced the legendary British Rock pioneers, Led Zeppelin. Down The Tracks continues to examine how the group created their mighty stadium rock sound that helped define the musical backdrop of the '70s, while influencing virtually every heavy metal rock band that came after them.
Features live music clips from songs performed by: Son House, Howlin' Wolf, Bukka White, Muddy Waters, Davey Graham And many more. Watch the live music that influenced Led Zeppelin, and learn about the making of one of the best Rock and Roll bands of all time.

An intimate concert and interview with American Heavy Metal band, Megadeth. Performances include Symphony of Destruction, She-Wolf, Use the Man, Angry Again and Trust. With host, Nic Harcourt.

Iron Maiden's 1982 breakthrough, The Number of the Beast its first with leather lunged vocalist Bruce Dickinson remains a heavy metal watershed, and this Classic Albums program reunites the major players (including producer Martin Birch) for the undoubted pleasure of longtime Maiden fans. The interviews with band members and rock journalists in the 50 minute program touch on Maiden's early career, then delve into the creation of songs that have become hard-rock classics: the title song came about from a nightmare that bassist-songwriter Steve Harris couldn't shake, "The Prisoner" was inspired by the Patrick McGoohan television series, and the hit "Run to the Hills" made the sort of political statement (about white men's savage treatment of native peoples) that then-Capitol Records exec Don Zimmermann notes most American fans couldn't have cared less about while head-banging.

In 1969 Deep Purple premiered Jon Lords groundbreaking Concerto For Group And Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall. Thirty years later, in September 1999, Deep Purple and the London Symphony Orchestra returned to the same venue for the concertos second performance. The centrepiece of the concert is of course the concerto itself but it is preceded by a short set of other Jon Lord tracks, songs from Roger Glovers Butterfly Ball (sung by Ronnie James Dio) and Ian Paices jazz arrangement of the early Purple classic Wring That Neck. Following the concerto are five Deep Purple classics culminating with Smoke On The Water.

Ozzy Osbourne is one of the most iconic figures in rock and one of the founding fathers of heavy metal, however to many his “Madman” persona has overshadowed his considerable musical achievements. “God Bless Ozzy Osbourne” tells for the first time the story of his career from the founding of Black Sabbath through to solo stardom and his wider fame beyond. These were the wild days of his prodigious drug and alcohol intake, of biting the head from a dove at a record company meeting and biting into a bat on stage but also of the tragic death of Randy Rhoads and the reality TV show The Osbournes. The film follows Ozzy’s torturous and emotionally fraught journey from excess to sobriety, which Ozzy regards as his greatest accomplishment. Featuring never before seen footage, new interviews with Ozzy himself, his brothers and sisters, his children, his bandmates in Black Sabbath and those who both inspired him and were inspired by him, this is the first film to take viewers inside the mind and psyche of this legendary figure.

Recorded on December 13th 2002 in New York City, this live performance by Dio sees them working their way through a host of hits from their back catalog, fronted as ever by the irrepressible Ronnie James Dio. Tracks include "Holy Diver," "Killing the Dragon," "Stand Up and Shout," "We Rock," and many more.

This installment of the Classic Albums series, in which rock stars talk about the creation of their albums, focuses on the making of British Steel, the 1980 album by Judas Priest, a working class British, heavy metal band led by screechy lead singer Rob Halford. As Halford (who has since left the band) and his mates explain what went into the lyrics and recording of the songs that made up the record, the talking heads are intercut with performance footage of a band that helped launch the metal and speed-metal surge of the 1980s and early 1990s.

In August of 1991, AC/DC headlined their third "Monsters Of Rock" festival at Castle Donington. One for the ages, the two hour set is loaded with classics and awesome visuals including firing cannons, the hells bell and a giant inflatable Rosie.

Black Label Society, formed in the late nineties by legendary guitar hero Zakk Wylde, have established themselves at the forefront of heavy metal with a series of hard riffing and hugely successful albums alongside worldwide tours that have cemented their reputation as one of the most powerful live bands of their generation. "Unblackened" finds Black Label Society in a mellower mood in a performance filmed at Club Nokia in Los Angeles earlier this year. The concert showcases the band's songs with a greater use of acoustic instruments but without losing any of their power and intensity. Zakk Wylde leads from the front as always, performing here on both guitar and piano and demonstrating the subtler side of his music alongside the blistering solos that his fans know and love

In November 2014 KISS brought their legendary live show to The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino for a Las Vegas residency. KISS Rocks Vegas captures the event in all its pyrotechnical glory as the band power through hit after hit in front of the adoring KISS Army. Nobody delivers a live concert spectacle like KISS and this concert film finds them in peak form.

Multi-platinum rock band Whitesnake filmed their show when they headlined the Loud Park festival on October 15th 2011 at Saitama Super Arena, Tokyo, in Japan during their Forevermore World Tour. Now fans can relive the irresistible magic of Whitesnake in concert any time their heart & loins may desire! The Forevermore songs alone are worth the price of admission, not forgetting the classic Whitesnake songs, "Is This Love," "Still Of The Night" and "Here I Go Again," all performed at the height of their musical powers. It's all here. This is what Whitesnake fans, old & new, have been clamoring for. An amazing night to remember and to share with all the fans! Highlights include blistering guitar work from the band's six string guitar slingers, Doug Aldrich and Reb Beach & the earth-shaking rhythm section, The Wrecking Crew featuring Michael Devin (bass) and Briian Tichy (drums), who anchor the deep and dirty foundation of Whitesnake. The band is accompanied by the swirling sonic tapestries of special guest keyboardist Brian Ruedy, and of course, the chest beating, seductive vocals of front man and founder, David Coverdale.

“Chile On Hell” was filmed at the Teatro Caupolican in Santiago, Chile on May 10, 2013, and features Anthrax – Joey Belladonna, Scott Ian, Charlie Benante, Frank Bello and Jon Donais. The band performed an extended set that featured songs from Anthrax’s entire catalogue – all the fan-favorites including “I Am The Law,” “Indians,” “Madhouse,” “Caught In A Mosh,” “The Devil You Know,” and “I’m Alive.”

Recorded live at the Mermaid Theatre, London, this is a rare acoustic set from.
The stripped back performances are a testament to the versatility of Uriah Heep - not entirely Unplugged, but most definitely Acoustically Driven.

Alice Cooper brings his new album Welcome 2 My Nightmare to the A V O SESSION BASEL. The star , who rightfully can call himself the world’s most easily identifiable music brand, brings his legendary and bombastic black rock show to the annual indoor festival in Basel, Switzerland. Alice Cooper shocked audiences with boa constrictors and guillotines, now he does it with spider costumes and horror masks, but the good old '70's rock has remained a constant. That’ s Alice Cooper’ s remedy for the irritations and confusions of our time: spectacular electric guitars, old school style. The
shock rocker brings our dark side back to the stage. He lets others find happier alternatives.

The story of the making of this remarkable album is told here via exclusive interviews with band members James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett and Jason Newsted, archive footage and performance, and contributions from producer Bob Rock. Featuring the five singles from the album, Enter Sandman, Sad But True, "The Unforgiven", "Wherever I May Roam" and "Nothing Else Matters", this is the compelling story of one of the biggest selling albums of all time, a true Classic Album.

"The making and continued influence of Metallica's commercial breakthrough (known simply as "the Black Album") is entertainingly recounted in this must for Metallica fanatics, especially those who are interested in the recording of one of hard rock's most sonically breathtaking albums. Drummer Lars Ulrich, singer James Hetfield, and producer Bob Rock take up the lion's share of the interviews, and their reminiscences a decade after the fact include many juicy tidbits (like Ulrich and Rock loathing each other by the time the recording was finished, or that the final mix was nearly ruined by a digital clicking sound on the master tape--luckily, a successful remastering was done). The Dolby 2.0 Stereo sound is appropriately pummeling, even if we are treated to mere excerpts from the songs, videos, and even some of the original demos. Classic Albums: Metallica adroitly summarizes a pivotal moment in hard rock history."