PREEMPTING THE keenness of all VT editors to stick a pumping soundtrack of the day behind anything recorded, albeit in a more measured fashion, the changing face of pop was measured out in newsreel footage that eventually covered 1956 to 1980 inclusive. Trevor Dann’s idea, apparently. Inspired by the baby boomers and inventing the TV easy uncritical nostalgia boom, so has a lot to answer for.
Paul
March 13, 2016 at 12:36 am
Biafra, overlaid with Leonard Cohen’s “Suzanne” made me cry.
Droogie
March 13, 2016 at 2:57 am
This was a great show! It may look hackneyed now, but for a bored 80’s teenage kid fascinated by the 60’s it was a wonderful opportunity to see a lot of classic rock TV performances for the first time ever. 1967 and seeing the Doors perform Light My Fire on the Ed Sullivan Show especially sticks in the memory.
Richard16378
March 14, 2016 at 1:51 pm
I also really liked it, & still have some on video.
There was a later series covering 1981-9.
It would be great if they made some more.
Droogie
March 15, 2016 at 2:03 am
I can only guess modern copyright issues regarding the music and the band clips stops this show being repeated
Richard16378
March 15, 2016 at 1:59 pm
I guess the same applies to the semi spin-off The Rock & Goal Years, profiling a football season with the songs from the time playing in the background.
Des E
March 16, 2016 at 8:12 pm
RTE’s Reeling in the Years is a straight copy. Unsurprisingly its producer, John O’Regan, was the music editor on the Rock ‘n’ Roll Years.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQcqPHrWqPE
Paul Bovey
December 30, 2016 at 9:56 pm
Some apt choices of songs, such as ‘Invisible Touch’ played over Diego Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ in the 1986 episode.