BBC4 10pm Arena. American Epic. Exploring roots music in the US

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marlowe

Well-known member
Dec 13, 2015
4,295
Companion programme to the series tonight BBC4 11pm -1am
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08t9yvk

The machine that introduced the sounds of America to its people has been lovingly reassembled and now, in the heart of Hollywood, in a perfect recreation of the atmosphere and conditions of America's first ever recording studios, today's music superstars roll the epic on.

Elton John, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Alabama Shakes, Jack White, Nas, Ana Gabriel, Beck, Los Lobos and Steve Martin are among the artists who test their skills against the demands of the recording machine that literally made American music. There are no edits, no overdubs and no retakes, and the disc only allows for three minutes of recording time.

Despite these limitations, today's recordings for American Epic have one advantage - the freshly recorded sound is crystal clear and of an astonishing depth, transporting us vividly into the past - and the future.
 






A reminder that you still have 15 days left to watch this - real musicians playing real instruments and recording live to a disk. All good, highlights for me where the talented and very lovely Rhiannon Giddens, the goofy retro fifties looking and sounding guy and a young bluesman who seemed to have a spare hand and fingers to do the fingerpicking that he did - will have to watch it again to get their names!
 




marlowe

Well-known member
Dec 13, 2015
4,295
A reminder that you still have 15 days left to watch this - real musicians playing real instruments and recording live to a disk. All good, highlights for me where the talented and very lovely Rhiannon Giddens, the goofy retro fifties looking and sounding guy and a young bluesman who seemed to have a spare hand and fingers to do the fingerpicking that he did - will have to watch it again to get their names!

When Part 4 was originally shown it was immediately preceded by the making of the Sergeant Pepper album which at that time was 40 years after the recording techniques demonstrated in this programme. Quite a contrast and interesting to see how the technology developed in those forty years. The same time span as 1977 to today. When you think of it in those terms it doesn't seem such a great time span.
 


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