Classic Albums

BBC Classic Albums - The Doors DVD Extras

The latest addition to Eagle s critically acclaimed and highly successful Classic Albums series is Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers 1979 breakthrough album Damn The Torpedoes . The band s third album defined their musical style and took them into the mainstream hitting No.2 on the US charts and spawning the top 10 single Don t Do Me Like That . The DVD features newly filmed contributions from the band members Tom Petty, Mike Campbell, Benmont Tench, Ron Blair and Stan Lynch along with co-producer Jimmy Iovine and engineer Shelly Yakus as they analyse the tracks from the original multi-track tapes and through new and archive performances. Damn The Torpedoes has stood the test of time as one of the great American rock albums of its era and is a worthy addition to the Classic Albums series.

A look at the recording process and history behind the classic 1979 album - Damn the Torpedoes.

The latest addition to the acclaimed and award winning Classic Albums series tells the story behind the making of two legendary albums from Rush. 2112 was the album that saw Rush break through to major chart success, going to No.1 in their native Canada and Top 75 in the USA where it would eventually be certified triple platinum. Moving Pictures opened them to a mass audience for the first time and remains the biggest selling album of their career. It also went to No.1 in Canada and went quadruple platinum there while hitting No.3 in both the UK and USA. Rush members Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart talk us through the making of the albums, together with original producer Terry Brown via interviews, demonstrations, archive videos and use of the original multi-track tapes.

With Paranoid celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, the Classic Albums/Black Sabbath episode is particularly timely. Music buffs will relish at the 97-minute DVD that touches upon everything from Black Sabbath’s influences, the songwriting process behind tracks like “War Pigs and “Iron Man,” the band’s introduction into America, and even hands-on explanations of the riff work from Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler. In stark contrast to the band’s self-titled debut album (recorded over two days and mixed in one), Paranoid was allowed an opportunity to be crafted in more accommodating studio environment. Those sessions bore a variety of intriguing stories, specifically one that details how “Paranoid” was written off-the-cuff after executives requested a “short song.”

A look at the creation of the Beach Boys' classic album "Pet Sounds", including conversations with Brian Wilson and group members, lyricist Tony Asher, and members of the studio supergroup The Wrecking Crew.

A look at the creation and recording process of classic 1991 album Screamadelica.

So stands as one of the greatest records of the 1980s, helping define its time to become a true classic album. The film features interviews with Gabriel himself, co-producer Daniel Lanois, bass players Tony Levin and Larry Klein, performer Laurie Anderson, drummer Manu Katché and Rolling Stone editor David Fricke amongst others.

Carly Simon is one of the most influential singer-songwriters of her generation. The classic album that made her a global star was No Secrets, which included the enigmatic song You're So Vain. The album spent five weeks at number one in the US chart. In this new interview Carly ties together her life and work on No Secrets - she is at her most honest, sometimes defiant, but with a wit and wisdom that comes from her rich and turbulent life. She tells of how the second single from the album, Right Thing to Do, was a refreshingly realistic love song, choosing to ignore her lover's problems. That lover was James Taylor; Carly wrote the lyrics on a plane after looking over at James and thinking 'there's nothing you can do to turn me away.'

The story of Don McLean's second album American Pie. Crowned by its titular overture and the song Vincent, McLean's equally moving tribute to Van Gogh, American Pie is a classic of the folk-rock genre. Earning its place alongside Carole King's Tapestry, Joni Mitchell's Blue and Neil Young's After The Goldrush as one of the landmark singer-songwriter LPs of 1971, a year recently celebrated in a book by award-winning journalist David Hepworth as 'rock's golden year'. Don McLean features in extensive new interviews, discussing the intricacies of his songs, the sometimes fraught recording process, and the album's legacy.

The making of Amy Winehouse's classic 2006 album, Back to Black.