Rock Legends

America was fighting the Vietnam War and protests across the country were widespread and it was during this period of unrest that the driving force behind many artists such as Boston, REO Speedwagon, Styx and many others were formed.

During the '60s flower power movement, peace and love in music no longer reflected the lives of a generation; at the same time, de-industrialization was beginning; a look at artists such as Deep Purple, Black Sabbath and Nazareth.

A look at how British metal was born; featuring Judas Priest, Saxon and Iron Maiden.

By the dawn of the 1970s, progressive rock allowed musicians to evolve a single track over a whole side of vinyl, draw on classical sources, and create music in more complex time signatures.

Jazz rock grows out of the artistically ambitious rock subgenres of the late 1960s and early 1970s, and includes extensive improvisation; exploring the music of artists Steely Dan, the Doobie Brothers and Boz Scaggs.

The US heavy metal sound has big hooks, melodic choruses, and monster ballads, with nearly every song featuring one guitar solo. Vocals are melodic, and high-pitched. They also include extensive use of harmonies, particularly in the ballads - slow, emotional songs that gradually build to a strong finale. Lyrics tended to deal with love and lust. This episode features Mötley Crüe, Poison & Ratt.

Songwriters have their roots in the folk-acoustic traditions of Celtic European Troubadours from the Middle East and blues and country in the USA. This genre emerged in the 1960's again against the backdrop of political change, and would forge the careers of great artists such as Cat Stevens, Paul Simon, and James Taylor.

The origins of the British Rhythm & Blues were in the jazz, skiffle and folk movements of the 1950s. Chris Barber was one its early figures helping establish the Marquee Club, the key venue for British R&B bands. The 1958 visit of Muddy Waters influenced Blues Incorporated, with other bands emerging including the Animals from Newcastle, the Spencer Davies Group and the Yardbirds from London. British R&B had a harder edge born of black American blues with a gritty, syncopated sound and guitar-heavy mix.

Women have sung on jazz, pop and soul tracks since the 1930s, but when it came to rock, however, there were few women in the 1950s who wrote and performed their own songs. In the 60s, artists such as Grace Slick and Janis Joplin were fronting A-list bands. All-female garage bands, such as The Runaways and Fanny, achieved limited success. As rock developed in the late 60s and 70s alongside the women's liberation movement, women refused to be just the pretty singer or the manufactured glam groups. This episode features bands such as Heart, Suzie Quatro and The Bangles.

During the 1960s, rock n roll splintered into a rainbow of genres - musicians were experimenting. Soft rock began as a blend of the progressive rock quest for musicianship and the songwriter's love of pop. It originated in the late 1960s in Southern California and the United Kingdom. The style relied on simple, melodic songs with big, lush productions. This new genre established bands such as Supertramp, ELO & Barclay James Harvest.

The sound of psychedelic rock involved electronic instruments, guitar effects, oriental instruments, unconventional song structures, lyrics that referenced drugs or fantasy books, with extended instrumental sections. The genre bridged the transition from early blues and folk-based rock to progressive rock and hard rock. This episode features The Moody Blues, Emerson Lake & Palmer and Traffic.