All You Need is Love
Sky Arts 1 - 8pm
Who's in it?
Filmmaker Tony Palmer's epic chronicle of pop music began last night with an overview of the many episodes to come, featuring footage of suitably iconic performers.
In a nutshell
Can a documentary on pop music made in the late 70s still be regarded as relevant today? Well yes, if it's as vast and as filled with riches as this one. It's not so much an examination of pop as an odyssey through the ages, going right back to the roots in jazz, and earlier still to the tribal music of Africa. John Lennon actually worked on the making of the thing, and in a later episode we'll even get to see an interview with Brian Epstein's mum!
Last night's episode was a kind of overture (to use an appropriately music term), giving us a taster of what's to come. There was a wealth of footage – both of performances and interviews with the biggest names in music – and there'll be plenty more to lookk forward to, from jazz greats Duke Ellington and Bix Beiderbecke through to The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, and the advent of glam rock. It's above all an atmospheric, immersive experience – the very fuzziness of the footage, and the grainy shots of a bygone world, all help make it all the more fascinating.
What's the verdict?
One of the pleasures of revisiting this show so many decades after it was first broadcast will be to see whether it's analysis of the genre still holds true, and whether its predictions for pop's future came true. But that's way in the future, and we've got a shedload of episodes to come yet. It's essential viewing for all music fans.
Star rating
5/5
