DVD
Soundbreaking : stories from the cutting edge of recorded music
Languages
English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing.
Publication Information
[Chatsworth, CA] : RLJ Entertainment
Physical Description
3 videodiscs (approximately 425 minutes) : sound, color, with black & white sequences ; 4 3/4 in.
Audience
Not rated; contains strong language, nudity, and drug references.
Summary
Music has been a constant in human history, an intermingling of voice and instrument that for all its local variation and increasing sophistication nevertheless endured in more or less the same form for centuries. Then came recording--and music was forever transformed. Soundbreaking, an eight-part event television series, traces this ongoing sonic revolution, and explores the nexus of cutting-edge technology and human artistry that has created the soundtrack of our lives. Featuring more than 160 original interviews with some of the most celebrated recording artists, producers, and music industry pioneers of all time, Soundbreaking charts a century's worth of innovation and experimentation, and offers a behind-the-scenes look at the birth of brand new sounds. From the Beatles' groundbreaking use of multi-track technology to the synthesized stylings of Stevie Wonder, from disco-era drum machines to the modern art of sampling, the series highlights the dynamic tension between the artificial and the natural--between the man-made and the god-given--and explores the way in which that tension has continuously redefined not only what we listen to and how we listen to it, but our very sense of what music is and can be. In the end, Soundbreaking makes us hear the songs we love in a whole new way, and illuminates the sonic alchemy by which the music we listen to becomes a fundamental part of who we are.
Notes
Title from container.
Originally broadcast as an eight-part mini-series on PBS in 2016.
Bonus: Extra footage of Elton John, Sir George Martin, Ringo Starr, Les Paul, and others (30 minutes).
Contents
- Episode 1, The art of recording. The role of the producer ; Sam Phillips & Elvis ; Producing the Beatles ; Spector's wall of sound ; Singer/songwriter movement ; Early hip-hop ; Rick Rubin & Johnny Cash / edited by Nancy Novak ; produced by Julia Marchesi
- Episode 2, Painting with sound. Multitrack recording ; Magnetic tape ; "Tomorrow never knows" ; Beatles vs. Beach Boys ; The impact of Sgt. Pepper's ; Tusk ; Bedroom recording studios ; Drama in the mix / edited by Nancy Novack, Jay Keuper ; produced by Jeff Dupre
- Episode 3, The human instrument. Projecting emotion ; The microphone ; Unique voices ; Imperfection ; Performing in a studio ; Auto-tune ; Vulnerability & authenticity / edited by E. Donna Shepherd ; produced by Maro Chermayeff
- Episode 4, Going electric. Amplification ; The blues ; Jimi Hendrix ; The synthesizer ; Devo ; New sounds ; What's old is new / edited by Howard Sharp ; produced by Joshua Bennett
- Episode 5, Four on the floor. Finding the beat ; Little Richard ; Motown ; James Brown ; Carlos Santana ; Disco ; The remix ; Electronic dance music / edited by Sam Pollard ; produced by Joshua Bennett, Sam Pollard
- Episode 6, The world is yours. Sampling ; Rapping over tapes ; "Walk this way" ; Public Enemy ; The Beastie Boys ; Lawsuits & limitations ; Wu-Tang Clan / edited by Sam Pollard ; produced by Joshua Bennett, Sam Pollard
- Episode 7, Sound and vision. The music video ; Early television ; Breaking down barriers ; Madonna ; Saturation point ; A changing industry / edited by E. Donna Shepherd ; produced by Maro Chermayeff
- Episode 8, I am my music. Music formats ; "Hound dog" ; Long-form expression ; Single records & radio ; Concept albums ; Cassette tapes ; New technology / edited by Howard Sharp ; produced by Julia Marchesi.