Classic Albums: Season 1

Paul Simon: Graceland

59min - A documentary examining the production of Paul Simon's most commercially successful and critically acclaimed solo album, which brought South African music to a massive pop audience.

The Grateful Dead: Anthem to Beauty

59min - This installment of the Classic Albums series follows the making of two Grateful Dead albums, the fiercely experimental Anthem of the Sun and the understated masterwork American Beauty, which spawned melodic gems like "Sugar Magnolia" and "Ripple." Between the archival scenes and contemporary interviews with band members, the program shows a band making seismic in roads in pop music and five young guys coming to terms with artistry, mortality, and, yes, the pursuit of happiness. There is priceless footage of Neal Cassady driving Ken Kesey's bus and of the Dead, surrounded by martini sipping hipsters, on Playboy After Dark. The best scenes involve band members talking about specific songs (you will never hear Phil Lesh's "Box of Rain" again without thinking of it as a gift to his dying father) or deconstructing a tune by playing each track separately. Intimate and surprisingly cohesive, Anthem to Beauty is a rare glimpse into how the Dead's magic was made. Track List: 1. Truckin' 00:21 2. Candyman 04:40 3. Acid Test Story 08:13 4. Anthem of the Sun 17:30 5. That's It For the Other One 18:03 6. Robert Nelsons 1967 Movie 28:57 7. Whicker's World BBC 1967 32:28 8. Attics of My Life 36:47 9. Friend of the Devil 40:14 10. Ripple 43:44 11. Sugar Magnolia 48:40 12. Box of Rain 53:58 13. Brokedown Palace 57:03

Stevie Wonder: Songs in the Key of Life

The Band: The Band

59min - Discover the inspiration behind hits such as “Up on Cripple Creek” and “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” from country rock group The Band’s acclaimed 1969 album.

Jimi Hendrix: Electric Ladyland

Fleetwood Mac: Rumours

59min - The making of Fleetwood Mac's album Rumours in 1976/77.