Rock Family Trees

Rock Family Trees Season 1 release dates →

1. E6

   6. The New Merseybeat

   Finale 31 years ago

   An account of how Liverpool club Eric's provided a valuable training ground for local bands in the late Seventies, notably the Teardrop Explodes and Echo and the Bunnymen. John Peel narrates the rise of these and other groups, including Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Dead or Alive and OMD, while musicians involved in the scene add a personal perspective.

2. E5

   5. The British R&B Boom

   31 years ago

   The British rhythm-and-blues scene of the 1960s, when bands including the Yardbirds, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers and Manfred Mann, together with rock giants Cream and Led Zeppelin, transformed the sound of American blues into rock. The era also spawned such famous guitarists as Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck, and those commenting on the time include drummer Ginger Baker and bass players Jack Bruce and Tom McGuinness.

3. E4

   4. New York Punk

   31 years ago

   The rock-history behind the band New York Punk, including interview's with chart-topping members of the hit combo

4. E3

   3. Deep Purple People

   31 years ago

   The tempestuous history behind British rock outfit Deep Purple, featuring interviews with the band, who talk candidly about their relationships which have lasted over 30 years

5. E2

   2. The Birmingham Beat

   31 years ago

   The careers of the biggest bands to emerge from Birmingham in the 1960s, the Moody Blues and the Move, who evolved into the Electric Light Orchestra

6. E1

   1. The Fleetwood Mac Story

   31 years ago

   The career of Fleetwood Mac, famous for their complicated inter-band relationships as well as their music

More Rock Family Trees

Rock Family Trees Season 2 release dates →

1. E6

   6. And God Created Manchester

   Finale 28 years ago

   The lives and music of bands who emerged from Manchester over the past 30 years, including Buzzcocks, Joy Division, New Order, Happy Mondays and Monaco. Featuring a tribute to such local institutions as the Hacienda nightclub and Factory Records.

2. E5

   5. The Prog Rock Years

   28 years ago

   The stories behind the biggest bands in the progressive rock movement of the early seventies, such as Yes and Emerson, Lake and Palmer. Ironically narrated by John Peel who has made it known (rather rudely, in fact) that he doesn't appreciate the music of either of these two bands.

3. E4

   4. Banshees and Other Creatures

   28 years ago

   Bands emerging from the punk era who carved successful careers for themselves throughout the 1980s and 1990s

4. E3

   3. The Mersey Sound

   28 years ago

   The Liverpool music scene of the 1960s, an era synonymous with the band that changed the face of pop music - the Beatles. Pete Frame narrates the story of such bands including the Searchers, Gerry and the Pacemakers, Billy J Kramer, the Swinging Blue Jeans and the Merseybeats.

5. E2

   2. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath

   28 years ago

   The history of rock 'n' roll band Black Sabbath, featuring interviews with the group who have performed together since the late 1960s

6. E1

   1. California Dreamin'

   28 years ago

   The golden age of American pop in the mid-1960s, when the Mamas and the Papas and Lovin' Spoonful produced a cluster of hits