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Great American Rock Anthems: Turn it up to 11

Documentary celebrating the evolution of the American rock anthem from the 70s to the 90s, featuring Alice Cooper, Dave Grohl, Blue Oyster Cult, Survivor, Meat Loaf and Foreigner.

It's the sound of the heartland, of the midwest and the industrial cities, born in the early 70s by kids who had grown up in the 60s and were now ready to make their own noise, to come of age in the bars, arenas and stadiums of the US of A. Out of blues and prog and glam and early metal, a distinct American rock hybrid started to emerge across the country courtesy of Alice Cooper, Grand Funk Railroad et al, and at its very heart is The Great American Rock Anthem.

At the dawn of the 70s American rock stopped looking for a revolution and started looking for a good time; enter the classic American rock anthem - big drums, a soaring guitar, a huge chorus and screaming solos. This film celebrates the evolution of the American rock anthem during its glory years between 1970 and 1990 as it became a staple of the emerging stadium rock and AOR radio and then MTV.

From School's Out and Don't Fear the Reaper to Livin' on a Prayer and Smells Like Teen Spirit, these are the songs that were the soundtrack to teenage lives in the US and around the world, anthems that had people singing out loud with arms and lighters aloft.

Huey Morgan narrates the story of some of the greatest American rock anthems and tracks the emergence of this distinct American rock of the 70s and 80s. Anthems explored include School's Out, We're an American Band, Don't Fear the Reaper, Paradise by the Dashboard Light, I Love Rock 'n' Roll, Eye of the Tiger, I Want to Know What Love Is, Livin' on a Prayer and Smells Like Teen Spirit.

Contributors include: Alice Cooper, Dave Grohl, Butch Vig, Meat Loaf, Todd Rundgren, Richie Sambora, Blue Oyster Cult, Survivor, Toto and Foreigner.

52 minutes

Last on

Sat 11 Aug 2018 00:25
±«Óãtv Four

Music Played

Timings (where shown) are from the start of the programme in hours and minutes

  • 00:02

    Alice Cooper

    School's Out

  • 00:02

    Survivor

    Eye Of The Tiger

  • 00:07

    The Rolling Stones

    Jumpin' Jack Flash

  • 00:42

    Dire Straits

    Money For Nothing

  • 00:46

    Poison

    Unskinny Bop

Credits

Executive Producer Mark Cooper
Producer Dione Newton
Director Dione Newton
Narrator Huey Morgan

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