In 1982, the best of friends and still teenagers George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley as Wham! set out to conquer the world. By June of 1986, they played their very last gig at Wembley Stadium having done exactly that. Now, for the very first time, told in their own words, comes the amazing story of how in four years they dominated the charts around the world with timeless and classic pop songs. Hit after hit ‘Club Tropicana,’ ‘Wake Me Up Before You Go Go,’ ‘Freedom,’ ‘I'm Your Man’ and of course ‘Last Christmas.’ Their time in the spotlight was white-hot, and they became the very first Western pop act to play in China. It was a time that both encapsulated and epitomized not just their youth but also that of the many millions of fans that adored them.
Pet Shop Boys' Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe are the most successful duo in UK Music history. They have sold more than 50 million records, produced over 40 Top singles, four UK number ones, performed in several world tours, and they are still making new music together. In April this year, Pet Shop Boys are releasing a new album which comes 40 years after the original release of their classic song West End Girls. IMAGINE... is given a sneak preview of the album and talks to Tennant and Lowe about its creation and their evolution over the past four decades: pioneering, original, highly influential but always maintaining the integrity and quality of their inimitable style, sound and songwriting. Their songs have often commented on Britain and the world around them with wit, sensitivity and intelligence driving the stories they want to share through some of the most memorable synth-pop music ever created. For their tours they have worked with the most innovative theatre personnel to create original and thrilling performances. Now for the first time they have allowed backstage access as IMAGINE... accompanies them on their global Dreamworld tour, filming rehearsals in London and backstage in Helsinki.
On January 25th, 1985, dozens of the era's most popular musicians gathered in Los Angeles to record a charity single for African famine relief. Setting egos aside, they collaborated on a song that would make history. The documentary transports viewers back to the recording of ‘We Are the World,’ capturing a seminal moment in music with gripping detail and emotion. Through an intimate lens, the film chronicles the night when some of the biggest names in the music industry united for a cause greater than themselves. With exclusive behind-the-scenes footage, candid interviews with the artists involved, and insights from music historians, the documentary reveals the challenges, camaraderie, and sheer talent that converged to make the recording session an unparalleled event in pop culture, making it a poignant reminder of the power of art to effect change.
This widely praised by critics film was created with cooperation from Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and the widows of John Lennon and George Harrison. Filmmaker Peter Jackson delves into invaluable footage archives to make a film that shows the truth about the Beatles recording together the album Let it Be, which had the working title of Get Back. The production employed film restoration techniques developed for Jackson's previous works on sixty hours of film footage and 150 hours of audio, spending four years in editing the series. The final cut covers 21 days in the studio with the Beatles and climaxes with the full 42-minute rooftop concert. In part I, the Beatles begin rehearsing at Twickenham Studios for what is at first meant to be a television special about the recording of their next album leading up to a live show at a location to be determined. During the sessions, Paul McCartney and George Harrison play some songs that would later appear on their respective solo albums. After seven days of rehearsals, Harrison abruptly leaves the group.
The rock revolution of the 1960s seen through the life and music of Jimi Hendrix. We see how he became the first, ultimately doomed, icon of rock. The Birth Of Rock also explores the influence of rhythm & blues on a generation of British musicians such as The Rolling Stones, Cream and The Who, and how the song-writing of Bob Dylan and studio developments of The Beatles transformed the possibilities and ambitions of rock.
The film is the long-awaited reunion concert of the renowned folk pop music duo, more than a decade after their separation as musical performers. It was recorded on the 19th September 1981 at a free benefit concert on the Great Lawn in Central Park, New York City, where the pair performed in front of an audience reported at the time as 500,000 people. The film includes two songs that had not appeared on the album. Rolling Stone called the concert 'one of the finest performances, one that vividly recaptured another time, an era when well-crafted, melodic pop bore meanings that stretched beyond the musical sphere and into the realms of culture and politics.'
Their time in the spotlight was white-hot, and they became the very first Western pop act to play in China. It was a time that both encapsulated and epitomized not just their youth but also that of the many millions of fans that adored them.