Eric Clapton Special To Air On MTV Live And VH1 Classic On May 20th

MTV Live and VH1 Classic will air ERIC CLAPTON: I STILL DO – AN INTIMATE DISCUSSION ABOUT ROCK, THE BLUES AND SHEPERD’S PIE, an hour-long special on Friday, May 20^th at 8pm on Vh1 Classic and 9pm on MTV Live.  The special coincides with the release of Clapton’s newest album I Still Do.  A music video for the new song “Spiral” is out now on YouTube.

Music legend Eric Clapton has reunited with famed producer Glyn Johns for his forthcoming 23^rd studio album I Still Do, set for release on May 20, 2016 on his Bushbranch Records/Surfdog Records. Clapton and Johns – who has also produced albums for The Eagles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin and The Who – most famously worked together on Clapton’s iconic Slowhand album, which is RIAA-certified 3x-platinum and topped charts globally. The 12-track record includes some original songs written by Clapton. This album follows his last release, the 2014 chart-topping Eric Clapton & Friends: The Breeze, An Appreciation of JJ Cale.

After his time with the Yardbirds in 1963, Clapton began a career as a professional musician that has seen numerous bands, an abundance of albums, countless worldwide sold out shows, an impressive array of accolades, unwavering critical acclaim and his consistent display of legendary guitar work. Clapton’s career has resulted in 18 Grammy Awards and the distinct honor of being the only triple inductee into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Remembering Behind The Music

It was one of the greatest shows about music to ever air. In 1997 VH1 debuted Behind The Music with an episode about Milli Vanilli. The format of the show was simple. It was a one-hour mini documentary covering the history of a band or an individual artist. Most of the episodes (including the debut) focused on the hardships of the band being profiled and also talked about their current whereabouts.

Behind The Music was a show that I faithfully watched every Sunday night at 9:00 PM. Whether the band being discussed was Motley Crue, Leif Garret, Sonny Bono, or Nick Lachey, I watched it. All the episodes were intriguing regardless of whom the subject was. The show was just that good. Behind The Music ran consistently for 9 years (1997 – 2006) before being halted. Since then, VH1 has sporadically produced a handful of episodes that are aired infrequently. In 2010, VH1 brought the show back as a regularly scheduled program, but stopped once again after a few months.

Some of the greatest episodes were centered on the rock bands of the 80s. Motley Crue featured an in depth look at the band’s drug addictions, raunchy road shows, and overall debauchery. The episode on Poison covered the rise and fall of CC Deville and a lot of notorious incidents from the band’s history. And the Guns N Roses episode was a true testament to the breakup of the band. Some of the greatest artists in the history of music were profiled including Willie Nelson, Frank Sinatra, The Doobie Brothers, Peter Frampton, and Kiss, who got a 2-hour extended episode. In the history of music documentaries, Behind The Music is one of the best programs ever produced.

What I can’t figure out is why this show has not been released on DVD. In an age where all our favorite television programs are released on DVD alongside the classics from yesteryear, why hasn’t VH1 cashed in on this opportunity? I know that I would buy every season as it became available and I’m sure that a lot of you would as well. Perhaps I need to start a petition that demand VH1 release the show on DVD.

While some of the newer episodes can be viewed on VH1’s website http://www.vh1.com/shows/behind_the_music/series.jhtml, others can be seen in their entirety on YouTube.com. I’ve personally watched both the Poison episode and the Def Leppard episode there. A few episodes can also be found at hulu.com, but they are the same episodes available on VH1’s website.

Behind The Music will always be remembered fondly by me. Before the internet boom and instant access to anything about any band that I ever wanted to know, there was Behind The Music. It was the best source to get my information and it was a compelling, engrossing program that I enjoyed every Sunday evening. I still miss the show and I am still hopeful for a DVD release one day.

Comments are open. Feel free to post some.

Friday's Rockin' Roundup - Labor Day Weekend Edition

Another summer season has come and gone. It’s hard to believe that it’s the end of the summer. This one flew by (as most do) and I didn’t accomplish nearly as much as I wanted to. The Rock and Roll Guru is definitely headed in the right direction, but I’m not where I want to be. That’s all right, we have all fall to straighten these things out.

Be sure to tune in next week when I post about the summer concerts and festivals. Which ones were great, which ones let us down, and what my favorites were. As always, I look forward to your comments and debates. And even though the summer concerts are over, the fall tours are right around the corner.

Here’s what rocked this week:

Behind The Music Returns Next Week
Nothing excited me more this week than reading this report. Behind the Music was one of my favorite shows back in VH1’s heyday, and to hear the show is returning is just plain blissful. Artists set to be profiled include Lil Wayne, 50 Cent, and Bret Michaels. Let’s hope VH1 plans on keeping this show around for a few more years. Tune into the season premiere on Thursday, September 10th.

Brian Jones' Death To Be Reexamined
40 years after his death, police have new evidence that may force a reopening in the case of Brian Jones’ death. This is a very interesting conundrum. On the one hand, it would be nice to have full closure on the death of this legend, as there has always been speculation that he was murdered. On the other hand, it was 40 years ago, and sometimes it’s best to let sleeping dogs lie.

Other Deaths That Should Be Reexamined
Keeping with the theme of reexamining mysterious death cases, this is an excellent article that explores other musician deaths that should get a second look.

Oasis Split Up... Again
Not really a big shock here. The Gallagher brothers haven’t gotten along since the day they started making music together. I’m sure this is not the last that we’ve heard of Oasis.

09/09/09 - The Day Of The Beatles
Wednesday will be a big day in rock and roll history. Not only is The Beatles Rock Band video game coming out, it’s also the first day of release for the remastered Beatles catalog. While I own most of The Beatles albums already, I know that I will be out picking up my favorites next week in all their remastered glory. I’ll be spending a lot of quality time with Let It Be, Magical Mystery Tour, and Revolver.