BBC – Born To Be Wild, Part one, Riders On The Storm begins during the era of flower power, Vietnam and LSD. Inspired by The Beatles and Rolling Stones, who were at the forefront of the musical change at this time, bands started to form all over America. Unlike the 1950s rock n roll pioneers, these bands, such as The Doors and Jefferson Airplane, wrote their own songs which reflected the social and political world around them. They not only sang about the revolution – they were the revolution. After the hope surrounding JFKs short tenure as president, the Vietnam war raged out of control and thousands of young men were being drafted. The flower power movement hoped the peace and love mantra would change the world, with rock music being a beacon of hope for those who believed in the ideals of equality and freedom. But by 1968, and following the assassinations of Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King, the country was besieged by violence on the streets. As the climate changed, from one of hope to one of revolution, the music changed with it. Woodstock festival in 1969 wanted to inspire a new generation of artists to lead the revolution with political songs, but instead proved to be a watershed moment for rock musics reactionary era. The marketing men were at the gates, keen to turn this music from protest into big business. Interviewees include John Densmore and Ray Manzarek of the Doors, Creedence Clearwater Revivals Doug Clifford, Marty Balin of Jefferson Airplane, Alice Cooper, Tom Petty, MC5s Wayne Kramer and Steppenwolfs John Kay. //Tony
Posted on: Sun, 17 Aug 2014 14:47:07 +0000
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