Reggae at the BBC

Velvet Goldmine

August 1998 •English

Almost a decade has elapsed since glam-rock superstar Brian Slade escaped the spotlight of the London scene. Now, investigative journalist Arthur Stuart is on assignment to uncover the truth behind the enigmatic Slade. Stuart, himself forged by the music of the 1970s, explores the larger-than-life stars who were once his idols and what has become of them since the turn of the new decade.

A Hard Day's Night

July 1964 •English

Capturing John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr in their electrifying element, 'A Hard Day's Night' is a wildly irreverent journey through this pastiche of a day in the life of The Beatles during 1964. The band have to use all their guile and wit to avoid the pursuing fans and press to reach their scheduled television performance, in spite of Paul's troublemaking grandfather and Ringo's arrest.

Edson gomes ao Vivo em Salvador

June 2006 •Portuguese

Elton John: A Singular Man

January 2016 •English

An in-depth portrait of British composer, pianist and singer Elton John, pop star and myth of modern culture.

Twerk: Reggae Nights

February 2023 •English

Lesha finds out reggae artist Domino is holding dance auditions in the city for his next music video, and the competition is anything but irie.

Rockers

November 1979 •English

Horsemouth, a drummer living in a ghetto of Kingston, plans to make money selling records. After his prized motorcycle is stolen, his plans fall through and he's forced to adapt.

Bob Marley: Uprising Live!

June 1980 •English

The Uprising Tour was Bob Marley's last tour before his tragic early death in May 1981. Marley's energetic, charismatic performance gives no indication that he was already ill with the cancer that would take his life less than a year later. This live show from Dortmund's Westfalenhalle was filmed for the famous German music TV series Rockpalast on June 13th 1980, featuring Bob Marley on superb form. Expertly delivering a set of hit singles and classic album tracks, Marley's energetic, charismatic performance includes I Shot The Sheriff, Get Up, Stand Up and No Woman, No Cry and the film has been substantially restored to a high level.

Finding Joseph I: The HR from Bad Brains Documentary

November 2017 •English

"Finding Joseph I" is a feature documentary chronicling the eccentric life and struggles of punk rock reggae singer, Paul "HR" Hudson, a.k.a. Joseph I, the legendary lead singer from Bad Brains.

Steel Pulse: Live Legends

March 2004 •English

As the name suggests Steel Pulse play their own unique brand of reggae music in a no compromises way. The film features the band at the very peak of form playing a wide selection of the material which brought them to fame in Britain and America.

Bob Marley & The Wailers - Live At Harvard Stadium, Boston, 1979

July 1979 •English

The Amandla Festival of Unity was a world music festival held at Harvard Stadium in Boston, Massachusetts, on July 21, 1979. The festival was held in an effort to support and celebrate the liberation of South Africa and the on-going efforts of people in Boston to address racism in their families, schools, workplaces and communities. Performers include soul legend Patti LaBelle, jazz pianist Eddie Palmieri, drummer Babatunde Olatunji, the South African band Jabula and comedian Dick Gregory, who gives a 15-minute racially-charged speech before Marley’s performance.

The Pink Floyd and Syd Barrett Story

March 2003 •English

The full bizarre, tragic but celebratory story of Syd Barrett, the co-founder of Pink Floyd.

Playing For Change 3 - Songs Around The World

April 2014 •German

Reggae Concert from the Edinburgh Festival

February 2011 •English

Live performance specially recorded for Whistle Test from the Reggae Concert at the Edinburgh Festival in 1973, featuring The Cimarons, Winston Groovy, Dennis Alcapone, The Marvels, Nicky Thomas and The Pioneers.

Urgh! A Music War

November 1981 •English

Urgh! A Music War is a British film released in 1982 featuring performances by punk rock, new wave, and post-punk acts, filmed in 1980. Among the artists featured in the movie are Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), Magazine, The Go-Go's, Toyah Willcox, The Fleshtones, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, X, XTC, Devo, The Cramps, Oingo Boingo, Dead Kennedys, Gary Numan, Klaus Nomi, Wall of Voodoo, Pere Ubu, Steel Pulse, Surf Punks, 999, UB40, Echo & the Bunnymen and The Police. These were many of the most popular groups on the New Wave scene; in keeping with the spirit of the scene, the film also features several less famous acts, and one completely obscure group, Invisible Sex, in what appears to be their only public performance.

Bob Marley: The Legend Live

October 1981 •English

Recorded in California at the Santa Barbara County Bowl, this live concert appearance from Bob Marley and the Wailers was filmed on November 25, 1979. One of the last shows to be recorded before Marley's untimely demise, the gig is a scintillating mix of reggae classics and provides a fitting epitaph to the influential musician. Tracks include "I Shot the Sheriff," "Exodus," "Is This Love" and many more.

The UB40: Story of Reggae

August 2001 •Dutch

Third World

May 1980 •English

The Harder They Come

September 1972 •English

Ivanhoe Martin arrives in Kingston, Jamaica, looking for work and, after some initial struggles, lands a recording contract as a reggae singer. He records his first song, "The Harder They Come," but after a bitter dispute with a manipulative producer named Hilton, soon finds himself resorting to petty crime in order to pay the bills. He deals marijuana, kills some abusive cops and earns local folk hero status. Meanwhile, his record is topping the charts.

I Am the Gorgon: Bunny 'Striker' Lee and the Roots of Reggae

November 2013 •English

This feature length documentary charts the story of the great Bunny ‘Striker’ Lee. A legend himself, there’s not a lot of pioneers of roots and reggae that he didn’t work with, becoming the go-to producer for that dub sound coming out of Jamaica in the sixties and seventies, further cementing his legacy when he started licensing his productions straight to London labels. Diggory Kenrick’s doco calls on not only Lee himself to tell the story, but features the likes of U Roy, Dennis Alcapone, Lee “Scratch” Perry, Sly and Robbie, Johnny Clarke and Johnny Holt among others.

Soul Makossa Manu Dibango jazz Open Stuttgart - 1995

March 2022 •English