Gems from the Arena vault shine again

Last summer we collaborated with BBC Music Online to explore the Arena archive and choose a selection of clips to go online. There are now more than 150 clips up on the Arena webpage.

Music has always been close to Arena’s heart and with an archive of over 500 programmes, running from 1978 onwards, there are countless musical treasures stashed in the archive.

Many programmes contain one-off performances and interviews with an eclectic mix of the most celebrated and left-field musicians of the twentieth century: Van Morrison, Nico, Dire Straits, Celia Cruz, Joe Meek, Jerry Lee Lewis, Tammy Wynette, Poly Styrene and Gilberto Gil - to name just a few.

Previously, we showcased Arena: Produced by George Martin. Clips from the documentary feature alongside clips of Cilla Black singing along with Liverpool supporters and Charlie Drake throwing a boomerang in his back yard - among other unexpected delights.

We felt that it would be fun to do something similar with all these music clips. So here they are - Joy, Rage, Despair and Hope, Yearning and Wanderlust.