World Service Music DocumentariesEpisodes Episode guide
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Ziggy Changed My Life
Marking The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars’s 40th anniversary.
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Yevgeny Murzin: Master of the Synthesiser
Built in secret with little access to electronic parts, the ANS was a labour of love
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Where Stars Are Born: The Harlem Apollo
The legacy of Harlem's Apollo theatre where stars Ella Fitzgerald and James Brown began
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Wheel And Come Again - 50 Years Of Jamaican Music
Colin Grant explores the daring and innovative music that has come from Jamaica
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What's Going On - Music that Defined a Decade
Smokey Robinson explores the social and political impact of Marvin Gaye's classic.
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Walk on the Wild Side
Mike Williams talks to critics, fans, academics and historians Lou Reed.
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Van Morrison and me
John McCarthy explores how Van Morrison’s music has influenced people’s lives
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Up Close and Personal
The art of crooning and how Rudy Vallee, Al Bowlly and Bing Crosby ignited passions
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Up Close and Personal
The art of crooning and how Rudy Vallee, Al Bowlly and Bing Crosby ignited passions
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Up Close and Personal
The art of crooning and how Rudy Vallee, Al Bowlly and Bing Crosby ignited passions
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Tuku Music
A celebration of the life and music of Zimbabwe’s Oliver Mtukudzi
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The Song House
Scottish musician Ken Hyder explores the dwindling tradition of Gaelic psalm-singing
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The Secrets of Songwriting
Some of the world’s greatest musicians answer the question - how do you write a song?
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The Secret History of Bossa Nova
Forget its low-key, supper club reputation, bossa nova was tied to a political revolution
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The Persian Underground
How young Iranian musicians and singers are finding ways of breaking the restrictions.
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The Human Voice
What's happening physiologically and chemically to us when we sing
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The Caribbean Musical Melting Pot: The Rise and Rise of Soca
The new Caribbean sounds starting with Soca in Barbados and Trinidad
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The Caribbean Musical Melting Pot: Keeping it Real?
Gemma continues her search for new sounds on the islands of Guadeloupe and Puerto Rico
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Symphony of the Stones
How our ancient forebears made music and how ancient sites affected sounds of their time
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Sweet Mother
DJ Edu traces the story of Prince Nico’s multimillion-selling hit Sweet Mother
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Steve Earle’s Songwriting Bootcamp
Legendary country singer Steve Earle unveils the secrets of composing a great song
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Southern Tracks - Part Two
Joe Fletcher tracks down forgotten musicians who made records in the 60's and 70's.
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Southern Tracks - Part One
Joe Fletcher finds forgotten musicians who made records in the 60's and 70's.
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Song by Song by London - Part Two
Robert Elms continues his search for the musical soul of London.
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Song by Song by London - Part One
Robert Elms searches for the musical soul of London, celebrated in over a century of song.
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Our Love for Indian Classical Music
How classical music from India has spread across the globe
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One Love: the Legacy of Bob Marley
Lemn Sissay talks to fans from all over the world about Bob Marley's music.
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My Madonna
Exploring the drive behind Madonna’s evolution from ambitious young dancer to pop icon
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Music that Unites Us
The music of the world that unites fans - even across borders that divide old enemies
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Michael Jackson - The Thrill Of Thriller
What does Michael Jackson mean to the Ivory Coast village of Krindjabo.















