When Albums Ruled the World
Documentary showing how the long-playing album changed popular music for ever between the mid-1960s and the late 1970s by allowing artists to express themselves as never before.
Between the mid-1960s and the late 1970s, the long-playing record and the albums that graced its grooves changed popular music for ever. For the first time, musicians could escape the confines of the three-minute pop single and express themselves as never before across the expanded artistic canvas of the album. The LP allowed popular music become an art form - from the glorious artwork adorning gatefold sleeves, to the ideas and concepts that bound the songs together, to the unforgettable music itself.
Built on stratospheric sales of albums, these were the years when the music industry exploded to become bigger than Hollywood. From pop to rock, from country to soul, from jazz to punk, all of music embraced what 'the album' could offer. But with the collapse of vinyl sales at the end of the 70s and the arrival of new technologies and formats, the golden era of the album couldn't last forever.
With contributions from Roger Taylor, Ray Manzarek, Noel Gallagher, Guy Garvey, Nile Rodgers, Grace Slick, Mike Oldfield, Slash and a host of others, this is the story of When Albums Ruled the World.
Last on
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The golden age of the vinyl LP
Duration: 02:13
Music Played
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Led Zeppelin
When The Levee Breaks
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Pink Floyd
Breathe (In The Air)
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Frederick Loewe
Overture (From My Fair Lady)
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Little Richard
Tutti Frutti
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Elvis Presley
(I'm) All Shook Up
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Pete Seeger
Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season)
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Bob Dylan
Man of Constant Sorrow
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Bob Dylan
A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall
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Bob Dylan
Masters of War
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Bob Dylan
Blowin' In The Wind
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Bob Dylan
Maggie's Farm
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Bob Dylan
Like A Rolling Stone
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Big Brother & the Holding Company
Ball and Chain
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Jefferson Airplane
High Flyin' Bird
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The Supremes
You Can't Hurry Love
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Moby Grape
Omaha
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Cream
Strange BrewÌý
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The Who
I Can't Explain
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The Beatles
Good Morning Good Morning
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The Beatles
Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds
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The Beach Boys
Pet Sounds
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The Beatles
A Day In The Life
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The Beatles
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
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The Beatles
With A Little Help From My Friends
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The Rolling Stones
She's a Rainbow
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The Jimi Hendrix Experience
Fire
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The Jimi Hendrix Experience
All Along The Watchtower
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The Jimi Hendrix Experience
Voodoo Chile
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The Jimi Hendrix Experience
Nineteen EightyThree
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The Jimi Hendrix Experience
Crosstown Traffic
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Frank Zappa
Peaches En Regalia
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The Who
Pinball Wizard
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The Rolling Stones
(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
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The Rolling Stones
Wild Horses
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King Crimson
21st Century Schizoid Man (incl. Mirrors)
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Led Zeppelin
Communication Breakdown
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Led Zeppelin
Whole Lotta Love
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Led Zeppelin
Moby Dick
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Miles Davis
Freddie Freeloader
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Miles Davis
So What
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Miles Davis
It's About That Time
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Miles Davis
Directions
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Miles Davis
Spanish Key
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Stevie Wonder
Uptight (Everything's Alright)
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Marvin Gaye
I Heard It Through The Grapevine
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Marvin Gaye
What's Going On
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Marvin Gaye
Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)
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Stevie Wonder
Keep on Running
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Jethro Tull
Aqualung
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David Bowie
Starman
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T. Rex
Cosmic Dancer
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David Bowie
Ziggy Stardust
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Joni Mitchell
I Think I Understand
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The Shirelles
Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow
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Carole King
Beautiful
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Carole King
Tapestry
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Carole King
(You Make Me Feel Like) a Natural Woman
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Elton John
Rocket Man (Radio 2 Live in Hyde Park)
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Yes
Heart of The Sunrise
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Funkadelic
Cosmic Slop
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Pink Floyd
Time
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Pink Floyd
Breathe (In The Air)
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Pink Floyd
Money
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Pink Floyd
Us and Them
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Pink Floyd
Brain Damage
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Mike Oldfield
Tubular Bells
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Elton John
Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting)
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Queen
Death on Two Legs
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Queen
The Prophet's Song
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Queen
'39
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Queen
Bohemian Rhapsody
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The Pointer Sisters
Wang Dang Doodle
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The Beach Boys
Good Vibrations
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Carpenters
WeÂ’ve Only Just Begun
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ABBA
SOS
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Deep Purple
Highway Star
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Peter Frampton
Show Me The Way
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Iron Butterfly
InAGaddaDaVida
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Boston
Foreplay
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Boston
More Than a Feeling
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Foreigner
Feels Like The First Time
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Styx
Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)
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Eagles
Hotel California
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Fleetwood Mac
Don't Stop
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Yes
Yours Is No Disgrace
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Sex Pistols
Holidays in the Sun
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Sex Pistols
Pretty Vacant
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Sex Pistols
Anarchy in the UK
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The Damned
Neat Neat Neat
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Blondie
Heart Of Glass
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Bee Gees
Stayin' Alive
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The Police
Walking on The Moon
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Madonna
Lucky Star
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Buggles
Video Killed The Radio Star
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Michael Jackson
Thriller
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Led Zeppelin
Ramble On
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Queen
Bohemian Rhapsody
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Led Zeppelin
Whole Lotta Love
The Golden Age of the Album
When Albums Ruled The World was part of a season of programmes celebrating the long player across ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Four, ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Radio 2 and ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ 6 Music.
- Can today’s artists The Beatles’ Please Please Me in just 12 hours?
- 6 Music listeners reimagined classic album covers –
- Danny Baker was joined by great guests for his 3-part
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Credits
Role | Contributor |
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Producer | Steve O'Hagan |
Director | Steve O'Hagan |
Executive Producer | Hamish Barbour |
Broadcasts
- Fri 8 Feb 2013 21:00
- Sat 9 Feb 2013 02:00
- Sat 9 Feb 2013 22:45
- Mon 11 Feb 2013 23:30³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ HD
- Wed 13 Feb 2013 00:30
- Fri 12 Jul 2013 21:00
- Sat 13 Jul 2013 01:00
- Sun 14 Jul 2013 23:00
- Sun 17 Nov 2013 23:50
- Sat 21 Dec 2013 23:25
- Mon 10 Mar 2014 23:50
- Fri 27 Jun 2014 23:30
- Wed 3 Dec 2014 23:25
- Sat 4 Jul 2015 23:40
- Mon 28 Dec 2015 01:20
- Tue 5 Jan 2016 23:00
- Sat 25 Jun 2016 01:00
- Sun 26 Jun 2016 02:15
- Thu 15 Sep 2016 22:05
- Fri 16 Sep 2016 02:30
- Sat 25 Feb 2017 00:00
- Fri 28 Apr 2017 21:00
- Sat 29 Apr 2017 01:10
- Sun 24 Sep 2017 23:15
- Sat 22 Apr 2023 00:00
- Sat 22 Apr 2023 02:30
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The Golden Age Of The Album
Radio 2, ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Four and 6 Music celebrate the most iconic albums ever made.
Record Store Day
Celebrate Record Store Day with iconic artists and, their albums and global hits.
TV Blog: The LP's Golden Age
Producer/Director Steve O’Hagan reminisces about his love of the album.