0:00:05 > 0:00:07- ON TELEPHONE:- Hello. - Hey, Dom, you all right?
0:00:07 > 0:00:09Did you get a call about this Geri story, then?
0:00:09 > 0:00:12MUSIC: Not Fade Away by The Rolling Stones
0:00:12 > 0:00:14My name is Alan Edwards.
0:00:14 > 0:00:16I've been working in music PR for the last 40 years.
0:00:17 > 0:00:19..I guess one of the issues being that Geri doesn't know
0:00:19 > 0:00:20anything about it.
0:00:22 > 0:00:25Watching live music is part of my job.
0:00:26 > 0:00:27When I started out,
0:00:27 > 0:00:31the life cycle of many bands followed a pretty traditional path.
0:00:34 > 0:00:39Making it, enjoying success, often followed by punch-ups and break-ups.
0:00:41 > 0:00:45Or, as we say in the music business, creative tensions,
0:00:45 > 0:00:49going solo, or that old chestnut - musical differences.
0:00:49 > 0:00:51We are upset and saddened by Geri's departure,
0:00:51 > 0:00:53but we are very supportive in whatever she wants to do.
0:00:56 > 0:01:00But now we have the fourth stage - the inevitable reunion.
0:01:00 > 0:01:03- REPORTER:- The Spice Girls are back together again.
0:01:03 > 0:01:06A lot of my time nowadays is spent bringing bands back.
0:01:06 > 0:01:09Reunions are helping drive the music business.
0:01:09 > 0:01:13I always dreaded the phone call about getting back together.
0:01:13 > 0:01:16I'd read somewhere that The Rolling Stones had band therapy.
0:01:18 > 0:01:21I don't know what that is, but I think we need some band therapy.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24In this series, we've been looking at how the music business
0:01:24 > 0:01:26finds talent and makes stars.
0:01:26 > 0:01:28She's fabulous, Doug. She really is, yeah.
0:01:28 > 0:01:31She's got long blonde hair and gorgeous eyes.
0:01:31 > 0:01:36At how live performance built reputations and made fortunes.
0:01:39 > 0:01:43And now, with reunions, relaunches and revivals so fashionable,
0:01:43 > 0:01:47I'm going to look into why so many bands are getting back together.
0:01:47 > 0:01:49Hey, Dennis, what's the first song? I've forgotten now!
0:01:49 > 0:01:51- Hard As They Come. - Hard As They Come, there you go.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54What's different this time around?
0:01:54 > 0:01:59I find it frustrating to have to do, you know, Hanging On The Telephone.
0:01:59 > 0:02:03I'm not here to be a jukebox, you know?
0:02:03 > 0:02:05And what it means for the business I work in.
0:02:05 > 0:02:07We put the tickets on sale,
0:02:07 > 0:02:10and it sold out in like 30 seconds or something.
0:02:10 > 0:02:13I probably make more money now out of the band
0:02:13 > 0:02:15than I did back in the day.
0:02:15 > 0:02:22This programme contains strong language
0:02:26 > 0:02:30# Come on, people, and hurry on back to love... #
0:02:30 > 0:02:33The discovery there's big money in old music is not new.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36In 1972, here at Wembley,
0:02:36 > 0:02:39thousands of music fans came to experience
0:02:39 > 0:02:41a first in British musical history.
0:02:43 > 0:02:47Dressed in their finery, they flocked to a new type of concert.
0:02:47 > 0:02:50But it wasn't to listen to the latest hits,
0:02:50 > 0:02:55it was to hear and see golden oldies.
0:02:55 > 0:02:57# Sweet little 16
0:02:57 > 0:02:59# She's just gotta have
0:02:59 > 0:03:01# About a half a million
0:03:01 > 0:03:04# Framed autographs... #
0:03:04 > 0:03:07The London Rock and Roll Show was a trip down memory lane.
0:03:07 > 0:03:11Hits from the 1950s, performed by the original artists.
0:03:11 > 0:03:13# Hail, hail, rock and roll
0:03:15 > 0:03:18# Deliver me from the days of old... #
0:03:18 > 0:03:22The stars that started the world rocking were still rolling.
0:03:22 > 0:03:24# Lucille!
0:03:24 > 0:03:26# Won't you do your sister's will? #
0:03:26 > 0:03:28It was a fantastic bill.
0:03:28 > 0:03:30There was Bo Diddley, there was Bill Haley,
0:03:30 > 0:03:32there was Little Richard,
0:03:32 > 0:03:34there was Jerry Lee Lewis,
0:03:34 > 0:03:36there was Chuck Berry...
0:03:37 > 0:03:42Wilko Johnson was one of the 90,000 fans happily rewinding the clock
0:03:42 > 0:03:44back to the birth of rock and roll.
0:03:44 > 0:03:47There's a song that I've been carrying around in my back pocket.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50I'm still happy, at 47 years old, I can still sing it.
0:03:50 > 0:03:52I'd like to sing it for you tonight, all right?
0:03:52 > 0:03:55CHEERING
0:03:55 > 0:03:57# One, two, three o'clock, four o'clock rock
0:03:57 > 0:04:00# Five, six, seven o'clock, eight o'clock rock... #
0:04:00 > 0:04:02I always regarded Bill Haley as a bit of a joke.
0:04:02 > 0:04:04He was no Elvis Presley, was he?
0:04:04 > 0:04:07I mean, he just had this kind of hit, Rock Around The Clock, thing.
0:04:07 > 0:04:12But, anyway, "I might as well go out and see him,"
0:04:12 > 0:04:13so I walked out, and I'll tell you what,
0:04:13 > 0:04:17they were absolutely great, man!
0:04:17 > 0:04:19# When the clock strikes two, three and four
0:04:19 > 0:04:21# If the band slows down We'll yell for more
0:04:21 > 0:04:24# We're going to rock around the clock tonight... #
0:04:24 > 0:04:26It was the original band, all of them.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29They had the guy with the eye patch... They were great!
0:04:29 > 0:04:31Rocked like a pig! They were...
0:04:31 > 0:04:34And it was absolutely fan... They went down an absolute storm.
0:04:44 > 0:04:46He was choked, you could see...
0:04:46 > 0:04:47You know, cos I mean, like,
0:04:47 > 0:04:49he'd been spending the last few years
0:04:49 > 0:04:52playing in little clubs in New Mexico or something,
0:04:52 > 0:04:55you know, and suddenly there he was in front of Wembley Stadium,
0:04:55 > 0:04:57the whole place is going crazy!
0:04:57 > 0:05:01LOUD CHEERING
0:05:01 > 0:05:04The king, ladies and gentlemen, the king!
0:05:04 > 0:05:06This revival concert showed how the music
0:05:06 > 0:05:08we grew up with never leaves us.
0:05:08 > 0:05:10And for the business I work in,
0:05:10 > 0:05:15it opened our eyes to the potential of yesterday's hit-makers.
0:05:15 > 0:05:16It showed there was an appetite for,
0:05:16 > 0:05:20and money to be made from, bringing bands back.
0:05:21 > 0:05:26MUSIC: Rockaway Beach by Ramones
0:05:31 > 0:05:3440 years on, reunions are no longer a rare treat.
0:05:34 > 0:05:36Now they happen all the time,
0:05:36 > 0:05:38as bands and their fans grow up together.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43Of all the musical forms many thought would never come back,
0:05:43 > 0:05:47it was punk, but now it's leading the way.
0:05:47 > 0:05:49For one weekend every summer,
0:05:49 > 0:05:52Blackpool becomes home to all things punk rock.
0:05:52 > 0:05:54It's the Rebellion Festival.
0:05:54 > 0:05:57The music that revelled in no future
0:05:57 > 0:05:59is alive and kicking.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02I was there during the early days of punk.
0:06:02 > 0:06:06You'd never go and sit down amongst a group of them back in 1977.
0:06:06 > 0:06:10That might have been taking your life in your hands.
0:06:12 > 0:06:16They were very different times - edgy and aggressive.
0:06:22 > 0:06:24It's funny looking at all these T-shirts,
0:06:24 > 0:06:26especially these Damned ones, that brings back a few memories.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29I remember going to a Damned gig at the Nashville,
0:06:29 > 0:06:33and I was The Stranglers' PR, so I was backstage, in the gig,
0:06:33 > 0:06:35and I had a pocket full of Stranglers badges,
0:06:35 > 0:06:37and I kept giving them out to people,
0:06:37 > 0:06:39and the Damned manager,
0:06:39 > 0:06:41he was a pretty feisty guy, called Jake Riviera,
0:06:41 > 0:06:44he used to wear these great Hawaiian shirts,
0:06:44 > 0:06:46he came over to me, rolled up his sleeves,
0:06:46 > 0:06:48and he said, "What are you doing giving out Stranglers badges?
0:06:48 > 0:06:51"Come outside, we're going to sort this out."
0:06:51 > 0:06:52So, on the North End Road,
0:06:52 > 0:06:55there was I, about to have a fight over a few Stranglers badges.
0:06:55 > 0:06:58And now you look at the scale of this, and the memorabilia,
0:06:58 > 0:07:01who would've imagined we'd have ended up like this?
0:07:04 > 0:07:06Punk wasn't supposed to last.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09It had a built-in self-destruct button.
0:07:09 > 0:07:11Bands were meant to burn hot and briefly.
0:07:15 > 0:07:19But this festival is full of punk acts, from contemporary bands to
0:07:19 > 0:07:23some of the original trailblazers, enjoying a renaissance.
0:07:29 > 0:07:32# Babylon's burning
0:07:32 > 0:07:35# You're burning in the street
0:07:35 > 0:07:37# You're burning in your houses
0:07:37 > 0:07:39# With anxiety... #
0:07:39 > 0:07:43The Ruts DC, formed in 1977 as The Ruts -
0:07:43 > 0:07:47they enjoyed early success with hits like Babylon's Burning.
0:07:47 > 0:07:49# With anxiety
0:07:49 > 0:07:52# Babylon's burning Babylon's burning! #
0:07:52 > 0:07:56They split in 1983, after the death of their lead singer,
0:07:56 > 0:07:58Malcolm Owen,
0:07:58 > 0:08:00and reformed 24 years later.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03Everybody is a lot friendlier now, basically,
0:08:03 > 0:08:05cos everybody's still alive.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08We thought we'd be dead by the time we were 35 or 40 anyway.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11Cos you do when you're young, and it's because you're in your band.
0:08:11 > 0:08:13It's part of that kind of...
0:08:13 > 0:08:15It's part of the kind of legacy that you think is going to happen.
0:08:15 > 0:08:17"Well, why would I worry about 40?
0:08:17 > 0:08:19"You're not going to get there anyway."
0:08:20 > 0:08:22I'm fairly old, but I've got to be match fit.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25Me drumming bits are great, you know?
0:08:25 > 0:08:28Fantastic, you know. New hip and all that,
0:08:28 > 0:08:29but all going well, you know.
0:08:29 > 0:08:32But if we weren't good, I wouldn't really want to do it.
0:08:34 > 0:08:38CHEERING
0:08:38 > 0:08:40The public's never going to go away.
0:08:40 > 0:08:42I think there is something
0:08:42 > 0:08:44really beautiful about the older guys
0:08:44 > 0:08:46who are still coming out and playing.
0:08:46 > 0:08:49I mean, it's taken them 40 years to become legendary,
0:08:49 > 0:08:51but it's almost like their duty too,
0:08:51 > 0:08:53to keep playing, to keep performing, to give back.
0:08:53 > 0:08:57# We're the future Your future
0:08:57 > 0:09:00# God save the Queen
0:09:00 > 0:09:02# We mean it, man
0:09:03 > 0:09:06# They made you a moron
0:09:06 > 0:09:09# A potential H-bomb... #
0:09:10 > 0:09:12As I started out in punk,
0:09:12 > 0:09:15it made sense that the first reunion I was involved in
0:09:15 > 0:09:16would be a punk band.
0:09:16 > 0:09:18The most famous of them all.
0:09:22 > 0:09:26# No future, no future for you! #
0:09:28 > 0:09:33In 1996, the Sex Pistols came out of retirement to unleash some
0:09:33 > 0:09:36filth and fury all over again.
0:09:37 > 0:09:38The Sex Pistols.
0:09:38 > 0:09:42Their comeback announcement was made at the 100 Club in London,
0:09:42 > 0:09:45and I helped to plot how this, their second coming,
0:09:45 > 0:09:47would play out in the media.
0:09:47 > 0:09:50Well, part of the PR strategy was to seem like there wasn't
0:09:50 > 0:09:54a PR strategy. You had the press conference -
0:09:54 > 0:09:58superficially a very chaotic affair, but actually, giving the media
0:09:58 > 0:10:01exactly what they wanted, all sort of edge-of-the-seat stuff,
0:10:01 > 0:10:03but really it was end-of-the-pier stuff.
0:10:03 > 0:10:05Pardon, can I have that in English?
0:10:05 > 0:10:07- This is sad, innit? - What is?- Why's that?
0:10:07 > 0:10:09It's sad that an arsehole like you
0:10:09 > 0:10:12doesn't appreciate the effort we've gone to.
0:10:12 > 0:10:15CHEERING
0:10:15 > 0:10:17I was just a bit bemused, really.
0:10:17 > 0:10:20I mean, to be honest, none of us were 100% sure
0:10:20 > 0:10:23if it was the right thing to be doing,
0:10:23 > 0:10:25but we was going to do it anyway.
0:10:25 > 0:10:27And that press conference
0:10:27 > 0:10:30was the first thing that we actually did.
0:10:30 > 0:10:32You know, we hadn't done any gigs by then,
0:10:32 > 0:10:35I don't think we'd even really started rehearsing at that stage.
0:10:35 > 0:10:38There was some hostility in certain areas of the press,
0:10:38 > 0:10:41saying that punk bands should never come back
0:10:41 > 0:10:43and they were just of the moment.
0:10:43 > 0:10:45I think we was all quite full of ourselves with the Pistols -
0:10:45 > 0:10:50we made our own rules, and we was going to do what we wanted to do.
0:10:50 > 0:10:52We invented punk. We write the rules,
0:10:52 > 0:10:56you follow - not the other way around!
0:10:56 > 0:10:58You're jealous!
0:10:58 > 0:11:00LAUGHTER
0:11:00 > 0:11:04The only egg that would be in our face if nobody turned up,
0:11:04 > 0:11:08but they turned up in droves, so we was right and they were wrong.
0:11:08 > 0:11:10CHEERING
0:11:15 > 0:11:18Let's start a war!
0:11:22 > 0:11:25# There's no point in asking You'll get no reply
0:11:25 > 0:11:29# Just remember I don't decide
0:11:29 > 0:11:32# I've got no reason It's all too much
0:11:32 > 0:11:34# You'll always find us
0:11:36 > 0:11:38# Out to lunch! #
0:11:38 > 0:11:41Just having the opportunity
0:11:41 > 0:11:43to finally see the band
0:11:43 > 0:11:45that I had worshipped.
0:11:45 > 0:11:47I'd never been to a gig
0:11:47 > 0:11:49of theirs before, and I absolutely loved it.
0:11:54 > 0:11:56And John Lydon is a fantastic lead singer.
0:11:56 > 0:11:58I used to want to marry him!
0:12:03 > 0:12:07Called the Filthy Lucre Tour by the band, they played 78 dates,
0:12:07 > 0:12:12were on the road for six months and grossed over £15 million.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19I did more gigs on that Filthy Lucre Tour
0:12:19 > 0:12:22than the first time round we'd done put together.
0:12:22 > 0:12:23ALAN CHUCKLES
0:12:26 > 0:12:29John Lydon later wrote that by the time they got into rehearsals,
0:12:29 > 0:12:33they'd realised they didn't like each other all over again,
0:12:33 > 0:12:36which meant special arrangements had to be made
0:12:36 > 0:12:38to keep the band on the road.
0:12:38 > 0:12:41What had Steve Jones suggested regarding the tour buses?
0:12:41 > 0:12:45Well, he suggested that, possibly, that we have two...
0:12:45 > 0:12:49Basically, the people who played things was in one
0:12:49 > 0:12:52and the people who didn't play things was in the other one.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55So you good guys can work it out at home.
0:12:55 > 0:12:57ALAN LAUGHS OK.
0:12:57 > 0:13:00- And did you have different hotels as well?- Oh, of course.
0:13:00 > 0:13:03- OK. Different roadies? - Different sides of town.
0:13:03 > 0:13:05- THEY LAUGH - Yeah.
0:13:05 > 0:13:07But that helped the atmosphere, did it, in the end?
0:13:07 > 0:13:10We used to get different flights.
0:13:10 > 0:13:12I said to Steve, "This is costing a fortune."
0:13:12 > 0:13:15He said, "It might be costing a lot, but..."
0:13:17 > 0:13:20He said, "We'll finish the tour and we'll get paid."
0:13:20 > 0:13:22And he was right, you know.
0:13:33 > 0:13:36I used to think reunions a bit embarrassing,
0:13:36 > 0:13:38not very rock and roll.
0:13:39 > 0:13:43But if the Pistols could do it, the arch subversives themselves,
0:13:43 > 0:13:45well, this was a turning point.
0:13:51 > 0:13:54And sure enough, a year later came the revival of a band
0:13:54 > 0:13:55I first met in the 1970s.
0:13:57 > 0:13:59That band were Blondie, and I was their PR man.
0:14:02 > 0:14:04# We sat in the night
0:14:04 > 0:14:09# With my hands cuffed at my side... #
0:14:09 > 0:14:14Back in 1976, they were a breath of fresh air - new and exciting.
0:14:14 > 0:14:18And for five years they reigned, before imploding
0:14:18 > 0:14:21in a haze of drugs, debts and debilitating illness.
0:14:21 > 0:14:24# I had to know, so I asked... #
0:14:24 > 0:14:27Then, 16 years later, they surprised and delighted
0:14:27 > 0:14:31music fans all over the world by getting back together.
0:14:32 > 0:14:35# Walking the line, you were a marksman... #
0:14:35 > 0:14:37I know a lot of friends would always say,
0:14:37 > 0:14:38"You know what, it's going to happen,
0:14:38 > 0:14:41- "you guys are going to get back together."- Yeah.- And I'm like...
0:14:41 > 0:14:43What drove that? Was it fans...?
0:14:43 > 0:14:44Love and money, I'd say.
0:14:45 > 0:14:48Chris asked if I, you know, wanted to do it, I said no.
0:14:48 > 0:14:51- OK.- No, computer says no.
0:14:53 > 0:14:57So... He had to...he had to convince me.
0:14:57 > 0:14:59Presumably, you were feeling the love from the fans, weren't you?
0:14:59 > 0:15:01- Yeah.- You were getting letters and...
0:15:01 > 0:15:03There was always a hard-core fan base,
0:15:03 > 0:15:08I kept hearing more referencing of the band from other musicians
0:15:08 > 0:15:10and...just the cultural references.
0:15:13 > 0:15:16But Blondie didn't just want to play the old hits.
0:15:16 > 0:15:19They wanted to go back into the recording studio.
0:15:21 > 0:15:25It was originally kind of pitched to us that we would just reissue
0:15:25 > 0:15:29a greatest hits with one or two new songs, and I remember I piped up
0:15:29 > 0:15:33instantly and said that's not what I was interested in doing at all.
0:15:33 > 0:15:38It wasn't to reform and just kind of go on, you know, whatever,
0:15:38 > 0:15:41the retro circuit, you know, be a heritage band or all those
0:15:41 > 0:15:43words that really mean like an oldies band, right?
0:15:43 > 0:15:48So, you know, we took our time and we made new music.
0:15:48 > 0:15:50That was my criteria for it.
0:15:50 > 0:15:54I had no interest in just being...doing an oldies act.
0:15:54 > 0:15:56And um...
0:15:56 > 0:16:00I even find it frustrating to have to do, you know,
0:16:00 > 0:16:02Hanging On The Telephone and...
0:16:02 > 0:16:05I mean, I would just rather move on.
0:16:05 > 0:16:09# Maria, you've gotta see her
0:16:11 > 0:16:15# Go insane and out of your mind... #
0:16:15 > 0:16:19Their comeback single Maria, Blondie's first new music
0:16:19 > 0:16:21in over 16 years, was a worldwide hit.
0:16:25 > 0:16:27It was as if time had stood still.
0:16:29 > 0:16:31# Maria, you've gotta see her... #
0:16:31 > 0:16:34You know, it's an interesting song because it's...
0:16:34 > 0:16:38I'm not sure what a classic Blondie song is, but that certainly was one.
0:16:38 > 0:16:40When we put the band back together for the first time
0:16:40 > 0:16:42and everybody started playing,
0:16:42 > 0:16:48I sort of teared up because, "Oh - there really IS that sound."
0:16:48 > 0:16:51You know, that really does exist, we do have an identity.
0:16:51 > 0:16:54And, you know, I think that that's...
0:16:55 > 0:16:59..that's probably, you know, the real key to, you know,
0:16:59 > 0:17:02having a successful band, is to have unique...
0:17:02 > 0:17:07..a uniqueness to it and a sound, you know, that is entirely its own.
0:17:10 > 0:17:14# One way or another I'm gonna lose ya
0:17:14 > 0:17:16# I'm gonna give you the slip, hey! #
0:17:16 > 0:17:20The band have now been back together for over 20 years,
0:17:20 > 0:17:22twice as long as the first time round.
0:17:22 > 0:17:26# One way or another I'm gonna lose ya... #
0:17:26 > 0:17:29Incredible to see them still doing it 40 years later.
0:17:29 > 0:17:31I knew they were going to be big when I saw them at Dingwalls -
0:17:31 > 0:17:33I never knew it would last that long.
0:17:36 > 0:17:38Thank you, thank you very much!
0:17:41 > 0:17:45- Afternoon, Clem.- Oh, hi, Alan. - Love the white gear.- How are you?
0:17:46 > 0:17:48- I'm just happy that we're doing this now.- Yeah.
0:17:48 > 0:17:52I mean, it's very rewarding and we've all made our lives better.
0:17:52 > 0:17:55- Nice one, nice show, Debbie. - I'm glad we did it.
0:17:55 > 0:17:59I'm glad we got back together, and I feel very happy about the present,
0:17:59 > 0:18:01and I would like to do some...
0:18:01 > 0:18:04..something maybe a little further out.
0:18:04 > 0:18:05You know, I think it's time for us to...
0:18:08 > 0:18:10..take a few risks, as it were.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13I was gratified to see somebody in the front row
0:18:13 > 0:18:15holding their ears, so that meant...
0:18:15 > 0:18:17- You're still punk.- Yeah, that was...
0:18:18 > 0:18:21The industry is a lot more streamlined now.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24The technical aspects are a lot smoother.
0:18:24 > 0:18:30It's a good balance for our advancing age.
0:18:30 > 0:18:36I think if I was 60 years old in 1970, it would be really rough.
0:18:36 > 0:18:40But, you know, we're in a different era of professionalism
0:18:40 > 0:18:42and the guys in the band are a lot more...
0:18:44 > 0:18:47- You know, above board. - Disciplined.- Disciplined, yes,
0:18:47 > 0:18:50is probably the word I'm looking for.
0:18:50 > 0:18:52And not fucked up, so...
0:18:53 > 0:18:54That.
0:18:56 > 0:19:00Making new music is the ultimate test of any band reunion,
0:19:00 > 0:19:04and if the new tunes can be blended seamlessly with the old classics,
0:19:04 > 0:19:07as Blondie have done, then that's the Holy Grail.
0:19:08 > 0:19:10Because fans can be demanding.
0:19:14 > 0:19:16OK, I'd like to...
0:19:16 > 0:19:19I'd like to try a new song now.
0:19:21 > 0:19:22What are you doing?!
0:19:22 > 0:19:24This song's called The Highwayman.
0:19:24 > 0:19:26What?!
0:19:28 > 0:19:30# The Highwayman came calling... #
0:19:30 > 0:19:33- What is this?! - # Came calling at my door... #
0:19:33 > 0:19:36Fans don't always want to hear new songs,
0:19:36 > 0:19:40they want the old songs played, just as they remember them.
0:19:40 > 0:19:44But even that can be tricky for some acts on the comeback trail.
0:19:44 > 0:19:46DRUM FILL, STING LAUGHS
0:19:46 > 0:19:49That's going to be the fucking cover of Modern Drummer Magazine.
0:19:49 > 0:19:53- It's going to be fucking devoted to that drum fill, you- BLEEP.
0:19:53 > 0:19:57Well, it's amazing that you could play that drum fill in nine beats.
0:19:57 > 0:19:59- Right, uh-huh, yeah.- It's fantastic.
0:19:59 > 0:20:01Just cos it's a little confusing
0:20:01 > 0:20:03for the fucking bass-playing element...
0:20:04 > 0:20:06- OK?!- It was going so well, too.
0:20:07 > 0:20:10When The Police, one of the biggest trios in rock,
0:20:10 > 0:20:14got back together in 2007 after a 20-year break,
0:20:14 > 0:20:18it was one of the most successful band reunions of all time.
0:20:18 > 0:20:20# Every move that you make... #
0:20:20 > 0:20:24Sting, Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland got along well,
0:20:24 > 0:20:26so long as nobody mentioned music.
0:20:26 > 0:20:29# Every smile you fake Every claim you stake... #
0:20:29 > 0:20:31I was always very nostalgic about The Police, I just couldn't
0:20:31 > 0:20:33see it ever happening, so
0:20:33 > 0:20:37we resolved to give it a try.
0:20:37 > 0:20:38And we went into rehearsals,
0:20:38 > 0:20:40and they were hell.
0:20:45 > 0:20:48No, I mean small right there.
0:20:48 > 0:20:51- Go really small there.- There?!- Yeah.
0:20:51 > 0:20:54What?! Did the bass player just tell me what to play?
0:20:56 > 0:20:58Every day, I'd get in front of the mirror and I'd say,
0:20:58 > 0:21:02"Today, I'm going to give Sting everything he wants,
0:21:02 > 0:21:03"any whim he has.
0:21:03 > 0:21:06"I am the mighty one, I can do that.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09"You think I can't do that? Course I can do that!
0:21:09 > 0:21:11"Yes, sir. Yeah, whatever you want."
0:21:11 > 0:21:14- 20 minutes into rehearsal... - HE SCREAMS
0:21:14 > 0:21:16Bow.
0:21:16 > 0:21:17Bow, bow...
0:21:17 > 0:21:19- This is the coda?- Yeah.
0:21:19 > 0:21:21OK, so you don't want it to continue any more?
0:21:21 > 0:21:24- Well... - Now you want something different?
0:21:24 > 0:21:26You know...
0:21:26 > 0:21:28It was just hell, and we're wondering,
0:21:28 > 0:21:29"Why are we doing this?"
0:21:29 > 0:21:31And one day,
0:21:31 > 0:21:33the tickets went on sale,
0:21:33 > 0:21:34stadiums all around the world -
0:21:34 > 0:21:36gone in 20 minutes.
0:21:36 > 0:21:38Phoo! Vaporised.
0:21:38 > 0:21:42CHEERING
0:21:44 > 0:21:47And then the first shows, in Vancouver,
0:21:47 > 0:21:49when we came out on stage
0:21:49 > 0:21:53and we saw the effect that these songs were having on those people...
0:21:55 > 0:21:56That's what we're here for, guys.
0:21:58 > 0:22:01Look at this. Feel this.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04"ROXANNE" INTRO PLAYS
0:22:10 > 0:22:14This tour wasn't about new music. There wasn't a new tune in sight.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17# Roxanne... #
0:22:17 > 0:22:18It was all about the classics,
0:22:18 > 0:22:21served up as the audience remembered them.
0:22:23 > 0:22:25# Those days are over
0:22:25 > 0:22:28# You don't have to sell your body to the night
0:22:28 > 0:22:31# Roxanne... #
0:22:31 > 0:22:32Songs get baggaged.
0:22:32 > 0:22:35The power of the song increases with every decade,
0:22:35 > 0:22:38with life experience, so Roxanne is not just a song,
0:22:38 > 0:22:41it's where I was when I first heard that song,
0:22:41 > 0:22:44it's the girl that I fell in love with to that song.
0:22:44 > 0:22:49And so the songs have a power that a new song just doesn't have.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56This greatest hits reunion started out as a six-month tour
0:22:56 > 0:22:59of duty, but ended up lasting two years.
0:23:00 > 0:23:04It showed what a powerful drug nostalgia is for bands with
0:23:04 > 0:23:07a back catalogue bursting with hits.
0:23:07 > 0:23:10One of the highest grossing tours of all time,
0:23:10 > 0:23:15they played 151 concerts and made nearly £300 million.
0:23:17 > 0:23:20During the course of the tour, everybody is ecstatic.
0:23:20 > 0:23:23The promoter - "Wow, look at all this money we're making!"
0:23:23 > 0:23:27Everybody was having the best tour of their lives, except for two guys.
0:23:27 > 0:23:29Stingo and I, we were miserable.
0:23:30 > 0:23:34And finally, I'd read somewhere that The Rolling Stones had band therapy.
0:23:35 > 0:23:38I don't know what that is, but I think we need some band therapy.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41So they found a shrink somewhere,
0:23:41 > 0:23:45and I heard things from Stingo that just blew my mind.
0:23:45 > 0:23:48That's what you've been thinking for 30 years?!
0:23:48 > 0:23:49Cos he's impassive.
0:23:49 > 0:23:52You know, you'd throw punches, anything to cause pain.
0:23:52 > 0:23:54Where's a knife, where's a...? Argh, argh!
0:23:54 > 0:23:57And he would show no sign, you know?
0:23:57 > 0:23:59You mean, every shot hit?
0:23:59 > 0:24:01And, you know...
0:24:01 > 0:24:02And then, you know,
0:24:02 > 0:24:06the things that I would say about what drove me
0:24:06 > 0:24:08just blew his mind and, you know,
0:24:08 > 0:24:12that epiphany that we had, with this hippie music going on,
0:24:12 > 0:24:16that's where we really figured it out
0:24:16 > 0:24:19and understood what we had brought into each other's lives and
0:24:19 > 0:24:25the upside of our relationship, and that's persisted to this day.
0:24:25 > 0:24:28- # Come on Eileen - Well, I swear
0:24:28 > 0:24:29- # Well, it means - At this moment... #
0:24:29 > 0:24:31For some on the comeback trail,
0:24:31 > 0:24:35it's not just about coming to terms with former band members.
0:24:36 > 0:24:40It's also about the relationship to the hits themselves.
0:24:40 > 0:24:42# ..Come on, Eileen... #
0:24:42 > 0:24:45We're grateful for that song. We understand,
0:24:45 > 0:24:48if we play a festival, we're going to play that.
0:24:48 > 0:24:50We won't play it the same way as we did,
0:24:50 > 0:24:53we'll... Not because we're trying to be different, or bolshie.
0:24:53 > 0:24:56Because we've got to play it how we feel it.
0:24:56 > 0:24:58It's up to you whether you like it or not,
0:24:58 > 0:25:02but I'm not here to be a jukebox, you know.
0:25:02 > 0:25:06That's not... I can't do that. I can't do that.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09You know, I've heard other people - people used to come up to me,
0:25:09 > 0:25:10"Don't you miss the old days
0:25:10 > 0:25:13"with the band and all that, and performing live?"
0:25:13 > 0:25:16Well, no, because what's the point of performing live if you've
0:25:16 > 0:25:18got nothing to say?
0:25:18 > 0:25:20I didn't want to go and just say all the old stuff
0:25:20 > 0:25:23because you can't be as you were, it's absolutely impossible.
0:25:35 > 0:25:40Here's my wall of fame. David, my old friend Naomi, Prince.
0:25:40 > 0:25:43When I started out in the music business,
0:25:43 > 0:25:46one musical star would come along and replace another.
0:25:47 > 0:25:51What was fashionable one minute was obsolete the next.
0:25:51 > 0:25:53Now I'm not so sure that's the case.
0:25:54 > 0:25:56In the '70s, things moved very fast.
0:25:56 > 0:25:59There was always a new fashion that made the last one obsolete.
0:25:59 > 0:26:02And I remember having to hide my Pink Floyd albums,
0:26:02 > 0:26:05and get rid of them, and burn the flares quickly
0:26:05 > 0:26:07and get some drainpipes and a leather jacket.
0:26:07 > 0:26:10And then punk suddenly was out of date and we all had to have long,
0:26:10 > 0:26:15flowing, colourful, you know, New Romantic style.
0:26:15 > 0:26:16And so it went on.
0:26:16 > 0:26:20And then, strangely, it all came to a shattering halt.
0:26:20 > 0:26:23And I remember sitting around with friends in the music papers
0:26:23 > 0:26:26thinking, "Well, the next big thing is coming, the next movement
0:26:26 > 0:26:28"must be just around the corner."
0:26:28 > 0:26:31And here we are, decades later, and there was no next movement,
0:26:31 > 0:26:33that was it.
0:26:33 > 0:26:36And so now everything is in and everything is out,
0:26:36 > 0:26:40and kind of, I suppose, that's pretty cool in its own way.
0:26:44 > 0:26:45Follow me.
0:26:47 > 0:26:49This is where Paul hides, in his studio.
0:26:50 > 0:26:53Andy McCluskey is one half of OMD,
0:26:53 > 0:26:56a band I worked briefly with in the '80s
0:26:56 > 0:27:00who are benefiting from this new, anything-goes musical landscape.
0:27:00 > 0:27:02If he'll let me in. Ta-da!
0:27:02 > 0:27:05Paul Humphreys is OMD's other half.
0:27:05 > 0:27:06Good to see you again.
0:27:06 > 0:27:09I'm standing where there should be a telephone box,
0:27:09 > 0:27:10that was just removed last week.
0:27:10 > 0:27:12That was the telephone box
0:27:12 > 0:27:15where I got the call to say that Messages was our first
0:27:15 > 0:27:17top 20 hit, and we were going to be doing
0:27:17 > 0:27:20- Top Of The Pops for the second time. - It was actually our office as well
0:27:20 > 0:27:22cos people... We didn't have house phones then,
0:27:22 > 0:27:25so we used to have to wait for calls to come in sometimes, didn't we?
0:27:25 > 0:27:28Standing outside the office, waiting for the phone to ring.
0:27:28 > 0:27:30"Somebody said they'd phone at one o'clock to tell us
0:27:30 > 0:27:32"what the chart position was."
0:27:32 > 0:27:35- You remember the number? BOTH:- 632-3003.
0:27:35 > 0:27:38HE HUMS
0:27:38 > 0:27:40We wrote a song about it, it was our second single.
0:27:40 > 0:27:42# Red frame, white light
0:27:45 > 0:27:47# Telephone box
0:27:48 > 0:27:50# Red on grey
0:27:51 > 0:27:53# Red frame, white light... #
0:27:53 > 0:27:55We may have to put that in the set this year now.
0:27:55 > 0:27:57- We probably should, shouldn't we? - We'll be getting requests.
0:27:57 > 0:28:01We probably should, just to kind of mourn the end of its... You know.
0:28:01 > 0:28:04Just to make me have to learn how to play the bass part again.
0:28:04 > 0:28:06I've got no idea!
0:28:06 > 0:28:08This is the thing when you reform and you want to play a song
0:28:08 > 0:28:10you haven't played for 30 years,
0:28:10 > 0:28:14you have to listen to your own CD to find out what you played.
0:28:14 > 0:28:17ELECTRONIC TONES
0:28:17 > 0:28:19We are going to need several of these backing vocalists
0:28:19 > 0:28:21cos they're so heavily processed,
0:28:21 > 0:28:23there's no way we're going to be able to recreate...
0:28:23 > 0:28:25These synth-pop pioneers
0:28:25 > 0:28:29and Krautrock fanatics wrote some of the '80s' most memorable songs.
0:28:29 > 0:28:31They were ahead of their time.
0:28:31 > 0:28:35MUSIC: Enola Gay by OMD
0:28:35 > 0:28:38But as the decade drew to a close, their star was waning.
0:28:40 > 0:28:42# Enola Gay
0:28:42 > 0:28:45# You should've stayed at home yesterday... #
0:28:45 > 0:28:47I think in the '90s,
0:28:47 > 0:28:50electronic music seemed sort of out of fashion.
0:28:50 > 0:28:52I mean, it was quite strange that, you know,
0:28:52 > 0:28:55we were trying to be the future in the sort of '70s and '80s,
0:28:55 > 0:28:58and then the future became sort of music from the '60s and '70s.
0:28:58 > 0:29:00- Retro.- Yeah.
0:29:02 > 0:29:04The band split in 1989,
0:29:04 > 0:29:07and Paul and Andy went their separate ways,
0:29:07 > 0:29:08but it was a bitter divorce.
0:29:10 > 0:29:11The band stopped.
0:29:13 > 0:29:15And then about six months later...
0:29:17 > 0:29:19..I get a phone call from Paul saying...
0:29:21 > 0:29:25"Our accountant says there's value in the brand name of the band,
0:29:25 > 0:29:30"and there's three of us and one of you, so we would like to continue."
0:29:30 > 0:29:32This is the painful truth now. This is the honest...
0:29:32 > 0:29:34This is the bit that we never talked about.
0:29:36 > 0:29:39And I was like,
0:29:39 > 0:29:41"They're going to do it without me?! Can...?"
0:29:41 > 0:29:44And so I went to the record company and said...
0:29:45 > 0:29:50"They want to be OMD without me, that hurts, can they do it?"
0:29:52 > 0:29:54And the record company said,
0:29:54 > 0:29:58"Well, we own the right to the name to release records,
0:29:58 > 0:30:02"so if they want to be OMD, they'll have to give us the album
0:30:02 > 0:30:05"and we'll decide if we're going to release it."
0:30:05 > 0:30:08But the record company said to me,
0:30:08 > 0:30:12"You've been the lead singer, you're the face of the band,
0:30:12 > 0:30:14"so if you make a record and
0:30:14 > 0:30:17"we prefer it to Paul and Malcolm and Martin's,
0:30:17 > 0:30:19"why don't you keep the name of the band?"
0:30:19 > 0:30:22So, the whole thing completely went 180.
0:30:22 > 0:30:26# Sailing on the seven seas...
0:30:30 > 0:30:34# Sister Ray is on TV... #
0:30:34 > 0:30:38Andy's first release as OMD without Paul was called
0:30:38 > 0:30:40Sailing On The Seven Seas.
0:30:42 > 0:30:44When you went on tour, someone sent me a picture,
0:30:44 > 0:30:47because someone put up a giant banner that said,
0:30:47 > 0:30:48"What have you done with Paul?"
0:30:52 > 0:30:54It was hard, and it was difficult,
0:30:54 > 0:30:57and I was terrified, and he was upset.
0:31:06 > 0:31:09The classic line-up was reunited in 2006.
0:31:09 > 0:31:12Now approaching the 40th anniversary of the band,
0:31:12 > 0:31:15OMD have a critically acclaimed new album,
0:31:15 > 0:31:19battling contemporary acts for the UK's number one spot.
0:31:19 > 0:31:21# The ultimate discovery... #
0:31:21 > 0:31:24And alongside us fans that grew up with them
0:31:24 > 0:31:26are a new younger audience.
0:31:26 > 0:31:28All the ingredients of a good comeback.
0:31:31 > 0:31:33When we got into the new millennium, there was
0:31:33 > 0:31:36this realisation that there was no longer a linear progression,
0:31:36 > 0:31:39you know, this did not replace that.
0:31:39 > 0:31:42Now it was this kind of atomised,
0:31:42 > 0:31:46scattered landscape, where if you had
0:31:46 > 0:31:49a catalogue that was considered acceptable
0:31:49 > 0:31:54and if you could still do it, then you were allowed to still do it.
0:32:04 > 0:32:06The timeframe between the '90s and '00s,
0:32:06 > 0:32:11and now in 2017, the value of some of those older artists...
0:32:11 > 0:32:13We've lost quite a few - we've lost David Bowie,
0:32:13 > 0:32:15we've lost George Michael, we've lost Prince.
0:32:15 > 0:32:17..so the value of the ones that are still active and still
0:32:17 > 0:32:20performing, or still writing, or still working, has increased.
0:32:20 > 0:32:23And I think there's much more awareness and a knowledge
0:32:23 > 0:32:25of how great that talent was.
0:32:31 > 0:32:3440 years ago, it was a big deal if a band got back together.
0:32:34 > 0:32:37Now it's a big deal if they don't!
0:32:37 > 0:32:40And at the heart of all this is fans' loyalty,
0:32:40 > 0:32:44so crucial to the success of a good reunion.
0:32:45 > 0:32:47Everywhere you look, bands are reforming,
0:32:47 > 0:32:50enjoying enormous success.
0:32:50 > 0:32:53Guns N' Roses, Pixies, Kraftwerk...
0:32:53 > 0:32:56Yet, most of those bands don't have all the original line-up,
0:32:56 > 0:33:01so how many original members does it take to make a successful reunion?
0:33:01 > 0:33:02I wonder.
0:33:04 > 0:33:07Simon's words was, "Alls I need is you...
0:33:09 > 0:33:11"..Bez, Rowetta...
0:33:13 > 0:33:15"..and I really don't give a fuck who else is involved."
0:33:22 > 0:33:26Simon Moran was the canny promoter who reassembled Happy Mondays,
0:33:26 > 0:33:28one of the most influential acts to come out of Manchester
0:33:28 > 0:33:29in the late '80s.
0:33:30 > 0:33:34A reunion welcomed by the fans - but for Shaun Ryder,
0:33:34 > 0:33:36fans weren't the only motivation.
0:33:38 > 0:33:42There's a lot of times in the media, and TV shows,
0:33:42 > 0:33:46where they won't let you say, "I'm only here for the fucking money."
0:33:46 > 0:33:50They won't let you say, you know, why you're really there.
0:33:50 > 0:33:53"I'm on my fucking arse, what do you want me to do,
0:33:53 > 0:33:56- work at Tescos or go and fucking sell drugs or rob some- BLEEP?"
0:34:01 > 0:34:04To announce their return, a new single was planned,
0:34:04 > 0:34:07but as Shaun later reflected, the band were pretty cabbage
0:34:07 > 0:34:11and he had writer's block, so that wasn't going to happen.
0:34:11 > 0:34:15We had to release a single that was going to announce us back.
0:34:16 > 0:34:18So at the time, we all thought,
0:34:18 > 0:34:21"Oh, Phil Lynott, The Boys Are Back In Town."
0:34:21 > 0:34:27# The boys are back The boys are back in town
0:34:27 > 0:34:28# The boys are back
0:34:28 > 0:34:31# The boys are back The boys are back... #
0:34:31 > 0:34:36I mean, the idea was great, but we didn't sort of do what we did
0:34:36 > 0:34:38with Step On, the John Kongos song,
0:34:38 > 0:34:41which was add to it and, you know, really make it work.
0:34:43 > 0:34:45With The Boys Are Back In Town,
0:34:45 > 0:34:47it was... We did a pretty shit job on that.
0:34:51 > 0:34:55One big change I've noticed for bands on the comeback trail
0:34:55 > 0:34:58is when dealing with the money question.
0:34:58 > 0:35:01There seems to be far less embarrassment nowadays around
0:35:01 > 0:35:03expecting to be paid for your music.
0:35:05 > 0:35:09"You sold out" - I mean, it's like, sold out from what, really?
0:35:09 > 0:35:11Come on. Answer me.
0:35:11 > 0:35:12Sold out from what?
0:35:12 > 0:35:14It's like when we started,
0:35:14 > 0:35:18"Oh, can we use your song to advertise washing powder?"
0:35:18 > 0:35:20"Course you fucking can!
0:35:20 > 0:35:24"Give me 70k, you can advertise what the fuck you want!"
0:35:27 > 0:35:30Since their reunion, the band have had various line-ups.
0:35:32 > 0:35:35They're currently enjoying a successful greatest hits tour with
0:35:35 > 0:35:38most of the original members now back in the madhouse.
0:35:45 > 0:35:49While a reformed band can enjoy success without the full line-up,
0:35:49 > 0:35:53nothing beats the excitement or sheer bankability of a band reunion
0:35:53 > 0:35:56when all the original members sign on the dotted line.
0:35:56 > 0:35:58CAMERA SHUTTERS CLICK
0:35:58 > 0:36:02- REPORTER:- The Spice Girls, back together again.
0:36:02 > 0:36:04They posed for the cameras in London Thursday,
0:36:04 > 0:36:09as they announced they're reuniting for an upcoming tour.
0:36:09 > 0:36:13I was at the break-up, but it was more fun to be there at the make-up.
0:36:13 > 0:36:16The power of these five to generate headlines around the world
0:36:16 > 0:36:18is incredible.
0:36:18 > 0:36:22It made my job as their PR easier, that's for sure.
0:36:22 > 0:36:26I always dreaded the phone call about getting back together.
0:36:26 > 0:36:28I always knew the day would come,
0:36:28 > 0:36:30and Geri called me...
0:36:30 > 0:36:31It was the Ginger one,
0:36:31 > 0:36:35ironically, the one that bloody left!
0:36:35 > 0:36:37She gave me a call, and the other girls had been talking,
0:36:37 > 0:36:40and they were talking about a reunion,
0:36:40 > 0:36:44and I was really, really reluctant to do it.
0:36:44 > 0:36:46But after spending a bit of time with them
0:36:46 > 0:36:50and getting forced into it - not really, I'm only kidding -
0:36:50 > 0:36:54it just...it kind of felt like something, you know,
0:36:54 > 0:36:56that I felt more comfortable with doing.
0:36:56 > 0:37:01# La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la La, la, la... #
0:37:01 > 0:37:02I'm so glad I did it.
0:37:02 > 0:37:07I went into it quite fearful, and I just had a blast
0:37:07 > 0:37:10and really enjoyed it so much more than the first time round,
0:37:10 > 0:37:13because I think the first time round you're so caught up in it
0:37:13 > 0:37:16you don't fully appreciate it.
0:37:16 > 0:37:20And the second time round, we're older, wiser, you know,
0:37:20 > 0:37:25a lot easier on each other, and we just had a really great time.
0:37:25 > 0:37:27- # Slam it to the left - If you're having a good time
0:37:27 > 0:37:29- # Shake it to the right - If you know that you feel fine... #
0:37:29 > 0:37:33This reunion tour was a huge success,
0:37:33 > 0:37:35certainly the biggest I've been involved with.
0:37:36 > 0:37:39Fans flocked to the O2 in London,
0:37:39 > 0:37:44where the band performed 17 sell-out shows to 20,000 people a night
0:37:44 > 0:37:48and made £16 million in the process.
0:37:48 > 0:37:50- # Colours of the world - Spice up your life! #
0:37:50 > 0:37:54Overall, the world tour generated nearly £200 million in ticket
0:37:54 > 0:37:57and merchandise sales.
0:37:57 > 0:38:01Being completely open, honest and candid, you make money doing it.
0:38:01 > 0:38:04You know? It's like, I can continue being a solo artist
0:38:04 > 0:38:07for the rest of my life, which is what I hope to do,
0:38:07 > 0:38:10but I will never, ever be able to do any of the things
0:38:10 > 0:38:13I did with the Spice Girls, so, you know,
0:38:13 > 0:38:16if you have that opportunity, then that is also very appealing.
0:38:19 > 0:38:23Alongside the enormous amounts of money to be made from a reunion,
0:38:23 > 0:38:27I know, from speaking to many artists, that just
0:38:27 > 0:38:30as important is the sheer thrill of playing live again.
0:38:30 > 0:38:32One day, I got a phone call
0:38:32 > 0:38:33from Blur's...their manager,
0:38:33 > 0:38:37saying Damon and Graham had bumped into each other in the street
0:38:37 > 0:38:39and eaten an Eccles cake
0:38:39 > 0:38:42and wanted to get back together and do some gigs,
0:38:42 > 0:38:44and I was like, "Yeah, great.
0:38:44 > 0:38:46"Where are we going to play?" And...
0:38:48 > 0:38:50..he suggested Hyde Park, which was, like,
0:38:50 > 0:38:54a way bigger gig than we'd ever done when we were together,
0:38:54 > 0:38:56so I was like, "Wow, do you think we can fill it?"
0:38:56 > 0:39:00And he said, "Well, I'm not sure, but we'll take a chance."
0:39:00 > 0:39:04We put the tickets on sale at like, nine o'clock the following week,
0:39:04 > 0:39:07and it sold out in like 30 seconds or something,
0:39:07 > 0:39:11and I remember breaking down in tears in the kitchen.
0:39:11 > 0:39:15# It really, really, really could happen
0:39:15 > 0:39:18# Yes, it really, really... #
0:39:18 > 0:39:23Two nights at Hyde Park, playing to over 100,000 people.
0:39:23 > 0:39:26This is the sort of adulation an artist doesn't want to let go of.
0:39:27 > 0:39:31# Just let them go
0:39:33 > 0:39:38# Yes, it really, really, really could happen. #
0:39:38 > 0:39:40I was like, "Wow, this is..."
0:39:40 > 0:39:42You know, I'd completely forgotten how brilliant it was.
0:39:42 > 0:39:45It is like going on a fairground ride or something,
0:39:45 > 0:39:46you know, you're on it and you're like...
0:39:48 > 0:39:50And then you get off and you're like,
0:39:50 > 0:39:51"Wow, I want to go back on that again."
0:39:54 > 0:39:58# Just let them go... #
0:40:03 > 0:40:06Thank you!
0:40:19 > 0:40:23The chance to hear songs played live we thought we'd never get to hear
0:40:23 > 0:40:27again has profoundly changed the music industry.
0:40:27 > 0:40:30We have free hugs. Woo!
0:40:30 > 0:40:32One of the developments I've witnessed over
0:40:32 > 0:40:36the last ten years is the rise of the retro festival.
0:40:36 > 0:40:41Recycling the past to sell to the present is now big business.
0:40:41 > 0:40:44Indeed, whatever musical decade you find yourself humming
0:40:44 > 0:40:47tunes from, there's a festival somewhere just for you.
0:40:49 > 0:40:53Village People. Sugarhill Gang.
0:40:53 > 0:40:55Midge Ure.
0:40:55 > 0:40:59And set amongst the bucolic Temple Island Meadows in Henley
0:40:59 > 0:41:02is one of the UK's most popular -
0:41:02 > 0:41:06Rewind, where every year 40,000 music fans step
0:41:06 > 0:41:10back in time to party like it's the 1980s.
0:41:10 > 0:41:12Oh, and don't forget to dress appropriately.
0:41:16 > 0:41:19The revival's actually gone on a lot longer than the decade.
0:41:22 > 0:41:27Back in the '80s, we were all trying to create three minutes of perfect
0:41:27 > 0:41:31pop for that moment in time, and that's all it was.
0:41:31 > 0:41:33And I think as a result of that, lots of us
0:41:33 > 0:41:39created really great, iconic tunes that just live and live and live.
0:41:41 > 0:41:43I probably make more money now out of the band
0:41:43 > 0:41:46than I did back in the day.
0:41:49 > 0:41:52Bringing their three-minute classic hit to the Rewind stage this year
0:41:52 > 0:41:57are the pop sensation of 1982, Musical Youth.
0:41:57 > 0:41:59The voice is always there. You always get...
0:41:59 > 0:42:03And I'm going to forget what keys I put our songs in now.
0:42:03 > 0:42:06Hey, Dennis, what's our first song? I've forgotten now.
0:42:06 > 0:42:08- Hard As They Come. - Hard As They Come, there you go.
0:42:15 > 0:42:17The famous five are now two -
0:42:17 > 0:42:21lead singer Dennis Seaton and keyboardist Michael Grant.
0:42:21 > 0:42:25The band were best known for their number one single Pass The Dutchie.
0:42:25 > 0:42:30It sold five million copies and made them household names.
0:42:30 > 0:42:32Very pleased to see this get to number one.
0:42:32 > 0:42:34Here's Musical Youth.
0:42:34 > 0:42:38# It was a cool and lonely breezy afternoon
0:42:38 > 0:42:41# How does it feel when you got no food? #
0:42:41 > 0:42:43Musical Youth were a group of schoolkids
0:42:43 > 0:42:45from Birmingham. With a string of hit singles
0:42:45 > 0:42:49and a Grammy award nomination, the early '80s were good for them.
0:42:49 > 0:42:53But their success soon unravelled and they split in 1985.
0:42:57 > 0:42:59They reformed 16 years later,
0:42:59 > 0:43:02and are now regulars on the '80s retro circuit.
0:43:05 > 0:43:08People say to me, "Do you like singing Pass The Dutchie?"
0:43:08 > 0:43:09Of course I do!
0:43:11 > 0:43:13You know, because I like...
0:43:13 > 0:43:17I love seeing the response of people when they hear Pass The Dutchie.
0:43:17 > 0:43:21# Pass the Dutchie 'on the left-hand side... #
0:43:21 > 0:43:22Thank you!
0:43:23 > 0:43:26Their rebirth started out low key.
0:43:27 > 0:43:28Dennis called me and said,
0:43:28 > 0:43:31"Listen, there's a tour going in..." I think it was Guernsey.
0:43:31 > 0:43:34- Tour? It was two shows! Talking about a tour?!- OK.
0:43:34 > 0:43:37- It was two shows, two shows! - OK, then, a weekend away, then,
0:43:37 > 0:43:39- whatever you want to say. - A weekend away is better.
0:43:39 > 0:43:42I said to Michael, "This guy wants us to do a gig as Musical Youth, do
0:43:42 > 0:43:45"you want to come and do the gig, you know, down in Guernsey?"
0:43:45 > 0:43:47And he kind of um'd and ah'd,
0:43:47 > 0:43:50and then he said, "You know what, let's do it."
0:43:52 > 0:43:57Back on the road after a break of nearly 20 years.
0:43:57 > 0:43:58Times have changed.
0:43:59 > 0:44:02- Oh, dear.- That's what happens when you give
0:44:02 > 0:44:05someone who is not professional a shirt to iron.
0:44:05 > 0:44:06They ain't got a clue.
0:44:06 > 0:44:09There are no longer managers, business advisors, lawyers,
0:44:09 > 0:44:12accountants or hangers-on in tow.
0:44:12 > 0:44:17The nice thing is, is that now there is not this massive 55 entourage,
0:44:17 > 0:44:20that, you know, makes life so much, so much easier.
0:44:20 > 0:44:21You had an entourage?
0:44:21 > 0:44:24There's less egos, less hassle.
0:44:24 > 0:44:28And right from the very first reunion gig, there was
0:44:28 > 0:44:29one big difference.
0:44:29 > 0:44:32So I've given Michael £800, he just looked at me, "What's this?"
0:44:32 > 0:44:36I said, "That's your fee for the two gigs." And he went, "What?!"
0:44:36 > 0:44:38"What are you telling me?"
0:44:38 > 0:44:41I said, "Well, I've divvied it all up, and that's what you've got."
0:44:41 > 0:44:43And he couldn't get his hat on because all the times
0:44:43 > 0:44:49- we was on tour as Musical Youth, with the success...- Yeah.
0:44:49 > 0:44:51- ..we never got paid for tours! - We never got paid!
0:44:51 > 0:44:53- We lost money on tours.- Every time.
0:44:53 > 0:44:56We don't know how we lost money on tours.
0:44:56 > 0:44:58We were playing stadiums, STADIUMS!
0:45:01 > 0:45:05But this musical reunion is no Filthy Lucre endeavour.
0:45:08 > 0:45:12- He only comes on the road now to get to sleep.- Yeah, that's right.
0:45:12 > 0:45:14- Oh, gosh, yeah.- Where before, he used to come and talk to me...
0:45:14 > 0:45:16- He'd come there... - HE IMITATES SNORING
0:45:16 > 0:45:19- He's gone.- I'm gone. - Cos of the kids.
0:45:19 > 0:45:22I've got three kids under three. It's just tough.
0:45:22 > 0:45:26And I'm glad I've now experienced being a father,
0:45:26 > 0:45:29but in hindsight, maybe I should have done it slightly younger.
0:45:29 > 0:45:32What I need now is an 18-month world tour.
0:45:32 > 0:45:35Anybody listening? 18-month world tour!
0:45:40 > 0:45:42It's not just music fans wearing Day-Glo
0:45:42 > 0:45:45in a field in Henley who want to revisit the past.
0:45:45 > 0:45:49This yearning to enjoy music from our youth is universal.
0:45:54 > 0:45:56I've grown out of the books that I liked when I was a teenager.
0:45:56 > 0:45:58I've grown out of the places that I liked,
0:45:58 > 0:46:00the people that I liked, you know.
0:46:00 > 0:46:05I'm sort of over almost everything I was into as a teenager
0:46:05 > 0:46:09apart from cheese and The Smiths
0:46:09 > 0:46:14and New Order... And the music I liked then,
0:46:14 > 0:46:17I will take to the grave. And I think it's the same for everybody.
0:46:18 > 0:46:22It's not just music from our own past that's readily accessible
0:46:22 > 0:46:26today, it's music from right across rock and pop's back pages.
0:46:26 > 0:46:30And it's meant some bands who missed out first time around
0:46:30 > 0:46:32now have a second chance.
0:47:03 > 0:47:07# The warmth of your love is like the warmth from the sun
0:47:07 > 0:47:12# And this will be our year Took a long time to come... #
0:47:12 > 0:47:18In 1967, The Zombies recorded their second album, Odyssey And Oracle,
0:47:18 > 0:47:20now regarded as a masterpiece.
0:47:22 > 0:47:26But in 1968, when it was released amidst huge expectations,
0:47:26 > 0:47:29the band had already split
0:47:29 > 0:47:31and the album sank without a trace.
0:47:33 > 0:47:36In celebration of the 50th anniversary of
0:47:36 > 0:47:38Odyssey And Oracle,
0:47:38 > 0:47:42please give a warm welcome for the return of The Zombies.
0:47:42 > 0:47:45CHEERING
0:47:48 > 0:47:50# Good morning to you
0:47:50 > 0:47:55# I hope you're feeling better, baby. #
0:47:55 > 0:47:59But a 50-year rediscovery of the album has meant The Zombies,
0:47:59 > 0:48:02led by Rod Argent on piano and vocalist Colin Blunstone,
0:48:02 > 0:48:04are enjoying a new dawn.
0:48:09 > 0:48:12I think we were all very tired.
0:48:12 > 0:48:15We'd been playing nonstop for three years.
0:48:15 > 0:48:18We were very young and
0:48:18 > 0:48:22I just think we were a bit battered, actually.
0:48:23 > 0:48:25Right now, I'd like you to meet some people.
0:48:25 > 0:48:27What is your name, please?
0:48:27 > 0:48:29- Rodney Terence Argent. - Hugh Birch Grundy.
0:48:29 > 0:48:31Paul Ashley Warren Atkinson.
0:48:31 > 0:48:32Christopher Taylor White.
0:48:32 > 0:48:34Colin Edward Michael Blunstone.
0:48:35 > 0:48:38You probably know them better as The Zombies.
0:48:38 > 0:48:41LOUD CHEERING
0:48:45 > 0:48:49# Well, no-one told me about her... #
0:48:49 > 0:48:52The Zombies rose to fame off the back of their hit single
0:48:52 > 0:48:54She's Not There.
0:48:54 > 0:48:56Regarded as the next big thing, it made the failure of
0:48:56 > 0:48:59Odyssey And Oracle even more intriguing.
0:48:59 > 0:49:03# But it's too late to say you're sorry
0:49:03 > 0:49:06# How would I know? Why should I care? #
0:49:06 > 0:49:07I remember us going and doing
0:49:07 > 0:49:09an interview with Kenny Everett,
0:49:09 > 0:49:14who was a huge fan of The Zombies, and he loved the album.
0:49:14 > 0:49:16Album of the century, Odyssey And Oracle,
0:49:16 > 0:49:18available in your local shops.
0:49:18 > 0:49:21# Good morning to you I hope you're feeling... #
0:49:21 > 0:49:23- Hello, Zombies.- Hello. - Good evening.
0:49:23 > 0:49:26Hang on, I'll turn your microphone on. There you go, say it again.
0:49:26 > 0:49:29- Hello.- Hello again.- That's better. I hear you've all split up, then.
0:49:29 > 0:49:30How long has the Odyssey been out?
0:49:30 > 0:49:33No, it's out on the 19th, in actual fact.
0:49:33 > 0:49:34And then Kenny Everett said,
0:49:34 > 0:49:38"How can you break up and the album's only just coming out?
0:49:38 > 0:49:40"It's not even out yet and you're breaking up already!"
0:49:40 > 0:49:42Well, wouldn't it be better to wait
0:49:42 > 0:49:45until the LP is maybe a huge success and then decide whether to go?
0:49:45 > 0:49:48Well, if the LP is a huge success, then maybe we'll come back again.
0:49:48 > 0:49:50Come back in again, OK.
0:49:50 > 0:49:53Oh, well. Here's the single, folks.
0:49:53 > 0:49:55Buy, buy, buy. Keep them in.
0:49:55 > 0:49:57We can't afford to lose lovely groups, you know.
0:50:03 > 0:50:06The album remained an undiscovered gem
0:50:06 > 0:50:09until word-of-mouth started to generate interest in the record.
0:50:11 > 0:50:14It's a bit of a phenomenon, I mean, no-one was promoting it,
0:50:14 > 0:50:18no-one was marketing it, so it can only be through word-of-mouth.
0:50:18 > 0:50:20People like Paul Weller named it at that time,
0:50:20 > 0:50:23when The Jam were right at the top of the charts.
0:50:23 > 0:50:25It completely floored us,
0:50:25 > 0:50:28him saying, "This is my favourite album of all time."
0:50:28 > 0:50:32And it started to appear in the top 100 albums of all time
0:50:32 > 0:50:33in Rolling Stone,
0:50:33 > 0:50:37it started to make charts in the UK as well.
0:50:37 > 0:50:42And it sells more every year now than it did in those days.
0:50:42 > 0:50:45# To take you in the sun To promised lands... #
0:50:45 > 0:50:48Interest in Odyssey And Oracle reached such a level that
0:50:48 > 0:50:52The Zombies eventually reformed, and now the band have been touring
0:50:52 > 0:50:55the album in its entirety to packed-out crowds.
0:50:55 > 0:50:59- # Has he taken any time - Has he taken any time... #
0:50:59 > 0:51:01None of us were expecting this.
0:51:01 > 0:51:05We weren't expecting to be touring at this time in our lives.
0:51:05 > 0:51:08And we weren't expecting to be playing the kind of venues that
0:51:08 > 0:51:12we're playing, so, it feels great. It feels great.
0:51:12 > 0:51:14And it kind of, to some extent, sort of
0:51:14 > 0:51:19solidifies what we were doing in the '60s, because I would say it
0:51:19 > 0:51:24did, in the '60s, it did end on a disappointing note, on a sad note.
0:51:24 > 0:51:28- Oh, of course.- And so, in a way, it didn't end.
0:51:43 > 0:51:45There are many ways to stage a comeback,
0:51:45 > 0:51:49but what happens if NO members of a band want a reunion?
0:51:49 > 0:51:53They might be on a break, unwilling, too old...
0:51:53 > 0:51:54..or too dead?
0:51:56 > 0:51:57A small inconvenience.
0:51:57 > 0:52:00We can't let these sort of things stand in the way
0:52:00 > 0:52:01of a musical revival.
0:52:02 > 0:52:05When I was a punky young kid in this area, I'd have never come
0:52:05 > 0:52:08to a musical. It would have been an absolute anathema to me.
0:52:08 > 0:52:12It's the sort of thing my parents did, or teachers did, or something.
0:52:12 > 0:52:13And frankly,
0:52:13 > 0:52:17it would have been probably very damaging for my street cred.
0:52:17 > 0:52:20If anyone had seen me nipping into a place like this, I mean,
0:52:20 > 0:52:23I'd have had to have gone in disguise.
0:52:25 > 0:52:28Bat Out Of Hell was written by Jim Steinman, and performed
0:52:28 > 0:52:31by Meat Loaf on his 1977 rock album.
0:52:31 > 0:52:33It sold 43 million copies.
0:52:35 > 0:52:36Hello, my name's Alan Edwards,
0:52:36 > 0:52:39I wonder if you have a ticket for collection for me.
0:52:40 > 0:52:43And with Meat Loaf currently unavailable for a tour of duty,
0:52:43 > 0:52:47what better and more lucrative way is there to celebrate
0:52:47 > 0:52:51the album's 40th anniversary than a rock opera?
0:52:51 > 0:52:54Sometimes the storylines can be a little bit suspect,
0:52:54 > 0:52:57but let's face it, we're not really here for the story.
0:52:57 > 0:52:59It's the tunes we're after.
0:53:02 > 0:53:06# I remember everything!
0:53:06 > 0:53:10# Like a bat out of hell I'll be gone when the morning comes
0:53:12 > 0:53:13# And when the night is over
0:53:13 > 0:53:16# Like a bat out of hell I'll be gone, gone, gone... #
0:53:16 > 0:53:20The idea of pop music popping up in the West End is not new,
0:53:20 > 0:53:25but what HAS changed is the amount of pop music popping up.
0:53:25 > 0:53:27ABBA'S Mamma Mia! broke the bar.
0:53:27 > 0:53:31Its success spawned a whole host of musical offspring.
0:53:31 > 0:53:35The Kinks, Spice Girls, Bob Dylan, Michael Jackson, Boney M,
0:53:35 > 0:53:37the Small Faces, UB40,
0:53:37 > 0:53:40and there are rumours of a Spandau Ballet show.
0:53:40 > 0:53:43It could be said pop music is driving the West End,
0:53:43 > 0:53:45and there's not a band in sight.
0:53:46 > 0:53:4980% of all shows at the moment are musicals.
0:53:49 > 0:53:52I mean, that's testament to the success of it.
0:53:52 > 0:53:55And it's the familiarity of great tunes,
0:53:55 > 0:53:57great songs, presented in a new way...
0:53:57 > 0:54:00Brings them to life, actually, gives them a new lease of life.
0:54:00 > 0:54:02It means the artist can stay at home if
0:54:02 > 0:54:05they don't want to tour, they're not well, or whatever reason,
0:54:05 > 0:54:08and the royalties will just come flowing in.
0:54:14 > 0:54:16But if a West End musical is your idea of hell,
0:54:16 > 0:54:19why not head over to museum land?
0:54:19 > 0:54:22MUSIC: Golden Years by David Bowie
0:54:28 > 0:54:31As with so many things that pointed to music's future,
0:54:31 > 0:54:34it was my old mentor, David Bowie, who led the way.
0:54:36 > 0:54:38When a retrospective of David's career opened
0:54:38 > 0:54:42at the Victoria and Albert Museum in 2013,
0:54:42 > 0:54:46it offered a new lease of life to acts no longer able to tour,
0:54:46 > 0:54:50and showed the way for acts that refused to tour.
0:54:53 > 0:54:56When we went to see the Bowie exhibition, we were kind of...
0:54:56 > 0:55:00You know, that was our inspiration to sort of do The Jam one.
0:55:00 > 0:55:04MUSIC: Going Underground by The Jam
0:55:08 > 0:55:11About The Young Idea at Somerset House in London
0:55:11 > 0:55:14featured a band that will never get back together.
0:55:14 > 0:55:17It showed that by turning rock and pop into a museum piece,
0:55:17 > 0:55:19you could stage a comeback.
0:55:19 > 0:55:20Without coming back.
0:55:26 > 0:55:31This is my brother's iconic Whaam! guitar, Rickenbacker,
0:55:31 > 0:55:34which was custom painted for him.
0:55:34 > 0:55:37He never plays it any more, it just sits in a box, but I thought it was
0:55:37 > 0:55:41quite nice that it was on exhibit for a couple of years.
0:55:42 > 0:55:44It's pretty smart, actually, isn't it?
0:55:47 > 0:55:49A lot of people would want to hold this.
0:55:50 > 0:55:52I remember saying to my brother, you know,
0:55:52 > 0:55:54"I'm going to do this Jam exhibition,"
0:55:54 > 0:55:56and he was like, "Who the hell wants to come to a Jam exhibition?"
0:55:56 > 0:56:00You know. And then it sort of proved it that when we did it,
0:56:00 > 0:56:01it was a massive success.
0:56:01 > 0:56:05You know, you're not going to see this band ever playing on a stage
0:56:05 > 0:56:09together again, but this is as close as you're going to get it, really.
0:56:09 > 0:56:12MUSIC: That's Entertainment by The Jam
0:56:16 > 0:56:19No more worries about the band fighting or not turning up -
0:56:19 > 0:56:22you just stick this lot in a shipping container, something
0:56:22 > 0:56:24you could have never done with the acts,
0:56:24 > 0:56:25and send it off around the world.
0:56:29 > 0:56:32And the Bowie exhibition? Well, it's still on tour -
0:56:32 > 0:56:34four golden years, 12 cities
0:56:34 > 0:56:37and nearly two million visitors later.
0:56:43 > 0:56:46The music business nowadays is constantly finding
0:56:46 > 0:56:49new ways for us to enjoy our favourite artists.
0:56:49 > 0:56:53I've just taken on a new client, one of the greatest singers of all
0:56:53 > 0:56:56time, and he's about to make the ultimate comeback.
0:56:57 > 0:57:02It's a bit strange, though, because he died 30 years ago.
0:57:02 > 0:57:04But now, here he is, as a hologram.
0:57:04 > 0:57:08And I'm talking about the Big O, Roy Orbison.
0:57:10 > 0:57:14Considered by Elvis to be the greatest vocalist of all time.
0:57:14 > 0:57:17And a wearer of a very cool pair of shades.
0:57:17 > 0:57:21It's a traditional world tour, but what is different is he'll
0:57:21 > 0:57:24be a hologram, but backed by a live band.
0:57:29 > 0:57:30Roy will soon be joining
0:57:30 > 0:57:33Tupac Shakur and Michael Jackson,
0:57:33 > 0:57:35who've had a similar revival.
0:57:37 > 0:57:40There's even talk of ABBA reforming and heading out on tour
0:57:40 > 0:57:42as their virtual selves.
0:57:43 > 0:57:47So maybe in the future, bands will never be break up or retire,
0:57:47 > 0:57:49they'll just keep on regenerating.
0:57:56 > 0:58:00Well, I think I'll go to a gig, maybe January 1966,
0:58:00 > 0:58:03I'm going to go down to Andy Warhol's Factory
0:58:03 > 0:58:04on West 47th Street
0:58:04 > 0:58:08and see the first ever Velvet Underground rehearsal
0:58:08 > 0:58:10with Nico on vocals.
0:58:10 > 0:58:12Or maybe I'll go to The Nashville Rooms
0:58:12 > 0:58:13in West Kensington,
0:58:13 > 0:58:15see the Sex Pistols and have a little look around,
0:58:15 > 0:58:18see if I can see myself in the audience anywhere.
0:58:22 > 0:58:25MUSIC: Love Letters by Metronomy
0:58:27 > 0:58:31And who would our musicians like to see get back together again?
0:58:31 > 0:58:33Who wouldn't want to see Frankie Goes to Hollywood
0:58:33 > 0:58:36doing a major arena tour?
0:58:36 > 0:58:39I mean, that'd just be fucking mega!
0:58:39 > 0:58:40Talking Heads.
0:58:40 > 0:58:42Jimi Hendrix Experience.
0:58:42 > 0:58:45- The Smiths. - The original Spiders From Mars.
0:58:45 > 0:58:49I'd love to see Peter Hook play with New Order again.
0:58:49 > 0:58:50Johnny Thunders.
0:58:50 > 0:58:54There's a lot of dead people I'd like to see working again.
0:58:54 > 0:58:57- And I know exactly who he's going to say.- Would've been Bob Marley.
0:58:57 > 0:59:00- The original four members of Kraftwerk.- The Beatles.
0:59:00 > 0:59:02You know what the biggie is, don't you?
0:59:02 > 0:59:04- WHISPERS:- Oasis.
0:59:04 > 0:59:06Nobody.