Music and money, two documentaries of note

Two documentaries worth checking out which aired recently, one which was mentioned in my last post, one which I’ve caught up with belatedly.

We take recorded sound so much for granted nowadays. Just turn on the radio and listen and, if you like something just get the CD or download it. It’s easy. Yet take a moment and think what it must have been like without all that, before Thomas Edison recorded his own voice in 1878. Appreciate this amazing invention and watch part one of “Sound of Song” on iPlayer. The three part series continues on BBC4 at 9pm.

Imagine spending £215,000 on a watch? Bargain. How about  £30,000 for a facial with golden particles?  Well those that can and do spend these amounts trot out the line that their spending helps the rest of us. It is called the “trickle down” effect and successive governments from the 80s onwards have sold us this theory, but does it actually work? Well, there a number of leading economists who say this doesn’t work and the vast majority of us have seen precious little of any trickling down of wealth. Find out how the “non dom” rule has had billionaires flocking to Britain and resulting in us having more billionaires per capita than anywhere else in the world.

Watch  “The Super Rich and Us”, a two part documentary which is now available on iPlayer. Part one is repeated on BBC2 this Thursday at 11:20pm (and I assume part two the following week).

 

Sound of Song

Neil Brand. Image BBC

 

As part of BBC4’s Song and Dance season, there is a new documentary which starts tonight called Sound of Song.

Composer and musician Neil Brand looks at how music was recorded and sung, what makes a hit and how it became the soundtrack to our lives.  First part of a three part documentary.

BBC4. 9-10pm Fridays.