Classic Albums (US)

The series looks at the music of some of the greatest albums of our era. Musicians, producers, and engineers are interviewed in the studio, the master tapes are played, sometimes isolating particular channels, to highlight certain instrumental sounds or voices. Many of the musicians participate live along with the tracks, demonstrating and explaining how they played the parts. In many cases, this brings group members that have not been together for a long time face to face once again. Clips and photos are played during the interviews also.

The BBC produced series began in 1997, with Ringo Starr as narrator. Later episodes have no narrator. The first seven episodes were licensed to VH1 for showing in the US, then periodically more were released, one at a time. Some have been shown on A&E, PBS, and Biography Channel. One or two were repackaged by VH1 as 'Ultimate Albums'. In April 2006, 26 DVD's were released as 'VH1's Classic Albums', with additional footage and bonus features. In October 2006, the show began a weekly airing on VH1 Classic on Tuesday evenings. The original airdates in some cases are sketchy, as VH1 are rather tight-lipped about past programming, preferring to focus on upcoming 'premieres'.