Normally when watching or listening to a lengthy music documentary
(even one on an area of interest) I end up falling asleep
halfway through.
That wasn't the case with Spike Lee's celebration of Michael Jackson's
last great album, in "Bad 25" as shown last Saturday on BBC 2
and under my surveillance earlier today.
It managed to cover all the songs and accompanying videos of
the 1987 LP and revealed previously unseen footage of choreography
rehearsals and unused takes from the "short films" to accompany
the songs released as singles.
Most revealing of all was how the amazing organ solo on "Bad"
itself was played by Hammond-master Jimmy Smith, and it
also revealed who "Annie" was in "Smooth Criminal".
I won't spoil it, as it's best to watch the documentary itself.
Almost any of Whacko's follow up albums to "Bad" would have
been welcome on the "Disasterpieces" documentary
broadcast tonight on BBC Radio 1, where to coincide with Zane Lowe's
annual festive "Masterpieces" strand, Scott Mills probes the factors
that go into making a disastrous follow up LP.
Whether it's band members falling out, indulgence of illegal
substances, or in the case of Duffie, selling out to Coca-Cola
following up a succesful album is always a tough task,
and when it doesn't go to plan, the humilation knows no bounds.
Scott Mills is a fantastic choice of presenter, and not afraid
to give an honest critique on some of the shambles profiled
in the programme.
As far as Radio 1 documentaries go, this one's far from being
a "disasterpiece" of its own.
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