Directing

Benjamin Whalley

No biography available.

Known For

Synth BritanniaSynth Britannia · 2009
Synth Britannia
★ 7.82009
MovieDocumentaryMusic
Documentary following a generation of post-punk musicians who took the synthesiser from the experimental fringes to the centre of the pop stage.
The Joy of ABBAThe Joy of ABBA · 2013
The Joy of ABBA
★ 8.52013
MovieDocumentaryMusic
Combining European musical influences, perfect production and lyrics of love and loss, ABBA made us fall in love with the sound of Swedish melancholy. This documentary explores the music of ABBA and chronicles how they conquered both Sweden and Britain in the face of constant criticism.
I Can Go For That: The Smooth World of Yacht RockI Can Go For That: The Smooth World of Yacht Rock · 2019
I Can Go For That: The Smooth World of Yacht Rock
★ 9.02019
MovieDocumentaryMusic
Katie Puckrik explores the 1970s American music phenomenon of Yacht Rock, a halcyon period of Los Angeles studio craft that married R&B with themes of longing, aspiration and melancholy, before going on to explore how the genre adapted to the musical times of the 1980s.
Neil Young: Don't Be DeniedNeil Young: Don't Be Denied · 2009
Neil Young: Don't Be Denied
★ 9.02009
MovieDocumentaryMusic
This television special is a first for the reclusive singer with the BBC documentary gaining new interviews with Young, nine months apart in New York and California. The documentary also looks back over the singer's archives, with some never-seen-before material.
If It Ain't Stiff: The Stiff Records StoryIf It Ain't Stiff: The Stiff Records Story · 2007
If It Ain't Stiff: The Stiff Records Story
★ 7.02007
MovieDocumentaryMusic
Adrian Edmondson narrates a documentary chronicling the story of Stiff Records, a tiny independent that took music out of the boardroom and gave it back to the fans. Stiff's successes included Nick Lowe, the Damned, Elvis Costello, Ian Dury, Madness, Tracey Ullman and the Pogues. Contributors include Captain Sensible, Jonathan Ross, Suggs, Shane MacGowan and label founders Jake Riviera and Dave Robinson.
Synth Britannia at the BBCSynth Britannia at the BBC · 2009
Synth Britannia at the BBC
★ 8.02009
MovieMusic
A journey through the BBC's synthpop archives from Roxy Music and Tubeway Army to New Order and Sparks. Turn your Moogs up to 11 as we take a trip back into the 70s and 80s!
Pop Charts Britannia: 60 Years of the Top 10Pop Charts Britannia: 60 Years of the Top 10 · 2012
Pop Charts Britannia: 60 Years of the Top 10
★ 6.52012
MovieDocumentary
The story of the British pop charts from their beginnings on the 50s through the heyday of the 70s and 80s to their re-emergence in a digital world.
Motor City's Burning: Detroit from Motown to the StoogesMotor City's Burning: Detroit from Motown to the Stooges · 2008
Motor City's Burning: Detroit from Motown to the Stooges
2008
MovieDocumentaryMusic
Documentary looking at how Detroit became home to a musical revolution that captured the sound of a nation in upheaval. In the early 60s, Motown transcended Detroit's inner city to take black music to a white audience, whilst in the late 60s suburban kids like the MC5 and the Stooges descended into the black inner city to create revolutionary rock expressing the rage of young white America.

Filmography

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I Can Go for That: The Smooth World of Yacht RockI Can Go for That: The Smooth World of Yacht Rock · 2019
I Can Go for That: The Smooth World of Yacht Rock
★ 7.02019
SeriesDocumentary
Offers a reappraisal of "yacht rock", a critically neglected era of music popularized by a boom in FM radio stations and its smooth sound. The gleaming yacht sound was, in part, always defined by a group of LA-based session players and composers who worked across a range of yacht bands, informing their specific tone and level of musicianship. Some of these artists talk about the yacht phenomenon and being part of the scene back in the day. The series explores how the music adapted from the the bearded sensitivity of the '70s to the bombast of the MTV '80s, and how a satirical online drama contributed to a revival of interest and enthusiasm for these sounds in the digital era.

Director