In the news: This Beat Goes On and Rise Up survey 70s & 80s Canadian music scene

From John Doyle of the Globe and Mail:

• CBC doc takes on pop-music history
  “This Beat Goes On tries hard to be all-inclusive, but in doing so it only underlines the impossibility of covering every sound, every nuance of decades of music. It’s a lot of fun, and comprehensive in a shallow manner. It’s full of hits, has many misses and meanders all over the place.” Read more.

From Ben Kaplan of the National Post:

• What about the voice of Geddy Lee?
  “Don’t expect to learn about Gordon Lightfoot’s love life or Trooper’s backstage antics in This Beat Goes On and Rise Up!, two documentaries about the Canadian music scene in the 1970s and ’80s made by the team of writer Nicholas Jennings and director Gary McGroarty.” Read more.

From Guy Dixon of the Globe and Mail:

• Unearthed: Canrock’s rawest footage
  “A raunchy night of rockin’ blues back in 1972 had, in the decades since, become the stuff of urban legend. Did it really happen the way people said? In researching his new documentaries on Canadian rock, starting tonight on CBC-TV, music writer and researcher Nicholas Jennings sought proof that it was true.” Read more.

From Greg Quill of the Toronto Star:

• When our music got cued up
  “Canadian music, for the first time in history, started doing nationwide business. Supported by FM radio airplay and a rudimentary concert infrastructure, bands could tour from coast to coast. Record sales rocketed. Labels sprang up like tulips in springtime as money greased the cogs of this new and vital homemade machinery.” Read more.

From Alex Strachan of Canwest News Service:

• Doc shows off some truly great Canadian content
  “A whole lot of great music — that was the Canadian music scene in the ’60s and ’70s. As the hellzapoppin’ homegrown documentary This Beat Goes On shows, though, great music didn’t necessarily translate into a vibrant, thriving music industry.” Read more.

From Brad Oswald of the Winnipeg Free Press:

• CanCon helped bring These Eyes to our ears
  “Tonight’s documentary offering on our public broadcaster takes a decidedly different approach, citing government intervention as the sole reason for robust health, strong growth and longevity — of Canada’s music industry.” Read more.

CBC air times:

THIS BEAT GOES ON – Hour Two (Thursday, September 3 at 9:00 pm ET/PT).
RISE UP – Hour One (Thursday, September 10 at 9:00 pm ET/PT).
RISE UP – Hour Two (Thursday, September 17 at 9:00 pm ET/PT)

Both documentaries will also air on CBC Newsworld:

THIS BEAT GOES ON: Hour One – Sat., Sept 12 at 10 pm ET/PT
THIS BEAT GOES ON: Hour Two – Fri., Sept. 18 at 10 pm ET/PT
RISE UP: Hour One – Sat., Sept. 19 at 10 pm ET/PT
RISE UP: Hour Two – Sat. Sept. 26 at 10 pm ET/PT