This weekend Sunday Night goes all musical with James Blunt and Creedence Clearwater Revival.
Creedence Clearwater Revealed
They were brothers and high school friends stitched together by a love of music and driven by a desire to ‘climb the mountain’ to the top of the world. With John Fogerty’s freakishly gifted song-writing skills, Creedence Clearwater Revival did just that with hit after hit – Proud Mary, Down on the Corner, Who’ll Stop the Rain, Looking Out My Back Door. As the ‘60s became the ‘70s they reigned with their catchy, clever, swampy rock. Then they blew up. Not just any old band break-up, Creedence Clearwater Revival exploded in a storm of law suits, threats and hatred. It became the toxic band collapse against which most others are measured. The musical genius John Fogerty couldn’t and wouldn’t perform the hits he created for decades. The rancour and ugliness continues to this day. Now, as John Fogerty releases his definitive account of the life and times of CCR, Sunday Night’s Peta-Jane Madam gains amazing new insights into the remarkable creative forces that made the band huge and the diabolical personality and management issues that drove them apart. But will one band members tragic revelation be enough to bring them back together before it’s too late?
Slum Town Symphony
They have nothing. Nothing but a mountainous garbage tip, the dollar-a-day work that comes with it and a hand-to-mouth life in the shanty town next door. And yet they’re joyously happy and love their life.
That’s because it’s filled with beautiful music courtesy of one of the most unlikely and heartwarming ensembles ever brought together under a baton. Thanks to remarkable talents of one local resident, oil tins, chemical drums, forks, spoons, bottle tops and other discarded junk are transformed into violins, trumpets, drums and just about any other symphony instrument. And thanks to the dedication of a music teacher, kids are getting a chance to develop their skills and a future in music. There are even some prodigies among the group. Sunday Night spent a week with the musicians of the junkyard orchestra and their families, discovering what extraordinary beauty is possible from the barest means. Today Paraguay’s junkyard orchestra tours the world, sometimes performing in classical concert halls and sometimes with major international rock bands like Metallica. They haven’t been to Australia – yet. So Sunday Night is thrilled to introduce you to these extraordinary musicians and their triumphant, uplifting story.
Perfectly Blunt
James Blunt burst from obscurity to become one of the biggest selling artists of the new millennium. His soulful songs have sold more than 20 million copies worldwide and are still on high rotation. Popularity, however, became the problem. High exposure and the high rotation of his heartfelt hits brought a backlash. More like a tidal wave. James Blunt went from being loved to being loathed. But, as fans of Seven’s The X Factor are discovering, James can give as good as he gets. He took on the haters and won, using his quick wit to turn the tide on social media trolls. James has become something of a cult hero in the Twitter-sphere for his withering comebacks. Sunday Night’s Rahni Sadler travels to the Spanish island of Ibiza, James’ home since he topped the charts with You’re Beautiful. It’s a wild ride through the clubbing mecca – surprisingly James’ natural habitat, as he reveals his feelings about the backlash, the inspiration for his songs and the benefits of not taking yourself too seriously. And James doesn’t have to try too hard to put all the criticism into perspective. Prior to his music career, James was a Captain in the British Army and served in the Balkans during the Kosovo War. He opens up about the devastation he witnessed and the difficulty of returning to normal life.
7PM Sunday on Seven