So much music on television, so little time. TV Watch points out some of the best and most unusual programs and films combining music and TV for the coming week, and some of the highlights of what has already been on the air. Point your DVR, VCR, or browser to these prime(-time) destinations.

Monday:

Tuesday:

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On the Schedule

Thursday:
Flix shows the excellent documentary Standing in the Shadows of Motown bright and early at 6 a.m.

Encore WAM presents the Guided By Voices documentary The Electrifying Conclusion at 11:05 a.m. sharp.

VH1 Classic airs the thorough Pink Floyd and Syd Barrett Story at 2 p.m.

Kid Rock helps Jimmy Kimmel rock in his 1000th episode on ABC at 11:35 p.m.

Ferras and the American Idol finalists drop by the Tonight Show with Jay Leno on NBC at 11:35 p.m.

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Ladies and gentlemen, set your TiVos! Producer extraordinaire Nigel Godrich’s new show From the Basement will be airing in the States next week. Shot in high definition, recorded on analog reel-to-reel tape, and mixed in 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround from London’s Maida Vale studios, the most sought-after producer of the late ’90s (Radiohead, Beck, and Pavement, among others) will be recording intimate performances of his favorite bands, without the frills of a live audience or a smarmy host to muck it up. Included in the season’s lineup are: Thom Yorke, Albert Hammond, Jr. (the Strokes), the White Stripes, the Shins, Neil Hannon (the Divine Comedy), Beck, Jarvis Cocker, Jamie Lidell, Sonic Youth, José González, Laura Marling, PJ Harvey, Super Furry Animals, Free Blood, Operator Please, Damien Rice, Eels, Autolux, and Architecture in Helsinki. Rave TV plans to air the first episode on February 22 at 9 p.m. EST. If you don’t have a premium cable plan, you can download episode one from Godrich’s site for ten pounds (approximately 20 dollars.) Pricey, yes, but according to voom.tv the first episode will include Thom Yorke, Albert Hammond, Jr., and the Envelopes, so all you Radiohead fans can use the cash you saved up by haggling In Rainbows. Here’s a clip. [Note: Nigel's site prefers to list the first episode as the White Stripes, the Shins, and Neil Hannon, so you may want to take his word, rather than that of the corporate bigwigs.]

Mac and iPod users can download shows here.

Windows folks can go here.

Stephen Thomas Erlewine
It’s easy to complain about the Grammys but the award show is really in a no-win situation. Like the Oscars, the Grammys attempt to cover their entire universe — the only problem is, the music industry is a much larger universe than film and few records are big outside of their respective niche, unlike in the Oscars where it’s relatively easier for film fans to know about a genre movie that’s a sensation. To compensate for this, the Grammys decide to sample a bunch of different genres for the telecast, giving everybody equal time but by trying to appeal to all, it winds up appealing to few — especially as the show runs a gob-smacking three and a half hours, longer than Springsteen concerts of legend. And a long concert is what the Grammys now are — most of the awards are handed out prior to the show, making this an awards ceremony largely devoid of acceptance speeches and spontaneity. I’m a curmudgeon, but I’d prefer to have almost no performances and a bunch of acceptance speeches, as that’s where the unpredictability comes in. It’s an awards show, after all — let’s see the awards, even from acts and producers that aren’t superstars.

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This Sunday, the 50th Annual Grammy Awards are announced in a telecast that will be aired live at 8 p.m. EST on CBS. Here, several AMG editors offer their thoughts on what will, and what should, win in selected categories from across the musical spectrum.

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Important communication: Disregard the cute cover art if you must. The Pointer Sisters‘ Steppin’, showcased on the October 4, 1975 episode of Soul Train, is a must-own for anyone with a deep interest in mid ’70s soul and funk. Many crate diggers who pore over album credits have likely snapped up copies for the contributions of Stevie Wonder, Herbie Hancock, Wah Wah Watson, Paul Jackson, and Bill Summers, but its status as mostly pure dynamite comes down to the Pointers, who play with material written by themselves, Wonder, Allen Toussaint, Burt Bacharach and Hal David, Willie McTell and Taj Mahal, and Duke Ellington like it’s all putty. A couple years back, Hip-O Select reissued the album on CD in LP replica form, retaining the die-cut high-heeled slingback tap sneakers. It was a low-key release and remains that way, though it deserves — at the least — the same amount of attention given to the Betty Davis reissues that came out this year.

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Declared “the most exciting musical experience in the business today” by host Don Cornelius (who must have forgotten about Parliament/Funkadelic, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Led Zeppelin, and Earth, Wind & Fire), Graham Central Station “performed” not just two but three songs on the Soul Train episode originally aired on January 11, 1975. The band led by former Sly & the Family Stone bassist Graham had just issued Release Yourself, its second and best album. Leon Haywood took to the stage with one of his Staple Singers soundalikes, “Believe Half of What You See (And None of What You Hear)” (Cornelius: “Sounds a lot like your last big smash”), and ex-Faith, Hope & Charity member Zulema brought along her three background singers to assist with two numbers, including a stunning version of Leon Ware and T-Boy Ross’ “I Wanna Be Where You Are.” Graham Central Station’s energy and outfit changes were a real draw, no doubt, but Zulema and co. stole this episode.

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Hello and welcome on-board. We’re a bit late for another super-smooth ride on the Soul Train. A couple weeks back, the Best of Soul Train timeline skipped across several months, from mid June to early November of 1974. Hopefully it’ll eventually work its way back to the Four Tops/New Birth/Creative Source episode originally aired that October — ditto the September episode featuring Herbie Hancock. The November 2, 1974 episode was a somewhat odd one, featuring only two eventual Top Ten R&B hits (with several non-charters) and guest starring the 5th Dimension, Al Wilson (again), and Formula IV — all of whom were managed by Marc Gordon. Gordon, a songwriter in his own right who was already a few years removed from his position as president of Motown’s West Coast operations, got stage time as well; he was interviewed for a few minutes by Don Cornelius.

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