Last updated September 16, 2024 – 12:52 PM
The success of Britain's great groups will be celebrated across a range of programmes on BBC Radio 2's BBC Sounds.
National Album Day – this year’s theme is “Great British Groups” – sees listeners vote for their five favourite albums and discover Radio 2’s “Ultimate British Group” in the annual day-long celebration of the album format.
A special panel of judges, including Radio 2 presenters, voted from a long list of almost 100 bands to produce a final list of 54 spanning the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, 00s and 10s. The list was made from songs played on Radio 2 and the most successful British groups in the Official Albums Chart.
The top 30 most popular will be revealed in a countdown show by Mark Goodier and will be available to listen to on BBC Sounds from Friday 11 October, before being broadcast on Radio 2 from 1pm to 3pm on Saturday 19 October to coincide with National Album Day 2024.
And to mark National Album Day, Sophie Ellis-Bextor will present an hour-long Kitchen Disco special featuring a selection of her favourite British groups, including Eurythmics, Oasis, Faithless, The Last Dinner Party and The Darkness, which will air on BBC Sounds from Friday 11 October.
Johnny Marr's Great British Groups is a four-part, curated playlist series in which Johnny takes listeners on a journey of great British bands from the 1960s through to the present day, focusing on artists who have touched Johnny's heart as well as those who have left an indelible mark on the music scene.
Jonny said: “The lovely people at Radio 2 have invited me to play some songs by British bands from albums I really love, and maybe even a few albums I've been involved with!”
“I'll pick anything from any LP record by any British band that spins at 33 revolutions per minute.
“Wanting to be part of a great group means wanting to be as good as the people you think are great, not necessarily emulating them or living in their shadow.
“All the great bands that I know and that I love have stood shoulder to shoulder with their predecessors.
“The stuff I like has a certain quirk to it. Every song I can think of that I've played either has an unusual lead singer, or a very distinctive guitarist, or a very distinctive writing partner.”
Johnny Marr's Great British Group will air on BBC Sounds on Friday 11 October, then on Radio 2 from midnight to 1am on 13th, 20th, 27th October and 3rd November.
“The Great British Groups That Destroyed America” is a four-part series that profiles British groups that made it big in America.
From The Beatles and The Rolling Stones in the '60s, to Led Zeppelin and Supertramp in the '70s, Queen and Genesis in the '80s, to Radiohead and Spice Girls in the '90s, the show will explore the music, stories and cultural impact of these iconic British groups and reveal how these bands topped the US charts.
The full series will air on BBC Sounds on Friday 11th October, with all four parts broadcast on Radio 2 from 1am-3am on Saturday 19th October.
Finally, as previously reported, a new 10-part podcast called Scott Mills and Rylan's “Pop Top 10” will launch on BBC Sounds on Wednesday 18th September and will also be filmed for BBC iPlayer.
In the first episode, to mark National Album Day, Katherine Ryan joins Scott and Rylan to debate the top 10 best British girl bands.
While chatting with Scott and Rylan, Katherine Ryan said, “I was heavily influenced by Britney and Christina (Aguilera), but then when girl bands came on the scene and took over, I know I'm a controversial guest because I'm Canadian, but British girl bands are kings!”
