This Beat Goes On: Canadian Pop Music in the 1970s

In 2007, CBC produced Shakin' All Over, a 90-minute documentary exploring the '60s Canadian music revolution. Two years later, director Gary McGroarty delivers two new docs: This Beat Goes On and Rise Up, exploring the next 20 years in Canadian pop. Following the same formula as Shakin' All Over ― featuring narration by Jian Ghomeshi, rare performances and brand new interviews from both those involved and influenced by the scene ― This Beat Goes On and Rise Up work equally as stand-alone documentaries and episodes in an expanding series. Named after the '80s hit by the Kings, This Beat Goes On tells the story of a pioneering Canadian scene fuelled by the accomplishments of their '60s forerunners, sparked by the 1971 establishment of the MAPL system (better known as CanCon). From '60s hang-overs (Joni Mitchell, Neil Young), early '70s rock (Bachman-Turner Overdrive, David Wilcox), mid-decade soft rockers (Dan Hill, Gino Vannelli) to the scene that spawned '80s arena rock (Loverboy, Rush), This Beat Goes On relies on American chart success to make a case for the government's CanCon initiative. But it's the exploration into Canada's less-populist genres like francophone pop (CANO, Harmonium), punk rock (Teenage Head, the Viletones), new wave (Martha and the Muffins, Pointed Sticks) and art rock (Nash the Slash, Rough Trade) that demonstrate just how ingenious, far-reaching and influential Canadian music had managed to become during this time. Perfectly setting the stage for the video age, This Beat Goes On does more than just document/explore/dissect Canadian music in the '70s; it simply celebrates it.