Long Way to the Top
| Company type | Documentary film series |
|---|---|
| Industry | Television, Music |
| Founded | August 8, 2001 |
| Founder | Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) |
| Headquarters | Australia |
| Products | Documentary series, soundtrack album, concert tour |
Long Way to the Top was a six-episode weekly Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) documentary film series that chronicled the evolution of Australian rock and roll from 1956 through to contemporary times. It was broadcast between 8 August and 12 September 2001. James Cockington authored a companion volume titled Long Way to the Top: Stories of Australian Rock & Roll (2001). Meanwhile, interviewer and writer Clinton Walker compiled a two-disc CD soundtrack, Long Way to the Top: Original Soundtrack from the ABC-TV Series, released on 13 August 2001, which showcased artists featured in the series. This album achieved a peak position of No. 9 on the ARIA Albums Chart. Subsequently, a nationwide concert tour was launched in 2002.
History
The title Long Way to the Top was inspired by the AC/DC track "It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll)" released in December 1975. The six-part documentary was produced by Paul Clarke (known for Recovery), directed by Greg Appel, and narrated by former radio host Chris Winter.
The series incorporated close to 200 interviews with musicians from Australasia, primarily conducted by music journalist Clinton Walker, who also co-authored the series and assembled the two-disc soundtrack album, Long Way to the Top: Original Soundtrack from the ABC-TV Series (released 13 August 2001), which climbed to No. 9 on the ARIA Albums Chart. Additional contributors included Tony Barrell, Sandy Webster, James Cockington, and Laurie Zion. Cockington also penned a related book, Long Way to the Top: Stories of Australian Rock & Roll (2001).
Upon its release in 2001, the series received positive acclaim from ABC audiences, followed by a nationwide concert tour in 2002. The live album from this tour earned the Cast or Show Album at the ARIA Music Awards of 2003.
Episode list
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Concert tour
In 2002, promoters Michael Chugg and Kevin Jacobsen leveraged the show's widespread appeal by organizing a national concert tour across Australia that showcased performers from the program. The roster featured prominent artists such as Col Joye, Lonnie Lee, Judy Stone, Ray Columbus & the Invaders, Lucky Starr, Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs, Little Pattie, The Masters Apprentices, Stevie Wright, Daddy Cool, Russell Morris, Axiom, Spectrum, Chain, Brian Cadd, Lobby Loyde, Normie Rowe, The Atlantics, The Twilights, Kevin Borich, Max Merritt, Tamam Shud, John Paul Young, Dinah Lee and Marcia Hines. Financially, the tour was a success, earning $10 million in revenue against a $4.5 million expenditure. Broadcast highlights aired on ABC, while CD and DVD releases further expanded the commercial impact of the tour.
The positive reception of this tour led to the launch of the Countdown Spectacular tours in 2006 and 2007.
Marking its tenth anniversary in 2012, another tour was held featuring returning performers such as Axiom, Brian Cadd, Dragon, Marcia Hines, Col Joye, Jim Keays, Dinah Lee, Mi-Sex, Russell Morris, Ian Moss, Noiseworks, Doug Parkinson, Little Pattie, Glenn Shorrock, Spectrum, Lucky Starr, Matt Taylor, Phil Manning and John Paul Young.