Rock Minutes

Since I know how much you all love lists I figured I would give you a list of what I consider the 10 greatest music documentaries or concert films of all time. There have been some really great movies made on this subject over the years and I believe if you are a true music fan you need to see all 10 of these movies.

10. DiG!

This documentary follows the rise of one band, The Dandy Warhols, and the rise and subsequent fall of The Brian Jonestown Massacre. These bands were friends and rivals coming up at the same time. You get to see how both bands handle their shot at success. It is fascinating to watch The Brian Jonestown Massacre crumble right before your eyes. It is sad to watch but you are unable to turn away. I never really cared that much about either band but this documentary is fabulous.

9. Standing in the Shadows of Motown

Have you ever heard of the Funk Brothers? They have played on an incredible amount of Motown songs in the 60′s and 70′s. This film was shot in Detroit and chronicles the history of this band and how they helped shape the Motown sound. They even reunite for a concert where artists such as Ben Harper, Joan Osborne, Chaka Khan, and Bootsy Collins play with them. Motown is one of the most important movements in the history of music and this movie really helps show how Motown came to be.

8.This is Spinal Tap

Even though this is a mocumentary it is still one of the greatest music movies of all time. It follows the career of the band Spinal Tap and shows behind the scenes footage of what really goes on in the music industry. even though this movie is fictional many bands over the years have said it portrays the music business and being in a band as accurately as any movie they have ever seen. I would say if you have not seen this movie you quite possibly are not the type of person I want to hang around.

7.Woodstock 3 Days of Peace and Music

This movie documents the 3 day festival that not only defined a generation of musicians but defined a generation. Woodstock was quite possibly the most important 3 days of music any of us will see in our lifetimes and the fact that it was documented so well is incredible.

6.Some Kind of Monster

This films follows Metallica has they make their album “St. Anger”. I do not like Metallica but this film is unbelievable. You get to see James Hetfield go into rehab and emerge as a big pussy. You see Bassist Jason Newsted quit the band and watch the remaining members try out bassists to take his place. They hire a therapist for several thousand dollars a week to get them to be able to even sit in the same room together. They even bring back Dave Mustain to talk about his time in the band and getting fired. This is a 2 hour long train wreck that culminates with the release of a really shitty album. No matter what you think of this band you must see this movie.

5.Runnin’ Down a Dream

I have never sat through anything lasted 4 hours and wished there was more. This film documents the rise of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and every single minute of this film is great. There is great footage all the way back to Petty’s childhood and great interviews from Petty and the band members. The highlights of this movie are the firing of original drummer Stan Lynch, the origin of the song “The Waiting”, and the sad demise of bassist Howie Epstein as he loses his battle with heroin. If you are even a casual Petty fan you should check out this film.

4. No Direction Home

Martin Scorsese directs this film that documents Bob Dylan between 1961-1966. There is plenty of footage that has never been seen before in this movie. There are some great live performances as well as behind the scenes footage of him making some his classic albums. It also documents Dylan going electric which I believe is one of the most important moments in music history. You see how much some people hated it and even heckled him during his live shows. You also get to see how unapologetic Dylan and his band are about going electric.

3. I am Trying to Break Your Heart

This starts out as a film documenting the making of “Yankee Hotel Fox Trot” by Wilco but as the filming goes on it becomes so much more than that. You see the struggle between for power between band leader Jeff Tweedy and multi instrumentalist Jay Bennett during the making of the album. The struggle comes to a head when Bennett gets the boot from the band and Tweedy seems like he could not be happier about it. You get to see Tweedy struggle from migraines to the point of vomiting and finally you see the record label refuse to release the album due to the fact it was not “commercial” enough. Wilco ends up streaming the record for free, a move that had never been done by a band before, and then releasing it to critical acclaim and album sales that exceeded any of their other albums to date.

2. The Last Waltz

This was tough to put at #2 because I love this film so much. Martin Scorsese is at the helm again. He chronicles The Band’s final concert and the history of the band. The concert itself is a cavalcade of rock royalty. Van Morrison, Emmylou Harris, Muddy Waters, Neil Young, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Neil Diamond, Joni Mitchell, Ron Wood, and Ringo Starr all perform with the band. They not only play classics from The Band but they play some of these musicians classic songs as well. It is just an incredible experience to watch and never gets old. It makes me love The Band so much and every time I watch it I am sad to see the show end.

1. Gimme Shelter

This film documents the 1969 tour of the Rolling Stones including the tragic show at Altamont where a fan was killed by security. By the way security for the show was The Hells Angels. You actually see the stabbing on video (during “Sympathy for the Devil”) and you get to watch Mick Jagger watch the stabbing for the first time on video as well. This film really lets you see the inner workings of this band as well as the disastrous decisions that were made to put on the free concert at Altamont. The concert took place in December of 1969 and many people consider this concert the moment when the Peace and Love era of the 60′s ended. I watched this video about 15 years ago or the first time and it made an impression on me that has lasted to this day and that is why I consider it the greatest music documentary of all time.

Later,

Nick

Help support Rock Minutes - Add to social bookmarking site: