Music Documentaries - Movies

The Who - Sell Out (Classic Album)

Music Documentaries

The Who Sell Out successfully acknowledged the Who’s past while pointing to the future – not only for The Who, but for how rock and roll would be packaged and presented to the public. What is beyond doubt is that it represents the Who’s first truly great album and is deserving of its status as a Classic Album. In keeping with the spirit of the times the film will be a visual representation of the album’s concept as a pirate radio broadcast.

Storefront Hitchcock

Music Documentaries

Filmmaker Jonathan Demme showcases the music of British singer-songwriter Robyn Hitchcock in a New York storefront setting with a live audience. Setting up a stage in a New York storefront, Hitchcock plays with his back to the glass, while an audience looks on inside and passersby view the action through the window.

Junun

Music Documentaries

In Spring 2015, Israeli composer Shye Ben Tzur, Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood and ‘The Rajasthan Express’ were hosted by the Maharaja of Jodhpur at Mehrangarh Fort. This beautiful and joyously unique 3-week union resulted in the album and film Junun (or 'madness of love’). Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, and featuring multicultural musicians from across the Indian subcontinent, this is an intimate, eclectic, and sonic journey. Prepare to be uplifted.

2 Turntables and a Microphone

Music Documentaries

October 30, 2002 - Legendary hip-hop DJ Jason Mizell, aka Jam Master Jay, is gunned down in his Queens studio. Security tapes of the incident mysteriously disappear, the five witnesses are uncooperative and no one is talking ... until now. 2 TURNTABLES AND A MICROPHONE documents the investigation of the unsolved murder of Jam Master Jay, RUN- DMC's groundbreaking DJ and producer, deftly revealing the history of hip-hop and mainstream rap along the way. Exclusive, candid interviews with 50 Cent, Jay-Z, Russell Simmons, RUN-DMC and more offer insight into Jam Master Jay's life - including information that could finally help police solve the murder that shook the music world to its core.

In the Court of the Crimson King: King Crimson at 50

Music Documentaries

What began as a movie about the notorious rock group King Crimson and Robert Fripp mutated into something very different to a standard music documentary - a dark and hilarious exploration of music, time, cults, mortality, and the transcendent power of art to change lives. But with jokes.

White Riot

Music Documentaries

Britain, late-1970s. Punk is exploding. The country is deeply divided over immigration. The National Front, a far-right and fascist political party, is gaining strength as politicians like Enoch Powell push a xenophobic agenda. Outraged by a racist speech from Eric Clapton, music photographer Red Saunders writes a letter to the music press, calling for rock to be a force against racism. NME, Melody Maker, and Sounds all publish the letter. Flooded with responses, Red discovers many share his views. Teaming up with like-minded creatives Roger Huddle, Kate Webb, Syd Shelton and Australian graphic designer Ruth Gregory, the team bands together to create Rock Against Racism (RAR) and a fanzine, Temporary Hoarding. Speaking directly to the youth, Temporary Hoarding reports stories and issues that the mainstream British media ignores, like immigration, the Catholic side of the Northern Ireland conflict, and the police’s controversial “suspected persons” (sus) powers. They give a voice to the voiceless. The National Front begins to strike back, committing acts of violence against RAR supporters and petrol-bombing their HQ. Despite this, RAR spreads virally across the UK and into Europe, becoming a grassroots youth movement. The Clash, Steel Pulse, Tom Robinson and other top bands of the day jump on board. White Riot is a moment in time when music changed the world. When a generation challenged the status quo. It’s Woodstock meets the March on Washington, punk-style.

Bee Gees - In Our Own Time

Music Documentaries

“In Our Own Time” is the compelling story of the Bee Gees career. From their roots in the North West of England, through their early career in Australia, their return to England and international breakthrough in the late sixties and then on to global superstardom with “Saturday Night Fever” and beyond. Alongside the success there is the heartache of the tragically early deaths of first their younger brother Andy and then later Maurice. The story is told “in their own words” through in depth new interviews with Barry and Robin Gibb and through extensive interviews with Maurice filmed shortly before his death in January 2003. These are lavishly illustrated by live performances, TV and film clips and home movies of their early days. “In Our Own Time” features clips of many of their greatest hits including: “You Should Be Dancing”, “New York Mining Disaster 1941”, “Massachusetts”, “Run To Me”, “Jive Talkin’”, “Stayin’ Alive”, “Night Fever”, “How Deep Is Your Love”, “Tragedy” and “You Win Again” and their collaborations such as “Guilty” with Barbara Streisand and “Immortality” with Celine Dion.

Festival Express

Music Documentaries

In the summer of 1970, some of the era’s biggest rock stars took to the rails for Festival Express, a multi-artist, multi-city concert tour that captured the spirit and imagination of a generation. What made it unique was that it was portable; for five days, the bands and performers lived, slept, rehearsed and let loose aboard a customized train that traveled from Toronto, to Winnipeg, to Calgary, with each stop culminating in a mega-concert. The entire experience was filmed both off-stage and on, but the extensive footage and sound tapes of the events remained locked away for decades, only recently having been rediscovered andrestored. The film Festival Express is a momentous achievement in rock film archaeology which combines the long-lost material with contemporary interviews that add important context to the event nearly 35 years after originally being filmed.

The Return of Tanya Tucker Featuring Brandi Carlile

Music Documentaries

"Trailblazing, hell-raising country music legend Tanya Tucker defied the standards of how a woman in country music was supposed to behave. Decades later, as Tanya slipped from the spotlight, rising Americana music star Brandi Carlile took it upon herself to write an entire album for her hero based on Tanya's extraordinary life, spurring the greatest comeback in country music history. THE RETURN OF TANYA TUCKER follows Tanya's richly creative, utterly captivating, bumpy ride back to the top. Featuring Tanya Tucker and Brandi Carlile."

Blake & Gwen: Now & Then

Music Documentaries

Follow the offstage, unlikely romance of the king of country, Blake Shelton, and pop princess, Gwen Stefani. Both stars braved their share of challenges on the way to writing their own love song.

Amazing Journey: The Story of The Who

Music Documentaries

For the first time, see and hear the amazing story of The Who in their own words. Follow one of the most innovative and explosive bands in music history through their forty-year journey as they rise to fame and become global music icons. It's a daring and thrilling exploration of one of the greatest rock bands of all time.

The Devil and Daniel Johnston

Music Documentaries

His drawings and sketches are exhibited and sold worldwide. Beck, Wilco, Sonic Youth and Pearl Jam have recorded his songs. But beneath Daniel Johnston's success as an artist and musician is an incredible story of genius touched by madness: diagnosed as manic-depressive, Johnston has spent the last three decades of his life in-and-out of mental institutions. Told through a compelling combination of interviews, home movies and performance footage, "The Devil and Daniel Johnston" is 'a harrowing, hilarious and ultimately moving new documentary film' (Jim Farber, New York Daily News). '****' (Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News)!

Big Easy Express

Music Documentaries

3 bands, 6 cities, 1 train, and thousands of miles of track create an unforgettable musical experience in Big Easy Express. Directed by Emmett Malloy (The White Stripes Under Great White Northern Lights) and starring some of the finest acts in music today, this incredible film captures nothing less than history in the making. Indie folk heroes Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, Tennessee's Old Crow Medicine Show, and Britain's acclaimed Mumford & Sons hopped on a beautiful antique train and set out across America on a tour of dreams. With poignancy and beauty, Malloy documents these incredible musicians as they ride the rails and wow the crowds from Oakland to New Orleans. So climb aboard the Big Easy Express for a vibrant and raucous adventure filled with joyous crowds, late night laughter, endless musicand a train that was bound for glory.

Apple Music Presents: Kane Brown - Experiment

Music Documentaries

Kane Brown isn’t your average country star: He came up by building a fanbase on social media with incredible covers; he wears his R&B, pop, and rap influences on his sleeve. And then there’s the way he looks: “They look at my tattoos, my clothes, and my earrings,” he tells Apple Music, “and it’s always, ‘Waylon and Cash are rolling in their graves right now.’” In this exclusive film, featuring revealing interviews and powerful performance footage, the rising singer-songwriter discusses his unorthodox come-up and personal struggles—poverty, abuse, racism—and how they fueled his highly anticipated second album, Experiment, which is set to take him to Nashville’s top tier.

Amy Winehouse: Back to Black

Music Documentaries

BACK TO BLACK tells the real story of how Amy’s best known and most celebrated body of work came into being. Featuring previously unseen footage of Amy in the studio, new interviews with producers Mark Ronson and Salaam Remi, and the musicians who worked with Amy on the album, it offers fresh insights into Amy’s remarkable gifts as a singer, songwriter, musician and performer. Also includes AN INTIMATE EVENING IN LONDON, footage from a private show Amy hosted in February 2008, which has never been seen – until now. Amy’s performance sees her in fine form, relaxed and playing for family and friends on the evening she won five Grammy® awards.

Billy Joel: The Last Play at Shea

Music Documentaries

In July 2008, Billy Joel performed the last concert ever held at Shea Stadium. The Last Play at Shea chronicles the waning days of the ballpark through a tapestry of performance, historical documentary, and personal journey. The film weaves interviews with players and performers with exclusive concert footage. Guests include Tony Bennett, Garth Brooks, John Mayer, Roger Daltrey, and more.

Tina Turner: Simply the Best

Music Documentaries

The odds were against her. Learn how singer Tina Turner reached super-stardom with her high energy style and gravelly voice and prevailed as the "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll".

Listen Up - The Lives of Quincy Jones

Music Documentaries

This unique and fascinating look at the legendary musician, arranger, composer and producer offers a collage of memories, sounds and intimate interviews with musical greats in a rousing showcase of popular music. It's a living history of black America, a revealing glimpse into the psyche of an artist, and a modern story of inspiration. American Movie Classics calls it "a landmark... warm, funny and compelling." Featuring appearances by legendary performers Miles Davis, Ray Charles, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson, Lionel Hampton and Barbra Streisand.

Highly Strung

Music Documentaries

A journey into a rarefied world of elusive tones evoked by horsehair on catgut, of investors lured to spend millions on unique instruments. The deadly sins of lust, jealousy and greed jostle with the purity of philanthropy and sonic perfection. A duel of tension and harmony in a Quartet of youthful virtuosi expanding their skills on a clutch of rare Guadagninis. An exploration of the mystery and the lost, delicate art of constructing these robust masterpieces Exquisite imagery will illuminate a complex history of enduring instruments and their temporary custodians.

Stevie Ray Vaughan: Rise of a Texas Bluesman - 1954-1983

Music Documentaries

In the early 1970s a young guitarist from Austin, Texas began to make his name on the local blues circuit, committed as he was to a musical form many thought outdated. A decade on, that same guitarist became an international superstar. A player of passion, energy and awe-inspiring technical virtuosity, Stevie Ray Vaughan not only brought the blues heritage of his home state to a global audience, he reinvigorated the genre itself, introducing it to a new generation of listeners in the process. This film reveals and dissects the formative years of Stevie Ray Vaughan's CAREER - his influences, his first recordings and the bands with whom he honed his craft - and traces the history of Texas blues itself, identifying Vaughan's place within this larger tradition. It is the journey of both a musical form and the single-minded musician who brought it firmly back into the spotlight after decades of neglect. Featuring rare archive footage, exclusive interviews, contributions from the musicians with whom Stevie Ray worked and the people who knew him best, seldom seen photographs and a host of other features which all at once provide for the finest document on the celebrated late guitarist yet to emerge.

Music Documentaries Movies