The Best Music Documentaries

[Sweet FA]

Second one... well, hair metal, innit

Worth the price of admission for Ozzy making breakfast pissed off his head & the WASP guitarist downing a bottle of vodka in the swimming pool whilst simultaneously slagging his mum off but also and a little bit

 

[ska invita]

Just been watching the acid house shock-horror documentary World In Action's "Lost in the Acid House" on YouTube:


Pure Comedy

 

[Donna Ferentes]

I saw one I liked, a number of years ago, about Marvin Gaye when he was living in Ostend. Anybody know it?

 

[saucisson]

another vote for soul deep, it was fantastic.

the john martyn documentary 'Johnny too bad' that followed him up to and after his leg amputation is good was shown on bbc4 http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/music/features/john-martyn.shtml was really good.

not seen the ramones or flaming lips docs yet but I am looking forward to them

Dig is pretty funny and I have a soft spot for decline of western civilisation 2 but its depressing....

 

[Dr_Gonzo]

I love Gimme Shelter about the Rolling Stones tour of the states ending with Altamont.
Another good 60s music one is Festival Express about a tour across canada by train including people like The Band, Janis Joplin and the Grateful Dead.

Although they are about festivals really Woodstock and Glastonbury are good.

I nearly forgot The Last Waltz, about The Band's last gig.

 

[trabuquera]

Between "Dancing in the Street", "Soul Deep" and "Lost Highway" series you nearly have the whole history of popular music since 1950....

The Channel 4 series "The Hip Hop Years" wasn't bad at all, and a DVD documentary called "The Freshest Kids" re-trod a lot of the same history with more stress on dancing and graffiti - both are well worth seeing.

The Marvin-Gaye-in Ostend BBC production mentioned above is actually called "Trouble Man", and it's very good. DARKER THAN BLUE: CURTIS MAYFIELD was another BBC corker, with Caryl Phillips presenting, very deep but also pretty depressing documentary from 1995 . This year's BBC4 doc on George Clinton and the whole Parliament/Funkadelic ball of wax was good as well.

I found "Metallica:Some Kind of Monster" and "Dig!" incredibly amusing, but I didn't really like them for MUSICAL reasons ... it was more for the psychodrama....

 

[futha]

and featuring Unsound / Metaponto jungle DJ Billy The Kid

where abouts does he feature?

 

[Dubversion]

where abouts does he feature?

he was the old drummer..

 

[Dubversion]

The Marvin-Gaye-in Ostend BBC production mentioned above is actually called "Trouble Man", and it's very good.

so depressing - Gaye playing darts in a dreary pub. Better than being pumped full of crack, though, I guess

Some Kind Of Monster is one of the funniest things I've seen in a long time, but for the life of me I can't work out why they let it be released

 

[futha]

he was the old drummer..

for bjm? thats ace

 

[Dubversion]

for bjm? thats ace

the story goes he was over here for a London show - which i was at - and heard some jungle. Loved it so much when the tour was over he quit the band and moved to London to become a jungle DJ

lovely fella too

 

[Chorlton]

DiG was very good - two bands who i have very little time for yet an engrossing doc - surely a good sign

I loved Instrument - but i would love a 4 hour close-up of the word 'fugazi' and find it interesting so i don't know if its as great as i think it was.

Likewise i loved the recent one on Boy George that channel 4 did - but i think george is pretty fascinating as well...

Oh, another recent one - the other week - Young@heart about the old-timers covering Sonic Youth, Iggy and cold play... jesus that was beautiful

I loved Worng eyed jesus, the opening scene through the swamp is as beautiful as any film opening ever... i did feel it perhaps lacked substance tho

 

[futha]

the story goes he was over here for a London show - which i was at - and heard some jungle. Loved it so much when the tour was over he quit the band and moved to London to become a jungle DJ

lovely fella too

haha thats excellent

 

[Apathy]

history of hip hop. old bbc arena doc from around 84. I like Bombin' but its more about the uk black youth/hip hop/graffiti scene than actual music tho.... and 'sound of the north; Madchester'

Scratch; good, but lots of it is a bit boring tbh

 

[ringo]

There are two really good reggae docs.

"Land of Look Behind" is an odd travelogue through Jamaica that gets confused and wanders into the reggae scene. Great footage of Jamaica, various artists, that Bob Marley bloke's funeral etc.

Channel 4 screened a series in 1982 called "Deep Roots Music" which consisted of 6 themed one hour documentaries which included major pieces on the history of JA music, Lee "Scratch" Perry, the immortal Dennis Emmanuel Brown, Jack Ruby, Bunny "Striker" Lee etc. Nobody really had videos at that time so I didn't see it for years. When I worked at Channel 4 a few years ago I managed to get all of the episodes from the archives and the British Film Institute. Crucial stuff.

 

[ska invita]

I've just got my hands on this:
Studio One Story - The Original

...made by SoulJazz records - here's a review;

For those who don't already know, Studio one was the first independent recording studio in Jamaica and was the brainchild of Clement 'Coxsone' Dodd.
Well if you like Studio One music this is the film for you.There are lengthy interviews with all the notable Studio 1 musicians and singers, apart from those who sadly are not still with us. Coxsone speaks at length about the origins and formation of Studio One, and also his plans for the future role of the Studio.
The film content of this disc cannot be faulted, but the presentation of the film is AWFUL with a garish coloured frame round the picture ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE FILM. This can be removed by judicious use of zoom functions on the TV and/or DVD player, but if you don't have a suitable zoom ratio you're stuck with the rotten frame, thats why I only gave it 4 stars.

 

[ska invita]

history of hip hop. old bbc arena doc from around 84. I like Bombin' but its more about the uk black youth/hip hop/graffiti scene than actual music tho.... and 'sound of the north; Madchester'

-Do you have copies of any of the above? Would be willing to pay - PM me if so.

 

[rubbershoes]

Anyone else seen The Search for Robert Johnson?

tis good stuff.

 

[ska invita]

Just been watching a great 3hr (3 part) channel 4 doc called Pump up the Volume - Part 1 was fantastic - very thorough about the birth of house music. Not seen 2+3 yet.

You can see it too on the internet here!:
http://hardcorewillneverdie.com/Flash/newframe.html

Go to "Video" on the left, and then "Docs".

The Following is available:
Pump Up The Volume Part 1 Channel 4
Pump Up The Volume Part 2 Channel 4
Pump Up The Volume Part 3 Channel 4
All Junglists - A London Someting Dis (Jungle days - ROn, Ragga Twins, Kool FM etc)
LTJ Bukem - Modern Times Part 1 Channel 4 (Bukem on Tour)
LTJ Bukem - Modern Times Part 2 Channel 4
How Records Are Made Part 1
How Records Are Made Part 2
Spiral Tribe Interviews (good short)

You have to have Interent explorer it seems (ot wont play on my Opera anyway).

 

[Error Gorilla]

Depeche Mode - 101

You don't have to like 'the Mode' but it helps I guess, DA Pennenbaker does a great job of capturing one of the largest concerts ever to be held, anywhere, and all the lead up stuff with the fans is good too, the bit where the guy goes home to pick up some CD's and catches his girlfriend in bed with another guy is classic.

Seconded; the piles of money from tee-shirt sales alone is eye-popping. Recently I've also enjoyed Moog, The Devil and Daniel Johnston and a Channel 4 programme I found on UK Nova on the early Ibiza scene, A Short History of Chilling.

There's some great stuff listed in this thread. Looks like I'm in for some crucial, top-level bit-torrent action.

 

[pk]

All Junglists - A London Someting Dis (Jungle days - ROn, Ragga Twins, Kool FM etc)

Don't bother - it's shite!

 

[ska invita]

All Junglists - A London Someting Dis (Jungle days - ROn, Ragga Twins, Kool FM etc)

Don't bother - it's shite!

-I think thats harsh - its not that good for people who aren't interested in the scene at the time anyway, but it is the only documentary on the subject and therefore stands up, even if only on the grounds of being a rare bit of footage.

I remember seeing this at the time and it was definitely relevant then, as we were in the middle of a media backlash against Jungle - even within the scene there was a lot of discontent.

93 was still all very e'd up, whilst by 94 there was a bunch of tunes that were decidedly darker, more blatantly ragga influenced, and certain people did feel the scene had changed for the worse. In reallity it was only every a part of a greater whole, and things were very different in London than they were up north. IN manchester, for example, labels like SS's Formation went all 4to the floor and stomping.

This documentary captures some of that London jungle scene, and does document that particular slice centred around Sunday Roast. It's a little budget, but if you're interested in the period its an interesting doc.

 

[ska invita]

Seconded; the piles of money from tee-shirt sales alone is eye-popping. Recently I've also enjoyed Moog, The Devil and Daniel Johnston and a Channel 4 programme I found on UK Nova on the early Ibiza scene, A Short History of Chilling.

There's some great stuff listed in this thread. Looks like I'm in for some crucial, top-level bit-torrent action.

-I need me membership of UK Nova... can you do invites? I dont think it works that way does it?

I wonder if you could look up these on UK Nova - Im curious to see if they are on there:

history of hip hop. old bbc arena doc from around 84.
Bombin' but its more about the uk black youth/hip hop/graffiti scene than actual music tho....
and 'sound of the north; Madchester'
-Channel 4's Hip Hop Years

 

[Error Gorilla]

On reading the UKNova FAQs, it seems they don't offer invites.

This programme is listed as available:

Four-part TV Channel 4 documentary series created to celebrate Hip Hop's '20th' year. A book (with the same title) was also published and a 2-CD set released. Nominated for Huw Wheldon Award for the Best Arts Programme, 2000.

The Hip Hop Years
The first instalment charts the beginnings of hip hop in late 70s America.

The Hip Hop Years
This second instalment examines the rise of hip hop through the 80s and 90s, and the emergence of gangsta rap. Featuring interviews with Chuck D and Ice T.

The Hip Hop Years
The final instalment brings the story up to date and examines how hip hop is veering ever closer to, like, complete world domination and stuff.

I'm happy to download it for you, but it'd be a bit academic as I don't have a DVD-R drive fitted in my computer. I suppose it would be possible to download it and then upload it to a public tracker like the Pirate Bay if you want.

If someone with a UKNova account and DVD-R drive can help?

 

[Apathy]

Nik lent the dvds and a vid out to someone, still chasing em back

get the bbc vid here tho if it helps well worth getting, i say its the best hip hop doc...

http://www.secondtonone.com/pages/oldskoolvids.htm

(the 'channel5' one)

I got 'bombin', 'Bad Meaning Good' (late 80s uk hip hop doc following westwood, london posse etc) and the Madchester sound of the north DVDs off ebay if that helps

soon as i get the stuff back tho will let ya know

 

[Dr. Furface]

Some great jazz documentaries:

The Miles Davis Story
Space is the Place - Sun Ra
Music is the Weapon - Fela Kuti
My Name is Albert Ayler http://www.mynameisalbertayler.com/

 

[Sigmund Fraud]

Space is the Place - Sun Ra

Space is the place is a drama - do you mean the recent Don Letts docu Brother from Another Planet?


Stalking Pete Docherty - car crash telly, funny for all the wrong reasons

 

[jodal]

Metallica: Some Kind of Monster

and...
Dig!
US vs John Lennon

 

[Dr. Furface]

Space is the place is a drama - do you mean the recent Don Letts docu Brother from Another Planet?

Hmmm, yeah you're right about 'Space...', but no, I wasn't thinking of the Don Letts film - which I haven't seen. I was thinkng of the earlier one Sun Ra: A Joyful Noise by Robert Mugge. Duh!

 

[moon]

Don Letts is a genius!!