Good online documentaries about music...

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Any good ones? I'm thinking stuff that can be found on Youtube etc...

inside out trousers (dog latin), Monday, 10 March 2014 09:55 (eleven years ago)

BBC Robert Wyatt documentary

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdNKPqG-0ss

everyday sheeple (Michael B), Monday, 10 March 2014 10:04 (eleven years ago)

ha just came to post the same one. it's good.

Nooye's Vagge (Noodle Vague), Monday, 10 March 2014 10:04 (eleven years ago)

almost everything can be found on youtube these days

Kraftwerk and the Electronic Revolution
Prog Britannia
Folk Britannia
Folk America
Synth Britannia
Krautrock: The Rebirth of Germany

etc etc

my father will guide me up the stairs to bed (anagram), Monday, 10 March 2014 10:05 (eleven years ago)

the Britannia ones have varying levels of "good"ness imo. wasn't hugely taken with the Prog one in terms of its treatment of the subject but obv lots of good old footage in everything. remember liking the Krautrock one a fair bit

Nooye's Vagge (Noodle Vague), Monday, 10 March 2014 10:14 (eleven years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zsb1w-3iFa8

Crackle Box, Monday, 10 March 2014 10:15 (eleven years ago)

I found a treasure trove of jazz docs - "1959 the year that changed jazz", was a good one. The one about Coltrane not so hot.

inside out trousers (dog latin), Monday, 10 March 2014 10:23 (eleven years ago)

the Walk On By shows are my favourite BBC music docs ever. each one looks at popular songs from a specific era, there are 8 of them and they're all on YT starting with this one about the jazz era

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JV_igNnTk14

also search the mid 90s Dancing In The Street BBC docs which were pretty much mindblowing bitd.

piscesx, Monday, 10 March 2014 12:26 (eleven years ago)

All You Need is Love - The Story of Popular Music

everyday sheeple (Michael B), Monday, 10 March 2014 12:35 (eleven years ago)

remember liking the Krautrock one a fair bit

The krautrock one was mostly good but ended very strangely. It was basically "and then David Bowie liked it and that's why it is important". ???!?!?

'Art of Sounds' looks interesting.

emil.y, Monday, 10 March 2014 16:22 (eleven years ago)

Wait is All You Need Is Love on line?

In Walked Sho-Bud (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 10 March 2014 16:30 (eleven years ago)

the wyatt one was part of the "Originals" strand which also had good docs on jake thackray & mose allison

lames for AnCo (wins), Monday, 10 March 2014 16:40 (eleven years ago)

BBC's 'The Alchemists of Sound', a docu about the BBC Radiophonic Workshop.

an office job is as secure as a Weetabix padlock (snoball), Monday, 10 March 2014 16:41 (eleven years ago)

'The New Sound of Music' from 1979, presented by Michael Rodd, mostly about electronic music, from music concreté, through the Radiophonic Workshop (there's a scene with him messing around with tape recorders and various bits, including the infamous lampshade), to more modern (for the time) synths.

an office job is as secure as a Weetabix padlock (snoball), Monday, 10 March 2014 16:44 (eleven years ago)

Haven't watched this Beefheart doc yet

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBa8bS_vZkM

dow, Monday, 10 March 2014 20:34 (eleven years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBa8bS_vZkM

dow, Monday, 10 March 2014 20:35 (eleven years ago)

fuck--anyway, it looks promising

dow, Monday, 10 March 2014 20:36 (eleven years ago)

That is an anawesome doc, watched when it was first broadcast. That was my intro to Beefheart, got a copy of TMR a few days after and never looked back..

xyzzzz__, Monday, 10 March 2014 20:39 (eleven years ago)

This doc on the Everly Brothers from '83 was broadcast again on TV here recently and really pissed on all of the cheap talking head bullshit that a BBC-made music doc passes for these days.

xyzzzz__, Monday, 10 March 2014 20:42 (eleven years ago)

you might know this mr x: any good docs on the classical music avant garde out there?

eardrum buzz aldrin (NickB), Monday, 10 March 2014 21:17 (eleven years ago)

has anyone seen that modulations doc?

lames for AnCo (wins), Monday, 10 March 2014 21:45 (eleven years ago)

Synth Brittania is pretty essential, and very exciting for us Yanks, especially since I haven't watched British television since 1982!!

I am Sporadicus! (I M Losted), Tuesday, 11 March 2014 01:32 (eleven years ago)

Remember the PBS doc on John Cage? Good times...

I am Sporadicus! (I M Losted), Tuesday, 11 March 2014 01:34 (eleven years ago)

Cool doc on William Onyeabor, sort of the opposite of Sugar Man.

kornrulez6969, Tuesday, 11 March 2014 02:21 (eleven years ago)

a couple dub/reggae docus worth watching

Studio One Story
http://youtu.be/OdARmTszGCU

Wackies: Bullwackie in New York
http://youtu.be/BxDO_31FqxQ

King at the Controls: The King Jammy Story
http://youtu.be/fVIHkmelZoo

cock chirea, Tuesday, 11 March 2014 04:05 (eleven years ago)

The one about Steely Dan making Aja was spectacular:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8GwEX7nn6o

that's not my post, Tuesday, 11 March 2014 05:06 (eleven years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jZ5L8vAH-Q

Rokk i Reykjavik, documentary from 1982 about the new wave scene in Iceland

soref, Tuesday, 11 March 2014 07:53 (eleven years ago)

http://vimeo.com/57055620

there's a short clip here from Roxette, a student film from 1977 about teenage Roxy Music fans in Salford, they were showing the whole thing (about 15 minutes or so I think?) at the Glam exhibition the Tate Liverpool had last year. If anyone knows were it's possible to see the rest of this again please say, because it was fantastic!

soref, Tuesday, 11 March 2014 08:05 (eleven years ago)

where

soref, Tuesday, 11 March 2014 08:07 (eleven years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5HRa9nEVVU

excellent documentary but contains trace elements of Rick Wakeman

first rule of franco club (Noodle Vague), Tuesday, 11 March 2014 08:11 (eleven years ago)

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xrxyxb_the-nomi-song-2004-documentary-the-klaus-nomi-odyssey-he-came-from-outer-space-to-save-the-human-rac_shortfilms

The Nomi Song, amazing documentary about Klaus Nomi

soref, Tuesday, 11 March 2014 08:23 (eleven years ago)

There are at least two very good documentaries about Momus on youtube, possibly more

http://youtu.be/kuZf3YD1cYo
'Amongst Women Only', 1991

http://youtu.be/MVzyCewxNZk
'I Can See Japan', 1999

soref, Tuesday, 11 March 2014 08:39 (eleven years ago)

Only Yesterday: The Carpenters' Story (2007)

http://youtu.be/SUMnajChiM4

there are lots of Carpenters documentaries on youtube, I like this one a lot, I don't know if anyone has recommendations for which other ones are worthwhile?

soref, Tuesday, 11 March 2014 09:06 (eleven years ago)

http://vimeo.com/344856

first rule of franco club (Noodle Vague), Tuesday, 11 March 2014 09:07 (eleven years ago)

I thought about that, I wasn't sure if it counted as a documentary, I agree it's a great film

soref, Tuesday, 11 March 2014 09:14 (eleven years ago)

it's not a documentary really is it? but everybody shd see it

first rule of franco club (Noodle Vague), Tuesday, 11 March 2014 09:16 (eleven years ago)

Sacred Music: Gorecki and Pärt

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7C8c7oh1xc

my father will guide me up the stairs to bed (anagram), Tuesday, 11 March 2014 09:19 (eleven years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7C8c7oh1xc

my father will guide me up the stairs to bed (anagram), Tuesday, 11 March 2014 09:19 (eleven years ago)

this is nothing but filth

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zh175GnxvL4

first rule of franco club (Noodle Vague), Tuesday, 11 March 2014 09:25 (eleven years ago)

Yes, the Carpenters had a (hilariously) formulaic made-for-TV movie that is classic in it's own right. Not that I think anorexia is funny - it's just that it was so exploitative....I can't bear to watch the Jackson's biopic again...it's as long as "Roots", I think.

Anyway...for important moments in rock history - how about James Vance and Judas Priest?

It aired on POV, which to some is an example of "far left" public television programming:

http://youtu.be/eDsv_oG3KWY

Also, search UNSUNG on YouTube. It is a regular series on Af-Am channel "One" and features hour-long documentaries of the cool cats of soul music. I would think you need to see these.

I am Sporadicus! (I M Losted), Thursday, 20 March 2014 00:47 (eleven years ago)

three weeks pass...

http://youtu.be/BXhfzkH_u14

Getting ready to watch this....

I am Sporadicus! (I M Losted), Saturday, 12 April 2014 01:16 (eleven years ago)

Gosh, that xpost Wyatt is exemplary, re being suffused with coherent music excerpts, especially the concert, without skimping on backstory, other commentary, or visual interest. Would have liked to hear "At Last I Am Free" one more time, but hey.

dow, Friday, 18 April 2014 19:22 (eleven years ago)

three weeks pass...

Not only are there loads of documentaries, but there are VINTAGE newscasts that make some second-hand sources look like fools:

http://youtu.be/QB74JaVoWLA

I really enjoyed this ancient Geraldo "exposé". If you ever wondered about late 70's America, here it is! It has stuff I haven't seen on TV in a million years, like REAL SOUTHERN PEOPLE!

I mean it's a "must do" if you're educating yourself about rock and roll music!

I am Sporadicus! (I M Losted), Friday, 9 May 2014 17:36 (eleven years ago)

No idea if it's any good, but I was on YouTube trying to find something on album cover art, and found an hour-plus documentary called Under the Covers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9wJrqC7tXI

Phrase I love from upthread: "contains trace elements of Rick Wakeman."

clemenza, Saturday, 10 May 2014 00:13 (eleven years ago)

one month passes...

That xpost Beefheart doc turned out to be really good, though mostly as an introduction; guess the same is true of this Hawkwind, but it's really got the visuals, the continuous sounds through the lightyears (listen on headphones),the succinct comments that don't intrude. Dave Brock refused to be in it because Nik Turner was, but he's got an interview, almost as long, on this same page (with a couple of Hawkwind concerts and albums too)Wonder if he's still keeping Hawkwind going, and if Nik & co. still are Space Ritual?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?list=RDJzAldD6t-ps&v=JzAldD6t-ps

dow, Saturday, 14 June 2014 05:00 (eleven years ago)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?list=RDJzAldD6t-ps&v=JzAldD6t-ps

dow, Saturday, 14 June 2014 05:01 (eleven years ago)

A really fantastic Rush documentary. Once you get beyond the useless celebrity eulogies in the first couple of minutes, it is nothing like you expect. The rare music documentary that may even be more enjoyable for non-fans while still taking the musicians at the center of it very seriously throughout.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAUtQhOFWFA

Three Word Username, Sunday, 15 June 2014 12:42 (eleven years ago)

Is that the one which has that famous argument with Alex and his dad? From your description I am exactly the audience for that.

That's How Strong My Dub Is (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 15 June 2014 14:20 (eleven years ago)

That's the one!

Three Word Username, Sunday, 15 June 2014 14:36 (eleven years ago)

Phrase I love from upthread: "contains trace elements of Rick Wakeman."
Should be noted that this is cancelled out by the simultaneous presence of Bernie Worrell.

That's How Strong My Dub Is (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 15 June 2014 16:08 (eleven years ago)

Taking a look at the Beefheart doc now, watching Switzerland-Ecuador out of the corner of my eye.

Wow, Zappa in a mellow tone.

That's How Strong My Dub Is (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 15 June 2014 16:11 (eleven years ago)

And making a reference to young Don as the protagonist of "Institutionalized."

That's How Strong My Dub Is (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 15 June 2014 16:12 (eleven years ago)

And Ry Cooder doing an excellent imitation of the good captain!

This documentary is bringing out the best in everybody.

That's How Strong My Dub Is (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 15 June 2014 16:18 (eleven years ago)

Zappa is mellow in the movie mostly because he's dying.

Three Word Username, Sunday, 15 June 2014 18:04 (eleven years ago)

Of course.

When "Hothead" started playing, could have sworn it was Television playing "Friction."

That's How Strong My Dub Is (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 15 June 2014 21:04 (eleven years ago)

Rush video blocked in my country on copyright grounds.

That's How Strong My Dub Is (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 15 June 2014 21:28 (eleven years ago)

Use a chrome extension called Hola :)

sinister porpoise (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Monday, 16 June 2014 14:44 (eleven years ago)

Hawkwind doc up thread was excellent

sinister porpoise (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Monday, 16 June 2014 14:45 (eleven years ago)

This one about NYC in 1977 was amazing. NYC rap, disco, punk in their social context.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSOj9UUjtCk

that's not my post, Tuesday, 17 June 2014 02:49 (eleven years ago)

yeah that 1977 doc is really well done.

fact checking cuz, Tuesday, 17 June 2014 07:16 (eleven years ago)

oh cool I need to watch that

dem bow dem bow need calcium (seandalai), Tuesday, 17 June 2014 11:56 (eleven years ago)

"We Jam Econo: The Story of the minutemen". Really well edited, with some fantastic rare live footage. The story is told in chronological order, but the live clips are not -- they are used to illustrate various points made about the band in the story and interviews, and it's very effective. Also the drummer made me cry at the end.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmKGusadv08

Three Word Username, Tuesday, 17 June 2014 20:11 (eleven years ago)

"we jam econo" is indeed fantastic, and i was close to tears from start to finish.

fact checking cuz, Tuesday, 17 June 2014 20:15 (eleven years ago)

yeah it's the greatest. very teary

set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Tuesday, 17 June 2014 20:19 (eleven years ago)

Will check that and the one about NYC in '77. Just now watched this 'un about The Fall, I get about 3-4 words from most of Mark E.'s offstage sentences, but they're always apt 3-4, and very good comments from all hands on deck. Had totally forgotten about the shows with Michael Clark's dance company! Excellent excerpts; hope to find the completes. Must check current Fall too. Anyway here's the link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InXwZc4RS7M&feature=kp

dow, Tuesday, 17 June 2014 20:47 (eleven years ago)

Every time I watch We Jam Econo I go through a couple of days feeling like minutemen were the only rock band that was worth a shit in this world

sinister porpoise (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Thursday, 19 June 2014 01:18 (eleven years ago)

otm

set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Thursday, 19 June 2014 01:30 (eleven years ago)

really enjoyed the rush doc! they seem like great guys, and love the fandom of it too.

niels, Friday, 20 June 2014 13:53 (eleven years ago)

My god, youse guys are so write about We Jam Econo---ideal music/talk ratio, as well it might be considering how short so many of their songs are: can do 2 sentences/whole song---but many directors would not manage this (gotta say, that's understandable too, considering how intriguing a lot of these uncommentaters are). Wonder what ever happened to those ten sets of song lyrics Meltzer gave them for the proposed collab, with him singing and playing sax?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmKGusadv08

dow, Saturday, 21 June 2014 03:50 (eleven years ago)

Cant link atm but the Mark Sandman doc is on Vimeo (with Spanish subtitles) also incidentally features Watt

Master of Treacle, Saturday, 21 June 2014 11:39 (eleven years ago)

Thanks. Just watched this good Can documentary, from 1999, 1 hour, 27 min. Mostly music, mostly long performances.Would like to see full-length "I Want More," with the disco gold dust women, and this is the only one where audience, well some of the audience, move with the music, rather than staring, like the students in The Blow-Up. From 1971 on, we get various vocalists, the funk-and-then-some, tophatted bassist, when Holger transfers to his tapes, shortwave and Morse key; excerpts from previous Continental docs, stretching out on The Old Grey Whistle Test, in the home stretch with comments and remix excerpts from Carl Craig, Sonic Youth, James Lavelle and U.N.K.L.E, the Orb ("The first time I heard about Can was in this thing about the Sex Pistols"). The music never stops, or takes a backseat to talk.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNhuwkmmzak

dow, Friday, 27 June 2014 05:17 (eleven years ago)

one month passes...

Nico_Icon---starts with some sordid road stories (thanks, James), but they pertain, as does his "We were sort of planets around her moon." And it gets better, though some of the comments are in German, French, Italian. Music always sounds great, and a very nice performance surprise at the very end:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1vkiQdEU7M

dow, Friday, 15 August 2014 21:26 (ten years ago)

Brilliance and sadness. Links make this a nine-parter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VC0DayWUY64

bodacious ignoramus, Saturday, 16 August 2014 07:06 (ten years ago)

Well yeah, I've posted this elsewhere, but this was the perennially shared DVD of "the best music doc ever" round my friend circle, of course now on Youtube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WahnZ1HcW00

faghetti (fgti), Saturday, 16 August 2014 07:41 (ten years ago)

More pain from Daniel Johnston,,,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usP3dUJBrQo

bodacious ignoramus, Saturday, 16 August 2014 07:47 (ten years ago)

sorry... DJ is not free

bodacious ignoramus, Saturday, 16 August 2014 07:50 (ten years ago)

one month passes...

I've had Step Across The Border's soundtrack for ages, gotta see the doc. Here's one about The Church of Saint John Coltrane, via WFMU--haven't watched it yet, but I have faith:
http://aeon.co/video/culture/the-church-of-saint-john-coltrane/

dow, Sunday, 12 October 2014 23:13 (ten years ago)

three weeks pass...

Trailer for A Band Called Death, streaming on Amazon Prime, Hulu, and sometimes YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzxnnQHrZBQ

dow, Sunday, 2 November 2014 23:10 (ten years ago)

Well worth watching, especially once you get past introductory celeb endorsements.

Thackeray Zax (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 2 November 2014 23:53 (ten years ago)

one month passes...

from geeta, via the twittervine:

Great, rare doc by Charles Atlas on NY noise, feat. John Zorn, Lydia Lunch, Arto Lindsay, & more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-2sb9DcgUI … via @visaforviolet

dow, Monday, 22 December 2014 03:22 (ten years ago)

Another via Twitter (another haven't had time to watch yet): My Nashville---BBC doc, intrepid Bob Harris

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mg0cbPObxA

dow, Monday, 22 December 2014 03:49 (ten years ago)

Worthwhile Crass Documentary -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LQ1CvwF7BQ

MaresNest, Monday, 22 December 2014 09:03 (ten years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAfJZxi0hio

^^^^ Documentary with English subtitles about Polish new wave rock under Communism in the eighties.

Wristy Hurlington (ShariVari), Monday, 22 December 2014 09:25 (ten years ago)

one month passes...

Flying Nun: Heavenly Pop Hits includes really old NZ videos you've probably never seen:

http://youtu.be/sjUDemQFznA

SCOTTISH PEOPLE ONLY (I M Losted), Monday, 26 January 2015 13:13 (ten years ago)

haven't seen that since it was first shown here, but the sight of m4rtin phi11ips' dead possum art is bringing it all back :-/

5 seconds into part 2 and you can see a roof/chimney just down the street from where i'm sitting.

no lime tangier, Monday, 26 January 2015 14:10 (ten years ago)

TRIBUTE, an early-'00s look at tribute bands, is one of my favorite documentaries

http://vimeo.com/78953694

maura, Monday, 26 January 2015 14:49 (ten years ago)

Intriguing, thanks! Hope Lez Zep is in there.
Dunno if this is the whole thing, but looks promising; will check both of these when more time:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyzL6D-5znY

dow, Monday, 26 January 2015 15:22 (ten years ago)

"From $3.99" on YouTube and well worth it: 20 Feet From Stardom, about back-up singers (I saw it in a theatre, was blown away, plus it got me thinking about white male classic rock superstars' reliance on black female & some male supersources, even aside from white male etc. w music of Chuck Berry etc.; also still quite evident---no big lectures here: more show than tell, though lots of cogent lines from all concerned)

dow, Monday, 26 January 2015 15:32 (ten years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWyUJcA8Zfo

dow, Monday, 26 January 2015 15:33 (ten years ago)

20 Feet is on Netflix instant too

Wu-Tang Clannad (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Monday, 26 January 2015 19:41 (ten years ago)

February 9th only. Not perfect but worth seeing

Starting right now, for 24 hours only (until 10 a.m. Eastern tomorrow), Pitchfork.tv is hosting a full stream of Kiley Kraskouskas' film The Last Song Before The War, a feature documentary about Mali's Festival in the Desert.

Festival in the Desert was a music festival held annually near Timbuktu, beginning in 2001. In 2012, Northern Mali was taken over by separatist rebels and Islamic militants, and the festival was forced into exile. The Last Song Before The War tells the festival's story, featuring performances from the 2011 edition.

The film features Vieux Farka Touré, Tinariwen, Leni Stern, Oumou Sangaré, Habib Koité, Bassekou Kouyate, Amy Sacko, Group Amanar, and Tartit, with appearances from Bono of U2 and writer Banning Eyre.

Watch the full film below, for 24 hours only.

curmudgeon, Monday, 9 February 2015 15:26 (ten years ago)

Christ is there ANY music documentary Bono hasn't insinuated himself into? Now he's an expert on Malian desert music? GO AWAY.

Hadrian VIII, Monday, 9 February 2015 17:01 (ten years ago)

haha i almost didn't watch the excellent muscle shoals doc because he was the first human you see in it

kurt kobaïan (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Monday, 9 February 2015 19:02 (ten years ago)

Bono, Thurston Moore, Henry Rollins - the worst

Master of Treacle, Monday, 9 February 2015 19:29 (ten years ago)

order of preference
rollins
thurston

bono

kurt kobaïan (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Monday, 9 February 2015 19:31 (ten years ago)

whither Fricke?

EZ Snappin, Monday, 9 February 2015 20:12 (ten years ago)

oh i like fricke actually just because dammnit the years come and go but old david still looks that same sinewy vaguely-40ish and same damn ramones haircut

kurt kobaïan (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Monday, 9 February 2015 20:39 (ten years ago)

He cut a fine figure a few years ago at SXSW. Very pleasant dude.

EZ Snappin, Monday, 9 February 2015 20:59 (ten years ago)

The world needs more 55 year old alt rock statesmen to be ubiquitous in documentaries

Master of Treacle, Monday, 9 February 2015 21:03 (ten years ago)

Someone should do supercut of Bono's incisive commentary in films about

The Ramones
Leonard Cohen
Phyl Lynott
Frank Sinatra
Mississippi juke joints
Morrissey
Paul Robeson
Abba
The Pretenders
Jack Clement
Joe Strummer
Nueve Cancion songs
John Lennon
Muscle Shoals
The Beatles
Paul McCartney
Ronny Drew
Quincy Jones
Woody Guthrie
Arthur Fogel
Luciano Pavoratti
Horslips
Mick Jagger
Tony Bennett
Kirsty MacColl
Ivan Kral
Roy Orbison
B.B. King
Eminem
Victor Jara
Tina Turner
Johnny Mercer
Kylie Minogue

that's not to mention Bill Clinton, Charles Bukowski, soccer, apartheid, Anton Corbijn, the evangelical movement, Michael Caine, AIDS, Cirque de Soleil, Billy Graham, George Clooney, competitive robotics, the 9/11 attacks, Island Records, Oscar Wilde, and Mississippi

Hadrian VIII, Tuesday, 10 February 2015 01:14 (ten years ago)

"The great thing about The Ramones is they showed U2 that you could be four skinny kids from the city with a heart full of rock n roll"

"The thing about Leonard Cohen is he showed the world, and U2 especially, that you could express pain in a song and still remain manly. So manly."

"Phil Lynott was an inspiration to all Irish kids with stars in their eyes and rock n roll in their hearts."

"The thing about Frank Sinatra is that his appeal was timeless, and he could connect with decade after decade of new generations, as when he was good enough to re-record the classic I've Got You Under My Skin with me in 1993"

"As we in U2 got to discover on the Joshua Tree tour, the Mississippi juke joints are still out there, still hopping with the true spirit of rock n roll, that we'd been looking for since playing in the smelliest basement pubs in Dublin."

oochie wally (clean version) (sic), Tuesday, 10 February 2015 01:27 (ten years ago)

Lol at all of these posts

Up the Junction Boulevard (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 10 February 2015 01:30 (ten years ago)

well this is one to be avoided (it would SEEM) since first minute and a half is communicating to extra terrestrials or something

http://youtu.be/Em4kpy1YuNQ

"You'd have to EXTRACT the record, y'know, from it's SLEEVE, and, y'know, place it on the turntable"

http://cdn.makeagif.com/media/2-19-2015/85wFmQ.gif

niels, Thursday, 19 February 2015 17:57 (ten years ago)

one year passes...

Pride and Joy: The Making of Alligator Records--watch Alligator Tales, a mini-doc about the doc, with much more info, here (Blu-Ray coming out 4/22, will have to check for reg DVD)
http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?m=1102557630070&ca=1597b49b-3420-4de9-8f7f-57d204318919

dow, Wednesday, 16 March 2016 22:42 (nine years ago)

Oh, and Pride and Joy is directed by highly esteemed Robert Mugge, who also made the Sonny Rollins doc G Man and many others.

dow, Wednesday, 16 March 2016 22:46 (nine years ago)

tbh, I have always found that guy kind of annoying. Finds interesting subjects but don't particularly dig the way he films them.

SIGSALY Can't Dance (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, 16 March 2016 23:05 (nine years ago)

from Rolling Country

The milestone early 70s music doc Heartworn Highways* is streaming (for free) til 4 PM Eastern, March 19, on youtube, link and more info here (incl re National Record Store Day ltd. ed. monster box)http://pitchfork.com/news/64203-outlaw-country-documentary-heartworn-highways-to-stream-on-pitchfork/"> http://pitchfork.com/news/64203-outlaw-country-documentary-heartworn-highways-to-stream-on-pitchfork/
*With Townes VZ, Guy Clark, Coe, Crowell, Earle, Charlie Daniels, Larry Jon Wilson, and several more, incl Steve Young (RIP just now)

― dow, Friday, March 18, 2016 8:16 PM (1 minute ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

89 minutes, the first 32 of which have mostly been immersive. Back to it.

― dow, Friday, March 18, 2016 8:18 PM (0 seconds ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

dow, Saturday, 19 March 2016 01:52 (nine years ago)

four weeks pass...

if this link doesn't appear, check YouTube: it's My Name Is Albert Ayler---so far mostly in English with German subtitles

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVrmIWO6UFg

dow, Sunday, 17 April 2016 20:11 (nine years ago)

two weeks pass...

MC5: A True Testimonial

https://youtu.be/wNXFs6LEkvw

I watched this a few months ago, it's pretty great.

nate woolls, Saturday, 7 May 2016 17:15 (nine years ago)

https://youtu.be/2R0kcD-QaQc

You're Gonna Miss Me, the Roky Erickson doc.

Duke, Saturday, 7 May 2016 19:11 (nine years ago)

two months pass...

Roky doc on DVD has rich bonus material; the update on his unlikely touring comeback seems crucial.
Watching Poly Styrene doc on BBC Arena, '79:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3VfugdCTTU

dow, Sunday, 24 July 2016 22:37 (eight years ago)

eight months pass...

Just now watch Gimme Danger, starring the Stooges, one of the best roc docs I've ever seen or heard (despite Behind The Music-type intro). If Ig mentions early inspiration by Harry Partch or Miles Davis (or of course Clarabell or the Three Stooges), Jarmusch has apt footage, ditto, when relevant, Pink Fairies (some of whom were proposed for backing Ig's solo debut, but he heard them as "an amalgamation" of the original Alice Cooper band and for inst MC5, so why not get real Stooges)(also has footage of MC5 live, despite their own excellent doc. linked above,still being in legal limbo, last I heard, because disputes over music royalties, although it sometimes shows up on YouTube), (also got relevant rockin clips of Destroy All Monsters and Sonic's Rendevous Band re Asheton involvement), but skips most of Ig and Bowie's post-Stooges work, and in fact all of Ig's solo career----jumping instead to how they got back together---also, the right (often surprising, though I thought I knew a lot of) details about tracks, albums, shows, people----if it's ever into the weeds, eyes are always on the ball, which is always rolling (not too speedy, but fleet). Streaming here, free for now, at least with free Prime membership, which can be cancelled any time:
https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B01LYRDGU4/moredarkthanshar?ref_=nav_custrec_signin&;

dow, Thursday, 13 April 2017 21:20 (eight years ago)

Of course the talk/music ratio is always tricky in these things, but overall effect seemed pretty exhilarating.

dow, Thursday, 13 April 2017 21:23 (eight years ago)

I need to see that still. Recall reading criticism of it for being too conventional for a Jarmusch movie. Plus the James Booker "Bayou Maharaja" one.

curmudgeon, Friday, 14 April 2017 16:05 (eight years ago)

I thought it was just okay, redeemed largely by Iggy being such a great storyteller. A lot of the sillier animation and cut-in footage was goofy but what else could Jarmusch do - not a ton of archival footage he could rely on or anything.

Οὖτις, Friday, 14 April 2017 16:13 (eight years ago)

I got carried away at the beginning of that post, but it's solid, and "conventional" mostly via a just-the-facts-Ma'am momentum that's really a bit atypical for rock docs, given the way so many stick with Behind The Music soap opera and/or infomercial touches---no nostalgic endorsements from Bono and/or Dave Grohl in this one, just comments from the musos and close associates, mainly Danny Fields and Kathy Asheton (didn't know they had a sister, even a mention of her as original connection w MC5, being Sonic Smith's gf---she should write a book)(so should Ig, or maybe he has?). Also, I think it makes clear as excerpts can their strengths and limitations.

dow, Friday, 14 April 2017 23:04 (eight years ago)

The extra footage which is just Iggy making weird sounds is great.

Mud... Jam... Failure... (aldo), Tuesday, 18 April 2017 09:20 (eight years ago)

four months pass...

https://youtu.be/2_A9XJQ1UdY

nate woolls, Monday, 21 August 2017 06:09 (seven years ago)

^ New Order documentary, ITV 1993.

nate woolls, Monday, 21 August 2017 06:10 (seven years ago)

two months pass...

Kraftwerk and the Electronic Revolution is streaming for free on Amazon Prime and is also on Youtube and elsewhere. it's really good. milton parker described it a few years ago on the cluster thread:

there are late 60's film clips from the Zodiak Free Arts Club in the Kraftwerk and the Electronic Revolution DVD, which is actually a very interesting documentary on the origins of Krautrock -- the first hour is all about Tangerine Dream / Kluster / Ash Ra Tempel, with interviews with Schulze / Moebius / Roedelius / Schnitzler & lots of clips. Kraftwerk's first record isn't even mentioned until 60 minutes in, at which point the documentary switches over mostly to critics talking about the records and the archival footage becomes far less interesting, but if you like Krautrock 68-71 you definitely want to see that DVD

Currently (Karl Malone), Wednesday, 25 October 2017 20:04 (seven years ago)

Kraftwerk's first record isn't even mentioned until 60 minutes in, at which point the documentary switches over mostly to critics talking about the records and the archival footage becomes far less interesting

i will say, though, that i actually really liked the talking heads part of it because karl bartos is one of the heads (as well as moebius, roedelius, schniztler, schulze, and others) and he has lots of interesting tidbits about his role within the band when he first joined vs how he was let into the composition process more for man machine and computer world. i'm realizing more and more what an unsung hero bartos is. as far as the archival footage goes for the post radioactivity-era part of the film, i had seen a good deal of it before but there were also plenty of things that were new to me, so i enjoyed it. but yeah, the title is a bit of a misnomer because it's really only about 1/3 to 1/2 kraftwerk, all told, since they also spent a lot of time on early krautrock, new wave, eno and bowie, detroit and chicago techno, and other scenes

Currently (Karl Malone), Wednesday, 25 October 2017 20:12 (seven years ago)

three years pass...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agUS6GnZr_U

Maresn3st, Sunday, 25 April 2021 15:50 (four years ago)

oooh thx

terminators of endearment (VegemiteGrrl), Sunday, 25 April 2021 16:21 (four years ago)

^so good
Also works as a long podcast if you don’t care about visuals

calstars, Sunday, 25 April 2021 23:28 (four years ago)

yeah this was really great!

terminators of endearment (VegemiteGrrl), Monday, 26 April 2021 01:32 (four years ago)

ten months pass...

finished watching the jarmusch GIMME DANGER doc last night: tbed to agree with Οὖτις upthread, that ig as raconteur absolutely made it worth it but the fill-in visual material was all opportunities missed -- if you going to deploy the three stooges so often then at least talk to iggy abt the stooges!

(as it was we got the anecdote -- new to me but i bet not new to the world -- of ron asheton ringing moe to ask permission and iggy snicking muttley-style at the outcome) (which was basically yes)

also: why not did in a little against the entire cliche armature of what the stooges did and what they were against? for rock against hippies, ok -- get ig to talk abt this, push him on the problems. when he's being disobliging abt john sinclair and the white panthers push back and ask if maybe MC5 politics (which ig disdains) isn't the reason the mc5 were eager to help enable creative space for the stooges? he's a highly intelligent cultured man, he absolutely understands irony, th4e answer might be dull and self-serving but maybe it won't be!

if they "destroyed the 60s" what are they doing being inducted into the RnR hall of fame? when tony defries said ig shd play "peter pan" and he gurned back at him "manson or nothing!", i mean, look at where iggy is now: he is literally become the "world's forgotten boy who never grew up"! -- nudge him to comment (instead of replaying "they replaced elvis with fabian, oh my a-boo-hoo" for the trilliionth time, fabian is really not an issue these days

it ends with an anecdote abt the "cool kids" at his school come to harass him in his parents' trailer -- they were bullies and jerks and he hated them and wanted to impress them, well ok, why not expand on the complexities of this too, as an original story or a persona and an act and a stance

anyway the live stuff was good, it was nice to see dave alexender and the ashetons getting some belated human affection, and mr osterberg is always pleasant to spend company with

mark s, Sunday, 6 March 2022 10:39 (three years ago)

Think this is the one with sister Kathy or Cathy Asheton? More her please and a family doc, w the music of course.

dow, Sunday, 6 March 2022 21:53 (three years ago)

two months pass...

Just missed a discussion author Ned Sublette had with director Robert Mugge re 2021 restored version of his 1991 Deep Blues doc in Mississippi

curmudgeon, Sunday, 22 May 2022 14:19 (three years ago)

two months pass...

Just got this from Jessica Hopper, offering screeners, but also, as it says at bottom, first three eps are already streaming, with a new one about to drop:

Hello music writer buds, strangers, ex-colleagues--

I spent the better part of the last year directing and producing Women Who Rock, a four-part docuseries for EPIX/Amazon, spotlighting women's artistry and their innovations in music. It's four hours of delineating matrilineage, working through the last 70-ish years of popular recordings, from Bessie Smith on up to Syd.

It stars Mavis Staples, Chaka Khan, Rickie Lee Jones, Nona Hendryx of LaBelle, Nancy Wilson of Heart, Pat Benetar, Sheryl Crow, Shania Twain, Joan Jett and few dozen working artists including Tori Amos, Tina Weymouth of Talking Heads, Kira from Black Flag, Jayne County, Merry Clayton, Syd, St. Vincent, Sarah McLachlan, Alice Bag, Yola, Susanna Hoffs, Kelis, Allison Wolfe of Bratmobile, Kathleen Hanna, Sheila E, Nite Jewel, Kate Pierson of B52s, FeFe Dobson, Debora Iyall from Romeo Void, Margo Price, Star Amerasu, Tegan & Sara, Bethany of Best Coast, Aimee Mann, Jody Watley... it's a real cavalcade.

AND ALSO!? Some of your co-workers/mentors/critical faves: Ann Powers, Suzy Exposito, Ayana Contreras, Holly George-Warren, Danyel Smith, Andrea Warner, and Julianne Escobedo-Shepherd all weigh in with their deep expertise. PLUS! Ramona Gonzalez of Nite Jewel outlines the history of women screaming in music! Sheila E talks about building her own studio! Nona talks about being mentored by Nina Simone! Chaka Khan talks about Joni pulling her back from the brink! Shania gets emotional talking about Taylor Swift! A lot happens!

Gendered canons are weird, as we likely all agree, but I tried to make something that was really about what these women endowed to each other, their relationships to each other's work. To put the lie to competitive mythology. And to also have a discussion of punk that isn't centered on Henry Rollins memory of events. Modest and, perhaps, predictable goals.
I hope you enjoy it.

...& the first 3 episodes are streaming on EPIX and Amazon now.
They will hook you up with whatever you need.
Episode 4 airs this Sunday.

Best --
Jessica H.

dow, Thursday, 28 July 2022 02:08 (two years ago)

up to Syd whut?

dow, Thursday, 28 July 2022 02:08 (two years ago)

possibly Syd tha Kyd?

one time gaffled 'em up (one time), Thursday, 28 July 2022 02:15 (two years ago)

four months pass...

Syd Straw?

You have to sign up for Night Flight to watch this, but they have some good stuff, might not be too bad (haven't checked for any prices)

Fugazi - Instrument (1999)
Instrument is a collaboration between filmmaker Jem Cohen and Fugazi, covering the period of 1987-1996. Far from a traditional documentary, this is a musical document; a portrait of musicians at work.

The project mixes sync-sound, 16mm. Super-8 video and a wide range of archival formats, including concert footage, studio sessions practice, touring, interviews and portraits of audience members from around the country. (Special thanks to our friends at Dischord for tonight's new arrival).

"...a beguiling, mesmerizing film, because it never settles on a straightforward path. It creates a portrait of the band without revealing the whole picture." — Kyle Ryan, The AV Club

dow, Saturday, 17 December 2022 20:09 (two years ago)

Sorry! Link to Night Flight is in here:
https://mailchi.mp/nightflight/fugaziinstrument?e=42851f1305

dow, Saturday, 17 December 2022 20:11 (two years ago)

one month passes...

Only tangentially music, but I watched this Milton Glaser (famous Dylan poster, various album covers) documentary off YouTube last night:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZ1YHqgZzGQ

clemenza, Tuesday, 17 January 2023 00:52 (two years ago)

seven months pass...

This is so great -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UO4N_wgbl-o

MaresNest, Friday, 15 September 2023 21:06 (one year ago)

I have no idea who Miller miller miller and sloan are but watched the first 10 minutes and the music sounds fantastic and the documentary interesting.

✖✖✖ (Moka), Friday, 15 September 2023 21:15 (one year ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWP_fmRnDEc

MaresNest, Tuesday, 19 September 2023 15:46 (one year ago)

The Death (band) documentary^

MaresNest, Tuesday, 19 September 2023 15:46 (one year ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLvCp7zqzxs

MaresNest, Tuesday, 19 September 2023 15:47 (one year ago)

I have no idea who Miller miller miller and sloan are but watched the first 10 minutes and the music sounds fantastic and the documentary interesting.

I actually saw a bit of that - also didn't know who they were before, but one of those guys went on to build a pretty good career as an engineer. (He even worked on 3 Feet High and Rising.)

birdistheword, Tuesday, 19 September 2023 17:46 (one year ago)

one year passes...

Haven't watched this yet but seems like might be ok

Roadie: My Documentary

Now Available On Amazon Prime

Award-Winning Independent Film By TJ Hoffman and Andy Strohl

Chronicles Behind-The-Scenes Road Life With Former Roadie

TJ Hoffman & Other Band Crew Members

Who’ve Worked With Diverse Music Artists Including

Metallica, The Allman Brothers Band, Mötley Crüe,

Elton John, Ramones, Agnostic Front, Skid Row & More

Watch The Trailer Here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwvTwZXriAM

Award-winning indie documentary Roadie: My Documentary--a film by TJ Hoffman and Andy Strohl--is celebrating its 5th anniversary and is now available for viewing on Amazon Prime. Prime members can watch the film for free here (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B5NP3WR1/) and others can watch or purchase for a nominal fee. Roadie: My Documentary is also available via other platforms found here: https://linktr.ee/roadiedoc

...Whether they’re defined as a hard-core roadie, instrument tech, or jack of all trades, their backstage presence and impact are undeniable, earning the utmost respect from many of the top performers they’ve helped to launch and support along the way.

“Techs not only can do what we do, but they can fix a broken amp in 10 seconds or less,” says guitarist Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal, formerly with Guns N’ Roses. “They all have skills that we don’t, plus they’re all musicians as well. We couldn’t do what they do, but they could do what we do.”

Powerful interviews in the film include a former Metallica roadie sharing his firsthand account of the tragic tour bus accident that took the life of bassist Cliff Burton in Europe. Another touring vet describes the historical origin of the “roadie,” dating back to his work with The Allman Bros. Band in their early days, and he talks about the role that legendary concert promoter Bill Graham played in the creation of the modern touring model.

...● Alice Cooper

● The Allman Brothers Band

● Agnostic Front

● Billy Idol

● The Black Keys

● Bon Jovi

● Counting Crows

● David Bowie

● Demi Lovato

● Elton John

● Grateful Dead

● Guns N’ Roses

● GWAR

● Ignite

● India Arie

● KISS

● Madonna

● Metallica

● M.O.D

● Mötley Crüe

● The Offspring

● Peter Frampton

● Ramones

● Rob Thomas

● Skid Row

● System of a Down

● The Who

Roadie: My Documentary has been recognized by film festivals in the U.S. and internationally. Accolades include:

Winner – International Independent Film Awards - Summer Session (2017)

Winner – Garden State Film Festival (2018)

Official Selection – Austin Spotlight Film Festival (2018)

Official Selection – Hollywood International Independent Documentary Awards (2018)

Official Selection – Brazil Cinfest (2018)

Official Selection – Irvine International Film Festival (2018)

Official Selection – WideScreen Film & Music Video Festival (2018)

Publicity Contact:

Kristine Ashton-Magnuson / Ashton-Magnuson Media, kristine at am-media.net

https://www.roadiefilm.com/

dow, Wednesday, 20 November 2024 01:39 (seven months ago)

Sorry, that long list of performers should have been preceded by

Roadies included in the film have toured with a diverse range of music artists, including:

dow, Wednesday, 20 November 2024 01:42 (seven months ago)

two weeks pass...

The documentary shown on BBC2 last night about Scottish child star Lena Zavaroni makes really grim viewing.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m0023vpw/lena-zavaroni-the-forgotten-child-star

Wry & Slobby (Portsmouth Bubblejet), Saturday, 7 December 2024 14:10 (six months ago)

Does sound grim.

curmudgeon, Monday, 9 December 2024 18:03 (six months ago)

two weeks pass...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-X192fDRLw

Maresn3st, Wednesday, 25 December 2024 23:34 (six months ago)

five months pass...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvA8RwjBobs

Maresn3st, Monday, 23 June 2025 16:06 (five days ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TIjEuPaYuc

Maresn3st, Monday, 23 June 2025 16:06 (five days ago)


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