music documentaries that focus on bands in the recording studio

Message Bookmarked
Bookmark Removed

Just finishing up Get Back for the first time and wanted to get more recommendations for docs that devote a significant amount of their running time to the process of musicians recording their albums. Not like, sitting in a recording studio listening back to the old tapes, but actually having a film crew in there documenting the original recording of the record. Off the top of my head, I've got Wilco's I Am Trying to Break Your Heart and A Year and a Half in the Life of Metallica. What else fits this bill?

peace, man, Monday, 28 March 2022 15:59 (three years ago)

Godard's Sympathy for the Devil

Les hommes de bonbons (cryptosicko), Monday, 28 March 2022 16:00 (three years ago)

Did Somebody Drop His Mouse? (The Making of Son of Schmillson)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HGeqau2Zzs

Precious, Grace, Hill & Beard LTD. (C. Grisso/McCain), Monday, 28 March 2022 16:03 (three years ago)

Is Metallica: Some Kind of Monster too obvious?

JRN, Monday, 28 March 2022 16:08 (three years ago)

This is surprisingly good, I'm not a huge fan of SW but this is one of his better records and I liked seeing how they tracked it in a really quite scuzzy space stocked with interesting vintage gear.

Has an awesome appearance from Mark Feltham towards the end (made famous from his work with Talk Talk, The The, and a million other bands)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQ80fMw9XMg

Maresn3st, Monday, 28 March 2022 16:13 (three years ago)

I think there's at least two documentaries featuring footage of Lennon, Ono and Spector recording Imagine.

Halfway there but for you, Monday, 28 March 2022 16:40 (three years ago)

It's been a while since I watched it, but from memory the documentary that comes with Springsteen's The Promise reissue includes a fair amount of studio footage from the Darkness on the Edge of Town sessions.

joni mitchell jarre (anagram), Monday, 28 March 2022 16:55 (three years ago)

Only 30 minutes but: U2’s the unforgettable fire doc

brimstead, Monday, 28 March 2022 17:59 (three years ago)

Much of the Scott Walker 30 Century Man doc is him in the studio punching meat and such for The Drift.

henry s, Monday, 28 March 2022 18:26 (three years ago)

Eno (Alfons Sinniger, 1973; 24 minutes, much of it on the recording of Warm Jets)
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x81aix1

Everybody Loves Ramen (WmC), Monday, 28 March 2022 18:37 (three years ago)

I saw the Eno doc The Man Who Fell to Earth years ago but I can't recall how much time it spends on him in the studio).

Everybody Loves Ramen (WmC), Monday, 28 March 2022 18:40 (three years ago)

Not a proper documentary, as it's just a raw footage collage, but ever since JCLC posted the David Sylvian Brilliant Trees sessions last year I've revisited it countless times. One of my favorite things as of recently tbh.

Let's disco dance, Hammurabi! (Austin), Monday, 28 March 2022 18:45 (three years ago)

"Born Fighters", the Nick Lowe Dave Edmonds and Rockpile doc.

Mark G, Monday, 28 March 2022 18:46 (three years ago)

That’s a good one.

The Central Rockaliser (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 29 March 2022 02:36 (three years ago)

The short documentary Mutiny! captured The Birthday Party recording their last EP, all studio footage, no narration.

city worker, Tuesday, 29 March 2022 03:03 (three years ago)

I would give about anything for there to be a documentary about the music and crea4ive process and recordings of Talk Talk/Mark Hollis sans all "they meant so much to me" talking head interviews... But a less likely thing, there probably isn't.

Soundslike, Tuesday, 29 March 2022 03:16 (three years ago)

Springsteen's Blood Brothers?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_Brothers_(1996_film)

Ant1973, Tuesday, 29 March 2022 10:16 (three years ago)

XP - I think the chapters in Phill Brown's book are the closest we'll ever get.

Maresn3st, Tuesday, 29 March 2022 10:28 (three years ago)


You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.