But in terms of accuracy and raw, visceral energy, the staged recreation of iconic musical numbers can't compare with a concert film or documentary. (Slashfilm)
Music documentaries can capture a musician's story as they occur, but they can also look back at historical events years later and provide additional insights. They have the power to shed new light on famous performers whose life has been frequently covered by the media, and can spotlight underseen musicians who aren't given the credit they deserve. Music documentaries are often major awards contenders — films like "Amy," "20 Feet from Stardom," and "Searching for Sugar Man" all took home the prize for best documentary feature.
Make sure to see the greatest music documentaries ever made.
The Last Waltz The 44 th anniversary of Martin Scorcese’s Last Waltz
Documenting The Band’s Thanksgiving “farewell show” — the Band would ultimately reunite five years later — at Winterland Arena in San Francisco, The Last Waltz remains one of the most cherished concert films in history for its fiery performances from ‘70s rock’s golden gooses: Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Muddy Waters, Dr. John, Eric Clapton and many more. The event was filmed by director Martin Scorsese and made into a documentary of the same name, released in 1978.
“Murder of a Rolling Stones”
Another film on Brian Jones has been released on July 2019 “Murder of a Rolling Stones”
After Fifty years millions of Rolling Stones fans still remain undecided over what their favorite album is. Whether Buttons, Beggar’s Banquet, Let It Bleed or Exile On Main Street, their music remains eternal. And the ghost of Brian Jones still hovers over the band’s greatest moments.Official police reports say there were just three other people present on the night of Jones’ death: the guitarist’s girlfriend Anna Wohlin, Keylock’s girlfriend Janet Lawson and builder Frank Thorogood, who has been accused in several previous reports as responsible for Jones’ death.
Bruce Springsteen, Steve Van Zandt new Documentary Asbury Park: Riot, Redemption, Rock ’n’ Roll
Bruce Springsteen, Steve Van Zandt and more recount their Jersey Shore roots in a new documentary, Asbury Park: Riot, Redemption, Rock ‘n’ Roll. The film will premiere April 28th at the Paramount Theatre in Asbury Park as part of the 2019 Asbury Park Music and Film Festival. Directed by Tom Jones, Asbury Park examines the history of the seaside resort and how an unemployment crisis led to riots that decimated the town’s predominately black westside, including its fabled jazz and blues scene.
No Direction Home: Bob Dylan
This list includes Bob Dylan, who appeared alongside the Band for several phenomenal numbers in "The Last Waltz"; with 2005's "No Direction Home: Bob Dylan," Scorsese explored Dylan's entire career, with some fascinating insights from Dylan himself.208-minute documentary is as meticulously packed with detail as Scorsese's similarly lengthy narrative films
Gimme Shelter
1970's "Gimme Shelter" was originally intended to be a concert film that showed the last weeks of the Rolling Stones' 1969 U.S. world tour. However, the shocking events at the Altamont Free Concert forced directors Albert and David Maysles to turn it into a true crime documentary.
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Elvis: That's The Way It Is
The early '70s were a fascinating period in Elvis Presley's career. Elvis was obviously one of the most iconic performers of all-time, and topped his record-breaking success in the '50s with an expansion in the '60s, when he began starring in an increased number of Hollywood films. A brief decline in the mid-'60s saw Elvis holding fewer concerts and earning increasingly negative reviews for his performances, but the famous '68 comeback special was able to recapture his spirit. "Elvis: That's The Way It Is" became Elvis's first cinematic appearance in a non-narrative film in over a decade.
The Beatles: Eight Days a Week – The Touring Years
The movie, which is titled Eight Days A Week: The Touring Years and is due out later this year, chronicles the group’s career between 1962 and 1966, taking in scenes from Liverpool’s Cavern Club to San Francisco’s Candlestick Park.
It's challenging for a documentary about the Beatles to stand out, as the influence of the Fab Four has been frequently explored onscreen in a wide variety of ways. The band themselves starred in the narrative feature films "A Hard Day's Night" and "Help!" They also appeared in the divisive documentary "Let it Be," which covered the production of their final album.
” The Untold Story” of Amy Jade Winehouse (London, 14 September 1983 – London 23 July 2011).
Amy Jade Winehouse (14 September 1983 – 23 July 2011) was an English singer and songwriter known for her deep vocals and her eclectic mix of musical genres, including soul (sometimes labelled as blue-eyed soul and neo soul),rhythm and blues, and jazz. Winehouse’s 2003 debut album, Frank, was a critical success in the UK and was nominated for the Mercury Prize.
Bill Wyman documentary dropped by Sheffield Doc/Fest after protests about ‘sex predator’.
European premiere of The Quiet One is cancelled after complaints about the former Rolling Stone’s alleged grooming of his second wife, Mandy Smith, when she was a child.
A new documentary about former Rolling Stone Bill Wyman has been dropped from the programme of the forthcoming Sheffield Doc/Festfollowing protests about the circumstances of Wyman’s second marriage, according with The Guardian.
Bob Dylan: Don't Look Back
Leacock-Pennebaker
Scorsese was able to cover Dylan's comprehensive biography in "Don't Look Back," but the renowned documentarian D. A. Pennebaker had direct access to a pivotal period in Dylan's career as it unfolded. Dylan was already an established icon in 1965, and at the time it was rare for an artist to trust a filmmaker with 24-hour access and behind-the-scenes content during a major tour, particularly if that musician was one of the biggest in history. And yet, Pennebaker follows Dylan and his band during more or less the entirety of their 1965 tour of England.
Entitled Freddie Mercury: The Final Act, the film tells the story of the “extraordinary final chapter” of the singer’s life, leading to his death in 1991 from complications caused by Aids.Freddie Mercury: The Final Act airs on BBC Two in November.Among the figures to be interviewed for the programme are Mercury’s former bandmates, Brian May and Roger Taylor. The singer’s sister, Kashmira Bulsara, will also feature, as well as friends Anita Dobson and David Wigg, and Peter Freestone, Mercury’s PA.
A new documentary on The Beach Boys‘ classic album ‘Pet Sounds’ will air on Showtime in the US later this year.The album, released in May 1966, has had an inescapable influence on music and popular culture since its release, and is considered as one of pop music’s greatest masterpieces During the record’s sessions, vocalist Mike Love frequently referred to Brian Wilson as ‘Dog Ears’ due to his ability to hear an entire range of sounds and frequencies that most wouldn’t hear.
