the Great Rock Music films

[syncrolecyne]

I saw The Last Waltz, on television the other day, and while I have never paid much attention to The Band/Robbie Robertson before, I was really impressed. I was expecting something mediocre, such as The Song Remains the Same (and I am a big Zeppelin fan). Are there any other rock music films in the "Waltz" league...films that will convert someone into a fan?

[grendel72]

Stop Making Sense.
And although it isn't a concert film, if you aren't a Guitar Wolf fan after seeing Wild Zero there is something seriously wrong with you.

[3_14159265358979323846]

Well, there's always the classic "rockumentary", This is Spinal Tap. But that's probably not what you had in mind.

[jehovah68]

Don't Look Back - the 1967 documentary by D.A. Pennebaker is a wonderful look into the world of a young artist - in this case one Bob Dylan, on his 1965 tour of England at the tender age of 23. Joan Baez and Donovan also appear. Highly recommended.
Also check out Chuck Berry, Hail Hail Rock and Roll. Guests include Eric Clapton, Robert Cray, Bo Diddley, the Everly Brothers, Etta James, John Lennon, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Roy Orbison, Keith Richards, Linda Ronstadt, and Bruce Springsteen - arguably just as impressive as The Last Waltz.

[TelcontarStorm]

Check out Frank Zappa's 200 Motels A strange little documenty style film about the road.

The Monkey's Head It's been alot of years since I saw it, but if you don't like the Monkeys, you will at least respect them after viewing this strange thing.

And don't forget Pink Floyd's The Wall It is just what it is expected ot be but somehow I couldn't suggest just 2 films

[twickster]

Won't convert anyone, probably -- but Gimme Shelter, the Maylses' documentary about the Stones in 1969, including the notorious Altamont concert is an amazing piece of filmmaking.

[Cholo]

You gotta get the Criterion Collection DVD of Gimme Shelter to truly appreciate the filmaking.

BTW, Jehovah68...in the Chuck Berry film "Hail Hail Rock and Roll" you made a few mistakes. That's not John Lennon...that's his boy Julian. Also I don't believe Bruce Springsteen is anywhere to be found either. What's not to be missed is the Johnnie Johnson footage.

I would suggest for the uninitiated to look at the Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble: Live in Austin video. This is similar to the "Last Waltz" in that you can witness an artist doing what he does best on stage. No guest stars (that I recall) but very impressive guitar work.

Of course if you fancy an "artsy" rock and roll film...well it doens't get much better than Ken Russell's TOMMY. It's excellent. Stars The Who, Ann Marguret, Jack Nicholson, Oliver Reed, Tina Turner, Elton John, Eric Clapton etc. etc.

Just my opinion.

[jehovah68]

Originally posted by Cholo

BTW, Jehovah68...in the Chuck Berry film "Hail Hail Rock and Roll" you made a few mistakes. That's not John Lennon...that's his boy Julian. Also I don't believe Bruce Springsteen is anywhere to be found either. What's not to be missed is the Johnnie Johnson footage.


To confess, I haven't seen it in a while, and I got the cast list from imdb (http://us.imdb.com/Credits?0092758). IIRC John may have appeared in footage while Julian did perform. Bruce did appear, although he was unbilled.

[Johanna]

A vote for The Concert for Bangla Desh.

[don't ask]

Although not a concert film I've always had a soft spot for the film of The Who's Quadrophenia. Only a small part of the "concept" album is used but it has a great soundtrack and a wonderful teenage sensibility about it. One of my favourite music movies.

[Sam Stone]

Not that it's a great film, but as 'Rock' films go, you might want to check out Bakshi's "American Pop". I enjoyed it, and it's a fairly decent historical overview of American Pop from the turn of the century until the 1980's.

[racer72]

My vote is for Woodstock. Jimi for breakfast, can't top that.

[Smapti]

11 posts and no mention of The Kids Are Alright?

For shame. ;)

[Cholo]

jehovah68...you're right. Springsteen is in the film speaking about Chuck Berry but he doesn't play at the concert. My fault!

[handsomeharry]

wasn't there a 'pink floyd-the movie'?

[Ravi]

I must be strange. Huge Beatle fan but Let it Be.....BORING BORING BORING. Harrisons movie, McCartneys movie, movies about their lives and on and on and on. BORING!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Put CD's on, drink some wine...WONDERFUL. Movies..BORING

[Anamorphic]

Robyn Hitchcock's Storefront Hitchcock (http://us.imdb.com/Title?0120219), directed by Jonathan Demme, who also directed Stop Making Sense. Robyn is amazing live, and while this film doesn't quite capture the whole feeling of seeing him, it does a pretty good job. If you're not a fan before seeing this film, you'll be on your way afterwards. IMO.

[Jonathan Chance]

I think I'd still hold out for Rattle and Hum, if only because it showcases live performance and studio creation. It's clear they're camera-conscious and trying not to let it show.

And that version of Sunday Bloody Sunday is marvelous.

[Hodge]

Gimme Shelter - An excellent but chilling documentary. The sense of doom hanging over the whole affair makes watching the movie very difficult at times. The best scene has nothing to do with the music but rather shows Jagger's and Richards' reactions while watching footage of the murder.

Pink Floyd: The Wall - Another relentlessly depressing movie but brimming with arresting, surrealistic imagery. You can see its influence in many 1980s music videos.

Stop Making Sense - Three separate concerts seamlessly joined together in an exuberant celebration of the joy of music. Building the sets during the performance while the music, itself, builds to a crescendo was a stroke of brilliance. The only minus is the parachute pants :D.

Hard Core Logo (http://us.imdb.com/Title?0116488) - Little-known mockumentary about a legendary punk band trying to give a come-back tour. It brilliantly captures a sense of life on the road and how the trials and tribulations of such a life can weigh heavily on a person. The final scene is absolutely shocking. The soundtrack kicks major ass and real-life punk singer, Hugh Dillon, gives an incredible lead performance. I highly recommend people take the time to track down this hidden gem.

Stevie Ray Vaughn: Live at the El Mocambo - A perfect companion to Live in Austin. A straight ahead filming of SRV concert in a club in Toronto before he hit the big time. Sheer musical genius and a worthy successor to Jimi Hendrix.

[Johanna]

Yeah, I have to admit, Stop Making Sense far and away tops all the others. It has got to be the ultimate rock concert movie ever. But I still fondly maintain a soft spot in my heart for The Concert for Bangla Desh, poorly filmed though it was.

I notice that The Song Remains the Same has been completely forgotten. No wonder. Even for Led Zep fans, it kind of sucked, you have to admit. Circa 1990, I happened to catch TSRtS on TV, and it was a vertiginous feeling to realize how in a few short years, how obsolete it had become. How completely and quickly British Hard Rock, which ruled the '70s,* had died out. I blame Culture Club for that.

*Dinosaurs once ruled the earth, too, but they took a bit longer to die out.

[Anamorphic]

Originally posted by Jomo Mojo
I notice that The Song Remains the Same has been completely forgotten. No wonder. Even for Led Zep fans, it kind of sucked, you have to admit. Circa 1990, I happened to catch TSRtS on TV, and it was a vertiginous feeling to realize how in a few short years, how obsolete it had become. How completely and quickly British Hard Rock, which ruled the '70s,* had died out. I blame Culture Club for that.Eh, I don't think the reason The Song Remains The Same isn't remembered fondly has anything to do with Led Zeppelin not being relevant anymore; I think they are. It's just a bad film: a poorly filmed, less-than-medicore performance from a normally stellar-live band, with cheesy, silly interstituals.

[Johanna]

That's what I meant. The movie sucked, not the band. I was always a Zeppelin fan too. But my other point was today how completely British Hard Rock is an extinct species, vanished from the earth.

[jackelope]

How can I possibly be the first person to name "A Hard Day's Night"? As Roger Ebert puts it: The film is so tightly cut, there's hardly a down moment, but even with so many riches, it's easy to pick the best scene: The concert footage as the Beatles sing "She Loves You.'' This is one of the most sustained orgasmic sequences in the movies.Great movie, and a great back-story to it as well. Not-bad acting (of course they were playing themselves), decent story, and of course terrific music.

[moonchilde]

Montery Pop.....better than Woodstock IMHO. It was the only one of my faves not mentioned (unless you want to add in "The Commitments" which is not a "rock movie" but a movie with some kick a** rock/rhythm and blues).

mc

[Anamorphic]

Originally posted by Jomo Mojo
That's what I meant. The movie sucked, not the band. I was always a Zeppelin fan too. But my other point was today how completely British Hard Rock is an extinct species, vanished from the earth. Ah. :)

[Johanna]

I count myself lucky for having actually been to one of the concerts on the Stop Making Sense tour — at Red Rocks Amphitheater, 1983 — and it definitely was the concert of a lifetime. The movie was a chance to relive a terrific experience, therefore doubly welcome.

[Harvey The Heavy]

AC/DC: Let There Be Rock.

[Crusoe]

Quadrophenia (The Who) and True Stories (Talking Heads).

[Mudshark]

Frank Zappa's 200 Motels or Baby Snakes (Which is a slight parody of The Song Remains the Same)

The Wall is a god movie, but I not as good as [/b]Pink Floyd at Pompei[/b]

[owlstretchingtime]

I have seen a rough cut of the Led Zeppelin live DVD coming out later this year.

If you are a Zep fan you will be in 7th heaven. If you are not a Zep fan you will be by the end of the DVD.

It has performances from 68-79, all of which are incendiary.

Forget TSRTS, even Zep have, they didn't remaster it.

[wikkidpis]

No one's going to say anything about Rock and Roll High School with the Ramones but it was better than all the above movies, save Gimme Shelter and possibly Don't Look Back. Towards the end they've got The Ramones, circa '79, playing like 6 or 7 songs live. Just don't get better than that, friends.

But even better than R&RHS, perhaps the most underrated movie ever: Roadie.

[Labdad]

You've GOT to check out The T.A.M.I. Show (http://us.imdb.com/Title?0058631)! How does Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye, the Supremes, the Beach Boys, James Brown, Chuck Berry and the Rolling Stones sound for a line up? And others (Jan and Dean, Leslie Gore, Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas, etc). But at the end, when Mick Jagger and Diana Ross bump and grind with each other to (I think) "I Used to Love Her," it's priceless!

[Labdad]

:smack: The song is called "It's All Over Now," not "I Used to Love Her."

[Morgainelf]

1991: The Year Punk Broke is a must for fans of Nirvana and Sonic Youth. "I'm so hungry I could eat a pig's head. Does anybody have a pigs head?" - Thurston Moore

[Johanna]

Crusoe, True Stories was a cool, fun movie, but it wasn't a Talking Heads movie (it wasn't even really a rock movie, for that matter). It was a David Byrne thing, and Byrne certainly brought the same artistic whackyness to writing and directing it that he infused in Talking Heads music all right... but... mutated gospel songs like "Puzzling Evidence," voodoo songs like "Papa Legba", and country songs like "People Like Us" take it well outside the boundaries of rock-'n'-roll.

Preacher: Texas is still paying for the assassination of President Kennedy!

Lying Woman: I had an affair with him!

[yawndave]

'The Filth and the Fury' is a great examination of the Sex Pistols saga. Oh, and 'That'll Be The Day"/'Stardust': a pair of films portraying the rise and fall of a rock star-with Ringo, Moonie, and Dave Edmunds, among others.

[Cartooniverse]

Yessongs (http://www.mydvdsource.com/product/dvd/movie.asp?ID=1174) comes to mind. It's the 1973 Close To The Edge tour film by Richard Ellman.

Not only was it a great moment in the band's history, BUT it features animation by Roger Dean (http://www.rogerdean.com/), the artist whose style defined the pre-90125 YES look.

Cartooniverse

[Cartooniverse]

To respond as an aside, I'm not sure it's fair to lump Gimme Shelter and Woodstock in with pure performance films. In those ( and many other )cases, the film is more about a social event that included many fine and lovely musical perfomances.

I understand the O.P., and don't mean to nitpick too much here. It just seems to me that a good solid rock film is one thing, a larger canvassed documentary is another.

My two cents.

[Crusoe]

Originally posted by Jomo Mojo
Crusoe, True Stories was a cool, fun movie, but it wasn't a Talking Heads movie (it wasn't even really a rock movie, for that matter). It was a David Byrne thing, and Byrne certainly brought the same artistic whackyness to writing and directing it that he infused in Talking Heads music all right... but... mutated gospel songs like "Puzzling Evidence," voodoo songs like "Papa Legba", and country songs like "People Like Us" take it well outside the boundaries of rock-'n'-roll. What definition are we using? If Quadrophenia is acceptable, why not True Stories?

[syncrolecyne]

Originally posted by Cartooniverse
To respond as an aside, I'm not sure it's fair to lump Gimme Shelter and Woodstock in with pure performance films. In those ( and many other )cases, the film is more about a social event that included many fine and lovely musical perfomances.

I understand the O.P., and don't mean to nitpick too much here. It just seems to me that a good solid rock film is one thing, a larger canvassed documentary is another.

My two cents.

The main thing I meant to ask was if there were films that were not only good as films (production values, cinematography, sound), but also showcased a group so expertly that it would force a viewer to take a second look at the band.

[Johanna]

Rock-'n'-roll was central to Quadrophenia, or it was about a culture that thrived on rock-'n'-roll, so I guess it would qualify as a "rock music film." But True Stories was not even about rock music at all. It was a bizarre but witty satire about life in America. Its main connection to rock music was its having been directed by a guy who first became famous in a rock band (but then branched out into other kinds of music). It's been 16 years since I saw it, so refresh my memory: how rock-'n'-roll integral to True Stories?

[grendel72]

Originally posted by Jomo Mojo
It's been 16 years since I saw it, so refresh my memory: how rock-'n'-roll integral to True Stories?
It's how the characters express their inner feelings.

[Fiddle Peghead]

Originally posted by Smapti
11 posts and no mention of The Kids Are Alright?



How about some 40 odd posts and no mention of Neil Young's Rust Never Sleeps? Yeah, the road-eyes and other staging get a little tedious, but it is such a great combination of solo Neil Young (Thrasher!) and straight ahead rock with Crazy Horse, that I should think it would turn quite a few people into fans.

[crinklebat]

Thanks to the people above who mentioned Rock and Roll High School and The Filth and the Fury. I'm into a more obscure brand of punk and really dug X: The Unheard Music, a documentary about the Los Angeles punk band X that's better done than a lot of bigger-name rock movies I've seen. I've never been able to get my hands on a copy of The Decline of Western Civilization, but if you like that kind of thing, I've heard it's wicked.

Also, URGH! A Music War, because although a lot of the music blows, it's an insanely diverse selection.

[Cartooniverse]

Cuate, I'm glad you just posted that. I would opine that hardly ANY BODY goes to see a live rock concert film who is not ALREADY a bigtime fan of a band. Music enjoyment and experiencing new stuff tends to work better in a social venue- party, hanging out with friends, spinning a certain disk in the desperate teenage hopes that it will put your paramour in 'the mood', etc.

I'd think that you learn to love a band socially, and THEN go to see their concert film. At least, that's how it worked out for me and my love for Spinal Tap.

:D

[Yossarian]

Pink Floyd Live at Pompeii hasn't been mentioned?