Movie Documentary Music
Meet the unsung heroes behind the greatest music of our time.
Backup singers live in a world that lies just beyond the spotlight. Their voices bring harmony to the biggest bands in popular music, but we've had no idea who these singers are or what lives they lead, until now.
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The Commitments
Jimmy Rabbitte, just a tick out of school, gets a brilliant idea: to put a soul band together in Barrytown, his slum home in north Dublin. First he needs musicians and singers: things slowly start to click when he finds three fine-voiced females virtually in his back yard, a lead singer (Deco) at a wedding, and, responding to his ad, an aging trumpet player, Joey "The Lips" Fagan.
Elvis: That's the Way It Is
On July 31, 1970, in Las Vegas, Nevada, Elvis Presley staged a triumphant return to the concert stage from which he had been absent for almost a decade. His series of concerts broke all box office records and completely reenergized the career of the King of Rock ānā Roll.
Festival
Black and white footage of performances, interviews, and conversations at the Newport Folk Festival, from 1963 to 1966. The headliners are Peter, Paul and Mary, Joan Baez, Pete Seeger, and Bob Dylan, who's acoustic and electric. Son House and Mike Bloomfield talk about the blues; John Hurt, Howlin' Wolf, and Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee show its range. The Osborne Brothers perform bluegrass. Donovan, Johnny Cash, Judy Collins, Mimi and Dick Farina, and others less well known also perform. Several talk musical philosophy, and there's a running commentary about the nature and appeal of folk music. The crowd looks clean cut.
Heartworn Highways
The music speaks for itself in this performance documentary that highlights some of the biggest names within the country-folk scene in Texas and Tennessee during the last weeks of 1975 and the first weeks of 1976, eschewing narration and staged interviews.
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin is a double DVD set first released in 2003. It represents the first official video release of Led Zeppelin's live material since 1976's The Song Remains the Same. The recording of the DVD spans the years from 1969 to 1979 and includes performances from the Royal Albert Hall in 1970, Madison Square Garden in 1973, Earls Court in 1975, and Knebworth in 1979. Extras provided on the set include a 1969 promo film for Communication Breakdown, a short performance on the French TV show 'Tous En Scene' in 1969, a short performance on the Danish TV Show 'TV-Byen' in 1969, a performance on the British TV shoe 'Supershow' in 1969, a performance of Immigrant Song from the band's show at the Sydney Showground in February 1972, an interview with the NYC Press Conference in 1970, an Australian press conference in 1972, an interview with The Old Grey Whistle Test, the Over The Hills And Far Away promo (1990) and the Travelling Riverside Blues promo (1990).
Standing in the Shadows of Motown
In 1959, Berry Gordy Jr. gathered the best musicians from Detroit's thriving jazz and blues scene to begin cutting songs for his new record company. Over a fourteen year period they were the heartbeat on every hit from Motown's Detroit era. By the end of their phenomenal run, this unheralded group of musicians had played on more number ones hits than the Beach Boys, the Rolling Stones, Elvis and the Beatles combined - which makes them the greatest hit machine in the history of popular music. They called themselves the Funk Brothers. Forty-one years after they played their first note on a Motown record and three decades since they were all together, the Funk Brothers reunited back in Detroit to play their music and tell their unforgettable story, with the help of archival footage, still photos, narration, interviews, re-creation scenes, 20 Motown master tracks, and twelve new live performances of Motown classics with the Brothers backing up contemporary performers.
Stop Making Sense
A concert film documenting Talking Heads at the height of their popularity, on tour for their 1983 album "Speaking in Tongues." The band takes the stage one by one and is joined by a cadre of guest musicians for a career-spanning and cinematic performance that features creative choreography and visuals.
Satchmo the Great
In this 1957 biography film of the jazz-great Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong, he and his band tour the world as American good-will ambassadors bring jazz at its best to the people of the world. Within the film, the life of Louis Armstrong is portrayed through the music. One of the outstanding scenes in this "biography/docudrama" shows blind songwriter W. C. Handy, with tears streaming down his face, as Armstrong, backed by Leonard Bernstein leading the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, play Handy's immortal "St. Louis Blues."
Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
Hammersmith Odeon, London, July 3, 1973. British singer David Bowie performs his alter ego Ziggy Stardust for the very last time. A decadent show, a hallucinogenic collage of kitsch, pop irony and flamboyant excess: a musical symbiosis of feminine passion and masculine dominance that defines Bowie's art and the glam rock genre.
Imagine: John Lennon
The biography of former Beatle, John Lennonānarrated by Lennon himselfāwith extensive material from Yoko Ono's personal collection, previously unseen footage from Lennon's private archives, and interviews with David Bowie, his first wife Cynthia, second wife Yoko Ono and sons Julian and Sean.
The Byrd Who Flew Alone: The Triumphs and Tragedy of Gene Clark
A documentary on the life and work of Gene Clark, co-founder of The Byrds, whose subsequent career was a rollercoaster of pioneering music and personal disaster.
The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart
The story of the triumphs and hurdles of brothers Barry, Maurice, and Robin Gibb, otherwise known as the Bee Gees. The iconic trio, who found early fame in the 1960s, went on to write over 1,000 songs and have 20 No. 1 hits throughout their career, transcending more than five decades of changing tastes and styles.
The Beach Boys
A celebration of the legendary band that revolutionized pop music, and the iconic, harmonious sound they created that personified the California dream, captivating fans for generations and generations to come.
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Drunk History
Historical reenactments from A-list talent as told by inebriated storytellers. A unique take on the familiar and less familiar people and events from Americaās great past as great moments in history are retold with unforgettable results.
The Johnny Cash Show
The Johnny Cash Show was an American television music variety show hosted by Johnny Cash. The Screen Gems 58-episode series ran from June 7, 1969 to March 31, 1971 on ABC; it was taped at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. The show reached No. 17 in the Nielsen ratings in 1970. Cash opened each show, and its regulars included members of his touring troupe, June Carter Cash and the Carter Family, The Statler Brothers, Carl Perkins, and The Tennessee Three, with Australian-born musical director-arranger-conductor Bill Walker. The Statler Brothers performed brief comic interludes. It featured many folk-country musicians, such as Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Linda Ronstadt, Kris Kristofferson, Mickey Newbury, Neil Young, Gordon Lightfoot, Merle Haggard, James Taylor and Tammy Wynette. It also featured other musicians such as jazz great Louis Armstrong, who died eight months after appearing on the show.
Top of the Pops
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The Captain and Tennille
Hosted by the chart-topping husband and wife team, this 1976-1977 television variety series features a mix of hit music and comedy.
The Sing-Off
Featuring the country's best a cappella groups performing popular songs like you've never heard them before. There's no lip-synching, backup bands or safety net. They'll be singing for America's vote, with the winner walking away with the ultimate prize - a Sony Music recording contract and $100,000.
The Voice UK
A vocal contest reality series featuring people with real talent and great voices. Only the very best singers make it through the the blind auditions, the decisions from the four celebrity coaches are based solely on the voices they hear - and nothing else.
The Great Songwriters
Authoritative and entertaining series featuring original portraits of songwriters discussing the creative process and their inspiration, including exclusive performances and interviews.
Peter Crouch Save Our Summer
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The Beatles: Get Back
The three-part documentary series, compiled from over 60 hours of unseen footage, captures the warmth, camaraderie, and creative genius that defined the legacy of musicās most iconic foursome. The series also includes ā for the first time in its entirety ā The Beatlesā final performance at Londonās Savile Row.
Daisy Jones & the Six
In 1977, Daisy Jones & The Six were on top of the world. Fronted by two charismatic lead singers ā Daisy Jones and Billy Dunne ā the band had risen from obscurity to fame. And then, after a sold-out show at Chicago's Soldier Field, they called it quits. Now, decades later, the band members finally agree to reveal the truth.
BBC Electric Proms
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The Kids Are Alright
Through concert performances and interviews, this film offers us a comprehensive look at the British pioneer rock group, The Who. It captures their zany craziness and outrageous antics from the initial formation of the group in 1964 to 1978. It notably features the band's last performance with long-term drummer Keith Moon, filmed at Shepperton Studios in May 1978, three months before his death.