movies about music or musicians

[Scud49]

The Band - from 1976, their last concert - with Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, and other musical friends:

 

[G0UCONN]

School of Rock and Purple Rain two other good ones.

 

[8893]

The Band - from 1976, their last concert - with Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, and other musical friends:

Even though I hate the way that Robertson and Scorcese edited the film to try and make Robertson look like the creative genius and the rest look like drugged-out flunkies, still the best of its kind. I didn't get in to documentaries here because I thought the OP excluded them, but yeah there's no topping that one for music documentaries imo.

Although much less heralded and known, Festival Express is another great music documentary from earlier in the 70s, featuring a train tour across Canada with The Band, Grateful Dead, Janis, Buddy Guy, Flying Burrito Brothers and Delaney & Bonnie & Friends. Some epic scenes and performances, and the promoter is a very compelling character. By way of foreshadowing some of the problems that would ultimately drive The Band apart, it's notable that Robertson refused to take the train with the rest because he didn't want to party, so he drove and met them at stops along the way and is barely in the movie as a result. He sure missed a lot of fun, as the drunken scenes on the train are some of the best parts (remarkably, Jerry appears to be the most lucid one of the bunch).

And a much, much less heralded and lesser known documentary I just saw recently is the excellent Bayou Maharajah, about James Booker, the legendary New Orleans piano player. Can't recommend this one enough. Tragic and compelling story about a real genius and one of the most original and talented musicians, ever. It's on Netflix and Hulu, etc.

 

[Scud49]

Thanks 8893 - great stuff- I will check those two out recommendations out soon.

Here's a superb documentary about the original groundbreaking movie "A Hard Day's Night" about the Beatles. Great interviews with various other R&R luminaries and it's narrated by Phil Collins:

 

[CardiacAndre7]

Even though I hate the way that Robertson and Scorcese edited the film to try and make Robertson look like the creative genius and the rest look like drugged-out flunkies, still the best of its kind. I didn't get in to documentaries here because I thought the OP excluded them, but yeah there's no topping that one for music documentaries imo.

Although much less heralded and known, Festival Express is another great music documentary from earlier in the 70s, featuring a train tour across Canada with The Band, Grateful Dead, Janis, Buddy Guy, Flying Burrito Brothers and Delaney & Bonnie & Friends. Some epic scenes and performances, and the promoter is a very compelling character. By way of foreshadowing some of the problems that would ultimately drive The Band apart, it's notable that Robertson refused to take the train with the rest because he didn't want to party, so he drove and met them at stops along the way and is barely in the movie as a result. He sure missed a lot of fun, as the drunken scenes on the train are some of the best parts (remarkably, Jerry appears to be the most lucid one of the bunch).

And a much, much less heralded and lesser known documentary I just saw recently is the excellent Bayou Maharajah, about James Booker, the legendary New Orleans piano player. Can't recommend this one enough. Tragic and compelling story about a real genius and one of the most original and talented musicians, ever. It's on Netflix and Hulu, etc.

My Pops has been telling me for years that I need to watch The Last Waltz but I just never got around to it for some reason. I love The Band, and he said that it’s probably the best music documentary he’s ever seen. Gotta watch it within the next week.

 

[Scud49]

My Pops has been telling me for years that I need to watch The Last Waltz but I just never got around to it for some reason. I love The Band, and he said that it’s probably the best music documentary he’s ever seen. Gotta watch it within the next week.

Robbie Robertson's book "Testimony" is well worth the read too - one of the best I've ever read about the life and times of those involved in rock music.

 

[billythekid]

If we're open to including documentaries, I'd add Looking For Sugarman. I caught this on cable a month or so back and thought it was fascinating. It's a bout a musician from the late-60's, early 70's, named Rodriguez that never really hit the charts in the US. But somehow he became a cult phenomenon in South Africa. No one had seen or heard from him for thirty years and most thought he was dead, until some hardcore fans took up the hunt for what happened to him.

 

[8893]

If we're open to including documentaries, I'd add Looking For Sugarman. I caught this on cable a month or so back and thought it was fascinating. It's a bout a musician from the late-60's, early 70's, named Rodriguez that never really hit the charts in the US. But somehow he became a cult phenomenon in South Africa. No one had seen or heard from him for thirty years and most thought he was dead, until some hardcore fans took up the hunt for what happened to him.

Great movie.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Looking For Sugarman.

I still haven't seen this, but my brother highly recommended it to me.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

I hope they make a movie version of the events in the recent Quincy Jones interview. That would be awesome.

 

[Tommyboy]

Love music themed movies. Some of my favorites including some mentioned above:

Hollywood:
Pirate Radio
School of Rock
Almost Famous
High Fidelity
Blues Brothers
The Temptations (miniseries - seems to always be on VH1)
Sing Street
Inside Llewyn Davis
La Bamba
The Wall
That Thing You Do (song always gets stuck in my head if I watch this)

Documentaries:

"Anvil! The Story of Anvil"
Defiant Ones
Montage Of Heck (Kurt Cobain)
Don't Stop Believin': Everyman's Journey (not epic or anything but pretty interesting watching a guy from Philippines become the leader singer for a famous band)

I am interested in that Sugarman documentary someone mentioned above. That looks great.

 

[John]

I've always like Rock of Ages - it's campy but fun, and I could look at Julianne Hough all day

 

[Husky25]

I've always like Rock of Ages - it's campy but fun, and I could look at Julianne Hough all day

The movie is awful. The actual musical is 4,000 x better.

 

[Waquoit]

I just realized that I'm not all that fond of movies about musicians. I liked Sugar Man and School of Rock enough. Hard Days Night was fun. The others, eh.

 

[8893]

Once.

 

[eastmill]

Tender Mercies

 

[nwhoopfan]

Saw another one the other day. I think it could be categorized as a musical, I usually avoid those. "God Help the Girl." The songs were fun. The rest of the movie was slow paced and I had a hard time getting into it. Emily Browning was mesmerizing.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Looking back through the thread I don't see "La La Land." Another musical. Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling were very good. They've costarred several times and have great chemistry together.

 

[dbmill]

Looking back through the thread I don't see "La La Land." Another musical. Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling were very good. They've costarred several times and have great chemistry together.

Good solid movie, I found it very enjoyable. It fits well to this thread, since Ryan Gosling plays a jazz musician in this one.