"SOUL TRAIN: THE HIPPEST TRIP IN AMERICA"

Year: 2010

Running time: 60 min.

Language: English
Director: J. Kevin Swain

Synopsis: Soul Train: The Hippest Trip in America is a 90-minute documentary that celebrates "the show's impact on pop culture, music, dance and fashion." Narrated by Oscar nominee Terrence Howard, features a rare interview with Cornelius during which he reveals details of the early days of Soul Train.
Included in the special are memorable moments and performances from the show, in addition to appearances by Chaka Khan, Patti LaBelle, Smokey Robinson, Snoop Dogg, Aretha Franklin, Sly Stone, Cedric the Entertainer, Nick Cannon, Clive Davis, L.A. Reid, Leon Huff and Kenny Gamble.

Cornelius launched Soul Train in 1970 as a local show in Chicago before taking the show national one year later. The show featured breakout performances from Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin and Barry White. Cornelius, who hosted the show until 1993, introduced the Soul Train Awards to extend the brand.

Soul Train wrapped up its run in 2006 after 35 years on air.

"VH1 DRIVEN: NAS"

Year: 200?
Running time: 43 min.
Language: English

Synopsis: Nas explores the life of the son of an aspiring jazz musician and a hardworking postal worker who by age four was a self-taught trumpeter, shocking his father and the neighborhood by performing on the local street corner with his father's middle-aged friends.

His story is told trough exclusive personal accounts from friends and family including his father Olu Dara, Q-Tip, DJ Premier, Don Ienner President of Sony Music, MC Serch, hip hop journalist Kevin Powell, AZ , DJ Red Alert and his brother Jungle.

"STEP ACROSS THE BORDER"

Year: 1990
Running time: 85 min.
Language: English
Director: Nicolas Humbert

Synopsis: Step Across the Border is a 1990 avant-garde documentary film on English guitarist, composer and improviser Fred Frith. It was written and directed by Nicolas Humbert and Werner Penzel and released in Germany and Switzerland.

Shot in black and white, the 35mm documentary was filmed between 1988 and 1990 in Japan, Italy, France, Germany, England, the United States and Switzerland, and shows Frith rehearsing, performing, giving interviews and relaxing. Other musicians featured include René Lussier, Iva Bittová, Tom Cora, Tim Hodgkinson, Bob Ostertag and John Zorn.

 

"RHYME & REASON"

Year: 1997
Running time: 90 min.
Language: English
Director: Peter Spirer

Synopsis: Rhyme & Reason is a 1997 documentary film about rap and hip hop. Documentary filmmaker Peter Spirer interviewed over 80 significant artists in rap and hip hop music. This documentary explores the history of hip hop culture, how rap evolved to become a major cultural voice (and a multi-billion dollar industry), and what the artists have to say about the music's often controversial images and reputation. Interview subjects range from veteran old-school rappers, such as Kurtis Blow, KRS-One and Chuck D, to gangsta rap icons Ice-T, Dr. Dre, and MC Eiht, to several current rap hitmakers, including Wu-Tang Clan, The Fugees, and Sean "Puffy" Combs.

"SONNY ROLLINS: BEYOND THE NOTES"

Year: 2012
Running time: 60 min.
Language: English
director: Dick Fontaine

Synopsis: 2011 was the 82nd year in the extraordinary life of arguably the greatest saxophone player in the world, Sonny Rollins. Four decades ago, as a young filmmaker and aspiring musician, Dick Fontaine followed Rollins up onto the Williamsburg Bridge in Manhattan during one of his legendary escapes from the perils of 'the jazz life'. Today, still resisting stereotype and compromise, and revered by a new generation of young musicians, Rollins continues his single-minded search for meaning in his music and his life. Dick Fontaine's film is built around the explosive energy of Sonny's 80th Birthday Concert, where legendary figures Roy Haynes, Jim Hall and Ornette Coleman join him to celebrate his journey so far, his music and its future for a new generation.

Dick Fontaine's film, made for the BBC's prestigious art series Arena, is built around the
explosive energy of Sonny's 80th Birthday Concert, where legendary figures Roy Haynes, Jim Hall and Ornette Coleman join him to celebrate his journey so far, his music and its future for a new generation.

"NOVOS BAIANOS F.C."

Año: 1973
Duración: 45 min.
Idioma: Portugués
Director: Solano Ribeiro

Sinopsis: O documentário, "Novos Baianos FC", realizado por Solano Ribeiro ( simplesmente o homem que inventou e idealizou o formato "festival de música" no Brasil) em 1973 para uma emissora alemã, está disponível para quem quiser ver. Sem firulas ou efeitos, a película mostra o grupo em sua "praia", ou seja, no sítio comunitário-hippie de Jacarepaguá, com foco na música e no futebol. Ao se aproximar dos instrumentos, instrumentistas e vozes, o diretor confirma a paixão do grupo pela música ao ar livre (como o futebol) e prova que todos não só viviam suas composições, mas tocavam-as com fervor.

Fuente: almanaquedomalu.blogspot.com

"BRIAN ENO: IMAGINARY LANDSCAPES"

Year: 1989
Running time: 41 min.
Language: English

Synopsis: Imaginary Landscapes is a profile of visionary composer, artist and producer Brian Eno. It brings into focus Eno’s seemingly disparate work in sound, vision and light, and explores his music in visual terms, based on landscapes and images that have shaped his life as an artist.

Source: synthtopia.com

"RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS: FUNKY MONKS"

Year: 1991
Running time: 60 min.
Language: English
Director: Gavin Bowden

Synopsis: Funky Monks is the title of a 1991 documentary (also the title of a song from the 1991 album Blood Sugar Sex Magik) about the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers and the recording of their highly successful 1991 Warner Bros. debut Blood Sugar Sex Magik. The album was produced by Rick Rubin and recorded in a supposedly haunted house which Rubin now owns. The 60 minute documentary, which was filmed in black-and-white, features footage of the band recording many of the tracks that made the album, and tracks that were realeased a few years later (such as Soul to Squeeze and Sikamikanico). Footage from this documentary was also featured in the Suck My Kiss music video, which was released in 1992. Funky Monks was originally released on VHS but was re-released on DVD. The Chili Peppers returned to the mansion located in California to record their 2006 album, Stadium Arcadium.

THE SOUTH BANK SHOW: ELVIS COSTELLO - THE MAKING OF ALMOST BLUE"

Year: 1981
Running time: 54 min.
Language: English

Synopsis: The video above is a serious must-watch for fans of Elvis Costello’s polarizing 1981 country covers album Almost Blue. It’s a 31-year-old episode of the UK's ITV's South Bank Show, and it chronicles Costello as he cuts the record in Nashville’s famed Columbia Studio B with Billy Sherrill.

The episode, or more documentary, directed by Peter Carr, provides an intimate look behind the scenes of a cocksure Costello, biting at the ankles of country music as a chain-smoking, speedboat-skippering, ever-bearish-but-professorial Sherrill humbles and disarms the smart-alecky Costello with his dry wit and first-hand knowledge of something the singer still obviously knew in concept only. The doc also gives snapshot after snapshot of a radically different Nashville and the Music Row circa 1981, along with Costello’s commentary on the city.

Source: elviscostellofans.com

"KEITH RICHARDS: A CULTURE SHOW SPECIAL"

Year: 2010
Running time: 60 min. (6 parts)
Language: English
Director: Clare Tavernor

Synopsis: Acaba de hacerse público el documental Keith Richards “Life”, emitido el pasado 28 de noviembre de 2010 por la BBC Two, dentro del programa “The Culture Show”, presentado por Andrew Graham Dixon, ahora disponible y de un tirón, desde nuestro canal de Dirty Rock YouTube.

El documental, de una hora de duración y dirigido para la BBC por Clare Taverner, fue emitido poco después de publicarse el libro “Life, Keith Richards” (Vida, memorias Keith Richards), en todo el planeta, editado el 26 de octubre de 2010 por Little, Brown and Company y Global Rythm Press en España.

El libro autobiográfico, que ha escrito junto al biógrafo británico James Fox, ha sido Best-Seller en medio planeta. La editorial adelantó al Rolling Stone más salvaje, un pago de 7,3 millones de dólares en 2007. El coautor del libro pasó cientos de horas de entrevistas en las diferentes residencias de Keith Richards en Jamaica, Reino Unido y Connecticut, su residencia habitual.

(Source: dirtyrock.eu)

"VH1 LEGENDS: STEVIE RAY VAUGHAN"

Year: 1997
Running time: 45 min.
Language: English

 

"BBC THIS ENGLAND: WIGAN CASINO"

Year: 1977

Running time: 27 min.

Language: English

Director: Tony Palmer

Synopsis: This was a documentary made by Tony Palmer in 1977 it was originally broadcast by Granada TV has part of a series of documentaries about different aspects of British Life and the series was called 'This England' and this documentary was simply called 'Wigan Casino' but the documentary showed a lot of how Wigan looked in 1977 including footage of the old Market Hall.

"REBEL TRUCE: THE HISTORY OF THE CLASH"

Year: 2007

Running time: 58 min.

Language: English

Director: Alan G. Parker

Synopsis: This revealing programme goes back to the pre-Clash band's days, The 101ers, featuring Joe Strummer, London SS and a mix of the mid 1970s UK punk scene. Through candid interviews with Clash front-man Mick Jones, drummer Topper Headon, Paul Simonon as well as historic interviews with Joe Strummer, this is the first time that the band have really aired their true story.

Blessed with two exceptional songwriters in Joe Strummer and Mick Jones, The Clash successfully fused punk, rock and reggae in music which was characterised by rousing calls to arms to the downtrodden underdog. The Clash's outlaw image was bolstered by frequent brushes with the law, but the band also began to branch out into social activism. After achieving enormous success with hits including London Calling, White Riot and I Fought The Law, the band eventually began to fall apart in the mid-80s, finally imploding in 1986.

Told to the back-drop of Clash music, performance footage as well as archive interviews with those close to the band add to the inside-story: Sex Pistol Glen Matlock, Generation X Tony James, Buzzcocks Steve Diggle and Vince White, Mick Jones' replacement in The Clash.

This documentary sees the band tell their own story. It may be over 20 years since their demise, but the The Clash's legacy lives on, ensuring that they remain one of the most influential and exhilarating bands of all time.

"FACTORY: MANCHESTER FROM JOY DIVISION TO HAPPY MONDAYS"

Year: 2007
Running time: 90 min.
Language: English
Director: Chris Rodley

Synopsis: In a dark, northern city in the late 70s, five dreamers built a record label - Factory; 3 classic bands - Joy Division, New Order and Happy Mondays, and Britain's first super club - The Hacienda.

Led by Tony Wilson, they created a unique collision between conceptual art and street music. This is the story of how a TV presenter (Wilson), an out of work actor (Alan Erasmus), an art student (Peter Saville), a DJ (Rob Gretton) and an aspiring record producer (Martin Hannett) pioneered Britain's independent pop culture, imagined a new Manchester, and blew a shed-load of money.

Featuring an extensive interview with Factory's creative genius Anthony Wilson who sadly died Friday 10 August 2007, this 90 minute documentary celebrates the triumph, tragedy and human comedy that was Factory and is a fitting tribute to Wilson's contribution to British pop culture and to Manchester.

"CLASSIC ALBUMS: LOU REED - TRANSFORMER"

Year: 2001
Running time: 50 min.
Language: English
Director: Bob Smeaton

Synopsis: In 1972, Lou Reed's second solo album "Transformer· elevated him from a minor cult figure to one of the best known and most talked about artists in rock & roll, with its incisive portrait of the demimonde and the distinctive hit single "Take a Walk on the Wild Side." Classic Albums: Lou Reed -- Transformer" offers a look at the making of this landmark album, with Lou Reed and engineer Ken Scott offering an in-depth perspective on the recording sessions, and Herbie Flowers revealing how he came up with his memorable bass line for "Walk on the Wild Side".

"JUKEBOX HEROES: THE SMALL FACES"

Year: 2001
Running time: 29 min.
Language: English
Director: Paul Pierrot

Synopsis: Jukebox Heroes was a series by Paul Pierrot Productions, made for the BBC and shown over late Summer in 2000.  The series included diverse artists from Petula Clark and Alma Gogan, through Billy Fury and the Small Faces, to Badfinger and Ian Dury. 

Mark Lamarr acts as narrator to give a tribute to some of the legendary pop artists from the 50's and 60's many are true pioneers who contribution to music are long forgotten. This episodes looks at the kings of the Mods, the Small Faces and gives an all to brief insight in to the world of Steve Marriott, Ronnie Lane, Ian McLaglen and Kenny Jones and how the band developed an R&B style only to find themselves pigeonholed as pop stars. Features interviews with surviving members McLaglen and Jones.

"REBEL MUSIC: THE BOB MARLEY STORY"

Year: 2000

Running time:

Language: English

Director: Jeremy Marre

Synopsis: The legend of Bob Marley (1945-1981) is well served by this comprehensive and clear-eyed look at the turbulent life and times of the reggae great. Jeremy Marre's documentary presents the man as a vitally important artist, but a flawed--if immensely appealing--human being. The trajectory of his rise is traced from his humble beginnings as the son of a poor, teenage mother in rural Jamaica to the heights of international superstardom in the 1970s. Along the way, Marre provides a context for the development of his artistry by exploring the political situation in Jamaica at the time, the roots of Rastafarianism (to which he was intensely devoted), and his unconventional relationships with women. Although he remained close to wife, Rita, until his death, Marley enjoyed a number of public relationships with other women (Rita admits she found this difficult; Marley claims he didn't see anything unusual about it). The sheer number of interviews is impressive. Aside from the clips of Marley himself, Bunny Livingstone and Peter Tosh (the Wailers), Island Records founder Chris Blackwell, two Jamaican prime ministers (Socialist Michael Manley and Conservative Edward Seaga), and even a CIA official (Philip Agee) all make an appearance. The breadth of Marley's music is represented by over 40 tracks, from the early ska hit "Judge Not" to later political numbers like "Africa Unite." Although Marley never actually considered himself a "political" person, he was surely a rebel--brave, passionate, committed--in the best sense of the word. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

(Source: amazon.com)

"MAGNOLIA ELECTRIC CO.: RECORDING JOSEPHINE"

Year: 2009
Running time: 70 min.
Language: English
Director: Ben Schreiner

Synopsis: "Recording Josephine" showcases the personalities and recording process involved in the making of the album, "Josephine" by Magnolia Electric Company. The album was recorded at engineer Steve Albini's Electical Audio in Chicago.

A rough-cut of "Recording Josephine" was screened before a MEC show on 7/11/09 at Schuba's in Chicago.

For one week only (9/18-9/24, 2009), Pitchfork.tv exclusively streamed the 70-minute documentary on their website.

50 DVD copies (complete with custom, DIY style artwork created by Jason Molina & members of MEC) of "Recording Josephine" were sold during their Fall 2009 European Tour.

This Vimeo version of "Recording Josephine" is low-res.

"FAMOUS: THE BUZZY LINHART STORY"

Year: 2005
Running time: 79 min.
Language: English
Director: Shelly Toscano

Synopsis: Famous: The Buzzy Linhart Story is an independent documentary that celebrates the life and times of Buzzy Linhart, a fixture of the 60s and 70s NYC Greenwich Village music scene.

"JANIS"

Year: 1974
Running time: 51 min.
Language: English
Director: Howard Alk

Synopsis: Janis is a 1974 documentary film about the rock singer Janis Joplin. The film was directed by Howard Alk with a lot of assistance from Albert Grossman, Janis' manager. It was available on videocassette in the United States in the 1980s and 1990s, but DVD versions have been released only in France, Belgium and the Netherlands. In late 2011, it was added to Hulu's movie collection for online viewing. Part of the film soundtrack is included on the 1975 album Janis.

 The film consists entirely of archival footage of Joplin. It includes rehearsals, her June 25, 1970 appearance on The Dick Cavett Show, footage from her Woodstock performance in 1969 (dancing with her band's saxophone player during an instrumental break), and another television segment videotaped in black & white in April 1967 before she became famous.

A lot of screen time is devoted to Janis' 1969 European tour, including an interview with Janis during her stay in Stockholm and the ecstatic reaction of a clean-cut female fan in Frankfurt when she sees Joplin through the window of her tour bus before the concert starts. (The American fan, who reveals on camera that she is the wife of a U.S. Army officer stationed in Germany, is later seen with several German youths dancing on stage with Janis.)