Ibrahim Ferrer, Ruben Gonzalez, and Omara Portuono, the stars of
THE list that
It's also a pretty good one (if we do say so ourselves) - there are so many excellent rockumentaries out there that shine a light on the ins and outs of the music biz.
So without further ado, here are five more docos that are worth your time.
Joy Division
THE career of seminal but short-lived post-punk band Joy Division has been captured in fictionalised fashion twice - Michael Winterbottom's excellent 2002 film
Here's the trailer. The doco is directed by Grant Gee, who also made Radiohead's
Funky Monks
RED Hot Chili Peppers were far from household names prior to the release of
Here's part one (the whole thing is on YouTube) which opens with an out-there monologue from Frusciante:
Don't Look Back
THE times were a'changin' for Bob Dylan in 1965. He was wary of being knighted as the Spokesman Of His Generation thanks to his politically driven folk ramblings and had turned electric, only to find many of his fans weren't ready to hear the rocking side of Dylan's music. D.A. Pennebaker's historically significant doco (it's on the Library Of Congress preservation list) follows a confrontational and witty Dylan as he tours England, battles the press, and writes and hangs out in hotel rooms. The head-to-heads with the buttoned-up UK music press are compelling - the journos come off as slightly ignorant, but Dylan comes off as arrogant and condescending (these interactions would inspire his spiteful tune
Here's the whole doco - and you can learn Portugeuse as you watch!
Back And Forth
FOO Fighters have been a much-loved and non-controversial fixture on the charts and in the stadiums of the world for more than a decade, but their retrospective rockumentary of last year proves strangely dramatic and compelling as it uncovers the troubles within the band for the first time. In fact
Watch it. It's really good:
Buena Vista Social Club
THE beautiful thing about this doco is that it takes some of Cuba's finest musicians and gave them a long-overdue and much-deserved dose of international fame in the twilight of their careers. Guitarist Ry Cooder travelled to Havana and found the likes of 89-year-old singer/guitarist Compay Segundo, 61-year-old guitarist Eliades Ochoa, 70-year-old singer Ibrahim Ferrer and 67-year-old vocalist Omara Portuondo. Together with a classy veteran band, they recorded an album that sold over a million copies in the US and charted well around the world. The highlight is the group's concert in New York's Carnegie Hall, but throughout, the doco is a testimony to talent, dedication, and the fact that a love of music never really goes away. In the wake of the film's release, many of the stars toured and sold albums like they never had before, as well as gaining the recognition that had been restricted to Cuba for their entire lives. Sadly some of the musicians are now dead, so