Tag Archives: documentary

Blues, Film, Rolling Stones

Classic Documentary: Bill Wyman’s Blues Odyssey

blues odyssey

Classic Documentary: Bill Wyman’s Blues Odyssey

“I discovered music during my teenage years and after I joined the Air Force, I found that I loved music that had its roots in the sound of Black people from the Southern states.

The way I learnt about their music seemed to echo the way their forebears had taught them: it was about tradition, a tradition passed on by word of mouth. I have learned so much from the Blues, and have come to realize that there is much more to the Blues than people think.”
– Bill Wyman

Bill Wyman’s personal tribute to the music and musicians that inspired him to pick up a bass guitar and become a founder member of the ‘Greatest Rock’n’Roll Band in the World’, The Rolling Stones.

Bill personally interviews such luminaries as BB King, Buddy Guy & Sam Phillips, in a global journey documenting the history of blues music, this documentary is essential to anyone who has either purchased the book or has an interest in exploring the story & journey of blues music narrated by an ex-member of The Rolling Stones, the band who did so much to introduce the music to the mainstream audience.

Bill Wyman has a deep and sincere love of the blues and it shines through in this great docu. He is a life-long fan/disciple/collector of blues music, and a true expert on this genre. Here we get almost two hours with great music clips and interviews from this important musical history.

Bill Wyman’s Blues Odyssey (Complete documentary):

– Hallgeir

Classic Concert, Concert films, Film, Leonard Cohen, Live

Classic documentary: Leonard Cohen Bird On A Wire (1974)

palmerset5

Classic Documentary: Leonard Cohen Bird On The Wire  (Documentary, 1974)

On March 18th 1972, Leonard Cohen began a 20-city European tour, beginning in Dublin and ending in Jerusalem on April 21st. Other cities included London at the Royal Albert Hall, Paris, Stockholm, Vienna, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Berlin and Tel Aviv. This film is an impression of what happened during that tour.

israel_gig

Bird on a Wire is a great documentary of Leonard Cohen in his prime. Tony Palmer was given complete and intimate access to Cohen, filming him on stage, backstage, on the bus and in hotel rooms. The band is incredible. There are songs where Jennifer Warnes and Donna Washburn stand behind Cohen and sing over his shoulder, sharing one microphone. Most of the concert footage is very close on Cohen’s face, giving the movie a strangely intimate feel.

The movie begins a couple of days before the Tel Aviv concert. This is not just a concert film. The live performances are interspersed with insightful interviews in which Cohen talks about a range of topics:  “I don’t have a good voice, everybody knows that” and the difficulties of performing personal songs night after night on stage. Cohen has always been candid but it doesn’t get more personal than this.

The world premiere of this feature film by Tony Palmer was at the Rainbow Theater on July 5, 1974, in London. The original version cost over 120.000 USD to produce, but Cohen was not satisfied. He spent six months in England editing and rearranging the film to show the deeper elements in music, the conditions that produced it, and his interaction with the audiences. It contains songs from albums as well as concerts, including those of Berlin, Vienna, Copenhagen, and Israel in March and April 1972. It is a documentary rather than an art film.
– Ira Nadel: Life in Art and Dorman & Rawlins: Prophet of the Heart

The footage from the last show in Jerusalem is amazing.  Halfway through the show, Cohen walks off stage, quoting Kabbalah and saying that he just wasn’t giving a good concert.

A stoned(he seems so) Cohen jokes about being “bombed in Jerusalem” and after smoking some ( a lot of) cigarettes, he goes back on stage to deliver a legendary encore that included Famous Blue Raincoat.

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Country, Film

For The Love Of Music The Story Of Nashville documentary

GrandOleOpryscreenshot

For The Love Of Music The Story Of Nashville documentary

A very different take on the Nashville history than My Nashville by Bob Harris the BBC documentary that we posted a few months ago, but equally interesting. Great interviews and some very fine historic clips.

From the official website:

For over 130 years, Nashville has evolved into the world’s premier Music City. From the 1800s when the Fisk Jubilee Singers travelled across continents spreading their music, to Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, Johnny Cash and so many others building the foundation of America’s most vibrant music scene. Today, the evolution continues as artists like The Black Keys, Eric Church and Kings of Leon break new ground in the city they all call home. We’ve created a one-hour documentary that tells this story in its entirety through the eyes of the musicians, songwriters, producers and artists who live and breathe the inspiration of this great city.

In the end, this is a film rooted in authenticity. A story filled with passion and truth. A film made simply for the love of music.

For The Love Of Music The Story Of Nashville:

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Country, Film, Nashville

Video of the day: My Nashville by Bob Harris BBC documentary 2014

MyNashville

My Nashville by Bob Harris BBC documentary 2014

‘Whispering’ Bob Harris journeys to America’s country music capital to show why Nashville became Music City USA.

From the beginnings of the Grand Ole Opry on commercial radio, through the threatening onset of rock ‘n’ roll in the 1950s, up to the modern mainstream hits of Music Row, this is the story of how music has shaped Nashville and why today it’s a place of pilgrimage for musicians from all over the world.

As well as iconic venues on Lower Broadway and the historic hit factories of 16th Avenue, Bob also explores the East Nashville music scene and discovers a rebellious flip-side to the country coin. With exclusive performances from the city’s top talent, Bob Harris explains why country music owes its enduring success to Nashville’s unique nurturing community of songwriters.

Very nice archival footage combined with fresh insights from today’s  players. He looks not just at the music but all the stuff that goes on around it, the shops, the posters and the studios of Nashville.

Performances from:
Emmylou Harris, John Fullbright, Ashley Monroe, Jason Isbell, Angel Snow and more

Interviews with:
Emmylou Harris, Duane Eddy, Dave Stewart and Rosanne Cash, Kacey Musgraves, Eric Church and more

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Neil Young

Videos of the day: Neil Young live at the BBC 1971 and BBC Documentary Don’t be denied

 

bbc 1971

Neil Young live at the BBC 1971 and BBC Documentary Don’t be denied

Neil played a wonderful set in 1971 that was taped and broadcast by The BBC. He arrived in England right after the release of Harvest the concert is part of a promo tour of the album. It is just Neil Young alone with his guitar and a set of songs that has become part of any best-of collections by him. At this concert they were fresh material. He also did some unreleased songs. The filming and the sound is very good, and Neil Young’s stories about his life and surroundings are easy to follow. This is a true gem, and one of the best captures of Neil Young in the early period.

Set list:

01.- Out on the Weekend 00:00
02.- Old Man 03:59
03.- Journey Through the Past 08:04
04.- Heart of Gold 13:09
05.- Don’t Let It Bring You Down 17:16
06.- A Man Needs a Maid 20:15
07.- Love in Mind 24:14
08.- Dance Dance Dance 26:27

Neil Young at The BBC 1971:

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