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The Band: Classic Albums – The Band

The Band’s eponymously titled 1969 album reached number 9 in the Billboard chart, secured 24 weeks in the Top 40, and sold over a million copies.

Featuring interviews with the surviving members of the band – Robbie Robertson, Levon Helm, Rick Danko, Garth Hudson and producer John Simon – together with fellow musicians including Eric Clapton, George Harrison, and Don Was, this film underlines The Band’s enormous contribution to popular music history and confirms why, for many music lovers they will always be The Band.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nV6952QFuh0

 

Thin Lizzy: Bad Reputation

Bad Reputation provides a rollercoaster ride through the life and times of Thin Lizzy, who some still say is the best hard rock band ever to come out of Ireland.

This film goes right back to the beginning, showing early footage of Phil Lynott in his pre-Lizzy bands, through the basic three-piece he formed with guitarist Eric Bell and drummer Brian Downey – the original Thin Lizzy – to the classic line-up, with guitarists Brian ‘Robbo’ Robertson and Scott Gorham. Contributors include Brian Downey, Scott Gorham, Eric Bell and Brian Robertson, as well as Midge Ure, Bob Geldof, Tony Visconti, Joe Elliot of Def Leppard and many others.

httpvp://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL22D123B9F23DE7D4&feature=plcp

 

The Beatles: Making of A Hard Day’s Night

Introduced by Phil Collins, who was one of the teenagers in the studio audience when the songs were filmed, The Making Of A Hard Day’s Night is a film about the making of the most famous film by the most famous group in the world.

This 1995 documentary includes lots of behind-the-scenes footage, with clips from the film and commentary from producer Walter Shenson, director Richard Lester and screenwriter Alun Owen amongst others – including Micky Dolenz and Roger McGuinn. Only seven of the nine songs originally written were used in the film, so die-hard fans will be glad to see one of the unused performances, ‘You Can’t Do That’, which appears partially during the documentary and in its entirety at the end.

httpvp://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1FDF479E3F61C7D5&feature=plcp

 

The Rolling Stones: Gimme Shelter

Gimme Shelter is a landmark portrait of a band – and a generation. What begins as a film of the Rolling Stones’ performances on their 1969 American tour switches to an inquiry into the devastating Altamont concert where Hell’s Angels — hired by the group itself to do security — stomped out the fading utopian dreams of the 60s.

Directors David Maysles, Albert Maysles and Charlotte Zwerin captured the passion and brilliance of live Stones shows — particularly in songs like ‘Honky Tonk Women’ and ‘Street Fighting Man’. But they also happened to catch on film a fan being stabbed in a crowd, footage they then showed to singer Mick Jagger. This sequence also makes Gimme Shelter a cut above and beyond most other rock documentaries: Jagger’s expression as he shakes his head at his own arrogance and naivete is truly remarkable.

Deep Purple: Classic Albums – Machine Head

Deep Purple’s Machine Head, recorded in 1972, is one of the definitive rock albums of the 70s. Featuring the classic line-up of Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Jon Lord and Ian Paice the album was their most commercially successful worldwide.

Theis film features exclusive interviews with all the members of the band plus Martin Birch, the album’s engineer, and renowned rock journalist Chris Welch.

httpvp://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCABF833CF7BD196B&feature=plcp