Rock and roll as we know it was influenced by the English bands of the 1960s who took the world by storm and forever changed the sound of modern music. The tremendous success of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and The Who is as strong today as it was 50 years ago and this comprehensive documentary series chronicles the exhilarating musical journey affectionately known as The British Invasion.
The newly released “The British Invasion” DVD is jam-packed with several rock documentaries, some good, others not so much. I was lucky to grow up with an eclectic taste in music thanks to my father playing all kinds of genres at home. He also took me to plenty of concerts and we got to see a couple of bands featured on the DVD. When I was sixteen we saw The Who at Hershey Stadium and the next year we saw The Rolling Stones at the Wachovia Arena. Needless to say, I’m a big rock and roll fan, and I love a good documentary. There’s a lot of documentaries with hours and hours of footage so I decided to review the most memorable ones.
The first documentary I watched was “The Rolling Stones: Just For The Record.” This expansive 250 minute plus running time made for an inconsistent experience. The narrative covers the 1960s-2000s in a linear, but frankly dull approach. Subjects interviewed include band alum Mick Taylor, considered one of the best guitarists of his generation, he sadly left the band at their peak. The reason he left is shown during the superior “Gimme Shelter” rock concert which captured the tragic events that occurred at Altamont Speedway. The concert promoters had the terrible idea of hiring the Hell’s Angels for security with their questionable payment being in the form of cases of beer. After plenty of alcohol and some rambunctious attendees storming the stage, the Stones set was cut short when an Angel stabbed a gun-wielding member of the audience. This moment represented a dark cloud over the colorful hippie era that would soon come crashing down after the summer of ‘69. I’d also recommend the Stones doc/concert “Shine A Light,” directed by Martin Scorsese.
“The Who: The Vegas Job” was filmed in 1999 during the band’s performance at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. I understand this “British Invasion” is in DVD format but the unrefined sound and standard-def image really suffer. The Who are a loud and big band so the tiny aspect ratio doesn’t do them justice. Also having seen them live, they sounded way better three years after this performance. The best part is the setlist, the band only plays their tracks from the thumping, frenetic Keith Moon era. Moon was one of the greatest drummers and the epitome of a misbehaving rockstar. I recall he destroyed hotel rooms and most infamously often placed dynamite in his Bass drum to add even more noise and spectacle. One time he put in too much firepower and the explosion sent lead singer Roger Daltrey flying off-stage and left Pete Townsend partially deaf. Unfortunately, Moon lived fast and died young but the band still stayed strong for years to come. Another surprising downside of “The Vegas Job” is Pete Townsend doesn’t smash his guitar after a roaring solo.
The Beatles portion is packed with five documentaries; the most interesting and probably best out of the entire DVD series was “Love, Litigation, & Let it Be: 1967-Present.” Sadly, the standard definition causes lots of interviews to sound hollow and at times unintelligible but thank goodness for closed captions. I’m not the biggest Beatles listener, but their impact and ingenuity are undeniable. I found their later years the most interesting since they were questioning Vietnam, experimenting with LSD, and pushing the boundaries within their genre. The documentary marks the beginning of the end for the four lads from Liverpool. Just as their beards grew, so did the distance between them, while many aspects are to be blamed, Yoko is certainly one of the main reasons. Some glaring issues are John Lennon’s increased use of heroin, Yoko’s desire to make Avant-garde music (aka generally, not good music), and her omnipresence during The Beatles’ recording sessions. After the “Let it Be: Recording Sessions” and the concluding “Abbey Road,” they broke up, and everyone except Ringo went on to make some exceptional solo albums. Obviously, the rest is history, and the music world was stunned when the mentally ill Mark David Chapman tragically assassinated John Lennon.
I realized watching the documentaries that I haven’t listened to the featured bands in a long time. They obviously have their popular tracks that appear in plenty of film and television spots but there are some deep cuts that are some of rock and roll’s best. I was most pleasantly surprised by The Beatles’ final documentary, not being the biggest fan they actually had the most interesting story and it was a touching tribute.
Now available on DVD and Digital from Mill Creek Entertainment
