Bob Smeaton
Featuring never-before-seen concert footage and narration by Jeff Bridges, this documentary explores CCR's humble origins and meteoric rise.
Sky Arts presents the definitive story of The Jam, one of the most successful British bands in rock history, who were at the forefront of the late 1970s punk-mod scene. Featuring exclusive interviews with Paul Weller, Bruce Foxton and Rick Buckler, and richly illustrated with archive performances, this documentary, directed by Bob Smeaton, traces the band's formation and success between 1975 and 1982, and is set against the backdrop of the ever changing politics, fashion and attitudes that shaped the period of late 70s and early 80s.
Hear My Train A Comin’ unveils previously unseen performance footage and home movies taken by Hendrix and drummer Mitch Mitchell while sourcing an extensive archive of photographs, drawings, family letters and more to provide new insight into the musician’s personality and genius. The two-hour film uses Hendrix’s own words to tell his story, illustrated through archival interviews and illuminated with commentary from family, well-known friends and musicians including Paul McCartney, band members Noel Redding, Mitch Mitchell, Billy Cox, long-time sound engineer Eddie Kramer; Steve Winwood, Vernon Reid, Billy Gibbons, Dweezil Zappa and Dave Mason.
Seattle, WA EMP brings viewers inside the ground-breaking story of one man, his music and the world that embraced him with the two-hour documentary special "Jimi Hendrix Voodoo Child,"
A collection of interviews and footage of the band detailing how their sound progressed and how their albums were made.
Roxy Music's unique blend of avant-garde rock music and high style set the tone for the whole glam rock era. They were much imitated but never equaled. This DVD tells the story of Roxy Music through new interviews with band members Bryan Ferry, Phil Manzanera, Andy Mackay, Paul Thompson, Brian Eno and Eddie Jobson plus many of their contemporaries. The program covers their early years, the classic seventies albums, their re-emergence with a much smoother style in the early eighties, the band's break up and then their hugely successful reunion in the 21st century. Originally broadcast by the BBC in late 2008, the DVD contains nearly half an hour of additional unseen material plus three bonus, previously unreleased live tracks.
A future classic was unleashed in January 1967 as the Doors released their eponymously titled debut album. This documentary in the Classic Albums series takes an in-depth look at the album, with commentary from Bruce Botnick, who worked on the album, and the three remaining Doors--guitarist Robbie Krieger, keyboard player Ray Manzarek, and drummer John Densmore. The three band members also play some of their instrumental parts from the album, offering invaluable insight into how the songs were constructed.
The first ever Henry Rollins Spoken Word DVD filmed entirely in Australia! "I made my 26th trip to Australia for some talking shows. The first three dates were in Sydney. We rolled film on the performances and some post-show interviews as well. This DVD is what made the final cut.
This documentary traces the journey that saw Jimi Hendrix rise from virtual obscurity to become a global star following his incendiary performance at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967.
The Spice Girls are the most successful girl group of all time. They have sold 55 million CDs worldwide, had nine No.1 singles and had the biggest selling single ever by an all female group. Although there have been many documentaries, books and articles about the Spice Girls, the girls themselves have never told their story. Until now... This is the story of the Spice Girls, told by the Spice Girls - the story from inside the eye of the hurricane, the story of the greatest pop phenomenon since The Beatles. From their pre-Spice Girl days, the forming of the group, the early struggles, their first taste of success, world domination, the break up, the aftermath and their subsequent solo careers and lives. Their recollections form an intriguing and revealing narrative along with archive footage from around the globe which illustrates the time when the Spice Girls ruled the world and how they are soon to re-claim their place as the most talked about group on the planet.
A documentary series about pop and rock albums that are considered the best or most distinctive of a well-known band or musician or that exemplify a stage in the history of music.
Nirvana's groundbreaking 1991 album NEVERMIND raised the Seattle trio to the status of Godhead, forever changing the face of the pop music market. "Here we are now, entertain us" may have come and gone as a catch-phrase, but as an insight into a generation's bitterly restless tide, it ranks right up there with "I can't get no satisfaction." Part of the CLASSIC ALBUMS series, this release sheds new light on the production and legacy of NEVERMIND through revealing interviews with industry insiders. With unprecedented openness, remaining band members Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl discuss the production of individual songs, and tell amusing anecdotes about the band's financial struggles just before making it big. In addition, NEVERMIND producer Butch Vig invites viewers into his studio, where he dissects and examines each of the album's tracks. By isolating, examining, and reassembling each instrument and vocal track, Vig is able to recreate the manner in which the album was produced.
The filmed account of a large Canadian rock festival train tour boasting major acts. In the summer of 1970, a chartered train crossed Canada carrying some of the world's greatest rock bands. The Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, The Band, Buddy Guy, and others lived (and partied) together for five days, stopping in major cities along the way to play live concerts. Their journey was filmed.
The worlds of glitz, glam, and pop-rock fused immortally on Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, born of the formidable partnership of Elton John and Bernie Taupin. This 1973 double album may well have been the peak of their collaboration. Ranging from perennial favorites like "Candle in the Wind," "Benny and the Jets," and the title track to more ambitious compositions like "Funeral for a Friend (Love Lies Bleeding)" and everything in between, Goodbye is unmatched in its depth and scope. This entry in the Classic Albums series of DVDs documents the often tumultuous writing and recording sessions for that masterpiece through vintage clips of the musicians in the studio and new interviews with Elton, Bernie, producer Gus Dudgeon, and the band members. We may never know how the John-Taupin team achieved their magic, but this release offers a both a peek at the process and a few reasons why the album endures today.
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."
When Peter Gabriel, Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford joined forces in the late sixties, their intentions were not to be recording artists but rather songwriters. That initial plan soon fell by the wayside when they secured a record deal and became Genesis, progressing from the underground scene with such albums as "Trespass" and "Nursery Cryme," to become household names with the addition of drummer/singer Phil Collins and such chart topping albums as "We Can't Dance" and "Invisible Touch." By talking to the individual members of the group, discover what they consider to be their favorite Genesis songs, and why certain songs have a special place in the Genesis story. Song include: I Can't Dance, Invisible Touch, Follow You Follow Me, The Musical Box, Supper's Ready, I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe), The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, Afterglow, Misunderstanding, Turn It On Again, Mama, Land of Confusion.
Never one for understatement, the aptly named singer known as Meat Loaf (aka Marvin Lee Aday) teamed with operatically-minded pianist-composer Jim Steinman to produce a bombastic slab of 1970s classic rock that has become one of the biggest selling albums of all time. Fueled by Steinman's epic compositions, Todd Rundgren's grandiose production, and Meat Loaf's own soaring vocals, the singer's 1977 debut BAT OUT OF HELL elevated the rock-opera genre to appropriately theatrical heights with its extravagant orchestration and a melodramatic narrative celebrating teenage rebellion. This episode of the CLASSIC ALBUMS series recounts the making of this monumental work through interviews, archival footage, and live performances of album tracks such as "You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth," "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad," and, of course, the adolescent opus "Paradise by the Dashboard Light."
In this 1999 documentary, Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey and John Entwistle discuss the making of what many consider the Who's greatest testament to Townshend's songwriting talent: their classic album "Who's Next." Others close to the group weigh in with insights about the late Keith Moon's importance to the band. The retrospective also features unseen performances of tunes from the platter, including "Won't Get Fooled Again" and "Baba O'Riley."
Made less than a year before his death in September 1970, Band of Gypsys was an album recorded live to fulfill a contractual obligation for a long-forgotten deal Jimi Hendrix signed when he still spelled his name "Jimmy." Hendrix had just disbanded the Jimi Hendrix Experience, and in order to dispense with the album as quickly as possible, he put together a new trio featuring Billy Cox (an old Army buddy) and drummer Buddy Miles.
Comprised of Rick Danko, Levon Helm, Garth Hudson, Richard Manuel and Robbie Robertson, The Band's self-titled sophomore effort spent 24 weeks in the Billboard Top 40. The album was released at a time when the US album charts were taken over by the psychedelic rock movement, and despite this, the album had the aforementioned chart success and would go on to sell over one million copies. This edition of the "Classic Albums" series focuses on The Band's follow-up to "MUSIC FROM BIG PINK". Featuring classics such as "Up On Cripple Creek", "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down", and "Rag Mama Rag", the story of the album is told through interviews with surviving members of The Band, fellow musicians Eric Clapton, Don Was, and George Harrison, and vintage footage. The Band is a classic album!
At the turn of the century, a widow decides to set her dead husbands business back in the black column. Her efforts to get the mill going again, however, are somewhat submarined by problems with an employee who is accused of murder and her sister who has married a spoiled rich boy
Set in working class Newcastle, the Stott family fight their private battles against the backdrop of the conflict of World War II. Helen Stott, over thirty and with a limp, is resigned to being left on the shelf until she meets and falls in love with Norman, a serviceman from London. In contrast, her younger sister Joyce has quite a way with men, and finds herself a little too popular with the troops, especially when her husband pops up on leave from his regiment.
The complete collection of Jimi Hendrix's celebrated appearances on The Dick Cavett Show. The Dick Cavett Show marked Jimi's US network television debut and this special documentary, directed by multiple Grammy Award winner Bob Smeaton, features complete live performances of "Izabella", "Machine Gun", and "Hear My Train A Comin'" as well as new interviews with Cavett, Experience band members Mitch Mitchell and Billy Cox, and others. Jimi's own insightful interviews with Cavett touched upon a variety of personal and professional issues ranging from his stint as a US Army paratrooper to his celebrated rendition of the "Star Spangled Banner" at the Woodstock Festival. These conversations with Cavett helped reveal the humor, passion, and intelligence of the man behind such rock classics as Are You Experienced and Electric Ladyland.
