Music Documentaries List

I've been on sort of a music documentary kick lately, and was wondering what some of your suggestions are. And I'll use this thread to keep a running total in the OP if need be, for when people search for music docs in the future.

Note: If you add one please at least give a short synopsis of what/who it's about, and also if it is streaming/available somewhere (that you know of).

Here are some good ones I've seen:


Stax: Soulsville USA - 2024 (HBO/Max)
I just finished this one yesterday. It's a solid history of Stax records (think the lesser known Motown of the 50s/60s/70s). It was a tad long for my taste (four episodes ranging from about 45-60 minutes), but all in all it was entertaining.
- Highlight: Live performances by Otis Redding. After it was over I put on some Otis vinyl and jammed out for a while. But man, that soulful dude could sing his arse off.


Get Back - 2021 (Disney+)
This is arguably the best one on this list (if you're a Beatles fan). Just raw footage of the Get Back/Let It Be sessions. It's long as well (almost 8 hours in total), but I didn't mind that and could've watched hours and hours more. It also puts a new light on the OG Let It Be doc and sort of reframes the emotions of the group as a lot more pleasant than originally thought. it you like the Beatles at all, it's a must watch IMO.
- Highlight: Footage of Paul strumming on his guitar and literally creating Get Back out of thin air. It's honestly pretty incredible to see that happen, whether you're a fan or not.


The History of the Eagles - 2013
A pretty definitive doc on the band, the breakup, and the reunion. Really great doc that provides some in-depth knowledge and stories, as well as interviews from pretty much everybody involved.
- Highlight: About a 40+ minute clip of a 1977 concert when they are at their arguable peak.


Hitsville: The Making of Motown - 2019 (various streaming services: Apple, Hulu, Paramount+, etc.)
I loved this one. Really great history of the label straight from the mouths of the people that created it (Berry Gordy, Smokey Robinson, etc.). There are some solid clips of music performances throughout, but the best part to me was learning all about Gordy's business/assembly line approach to creating and sustaining/growing the label.
- Highlight: They strip down Marvin Gaye's What's Going On layer by layer to show the genius that went into that song. It's an exceptionally cool scene.


If I Leave Here Tomorrow - 2018
Really solid doc about Lynyrd Skynyrd with interviews and footage from most of the people involved, including their awesome Free Bird performance at the Oakland Coliseum in 1977.
- Highlight: Hearing the surviving members (like Gary Rossington) tell the story of the plane crash. It's pretty chilling, but also really cool to have a story from that perspective.


Thriller 40 - 2022 (Paramount+)
Goes into the background and recording of arguably the biggest pop album of all time. Great interviews from people were there behind the scenes, and IIRC it goes into a little detail about pretty much every track on the album (and they are all awesome).
- Highlight: One of the dudes who worked on the song Thriller walks through all the different layers of music and sounds that they used to make the backing track for the song. It was cool to watch him break it down one by one.


Music By John Williams - 2024 (D+)
I really loved this one, if only because I didn't even realize just how many things in life Williams has created music for. And he's still alive and well and gives his interpretations and stories to just about all of his most famous scores and music.
- Highlight: Really just hearing all of his scores the whole time was the highlight for me.


Others I would recommend:

The Greatest Night in Pop - 2024 (Netflix) - Great doc about the night We Are the World was recorded. Really cool stories and insight from a lot of the people that were there that night.

Music Box: Yacht Rock: A Dockumentary - 2024 (HBO/Max, Prime) - Finished this one over the weekend. It's solid, but not overly great. But the whole idea of how the term yacht rock came to be is just sort of interesting. It's worth a watch if you enjoy that kind of music.

This Is it - 2009 - About Michael Jackson rehearsing for his This Is It concert residency that never happened because he ended up dying. But even in 2009 you could still see some of his musical and performance genius and it's cool to see what goes into creating a show.

Beatles Anthology - 1995 - Still the definitive Beatles documentary/docuseries. It's on the long side, but it goes into extraordinary detail about all things Beatles from formation through the breakup.

The Beach Boys - 2024 (D+) - Really solid history of the group with (I believe) interviews from all members (including Dennis).

Beastie Boys Story - 2020 (Apple) - Intimate history of the group told personally by Mike D and MCA via a slideshow of sorts, along with clips and personal stories from them. It's a bit of a different take on a documentary (it feels more intimate), but I really enjoyed it.

In Restless Dreams - 2023 (Apple and Prime) - Decent doc about Paul Simon and his story. I did find this one a bit long and felt the 219 minutes could've been cut by an hour or more. But it's worth a watch if you like Paul and his music. Part 1 is much better than Part 2 IMO.

Wingspan - 2001 - Mostly about Paul McCartney and Linda, but goes into some good history of Wings and its music. It wasn't overly good, but I enjoyed it.

George Harrison: Living in the Material World - 2011 - If you're a Beatles fan or just a George fan, this is a solid doc from Martin Scorsese. It's a tad long (208 minutes) and I'm not the biggest George fan, but it's a solid watch.

Imagine: John Lennon - 1988 - Solid doc about Lennon, and most of it (maybe even all?) is taken from his own words in various interviews he had given in his lifetime.

Others listed:

Zappa (Hulu)
Nöthin' But A Good Time: The Uncensored Story of '80s Hair Metal (P+)
Sound City - LA studio
The Terry Kath Experience
The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart (Max)
Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind
I Am Trying to Break Your Heart - Wilco
Dig! - The Brian Jonestown Massacre and The Dandy Warhols
Fleetwood Mac - Making of Rumours (youtube)
Music Box: Listening to Kenny G (Max)
Stop Making Sense - Talking Heads
Festival - Bob Dylan
Searching for Sugar Man
Echo in the Canyon (P+)
Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage
Standing in the Shadows of Motown
Genghis Blues - Paul Pena
20 Feet from Stardom - backup musicians
The Wrecking Crew
Muscle Shoals
Immediate Family - backup musicians
The Last Waltz - The Band
Elvis: That's the Way It Is
Oasis: Supersonic
Letters From a Porcupine - Blind Melon
Hype! - Seattle grunge scene (Prime)
A Band Called Death - About rock band Death
Milli Vanilli (P+)
It Might Get Loud - Legendary guitarists
Marley
May At Last: A Portrait of the Avett Brothers
Remastered: The Two Killings of Sam Cooke
Festival Express - Grateful Dead
The Decline of Western Civilization - Metal bands
Don't Look Back - Dylan
Rolling Thunder Review
Produced By George Martin
Song of the South - Allman Brothers
Allman Brothers: After the Crash
Gone With the Wind - Skynyrd
Rise of a Texas Bluesman - SRV
Stevie Ray Vaughn: Lonestar
Alan Jackson: Small Town Southern Man
Becoming Zeppelin (comes out later this year)
This is Pop: Story of XTC
Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me - band Big Star
Hired Gun - session musicians
Running Down a Dream
Meet Me in the Bathroom
Gimme Shelter - Rolling Stones