My Kind Of Band..."Now More Than Ever: The History Of Chicago"

Now More Than Ever: The History of Chicago (2016)

Not Rated

Starring: Chicago

Directed by Peter Pardini

The Story:

The band you know. The story you don't. Follow their history from their creation in 1967 (!!) until their long overdue induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It's a nearly career defining retrospective, warts and all.

I would imagine that for most casual fans of Chicago, you know the band, you know the logo, but likely aside from Peter Cetera, you probably don't know their names.

The documentary will help erase that and give them their due as one of the longest tenured rock bands still performing today.

Naturally, as with most rock bands, it wasn't all sunshine and roses, and the biggest piece missing from this documentary is the inclusion of Peter Cetera.

However, that's not for a lack of trying.

Whatever beef he's got with the band, he's not letting go, which is a shame.

He was a huge part of their success in the 80s, though producer David Foster will happily let you know it was all him. :)

This documentary is currently streaming on Netflix.

Final Grade: B+

And Now The Musical Stylings Of "The Wrecking Crew!"

The Wrecking Crew! (2008)

Rated PG

Starring Tommy Tedesco, Brian Wilson, Glen Campbell, Carol Kaye, Dick Clark, Herb Alpert, Hal Blaine

Directed by Denny Tedesco

The Story:

In the late 50s, Rock and Roll music was born. While we are familiar with the names of the singers and bands that gave us this amazing music from that moment all the way through the 60s, many of them had a deep, dark secret: They all employed The Wrecking Crew as their session musicians to make their music sound so good.  You know the songs by heart, and now it's time to learn the story of those musicians who put their soul into the recordings with rarely any credit given to them outside of the industry.

Until now.

Denny Tedesco started a documentary about his dad, guitar master Tommy Tedesco.

Yet the more he filmed, the bigger the story got.

So he expanded it, and archive footage and interviews with industry legends and members of the Wrecking Crew are spliced together in near chronological order to give not only a behind the scenes peek at the recording industry, but a history of rock from its birth to the end of the 60s and beginnings of the 70s.

Basically, if you think The Monkees were the only band to not really play their instruments on records, you're about to have a wake up call as to who was really responsible for the music.

In some cases, the Wrecking Crew even played the music better than the artists themselves.

It's informative.

It's eye-opening.

It's worth your time.

The movie is currently streaming on Netflix as of this writing.

Final Grade: A

The Tragic Life of Hank Williams..."I Saw The Light"

I Saw The Light (2015)

Rated R

Starring Tom Hiddleston, Elizabeth Olsen, Cherry Jones

Written and Directed by Marc Abraham

The Story:

Hank Williams (Hiddleston) goes from a local act to the Grand Ole Opry in his brief 6 year career. Starting under the guidance of his mother (Jones), he begins his national ascent after marrying Aubrey (Olsen) until he is one of the most prolific singers and songwriters in the nation. And then just like that, a series of destructive behaviors took him from us at the too young age of 29.

This is his story...

In some movies, you can say that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts (thank you Aristotle) where all of the acting, writing, directing, etc. add up to a great cinematic experience.

This isn't that movie.

Nope.

This movie is all about Tom Hiddleston becoming Hank Williams.

Gone is his British accent, buried beneath a southern drawl.

And, unlike most biopics of this nature, Hank Williams does not sing.

It's all Hiddleston, all the time.

And he is amazing. Both as a singer and an actor.

When I was growing up, it was country music that permeated the household until I realized I could change the channels and discovered rock and roll. :)

But this movie, it took me back to a ton of songs that I heard growing up and probably hadn't heard in 30 or 40 years.

Unless of course, they had been remade by rock and roll artists.

Which many had.

Hank Williams made so many hit records in his brief lifetime, he wound up in just about every music hall of fame that there is.

Deservedly so.

But back to the movie...

;)

The problem with the film, and there are several, the movie only implies a lot of what was happening to Hank Williams in his life.

Is he a bad/abusive husband to Aubrey?

Is Aubrey a bad wife to Hank?

Much of this is left ambiguous, at best, perhaps to avoid tarnishing the Williams family legacy.

Hard to say.

You probably don't get the kind of cooperation you need from the family and friends and establishments for making a biopic if you say we're going to show everything, warts and all.

So much of the dramatic flare in the movie is kind of missing any oomph.

Williams isn't a monster that you want to hate, but have to love whenever he starts singing.

He's just a guy who loves to sing, and also really likes to drink.

However, whenever the movie puts us behind the microphone, it becomes magic as Hiddleston belts out a variety of Williams' hits throughout his career. Whether with a bit of rock, or straight gospel, whenever he hits the stage, it's magical.

He and Olsen elevate their parts above the movie and give you performances worth watching.

The rest of the movie bounces between the what you're watching, and apparently some pseudo-documentary filming where it asks important people in Williams' career about the man.

It's odd, and rather unnecessary.

The movie ends with tragedy of course, but the beautiful tribute of the title song is enough to make you a little misty-eyed.

Imagine how music could have been changed if Hank had survived even another 10 years?

Come for Hiddleston and the music of Hank Williams, you won't be disappointed.


Final Grade: B

The History Of Rock Via "Sound City"

Sound City (2013)

Documentary

Starring Dave Grohl, Rick Springfield, Lindsey Buckingham, Neil Young, Tom Petty

Directed by Dave Grohl

The Story:

If you enjoyed rock music from 1975 until the early 2000s, odds are one of your favorite musicians recorded an album at Sound City.  Using one of 4 Neve custom boards to record the music, Sound City studios had a lasting impact on the journey of rock music.  The documentary follows the humble beginnings to the creation of Fleetwood Mac (as fans know them) in their studios.  They really take off when Rick Springfield signs with their company, and they come back into prominence when a group called Nirvana records their album there.

With the studio closing, Grohl goes on a holy crusade to rescue the board and transport it to his personal studio.

He does.
It works.

And he invites a who's who of famous musicians to come record something new on the old Neve for old time's sake.

Along the way there's a lot of archival footage, some revealing interviews, and generally a lot of good fun and love directed towards rock and roll.

If you love good music, you owe this one at least a look-see.

Final Grade: Solid B... you could persuade me to go B+ if you ask nicely. ;)

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Nothing I'd need to own and watch again, but I wouldn't mind watching it. Well made and entertaining.

Springtime In New York... "The Last Play At Shea"

The Last Play at Shea (2010)

Not Rated

Starring Billy Joel

Directed by  Paul Crowder

The Story:

This documentary chronicles the life and career of Billy Joel.
This documentary chronicles the history of Shea stadium from creation to destruction.
This documentary chronicles the fall, rise, fall, rise, fall, rise... of the New York Mets.

It does all of this in 90 minutes, and it does it spectacularly.

It is a concert film...without a lot of the concert.
It's a baseball film...with rock and roll.
It's a rock and roll film...with baseball.

It's unique, and very enjoyable.

Not a lot of the 2 night finale actually makes the 90 minute performance.

However, over the 90 minute running time, you'll learn a lot about Joel, New York, Shea Stadium, The Beatles and much more.

Example:  Sting realized that performing at Shea was the pinnacle of their career, so while on stage, he decided he would leave The Police when their tour was over.

Crazy, right?

A musical history lesson, perfectly encapsulated in film.

I just wish that the 2 night concert performance was available as extras or released on its own as well.

Final Grade: A-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I don't see a need to own it, and a viewing is good.  But it could be a nice historical piece to pull out every so often to remember what life was like back in the days of Shea.

You Know Their Music...Now Learn Their Names. "20 Feet From Stardom"

20 Feet From Stardom (2013)
Rated PG-13 for language

Starring Darlene Love, Merry Clayton, Bruce Springsteen, Sting

The Story:

As the title states, 20 feet from the lead singer, these backup singers are what provided much of the hook for the music of the 60s and 70s.  Odds are, you already know the songs, and like Rock and Roll Hall of Fame singer Darlene Love, you know the voices.  You just don't know the names to the ladies in question.  Or, as we'll learn, many times their vocals were sent out under different names entirely.

It's a fascinating  look at the ladies who became stars in their own right, even if the public never knew who they were.

Darlene Love, whose biggest solo hit, Christmas(Baby Please Come Home) is revisited every year on The Late Show with David Letterman is indeed the most famous of all the singers, but by no means is she the only talented backup singer profiled in this documentary.

Again, while the majority of this documentary looks back at the powerful vocalists who helped define the sounds of the 60s and 70s, there are still background singers today, backing some of the biggest acts.

They just aren't as prolific as they once were.

Mick Jagger, Bruce Springsteen and Sting, among others, extol the virtues of these ladies and how important to the work and sound they truly are.

Sheryl Crow, herself a former backup singer offers some insight as well, as possibly one of the most famous backups to make the long 20 foot walk to the center of the stage.

An amazing soundtrack to a really good movie.

Now streaming on Netflix if you're interested.

Final Grade: Solid B

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I don't think I would need to own it, but would have no problem watching this very well made documentary again.