STACK New Zealand October Issue 67

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On the
JB Stereo
Tami Neilson
Don't Be Afraid
Rudimental
We The Generation
Battles
La Di Da Di
Chris Cornell
Higher Truth
Eagles Of Death
Metal
Zipper Down
Rhodes
Wishes
Trivium
Silence In The Snow
Fat Freddy's Drop
Bays
Salad Boys
Metalmania
Lana Del Rey
Honeymoon
visit THIS MONTH at MUSIC
W e're big fans of films about music –
whether they be fictionalised biopics or
documentaries – and this year has already
seen the release of a number of must-have music
DVDs and Blu-rays.
The other great thing about music movies is that
they will often encourage you to dust off an old
favourite you may not have played in years – or even
think about filling a forgotten gap in your record
collection. Most filmmakers don’t have the luxury to
include full versions of songs by the artists they are
featuring, but the snippets that do get played are
often just the motivation you
need to return to the original
albums.
Who wasn't tempted to
seek out the full version
of James Brown’s Live At
Apollo after seeing Chadwick
Boseman recreate it as part
of the biopic Get On Up? Or
glory again in the complete
wonders of Pet Sounds after watching the superb
Brian Wilson biopic Love & Mercy (out on DVD and
BD this month)? And we’re sure N.W.A.’s Straight
Outta Compton has been on the music decks of
many a hip hop fan in the wake of the biopic of the
same name currently playing in cinemas.
It’s not just fictional films that cry out for a
CD and/or vinyl companion. This month sees the
release of the acclaimed documentary Amy, which
tells the tragic story of the British soul singer.
The film is particularly good on her early years, so
while the first instinct was to fire up Back To Black,
it’s also been interesting to revisit her under-rated
debut Frank. We also recommend that you check
out the CD/DVD set Amy Winehouse At The BBC,
which collates some of her greatest appearances
on both TV and in the studio.
2015 has actually been a great year for music
docos, with Amy arriving hot on the heels of
the superb Montage Of Heck, which gave us an
intimate portrait of another music legend who died
far too young: Kurt Cobain. The gunge icon is also
the subject of Soaked In Bleach, which is out on
DVD next month and is a more controversial piece
about Cobain’s death – add in the new vinyl edition
of Nirvana's self-titled greatest hits compilation and
you have the perfect Christmas gift for Cobain fans.
Meanwhile, another music
documentary to look out
for in November is Lambert
& Stamp, an affectionate
account of the managers of
The Who.
There's also a host of
other great music docos
waiting in the wings. Mavis!,
a marvelous portrait of the
gospel R&B legend Mavis Staples, will be essential
viewing when it arrives on DVD, and you should
also keep an eye out for The Wrecking Crew
which profiles the legendary group of LA session
musicians who played on classic records of the
Beach Boys, Phil Spector, the Monkees,
the Mamas & The Papas and many,
many more. And with
new docos also due
on artists as diverse
as Nina Simone, Keith
Richards, James Brown, Kiss
and The Damned, long may
the music movie revival
continue. JB Listener
Music movies – both fictional and factual – are enjoying a renaissance.
Lana Del Rey
music with
pictures
Mavis! 52 OCTOBER 2015
Love & Mercy