T hese exceptional music documentaries are available on Amazon either to rent/buy or currently included in the standard Prime subscription in the UK. There’s something for everyone to enjoy here – every one of these documentaries is as entertaining as it is revealing.
SEYMOUR: AN INTRODUCTION (2015)
In Ethan Hawke’s directorial debut, he presumes the audience has no prior knowledge of concert pianist, composer and New York native Seymour Bernstein, and instead takes a genial, laid-back approach, showing Bernstein teaching, chatting and philosophising, and crafting a cosy impression of warm familiarity. Threaded throughout are intimate conversations, musings on artistry and the value of practice and perseverance, that will surely be relatable to anyone who ever tried to learn an instrument. A fascinating and inspiring musician.
BIFFY CLYRO: CULTURAL SONS OF SCOTLAND (2022)
Thoughtful documentary that follows the band as they overcome the restrictions of COVID and limitations of location to record their ninth studio album, The Myth Of The Happily Ever After, their first recorded entirely on home soil in Scotland. Through interviews, archive and self-recorded footage, it charts the band’s history and dedicated fandom, culminating with a spectacular live show in Glasgow. The genuine joy the members of Biffy Clyro seem to have at being around one another could seem ludicrous if it weren’t so darn genuine.
STOP MAKING SENSE (1984)
In 1983, Talking Heads were at the height of their sharp-suited, loose-limbed, avant-garde grooving powers. And director Jonathan Demme was around to capture it in all its frantic and joyful glory. Stop Making Sense was shot over three nights at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre at the end of that year and kicks off with a razor-cheekboned David Byrne alone onstage with an 808. Gradually he is joined by the rest of the band in a performance that builds to an ecstatic and iconic finale. One of the finest concert films ever made.
20 FEET FROM STARDOM (2013)
Oscar-winner that dives into the lives of the backing singers whose vocal chops prop up the records of many a beloved pop star. Appreciative artists such as Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder and a rakishly on-brand Mick Jagger are interviewed, as are many of those gifted backing singers – some of whom are content with their supporting role and some whose longing for the limelight has never left them. It’s a bittersweet celebration of music and the human voice.
GIMME DANGER (2016)
Before there was punk, there was The Stooges. Jim Jarmusch’s documentary celebrates the career and influe
