Music documentaries: a catalogue of 461 films about music

The best music documentaries by genre – rock, punk, jazz, hip-hop, electronic, Czech and Slovak docs – with a note on every film and where to stream it.

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Rock & classic rock (77)

What's Happening! The Beatles in the U.S.A. (1964) ★ essential – Albert & David Maysles. The Beatles' first US visit, direct cinema
Charlie Is My Darling (1966) – Peter Whitehead. The young Stones on tour in Ireland, 1965
Sympathy for the Devil (One Plus One) (1968) – Jean-Luc Godard. Godard during a Stones recording session
Gimme Shelter (1970) ★ essential – Albert & David Maysles, Charlotte Zwerin. The Stones and the tragedy at Altamont
Let It Be (1970) – Michael Lindsay-Hogg. The Beatles breakup, the rooftop concert
Elvis: That's the Way It Is (1970) ★ essential – Denis Sanders. Rehearsals and Elvis's comeback in Vegas
Mad Dogs & Englishmen (1971) – Pierre Adidge. Joe Cocker and a wild tour
Cocksucker Blues (1972) – Robert Frank. The Stones on tour; almost never officially released
Pink Floyd: Live at Pompeii (1972) ★ essential – Adrian Maben. An empty Roman amphitheater, psychedelia without an audience
The Concert for Bangladesh (1972) – Saul Swimmer. The first big benefit concert
Elvis on Tour (1972) – Pierre Adidge, Robert Abel. Elvis on tour; Golden Globe
Jimi Hendrix (1973) – Joe Boyd, John Head, Gary Weis
A Poem Is a Naked Person (1974) ★ essential – Les Blank. Leon Russell, a film banned for 40 years
Ladies and Gentlemen: The Rolling Stones (1974) – Rollin Binzer. The Stones on tour in 1972, pure concert
David Bowie: Cracked Actor (1975) ★ essential – Alan Yentob. A fragile Bowie on tour in America, 1974
The Song Remains the Same (1976) – Peter Clifton, Joe Massot. Zeppelin at Madison Square Garden
The Grateful Dead Movie (1977) – Jerry Garcia, Leon Gast. Winterland 1974 and the fans
The Last Waltz (1978) ★ essential – Martin Scorsese. The Band's farewell with Dylan, Young and Morrison
The Kids Are Alright (1979) ★ essential – Jeff Stein. The Who at their wildest
Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1979) ★ essential – D.A. Pennebaker. Bowie buries Ziggy at Hammersmith, 1973
Rust Never Sleeps (1979) – Neil Young (Bernard Shakey). Giant speakers and Crazy Horse
U2: Live at Red Rocks – Under a Blood Red Sky (1983) – Gavin Taylor. Rain, fog and torches in Colorado
U2: Rattle and Hum (1988) – Phil Joanou. Joshua Tree, Sun Studio, gospel in Harlem
The Road to God Knows Where (1990) – Uli M Schueppel. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds on an American tour
Queen: Live at Wembley '86 (1990) ★ essential – Gavin Taylor. Freddie owns the stadium
R.E.M.: Tourfilm (1990) – Jim McKay, Michael Stipe. Black-and-white art rock from the Green tour
Starshaped (1993) – Matthew Glamorre. A raw Blur on tour before Britpop
Peter Gabriel: Secret World Live (1994) – François Girard. A theatrical show; Grammy
U2: Zoo TV Live from Sydney (1994) – David Mallet. Media satire and screens; Grammy
The Beatles Anthology (1995) ★ essential – Geoff Wonfor, Bob Smeaton. The Beatles tell their own story
The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus (1996) ★ essential – Michael Lindsay-Hogg. The Stones, the Who and Lennon in a circus big top, 1968
Year of the Horse (1997) – Jim Jarmusch. Neil Young & Crazy Horse through Jarmusch's eyes
Lou Reed: Rock and Roll Heart (1998) – Timothy Greenfield-Sanders. A portrait of Lou Reed; Grammy
Gimme Some Truth: The Making of John Lennon's Imagine Album (2000) – Andrew Solt. Lennon records Imagine; Grammy
Concert for George (2003) – David Leland. A tribute to Harrison; Grammy
No Direction Home: Bob Dylan (2005) ★ essential – Martin Scorsese. Dylan up to 1966, “Judas!”
Wings for Wheels: The Making of Born to Run (2005) – Thom Zimny. The making of Born to Run; Grammy
The Fearless Freaks (2005) – Bradley Beesley. The Flaming Lips – family, Oklahoma, addiction
My Morning Jacket: Okonokos (2006) – Sam Erickson, Wyatt Smith. Fillmore SF, mystical jam rock
Tom Petty: Runnin' Down a Dream (2007) – Peter Bogdanovich. 4 hours, thorough
Sigur Rós: Heima (2007) ★ essential – Dean DeBlois. Free concerts around Iceland
It Might Get Loud (2008) – Davis Guggenheim. Page, The Edge and Jack White on the guitar
Shine a Light (2008) – Martin Scorsese. Scorsese films the Stones at the Beacon Theatre
When You're Strange (2009) – Tom DiCillo. The Doors, narrated by Johnny Depp
Peter Green: Man of the World (2009) – Steve Graham. The Fleetwood Mac founder broken by illness
Stones in Exile (2010) – Stephen Kijak. The making of Exile on Main St.
The Promise: The Making of Darkness on the Edge of Town (2010) – Thom Zimny. Springsteen in the studio after a lawsuit
George Harrison: Living in the Material World (2011) – Martin Scorsese
Queen: Days of Our Lives (2011) – Matt O'Casey
Foo Fighters: Back and Forth (2011) – James Moll
Pearl Jam Twenty (2011) – Cameron Crowe
Talihina Sky: The Story of Kings of Leon (2011) – Stephen C. Mitchell. Sons of a preacher from the American South
Sigur Rós: Inni (2011) – Vincent Morisset. Grainy, dreamlike art concert cinema
Crossfire Hurricane (2012) – Brett Morgen. The Stones from the archives
Beware of Mr. Baker (2012) ★ essential – Jay Bulger. Ginger Baker – a brilliant and dangerous drummer
Led Zeppelin: Celebration Day (2012) – Dick Carruthers. Reunion at London's O2
History of the Eagles (2013) ★ essential – Alison Ellwood. The rise, breakup and return of the Eagles, warts and all
Good Ol' Freda (2013) – Ryan White. The Beatles' secretary speaks after 50 years
Sonic Highways (2014) ★ essential – Dave Grohl. Foo Fighters record in 8 cities and their scenes
Janis: Little Girl Blue (2015) – Amy Berg
The Beatles: Eight Days a Week (2016) – Ron Howard. The touring years of Beatlemania
Long Strange Trip (2017) – Amir Bar-Lev. Grateful Dead, 4 hours
Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World (2017) – Catherine Bainbridge. Native Americans in rock
David Bowie: The Last Five Years (2017) – Francis Whately
Springsteen on Broadway (2018) – Thom Zimny. Bruce alone with a guitar, a piano and his memories
Rolling Thunder Revue (2019) – Martin Scorsese. Dylan's 1975 tour, deliberately mixed with fiction
Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band (2019) – Daniel Roher
David Crosby: Remember My Name (2019) – A.J. Eaton. Crosby's candid confession late in life
Where Does a Body End? (2019) – Marco Porsia. Swans – three decades of extreme sound
David Byrne's American Utopia (2020) ★ essential – Spike Lee. A Broadway show without cables
The Beatles: Get Back (2021) ★ essential – Peter Jackson. 8 hours from the making of Let It Be
Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road (2021) – Brent Wilson
Moonage Daydream (2022) ★ essential – Brett Morgen. Bowie as a sensory experience, no talking heads
Squaring the Circle (The Story of Hipgnosis) (2022) – Anton Corbijn. The designers behind Pink Floyd and Zeppelin album covers
The Beach Boys (2024) – Frank Marshall, Thom Zimny
Becoming Led Zeppelin (2025) – Bernard MacMahon. The first authorized Zeppelin film
It's Never Over, Jeff Buckley (2025) ★ essential – Amy Berg. Jeff Buckley through the eyes of his mother and lovers

Punk / new wave / indie / alt (65)

The Punk Rock Movie (1978) – Don Letts. The Roxy club, London 1977
The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle (1980) – Julien Temple. Malcolm McLaren and the Pistols myth
D.O.A.: A Rite of Passage (1980) ★ essential – Lech Kowalski. The Sex Pistols in the USA and the raw punk scene
The Decline of Western Civilization (1981) ★ essential – Penelope Spheeris. L.A. punk up close
Dance Craze (1981) – Joe Massot. 2 Tone ska: Specials, Madness, Selecter
Urgh! A Music War (1981) – Derek Burbidge. Police, Cramps, Devo, XTC, Gang of Four
Another State of Mind (1984) – Adam Small, Peter Stuart. Social Distortion on tour
Stop Making Sense (1984) ★ essential – Jonathan Demme. Talking Heads – No. 1 on almost every list
X: The Unheard Music (1986) – W.T. Morgan
1991: The Year Punk Broke (1992) ★ essential – Dave Markey. Sonic Youth and Nirvana on tour just before Nevermind
Hated: GG Allin and the Murder Junkies (1993) – Todd Phillips. The most extreme punk – not for the faint of heart
Nirvana: MTV Unplugged in New York (1993) ★ essential – Beth McCarthy-Miller. Lilies, candles and Cobain's quiet testament
Hype! (1996) – Doug Pray. Seattle and grunge
Nine Inch Nails: Closure (1997) ★ essential – Peter Christopherson, Jonathan Rach, Mark Romanek. The Self Destruct Tour, backstage with Bowie and Manson
Meeting People Is Easy (1998) ★ essential – Grant Gee. Radiohead on the OK Computer tour
Kurt & Courtney (1998) – Nick Broomfield
Instrument (1999) – Jem Cohen. Fugazi, 10 years
The Filth and the Fury (2000) ★ essential – Julien Temple. The Sex Pistols in their own words
The Clash: Westway to the World (2000) ★ essential – Don Letts. Grammy for Best Music Film
I Am Trying to Break Your Heart (2002) – Sam Jones. Wilco and Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
MC5: A True Testimonial (2002) – David C. Thomas. Detroit revolutionaries, nearly unreleased due to disputes
End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones (2003) ★ essential – Jim Fields, Michael Gramaglia
Live Forever: The Rise and Fall of Brit Pop (2003) – John Dower
Dig! (2004) ★ essential – Ondi Timoner. Brian Jonestown Massacre vs. the Dandy Warhols
Punk: Attitude (2005) – Don Letts
We Jam Econo: The Story of the Minutemen (2005) – Tim Irwin
The Devil and Daniel Johnston (2005) ★ essential – Jeff Feuerzeig
American Hardcore (2006) – Paul Rachman
Kurt Cobain: About a Son (2006) – AJ Schnack
Scott Walker: 30 Century Man (2006) – Stephen Kijak
loudQUIETloud: A Film About the Pixies (2006) – Steven Cantor, Matthew Galkin. The Pixies reunion
Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten (2007) – Julien Temple
Joy Division (2007) ★ essential – Grant Gee
Heavy Load (2008) – Jerry Rothwell. A punk band of people with intellectual disabilities
Radiohead: In Rainbows – From the Basement (2008) – David Barnard. A whole album live in the studio
Oil City Confidential (2009) ★ essential – Julien Temple. Dr. Feelgood and pub rock from Canvey Island
Under Great White Northern Lights (2009) – Emmett Malloy. The White Stripes in every Canadian province
Upside Down: The Creation Records Story (2010) – Danny O'Connor. The label of Oasis and My Bloody Valentine
Blur: No Distance Left to Run (2010) – Will Lovelace, Dylan Southern
Nirvana: Live at the Paramount (2011) – Nirvana. Seattle 1991 just before Nevermind, 16 mm
Bad Brains: A Band in DC (2012) – Ben Logan, Mandy Stein
Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me (2012) – Drew DeNicola, Olivia Mori
A Band Called Death (2012) ★ essential – Mark Christopher Covino, Jeff Howlett. Black proto-punks from Detroit rediscovered
Mistaken for Strangers (2013) – Tom Berninger. The National through a brother's eyes
The Punk Singer (2013) ★ essential – Sini Anderson. Kathleen Hanna, Bikini Kill and riot grrrl
The Stone Roses: Made of Stone (2013) – Shane Meadows
Salad Days (2014) – Scott Crawford. Washington hardcore
Pulp: A Film About Life, Death & Supermarkets (2014) – Florian Habicht
20,000 Days on Earth (2014) – Iain Forsyth, Jane Pollard. Nick Cave, a stylized day
Cobain: Montage of Heck (2015) ★ essential – Brett Morgen. Home recordings and diaries
The Damned: Don't You Wish That We Were Dead (2015) – Wes Orshoski. The first British punk band, forever overlooked
Gimme Danger (2016) – Jim Jarmusch. The Stooges and Iggy Pop
Supersonic (2016) – Mat Whitecross. Oasis
One More Time with Feeling (2016) ★ essential – Andrew Dominik. Nick Cave after losing his son
White Riot (2019) – Rubika Shah. Rock Against Racism – punk against racism
The Cure: Anniversary 1978–2018 Live in Hyde Park (2019) – Tim Pope. 40 years of the Cure in one concert
The Go-Go's (2020) – Alison Ellwood. The first all-female band with a No. 1 album
The Velvet Underground (2021) ★ essential – Todd Haynes. Warhol, the NYC avant-garde
The Sparks Brothers (2021) – Edgar Wright
Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliché (2021) – Celeste Bell, Paul Sng. The X-Ray Spex singer through her daughter's eyes
Oasis Knebworth 1996 (2021) – Jake Scott. Legendary concerts and fans' memories
Meet Me in the Bathroom (2022) – Will Lovelace, Dylan Southern. NYC: Strokes, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, LCD
Devo (2024) – Chris Smith. De-evolution and new wave visionaries from Akron
The Best Summer (2026) – Tamra Davis. The 1995 Summersault tour: Beastie Boys, Sonic Youth, Pavement, Bikini Kill, Foo Fighters
50 Years of Punk (2026) – Mark Sloper. The birth of punk on the King's Road through the eyes of those who lived it

Metal & hard rock (28)

Judas Priest: Live Vengeance '82 (1983) – Jim Yukich. Priest at their peak
This Is Spinal Tap (1984) ★ essential – Rob Reiner. Fictional, but essential – a genre parody
Iron Maiden: Live After Death (1985) – Jim Yukich. Long Beach Arena, the metal canon
Heavy Metal Parking Lot (1986) – Jeff Krulik, John Heyn. Cult 16-min. short
The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years (1988) ★ essential – Penelope Spheeris. L.A. glam metal
Some Kind of Monster (2004) ★ essential – Joe Berlinger, Bruce Sinofsky. Metallica in therapy
Metal: A Headbanger's Journey (2005) ★ essential – Sam Dunn, Scot McFadyen, Jessica Joy Wise. An anthropologist explores metal
Get Thrashed! The Story of Thrash Metal (2006) ★ essential – Rick Ernst. Thrash from the Bay Area to the Big Four
Heavy Metal in Baghdad (2007) – Eddy Moretti, Suroosh Alvi. The band Acrassicauda
Anvil! The Story of Anvil (2008) ★ essential – Sacha Gervasi. A real-life Spinal Tap, touching
Global Metal (2008) – Sam Dunn, Scot McFadyen. Metal in Asia, Brazil and the Middle East
Until the Light Takes Us (2008) – Aaron Aites, Audrey Ewell. Norwegian black metal
Such Hawks Such Hounds (2008) – John Srebalus. American stoner and doom 1970–2007
Iron Maiden: Flight 666 (2009) – Sam Dunn, Scot McFadyen
Lemmy (2010) – Greg Olliver, Wes Orshoski
Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage (2010) – Sam Dunn, Scot McFadyen
Slow Southern Steel (2010) – Chris Terry. Metal and hardcore from the American South
The Big Four: Live from Sofia, Bulgaria (2010) – Nick Wickham. Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, Anthrax together
God Bless Ozzy Osbourne (2011) – Mike Fleiss, Mike Piscitelli
Metal Evolution (2011) ★ essential – Sam Dunn, Scot McFadyen. A map of every metal subgenre
Last Days Here (2011) ★ essential – Don Argott, Demian Fenton. Bobby Liebling (Pentagram) at rock bottom and his comeback
Not Dead Yet: The Jason Becker Story (2012) – Jesse Vile. A shred guitarist with ALS keeps composing
Metallica: Through the Never (2013) – Nimród Antal. An IMAX 3D concert with a fictional story
We Are Twisted F***ing Sister! (2014) – Andrew Horn
Super Duper Alice Cooper (2014) – Sam Dunn, Scot McFadyen, Reginald Harkema. Shock rock and addiction
Death by Metal (2016) – Felipe Belalcazar. Chuck Schuldiner and the band Death
Blackhearts (2017) – Fredrik Horn Akselsen, Christian Falch. Black metal in Iran, Greece and Colombia
Rammstein: Paris (2017) – Jonas Åkerlund. Pyrotechnics and frenetic editing

Hip-hop (41)

Style Wars (1983) ★ essential – Tony Silver. Graffiti and early NY
Wild Style (1983) – Charlie Ahearn. Fiction, but with real pioneers
Beat This! A Hip-Hop History (1984) ★ essential – Dick Fontaine. The BBC on the birth of hip-hop in the Bronx
Big Fun in the Big Town (1986) ★ essential – Bram van Splunteren. Dutch TV in New York, early hip-hop
The Show (1995) ★ essential – Brian Robbins. '90s rap stars backstage and on stage
Rhyme & Reason (1997) – Peter Spirer
Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme (2000) – Kevin Fitzgerald
Backstage (2000) – Chris Fiore. The Hard Knock Life Tour: Jay-Z, DMX
Scratch (2001) ★ essential – Doug Pray. DJing and turntablism
Welcome to Death Row (2001) – S. Leigh Savidge, Jeff Scheftel. The rise and fall of Death Row Records
Tupac Shakur: Thug Angel (2002) – Peter Spirer. Tupac through the eyes of those close to him
Biggie & Tupac (2002) ★ essential – Nick Broomfield. Broomfield hunts for the killers
The Freshest Kids: A History of the B-Boy (2002) – Israel. A history of breakdance
Tupac: Resurrection (2003) – Lauren Lazin
And You Don't Stop: 30 Years of Hip-Hop (2004) – Dana Heinz Perry. A VH1 series on three decades
Fade to Black (2004) ★ essential – Patrick Paulson, Michael John Warren. Jay-Z at MSG and the recording of The Black Album
Dave Chappelle's Block Party (2005) ★ essential – Michel Gondry. A pop-up hip-hop block party in Brooklyn
Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes (2006) – Byron Hurt
J Dilla: Still Shining (2006) – Brian 'B.Kyle' Atkins. A tribute to producer J Dilla
Beastie Boys: Awesome; I Fuckin' Shot That! (2006) ★ essential – Nathaniel Hörnblowér (Adam Yauch). A concert shot on 50 cameras in fans' hands
Rock the Bells (2006) – Denis Henry Hennelly, Casey Suchan. The struggle to get the whole Wu-Tang on stage
The Carter (2009) ★ essential – Adam Bhala Lough. Lil Wayne at the peak of fame and addiction
Copyright Criminals (2009) – Benjamin Franzen. Sampling and copyright
My Mic Sounds Nice: The Truth About Women in Hip Hop (2010) – Ava DuVernay. Women in hip-hop
Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest (2011) ★ essential – Michael Rapaport
The Art of Rap: Something from Nothing (2012) – Ice-T, Andy Baybutt. Rappers on their craft
Uprising: Hip Hop & the LA Riots (2012) – Mark Ford. The 1992 LA riots and rap
Our Vinyl Weighs a Ton: This Is Stones Throw Records (2013) – Jeff Broadway. Madlib, J Dilla, MF DOOM
Made in America (2013) – Ron Howard. Jay-Z and his festival in Philadelphia
Time Is Illmatic (2014) ★ essential – One9. Nas and the making of Illmatic
ATL: The Untold Story of Atlanta's Rise in the Rap Game (2014) – Nick Dunn, Christopher Thomas. How Atlanta became the center of rap
Stretch and Bobbito: Radio That Changed Lives (2015) – Bobbito Garcia
Fresh Dressed (2015) – Sacha Jenkins. Hip-hop and fashion
Rubble Kings (2015) – Shan Nicholson. Bronx gangs before hip-hop
Hip-Hop Evolution (2016) ★ essential – Darby Wheeler (rozpráva Shad). The best introduction to the genre's history
The Art of Organized Noize (2016) – Quincy Jones III. The producers behind OutKast and TLC
The Defiant Ones (2017) ★ essential – Allen Hughes. Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine
Wu-Tang Clan: Of Mics and Men (2019) – Sacha Jenkins
Beastie Boys Story (2020) ★ essential – Spike Jonze
Biggie: I Got a Story to Tell (2021) – Emmett Malloy
Jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy (2022) – Coodie & Chike

Soul / funk / R&B / blues / gospel / rock'n'roll (40)

The T.A.M.I. Show (1964) ★ essential – Steve Binder. James Brown upstages the Stones
The Blues Accordin' to Lightnin' Hopkins (1970) – Les Blank
Soul to Soul (1971) – Denis Sanders. American soul in Ghana
Wattstax (1973) ★ essential – Mel Stuart. A Stax concert in Watts and street interviews
Say Amen, Somebody (1982) – George T. Nierenberg. Gospel
Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll (1987) – Taylor Hackford. Chuck Berry and Keith Richards
Deep Blues (1991) – Robert Mugge. Delta blues at the scene
Standing in the Shadows of Motown (2002) ★ essential – Paul Justman. The Funk Brothers – the unknown band behind the hits
Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues (2003) ★ essential – Scorsese, Wenders, Eastwood a ďalší. 7 films by 7 directors
Muddy Waters: Can't Be Satisfied (2003) ★ essential – Morgan Neville, Robert Gordon. The birth of electric Chicago blues
The Howlin' Wolf Story (2003) – Don McGlynn. Howlin' Wolf and the roots of rock
Respect Yourself: The Stax Records Story (2007) – Robert Gordon, Morgan Neville
Soul Power (2008) – Jeffrey Levy-Hinte. Zaire 74: James Brown in Kinshasa
Still Bill (2009) – Damani Baker, Alex Vlack. Bill Withers
Bad 25 (2012) ★ essential – Spike Lee. The making of Michael Jackson's Bad
Muscle Shoals (2013) ★ essential – Greg 'Freddy' Camalier. A small town, enormous recordings
20 Feet from Stardom (2013) ★ essential – Morgan Neville. Backing vocalists; Oscar
Finding the Funk (2013) – Nelson George. A history of funk
Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown (2014) – Alex Gibney
What Happened, Miss Simone? (2015) ★ essential – Liz Garbus
Mavis! (2015) – Jessica Edwards. Mavis Staples
Miss Sharon Jones! (2015) – Barbara Kopple. Sharon Jones fights cancer and keeps singing
Two Trains Runnin' (2016) – Sam Pollard. Searching for forgotten bluesmen in the summer of 1964
American Epic (2017) ★ essential – Bernard MacMahon. The first recordings of folk America
Elvis Presley: The Searcher (2018) – Thom Zimny
Mr. SOUL! (2018) – Melissa Haizlip. SOUL!, the groundbreaking Black TV show
Amazing Grace (2018) ★ essential – Sydney Pollack, Alan Elliott. Aretha in church in 1972, decades in the vault
Hitsville: The Making of Motown (2019) – Benjamin & Gabe Turner
Devil at the Crossroads: A Robert Johnson Story (2019) – Brian Oakes. The legend of the pact with the devil
The Apollo (2019) – Roger Ross Williams. The history of Harlem's Apollo Theater
The Two Killings of Sam Cooke (2019) – Kelly Duane de la Vega. Sam Cooke, civil rights and a mysterious death
The Black Godfather (2019) – Reginald Hudlin. Clarence Avant – the powerful man behind the scenes
Summer of Soul (2021) ★ essential – Questlove. Harlem 1969, 50 years in the vault; Oscar
Tina (2021) – Daniel Lindsay, T.J. Martin
Bitchin': The Sound and Fury of Rick James (2021) – Sacha Jenkins. A funk rebel – fame and excess
Trouble in Mind (Jerry Lee Lewis) (2022) – Ethan Coen. Purely from the archives
Little Richard: I Am Everything (2023) – Lisa Cortés
Love to Love You, Donna Summer (2023) – Roger Ross Williams, Brooklyn Sudano. The Queen of Disco through her daughter's eyes
Stax: Soulsville U.S.A. (2024) – Jamila Wignot
Sly Lives! (aka The Burden of Black Genius) (2025) – Questlove

Jazz (27)

Satchmo the Great (1957) – Edward R. Murrow, Fred Friendly
Jazz on a Summer's Day (1959) ★ essential – Bert Stern, Aram Avakian. Newport 1958: Armstrong, Mahalia, gorgeous colors
Mingus: Charlie Mingus 1968 (1968) – Thomas Reichman
Sun Ra: A Joyful Noise (1980) – Robert Mugge
Imagine the Sound (1981) – Ron Mann. Free jazz: Cecil Taylor, Paul Bley…
Ornette: Made in America (1985) – Shirley Clarke
Bring On the Night (1985) – Michael Apted. Sting forms a jazz band; Grammy
Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser (1988) ★ essential – Charlotte Zwerin
Let's Get Lost (1988) ★ essential – Bruce Weber. Chet Baker, black-and-white and beautiful
A Great Day in Harlem (1994) – Jean Bach. The story of one legendary photo
Louis Prima: The Wildest! (1999) – Don McGlynn. A swing showman from New Orleans and Vegas
Jazz (2001) ★ essential – Ken Burns. 19 hours, the complete history
1959: The Year That Changed Jazz (2009) – Paul Bernays. The year of Kind of Blue and Time Out
The Jazz Baroness (2009) – Hannah Rothschild. Baroness Nica and her friendship with Monk
The Girls in the Band (2011) – Judy Chaikin. Forgotten female jazz instrumentalists
Jaco (2014) – Paul Marchand, Stephen Kijak
Keep On Keepin' On (2014) – Alan Hicks. Clark Terry and his student
The Jazz Loft According to W. Eugene Smith (2015) – Sara Fishko. The New York loft where Monk jammed
I Called Him Morgan (2016) ★ essential – Kasper Collin. Lee Morgan
Chasing Trane (2016) – John Scheinfeld. John Coltrane
Blue Note Records: Beyond the Notes (2018) – Sophie Huber
Quincy (2018) ★ essential – Alan Hicks, Rashida Jones. Quincy Jones: from jazz to Thriller; Grammy
Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool (2019) ★ essential – Stanley Nelson
Billie (2019) – James Erskine
Louis Armstrong's Black & Blues (2022) – Sacha Jenkins
Jazz Fest: A New Orleans Story (2022) – Frank Marshall, Ryan Suffern. 50 years of the New Orleans Jazz Fest; Grammy
Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat (2024) ★ essential – Johan Grimonprez. Jazz, the Cold War and the Congo

Electronic / club / synthesizers (47)

Depeche Mode 101 (1989) ★ essential – D.A. Pennebaker, Chris Hegedus, David Dawkins. Fans on tour – a forerunner of reality TV
Paris Is Burning (1990) ★ essential – Jennie Livingston. Ballroom culture and voguing
Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey (1994) ★ essential – Steven M. Martin. The inventor of the first electronic instrument
Universal Techno (1996) – Dominique Deluze
Modulations (1998) ★ essential – Iara Lee. From Stockhausen to techno
Talkin' Headz: The DJ Documentary (1998) – John Klein. American DJs on their craft
Better Living Through Circuitry (1999) – Jon Reiss. Rave culture
Pump Up the Volume: The History of House Music (2001) – Channel 4
Made in Sheffield: The Birth of Electronic Pop (2001) – Eve Wood. Human League, Cabaret Voltaire, Heaven 17
Maestro (2003) – Josell Ramos. Paradise Garage, Larry Levan
Moog (2004) – Hans Fjellestad
High Tech Soul (2006) ★ essential – Gary Bredow. Detroit techno
Don't Forget to Go Home (Feiern) (2006) – Maja Classen. A never-ending Berlin club weekend
What the Future Sounded Like (2007) – Matthew Bate. EMS London, British synthesizer pioneers
We Call It Techno! (2008) – Maren Sextro, Holger Wick. German techno
Kraftwerk and the Electronic Revolution (2008) – Rob Johnstone. Kraftwerk and the German context
Krautrock: The Rebirth of Germany (2009) – Ben Whalley (BBC). Can, Neu!, Kraftwerk
Synth Britannia (2009) ★ essential – Ben Whalley (BBC)
Speaking in Code (2009) – Amy Grill. Minimal techno
Bassweight (2010) – Suridh Hassan. The birth of dubstep in Croydon
Limelight (2011) – Billy Corben. The fall of a New York club empire
Tape Crackers: An Oral History of Jungle Pirate Radio (2011) – Rollo Jackson. Pirate radio and London jungle
The Sound of Belgium (2012) – Jozef Devillé. New beat
Shut Up and Play the Hits (2012) ★ essential – Will Lovelace, Dylan Southern. The end of LCD Soundsystem – the day after the last concert
From Jack to Juke: 25 Years of Ghetto House (2012) – Sonali Aggarwal. Chicago ghetto house all the way to footwork
The Chemical Brothers: Don't Think (2012) – Adam Smith. Fuji Rock, rave as an experience
I Dream of Wires (2014) – Robert Fantinatto. Modular synthesizers
Björk: Biophilia Live (2014) – Nick Fenton, Peter Strickland. Tesla coils and natural science on stage
Daft Punk Unchained (2015) – Hervé Martin-Delpierre
B-Movie: Lust & Sound in West-Berlin 1979–1989 (2015) ★ essential – Jörg A. Hoppe, Klaus Maeck, Heiko Lange
808 (2015) – Alexander Dunn. The drum machine that changed music
Steve Aoki: I'll Sleep When I'm Dead (2016) – Justin Krook. An EDM superstar and his relationship with his father
Raving Iran (2016) ★ essential – Susanne Regina Meures. Tehran DJs risk it all for a techno party
The Man from Mo'Wax (2016) – Matthew Jones. James Lavelle and trip-hop
What We Started (2017) – Bert Marcus, Cyrus Saidi. The EDM boom
Avicii: True Stories (2017) – Levan Tsikurishvili
If I Think of Germany at Night (2017) – Romuald Karmakar. Five German techno DJs, including Villalobos
A Life in Waves (2017) – Brett Whitcomb. Suzanne Ciani and the Buchla
Everybody in the Place: An Incomplete History of Britain 1984–1992 (2019) ★ essential – Jeremy Deller. Acid house as politics
Ibiza: The Silent Movie (2019) – Julien Temple
Berlin Bouncer (2019) – David Dietl. Berlin club bouncers
Depeche Mode: Spirits in the Forest (2019) – Anton Corbijn. Fans' stories and a concert in Berlin
Sisters with Transistors (2020) ★ essential – Lisa Rovner. Women pioneers of electronic music
Dark City: Beneath the Beat (2020) – TT The Artist. Baltimore club music
Better Days: The Story of UK Rave (2021) – Hugo Jenkins. British rave from acid house to the ban
God Said Give 'Em Drum Machines (2022) – Kristian Hill. Detroit techno
Eno (2024) – Gary Hustwit. A generative film – every screening is different

Pop (30)

Liza with a Z (1972) – Bob Fosse. Fosse directs Minnelli
ABBA: The Movie (1977) – Lasse Hallström. A tour of Australia with a fictional storyline
Grace Jones: A One Man Show (1982) – Jean-Paul Goude. Performance art and iconic poses
Sign o' the Times (1987) ★ essential – Prince. Prince at the height of his powers
Madonna: Blond Ambition World Tour Live (1990) – David Mallet, Mark 'Aldo' Miceli. The definition of a pop show; Grammy
Madonna: Truth or Dare (1991) ★ essential – Alek Keshishian. The template for all pop documentaries
Gorillaz: Demon Days Live at the Manchester Opera House (2006) – David Barnard, Grant Gee. Gorillaz with orchestra and choir
Michael Jackson's This Is It (2009) – Kenny Ortega. Rehearsals for a tour that never happened
Who Is Harry Nilsson (And Why Is Everybody Talkin' About Him?) (2010) – John Scheinfeld. The Beatles' favorite songwriter who never played live
Lawrence of Belgravia (2011) – Paul Kelly. Lawrence of Felt – the eternally unsuccessful genius
Soul Boys of the Western World (2014) – George Hencken. Spandau Ballet from the New Romantics to the courtroom
Amy (2015) ★ essential – Asif Kapadia. Oscar
Justin Timberlake + the Tennessee Kids (2016) – Jonathan Demme. Demme's last concert film
George Michael: Freedom (2017) – George Michael, David Austin
Gaga: Five Foot Two (2017) – Chris Moukarbel
Whitney (2018) ★ essential – Kevin Macdonald
Bros: After the Screaming Stops (2018) – Joe Pearlman, David Soutar. Cult – the real Spinal Tap of pop
Matangi/Maya/M.I.A. (2018) ★ essential – Steve Loveridge. From Tamil refugee to rebel star
Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé (2019) ★ essential – Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, Ed Burke. Coachella plus months of rehearsals; Grammy
Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart (2020) – Frank Marshall
Miss Americana (2020) – Lana Wilson. Taylor Swift
Billie Eilish: The World's a Little Blurry (2021) – R.J. Cutler
Fishmans (2021) – Shinya Teshima. A cult Japanese dub-pop band
Sinéad O'Connor: Nothing Compares (2022) – Kathryn Ferguson
Wham! (2023) – Chris Smith
Robbie Williams (2023) – Joe Pearlman
Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (2023) – Sam Wrench. The highest-grossing concert film in history
Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé (2023) – Beyoncé Knowles-Carter. World tour, backstage and family
Elton John: Never Too Late (2024) – R.J. Cutler, David Furnish
The Greatest Night in Pop (2024) ★ essential – Bao Nguyen. One night recording We Are the World

Folk / country / singer-songwriters (30)

Dont Look Back (1967) ★ essential – D.A. Pennebaker. Dylan in England 1965 – the film that founded the genre
Festival! (1967) – Murray Lerner. Newport Folk 1963–66; Oscar nomination
Johnny Cash at San Quentin (1969) ★ essential – Michael Darlow. Cash plays for prisoners
Leonard Cohen: Bird on a Wire (1974) – Tony Palmer. 1972 tour, restored in 2010
Always for Pleasure (1978) – Les Blank. New Orleans, Mardi Gras and its music
Heartworn Highways (1981) ★ essential – James Szalapski. Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark – outlaw country
Simon & Garfunkel: The Concert in Central Park (1982) – Michael Lindsay-Hogg. Half a million people and a reunion
Louie Bluie (1985) – Terry Zwigoff. Fiddler Howard Armstrong, Zwigoff's debut
Nick Drake: A Skin Too Few (2000) – Jeroen Berkvens
Joni Mitchell: Woman of Heart and Mind (2003) – Susan Lacy
Searching for the Wrong-Eyed Jesus (2003) – Andrew Douglas. The American South with Jim White
Jandek on Corwood (2003) – Chad Freidrichs. A mysterious outsider who never shows himself
Be Here to Love Me: A Film About Townes Van Zandt (2004) ★ essential – Margaret Brown
Neil Young: Heart of Gold (2006) – Jonathan Demme. Demme and Young at the Ryman, gentle and moving
Pete Seeger: The Power of Song (2007) – Jim Brown
Leonard Cohen: Live in London (2009) – Edward Sanders. Cohen on tour after 15 years
Phil Ochs: There but for Fortune (2010) – Kenneth Bowser. A protest folk singer and a tragic end
Troubadours (2011) – Morgan Neville. California singer-songwriters of the Troubadour club
Neil Young Journeys (2011) – Jonathan Demme. A solo concert and a drive through his native Ontario
Searching for Sugar Man (2012) ★ essential – Malik Bendjelloul. The mystery of Rodriguez; Oscar
Big Easy Express (2012) – Emmett Malloy. Mumford & Sons on a tour by train; Grammy
Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me (2014) – James Keach
Elliott Smith: Heaven Adores You (2014) – Nickolas Rossi
Echo in the Canyon (2018) – Andrew Slater. Laurel Canyon folk rock
Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice (2019) – Rob Epstein, Jeffrey Friedman
Marianne & Leonard: Words of Love (2019) – Nick Broomfield
The Gift: The Journey of Johnny Cash (2019) – Thom Zimny
Country Music (2019) ★ essential – Ken Burns. 16 hours of country history
Laurel Canyon (2020) – Alison Ellwood
Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, a Journey, a Song (2021) – Dan Geller, Dayna Goldfine

Classical / opera / film music (22)

From Mao to Mozart: Isaac Stern in China (1979) – Murray Lerner. Oscar
Arvo Pärt: 24 Preludes for a Fugue (2002) – Dorian Supin
Rhythm Is It! (2004) ★ essential – Thomas Grube, Enrique Sánchez Lansch. The Berlin Philharmonic and 250 children
Touch the Sound (2004) – Thomas Riedelsheimer. Deaf percussionist Evelyn Glennie
Knowledge Is the Beginning (2005) – Paul Smaczny. Barenboim's Israeli-Arab orchestra
Glass: A Portrait of Philip in Twelve Parts (2007) – Scott Hicks
El Sistema (2008) – Paul Smaczny, Maria Stodtmeier. Venezuelan children's orchestras
Trip to Asia (2008) – Thomas Grube. The Berlin Philharmonic on tour
Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould (2009) ★ essential – Michèle Hozer, Peter Raymont
Pianomania (2009) – Lilian Franck, Robert Cibis. A Steinway piano tuner
In Search of Beethoven (2009) – Phil Grabsky
Bloody Daughter (2012) – Stéphanie Argerich. Pianist Martha Argerich through her daughter's eyes
Seymour: An Introduction (2014) – Ethan Hawke
Score: A Film Music Documentary (2016) – Matt Schrader
Maria by Callas (2017) – Tom Volf
Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda (2017) ★ essential – Stephen Nomura Schible
Itzhak (2017) – Alison Chernick. Violinist Itzhak Perlman
Pavarotti (2019) – Ron Howard
Ennio (2021) ★ essential – Giuseppe Tornatore. Morricone, 2.5 hours of joy
American Symphony (2023) ★ essential – Matthew Heineman. Jon Batiste composes a symphony; Grammy
Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus (2023) ★ essential – Neo Sora. The last recital, black-and-white and immensely beautiful
Music by John Williams (2024) – Laurent Bouzereau. The most famous film composer; Grammy

World / Latin / reggae / Africa (21)

Raga (1971) – Howard Worth. Ravi Shankar
Roots Rock Reggae (1977) – Jeremy Marre. From the Beats of the Heart series
Bob Marley: Live at the Rainbow (1977) – Keef. Marley & The Wailers in London
Fela in Concert (1981) – Claude Lambert. Fela Kuti and Egypt 80, afrobeat ecstasy
Music Is the Weapon (1982) – Jean-Jacques Flori, Stéphane Tchal-Gadjieff. Fela Kuti
Step Across the Border (1990) – Nicolas Humbert, Werner Penzel. Fred Frith and improvisation as a way of life
Latcho Drom (1993) ★ essential – Tony Gatlif. Romani music from India to Spain – Slovakia included
Buena Vista Social Club (1999) ★ essential – Wim Wenders. Cuba
Genghis Blues (1999) – Roko Belic. A blind bluesman learns Tuvan throat singing
Bob Marley: Rebel Music (2001) – Jeremy Marre
Amandla! A Revolution in Four-Part Harmony (2002) ★ essential – Lee Hirsch. Music against apartheid
Crossing the Bridge: The Sound of Istanbul (2005) ★ essential – Fatih Akin
Throw Down Your Heart (2008) – Sascha Paladino. Béla Fleck and the banjo in Africa
Benda Bilili! (2010) – Renaud Barret, Florent de La Tullaye. Kinshasa
Marley (2012) ★ essential – Kevin Macdonald
Tropicália (2012) – Marcelo Machado. Brazil, Caetano and Gil
Finding Fela! (2014) – Alex Gibney
Don't Think I've Forgotten: Cambodia's Lost Rock and Roll (2014) ★ essential – John Pirozzi
They Will Have to Kill Us First (2015) – Johanna Schwartz. Music in Mali under a ban
Mali Blues (2016) – Lutz Gregor
Inna de Yard (2019) – Peter Webber. Reggae veterans

Scenes, studios, festivals, history (25)

Monterey Pop (1968) ★ essential – D.A. Pennebaker. Otis, Janis, Hendrix, Shankar
Woodstock (1970) ★ essential – Michael Wadleigh. The festival as a phenomenon; Oscar for documentary
Glastonbury Fayre (1972) – Peter Neal, Nicolas Roeg. Hippie Glastonbury, 1971
All You Need Is Love: The Story of Popular Music (1977) – Tony Palmer. A monumental series on the history of popular music
The History of Rock 'n' Roll (1995) – Time-Life / Warner. 10 episodes
Message to Love: The Isle of Wight Festival (1997) – Murray Lerner. The end of the hippie era
Classic Albums (1997) ★ essential – rôzni (BBC / Eagle Rock). The making of legendary albums, dozens of episodes
The Target Shoots First (2000) – Chris Wilcha. An indie fan inside Columbia House
Festival Express (2003) ★ essential – Bob Smeaton. A train full of stars across Canada
Tom Dowd & the Language of Music (2003) ★ essential – Mark Moormann. Atlantic's sound engineer: Ray Charles, Coltrane, Aretha
Glastonbury (2006) – Julien Temple
Coachella (2006) – Drew Thomas. The festival's first six years
The Wrecking Crew (2008) ★ essential – Denny Tedesco. Session musicians behind hundreds of hits
I Need That Record! (2008) – Brendan Toller. The death of independent record stores
Sound City (2013) ★ essential – Dave Grohl. A legendary studio, from Fleetwood Mac to Nirvana
Tower Records: All Things Must Pass (2015) – Colin Hanks. The rise and fall of the record store
Hired Gun (2016) – Fran Strine. Hired musicians
Soundbreaking (2016) ★ essential – Jeanne Elfant Festa a ďalší. The history of recording, G. Martin's last project
Studio 54 (2018) – Matt Tyrnauer. Disco club
Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened (2019) – Chris Smith. The festival that never was
Song Exploder (2020) – Morgan Neville, Hrishikesh Hirway. Dissecting a single song
Woodstock 99: Peace, Love, and Rage (2021) – Garret Price
1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything (2021) ★ essential – Asif Kapadia, James Rogan
Trainwreck: Woodstock '99 (2022) ★ essential – Jamie Crawford. How a festival turned into a disaster
Lolla: The Story of Lollapalooza (2024) ★ essential – Michael John Warren. Perry Farrell and the festival that defined the alternative

Czechia, Slovakia and Central Europe (8)

Flüstern & Schreien (1988) – Dieter Schumann. The East German rock scene
Mňága – Happy End (1996) ★ essential – Petr Zelenka. Cult mockumentary
Bigbít (1998) ★ essential – Česká televize. A history of Czech popular music, iVysílání
The Plastic People of the Universe (2001) ★ essential – Jana Chytilová. The underground and dissent
Rok ďábla (2002) ★ essential – Petr Zelenka. Nohavica, Čechomor, Plíhal
Beats of Freedom – Zew wolności (2010) ★ essential – Leszek Gnoinski, Wojciech Słota. Polish rock against the regime
Kmeny (2015) – Česká televize. Subcultures – punk, metal, rave, hip-hop…
Liberation Day (2016) ★ essential – Morten Traavik, Uģis Olte. Laibach in North Korea