The Beatles: Get Back, a project spearheaded bydirector Peter Jackson, is being hailed as a unique look at one of the most legendary bands to ever exist. Modern technology has made this documentary footage look and sound better than ever thought possible. It is also great for dispelling the myth about the Let it Be recording sessions being a contentious time between the four band members.
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After finishing the docuseries,currently streaming on Disney+, fans should check out the documentaries listed below. Most of these are music-related, but one is brought to this list for different reasons. Music documentaries in general are so important for letting viewers understand how human and relatable these titans of the art are.
9George Harrison: Living In The Material World
While John Lennon and Paul McCartney might have written most of the material in the Beatles' discography, George Harrison’s contribution to the group in the form of his original songs and guitar parts should never be diminished.
This documentary focuses on theguitar playerand will heighten viewers' appreciation of him. He was an enigmatic man for sure and it is a treat to see his friends and those closest to him talk so frankly.
8The Last Waltz
Directed by Martin Scorsese, this concert documentary not only shows off performances from The Band’s last concert, but it also showcases interviews with each member. The music itself is phenomenal since they all play with the energy of people knowing it is the last time they will play these songs together.
While The Band would reunite years later, it was never with the full original lineup. It also helps that this group is one of the finest live bands to ever exist.
7The Beatles: Eight Days A Week
WhereGet Backshowcases the end of this group,Eight Days a Weekdetails the touring years of The Beatles. Directed by Ron Howard, it uses a lot of never-before-seen footage and new interviews to give fans a glimpse of just how chaotic touring as the Beatles was.
It serves as a great companion piece toGet Backsince it shows how much the four members grew and changed in such a short period of time.
6They Shall Not Grow Old
Get Backis not the first documentary Peter Jackson directed. Beforehand, he did the projectThey Shall Not Grow Old.An arguably more impressive effort, the project takes archival footage ofWorld War Oneand restores it using state-of-the-art technology to make it look like it was filmed recently.
Where colorizing black and white films is often a wasted effort, this helps modern viewers remember and understand one of the darker times in human history.
5Metallica: Some Kind Of Monster
Metallica was able to live through the recording of itsSt. Angeralbum in 2003, but the documentarySome Kind of Monstershows that the band members barely made it through by the skin of their teeth.
The recording sessions were so contentious, the band members had to bring in a therapist to work through their issues. St. Anger is not seen as the strongest album in the band’s catalog, but fans are at least happy the band continued to tour after making this record.
4Imagine: John Lennon
Though this documentary came out in 1988, it still serves as a great look into the life of John Lennon after his years in the Beatles.
Imagine: John Lennoncontains numerous interviews as well as home camera footage of his life with Yoko Ono. John Lennon’s life was tragically cut short and fans are grateful to receive a tribute to his life relatively shortly after his untimely passing.
3Shut Up And Play The Hits
James Murphy and LCD Soundsystem played what was at the time their last show at Madison Square Garden in 2012.Shut Up and Play the Hitsdocuments the concert and James Murphy’s life two days before the show and the day after.
It also, of course, has plenty of footage of the actual concert. LCD Soundsystem would get back together only a few years later. This doesn’t make the documentary irrelevant, however.
2McCartney 3,2,1
This 2020 Hulu documentarytakes a simple concept to dive so deeply into Paul McCartney and the Beatles' musical genius. It is just Paul McCartney and legendary producer Rick Rubin sitting at a soundboard, talking about the Beatles, and dissecting individual songs.
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Hearing isolated tracks is a joy for fans, and one can tell that Paul similarly appreciates the trip down memory lane. It also highlights just how great of a bass player he is in addition to being a singer and songwriter.
1The Beatles Anthology
This documentary series also came with the re-release of a CD box set containing hours of demos and alternate takes.Up until this time in the 90s, it was almost impossible for fans to get their hands on such recordings.
The series also marked the release of a new single where the surviving members played on two demos John Lennon recorded, Real Love and Free as a Bird, marking a reunion of sorts. Though the series is over 20 years old, the information within is still relevant.
