If you haven't seen it, you should love "The Wrecking Crew!" about a group of studio musicians who were on so many great albums. And it's interesting to see where they invented some of the musical riffs that we just assume were created by the big name band, not the unknown studio musicians.I really enjoyed 20 Feet from Stardom, about backup singers. Totally fascinating! The isolated recording of the lady who sang on Gimme Shelter will blow your mind. Amazing!
I enjoyed some other music documentaries too - The Last Waltz (The Band), Rust Never Sleeps (Neil Young), History of the Eagles, Jazz on a Summer's Day, Living in the Material World (George Harrison), and if you've got 4 or 5 hours to kill, What a Long Strange Trip (Grateful Dead).
I haven't watched too many historical documentaries, although with the dearth of decent television these days I've been considering it. I'll go through the ones listed above and see what looks interesting.
+1 Carole Kaye's contribution of that bass line to Sonny & Cher's "The Beat Goes On" made the song. I think she eventually sued for songwriting credit, and settled out of court?If you haven't seen it, you should love "The Wrecking Crew!" about a group of studio musicians who were on so many great albums. And it's interesting to see where they invented some of the musical riffs that we just assume were created by the big name band, not the unknown studio musicians.
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I really liked his baseball documentary. The old film clips of guys like Walter Johnson were fun to watch, and changes to the game with American culture (such as desegregation) broadened the doc's perspective.Ken Burns could do a documentary on dirt and I'd watch it. I have watched at least one of his documentaries twice: Country Music. I'd like to watch others again, too, including The American Buffalo, and maybe Hemingway. So many interesting facts packed into these multi-part epics.
I can't wait for his The American Revolution, due out next year. Leonardo da Vinci will apparently be out first.
A friend of mine was one of the lead researchers on the rattlesnake sequence.Anybody seen The Americas, narrated by Tom Hanks? Absolutely beautiful and incredible photography.
Have watched 4 episodes on Peacock. I must say Tom Hanks does not have a distinct enough narration voice like David Attenborough or President Obama.Anybody seen The Americas, narrated by Tom Hanks? Absolutely beautiful and incredible photography.
Yes but he's good enough as the photography more than makes up for it. I always find myself saying " how on earth did they get that shot!!?" Breathtaking stuff.Have watched 4 episodes on Peacock. I must say Tom Hanks does not have a distinct enough narration voice like David Attenborough or President Obama.
Thanks for sharing. I recall that program on PBS. Look forward to a Ken Burns Revolution film.I received email about an event to be held in Raleigh, NC to promote a new film by Ken Burns about the American Revolution. Looking forward to it (premiere Nov 16, 2025).
The best documentary on the subject I’ve seen so far was “Liberty!”, which was released around 1999. That may have also been PBS but i can’t seem to find a streaming copy.
Ken Burns’ American Revolution
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Here is (I hope) “Liberty!” on YouTube:
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A little OT, but a book called "The Looming Tower" by Lawrence Wright provides a comprehensive, five-decade examination of events leading up to 9/11. It won the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for nonfiction.There’s an interesting series on Netflix called “The Turning Point”. It currently covers two topics: the events surrounding the 9/11 attack and the Cold War. I re-watched the second which covered a lot of things I didn’t know (either not born yet or blissfully ignorant).
Reposting this, not so much to be a nag, but I believe today is the 250th anniversary of Lexington & Concord, starting the American Revolution.I received email about an event to be held in Raleigh, NC to promote a new film by Ken Burns about the American Revolution. Looking forward to it (premiere Nov 16, 2025).
The best documentary on the subject I’ve seen so far was “Liberty!”, which was released around 1999. That may have also been PBS but i can’t seem to find a streaming copy.
Ken Burns’ American Revolution
ADDED:
Here is (I hope) “Liberty!” on YouTube:
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