The 44 Best Music Documentaries of All Time

Some of these films caught a band at its peak; others caught it falling apart on camera. Oscar winners share space with cult tour tapes.

1. 1
   Stop Making Sense

   Jonathan Demme's 1984 Talking Heads concert film, built song by song from a bare stage and a big suit.
   1000pts
2. 2
   Gimme Shelter

   The Maysles brothers' 1970 film of the Rolling Stones' US tour, ending in the violence at Altamont.
   955pts
3. 3
   Wattstax

   Mel Stuart's 1973 film of the Stax Records benefit concert in Los Angeles, the so-called Black Woodstock.
   907pts
4. 4
   The Last Waltz

   Martin Scorsese's 1978 film of The Band's farewell concert with Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison and more.
   660pts
5. 5
   The Beatles: Get Back

   Peter Jackson's 2021 docuseries restoring the Beatles' January 1969 sessions and rooftop concert.
   610pts
6. 6
   Muscle Shoals

   Greg 'Freddy' Camalier's 2013 film about the Alabama studios where Aretha, the Stones and others cut classics.
   610pts
7. 7
   Rolling Thunder Revue

   Scorsese's playful 2019 film of Dylan's 1975 tour, mixing real footage with invented characters.
   610pts
8. 8
   1991: The Year Punk Broke

   Dave Markey's 1992 tour film of Sonic Youth and a pre-fame Nirvana across European festivals.
   610pts
9. 9
   The Filth and the Fury

   Julien Temple's 2000 retelling of the Sex Pistols story in the band's own words.
   553pts
10. 10
    End of the Century

    The 2003 story of the Ramones, punk's founding band, and the feuds that kept them going.
    553pts
11. 11
    Amy

    Asif Kapadia's Oscar-winning 2015 portrait of Amy Winehouse, assembled from home videos and voice recordings.
    553pts
12. 12
    Style Wars

    Tony Silver's 1983 PBS film on New York graffiti and breakdancing at hip-hop's birth.
    553pts
13. 13
    Sound City

    Dave Grohl's 2013 tribute to the Van Nuys studio and its famed Neve console.
    553pts
14. 14
    Monterey Pop

    Pennebaker's 1968 film of the Monterey festival, with Hendrix setting his guitar alight and Otis Redding's triumph.
    553pts
15. 15
    No Direction Home

    Martin Scorsese's 2005 film on Bob Dylan's rise through 1966 and the electric backlash.
    488pts
16. 16
    The Velvet Underground

    Todd Haynes's 2021 split-screen history of the Velvet Underground and the Warhol Factory scene.
    488pts
17. 17
    Cobain: Montage of Heck

    Brett Morgen's 2015 collage of Kurt Cobain's home tapes, journals and animation.
    488pts
18. 18
    Anvil! The Story of Anvil

    Sacha Gervasi's 2008 film about an aging Canadian metal band still chasing its big break.
    488pts
19. 19
    Dont Look Back

    D.A. Pennebaker's 1967 vérité portrait of Bob Dylan on his 1965 tour of England.
    488pts
20. 20
    Madonna: Truth or Dare

    Alek Keshishian's 1991 behind-the-scenes look at Madonna's Blond Ambition tour.
    488pts
21. 21
    The Kids Are Alright

    Jeff Stein's 1979 career-spanning compilation of the Who's most explosive performances.
    488pts
22. 22
    Searching for Sugar Man

    Malik Bendjelloul's 2012 Oscar winner about the forgotten Detroit singer Rodriguez and his South African fame.
    413pts
23. 23
    Moonage Daydream

    Brett Morgen's 2022 immersive kaleidoscope of David Bowie's life built from unseen archive footage.
    413pts
24. 24
    The Decline of Western Civilization

    Penelope Spheeris's 1981 document of the Los Angeles punk scene with Black Flag, X and the Germs.
    413pts
25. 25
    Miss Americana

    Lana Wilson's 2020 Netflix portrait of Taylor Swift finding her political voice.
    413pts
26. 26
    Summer of Soul

    Questlove's Oscar-winning 2021 film resurrecting footage of the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival.
    413pts
27. 27
    Amazing Grace

    Aretha Franklin's 1972 gospel recording in a Los Angeles church, finally released in 2018.
    413pts
28. 28
    The Sparks Brothers

    Edgar Wright's affectionate 2021 survey of Ron and Russell Mael's fifty-year career as Sparks.
    413pts
29. 29
    Buena Vista Social Club

    Wim Wenders's 1999 film about the veteran Cuban musicians reunited by Ry Cooder.
    413pts
30. 30
    Woodstock

    Michael Wadleigh's Oscar-winning 1970 record of the three-day festival that defined a generation.
    325pts
31. 31
    Living in the Material World

    Martin Scorsese's 2011 two-part portrait of George Harrison's music and spiritual search.
    325pts
32. 32
    Homecoming

    Beyonce's 2019 film of her landmark Coachella headline set and its making.
    325pts
33. 33
    Sign o' the Times

    Prince's 1987 concert film, widely rated among the greatest live performances ever filmed.
    325pts
34. 34
    I Am Trying to Break Your Heart

    Sam Jones's 2002 black-and-white film of Wilco making Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and getting dropped by their label.
    325pts
35. 35
    What Happened, Miss Simone?

    Liz Garbus's Oscar-nominated 2015 portrait of Nina Simone's music, activism and turmoil.
    325pts
36. 36
    This Is It

    Kenny Ortega's 2009 film of Michael Jackson's final rehearsals for his London residency.
    325pts
37. 37
    Beats, Rhymes & Life

    Michael Rapaport's 2011 film on the creative peaks and bitter splits of A Tribe Called Quest.
    325pts
38. 38
    Some Kind of Monster

    The 2004 fly-on-the-wall chronicle of Metallica nearly falling apart in group therapy.
    222pts
39. 39
    Meeting People Is Easy

    Grant Gee's 1998 bleak, dreamlike chronicle of Radiohead's exhausting OK Computer tour.
    222pts
40. 40
    20 Feet from Stardom

    Morgan Neville's Oscar-winning 2013 film about the backup singers behind rock and soul classics.
    222pts
41. 41
    Dig!

    Ondi Timoner's 2004 Sundance winner about the rivalry between the Dandy Warhols and the Brian Jonestown Massacre.
    222pts
42. 42
    Standing in the Shadows of Motown

    Paul Justman's 2002 tribute to the Funk Brothers, the uncredited session band behind Motown's hits.
    0pts
43. 43
    Jazz on a Summer's Day

    Bert Stern's 1959 film of the Newport Jazz Festival with Louis Armstrong, Mahalia Jackson and Chuck Berry.
    0pts
44. 44
    Supersonic

    Mat Whitecross's 2016 account of Oasis's rise from Manchester to the 1996 Knebworth shows.
    0pts

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