Times have changed and not always for the better. The corporate world has swallowed up the business of journalism and rock n' roll to the point both have become products rather than reflections of the world we live in. Rock/pop songs are composed using formulas and computer algorithms rather than the essence of the composer behind them. Magazines have fallen by the wayside thanks to the internet taking over and providing information at break neck speed. But that wasn't always the way it was.
In the sixties the English magazine Melody Maker was the premiere magazine for all thing rock. Started decades before as a trade magazine with a focus on providing musicians a place to look through for gigs, the magazine changed course in the sixties the same way music changed. Suddenly classical music wasn't the big seller and the Beatles were. Melody Maker followed suit.
The documentary here focuses mainly on photographer Barrie Wentzell whose images graced the cover of the magazine for years. At the same time it also interviews and discusses the history of the magazine with numerous writers and editors who worked there as well. What it provides is a history of rock n' roll that few with the exception of insider are permitted to see. These people would travel with the bands, see their successes, their excesses and their decline as the business changed.
The film is filled with the images of front covers and photographs taken by Wentzell, many historic images that are still used to this day when talking about people like Elton John, the Who and Jimi Hendrix. They captured those people and more during their performances, in their homes and backstage as well. Those glimpses are amazing to see.
But times changed, music changed, the public changed and so did the bands. With the popularity of the magazine and music as well London's gossip rags found them the perfect targets to focus on. As they did damage to the bands they also damaged the trust found between the bands and the press that had been there for them before. One example of that trust is when a journalists is privy to the death of Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones and at the request of Keith Richards holds on to the story rather than rush to the printer. There was that bond that the gossip mags destroyed.
The movie notes the rise and fall of the magazine which folded in 2000, absorbed by New Musical Express. That magazine ceased printed publication in 2018. But in its heyday Melody Maker was THE magazine to read, perhaps even more so than Rolling Stone magazine. This film chronicles that rise and fall through the words and images of those who were there. It's a fitting tribute to not just the magazine but the music of the time as well.
If you love rock n' roll then you'll want to add this film to your collection. Not only will you be watching history you'll also be allowed to glimpse some of the many thousands of pictures that filled their pages. And while doing so you'll recall those great moments in music and my guess is head to the shelf to find one or two of those performers that are kept there and give them a listen to once again.
In the sixties the English magazine Melody Maker was the premiere magazine for all thing rock. Started decades before as a trade magazine with a focus on providing musicians a place to look through for gigs, the magazine changed course in the sixties the same way music changed. Suddenly classical music wasn't the big seller and the Beatles were. Melody Maker followed suit.
The documentary here focuses mainly on photographer Barrie Wentzell whose images graced the cover of the magazine for years. At the same time it also interviews and discusses the history of the magazine with numerous writers and editors who worked there as well. What it provides is a history of rock n' roll that few with the exception of insider are permitted to see. These people would travel with the bands, see their successes, their excesses and their decline as the business changed.
The film is filled with the images of front covers and photographs taken by Wentzell, many historic images that are still used to this day when talking about people like Elton John, the Who and Jimi Hendrix. They captured those people and more during their performances, in their homes and backstage as well. Those glimpses are amazing to see.
But times changed, music changed, the public changed and so did the bands. With the popularity of the magazine and music as well London's gossip rags found them the perfect targets to focus on. As they did damage to the bands they also damaged the trust found between the bands and the press that had been there for them before. One example of that trust is when a journalists is privy to the death of Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones and at the request of Keith Richards holds on to the story rather than rush to the printer. There was that bond that the gossip mags destroyed.
The movie notes the rise and fall of the magazine which folded in 2000, absorbed by New Musical Express. That magazine ceased printed publication in 2018. But in its heyday Melody Maker was THE magazine to read, perhaps even more so than Rolling Stone magazine. This film chronicles that rise and fall through the words and images of those who were there. It's a fitting tribute to not just the magazine but the music of the time as well.
If you love rock n' roll then you'll want to add this film to your collection. Not only will you be watching history you'll also be allowed to glimpse some of the many thousands of pictures that filled their pages. And while doing so you'll recall those great moments in music and my guess is head to the shelf to find one or two of those performers that are kept there and give them a listen to once again.
