Rolling Stone’s 2021 selection of 70 greatest music documentaries is an editorial guide to the many ways films capture music: live performance, life on the road, the history of a scene, and an artist’s career. It is not a streaming catalog or an objectively scored ranking. Use its range of forms and subjects to choose the kind of music story you want to watch.
What the 70-film list covers
Rolling Stone published its list on November 25, 2021, in honor of Peter Jackson’s Get Back; an earlier version appeared in 2014. Its scope is deliberately broad, including concert films, fly-on-the-wall tour chronicles, punk, hip-hop and jazz time capsules, and career assessments. The framing also points to rock and country-and-western histories, with Don’t Look Back (1967) as one named example. Read the Rolling Stone list.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
![Score: A Film Music Documentary [Blu-ray]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51dvX+aaqPL._SL160_.jpg)
|
Score: A Film Music Documentary [Blu-ray] | $22.16 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
![Led Zeppelin - The Song Remains the Same [Blu-ray]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51j+c92MB7L._SL160_.jpg)
|
Led Zeppelin - The Song Remains the Same [Blu-ray] | $9.49 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
![Let The Music Play[Blu-ray]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51FSDMoOGsL._SL160_.jpg)
|
Let The Music Play[Blu-ray] | $14.95 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
|
Woodstock 3 Days of Peace & Music SE(BD) | $13.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
![Jimi Hendrix Experience: Electric Church [Blu-ray]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/415nE1DonTL._SL160_.jpg)
|
Jimi Hendrix Experience: Electric Church [Blu-ray] | $24.98 | Buy on Amazon |
“Greatest” here is a critical judgment, not the result of a published scoring system. The films take different approaches, so the list is better read as a wide-ranging selection than as a precise comparison in which every entry was measured against the same criteria.
Choose a film by the experience you want
For the feeling of a live performance
Start with the concert-film side of the list if you want to watch musicians perform. These films put the performance itself at the center, offering a record of a show rather than primarily a retrospective account of an artist’s career.
#1 Best Overall
- NOTE: This product is manufactured on demand in the BD-R format. It will play in nearly all leading Blu-ray players that have the latest firmware updates, but Microsoft Xbox One does not currently support BD-R playback.
For backstage access and life on tour
Tour chronicles follow musicians away from the stage. The list’s fly-on-the-wall framing points to films built around observation and access: the people, routines and circumstances surrounding a tour, rather than only its finished performances.
For a scene or genre in a particular moment
The list also includes time capsules of musical cultures, explicitly naming punk, hip-hop and jazz among its subjects. Choose this kind of film when you want a view of a scene and its era, rather than a single artist’s full career arc.
Rank #2
- The line forms here for the world?s greatest and possibly most influential band - Led Zeppelin! With Dazed and Confused, Stairway to Heaven, Whole Lotta Love and more signature performances, this mesmerizing movie built around Zep's famed '73 NYC concerts is convincing proof why. Band members supervised the Re-mastering and Dolby 5.1 Re-mixing of the film?s image and sound. In addition to their pe
For an artist’s life and career
Career assessments look back across an artist’s work and place it in context. This is a distinct mode from a concert film or a tour chronicle: its focus is the broader story and retrospective interpretation.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to use the list
- Pick the form first. Decide whether you want a concert, a tour story, a scene-focused film or a career portrait.
- Then choose the musical subject. The selection crosses genres and histories, so a genre or era can narrow the field without implying that all entries make the same kind of film.
- Treat it as a starting point, not a viewing guide. The list establishes editorial selection, not current streaming availability, retailer stock or physical-edition details.
Don’t Look Back, identified in the list as a 1967 film, is one possible starting point. The list page alone does not establish whether a particular DVD or Blu-ray edition exists or where the film can currently be streamed; those details should be checked separately for the viewer’s territory and date.
Windows Errors? Fix Them Before They Spread
Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallOutdated Drivers Are Slowing You Down
One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchQuick Recap
Rank #4
- Blu-ray
- Multiple Formats, AC-3, Blu-ray
- English (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled)
- 2
- 225
Rank #3
- Factory sealed DVD
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
