Best Music Movies of 1975

A psychosomatically deaf, dumb and blind boy becomes a master pinball player and the object of a religious cult.

Filmed live at London's Rainbow Theatre in December 1972, the innovative group Yes performs its progressive rock symphonies -- epic compositions that influenced new trends in contemporary music. "Yessongs" provides a visual record of the concert tour that became a groundbreaking tour de force in rock music. This unique concert video of Yes was filmed during their record-breaking tour and features the talents of the five original band members. The massively popular band defined the prog rock movement with their mystical epics which infused both a Medieval and Classical sound into rock music. Titles performed include "Close to the Edge," "All Good People," and "Roundabout."

Queen’s legendary Hammersmith Odeon show on Christmas Eve 1975 is one of the best recorded and dynamic early shows available. It occurs a month after A Night At The Opera was released and soon after it hit number one and was video taped for The Old Grey Whistle Test hosted by Bob Harris for BBC television. Most of the show was taped, but the BBC cameras were turned off when Queen came back onstage after the “Jailhouse Rock” encore to play a few more songs. The cameramen couldn’t capture this part of the show so after thirty-five years it remains unseen.

On Christmas Eve 1975, Queen crowned a glorious year with a special concert at London's Hammersmith Odeon. The final night of their triumphant UK tour, the show was broadcast live on BBC TV and radio, and has become a legendary event in Queen's history. Featuring stunning renditions of early hits Keep Yourself Alive, Liar and Now I'm Here alongside Brian May's epic guitar showcase Brighton Rock, a rip-roaring version of the then new Bohemian Rhapsody and the crowd-pleasing Rock 'n' Roll Medley, this hour-long concert shows Queen at an early peak and poised to conquer the world.

Steven, a character from Alice Cooper's album “Welcome to My Nightmare”, encounters a surreal dream fantasy, guided by the spirit of the nightmare.

The documentary depicts Bowie on tour in Los Angeles, using a mixture of vérité sequences filmed in limousines and hotels, and concert footage. Most of the concert footage was taken from a show at the Los Angeles Universal Amphitheatre on 2 September 1974 (Also featured are excerpts from D.A. Pennebaker's concert film shot at London's Hammersmith Odeon on 3 July 1973). Cracked Actor is notable for being a source for footage of Bowie's ambitious Diamond Dogs tour, and also for showing Bowie's fragile mental state during this period.

Composer and pianist Franz Liszt attempts to overcome his hedonistic life-style while repeatedly being drawn back into it by the many women in his life and fellow composer Richard Wagner.

Light the Rock 'n Roll spark with a Flame in the guise of Dave, Noddy, Jim and Don and their showcase of the rise and demise of rock band Flame. Set in the hardships of North England's seventies working class society and music scene. This build-up from rags to riches is a parody of realism and grit, with double-dealings and harsh unforgiving dog eat dog mentalities, and the golden rule; if you play with matches then you're going to get burnt, in the flames of the music industry.

1930s in New York – The famous singer Fanny Brice has divorced her first husband Nicky Arnstein. During the depression she has trouble finding work as an artist but meets Billy Rose, a newcomer who writes lyrics and owns his own nightclub.

Mozart's Marriage of Figaro is a comedy whose dark undertones explore the blurred boundaries between dying feudalism and emerging Enlightenment. Herman Prey's Figaro is admirably sung in a firm baritone and aptly characterized. So too, is his antagonist, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau as the Count perpetually frustrated by the scheming wiles of Figaro and Susanna, here the perky Mirella Freni, who sings and acts like a dream. The Countess is creamy-voiced Kiri Te Kanawa, and the Cherubino, Maria Ewing, looks just like the horny, teenaged page she's supposed to be. The all-star leads are complemented by worthy supporting singers, the Vienna Philharmonic at the top of its form, and the experienced Mozartian, Karl Böhm conducting a stylishly fleet performance.

Four socialites unexpectedly clash: heiress Brooke Carter runs into gambler Johnny Spanish at the race track while playboy Michael O. Pritchard nearly runs into stage star Kitty O'Kelly with his car. Backstage at Kitty's show, it turns out she and Brooke are old friends who attended public school together. The foursome do the town, accompanied by Brooke's companion Elizabeth, who throws herself at Michael's butler and chauffeur Rodney James.

An irreverent take on Mozart's relations with the three Weber sisters: Louisa, whom he loved, but who didn't love him; Constanza, whom he loved and married; and Sophie, who loved him but whom he didn't love. An anthology of arias from Mozart's operas, in which art comments on life through a cheeky use of back-projection and miming to records.

Record executives want a highly-regarded record producer to focus on a white pop act whom they feel has the sound America wants. To keep his creative integrity, Buckmaster carefully begins to fight the system that has made him the respected producer he has become.

Story of a happy-go-lucky small time crook who runs into a country music group looking for their big break. They end up helping each other out in unexpected ways.

An imaginatively choreographed dance interpretation of the ballad by Nina Simone explores four common stereotypes of Black women.

Film musical version of Charles Dickens' "The Old Curiosity Shop".

Three attendees at a puppet theater don various roles in order to sing a variety of songs by Jacques Brel, all while hippies and other eccentrics cavort about them.

A benefit concert for the Special Olympics and an opportunity to promote Streisand's upcoming film (Funny Lady), this special was a combination of Streisand interview with Dick Cavett and Streisand concert. Attended by President Gerald Ford and a star-studded audience, the concert section features a handful of Funny Lady songs and a couple of Barbra standards. Streisand's Funny Lady co-star James Caan also makes an onstage appearance for a duet of Paper Moon / I Like Him and Muhammed Ali presents Barbra with a special award.

Roy Orbison sings some of his greatest hits, including Only the Lonely, Crying, Penny Arcade, Blue Bayou, Running Scared, Candy Man, In Dreams, Mean Woman Blues, It's Over and Oh, Pretty Woman.

Lucy pulls out all the stops in Las Vegas to see her favorite entertainer, Dean Martin. Lucy gets a job working at the MGM Grand casino and high-stakes hijinks follow.

America's sweetheart Doris Day offers songs and sketches with some of her famous friends in this smash hit television special from 1975. John Denver and Day sing a few entertaining duets, and funnyman Tim Conway joins in on a couple of skits. Then, Rich Little impersonates some of Day's legendary co-stars, including Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart and Jack Lemmon. Songs include selections from Love Me or Leave Me, Teacher's Pet, Calamity Jane and more.

Mitzi Gaynor in a song and dance hour with an all-male, star-studded ensemble featuring her main guests Michael Landon (Little House on the Prairie) and Jack Albertson (Chico and the Man), plus 28 celebrities as her "Million Dollar Chorus." Songs performed include: "I Got the Music in Me," "The Most Beautiful Guy in the World," and "You Are the Sunshine of My Life."

Really Rosie is a musical with a book and lyrics by Maurice Sendak and music by Carole King. The musical is based on Sendak's books "Chicken Soup with Rice", "Pierre", "One was Johnny", "Aligators All Around" (Which comprise the 1962 book "The Nutshell Library"), and "The Sign on Rosie's Door". Sendak based the story on a demonstrative little girl who used to sing and dance on the stoop of her building, whom he observed while he was a little boy growing up in Brooklyn.

It was filmed on April 28 and 29 on the island of Djurgården, Stockholm. The videos for S.O.S., Bang-A-Boomerang, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do and Mamma Mia were made on the same day and together cost less than 50,000 crowns. The reason there is a video for this song is because ABBA felt it had the potential to become a hit.

TV adaptation of the campy 1960s Broadway musical about the Man of Steel, his friends, his enemies, and his self-image problems.

Glam Rock musical comedy about two clashing nightclubs

A college president becomes the president of a record company, and finds himself enmeshed in a payola scandal.

The Eurovision Song Contest 1975 was the 20th edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Stockholm, Sweden. It was the first time the contest took place in Sweden. The contest was held at Stockholmsmässan on Saturday, 22 March 1975 and was hosted by Swedish television director Karin Falck.

It was filmed on April 28 and 29 on the island of Djurgården, Stockholm. The videos for S.O.S., Bang-A-Boomerang, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do and Mamma Mia were made on the same day and together cost less than 50,000 crowns. The reason there is a video for this song is because ABBA felt it had the potential to become a hit. The video shows the two couples singing and strolling around the island, and onomatopoeia posters of the song also appear. It was directed by Lasse Hallström.

Ann-Margret gave viewers a double dose of movie star glamour in 1975, with a pair of TV specials designed to showcase her musical and comedic talents. Arriving first up in January was this program "Ann-Margret Olsson" with guest stars The Osmonds and Ike & Tina Turner Turner. (The follow-up special "Ann-Margret Smith" debuted in November.)

A romantic drama about an androgynous boy named Caniko (Müjde Ar), who is abducted by a gang and forced to dress like a woman and be a köçek. A mob attempts to rape Caniko, but when they find out he's really a boy, they stab him. He's taken to hospital where he undergoes a sex change operation. Now he works as a belly dancer and by chance, meets his buddy Adnan (Mahmut Hekimo?lu), who falls in love with him without recognizing that they are old friends.

A pop band and their girlfriends have fun in Spain

The concert occurred in December, 1975 after Jermaine Jackson left the band who was replaced by Randy in the performance.

Title song from the first album by Yes guitarist Steve Howe in 1975.

Music video for Donna Summer's song, Love to Love You Baby.

David Allan Coe, ex-prisoner turned country-western star, is featured in this combination in-studio concert performance and documentary film. The program follows the star performing at country music fairs, visiting with family at his childhood home and returning to the correctional institution where Coe claimed to have killed a fellow inmate. Musical selections performed by Coe and his Tennessee Hat Band include “The Fugitive,” “Longhaired Redneck” and “You Never Even Called Me By My Name.”

An entire performance of The Kinks' Soap Opera stage show filmed (in black & white) by RCA Records during their 3 night run at the Beacon Theatre, New York City in May 1975. The film was given a brief theatrical run from July 1975 before being pulled.

Weather Report live at the Philharmonie, Berlin, Germany, November 6, 1975. Program: Freezing Fire - Scarlet Woman - Mysterious Traveller - Badia/Boogie Woogie Waltz

Book-ending the year 1975 with two big budget TV Specials, Ann -Margret also earned her second Oscar nomination that year, for Tommy. In January, "Ann-Margret Olssen" premiered and was titled with the star's maiden name. This second special premiered late in the year and was titled with the star's married name. Her husband Roger Smith also appears in the opening sequences. Presented by the Bell System's Family Theatre, the program was filmed at the ATV Studios at BBC Elstree Centre, Borehamwood, England.

December 24, 1975. London's Hammersmith Odeon. Onstage at this legendary venue the four members of Queen are bringing to a close a ground-breaking show, transmitted live on BBC TV, and bringing to a climax the most eventful and exciting year in their careers so far one that has taken them from the UK to America to Japan, sealing their transition from ambitious upstarts into one of the biggest and most important bands of the era - and beyond.

Richard Christopher "Rick" Wakeman (born 18 May 1949) is an English keyboardist, songwriter, television and radio presenter, and author. He is best known for being in the progressive rock band Yes across five tenures between 1971 and 2004 and for his solo albums released in the 1970s. Rick Wakeman - Journey To The Centre Of The Earth movie Recorded in Melbourne Australia with that city's Philharmonic Orchestra in 1975, a sell-out crowd of 30,000 saw Wakeman perform at the height of his career. Rick Wakeman - Journey To The Centre Of The Earth video It contains songs from his concept albums THE SIX WIVES OF HENRY VIII, KING ARTHUR AND THE KNIGHTS OF THE ROUND TABLE, and of course the record from which the concert takes its title. Rick Wakeman - Journey To The Centre Of The Earth film JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH captures a seminal moment in the live performances of progressive rock.

Charles Mingus was one of the greatest jazz bassists of all time, but most of all he was an innovative composer and a leader with a clear vision of what he wanted and where his music had to go. In 1975 he made his first appearance at the Montreux Jazz Festival, accompanied by musicians who had worked with him on the albums 'Changes One' and 'Changes Two', two milestones of music, from which the pieces performed in the show were taken. At the end of the concert, the band is joined by two special guests: the saxophonist Gerry Mulligan and Benny Bailey on trumpet.

Bob Harris presents a 1975 concert by the Southern rockers, recorded in Shepherd's Bush, London. Songs featured include Sweet Home Alabama, Every Mother's Son, Double Trouble, I Ain't the One, Call Me the Breeze, Same Old Blues and Freebird.

Mahalia Jackson was the greatest gospel singer in the world. Shortly before her death in 1972, she embarked on a triumphant European tour, and this film is a record of that tour, and a portrait of a gifted artist and a warm, sincere woman.

Born with the gift from nature, polished by years of painstaking work, Pinchas Zukerman was between the ages of 7 and 17 the best teaching that could possibly be found. His well-spent youth established him with an international career before he was 21. The close friendship between the artist and the director, Christopher Nupen, provides not only an interesting documentary but also a touching immersion in the intimacy of one of the greatest violinists the world has ever known.

A satirical history of Halifax, written and sung in honour of the city's founder by balladeer James Bennet.

Running order of guests: 1. ABBA - Intermezzo No.1 (opening credits) 2. ABBA - Mamma Mia 3. Merit Hemmingson 4. Sylvia Vrethammar 5. ABBA - I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do 6. Björn Skifs 7. Lill Lindfors 8. ABBA - So Long 9. ABBA - Intermezzo No.1 (closing credits)

Dewey Bunnel, Dan Peek and Gerry Beckley formed America in the late 1960's in London. After their self-titled debut album was released in 1972, the band captured the Grammy Award for Best New Artist. By 1975, America had 4 songs in the Top 10 Pop Singles chart in the US [Tin Man, Ventura Highway, I Need You, and Horse With No Name]. They released the George Marin-produced "Holiday" ust a few months prior to this 1975 performance that captures America at the top of their game.

Leonard Bernstein made these recordings during his wonderfully productive collaboration with the Wiener Philharmoniker in the mid-1970s when he was at the peak of his career. Humphrey Burton's direction is, as always, very fine, giving the viewer/listener both the larger picture and highlighting individual soloists, players or groups of musicians and, of course, the maestro. The video and audio tracks show their age, but are quite acceptable even for today's standards. Bernstein's Seventh is everything one could desire: dark and spooky, highly sensual, but also structurally strong and assertive where needed. Bernstein's reading does not gloss over breakdowns in tonality and the foreshadowing of later musical developments.