Best Music Movies of 1979

A Hollywood agent persuades Kermit the Frog to pursue a career in Hollywood. On his way there he meets his future muppet crew while being chased by the desperate owner of a frog-leg restaurant!

Based on the 1973 rock opera album of the same name by The Who, this is the story of 60s teenager Jimmy. At work he slaves in a dead-end job. While after, he shops for tailored suits and rides his scooter as part of the London Mod scene.

A group of rock-music-loving students, with the help of the Ramones, take over their school to combat its newly installed oppressive administration.

Through concert performances and interviews, this film offers us a comprehensive look at the British pioneer rock group, The Who. It captures their zany craziness and outrageous antics from the initial formation of the group in 1964 to 1978. It notably features the band's last performance with long-term drummer Keith Moon, filmed at Shepperton Studios in May 1978, three months before his death.

Horsemouth, a drummer living in a ghetto of Kingston, plans to make money selling records. After his prized motorcycle is stolen, his plans fall through and he's forced to adapt.

Rock-and-roll singer Mary Rose Foster's romantic relationships and mental health are continuously imperilled by the demands of life on the road.

This biopic traces Elvis Presley’s life from his impoverished childhood to his meteoric rise to stardom to his triumphant conquering of Las Vegas.

Discovery is a music video album by the Electric Light Orchestra. Recorded in 1979 shortly after the completion of the Discovery studio album. The track listing is identical to the studio LP; each of the album's songs has its own corresponding promotional video. It received TV airings on The Blue Jean Network in 1980 among others, with releases on VHS in 1979, then later on the "Out of the Blue Tour" Live at Wembley/Discovery 1998 DVD/VHS. The video album was produced because Jeff Lynne refused to go on tour to promote the album as was customary but instead presented it in the relatively new video format. This helped launch the nascent long-form music video market. The song's videos marked the last appearance for the band's cellists. Tracklist: 1: "Shine a Little Love" 2: "Confusion" 3: "Need Her Love" 4: "The Diary of Horace Wimp" 5: "Last Train to London" 6: "Midnight Blue" 7: "On the Run" 8: "Wishing" 9: "Don't Bring Me Down"

1979 Christmas special featuring Kate Bush. She performs Gymnopedie No 1, Symphony in Blue, Them Heavy People, Madrigal, December, Wedding List, Egypt, Ran Tan Waltz, The Man with the Child in His Eyes and Don't Push Your Foot on the Heartbreak. Guest star Peter Gabriel sings Here Comes the Flood and duets with Kate on Another Day

Combining concert footage and interviews with the performers, Reggae Sunsplash takes an inside look at the biggest reggae music festival in the world.

Concert film covering Neil Young's October 22 1978 concert performance at the Cow Palace with nearly 20 songs (including two versions of "Hey Hey, My My," his nod to the punk movement), acoustic and electric (with long-time companions Crazy Horse), dating back to his Buffalo Springfield days ("I Am a Child") and continuing through popular solo numbers like "Cinnamon Girl" and the extended "Like a Hurricane."

A live performance from Kate Bush's critically and commercially successful The Tour of Life, recorded on May 13th, 1979.

1. Intro 2. From The Inside 3. Serious 4. Nurse Rosetta 5. The Quiet Room 6. I Never Cry 7. Devil's Food 8. Welcome To My Nightmare 9. Billion Dollar Babies 10. Only Women Bleed 11. No More Mr. Nice Guy 12. I'm Eighteen 13. The Black Widow 14. Wish I Was Born In Beverly Hills 15. Ballad Of Dwight Fry 16. Go To Hell 17. How You Gonna See Me Now 18. Inmates (We're All Crazy) 19. School's Out The Strange Case of Alice Cooper is a must watch for any Cooper fan... a man in the prime of his career doing what he did best, entertaining kids and scaring parents.

Documentary film detailing the history of Kansas City jazz.

Rock artist Frank Zappa hosts a concert in New York City. This movie contains tons of on-stage footage, off-stage footage, and animation.

ABBA's 1979 tour of North America and Europe, with emphasis on performances at Wembley Arena, London.

An animated visual interpretation of the song "Autobahn," by German electronic pioneers Kraftwerk. A fast-paced experimental film which proved to be a groundbreaking combination of electronic and manual animation. One of the first films produced specifically for video disk.

A music video from The Buggles from their hit single "Video Killed the Radio Star".

A short illustrating Wade Hemsworth's folk song about a woman's admiration for the agility of her boyfriend, the log driver.

Amnesty decided not to present a benefit show in 1978 in order to consider how to make better use of the performing talent so favourably disposed to assist it in raising funds. Peter Luff left Amnesty in 1978 and the organisation's new fund-raising officer, Peter Walker, was deputed to work with Lewis on reconfiguring the show to raise more money and greater awareness of Amnesty. Lewis proposed to Cleese that in addition to the comedy performances the show should feature some contemporary rock musicians. Cleese delegated this responsibility to Lewis who recruited Who guitarist Pete Townshend to perform, as well as New Wave singer-songwriter Tom Robinson.

John T. Davis’ first in a trilogy of films (including Protex Hurrah (1980) and Self-Conscious Over You (1981)) exploring the Belfast filmmaker’s local subculture and American cultural influence. It provides a look at the burgeoning punk scene in Northern Ireland, featuring early footage of bands such as Stiff Little Fingers, The Undertones, Protex, The Outcasts, and Rhesus Negative, among others. (from: http://artistsspace.org/programs/shellshock-rock/)

In the original short film, a young man in a green wizard costume runs throughout America at super speed, much like the superhero The Flash. Along the way, he gives a pretty girl a swift lift to another city, gives golden stars to other women who want a trip themselves. He then slips on a banana peel and comically crashes into a film stage, which he then brings to life in magical ways.

12 minute short film for 'Broken English' directed by Derek Jarman, comprised of “Witches Song”, “The Ballad of Lucy Jordan” and “Broken English”. Part of the “The Dream Machine” vignette (1983).

Biographical TV movie covering the early days of 60s rock group The Beatles as they work their way up to fame and become a worldwide success. Former Beatle Pete Best served as technical advisor.

Julien Temple's wartime documentary parody "Punk Can Take It" (1979) - a theatrically released promo for the UK Subs, complete with narration by BBC voice-over veteran John Snagge - paints a glorious picture of England in a punk rock "identity crisis". Punk morale was higher than ever before. Punks were fused together not by fear, but by a surging spirit of revenge, immortality, and the courage never to submit or yield. This proved that punk won't go away and that punks themselves are becoming younger and nastier everyday. They have no time for the precarious thrills of nostalgia nor for its trivial rules.

Set in 1970s Britain, a man drives from London to Bristol to investigate his brother's death. The purpose of his trip is offset by his encounters with a series of odd people.

The tale of rock band KISS and their efforts to thwart a diabolical plan by mad scientist Abner Devereaux. Devereaux has found a way to clone humans into robots in his laboratory at an amusement park. It just so happens that he plans to uses the KISS concert as a platform to unleash his plan on the world. KISS must use their special powers to stop him.

A lyrical journey through the heart of Chicano culture as reflected in the love songs of the Tex-Mex Norteña music tradition. Shipped as a bonus film on the Chulas Fronteras video.

Yes: Live In Philadelphia 1979

Footage of a concert given in Moscow, Russia, by rock singer Elton John.

Variety special featuring songs and skits with Dolly Parton and Carol Burnett.

Diana Ross "Live In Concert" Dana Ross and the Supremes ruled the radio Airwaves in the 60's and 70's with their savvy blend of R&B sensuality with teen energy. In this concert Diana Ross gives a lavish musical performance of the hit tunes that propelled her to fame. Songs Include: Ain't No Mountain High Enough Too Shy To Say Touch Me In The Morning I Want To Be Bad I Ain't Been Licked Home It's My House No One Gets The Prize Love Hangover Reach Out I'll Be There Baby Love Remember Me Medley: Lady Sings The Blues, Ain't Nobody's Business, God Bless The Child, My Man. The Boss Theme From Mahogany Ain't No Mountain High Enough (reprise) All For One

The Apollo Theater, Glasgow, Scotland - December 31, 1979. This concert video was originally broadcast live by the BBC on the OLD GREY WHISTLE TEST program. It was the 2nd night they'd played at The Apollo, with the first serving as a warmup. Only the second half of this show was broadcast, minus a few encores. Set List: Dreaming, Slow Motion, (Commercial Break), Shayla, Union City Blue, (Commercial Break), Atomic, Picture This, Pretty Baby, (Commercial Break), Heart of Glass, Hanging on the Telephone, Sunday Girl, (Commercial Break), Heart of Glass (Promo).

Hard times have fallen on the Transylvanian House of Dracula. To help pay the taxes, Castle Dracula has been converted into the Hotel Transylvania. Dracula himself is aging and toothless, being cared for by his granddaughter Nocturna. When Nocturna books a disco group to play The Claret Room and winds up falling in love with one of the backup guitarists, a mortal named Jimmy, she notices that she is able to see her reflection when she dances, so she decides to follow Jimmy to New York in search of mortality.

A TV musical special starring Cheryl Ladd and her guest stars in various musical numbers and vignettes.

The Eurovision Song Contest 1979 was the 24th edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Jerusalem, Israel. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Israeli Broadcasting Authority (IBA), the contest was held at the Binyaney Ha'ooma on Saturday 31 March 1979 and was hosted by Israeli television presenter Daniel Pe'er and singer Yardena Arazi. This was the first Eurovision Song Contest to be held outside Europe.

John Dexter’s brilliant production, James Levine’s masterful conducting of the eclectic score, and a sensational cast come together to make this Kurt Weill–Bertolt Brecht masterpiece a riveting evening of music theater. At the center of the action is Jimmy Mahoney (Richard Cassilly), a logger who stumbles onto the city of Mahagonny, where (almost) anything is allowed. Teresa Stratas gives a mesmerizing performance as Jenny, the prostitute who takes up with Jimmy, until he is executed for the greatest of all crimes in Mahagonny—to not have any money. The legendary Astrid Varnay, in her final Met appearances, is Leocadia Begbick, and Cornell MacNeil sings Trinity Moses.

An exploration of the musical and social origins of the blues, shot on location in Mississippi in 1978 by Alan Lomax, John Bishop, and Worth Long in association with the Mississippi Authority for Educational Television and broadcast on PBS in 1980. This re-release in 2009 includes two hours of additional music.

Cher... and Other Fantasies is an special starring singer and actress Cher in 1979, where its featured songs from her latests album "Take Me Home"

A play with music by Victoria Wood. Julie (Julie Walters) is a young woman seeking escape, with the help of her frumpish friend Maureen (Wood) she prepares for her singing debut at a seedy Manchester club's talent show

Place De La Concorde was Jean Michel Jarre's first concert, held on July 14, 1979, celebrating the Bastille Day. One million spectators attended this concert, setting up a new record for Jean-Michel to the Guinness Book of Records.

This vibrant portrait of dub poet and political activist Linton Kwesi Johnson transports us back to the turbulent streets of Brixton in the late 1970s. Jamaican-born Johnson explains with precise and powerful eloquence the violence and racism meted out to Black and Asian communities in London and beyond - and how his poetry acts as a weapon in the struggle for justice.

Hugh Hefner invites you to Playboy’s Roller Disco and Pajama Party! With your host, Richard Dawson!

“This 60 minute electronic fantasy featuring computer animation can control and change your moods of elation and tranquility. To change or enhance your mood, simply play a musical selection that accompanies your present feeling - its mesmerising! The abstract colorised computer animated visuals are artfully paced with their complimentary sound track. Images explode with colour while sooting with flowing shapes and rhythms, Great for parties or individual contemplation.”

Peer Gynt grew up a handsome guy, girls peered at him, and he dreamed of becoming a king and getting rich. He went to the wedding and there he saw the girl Solveig. Peer got drunk, quarreled with the guests and went into the mountains, where he met a troll maiden. Peer wanted to marry her and become a king, but the troll king explained that for this you need to become a troll and live according to their customs. Peer managed to escape, and he sailed on the ship. For many years he swam and accumulated wealth. And when he returned to his native coast in a storm, the ship sank with all the load.

Originally aired as part of the Arena series, this BBC biography of Poly Styrene of X-Ray Spex. She is one of the first black women singer-songwriters in the early New Wave/Punk scene.

An up-and-coming nightclub singer falls in love with a shy young deaf teacher who aspires to be a dancer.

Believing that her long-lost father is a popular touring singer, a young woman named Carrie pursues him from Switzerland to South Africa.

Vered, an attractive blind singer, meets and is befriended by three students. The trio decides to save enough money for the surgery which may restore Vered's sight. After many attempts, two of them commit petty theft and are sent to prison. The third takes Vered to the surgery which is successful. Although Vered regains her sight, she losses her friends...