Best Music Movies of 2002

Manchester, 1976. Tony Wilson is an ambitious but frustrated local TV news reporter looking for a way to make his mark. After witnessing a life-changing concert by a band known as the Sex Pistols, he persuades his station to televise one of their performances, and soon Manchester's punk groups are clamoring for him to manage them. Riding the wave of a musical revolution, Wilson and his friends create the legendary Factory Records label and The Hacienda club.

Rock In Rio Festival 2001 - Iron Maiden headlines one of the biggest shows on Earth to a massive sell-out 250,000 crowd and a global TV audience of millions. The explosive two hour set, shot using 18 cameras and edited by Steve Harris, is Maiden at its best, performing their biggest show ever on the final date of their Brave New World Tour.

A fish-out-of-water comedy about a talented street drummer from Harlem who enrolls in a Southern university, expecting to lead its marching band's drumline to victory. He initially flounders in his new world, before realizing that it takes more than talent to reach the top.

Rob Sheridan and other members of the band's crew filmed the Fragility 2.0 tour using consumer DV cameras.

A visual montage portrait of our contemporary world dominated by globalized technology and violence.

Hosted by composer & arranger extraordinaire David Foster, the Concert for World Children's Day. Recorded at the Arie Crown Theater of the McCormick Place in Chicago, USA on September 14, 2002.

Documentary examining the politics, music, and life of Tupac Shakur.

Getting Away With It... Live is the thirteenth release and the third live album from Manchester Indie group James. It was recorded at the Manchester gig of their 2001 winter tour, which was dubbed as James' final tour until their reunion in 2007. This DVD of the concert was released in 2002 and features band interviews and promotional videos. Former members Larry Gott (guitar) and Andy Diagram (trumpet) make guest appearances during the show.

Tracks: Hunter, Come To Me, All Neon Like, You’ve Been Flirtin, Isobel, Immature, Play Dead, Alarm Call, Human Behaviour, Bachelorette, Hyper Ballad, Pluto, Anchor Song, Joga. A fantastic live performance caught of Bjork live at Cambridge in 1998.

A documentary by photographer Sam Jones documenting American rock band Wilco recording their fourth album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. Originally intended as a showcase of the band's creative process, the film crew catches unexpected complications between the band and its record label and problems among the band members themselves.

With the untimely passing of frontman Stuart Adamson in 2001, the title Final Fling couldn't be more sadly appropriate. This two-disc set captures Big Country toward the beginning and near the end of their 20-year career. The first disc features a 1988 performance from an outdoor peace concert in East Berlin, shortly before the release of Peace in Our Time (and before the Berlin Wall came down in 1989). It's a straightforward, electric set played in front of a huge, enthusiastic crowd during the twilight hours. The second disc finds the Scottish rockers back at their old stomping grounds, Glasgow's Barrowlands, while on their Driving to Damascus tour with the Alarm in 2000. They may look older, but their chiming twin-guitar attack is as passionate and rousing as ever. Both sets include such fan favorites as "Look Away," "Fields of Fire," and Top 40 hit "In a Big Country." --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Davey Stone, a 33-year old party animal, finds himself in trouble with the law after his wild ways go too far.

Priscilla Presley presents this tribute to her late former husband, combining live musical performances with rare footage of 'the King'. Included are Elvis' first screen test and audio recording.

This release featured the boy band O-Town performing a half-dozen songs. In addition to live versions of "All or Nothing," "We Fit Together," and "From the Damage," the music video for "These are the Days," has also been included. The DVD release offers interviews with the band members.

Documents the interpretations of Gustav Mahler's compositions by conductors Bernard Haitink, Riccardo Chailly, Riccardo Muti, Claudio Abbado, and Simon Rattle, who detail the special relationship they have with Mahler's work.

The summer of 2001 will always be remembered for the *NSYNC PopOdyssey Tour - the largest stadium concert tour in the history of the music business! In 35 cities across America, millions of fans were thrilled by *NSYNC as they took the music and the live concert technology a few steps further than they had ever been before! Now, whether you were there or not, you can experience PopOdyssey live on film with the best views from every angle of the main stage, the satellite stage and all of the catwalks and drawbridges! PopOdyssey Live features *NSYNC performing all of their biggest hits, immersed in the sensational visual effects that made the tour the dizzying spectacle that it was! All of the short films are included too, in full-screen format, along with the pyrotechnics, laser lights, flying rigs, mechanical bulls and other dazzling special effects!

Slipknot performs live at the London Arena, summer 2002, in support of their Iowa album.

Being one of 101 takes its toll on Patch, who doesn't feel unique. When he's accidentally left behind on moving day, he meets his idol, Thunderbolt, who enlists him on a publicity campaign.

Legendary Canadian punk rock band, Nomeansno take the stage at London's Canden Underworld for a typically breathtaking show. The DVD also features an hour-long set by the band's hockey-loving alter egos, the Hanson Brothers. Recorded live at Camden Underworld, London: NoMeansNo - 28 June 2002 Hanson Brothers - 17 May 2002

Elvis Presley's first year (March '56 to January '57) on TV is spotlighted on "From the Waist Up," the third of three Elvis: The Great Performances DVDs. And what a time it was, as his appearances on the Dorsey Brothers, Milton Berle, Steve Allen, and especially Ed Sullivan shows electrified an ever-growing national audience with tunes ranging from the lascivious "Baby, Let's Play House" to the reverent "Peace in the Valley." Written by Presley biographer Peter Guralnick (Last Train to Memphis) and narrated by U2's Bono, volume 3 is the most documentary-like of the three discs; some basic history is provided (the Sun Records years, the arrival of Col. Tom Parker, etc.), most of which will be old hat to Presley aficionados. Unfortunately, it's also the only disc that truncates some of the King's performances, but the three straight complete songs from the '57 Sullivan show that end the program help make up for that. --Sam Graham

A star-studded tribute (from the creators of That's Entertainment) to the contributions of Afro-Americans in film over the last century. Vanessa Williams traces the struggles and triumphs of the superstars of music and film. Among the many artists featured are: Whitney Houston, Ella Fitzgerald, Sammy Davis Jr., Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Cab Calloway, Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, Ella Fitzgerald, and Little Richard, Also included are today's contemporary superstars: Snoop Dogg, Ice T, Quincy Jones, Spike Lee, Russell Simmons, and many, more! 80 minutes plus DVD bonus features.

It's Tutter's birthday and viewers are invited to join Bear and the gang in the Big Blue House as they work together to plan a surprise party for Tutter. This stage production features many of the voices from the show and many of its songs as well.

Recorded live at the Paris Olympia on December 1, 2001, Krall's classic style blends equal parts artistic vision, hard work and determination. The British Columbia native began playing piano at the age of four and now has five stunning albums behind her. She made her debut with the critically acclaimed Only Trust Your Heart and the album topped the Billboard jazz charts for the most of 1998, earning Krall a Grammy nomination. She went on to win a Best Jazz Vocal Performance Grammy for 1999's platinum-selling When I Look in Your Eyes and became the first jazz artist in 25 years to be nominated in the Album of the Year category.

If you're an ABBA fan or just a fan of good music in general, this assortment of 35 music videos which spans ABBA's career from 1974's Waterloo to 1982's Under Attack is indeed definitive. Simply put, it's a fantastic collection of music and images that mostly focuses on the 1970's era of ABBA's career, because that's when they reigned supreme in their international pop music kingdom.

Hullabaloo: Live at Le Zenith, Paris (commonly referred to as Hullabaloo) is a live video album by English alternative rock band Muse. The video documents the band's two performances at Le Zénith in Paris, France on 28 and 29 October 2001 and features an additional disc of backstage footage.

A cinematic version of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet's adaptation of Bram Stoker's gothic novel Dracula. Filmed in a style reminiscent of silent Expressionist cinema of the early 20th century (complete with intertitles and monochrome photography), it uses dance to tell the story of a sinister but intriguing immigrant who preys upon young English women.

Icelandic singer-songwriter Björk performs several tracks from her album Vespertine in this 2002 performance at London's Royal Opera House.

This compilation is the first official DVD release from EMI of Marillion material. This updated video compilation features all recorded promo videos from the EMI years: 1982-1995 Special features include a photo gallery, complete lyrics for all tracks, and a Marillion discography - plus a special bonus hidden track.

Terry and Dean are lifelong friends who have grown-up together: shotgunning their first beers, forming their first garage band, and growing the great Canadian mullet known as "hockey hair". Now the lives of these Alberta everymen are brought to the big screen by documentarian Ferral Mitchener in an exploration of the depths of friendship, the fragility of life, growing up gracefully and the art and science of drinking beer like a man.

Trilogy is a live album video by The Cure. It documents The Trilogy Concerts, in which the three albums, Pornography, Disintegration and Bloodflowers were played live in their entirety one after the other each night. Trilogy was recorded on two consecutive nights, 11–12 November 2002, at the Tempodrom arena in Berlin.

Korn Live is a double DVD live release that was recorded in the Hammerstein Ballroom at Manhattan Center Studios during their 2002 "Untouchables" tour. It also features some live tracks from their self-titled album, and albums "Life Is Peachy", "Follow The Leader", and "Issues", as well as part of their cover of Metallica's "One" that was later performed for 2003 Metallica's "MTV Icon" special in its entirety. The second DVD features the same show, but from alternate angles, as well as some behind-the-scenes material.

Celebrity Takedown is a compilation DVD by Gorillaz, released in November 2002. The DVD compiles the videos and animatics related to the release of the band's first album, Gorillaz, as well as the related singles.

On October 16, 2002, two months into his world tour in support of The Rising, Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band took the stage of the Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona, Spain, to create the kind of soul-stirring concert experience that transforms Springsteen neophytes and fans alike into true believers.

In 1997, rap superstars Tupac Shakur and Christopher Wallace (aka Biggie Smalls, The Notorious B.I.G.) were gunned down in separate incidents, the apparent victims of hip hop's infamous east-west rivalry. Nick Broomfield's film introduces Russell Poole, an ex-cop with damning evidence that suggests the LAPD deliberately fumbled the case to conceal connections between the police, LA gangs and Death Row Records, the label run by feared rap mogul Marion "Suge" Knight.

Gigantic: A Tale of Two Johns is a rock documentary about Brooklyn's finest, They Might Be Giants. Filmed in 2001, the film contains concert footage, interviews, humor, animation, coffee, humor, lyric readings, people wondering about the subject matter of their lyrics, information on our eleventh and sixteenth presidents, and much, much more.

1. Dreams 2. Linger 3. Zombie 4. Ode To My Family 5. I Can´t Be With You 6. Ridiculous Thoughts 7. Salvation 8. Free To Decide 9. When You´re Gone 10. Promises 11. Animal Instinct 12. Just My Imagination 13. You & Me 14. Analyse 15. Time Is Ticking Out 16. This Is The Day 17. Stars

This documentary, made over a period of eight years, tells the remarkable story of an extremely influential rock'n'roll band. Starting from their mid-60's garage band roots (sounding amazingly like the Sonics), the Motor City 5 deveoped into an icon for a brand of loud, crushing music reflecting their industrial roots. Even if you don't care for their music (and you're bound to like even a few of their songs), their story is fascinating. It combines 60's protest, youthful braggadocio, and a style of music that would help carry one to the likes of Iggy and the Stooges (not to mention certain aspects of punk rock). This film is clearly a labor of love, combining extraordinarily rare live shows, still shots, a nearly-continuous backdrop of MC5 tunes, penetrating interviews with the remaining members and their spouses, and even FBI surveillance shots. It's the ultimate testimonial to a band that only gains in stature as time goes on.

Deuce is the second DVD by the American Nu Metal band, Korn. It was released on June 11, 2002 - the same day as the band's fifth studio release, Untouchables. The DVD was certified platinum by the RIAA. The DVD includes the band's first home video Who Then Now? and features the music video collection from Korn to Issues. Other extras include biographies of each band member, gags, behind-the-scenes of the music videos or live concerts, and various other things.

Get ready as Bob the Tomato, Larry the Cucumber and the rest of the Veggies set sail on a whale of an adventure in Big Idea's first full-length, 3-D animated feature film. This is the story of Jonah and the Whale as you've never seen it before - a story where we learn that one of the best gifts you can give - or get - is a second chance.

Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour performs a solo concert at the Royal Festival Hall, London in June 2001, as part of the Robert Wyatt-curated Meltdown festival. This music video also features additional footage recorded during three concerts at the same venue in January 2002.

Live at Finsbury Park 9th June 2002

London's Royal Ballet performs two of Igor Stravinsky's classic works in this pair of performances choreographed by dance legend Nijinska. Zenaida Yanowsky and David Pickering star in "Les Noces," the stark, percussion-centric tale of a Russian peasant wedding that incorporates traditional folk music into its score. "The Firebird" stars Leanne Benjamin as the mythical creature who brings both a blessing and a curse upon her captors.

This video release by Depeche Mode features an entire concert from their 2001 Exciter Tour, shot at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy on 9 and 10 October 2001.

DEVICE VOICE DRUM was recorded live on June 15, 2002 at EarthLink Live in Atlanta, Georgia. Film company Real 2 Reel Studios filmed and recorded the live DVD. Five 16mm film cameras, along with numerous digital video cameras, were used for the shoot. All audio was recorded on a Sony 3348 digital 48-track tape machine, which was transferred to Real 2 Reel™s ProTools HD system for editing and mixing in 5.1 surround sound. In addition to the new live concert, DEVICE VOICE DRUM will feature archival footage of interviews with members of KANSAS - Phil Ehart (drummer), Billy Greer (bass guitar, vocals), Robby Steinhardt (violin, vocals), Steve Walsh (lead vocals, keyboards) and Richard Williams (lead and acoustic guitar) - as well as behind-the-scenes footage that the band has been filming with hand-held cameras over the last several months. Recorded at Earthlink Live! - Atlanta June 15th, 2002

Live at Home is a live concert DVD released in 2002 filmed in Nickelback's home province of Alberta, Canada during the tour supporting their album Silver Side Up. The concert was in Edmonton on February 25, 2002 at Skyreach Centre. The concert contained an audience of 25,000 people, the greatest number of people to ever attend the arena. Near the end of the show Jerry Cantrell, joined the group to perform the song "It Ain't Like That". During the encore, the band performs an acoustic version of the song Mistake, a cover of Big Wreck.

An Evening with the Dixie Chicks is a 2002 live music documentary featuring the Dixie Chicks and directed by Joel Gallen. It was filmed over two nights at Hollywood’s Kodak Theatre and features songs from the band's albums Home, Fly and Wide Open Spaces.

The story behind Elvis's first album features performances from 1955 and '56, interviews with the King and rare home movies of him at play and work.

Sade fans may experience a range of emotions while watching the first-rate Lovers Live, but one thing they won't feel is shortchanged--not with nearly two hours of concert footage, 22 songs (including almost all of her Lovers Rock album), and DVD bonus features galore. That sultry, soulful Sade sound is in full effect throughout the concert (filmed at two Southern California locations in 2001), brought to life by a capable band, some superbly evocative visuals and sound effects, and, of course, the singer herself. The show is dramatic, but never overly theatrical; best of all, Sade, while perhaps not the world's greatest performer, is an adult--you'll find no pop-princess posing here. Of the nine songs from Lovers Rock, "Slave Song" and "Immigrant" are especially moving, revealing that Sade added some new flavors to her sound during her protracted layoff from performing. This show is pure Sade--and that's a good thing.

Documentary tracing the existence of noted rock band Pavement from 1989 to their final performance in late 1999. The DVD also compiles all of their music videos, rare live footage, audio commentary from the band and directors, and two live concerts available with multiple angles.