Good Rockin' Tonight - The Legacy of Sun Records (2001) Review

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(More customer reviews)I'm not big on writing negative reviews on things, but I am gonna rain on the parade here a bit.
I was excited about seeing this documentary, quite excited actually. I'm a big fan of the music that came out of Sun Records, but oddly enough I really never read or watched much about the history of the legendary studio. I knew the basic story, but was eager to learn a bit more. Books have been written-which I will get to eventually-but a documentary was too good to pass up.
Well, I learned basically doodly-squat from this 2 hour documentary. The famous Sun artists are briefly introduced and talked about, but are whisked out of the film almost as quickly as they arrive. I know most of these artists can(and do)have their own documentaries, but I would have expected a little more to be said about these people. These people made Sun! Aside from a brief photograph, Roy Orbison isn't even mentioned!
On the good side, the film does devote a lot of time to Billy Lee Riley(RIP) and Sonny Burgess, two excellent artists who's promising careers got shafted. It's nice to see them, listen to their stories, and even see them perform.
Now for the down side. At the time this film was being made, a Sun Records tribute album was being recorded, and it features more contemporary artists covering Sun songs. A big chunk of this documentary comes across as a commercial for this album as it shows numerous musical numbers being done by modern bands(okay, Paul McCartney, Mark Knopfler, Robert Plant and Jimmy Page aren't exactly "contemporary", but many of the bands are). This irritated the hell out of me. Seeing the balls removed from raw, rockin' songs and(some of them)turned into whiny emo crap is frustrating and sad. I had to have the FF button handy at all times, especially when Kid Rock came out rapping. Kid Rock isn't qualified to be a custodian at Sun Records, let alone cover any of their songs. It makes me wonder if half of these bands are truly Sun Records fans or just along for the ride coz they happen to like one or two Johnny Cash songs.
Sorry if I sound bitter, but I am bitter. If you happen to like these reworkings, that's all fine and dandy as they are obviously intended, not only as tributes, but to appeal to a younger generation as well. But I don't see why your age should require a filter to process older music. But I can't say that ALL of the performances were bad, coz they weren't. In all fairness, there were some decent covers. I would have much rather have seen classic performances by the original Sun artists is all.
And of course the main player in this film is Sun founder Sam Phillips, and he's not at a loss for words. He's portrayed as a pioneer but certainly not a saint as he screwed a few of his artists over. He seems to think he's hot poop, but considering the legacy of Sun, it's easy to see why.
I honestly can't recommend this if you're looking for a good documentary on the Sun story, as this is a very abridged version. I don't claim to be an expert on Sun, but I'd hoped the film would have at least put me on the path. Looks like I'll be searching out those books now.

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Historians may never agree about where and when rock 'n' roll was born, but they do agree that an entrepreneur in the world of music named Sam Phillips began a revolution and spawned a legacy when he created Sun Records. This Memphis-based success story defined some of the most appealing roots of American popular culture with such seminal artists as Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and so many others, all reprised in this two-hour American Masters film with such performers as Paul McCartney, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, and Live, many accompanied by Elvis' original sidemen, Scotty Moore and D.J. Fontana. Highlights include a moving rendition of "Lonely Weekends" with Jerry Lee Lewis and Matchbox Twenty, and an emotional reunion of old Mississippi Delta musicians. Songs: That's All Right (Paul McCartney), Honey Don't (Ben Folds Five), Rock n' Roll Ruby (Mark Knopfler), I Walk the Line (Live), My Bucket's Got a Hole in It (Robert Plant & Jimmy Page), Blue Suede Shoes (Johnny Hallyday), Who Will the Next Fool Be (Zucchero), Cry, Cry, Cry (Third Eye Blind), Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee (Malcolm Yelvington and Kid Rock), Lonely Weekend (Matchbox Twenty).

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