Brian Eno - "1971-1977 - The Man Who Fell To Earth" DVD

An informative and enlightening discussion and assessment of Eno's time in Roxy Music, and his subsequent solo career, "The Man Who Fell To Earth" is another unlicensed, unofficial documentary from Sexy Intellectual. But this one works well, bringing together the usual array of journalists and collaborators to analyze Eno's career and musical works.

Robert Rich, Jon Hassell, Roedelius, David Toop, and Robert Christgau all appear to discuss Eno's pioneering sounds and influence, so credibility isn't an issue. Also examined are Eno's short-lived Obscure Music label, and the lineage of his best-known contribution to modern art, "ambient" music, tracing the inspirations back to Erik Satie, John Cage, LaMonte Young, and others. As well, Eno's work with Bowie, Cluster and Harmonia are examined, with some fascinating anecdotes from those who were there.

In all, a very well-done documentary, only missing a companion disc with a look at Eno's later years. Maybe that one's in the works?

Finally, I need to give props to the artist(s) who created the animations and films to accompany all the Eno sound samples here. The visuals were appropriate and well-attuned to the sounds. Great work! (Sexy Intellectual)

Eno info site

Eno site (more official)

Kraftwerk "And The Electronic Revolution" DVD

The influence that Dusseldorf, Germany's reclusive electronic act Kraftwerk had over modern music cannot be quantified. From their avante garde experiments of the late 60's to their proto-electronica of the 70's to their influence on the burgeoning hip-hop, techno, and dance scenes of the 80's and beyond, Kraftwerk's legacy is inescapable.

This (unlicensed but candid) documentary does a spectacular job following the history of the group, as well as tracing the rise (and fall) of the amazing 'Krautrock' scene that propelled acts like Can, Neu!, Kluster, Amon Duul, and Ash Ra Tempel to fame and international notoriety in the 60's-early 70's. Interviews with scene legends like Karl Bartos, Dieter Moebius, Hans Jochim Roedelius, Klaus Schulze, and Conrad Schnitzler are necessary and spot-on, and there's plenty of rare footage and sound samples to give better understanding to the discussions here. At 3 hours, it's an exhaustive and thorough examination of this important time in Germany's musical history. Being curious about this scene, but being a bit too young to truly appreciate it in it's heyday, this is a wonderful way to learn about Krautrock and Kraftwerk before diving into a big listening party. Superb and worthy! (Chrome Dreams UK)