This fall promises an embarrassment of riches of streaming music documentaries. From some of the biggest bands and albums of all time, to more niche interests, there’s a wealth of material coming to streaming services this November and December.
Just in time for your Thanksgiving viewing, director Peter Jackson will unleash six hours of restored footage of The Beatles recording “Let it Be” over the course of three nights, starting Nov. 25 on Disney+. “The Beatles: Get Back” is a three-episode miniseries edited from restored footage that was recorded for Michael Lindsay-Hogg’s 1970 doc “Let It Be” (the working album title was “Get Back”). During the editing process, Jackson discovered that unlike the contentious process depicted in “Let It Be,” the footage revealed that there was much less discord than what the cultural myth has become. Created with the cooperation of the surviving Beatles, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, as well as the widows and children of John Lennon and George Harrison, “The Beatles: Get Back” covers 21 days in the studio of rehearsal for the album, concert and film, and ends with a 42-minute rooftop concert.
The documentary “Jagged,” directed by Alison Klayman, is a deep dive into another massive, culture-changing album, Alanis Morissette’s “Jagged Little Pill.” After premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival, “Jagged” arrives on HBO Max on Thursday, kicking off a month of rock docs as a part of the Music Box Series on HBO Max, produced by The Ringer honcho Bill Simmons and his Ringer Films imprint, which previously debuted “Woodstock 99: Peace Love and Rage” on HBO Max over the summer.
“Jagged” follows the phenomenon that is the bestselling rock opus “Jagged Little Pill,” and gives Morissette her due for claiming space in mainstream rock culture for confessional singer-songwriters who happened to be women. In interviews in the film, Morissette is charming and radiant, and Klayman has crafted a beautiful and nuanced portrait of this album, and Morissette’s meteoric rise to fame in the mid-90s. Unfortunately, Morissette has subsequently disavowed the film for including references to potential sexual abuse that may have occurred when she was teen pop star in Canada. Nevertheless, for those who came of age with “Jagged Little Pill,” the film is a gorgeous and nostalgic musical trip.