Summer sabotage

Now that we are officially in summer and the mercury in our thermometers takes up permanent residence in the triple digits, the streets are flooded with people. Rollerbladers, tam tam jammers, mall punks, jugglers, junkies, Mile End hipsters, Laval hippies, Eurotrash, obese tourists, Raf Katigbak—it can get downright scary out there. Released this week are two rock docs that will make barricading yourself in your living room whilst avoiding the street flotsam that comes with Montreal summers completely worthwhile.

I love rock documentaries so much, I will gladly watch the story of any band, even if I hate them. Hell, my love for rock docs is so deeply rooted that I even sat through an hour of IFC’s foul show The Raw Side of…, featuring Canadian imps Born Ruffians (egads!). That’s why I’m currently bursting out of my skin to tell you about two absolutely electrifying docs hitting the shelves this week that captures the making of two of rock ’n’ roll’s greatest records of all time.

First up is the Rolling Stones documentary Stones in Exile (Eagle Vision), directed by Stephen Kijak. It documents their most majestic musical moment, Exile on Main Street. Expecting a shoddy, thrown-together film made up of odds and sods, this ended up being an authorized release with Mick, Keef and Charlie all taking executive producer credits. The file material alone, including rare scenes from their unreleased movie Cocksucker Blues and Super 8 footage culled from the band’s own home movies, is worth the price of admission. With a two-and-a-half-hour running time, no stone (ugh, sorry) is left unturned, with present-day interviews with all band members, ex-wives and hangers-on as well as a strung-out Keef in 1972, mumbling about uh, country music or something. The real magic here is the rehearsals and the live footage that proves that, at least in 1972, they were indeed “the world’s greatest band.” Admittedly, the Stones haven’t released anything even remotely listenable since 1978’s Some Girls, but hopefully this glimpse at their greatest moment will help bring some damage control to what they are currently doing to their legacy.

The real jewel released this week is the documentary, from Eagle Vision’s Classic Albums series commemorating the 40th anniversary of one of the most important heavy metal albums of all time, Black Sabbath’s Paranoid (directed by Matthew Longfellow). This is as good as it gets, with the individual tracks from the original master tapes getting isolated, including Ozzy’s nonsensical ghost vocal tracks, and a host of extras thrown at the end of the 90-minute running time. Arguably, the heaviosity of Blue Cheer and the Stooges did predate this by a couple of years but Paranoid is really ground zero for heavy metal and doom. It’s absolutely stunning that even after 40 years, this classic still stands up easily today. For any fan of heavy metal and especially for us Sabbath fanatics out there, this is essential viewing.

If you do insist on leaving the comfort of your couch and taking your chances navigating Montreal’s mean streets this week, the must-see show is the heavy, heavy hardcore of Coliseum with Burning Love, Kraken, Naughty Girls and Thunderdome on Saturday, July 10 at Friendship Cove.

LISTEN TO BLACK SABBATH.
JONATHAN.CUMMINS@GMAIL.COM