Two more worth your time

Two musical offerings now available on Hulu, totally worth your investment of a few hours. First, no surprise, McCartney 3, 2, 1. Had my eye on this one for a while and knew it would be at least okay because, well, anything Sir Paul McCartney does is at least okay and most are brilliant. What I like best about this series, which is basically a My Dinner with Andre conversation between Sir Paul and legendary producer Rick Rubin, is that it assumes the viewer already knows the usual Beatles stories. This is not an introduction to the Fab Four, as most Beatles documentaries are, recycling the same stories even casual Beatles fans have heard a thousand times. This one really focuses on the music. (When George Martin gets mentioned more often than Ed Sullivan… that’s a good documentary.)

Second and more unexpected is Summer of Soul. Directed by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, the film showcases the Harlem Cultural Festival held during the summer of 1969. Yup, same summer as Woodstock and the moon landing, but this one you haven’t heard of. Until now.

Much has been made about the racial and political angle of the festival and its aftermath, and why it didn’t receive the attention it deserved half a century ago. Forget all of that. (Or fret about it if you want to–doesn’t bother me.) Listen… to… the… music. Wow. Stevie Wonder, B.B. King, Nina Simone, Sly and the Family Stone. It’s basically the non-boxing version of When We Were Kings. Which, yeah, that’s one of my favorite documentaries of all time.

Questlove has done us a favor unearthing this one. Do yourself a favor and watch it.

Loud.

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About moc

My name is Mike O'Connell. I am 41 years old and live in Northern Virginia. I am a teacher, a musician, and an enthusiast of all things American.

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