With the runaway success of Bohemian Rhapsody showing no sign of stuttering, it's possible the film is ushering in a new age of classic music movie. And with films about Elton John and Lynyrd Skynyrd due this year, and the long-awaited big screen version of Motley Crue's The Dirt coming to Netflix's small screen in March, it's entirely likely that 2019 will be a bumper year.
At their best, music films can bottle the zeitgeist, from Rock Around The Clock in 1956 to Woodstock in 1970. At their funniest, they can become ritualistic for generations musicians: climb aboard any tour bus in the 1990s, and you'd find a battered VHS of This Is Spinal Tap available, passed on from band to band. They can be harrowing, and inspirational, and damning, and hilarious, and reveal more about our heroes than we ever expected to learn.
We're creating a comprehensive guide to the best music films ever made: biopics, documentaries and fictions. And we're beginning by listing some below.
It's by no means comprehensive, but if you loved one of the listed films, check the box next to it – you can choose as many as you like – and if you don't see your favourite, add it at the bottom. Every vote counts!
