Back in 1993, I was the spokesmodel for and guiding intelligence behind a book called Hollywood Rock, a critical guide to rock ‘n’ roll movies. The book has become a standard reference for critics, historians, and fans (even though it’s now five years out of date). The folks at VH1.com have asked me (with a nod to Spinal Tap) to list my Top 11 rock ‘n’ roll movies. We reviewed hundreds of films for the book, covering the years 1947 through 1993 and here are eleven that absolutely floored me:

1) Beloved Invaders (1964)

If you’re under 35, you may have never heard of The Ventures, but if you lived in Japan you’d know about them, because they’re a cultural institution there and have toured the country regularly since 1961. This film documents their ‘64 tour, during which they put Japan in their back pocket. When it comes to twangy guitar sounds - whether it’s Spaghetti-Western soundtrack music, or early New Wave groups like The B-52s - The Ventures’ influence continues to resonate. In fact, the music they play in this film still sounds futuristic. They stand all but motionless on stage with their matching white Mosrite guitars and absolutely kick ass. The non-concert sequences here are fun too, as they feature lots of badly dubbed dialogue and stilted acting from the guys in the band.

2) Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970)

Screenwriter Roger Ebert (yes … the one and only) described this preposterous, hilarious (and great) movie as a “camp sexploitation horror musical” that climaxes with a “triple wedding and a be-heading”. Like many of director Russ Meyer’s films, it’s intelligent and ludicrous at the same time. It’s the story of The Carrie Nations, a rock group of three beautiful buxom women, and their rise to the top. This movie’s got so many hooks there should be a slavish cult surrounding it like there is for The Rocky Horror Picture Show (which I’ve never seen). Great songs, too. Mike Myers probably has this one memorized.

3) Dean Reed - American Rebel (1985)

Now it’s almost like the Cold War never happened, but in the mid-’80s, when Will Roberts made this documentary, it was amazing to learn that the most beloved pop icon in the Eastern bloc was an American actor/singer nobody in America had ever heard of named Dean Reed. It’s all here: Dean mobbed in the streets of Moscow, Dean explaining how he became a socialist, Dean singing (a mixture of mild rock ‘n’ roll and leftist political songs) to packed stadiums. For people who lived through that time period, this can be an intriguing human-interest story. Where is he now? In 1987, as this film was being released and Dean Reed was planning a tour of US colleges, he was found dead in his car, fully clothed, at the bottom of a lake in East Germany. What the f*ck… ?

4) Hot Rod Gang (1958)

Fifty years from now, if I’m alive and somebody asks me, “What exactly was rock ‘n’ roll anyway?”, the first thing I might do is show them Gene Vincent and The Blue Caps doing “Baby Blue” in this movie, because that’s IT right there. The movie is a pretty good lightweight teen-exploitation mid-’50s type deal. (And I like Jody Fair, the female lead; she looks about 25 here; really cute.) But Gene and the guys are almost too real for this (or any) movie. Try and take your eyes off of them.

5) Jazz on a Summer’s Day (1959)

We put this in the book because it included a (somewhat controversial) performance by Chuck Berry. You can get lost in this beautiful film, which documents the ‘58 Newport Jazz Festival (and incidentally, the ‘58 Americas Cup trials). It also includes Mahalia Jackson, Dinah Washington, Louis Armstrong, Anita O’Day, and other gods and goddesses of American culture.

6) Look Out Sister (1947)

Speaking of gods of American culture, Louis Jordan might be the guy who invented rock ‘n’ roll, but a lot of rock fails to live up to his standard of musical and lyrical finesse. In the late ‘40s, he was a huge star and made three really funny low-budget movies that used to pop up on the BET channel (usually in the dead of night). This one is a cowboy movie and is the funniest, most rocking of them all.

7) Monterey Pop (1968)

There’s lots of great ‘60s rock in this movie, but for me, Jimi Hendrix flat-out buries everything else here. He was arguably the best musician who played Monterey (and there were a lot of great ones), but he hands down had the most outrageous, killer sense of humor of anybody at the festival. The version of “Wild Thing” that he does here gets me every single time. (In the book, I referred to this film as “ ‘The T.A.M.I. Show’ on acid”.)

8) The T.A.M.I. Show (1964)

I love to watch stuff from this time period, being the age that I am. James Brown, The Rolling Stones (with Brian Jones playing a Vox guitar shaped like a giant throat lozenge, someone once said), Marvin Gaye; this stuff still holds up really well today. It’s a matter of taste. You’ll notice that at this time rock was very much a bi-racial thing. In the ‘70s and ‘80s it got to be pretty much strictly white, which SUCKED.

9) That’s the Way of the World (1975)

A “wholesome” family singing group that’s really a pack of degenerates. Gangsters as record company power brokers … graft, corruption, and racism in the music business ... what is this? A documentary? No, it’s a great movie starring Harvey Keitel as a
young record executive/staff producer, featuring a classic soundtrack by Earth, Wind and Fire (who also star). Seventies R&B Forever!

10) Wild Guitar (1962)

A lot of my favorite rock ‘n’ roll movies are low-budget jobs that pull you into some weird little universe, and for me, this is one of the best. It stars Arch Hall Jr. and one “William Watters”, who’s really Arch Hall Sr. Arch Sr. masterminded his son’s showbiz career, writing, co-starring in, and usually directing his movies. But this one’s directed by Ray Dennis Steckler, a cult hero in his own right. The script is a hack job about a small-town kid who goes to Hollywood with dreams of fame and has to try and swim with the sharks. But Steckler gives the proceedings a dark atmosphere that makes this a memorable film.

11) The Wizard of Waukesha (1979)

Les Paul is an American icon and this is a fun documentary about him, featuring lots of his wild guitar playing and his engaging verbal BS. As a musician and an inventor, he single-handedly altered the course of popular music. See this movie and learn how.

-Marshall Crenshaw