Amazing Journey: The Story of The Who (2007)

After the flood of Who-DVDs we've seen lately and the fact that "The Kids Are Alright" is a pretty definite document not only on the story of The Who but on Rock 'N' Roll as a whole, I was more than skeptical whether this new documentary on Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, John Entwistle and Keith Moon was really necessary. Well, I'm a fan so I picked the DVD up anyway and having just watched it I'm more than glad that I did.

I didn't learn anything completely new, but the "Amazing Journey" of The Who is so entertaining and peppered with such a great number of fantastic songs that it's just a real joy to watch it all being told once again. Besides, previous Who-films like "The Kids Are Alright" or "30 Years Of Maximum R&B" didn't really contain that many facts, but concentrated more on live performances. "Amazing Journey" takes a different approach and features lots of statements by the band, their producers, managers and folks who accompanied them along the way, as well as a few fans (Eddie Vedder, Noel Gallagher, Sting, The Edge, Steve Jones). The movie also features lots of amazing and previously unseen footage of live appearances, recording sessions and historic interviews. At 120 minutes running time the makers did a fine job touching most of the cornerstones in the band's career - just why didn't "Live At Leeds" get a mention? - while still keeping the pacing tight.

Yep, this is definitely recommendable for any The Who fan, even those who already have like 20 DVDs by that band on the shelf. "Amazing Journey" definitely inspires to dig them all up again and remember why Pete Townshend and the other three loons were one of the greatest bands that ever existed.