Heroes of Rock and Roll (1979 TV Movie) User Reviews

Agreed...The Best Rock Documentary Ever

[fkcvh · 10/10 · 2 May 2021]

I had a VHS copy that I practically wore out from repeated viewings, but I lost the tape in a house move. I wish I could find a copy. Sadly I think it was only broadcast on TV and never released on any physical media.

There are clips on YouTube but a lot of the footage is blocked due to copyrights. Probably why they can't release a DVD either.

Rare footage that I have never seen before or since. Jeff Bridges is a great narrator. I can still here the pathos in his voice when he describes "The Day The Music Died."

Best Rock and Roll Documentary EVER.

[rgifford-1 · 28 November 2004]

"Heroes" marked the 25th anniversary of the birth of Rock and Roll, and it brought footage out of the vault that hadn't seen the light of day since it was originally aired. Better yet, it re-mastered most of them so the quality was top notch.

Remember, this is before MTV, before the multitude of cable channels, and before even a million VCRs had been sold. This program was a true "blast from the past" because we'd not seen ANY of these clips since they'd ORIGINALLY aired! Considering disco was just loosening its deathgrip on the airwaves in 1979, this was WONDERFUL!

Most of the music pieces were short clips, but with only two hours (even less, since it had commercials) this program took rock from the raw beginnings to the top. (And back down, since it was released in 1979, meaning you experience Kiss, disco, and the beginnings of Punk).

But the rare footage of Chuck Berry and Elvis are exceedingly well done, and the treatment of 50's garage bands and 60's Folk Rock are wonderful. The Beatles and the British Invasion get lots of coverage, as well as the Stones. If you enjoy soul, it is all there, including a clip of Otis Redding from his last studio performance.

I have all the "big name" later releases - The 10 volume "History of Rock," Rolling Stone's "History," the six hour "Roots of Rock and Roll" put out a few years later, and various others. "Heroes" is CLEARLY the BEST Rock and Roll Documentary EVER.

Heroes of Rock

[norm-garr · 7/10 · 1 May 2006]

I too have a copy of this film as I was one of the first on my block to own a Sony Betamax and liked to tape special programs like this and Dick Clark's 25th Anniversary special, etc. etc. I love compilation material and there is much to see here. As the years have passed, I have acquired many of the original films (Monterey Pop, Beatles on Sullivan), etc. that the program used as clips in this production. Historians would do well to find this. I wouldn't be surprised if it is in the Museum of Radio and TV in New York and Beverly Hills. The beauty of video tape and film is the ability to preserve so much of this great, great history.