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Whistle Stopper - X - The Unheard Music
![X - The Unheard Music]()
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List Price: $79.98
Our Price: $35.00
Your Save: $ 44.98 ( 56% )
Availability:
Manufacturer: Fox Home Entertainment
Starring: John Doe, Exene Cervenka, Billy Zoom, D.J. Bonebrake, Ray Manzarek
Directed By: W.T. Morgan
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: VHS Tape
EAN: 9786301802970
Format: NTSC
ISBN: 6301802977
Label: Fox Home Entertainment
Manufacturer: Fox Home Entertainment
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Fox Home Entertainment
Release Date: 1987-04-16
Running Time: 84
Studio: Fox Home Entertainment
Theatrical Release Date: 1986-03
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Just a good film
Comment: I won't go into details about X and their influence etc but I will say this is a great film/documentery. It's creative and keeps you watching, not a boring documentery by any means. Ifyou enjoy X's music then you'll love this.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Awesome
Comment: They made this back when I used to see them play in L.A. This is a great story of any band trying to make it in Los Angeles.
Customer Rating: 
Summary: An Outstanding Documentary
Comment: In the outstandingly well-made documentary X: The Unheard Music, we see two of the most underrated songwriters in rock history have a quick exchange that (unknowingly to them at that time) turns out to have defined their careers. It goes like this:
Exene Cervenka (referring to the song "Real Child of Hell"): "I think it's gonna be a hard song for people to understand the words."
John Doe: "F--- 'em."
And there you go. Sadly (yet proudly), X has always been somehow too poetic and "artsy" for some to consider punk, yet too defiantly punk to break through into the mainstream.
In the parallel universe that I live in, John Doe is a much bigger star. And to my twisted ears, no one in punk has ever sung so tunefully out of tune as Exene Cervenka (although Rancid's Tim Armstrong comes close). There's something so gosh-danged MUSICAL about the way she can coyly circle around a note, getting close but not quite close enough to hit it.
Plus, the supposed "supporting" players are such fascinating people themselves and are real multi-instrumental virtuosos (Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you: Mr. Billy Zoom on the clarinet! Mr. Bonebrake on the vibraphone!).
Thankfully, this beautiful film has forever etched out and preserved some magical moments in time, capturing X at their peak in the early to mid-80's. And, fan-leanings aside, I cannot emphasize enough how great this movie is, regardless of any affiliation or affinity one may or may not have with the band itself.
This film is so exquisitely and painstakingly pieced together that in the end it was not a surprise for me to see four editors listed in the credits. The syncopated, ingenious editing never lacks for imagination or interest, and you could arguably get as much satisfaction watching this movie in soundless slow-motion (or even frame by frame) - the individual shots are that beautiful (and sometimes very fleeting, but with great effect).
In the beginning, even the voiceover interviews are assembled as a kind of audio montage, and the result is nothing short of brilliant.
But don't be fooled: this multitude of editors does not mean that the movie lacks for a unified vision - quite the contrary, in fact. In addition to seamlessly intercut live and offstage footage that fans will just eat up (the studio footage of the recording of "White Girl" is sumptuous indeed, even though it is staged. Also, the writing and first tentative playing of "Real Child of Hell" is a total must-see/hear), there is an overarching subtextual and contextual examination of commercialization in its many forms. We are bombarded with images of mass production, from eggs to pre-fab houses, from vinyl car seats to vinyl records.
The simple yet effective contrast of some schlepp at the big record company (I'll call him "MCA Bonehead") espousing the virtues of the go-nowhere band Point Blank juxtaposed with the head of the Slash record label (which released X's early albums) exposes everything you ever wanted to know about what can go wrong with major record labels.
I think this film will appeal not just to X fans but to fans of good filmmaking in general. That said, I've heard that there's a special edition DVD looming on the not-too-distant horizon, so you might wanna hold onto that beer money and wait for that one to come out, because this edition ultimately lacks any features worth typing about (which is the reason for my four-star rating, even though the actual film deserves five).
Customer Rating:
Summary: Must buy for X fans
Comment: I viewed this years ago, and purchased on a whim. It is a must buy for any X or punk fan.
Customer Rating:
Summary: my favorite musical documentary
Comment: x is a great band, and this is a terrific movie! i've been waiting for this for a long time. save your beer money for today and buy it...
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Editorial Reviews:
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They all said X's music is "too hard, too wild, too insane, too dirty," said Ray Manzarek of the Doors, spouting excuses made by the reams of record companies that passed on what would become one of the most essential, celebrated and admired West Coast bands of the late 20th century. Manzarek produced the first three albums for the pioneering punk-rock quartet (vocalist Exene Cervenka, bassist/vocalist John Doe, guitarist Billy Zoom and drummer D.J. Bonebrake) and plays a supporting role in this long out-of-print documentary, which impeccably details the hostility and exploitation of the eighties L.A. underground. The 85-minute film includes interviews and band rehearsals, and captures X at its zenith--potent, teeth-rattling live versions of "Year One," "Come Back to Me," "Real Child of Hell," and "Johnny Hit & Run Paulene"--as well as behind-the-scenes gems like an MCA executive boasting the merits of eighties' posers Point Blank and Doe and Cervenka crooning Hank Williams' "Ramblin' Man" in their living room. Part "The Kid's Are Alright," part "The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle," "The Unheard Music" is a well-crafted visual diary and a revolutionary soundtrack from a band whose story continues to rewrite itself 20 years after the original release. --Scott Holter
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