“1971”, the docuseries that narrates the musical era of Tina Turner and other stars of the industry | CRITICISM

Sly Stone stoned in an interview, Tina Turner singing to her physical attacker in the middle of the stage, the Beatles and the boom after Paul McCartney leaves the band, moments that stop being a single important fact for any music lover after seeing the exclusive docuseries of AppleTV+, “1971: The Year Music Changed Everything.” Each chapter reveals not only the chronology and dynamism of the artists, but also intersects historical archive material to tell how politics and societies faced global problems that pushed more than one to march in the streets with the musical swing of lyrics. as “imagine all the people, living life in peace” (“Imagine all the people, living life peacefully”).

The team of British documentary filmmakers Asif Kapadia and James Gay-Rees talk about the dreams of yesterday, the consequences of violence and the social changes that called for peace and not war since the 1960s and with the explosion of great albums on the beginning of the 70’s. As the assembly progressesthe most important tool to accommodate the documentary story, trace the life and work of Marvin Gaye, Rolling Stones, Carole King, James Brown or Iggy Pop, among others, in conjunction with military policies, the revolution for the fight for human rights and freedom of thought, gender identity and more inclusive policies.

There is no formula for the documentalist to paste the chronology of events piece by piece from the huge tower of archival material or stagger a witty and continuous montage in a short time. When the winner of the golden statuette for the documentary “Amy”, James Gay-Rees, undertook several trips collecting documents from different record labels and footage (videos and images), as they call it in the publishing world, about the life of David Bowie and other artists, I knew that putting together the argument would mean effort and money.

It took the producing team three years, added to the two years before when the idea to adapt music journalist David Hepworth’s book, “1971 – Never a Dull Moment” was being hatched, to weave together historical facts with a thoroughness and precision that only It is generated by a trip in a time machine. For this reason, this docuseries generates impotence for not having witnessed those days, at the same time that it makes you feel the adrenaline vibe of the protest.

Old-TV-looking footage and voiceovers from managers, activists, artists, officials and other iconic personalities talk about the triggers for musical rebellion, like the Vietnam War politics that no one wanted to be a part of, or the impact of the Black Panthers on America’s society, one that today remains racist in many states. All of this converges in the rock and pop musical fabric (also from soul and the reggae in some chapters), especially in the music of these artists who were tremendously involved with civic duty and were idols for being activists.

The process of change had begun a decade before and in 1971 came a cry for battle. John Lennon and Yoko Ono were marching with the “kids” of the generation who were protesting for the right to freedom and sexual expression, and the scene of weak anti-drug policy continued and it was increasingly difficult to escape from substances.

Later, with the technology of electronic music, the tumult and turmoil of governments, the lyrics of songs like “Baba O’Riley” (The Who) and “Johnny Too Bad” (The Slickers) caused a sensation, while the creators became cultural icons and the albums exploded in sales. This is how the combination of speeches in “1971″ does not leave gaps and although it does not prioritize chronology, it recounts the events with background music, the same one that was taking place to the sound of the protest at that precise moment. The reality was musical.

How many benefit concerts, how many abuses of Afro-descendant women and men had to take place for the whole world to pay more attention to the change. Now, the legends of protest music continue and those problems do not end, but the generation of 1970 and the younger generation of today still feel the tracks as a flag, because they were a tattoo of social transformation.

In the last century, the purpose of music was to reflect like never before. What is the purpose of composing, singing, dancing and doing a concert today? How many Mick Jagger, Lou Reed or Aretha Franklin are there today that force us to reflect on what is important? These two are the crucial points you come to after watching “1971″; what its creators wanted to remember and expose as an awareness. Definitely a documentary series that no music lover – rather, no person – can stop watching.

Synopsis: the docuseries shows the dynamism of the musicians and bands of the decade that shaped the culture and politics of 1971 and continue to do so 50 years later.

Number of seasons: 1

Average duration per chapter: 45 minutes

Gender: Documentary film

Year: 2021

Similar series: Who Shot The Sheriff? A Bob Marley Story (Netflix), John and Yoko: Above Us Only Sky (Netflix), Mad About Madonna (Prime Video).

Author rating: ★★★★1/2