One of the best films about rock music

Rating: 8/10 (27 September 2000)

One of the sharpest films ever made about the music business, both hilarious and accurate. It presents every cliche about life on the road, and gets them right. Many of the ideas of the film are based on the archetypes of rock history: the emergence of rock and roll bands in Britain in the sixties, moving through skiffle and psychedelia to heavy rock; the tensions and homosexual undertones in the relationship between singer and lead guitarist; the craziness and limited lifespan of drummers; the pretentiousness of concept albums, especially those involving old English/Celtic mythology. The lasting power of the film is shown by the fact that it is almost impossible to discuss the history of rock music without referring to some moment as "Tap-like".