The sixties, they say, is the golden years of rock ’n’ roll. But who knows, most of us were born much later (half of the Indian population is about 30 years old). It’s human nature to exaggerate and dramatise when narrating events unseen by an audience. That’s how fiction is written — facts inflated beyond recognition. Great stories revolve around legends but they are only human. But there are some directors, who have captured these music legends on camera, which can help new initiates into rock ’n’ roll get the real feel of the golden age.

Martin Scorsese directed two documentaries on two rock bands of the golden age. The first movie is on The Band. The lesser-known band in these parts of the world declared they would hang their boots after 16 years on the job. They invited all the big names (from Bob Dylan to Muddy Waters to Eric Clapton) for their last concert. Scorsese filmed the concert and titled it The Last Waltz. Scorsese also explores the interactions onstage and offstage, and interviews of The Band's five members give a good insight into the mindset of the musicians of those days. Also, it has some great music.

After 30 years, Scorcese filmed the Rolling Stones for two days at the Beacon Theater in New York in 2006. The film called Shine A Light was released in 2008. The stores here don’t seem to have it and those who have are too scared to lose the CD. So I have not got the opportunity to watch it. However, their unreleased Cocksucker Blues, the footage of their ’74 tour, will probably reveal more about the band — drugs and orgies et al. The world awaits…

Hard Days Night is a movie on The Beatles travel from their hometown Liverpool to London to perform in a TV broadcast. The plot shows a day in the life of the Fab Four. The Beatles are boyish in character, fidgety all their way travelling with Paul's unconventional grandfather, all the while being chased by girls. Drummer Ringo goes missing just before the crucial concert. The whole thing ends with an ear-shattering concert and the band yet again running from the adoring fans.

Woodstock, the festival that redefined rock ’n’ roll and the 60s, has been filmed by Michael Wadleigh. This documentary about the vibrant attitude of youth and rebellion also brings together super groups and artists such as The Who, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Jefferson Airplane and others over a three-day period of drugs, rain, peace and love. The film starts with the concerts conception and the first foundations laid to its finish and inevitable dismantling. Complete with interviews from the local people to hippie talk from the red-eyed people, this musical mosaic of the festival is a portal to the excesses of the 60s. Go watch.