The idea that a really cool television shouldn’t be part of your stereo system is one of the worst cliches of the audiophile hobby. Let me get this right … I am supposed to not hang a gorgeous 65-inch UHD Samsung The Frame monitor between my best speakers, because the glass reflection from the TV is THAT detrimental to the sound? What about the three-foot-tall and 10-foot-wide glass on the modern, Israeli-made gas fireplace? Rip that $20,000 sucker out, too, right? Here’s the issue: audiophiles should want to power their systems with the best content possible. I’ll argue to the death that the end game of the audiophile hobby is about enjoying music (and other content, be it HD movies, television shows, video games or whatever) – not chasing after stereo components. An enlightened audiophile doesn’t shun great content to eke out an incremental bit of sonic performance. The quality of the content and the way it makes you feel (joy, sorrow, anger, hope etc. …) is what we all should be seeking. If watching a Philadelphia Flyers game on my Samsung Frame is what is going to make me most happy, then I am not going to let some old wives’ tale forbidding TVs in one’s stereo system stop me.
OK … rant over.
What we are here to discuss are some of the coolest shows, documentaries and other happening content that audiophiles might want to be looking into. Even if you won’t hang a TV between your Vandersteens, you likely have a television somewhere in your house. Here is a curated list of shows and content that you and the most music-loving members of your family should be watching these days. Content is king.
No. 1: Daisy Jones and the Six (Amazon Prime)
Pretty much every audiophile has Amazon Prime for two-day shipping, but there are other perks, such as Amazon Music and Amazon Prime Video. Daisy Jones and the Six is a fictional series on Amazon, about a band coming up in the 1970s Los Angeles rock scene. The Six is a somewhat folky and a little bit country/rock band that gets to Los Angeles from Pittsburgh, and meets a successful record producer, whom they convince to help them with their career. Creatively, he merges this band with a female singer/songwriter to create Daisy Jones and the Six as a band that more than vaguely resembles the life and times of Fleetwood Mac. Without being a spoiler here – the band is almost exactly like Fleetwood Mac, and anybody who knows their incestuous band history will know that Daisy Jones and the Six will keep you entertained. The show is a number of shows over one season, like an extended movie presented in roughly one-hour blocks.
No. 2 Summer of Soul (Hulu)
Drummer, Prince prodigy, and overall music impresario Questlove directed a documentary about the 1969 Harlem Film Festival, which was released on Hulu. The event was known as the “Black Woodstock,” and it is easy to see why. This documentary really delves into the music played, but also veers into the political environment at the time, specifically the civil rights movement. My friend was a producer on this film, and won an Academy Award for her efforts. This is a historical archive, which will also be highly entertaining for audiophiles who are into the soul side of things from the early classic rock era.
No. 3 1971: The Year That Changed Everything (Apple)
Normally, people say that the book is always better than the movie. I’ve read this book and, while it has a really fascinating premise, the Apple TV iteration as a streaming HD series was far better. I was minus three in 1971, but as a music student, I can tell you that there was a strong case to be made as to why the greatest era of pop/rock should have come to an end. The National Guard had killed four students at Kent State University. Yoko had “broken up” The Beatles. Jim Morrison and Janis Joplin had died. That’s a lot of cultural trauma, and it was supposed to kill off rock and roll or perhaps even pop music as a whole. Without giving away the whole story here … 1971, when studied, was a very good year for music. Just a sampling of the landmark records of the year include Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On, Carole King’s Tapestry and Gil Scott Heron’s The Revolution Will Not Be Televised, which is pretty much the moment that rap and hip hop were born. By the end of this very well-made series, you will be slack-jawed at just how important the music was from 1971. It is well worth your investment of time.
No. 4 The Beach Boys (Disney+)
You likely don’t know as much about The Beach Boys as you think you do, or at least that is how I felt after watching this Disney+ streaming documentary film. It doesn’t take too long to get into some real detail as to how the power dynamic worked in the band, as well as the early (and often unfortunate) business dealings that shaped the early career of one of the first real boy bands. The takeaway that I didn’t expect was the comparison between The Beatles and The Beach Boys, as they both attracted the same general audience in the mid-1960s, but I didn’t know that they had a mutual admiration society – so much so that when Pet Sounds came out in 1968, Paul McCartney and John Lennon had the hotel let them in to The Beach Boys’ suite and then waited for them to return from doing publicity in London. When they returned, the album was played for the best songwriters in musical history, and they just loved it. The Beach Boys is a really fun and pretty enlightening look into a very historically important American band.
The Defiant Ones (HBO/MAX)
This 2017 HBO series dives into the wild stories of how Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre made it individually, and then ultimately worked together on Eminem and other acts. For wannabe record producers, these are very worthy careers to study. The tie-in to Beats by Dre headphones is yet another relevant audiophile or at least consumer electronics element. Learning the back story on how some of the most important music ever recorded was made kept me riveted to this show, and very glad that I had my reference speakers connected for this compelling music industry series.
Fallout (Amazon Prime)
Let’s give credit where credit is due in that Eric Forst, fellow writer here at FutureAudiophile.com, got my wife and I watching Fallout. He told me that there was a very interesting audiophile reference in the show, but didn’t tell me much more, and somehow we took a chance on the show. This move got me way out of my normal type of shows that I watch, as Fallout is a highly stylized sci-fi series. It is set well in the future, but has a specific 1950s style/design language. There is oddly a vibe of midcentury that runs through this post-apocalyptic world. I am not sure of the relevance, but it was cool nonetheless. The audiophile reference is about three-quarters into the highly-awarded series (a second season is coming), so know that you are going to be in for the long haul to get to the audiophile part, but hopefully you enjoy the often-wild plot lines along the way.
There are so many more other worthy options beyond this. The Beatles Anthology and Get Back are a good start. Bohemian Rhapsody as a movie is another fun story to stream into your audiophile system. There are just so many choices that are worthy of our time as those who love music, the history of it and learning all about how things work in the music business.
What are you watching that is somehow relevant or relatable to the audiophile hobby? Did you watch any of the content on our list? What did you think? Let us know in the moderated comments below and we will approve them quickly. We love to hear from you!
