BRAD MCEWEN: Curl up with a cup of cocoa this holiday and enjoy these classic music movies

Just as my main man Dave Grohl has been known to do with a clever idea, killer hook and great lyric, I’m going to milk my recent experience of watching the Foo Fighters leader’s “Sonic Highways” HBO series for all it’s worth.

This time around I’m using the occasion in conjunction with one of my favorite activities of the now in-full-swing holiday season — movie watching.

But unlike the usual lists of best holiday movies — I mean does anyone really need another piece about how much fun it is to watch “A Christmas Story,” “It’s a Wonderful Life,” and “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation?” — I’m hoping to spend whatever time I can get away from The Herald (not spent entertaining the kids), watching some of my all-time favorite music-based movies.

As we speak, I’m pre-planning some time to enjoy the three rock docs currently lined up on my Netflix play list: “The Eagles” (better be good at upward of four hours long), “Muscle Shoals” (one of the beating hearts of rock and roll), and “Jimi Hendrix: Hear My Train A Comin’,” (‘cause the guitarist’s story never gets old). But I’m also hoping to spend a few hours revisiting some of my all-time favorites.

If you’re as much a music lover, you too might want to consider tracking these gems down and celebrate your inner rocker during the cold, harsh evenings of winter.

Pink Floyd Live at Pompeii — Before the Internet made finding concert and music docs somewhat difficult for those living in small towns with no indie record stores, “Live at Pompeii” was highly sought after by music nuts such as myself. Filmed in the ruins of the Italian city forever frozen in time thanks to the 79 A.D. eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, this particular documentary is, for me, the most prized visual offering ever presented by Pink Floyd. Surely 1982’s Alan Parker-directed “The Wall” is the most widely loved Floyd-based movie, but for those lovers of the band who relish the opportunity to see the Floyd do what it did best, “Pompeii” has no equal. Featuring performances of true fan fodder, such as “Echoes,” “One of These Days I’m Going to Cut You Into Little Pieces” and “Careful With That Axe Eugene,” all filmed in the city’s ancient amphitheater, “Pompeii” captures Pink Floyd in all their experimental, rock-changing glory. In addition to the concert footage, though, the film also boasts behind-the-scenes footage of the group creating its masterpiece, “The Dark Side of the Moon.” “Pompeii” manages to capture the band at the cusp of greatness while also illustrating the experimental spirit and musical command that laid the groundwork for a string of great records.

The Song Remains the Same — Part concert, part epic action film, Led Zeppelin’s major foray into the world of music films has long remained a classic example of bad cinema mixed with a killer soundtrack. The concert clips, culled from a three-night stay at Madison Square Garden in 1973, show Zep at the height of their mighty powers as they tear through beefed-up versions of classics like “Stairway to Heaven,” “Rock and Roll,” “Heartbreaker” and “Whole Lotta Love,” while also showcasing their improvisational mastery on standout versions of “Dazed and Confused” and my all-time favorite, “Since I’ve Been Loving You.” Along with the great live footage, viewers also get an interesting look into the psyche of each band member courtesy of various fantasy segments that show Robert Plant, John Bonham, John Paul Jones and Jimmy Page in a whole new light. (I won’t spoil the fun with descriptions.) Lastly, the film is laced with behind-the-scenes footage that shows the band backstage interacting with manager Peter Grant and road manager Robert Cole as they navigate the ins and outs of performing sold-out shows at the Garden. Without a doubt, “The Song Remains the Same” is equal parts campy cheese and rare musical masterpiece that has been a favorite of mine, and now my kids’, since I first saw it at age 15.

The Decline of Western Civilization Part 2 (The Metal Years) — As I’ve mentioned before, I am a crazy metal head, and this classic from cult director Penelope Spheeris (who led the production of the classic comedies “Wayne’s World” and “Black Sheep”), stands as a follow-up to her earlier documentary, “The Decline of Western Civilization,” which focused on the burgeoning punk scene in America. This time around, Spheeris takes a look at heavy metal, primarily the Los Angeles glam-metal scene of the early ’80s that spawned groups such as Motley Crue and Ratt. Aside from loads of lame hair metal performed by preening man-children, which in itself is intensely humorous, the doc features classic interviews with Cathouse owner Riki Rachtman (later of “MTV Headbanger’s Ball” fame), Dave Mustaine (Megadeth being one of the only really great metal bands featured in the film), Lemmy (Kilmister, for those of you don’t know the Motorhead leader by his singular moniker) and a drunken Chris Holmes from W.A.S.P. (whose interview goes down as one of the all-time God-awful metal moments ever caught on film). A must-see for any child of the ’80s and anyone who truly loves everything, the good, bad and ugly, about rock music.

Beware of Mr. Baker — The most recent addition to my list of great rock docs, this in-your-face film that showcases the mercurial and prodigious talent of one of music’s great drummers, Ginger Baker, who first rose to worldwide fame as the drummer of Cream. This warts-and-all doc manages to tell Baker’s story, with considerable help from the grumpy old drummer himself, and gives a glimpse into one of rock’s greatest periods, the early ’60s in London, where blues and jazz exploded into hard-driving rock and roll the likes of which changed the history of music forever. Through his early years as a troubled youth whose father died in World War II, to his rise to fame with Cream and later Blind Faith, and ultimately to his current life living almost as a recluse in a compound in South Africa, this documentary is at once fascinating, enlightening and sad. More importantly for anyone who loves music and the crazy cast of characters that makes up its narrative, this is one you don’t want to miss.

Sound City — Released to critical acclaim just two years ago, “Sound City” is possibly my favorite music documentary of all-time. Conceived and directed by the Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl, “Sound City” is really two documentaries in one. The first half explores the history of California’s Sound City Studios, which rose to prominence in the 1970s as the place where the Stevie Nicks/Lindsey Buckingham version of Fleetwood Mac came together and recorded its masterpiece “Rumors,” where Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers cut the seminal “Damn the Torpedoes,” and where an unknown rock band named Nirvana recorded the record that changed the course of popular music forever, “Nevermind.” The studio was also ground zero for the recording of a string of great records by a veritable who’s who of my favorite groups, including Rage Against the Machine, Tool, Metallica and Queens of the Stone Age, before the place ultimately folded in the face of Auto-Tune and the death of analog recording. The second half of the doc focuses on the studio’s Neve soundboard, which artists consider the source of Sound City’s magic. Grohl ultimately bought that sound board when the studio folded and installed it in his own studio. To commemorate that event, he invited some of his inspirations, friends and former Sound City recording artists such as Petty, Nicks and Rick Springfield to the studio to record new music written by the artists specifically for the documentary. Part history lesson, part behind-the-scenes album-making and part love letter to the music that inspired Grohl, “Sound City” has something for everyone.

That’s just a few of the dozens of great music-related movies that have entertained me over the years. Hopefully, as the days grow longer and you just don’t feel like watching “Elf” for the 50^th time, maybe you can track down one of these classics and get a fascinating glimpse into the world of music.