97 minutes – Documentary, Music, Biography, History
Festival release date: December 3, 2016 (Whistler Film Festival)
Release date: July 12, 2019 (Royal Cinema, Toronto)
Production company: LA Coles Films
Canadian distributor:

Melody Makers: Should Have Been There has been a long time coming for filmmaker Leslie Ann Coles. It has taken years to put together but if you’re a fan of the music that was part of the 1960’s British Invasion, then this documentary provides a rarely seen background to how it grew, how it exploded, how it began in England. British-born, Toronto-based photographer Barrie Wentzell was the right man at the right time with the right camera who captured the birth of music journalism during the zeitgeist of rock n’ roll. The documentary features candid interviews with Melody Maker journalists Chris Charlesworth, Chris Welch, Richard Williams and Allan Jones who infuse the film with humour, and offer new insight about the cultural significance of the paper at a time when rock n’ roll was in its infancy. Music legends Eric Burdon, Ian Anderson, YES, David Cousins and others share behind the scene stories and personal anecdotes about this unique period in music history and to a style of music journalism that no longer exists.

Melody Makers: Should Have Been There was winner of the Best Music Documentary Feature at the Bare Bones International Music and Film Festival in 2017.