Like that of a lasting marriage, the story of a long-established rock band is necessarily laden with drama. The Who, now in their fifth decade, have had their share and more — almost, it seems, from Day One of their existence. Amazing Journey: The Story of the Who takes us through a tale of rich artistic growth, as well as severe internal dissention, ego explosions, outrageous behavior — onstage and off — substance abuse, and death.

This thoughtful and searingly honest documentary sheds light on the how of the Who: what kept this legendary band functioning and creatively evolving even as circumstances threatened to tear it apart. The use of stunning archival footage, which follows the nascent band from their early years in small clubs to the arena-plus venues in which they now perform, captures the monolithic rock attack that the Who perfected over the years.

Yet it’s the candid observations of the band’s surviving members, Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey — as well as former manager Chris Stamp, present manager Bill Curbishley, and other associates — that best provides the insightful context and in-depth revelation of the Who’s group sound, image, and recordings. (Barnes & Noble)

Spanning four decades, this authorized and definitive anthology of The Who relives their journey from humble beginnings to their meteoric rise to rock legend status in a 2-film DVD set. Filled with all-new interviews with band members Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend and music icons Sting, The Edge of U2, Eddie Vedder and more, this must-have collection also features electrifying rare and unreleased concert footage in mind-blowing 5.1 surround sound.

David Wild, a contributing editor of Rolling Stone, says it’s “brilliant?an exceptionally smart and intimate portrait.” For music that spoke to generations of fans, and refused to be classified, the answer is - and always will be - The Who. First, the misses - I wish they would have included full concerts, or at least four or five full songs from the 1970s shows (the way McCartney’s new DVD allegedly will). That would have made this perfect. However, what is here is great.

More footage of the Kilburn 1977 show than I thought I’d ever see, to hear how the band supposedly hated the gig/Jeff Stein’s footage of that show. We see part of a great, pre-album (almost by a year) version of “Who Are You” live at Kilburn, with Moon and Entwistle jamming underneath Pete’s guitar. Pete sings the chorus by himself (!), even the “Who the f ….” part, and Daltrey later joins in. It’s wonderful to see Moon playing drums on a live version (other than the live-in-the-studio take in “The Kids Are Alright.”

The Who, from the clips seen in this DVD, sounded pretty stinking good at Kilburn. Moon actually looks like he was in better shape and less tired than the 1978 Shepperton footage in “TKAA.” Don’t get me wrong, I love the two Shepperton clips in “TKAA,” but Moon seems more firey and hits the drums and cymbals faster (and with less effort) on the Kilburn clips.

Good footage of Entwistle’s crazy fingers on the bass at Kilburn, although a couple segments don’t quite match up with his fingers, but nonetheless, it’s great to see 1970s footage of the Ox cuttlng loose on the bass. This happens at the end of “Dreaming from the Waist” at Kilburn. Unfortunately, we only see the end of the song, but it’s great to see John wailing on four strings. (Amazon)