Sound City (2013)

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Surprisingly incoherent and boring

Funny, strange, confrontational and subversive, this is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

So as a recording engineer that loves seeing gear and is obsessed with the magic of recording... I enjoyed it. I am a big fan of the book of work that comes out of Sound City and enjoyed a lot of the musicians in the movie. I did, however, feel that the movie lacked initiative at times. It was confused between being a Neve documentary, a group of musicians performing, a slam on digital recording, or a documentary about the history of Sound City. This could be part of its charm but it wasn't glued together as well as I would have liked.Now I do have an unpopular opinion about Dave Grohl in the recording realm. I think he is one of the best musicians and rock musicians to date. But his opinions on recording are ill informed. His rigid stance against digital recording is silly and if we all had millions of dollars to hire people to cut tape then I'm sure we would, too.Feel free to read more here http://digitalrecordingschool.com/sound-city-documentary/

My low score does mean that I think that this is a bad documentary-- it just did not appeal to me. I assume that this may well be the reaction of the average person as well, as the film seems designed to appeal to musicians. If you are like me, and have almost no musical ability and a tin ear, then the nostalgia and giant jam session (the last third of the film) just won't be that wonderful. I am sure, though, that a lot of musical types would love to look back nostalgically to the good 'ol days before digital music and the heyday of Sound City Studio. As for me, I am less concerned about this--I just want some nice music to listen to and learn a bit of history. A film definitely for a select audience. If you are a plebeian, like me, try watching the similar but much more watchable film, "Muscle Shoals". In this one, you see a lot of great musicians and hear them sing but without all the technical stuff that just left me feeling bored.

Unbeknownst to the music-consuming public, Sound City was a studio in LA's San Fernando Valley where some of the greatest rock music in history was recorded. But as the analog age slipped into the digital age, the uniqueness of the sound provided by Sound City's facilities fell by the wayside until Dave Grohl, with the help of some legendary musical performers, made the effort to restore and preserve the essence of Sound City.This well-made documentary (by novice film director Mr. Grohl) is an ode to those days where music was more the product of people rather than music as a product of digital manipulation. Interviews with rock's luminaries are interspersed throughout and add a personal touch that this documentary could have easily missed and would have been the lesser for.Recommended to fans of rock music everywhere.

What made this so great is it was made by a musician. Dave gets it. This had a perfect balance of music, technology, personalities, and performances. It could have morphed too much on the magic of the sound board, but it did not. It could have morphed on the early years, but it did not. It brought the complete history together.I dig how Dave gave the core SC personalities equal time. Only someone who listens would allow the "gals" who worked at SC to get their due. They played a HUGE part of those sessions. It did not get tangential. It served its purpose with feel...and in the end, that is what made SC so magical...it was the feel.I am stunned how in the name of progress the magic was lost with technology and a new sound emerged. In my estimate, this was the regression of music, not progression. Music must be captured by technology and that is in performance...let the tape capture the story. The story is NOT the technology.Ending this with Paul must have been a mind-blow for Dave and the boys. McCartney looked and acted like he was 30ish. How does that happen? He was so comfortable being PM. The cat is smooth as glass and so fresh and alive. Crazy-weird experience playing and making music with your idol...and knowing he is cooler than you thought! A rare experience of meeting your hero and NOT being disappointed. Thanks Dave...seriously, this was really great...and I grew up right around the corner from this place during the magical years. Who knew?