Muscle Shoals (2013)

Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

What begins as a feel-good-human-interest story turns into a mystery, then a tragedy, and ultimately an outrage.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Muscle Shoals is a good companion piece to Standing in the Shadows of Motown, both docs detail the unsung heroes who played on most of the songs we have come to know & love at some point in our lives. It details the ins & outs of what made the studio what it is by the hard scrabble direction of its owner & the various artists who came to record there & their memories on what made that studio so special. A nice piece of work.

Of the several recent documentaries made about singers, musicians and producers of rhythm and blues, this 2013 production and the Pennebaker-Hegedus film, "Only the Strong Survive", are probably the best. Musically "Standing in the Shadows of Motown" has no equal, for it was conceived as a concert film, a record of a historical reunion of Detroit's jazz musicians known as The Funk Brothers, with guest appearances from great contemporary vocalists, all recorded with care; while "Twenty Feet from Stardom" is surely the weakest, a lost opportunity to make an outstanding documentary, starring some of the best background vocalists of yesterday (and a few from the present), due to an average approach, like an extended television report. Not that "Muscle Shoals" and "Only the Strong Survive" are cinematic masterpieces, but both cover controversial facts surrounding some of their subjects, including producer Rick Hall in the first case, or Sam Moore in the second. Their personalities and stories lift these works from the common place, and help to make them very fine achievements. Hall is indeed a very complex man, from his childhood in poverty, living in the wilderness, to his success as owner of Fame recording studio in Muscle Shoals, the city where Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Etta James and many others recorded hits. He omits nothing, revealing dark details from his family and work, and even making reflections about himself that reveal how the shortcomings and rejections he faced led him to achieve success. Due to the format there is fantastic R&B and rock and roll music that unfortunately is not enjoyed in its fullness (from Aretha to Duane Allman, among the many artists that recorded in Muscle Shoals), and very little live, new material, as the outstanding performance by Alicia Keys, several of the original session musicians and a gospel choir. But these are little complaints compared to the joy of seeing at last, a work on the fantastic music produced in those small recording studios in Alabama, and the group known as The Swampers. Don't miss it.

OK, I plead guilty to living within a stones throw of the subject of this movie.If you are a fan of the music that started out in the '60s in this country, this is a must see. It gives you an insight into how the music we listen to has come into being. From the roots in the blues and R&B morphing into Rock and Roll. You may find something out about your favorite songs that you never knew.The setting for the interviews focuses you on the person speaking. There are some amazing images in the film. In some ways it shows the area in an almost idyllic frame. The historical footage is worth the ticket price alone.Bonus points if you actually recognize the unnamed blues legend show while they talk about Sam Phillips. If you are going to create a list of must see movies about music and musicians, this will be on the short list.

Have you ever heard of Muscle Shoals, Alabama? Let me rephrase the question – have you heard an Aretha Franklin song? Have you ever grooved to Wicked Wilson Pickett's Land of 1000 Dances? Have you ever thought "Yes Percy Sledge, that is EXACTLY what happens when a man loves a woman!" Have you ever driven way to fast while the Rolling Stones' Brown Sugar blasted through your speakers? If you answered yes to any of those questions, then you have heard of Muscle Shoals, Alabama or at least you're heard the Muscle Shoals sound, the subject of the documentary Muscle Shoals from director Greg 'Freddy' Camalier.In the interest of full disclosure, these are my people ya'll! I grew up just east of Muscle Shoals, also on the banks of the Tennessee River – "The Singing River" to the Native Americans who made their home there for millenia before Rick Hall founded FAME studios. Driven by a need to escape the crushing poverty and overwhelming tragedy that befalls him, Hall is the central figure in the story of the famed "Muscle Shoals sound" – well him and a group of homegrown, white as cotton studio musicians known as the "Swampers". These men shaped what ultimately proved to be some of the finest rock, soul, and R&B America would ever produce.Music docs can really go either way, depending on such bureaucratic mundanities as rights and clearances. Muscle Shoals is a triumph, though. All personal bias aside, present day interviews with music luminaries, expertly deployed found footage and stills, and the greatest soundtrack a movie could hope for, all make Muscle Shoals one of the finest music documentaries you'll ever see. Let the participation of such bright lights as Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Bono, Jerry Wexler, Percy Sledge, Alicia Keys, Gregg Allman, Clarence Carter, and Etta James serve as a testament to the enduring magic that is Muscle Shoals, FAME studios, and that greasy, soulful sound. The only puzzling thing about Muscle Shoals is how this story went so long without being told.