Sound City

Sound City was a recording studio in Van Nuys, California which began to make its' mark with Fleetwood Mac in 1972. Stevie Nicks made an album with Lindsay Buckingham which tanked and by chance, they joined up with Mick Fleetwood and made their first hit record, which put the studio on the map. Dave Grohl of Nirvana and Foo Fighters fame, is the producer and director, and he keeps it very interesting, with interviews ranging from Rick Rubin and Tom Petty to Trent Reznor and Rick Springfield, among many others. The music is excellent, including off the cuff sessions with Reznor and a rollicking jam with Paul McCartney playing guitar and belting out a new tune which reminded me of Helter Skelter from the Beatles White album. If you love rock and roll, you will especially appreciate Sound City.

Sound City is a documentary about the famed recording studio in Van Nuys, California, which was the origin of records by Fleetwood Mac, Nirvana, Rick Springfield and Tom Petty among many others. Rock musician Dave Grohl, of Nirvana and Foo Fighters, sets out to tell the story of a recording studio in his first film. The studio became famous for a single piece of recording equipment — a 1970s era sound board — that became a "hope diamond" for musicians. Sound City is a musical time machine that allows film and music enthusiasts to travel back through time to when music was recorded with raw, pure imperfections that led to many remarkable careers. It made me want to throw out my iPad and computer, and start typing on a type writer while rocking out to the Sound City soundtrack.

When he left Seattle with his band Nirvana in the early 1990s, drummer Dave Grohl was initially excited his group would be recording their first major label album at famous Sound City recording studios in Van Nuys, CA...that is, until he saw the place. Described by many as "a real s***hole," the cluttered, crowded studio--downwind of a brewery!--was considered outdated by 1992, but was about to experience a resurrection after Nirvana's "Nevermind" went to number-one. Now closed for business, Sound City's history is fascinatingly laid-out by director and co-producer Grohl, who charts the studio's early successes beginning in 1973 with help from the artists who were there (Lindsey Buckingham, Mick Fleetwood, Stevie Nicks, Tom Petty, Neil Young, Rick Springfield). Grohl--who purchased Sound City's revolutionary analog mixing console, the Neve 8028, and moved it into his home studio--proves to have a surprisingly sentimental side for the ramshackle place and its colorful crew, but comes up short on narrative (at one point, engineer Keith Olsen defects and opens his own studio "next door," but we never see the studio and aren't told of its fate). The documentary's third act, with Grohl and his all-star friends recording a hard-rocking tribute album to Sound City using the Neve, is stretched out too far and stalls the nostalgic momentum, but otherwise this is a respectful, thoughtfully-composed and moving musical journal. *** from ****

If you're on this page, you should check it out. The style of the movie is fast-paced, cool graphics, and testimonials from rock/punk musicians.

It's got a couple of major themes: Analog vs Digital = how music made today with pro tools and digital recording eliminates the human element. There are some 'pros' to the digital era: it's easier for people to make music, less expensive, more 'perfection' The movie discusses though endless and endless takes artists like Tom Petty had to do to achieve a 'perfect' recording, which has imperfections that make them classic.

The movie also takes you through the crazy history of Sound City recording studio. I'm always looking for interesting business stories and this film provides that. Not to often you 'connect the dots' with Rick Springfield, Tom Petty, and Nirvana. I also liked learning about how a studio works, from the 'runner' to the producer. That fascinates me.

The final part of the movie is recording of the Sound City soundtrack. The one criticism I have is it trashes pro tools but says Trent Reznor uses them more artistically but never explains how.

Finally, one thing I realized is that musicians are some of the best entrepreneurs we have. They take HUGE risks that can have huge rewards/payoffs. They also think big. The idea of 'Nirvana' was a bigger, longer lasting, and had more impact than a new line of Tide or a soft drink.

I was a little skeptical going into this movie knowing that it was produced and directed by Dave Grohl who isn't exactly known for making movies. But BOY, is he passionate about MUSIC. I learned so much about music's history... from the Beatles to Fleetwood Mac to Nirvana to the current state of the industry. You will enjoy this movie if you are a music fan.

The movie is laid out like a typical documentary for the first 3/4 or so with interviews from many important figures who's music has impacted my life. Let me just say Neil Young is the man! The last bit of the movie involves Dave Grohl recording new songs with famous musicians and everything sounds really good. It was very interesting to see how songs can be created with some collaboration and they sure make it look like a ton of fun.

I was definitely moved by this movie...laughing at times and really feeling the passion that these musicians have for this industry. It totally rocks guys.