It Might Get Loud

Despite his deeply silly stage name, I've always been a fan of The Edge, and spent what felt like a good part of my youth trying to figure out his riffs. So it was a revelation to me to see him switch off his effects and make fun of how banal his "original" (un-enhanced) riffs really are. In another scene he points to a concrete platform on his former school where he and what was to become U2 first performed; he casually remarks "I was standing on that side" and then it dawns upon him "... and that's been my side ever since." There are a lot of quiet but magic moments like that in this documentary, that make it so captivating.

I also found the segments on Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page fascinating. When he started out, people didn't yet make a living as rock stars (I remember a BBC session when Led Zeppelin's members were asked what they were "really" doing). Wild boy Jimmy Page got his first guitar by accident, because somebody'd left it behind in the house his family was moving into, and later he had a pretty mundane career as a session musician, where he was playing stuff nobody'd dream of associating with him today.

To me, the odd one out was Jack White. Certainly a good musician, a great specimen of a still relatively young guitarist, but he seemed to me rather grandiose, egocentric and attention-grabbing, his self-stylisation as a white bluesman with tie and pork-pie hat was just plain silly, and his attitude "I don't play big-name guitars but cheap junk and it's still great music" started to grate after a while.

The movie was best when it was just following and listening to the guitarreros. The segments when they are supposed to intimately discuss guitarish matters and "just forget that the camera's even there" don't work so well. There are lots of cute design ideas which liven up the movie and keep it together. The movie works less well when it tries to summarise and explain; a particular gaffe was when The Edge complains about the self-indulgent guitar solos of the 1970ies, and the movie ignores the blatant fact that self-indulgent soloist #1 at the time was none other than Jimmy Page.

You know who was really missing from this movie? The late, great Les Paul. I would have loved to be able listen to his side of the story.

Finally, I took a lot of heart from the final scene when all three musical heavies play The Band's "The Weight" together -- and it doesn't sound that convincing. Just like when I was jamming with my mates!

As intriuged as I was with the idea of this film, the trio of guitar players cast together looked a little odd.... at least on paper anyways. One is a classic rock legend, the other is a very individualistic (and highly influential) sonic craftsmen and the last is a white kid from Detroit heavily influenced by black blues and the archaic recording techniques of yesteryear. On one hand, it makes sense to represent the very different approaches that all 3 have become synonymous with, but on the other hand it feels slightly unfair to team up two blues influenced guys with another player whose style relies on his manipulating and processing of sound to come up with what is essentially a 'less is more' approach. That contrast may have just been what the director was seeking, but it didn't stop me feeling sorry for The Edge when Jack and Jimmy are playing dirty slide on Zep's 'In My Time Of Dying' while The Edge stands there looking a bit lost. But then, Jimmy Page probably feels the same way when Jack and Edge are trying to get him to sing a harmony part in 'The Weight' and he protests that he "Cant sing, sorry!". Jack White, while not being directly humbled on camera, must nevertheless be aware of the immense legacies that the other two guitar players have left behind them while he is still very much carving a name for himself. He comes across well though - cocky and self-assured without being arrogant. His preference for the bare-bone expressionism of what rock n roll has been, and should still be, was clearly very heartfelt and honest. There are lots of great moments to behold in this film, even if it does feel ready to finish about 20 minutes before it actually does. Jimmy Page going giddy with excitement whilst listening to Link Wray's 'Rumble' in his front room or the looks on Jack and Edge's faces when he launches into the seminal 'Whole Lotta Love' riff are just two great moments. In truth, Jimmy Page steals the show - he's just such a strong personality when compared to the politely spoken Edge or eager to impress White. Also, seeing as both Page and White are coming at the guitar from the same kind of school of black roots music, perhaps instead of having White fly the flag for the contemporary guitar player, someone like Thurston Moore would've been a more daring and interesting choice? It's a tough call.

Highly recommended for fans of rock music and the electric guitar.

An incredible doc featuring The Edge, Jimmy Page, and Jack White. The film is very, very well done. The opening credits are pretty cool. The thing is, at many times this film seems to work best for Edge and Page. It really is amazing to watch Edge go over the technicalities involved in creating his trademark style. Page is incredible; it's especially funny in one scene, where the other two are singing, and he flatly declares, "I can't sing!" - hilarious. Jack White seems to be a little out of his element here. He's the young gun of course, and over time perhaps he'll be thought of in a similar light to his legendary predecessors. But really, there is nothing to complain about. There is some classic footage of U2 (dressed in new wave clothes??) that may leave you laughing! The vintage reels of Page and U2 still give me the chills. Guggenheim has done a fantastic job. I look forward to seeing it again.

If you love rock music you must see this film. I cannot describe how much I enjoyed it. It chronicles how each of the artists first discovered the music they loved (blues, rock and/or punk, depending on the era), began playing the guitar, and developed their own styles. Page strove to explore as many musical possibilities with his guitar as he could, White searches for authenticity, and the Edge can't stop tinkering to find the perfect sound.

The filmmaker, discreetly off camera, interviews them individually in the places where they made music and found inspiration. Then he films their encounter and jam session. Seeing these great artists improvising together is priceless. Clips from classic footage of Led Zeppelin and U2 concerts, footage from White's various performances, and footage of other performances from the guitarists' early years and also of the artists who influenced them, are interspersed. The artists also discuss some of the sources of their inspiration and their creative process. There are a few really funny and telling moments. Don't miss it.

Good, but a bit disappointing. I am a massive fan of Jimmy Page and Jack White - Led Zeppelin is my favourite band, and the White Stripes would be amongst my favourites, plus I liked U2 when they made good music, i.e. until about 1989. So what was the problem?

It just felt a bit empty in the end. Like, so what? Maybe it is that I have seen just about every rock documentary ever made that made the guitarists' revelations seem a bit empty.

Also, the mutual back-slapping got a bit tiresome.

This all said, there was a lot of great stuff in here. Hearing Jimmy Page talk about how he got into playing guitar, his early bands, showing us the spot where John Bonham played the amazing drum-intro on When The Levee Breaks (which explained the unique sound to that track), seeing some of Jack White's pyrotechnics, The Edge talking us through the technology he uses in producing his sound, and hearing the sound.