Muscle Shoals

Easily one of, if not THE best music documentary I have ever seen. So often these docs go flat after the first 20 minutes, none of that here! The visuals are fantastic and carry the show (as well as establish the sense of place) when the incredible music is throttled back. Underlying all of this is an incredible story of an incredible man, Jerry Hall, a man born in numbing poverty who somehow managed to rise above poverty and numerous personal tragedies to produce some of the most incredible blues and rock and roll recordings of all time. If you have access to this show and love music all I can say is WATCH THIS TODAY and prepared to be blown away!

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.

I liked "Muscle Shoals" for many reasons but the biggest one is that it taught me a lot about something I knew absolutely nothing about, as I'd never heard of the famed 'Muscle Shoals'. However, there's more to the film than that--it is quite interesting, has some surprisingly big name musicians who gave interviews (such as members of the Rolling Stones, Bono and some great R&B legends) and terrific music! So, unless you absolutely hate R&B, the blues and rock (and I know that there at least three of you out there), there is plenty that you'll enjoy about this one and it's worth seeing--as well as well made.

By the way, I have no idea why but this film, the Oscar-winning "20 Feet From Stardom" and "Sound City" all came out at about the same time---and ALL are very similar. So, if you like one, you probably would like to see the rest!

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.

Yes, I grew up in itty bitty Muscle Shoals, Alabama. I was born there in 1965 and spent the first 23 years of my life there. I lived three blocks from FAME studios, went to school with Rick Hall's sons and the son and daughter of Jimmy Johnson, one of the Swampers and founders of Muscle Shoals Sound. I did all of that and I still had NO idea of the monumental and historic events that were happening in my little town. When I watched this film for the first time, sitting in the sold out auditorium of our local university, I was blown away. I saw a special side of my hometown I never knew existed and gained a new respect and pride in my association with it. For years the welcome sign at our city limits proclaimed "Welcome to Muscle Shoals - The Hit Recording Capital of the World". Forty-eight years later, thanks to Mr. Camalier and his wonderful documentary, I finally have a full and complete understanding of what that sign meant. If you are a music lover, this film is a must-see, if only for the interviews with mega-artists such as Bono, Greg Allman, Wilson Pickett, Aretha Franklin, Mick Jagger, and Keith Richards, as they reminisce about their time spent in Muscle Shoals. But it is also a must-see for anyone who wants an honest-to-God, rags to riches story filled with love, loss, shame, anger, redemption, and lifelong friendships. This film isn't just about my hometown and the amazing music made there. It's also about one man's vision and how the bringing to life of that vision has profoundly influenced, and is still influencing, the world in a very special way.