l_rawjalaurence I watched this documentary soon after encountering MUSCLE SHOALS, a similar documentary about another famous recording studio. Structurally speaking, both documentaries are strikingly similar; there are interviews with those involved in its creation, plus many of the famous artistes who have recorded there. In terms of Sound City, they include Fleetwood Mac and Tom Petty (of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers fame). The account of the two studios' origins is also similar; both of them began on the proverbial wing and a prayer in surroundings best described as primitive, but owing to their unique sonic qualities, they both became popular with recording artistes and thereby acquired both sufficient finances and reputation to continue their operations. There is a distinct sense of "make do and mend" about the studios' origins; the founders did the best they could on limited resources, and it was only due to their persistence and drive that the entire venture succeeded. Thematically speaking both MUSCLE SHOALS and SOUND CITY are a testament to the success of the American Dream, told in reverent yet nostalgic terms by a series of interviewees. SOUND CITY is worth watching if you like this kind of thing, but I do wish it had been thematically a little more adventurous.

Chris Nelson The first half of the movie is great. It documents a slummy old studio that produced some of the greatest music ever, in part because of a finely crafted analog audio mixer. Director Dave Grohl interviews some big names, who have great stories from this little studio. This is what the entire film should have been.But maybe halfway through, everything changes. Suddenly Grohl goes from interviewer (often times on camera conducting the interviews) to the interviewee. He's the director, so is he interviewing himself? Usually in documentaries, the crew documents something without getting involved. Here, he's feeding himself soundbites for the movie he's making. Keanu Reeve's role in Side By Side, about digital filmmaking, is a good example of how it's supposed to be done. This just seems like as a filmmaker, he decided he's not getting what he needed, so he jumped in front of the camera to do it himself.The last half hour forgets about Sound City and just becomes Grohl making a movie about himself looking good and recording music. He buys the soundboard from Sound City and starts his own studio, where he and his bandmates bring in big names and play with them (are you required to play with Grohl if you record at his studio?). One song cuts between Grohl rocking out on guitar, and Grohl behind the glass banging his head to what's being recorded. The song ends with him declaring, "That was f'ing awesome. That was so f'ing beautiful." He might as well write his own reviews for the film too.This documentary starts out strong, but slowly rolls downhill into one big Dave Grohl self-congratulation. If you're interested in the history of Sound City and the evolution from analog to digital music recording, there is some good info in here. You just have to separate it from all the times Grohl is telling you how great he is.

Hollywood Glee (Larry Gleeson) Viewed at the Metro IV on January 30, 2013, during the Santa Barbara International Film Festival at 10:20 P.M. Reviewed by Larry Gleeson. "Sound City," a documentary by Foo Fighter Dave Grohl, former Nirvana band mate, delivers an upbeat up-tempo roller coaster ride through the legendary Van Nuys Studio City started in 1969 by Joe Gottfried and Tom Skeeter. Studio City would come to serve as the launching pad for the commercial rise to stardom of Fleetwood Mac, Nirvana, Credence Clearwater Revivial, and Rick Springfield to name just a few and would come to its subsequent obsolescence as the digital age was ushered in with great fanfare. A vital point is made along the way that while yes music can be engineered solely from a software program it can't allow for the soulful expression of the musicians who actually play musical instruments to create a product. Sound City was a hole-in-the-wall studio that became home to legendary rock-n-roll bands from Bachman Turner Over Drive to grunge rockers Nirvana due in no small measure to a massive hand made mixing board console, one of four in the world. The sheer size and scope of the Neve is impressive and in some respects it's a major force of the film. I liken it to Kubrick's monolith in his ""2001: Space Odyssey." Those who were in touch with the monolith evolved spiritually and, in my opinion, the same case can be made for those musicians who played together and were recorded with the Neve. Those interviewed for the film often felt their time there was very special and that digitizing music lacks the more soulful, human approach to live studio recording with your band mates. It's not to say that digitizing music is the Armageddon. It's more to say that solely digitizing music sets it apart from the original source. The film touches lightly here the more commonplace reaction is Mr. Grohl being full of himself telling the story of the Neve from his personal viewpoint and for not being a little more objective. But really, his story is history. He also recorded on the Neve with Nirvana and breathed life back into a decaying Sound City before it's ultimate demise. Hhe eventually purchased the Neve, restored it and invited musicians to come and play with his band, The Foo Fighters, including Sir Paul McCartney. In some respects I felt privileged to sit and watch Grohl's story of the Neve unfold. He used a plethora of archival material including rare footage, telling photographs and present day testimonial from former Studio City employees and from rock legends Stevie Nicks, Mick Fleetwood and Neil Young. Springfield met his future wife there while others left a piece of their heart there. And, along the way Grohl, provides some fundamental rock-n-roll basics about the drummer's role as the backbone of any given band and the acoustical effects Sound City provided to accentuate this. The film closes with Grohl housing the Neve in his own studio jamming. Curiously, an outtake comes across the screen with no sound with a memorial tribute. I felt this choice quite unnerving and called to mind the cut-throat win at all costs music business and the sometimes fatal outcomes for those who pursue the Muse. Warmly recommended especially for those who have a cursory interest in the music business and the history of rock-n-roll.

AudioFileZ Perhaps at times a bit self-indulgent, Dave Grohl's movie, Sound City, should be of interest, as well as entertainment, to those who grew up with music in the seventies/eighties. The viewer witnesses the heart-felt awe Grohl has experienced as a world-wide appreciated musician which points back to what happened when Nirvana's producer Butch Vig decided to use Sound City to record Nirvana's first major label release.The viewer gets to meet the three integral men, the original owner, the financial group bail-out guy whose wisdom (he kept the original owner) and vision (he ordered at the time the most expensive mixing console perhaps extant), and the house producer who enabled the tremendous successes to follow. Like in most of life there was a woman behind the great men, in this case two who "kept the train on the track" and it's nice to see their contributions deemed of tremendous importance.After the studio's first modest success when Neil Young decided to use it for a complete re-recording of vocals on his Everyone Knows This Is Nowhere release things kind of stalled. Enter the Neve mixing console. Knowing that Sound City's room and collection of microphones needed the perfect foil the owners took a chance and spent what in today's dollars would be more than a "half-a-mil" and commissioned Rupert Neve to build a worthy mixing board. The first album recorded on it was "Buckingham Nicks" by the then unknown Lindsey Buckingham and Stevi Nicks. An amazing album, it did absolutely nothing...Except in central Alabama (the duo's last concert was fittingly in Alabama). The song "Frozen Love" was the most requested song for Birmingham Alabama's burgeoning progressive FM station WJLN. It spread to The University of Alabama's student station and created a firestorm of popularity that the artists couldn't quite comprehend and Polydor failed to be able to satisfy. I mention this because I was one of those Birmingham listeners fortunate enough to get a copy. The failure of Buckingham Nicks set up one of the most serendipitous unions, that of the definitive Fleetwood Mac, cementing Sound City's success. This isn't to downplay another strange brick in the house though, that would be Rick Springfield. If there are three artists whose recording at Sound City paved many years of success it would include Rick at the start and, when it seemed the dream was over, Nirvana in the early nineties. Three more diverse platinum artists would be harder to imagine. The phrase "What A Long Strange Trip It's Been" comes to mind and strangely The Grateful Dead recorded Terrapin Station there too. The bands gave Sound City clout, but the star was the Studio A room and the Neve board. No matter what technology came and went there simply wasn't a better live drum sound on planet earth and the board just made everything sound so much better the studio had legs long past it's prime. This in spite of it's ever widening lack of comfort and amenities as Sound City remained a hair north of a dump. Finally, the rise of a gazillion home studios and refinement of digital recording (still stinks more than it should) made a 2011 closing eminent. While sad as the end of an era this movie rightfully celebrates the fact Sound City had only a few less than nine lives leaving a joyous recorded legacy.All is not lost, when a door closes another often opens and Dave Grohl turned the knob on this one. Dave, not a filmmaker by his own admission, believes Sound City paved his destiny and the Neve was the biggest reason...Dave is now a filmmaker in addition to his other talents. Grohl bought the board and installed it in his Sound City inspired studio. All in all, this movie is for music fans and musicians, but it has a heart at it's core, as a result "Sound City" is a plain good human-interest story too. If something said here sparks with you, by all means make the effort to see "Sound City". There's some magic in music bringing people together and the film is a very genuine love letter to it.