Even though some people might disagree, I always considered Fleetwood Mac one of the best bands around in the seventies. Their albums, called Fleetwood Mac and Rumours, are exemplary to me for what can be called the sound of the seventies (also see my former blog 'The sound of vinyl'). Thing is, I never realized that the first of these two albums was recorded in a legendary studio called Sound City. The closing of this studio inspired Dave Grohl to make a documentary about the place. Caspar Songs saw the film at the Melkweg venue in Amsterdam last night, and had a great evening.
In the history of Sound City, there are actually two key albums, both turning the studio for the better in their own rights. After Sound City bought themselves a serious studio control board called Neve, which cost the price of two respectable houses, they had two young musicians, and love birds, in the studio recording their debut album. Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, about to become legends, made their album, but the greatest contribution to music history are not the songs on it. When the studio directors tried to convince Mick Fleetwood to record the next Fleetwood Mac album at Sound City, they played the Buckingham Nicks tape. It inspired Fleetwood not just to use the studio, but also to take the couple along with his band. History in the making: a blues band turned to pop, and one of the monster selling acts world wide. If you listen to a song like Rhiannon, you'll get the sound we are talking about.
As it works, such a great success attracts others looking for the same kind of sound. After Fleetwood Mac, Sound City recorded many great artists in the seventies, early eighties, from a wide variety as Rick Springfield, Tom Petty, but also Barry Manilow, and many others. In the analog age, Sound City was in the eye of the storm when it came to recording pop-rock artists. But, the analog became digital, making Sound City outdated and struggling for survival.
The digital revolution didn't just change the way music was recorded. Moreover, it took over the way music was played. In stead of having to be able to play an instrument, you could (read: can) simply order a machine to do it for you. That way, the heart beat was left out, the soul hidden by a number of computer bytes. The quintessentially analog Sound City couldn't win that war. As we can see in the documentary, the people managing the studio were very kind and gentle, but not the kind of people to take on a battle bigger then their own.
Luckily, they hang out long enough to be able to stage the counter-revolution. A largely unknown band from Seattle called Nirvana came driving down in a van, and recorded a master piece at Sound City. Their album Nevermind was the turning point. This way not only music changed for the better, but it also put Sound City back in the centre of recording. Acts such as Rage against the Machine, and Queens of the Stone Age recorded their ground making albums on the warmth of the Neve control board, and made Sound City last another 20 years.
If the story of Sound City were to end here, the documentary would be the eulogy, the story of a legendary studio. Luckily, Dave Grohl is around and willing to play various parts at the same time. Of course, he was drummer of Nirvana, inventing one of the best recognised drum riffs ever (intro of Smells like Teen Spirit), front man of one of the biggest band at the moment (Foo Fighters), but also owner of a big home studio that could use a notorious control board. All these parts Dave Grohl plays, round up the story. Grohl bought the control board from Sound City, and decided to make a documentary on its history. One further decision he took, was to ensemble many artists from this history to make an album with them recorded, obviously, on the Neve.
Now, when someone plays that many parts, one has to be cautious not to place oneself too much in the centre of attention. I mean, as Grohl placed himself on the poster of the documentary, you might wonder what it is about: the studio, or an artist full of himself. Surprisingly, Grohl finds the exact balance for this. I mean, sure we he see him around a lot. He even manages to interview himself about the time Nirvana pulled up into the studio parking ground. But, at the end of the documentary, you realize that it was all about trying to capture the heart and soul of a legendary studio, and that is just what the film does. It portrays two key periods in its existence, concludes that the soul is in the control board, but moreover keeps its soul alive by taking it along and let it live on in new music. I guess there is just one question left unanswered, and that is why Nirvana choose Sound City? Dave Grohl doesn't remember it, Kurt Cobain sadly is not around anymore. This makes you wonder: was it chance, luck, or did someone realize that to make a great analog album, in a studio that probably wouldn't cost much in those days, you had to go to Sound City?
To round it all up: Sound City gets four stars out of five!
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