I've seen many and enjoyed them all...and I'm just your regular person that enjoys music. And while Alabama remained segregated—or at least fraught with tension in terms of race relations—throughout the '60s, a sense of camaraderie prevailed within these walls that knew no color. If you are a fan of 60s/70s Soul or Pop songs, Southern/Classic Rock, Country and even Gospel - you will likely dig this film and maybe even learn a thing or two. Muscle Shoals (2013) is an American documentary film about FAME Studios and Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. Also hearing Alicia doing "Pressin' On"- Really good stuff. The end credits acknowledge how many musicians who contributed to the famous "Muscle Shoals sound" couldn't fit into a two-hour film (the scene's history is rich enough for a miniseries… Hint: arguably the greatest Soul, R&B, Rock, and even Country music ever recorded was played buy a bunch of nerdy-looking white guys from Alabama. There was the diversity in the studio group members from both areas that was similar, but they are also different in that the Muscle Shoals sound seems to cover a wider range of music genres. The film is very well produced and directed, in my opinion and does an excellent job of telling the stories of Rick Hall and his FAME studios and it's offshoot (and competitor) Muscle Shoals Sound Studio. After renting this documentary twice, I finally purchased my own copy and have curated custom playlists covering both Muscle Shoals and Memphis Soul. But with such great music coming, one hit after after another, it's always a joy to watch. If you like music, Muscle Shoals is MUST!!! Fast forward to January 2020 and I found myself in Memphis with a rental car, tour tickets and directions to both the FAME and Muscle Shoals Sound Studios in Florence and Sheffield, AL respectively. It's one of the few ways to see and hear a lot of the people who were involved in the Muscle Shoals recording scene, through interviews and some great old photos. In addition to Muscle Shoals' impact on R&B, it also shows the city's role in the development of Southern Rock in the 1970s. It's mandatory viewing for fans of the classic rock, soul and rhythm and blues of the 1960s and '70s. I live in the desert Southwest now, and get incredibly homesick each time. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. Music from Muscle Shoals and Memphis, to me, always seemed to be loosely related. But only the genre's most studious followers will be able to watch Muscle Shoals without being … It has a seamless mix of archival footage, interviews, music, and shots of the town and countryside of Muscle Shoals, Alabama. Read her answers to our Movie Love Questionnaire here. Camalier never tries to provide a specific answer, but rather allows us to gawk in awe at the prodigious output of the place. Reviewed in the United States on October 29, 2020. I can't wait until this comes out on video to own. Enjoy a wonderful, true story. This documentary is so well done from both historical and filmmaking perspectives. The Music is fantastic! This affectionate and informative documentary muses on the origins of the " Muscle Shoals Sound " (the "river which sings" holds the key) and the legacy of its success, spending quality … Read full review Great photography just takes me back there. So I'm already onboard with that. If you have any interest at all in the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, or the history of '60s-'70s music in general, you should certainly check this out. Muscle Shoals Synopsis. I didn't realize this small town, the Swampers and Rick Hall had such a massive impact on music. Our tour guide, Spencer, works as a recording professional and is very enthusiastic... Read all 88 reviews. Full view. Just background noise before then. Muscle Shoals is an excellent documentary on the iconic Fame Recording Studio located in Muscle Shoals, AL. The film is an excellent companion piece to another music documentary that came out in 2013, "20 Feet from Stardom. There are fascinating anecdotes and warmhearted memories from a … Most fans of '60s soul know of Muscle Shoals, the tiny Alabama town that produced huge hits. Muscle Shoals is the story of Rich Hall, who brought black and white together in a cauldron of racial hostility to create music for the generations. Christy Lemire is a co-host of the YouTube film review show "What the Flick?!" Overcoming crushing poverty and staggering tragedies, Rick Hall brought black and white together to create music for the generations. These include Aretha Franklin, Percy Sledge, Clarence Carter, and Wilson Pickett. Buy it! When this film simply presents the … At two competing recording studios, artists as varied as Percy Sledge and Wilson Pickett, the Rolling Stones and Traffic, Paul Simon and Jimmy Cliff discovered and honed their sounds. Muscle Shoals, a small Alabama town with no more than 8,000 residents, would seem like an odd place for a gazillion classic hit records to be recorded, but with artists like Aretha Franklin, Paul Simon, … A few examples of songs that I was previously indifferent to: Loves Me Like A Rock, Take A Letter Maria and One Bad Apple (guilty pleasure song!) To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Fell asleep both times. So touching...I didn't want the movie to end. This is probably the best documentary I have ever watched, no hyperbole or exaggeration. I'd get close to my window late at night and listen to all kinds of Music. First-time filmmaker Greg "Freddy" Camalier explores how a tiny Alabama town on the southern edge of the Tennessee River served as the source of some of the greatest American music of the 1960s and '70s. Watch the movie. We open … The movie is beautifuly shot and captures the feel of the river and the area. Whatever you do, watch this great video. Disabling it will result in some disabled or missing features. Very interesting. I've now watched this thing several times, and wind up tearing up every time! Camalier buys into the hype with picturesque images of the swamps, the sunflowers, the sun setting over a forest at magic hour like something out of a Terrence Malick movie. I ordered the complete last night. Jim Tudor October 28, 2013 2013 Current Reviews M. A Documentary Trip to Sweet Home Alabama. This is one of those "truth is stranger than fiction" stories about a recording studio featuring mostly white musicians recorded some of the best R&B records of the 1960s. Many of the better R&B songs, as well as rock songs, from the 60's were recorded in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. Even better, it has a moral, redemptive worldview with some positive messages… Great job all around! Directed by Greg 'Freddy' Camalier, the film was released by … Enjoy! Directed by Greg 'Freddy' Camalier. 603 Avalon Avenue, Muscle Shoals… The documentary Muscle Shoals uncovers how one small town is uniquely responsible for so much of America’s best pop music. The word “magic” is mentioned a lot in “ Muscle Shoals,” a mesmerizing documentary that tries to explain, or at least place in context, the extraordinary success of FAME (founded by producer … Visiting the Tennessee river is now on my bucket list. This film is the story of the so-called Muscle Shoals Sound. The story of the origin of "Freebird"—a song you could probably never hear again and that would be totally fine—also has plenty of amusing moments. As lovely as these shots are, though, they do make you wonder: What is it about this unlikely, rural town that produced so much great music? At once overstuffed with interviews and intellectually underdeveloped, the movie charts the area’s music industry and what is lyrically if elusively called the Muscle Shoals sound. Our tradition is to watch documentaries about music and the music industry. Songs you've heard a million times before and think you know by heart—Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Freebird," Aretha Franklin's "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)," the Rolling Stones' "Wild Horses"—might just fall on your ears in an entirely fresh and new way, thanks to the documentary "Muscle Shoals.". They 've been known to pick a song or two. `` or its.... 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