SOUND CITY

Just watched a great doc called SOUND CITY based on some trusted recommends and I gotta say I was really blown away. For those that know me, I'm into vibes of famous objects and places anyway. So I have always been into going to museums or filming locations. And its always been my dream to one day visit Abbey Road studios and be in the same room where The Beatles and Pink Floyd recorded their landmark albums. A while back while researching Nirvana recording sessions, I was seeing where they recorded IN UTERO, which I feel has one of the best drum mix sounds ever on a record. So I watched some videos that were shot there. I also some pics and video about a place called SOUND CITY, where they recorded Nevermind. In fact, recently I pulled out an old GUITAR WORLD mag where the entire recording session is discussed in depth. I read that along with a re-watching of the CLASSIC ALBUMS NEVERMIND on Netflix. I love that kind of shit.

So when I heard about this doc, I was instantly fascinated that it was made, and second: That I hadn't heard of it yet! So today after hearing about it, I got it and finally sat and gave it a watch. Its absolutely, abbbbsoooolluuutteeeelllyyy OUTSTANDING. Not only are you brought into the place and seeing its history, its staff (new and old) and you get a basic run down of the famous albums recorded there. Fleetwood Mac stuff, Ratt, Rick Springfield, Cheap Trick, Nevermind (natch), Neil Young, Tom Petty's stuff, Rage Against the Machine, and many others. Lastly notable was Metallica's Death Magnetic, which was a welcome drum sound return from the abyssmal St. Anger mix! So you get all that. Then in addition to that we get the lesson of tape vs. Digital. Its the equivalent of paper vs. cintique debate among comic artists now. Or books vs. audio book or ipad reading. Me? I've always, always preferred holding the thing in my hand. Smelling the old ink and the old shelf wear. And then sitting that thing on my shelf as a "trophy" of sorts. Shelf porn I call it.

A couple years ago, I sold off all my records and 90% of my Cds in an effort to go "all digital" and rid myself of clutter. I liked it at first. I felt free. But more and more I felt like I disconnected from music. I listened to nothing but podcasts for the last three years. Oh, Id jam on some stuff on my ipod, but it jsut didn't feel the same. I wasn't holding the album in my hand. I wasn't reading the lyrics along anymore. I didn't feel like dissecting music like I used to. In fact, there's a few albums that recently came out in the last couple years from bands I really dig, but I have NEVER listened to fully. I own the album in a digital form only. But because I don't have the CD or vinyl staring at me, I just have this dissconnetected feeling. Like, "I'll get to it one day" sort of feeling.

All this sort of changed a few months ago when my musical brother for life, Shane Logan, talked about him getting into vinyl collecting. Suddenly I got turned onto the concept. I went out and bought some records. But I have no record player! I don't even have a CD player anymore!! And my Mac won't play CDs for some reason, so I just got nothing. So the albums sat there. Then recently, I started watching re-reuns of THAT METAL SHOW on VH1 Classic. Suddenly I realized that there were alot of albums I had either never listened to or hadn't listened to for well over a decade. So I dusted off the mp3's. But realized I wanted to go further. I made a list of albums I wanted to re-get or have never got but SHOULD HAVE (for a music fan anyway). So for the last few weeks I have been getting these albums on CD used or otherwise from local shops. I plug them in the player in my car and read the lyrics or look at the pics. Plus play them on my dvd player here in the office. I crank it up and jam out while I work. Perhaps why I've sort of felt "better" lately. Maybe why I have felt "younger" than normal. So yeah, I am back into a physical collection mode. Not gonna go crazy with it, but I want to teach my kids to appreciate music the same way I do. So I look at it as an investment in a way.

But the real thing about the doc that struck me is this: At one point it ceases to be about the recording studio itself and more about a commentary about how WE make music. Sort of how putting people in a room and making music together and making it feel and sound real and "genuine" is becoming lost with the advent of modern technology. Reminds me of the Ani Difranco line where she says:

"People used to make records
As in a record of an event
The event of people
Playing music in a room
Now everything is cross-marketing
It's about sunglasses and shoes
Or guns or drugs you choose" -- FUEL Ani Difranco

And thats one of the main complaints I have about modern music. Things sound too polished. Too complete. The sound ain't right. It doesn't sound deep. Not mic'd enough. Pro-tooled to hell. And the songs have 20 different writers than the person singing or performing the song/act of the song or "music." Its not from the heart. Its not built from any sort of human experience other than these notes work with this note and its catchy and it will stick in the ear, thus they have to buy it to listen to it. Gone is the human interaction. Gone is the feeling. Gone is the life. It doesn't breathe. Or as drum great Freddie Gruber said of music and playing: "If its not breathing, its not alive!"

Then the doc ends with new music being recorded and made in the studio with sometimes very different musicians, styles, ages and types. They sit in the room and collaborate and record new music. And its done in the traditional sense. No pro tools. All through the board. That same board from Sound City. I just loved this doc. I really did. I highly recommend it to anyone who calls themselves a music fan. Tons of great interviews and cameos.

It got me thinking of the times where I recorded music. Again, with my trusty pal Shane. We recorded for lots of sessions. Either a tape recorder up to a speaker or through a analog mixer board. And then digital recording, even a simple 4 track tape recording device. And we recorded three albums together in the same room we always did. Something special about that room. Every time I went into it, I could remember where I was when I recorded this part or that part. And my favorite stuff we recorded there on those albums was the ones where we both came up with the idea in the studio and banged it out over a weekend. Usually I came down with an idea or he had one already going. But sometimes we came up with the stuff together in the room and did it all there. And those are always my favorite tracks of anything we did. The miracle of sitting down and collaborating live and making music. I honestly don't know if we will ever get the chance to do that again. We don't NEED to. Cause the world ain't waiting for a 4th Idiothead record. Nor is it waiting for an Adam Talley solo album. But fuck it. I want one. Just for me. Ya dig? I hope one day that the stars can align again and I can make music again and collaborate with one of the only people on the planet who makes me comfortable enough to do so. Granted, the old studio we built memories in is gone. He's moved a couple times since then and that room is 3 hours south of me now. Probably used for storage by its new tennents with no idea the magic that was created there. But there are other rooms that can capture the same magic. Perhaps better. Who knows. Who knows. We'll see.

Anyway, check out SOUND CITY. Its on Itunes or On Demand right now. Get it! And here's some pics of Shane and I recording in the old studio. Brings back memories. Enjoy!