ThiefHott Too much of everything

Matialth Good concept, poorly executed.

ChicRawIdol A brilliant film that helped define a genre

Hayden Kane There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

moonspinner55 When he left Seattle with his band Nirvana in the early 1990s, drummer Dave Grohl was initially excited his group would be recording their first major label album at famous Sound City recording studios in Van Nuys, CA...that is, until he saw the place. Described by many as "a real s***hole," the cluttered, crowded studio--downwind of a brewery!--was considered outdated by 1992, but was about to experience a resurrection after Nirvana's "Nevermind" went to number-one. Now closed for business, Sound City's history is fascinatingly laid-out by director and co-producer Grohl, who charts the studio's early successes beginning in 1973 with help from the artists who were there (Lindsey Buckingham, Mick Fleetwood, Stevie Nicks, Tom Petty, Neil Young, Rick Springfield). Grohl--who purchased Sound City's revolutionary analog mixing console, the Neve 8028, and moved it into his home studio--proves to have a surprisingly sentimental side for the ramshackle place and its colorful crew, but comes up short on narrative (at one point, engineer Keith Olsen defects and opens his own studio "next door," but we never see the studio and aren't told of its fate). The documentary's third act, with Grohl and his all-star friends recording a hard-rocking tribute album to Sound City using the Neve, is stretched out too far and stalls the nostalgic momentum, but otherwise this is a respectful, thoughtfully-composed and moving musical journal. *** from ****

john32935 Unbeknownst to the music-consuming public, Sound City was a studio in LA's San Fernando Valley where some of the greatest rock music in history was recorded. But as the analog age slipped into the digital age, the uniqueness of the sound provided by Sound City's facilities fell by the wayside until Dave Grohl, with the help of some legendary musical performers, made the effort to restore and preserve the essence of Sound City.This well-made documentary (by novice film director Mr. Grohl) is an ode to those days where music was more the product of people rather than music as a product of digital manipulation. Interviews with rock's luminaries are interspersed throughout and add a personal touch that this documentary could have easily missed and would have been the lesser for.Recommended to fans of rock music everywhere.

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.

The Sunworshipper It's quite an interesting documentary with a rather sad development. I can see how the first half is interesting and of historic value, but the second part is not short of watching Grohl pleasuring himself. I find it very unfortunate that so many bands made so much money after recording there and nobody had the decency to help them out and keep the place running so other young people can experience Sound City. Instead, Grohl is nothing but an opportunist, who prays on Sound City's misfortune in order to get their unique console for himself. In 2011, after parting with lot's of their equipment the studio leases the space to Fairfax recordings.