Your favorite song was recorded in Van Nuys

Fleetwood Mac. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Pat Benatar's Hit Me With Your Best Shot. Rick Springfield's Jessie's Girl. Nirvana's  Nevermind. Cheap Trick, Ratt, Guns n' Roses, REO Speedwagon, Neil Young, Carl Perkins, Barry Manilow, Johnny Cash, Dio, Rage Against The Machine...the list goes on and on. What do these artists and songs have in common? The recording studio called Sound City, in Van Nuys, CA., the subject of Dave Grohl's (of Nirvana and Foo Fighters fame) documentary Sound City. I  remember as a kid looking at the back cover of Rick Springfield's Working Class Dog album and wondering why he had said, "God Bless Van Nuys", and why so many albums seem to have been recorded there in the 1980's. I remember thinking, "What is it about this Van Nuys place, and why does everyone record their albums there?" Now I know why!

For a sort-of music geek like me, Sound City is a treat. The documentary tells the story of how Sound City came to be, and many of the artists who recorded there talk about their experiences as well. Mick Fleetwood talks about how Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham ended up joining Fleetwood Mac, Rick Springfield talks about recording Working Class Dog and meeting his future wife at Sound City, Tom Petty talks about Paula, the studio manager, and Paula talks about the hair metal bands who recorded there in the 1980's. Dave Grohl talks about recording Nevermind, and how disappointed he was when the band first arrived at Sound City. Most people probably picture recording studios as fairly nice places; Sound City would not be included in that description. Rick Springfield said he almost didn't sign to record there because he was so taken aback by the condition of the place, but he ended up recording several albums at Sound City.

The documentary isn't just about the studio and its famous Neve recording console; it's also about the relationships that people developed while working there, and in some ways that's the most interesting part of it. I don't want to give too much away, but others who have seen it have said they have a new appreciation for Rick Springfield, and I must say I feel the same way...I was a fan of his very early on, and then lost interest, but this documentary is encouraging me to go pick up his latest cd.

The documentary ends with Dave Grohl buying the old Neve recording console from Sound City and installing it in his own recording studio and inviting the likes of Stevie Nicks, Rick Springfield, Trent Reznor, Paul McCartney and others to record new songs on it. This is where the documentary sort of drags, unfortunately. I think a good twenty minutes could have been edited out and Dave Grohl's unabashed love for McCartney seems to take over, but that's a minor complaint. I loved the rest of this documentary so much I watched it twice and pulled out all of my old Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers albums.

Keep your ears to the ground, because I'm pretty sure we'll be getting the accompanying soundtrack to this in the next month or two, titled Sound City: Real to Reel.

Until next time...

GingerMusicKid