Fans of music history will find a lot to love about the new documentary Muscle Shoals. If you like famous musicians interviewed one after another, this is for you. However, what makes this worth watching. Catching it in a theater is great because you get the terrific sound of the music and the moments.
Synopsis: MUSCLE SHOALS is a documentary about a place filled with magic and music, legend and folklore, where the river is inhabited by a Native American spirit who has lured some of the greatest Rock and Roll and Soul legends of all time, and drawn from them some of the most uplifting, defiant, and important music ever created. In Muscle Shoals, Alabama, music runs through the hills, the river, and the spirit of the people. It is a place where, even before the Civil Rights Movement really took shape,
Muscle Shoals is described to have its own style of music. This style can be best described with having a very heavy base and overall sound amplified to add pop, rock, and funk. It is all over the place, but somehow manages to be identified. (I’m not a music guy.) Numerous musicians are interviewed for this documentary including Bono, Alicia Keyes, members of Rolling Stones, Steve Winwood, and the Johnny Depp looking guy from the band The Civil Wars.
I found it interesting about Muscle Shoals was how it tracked the beginnings of the Allman Brother band and southern rock. Beforehand, the original Muscle Shoals band opened for the Beatles as their first concert. Otherwise known as The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, as well as The Swampers, they found success beyond their roots in Alabama. When people heard them they were expecting to see black guys by the audience and others were shocked they were white guys. Considering the era of American history this was surprising and even startling to some. The mix of white and black band members revolutionizes music as the George Wallace racist anti-integration tactics was the historical backdrop.
Bringing together various musicians to record music was the mission of the venue. Racial tension was mostly left at the door in order to create beautiful music. It was as if this creation reflected harmony and influence societal racial tolerance. This was anti-establishment that crossed race, creed, and ethnicity to truly create iconic music as the documentary states. Someone joked “One of the anomalies of the era was that Aretha’s greatest work came out of a studio full of Caucasians.” Aretha recording “I Never Loved a Man (the Way I Love You)” recorded in the venue was a highlight. Other music recorded there includes “I’ll Take You There”, “Brown Sugar”, “When a Man Loves a Woman”, “Mustang Sally”, “Tell Mama”, “Kodachrome”, and “Freebird.” “It’s like the songs come out of the mud” said one person
Music documentaries have been a roll this year. Between Searching For Sugarman winning the Oscar, the shock success of 20 Feet From Stardom in very limited release and now another quality Muscle Shoals, we are living in an era of exceptional music documentaries. It screened at some of the most high profile documentary festivals in the United States this year: Sundance, SXSW, and even Hot Docs. Highly recommended that people watch this fascinating music documentary!
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