“High-spirited, emotional and funny, Sound City is a love note to a machine. The Neve 8028 sound board, was the crown jewel of Sound City, a complete dump of a recording studio that turned out more than 100 gold and platinum records, including epochal work by Neil Young, Tom Petty, Cheap Trick, Fleetwood Mac and Nine Inch Nails.
“Director-rocker Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters showed up there in 1991 with Nirvana to record the groundbreaking "Nevermind" album. Because of Grohl's rock star status, he's been able to convince an impressive number of celebrated musicians to sit down for interviews. But some of the film's most memorable stories involve less celebrated folks like unflappable studio managers and co-owner Tom Skeeter, who genially insists he was only in it for the money.
“It was the determination of Skeeter and co-owner Joe Gottfried to attract top bands that led to the purchase of the sound board in 1973. Designed by Rupert Neve, now in his 80s and interviewed in the film, it was one of only four in the world. Skeeter remembers that it cost $75,000 at a time when he bought his for half that amount.
“Sound City goes to some lengths to explain why the Neve is so good, emphasizing how expert it is in recording the human voice and the drum tracks that are central to rock success. The film is also an education in how the music business works, which is not always the warmest. Sound City also goes into fascinating detail about how the change from analog recording on two-inch tape (the studio's bread and butter) to the digital way of doing things was the death knell for the Van Nuys establishment. The rise of easy-to-use Pro Tools equipment trumped their advantages and led Sound City to sell its legendary console to Grohl. The film closes with Grohl jamming with other musicians, including Paul McCartney, for a forthcoming album tribute to the Neve.” - LA Times
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