Muscle Shoals

My only regret upon watching "Muscle Shoals" is that I somehow missed it when it was first released, some seven and a half years ago.

I grew up in the 70s, and occasionally heard about Muscle Shoals and the Swampers (they even got a mention in Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama"). But even after turning to music as an avocation, I never learned the story of what made Muscle Shoals special. This documentary lays out the human side of the Muscle Shoals story in beautiful, often emotional detail.

At the heart of the story is Rick Hall, who grew up a dirt poor hillbilly in northern Alabama and had more than his share of tragedy and betrayal. Through sheer determination and a perfectionist's sensibility in the studio, he clawed his way to becoming one of the most consequential producers and studio owners of the 20th century.

Hall's original studio band, the Swampers, features as another "character" in the film. The Swampers became one of the most sought after back up bands in the 60s and 70s, and played on some of the most memorable hits of the era. What the viewer will find surprising is that these white country boys from northern Alabama backed some of the most soulful black music hits of the era.

The film also touches on the many musicians who recorded in Muscle Shoals, and features interviews with a number of them, including the Rolling Stones and Aretha Franklin. The film gives a little too much time to the Stones, and the film never really explains why Bono keeps popping up, but overall, considering who was still alive at the time, it strikes a good balance.

Then, of course, there is the music, itself. All I can say here is that you should watch this with a good sound system.

My only disappointment, and the reason I don't give it ten stars, is that we learn nothing about Rick Hall's engineering secrets. What did he do technically to bring about that special, warm, Muscle Shoals sound? I would have enjoyed learning more about that.

But that omission didn't detract from the film's emotional punch. Ultimately, this is a story about tragedy and triumph, friendship and betrayal, and the combination of music and emotion occasionally brought a tear to my eye. Highly recommended.

P.S. I saw one reviewer comment disparagingly about a clip of Lynyrd Skynyrd concert footage that showed a Confederate battle flag in the background. I don't know what the reviewer expected the filmmakers to do about that. The Confederate flag was used by more than one Southern rock band in the 70s and 80s, and it wouldn't have made sense to just erase that from the historical record, nor would it have been practical, from a filmmaking standpoint. One can debate over what it meant to people at the time, but it was what it was.