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[tab title="Movie Review"]

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When it comes to documentaries, it is my belief that a non-fiction film must have a living and breathing environment that it adheres to. Muscle Shoals, a film by Greg 'Freddy' Camalier, is all about setting and the sound that comes seeping up from the soil before it takes to the airwaves. From Wilson Pickett and Etta James to the shelved first album from Lynyrd Skynyrd, Muscle Shoals is responsible for a lot of strong soul and southern rock music as documented by this film.

Tucked inside a small Alabama town on the banks of the Tennessee are two studios – FAME Studios and Muscle Shoals Sound Studios – known for producing some of the greatest-sounding songs ever known to man. Beginning with that swampy soul-shattering sound of Aretha Franklin’s I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You) and straight on to the modern era, that “muscle shoals sound” owes itself to one man: Rick Hall. Heavy on the bass and strong on the vocals, it is a sound that could only be produced in the south.

Maybe it’s the fact that Muscle Shoals Sound Studios used to be a tobacco shop. Maybe the soul owes its birth to that. The film doesn’t provides a reason; it claims the reason for the wonder of its sound to be mysterious; a place where all these great artists - Clarence Carter, Jimmie Hughes, Jimmy Cliff, the Rolling Stones, Arthur Alexander, Percy Sledge, Paul Simon, Duane Allman, and the Staple Singers – came together and were backed by some of the finest musicians recording at the time period. They were known as The Swampers and, contrary to popular belief, they were all white.

These “crackers” had soul and – at a time when whites and blacks were killing each other – they united and recorded some hella-fine music that is still being played on the radio today. This movie – guided by interviews from Gregg Allman, Bono, Alicia Keyes, Wilson Picket, Aretha Franklin, Etta James, Percy Sledge, and Paul White of the Civil Wars – recounts the history of the studio, the in-fighting that lead to FAME Studios, and the state of things today. It is both thorough in its coverage and interesting, capturing the recording sessions and the players in all their glory.

There is a warmth to much of Muscle Shoals that is largely missing in a lot of today’s documentaries and that warmth is largely to do with the heat still rising from some of these rockin’ tracks. As far as documentaries on the music industry go, Muscle Shoals is an absolute must-see. It's an astonishing wonder to watch as one man rose up from his simple Alabama life to craft some of the finest music on the planet.

Witness the birth of Southern Rock as it was intended and watch Muscle Shoals.

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[tab title="Film Details"]

MPAA Rating: PG for thematic elements, language, smoking and brief partial nudity.
Runtime: 111 mins
Director: Greg 'Freddy' Camalier
Cast: Rick Hall, Aretha Franklin, Keith Richards
Genre: Music | Documentary
Tagline: The incredible true story of a small town with a big sound..
Memorable Movie Quote: "You're in rock n' roll ehaven, man"
Distributor: Magnolia Pictures
Official Site: http://www.magpictures.com/muscleshoals/
Release Date: January 26, 2013 (Sundance Film Festival)
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: February 25, 2014
Synopsis: In a tiny Alabama town with the curious name of Muscle Shoals, something miraculous sprang from the mud of the Tennessee River. A group of unassuming, yet incredibly talented, locals came together and spawned some of the greatest music of all time: “Mustang Sally,” “I Never Loved a Man,” “Wild Horses,” and many more. During the most incendiary periods of racial hostility, white folks and black folks came together to create music that would last for generations and gave birth to the incomparable “Muscle Shoals sound.”

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[tab title="Blu-ray Review"]

Blu-ray Details:

Available on Blu-ray - February 25, 2014
Screen Formats: 1.78:1
Language: English
Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Discs: 25GB Blu-ray Disc; Single disc (1 BD); BD-Live
Region Encoding: A/1

The Blu-ray features a solid transfer perfectly suited for this film. The 1080p video looks jaw-droppingly good when displaying the natural beauty of Muscle Shoals from the green fields to the clear streams. And let's not forget the 5.1 audio boasting some top-notch music recorded at the famous studio. You'll be hard-pressed not to turn up the volume once you hear these classics coming through the speakers.

Supplements:

Commentary:

• There are two commentaries included with the disc. The first is with Director Greg "Freddy" and basically provides some interesting trivia but not much else. The second commentary, with Rick Hall, Jimmy Johnson, David Hood and Spooner Oldham, is a bit livelier and adds even more detail to the film,

Special Features:

Okay, so there aren’t a lot but what is provided is also fascinating. There’s more to the movie with the inclusion of some additional content. Scenes like an alternate opening, behind the recording of Franklin’s ‘Call Me’ and bonus interviews with Candi Staton, Donnie Fritts, Harvey Thompson, and Spooner Oldham are included.

• Additional Scenes (28 min)
• Trailer

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