Dave Grohl has been on a road to evolution from flannel-donning grunge thrasher to…well, flannel-donning bastion of authenticity and preserving the humanity of music. His documentary, a love letter back to the LA studio that gave him his first major break, is the biggest statement of that endeavour, and the soundtrack its next chapter. To tie in with the film’s running theme of the people behind the music and urging further discussion about classic versus current, Dave has assembled an impressive line-up of musicians – most of whom had recorded at Sound City Studios at some point in their own illustrious careers – to write new songs and give the Neve console they all know and love the tribute they believe it deserves.
On the whole, their message is a convincing one, and the enjoyment of the listener is compounded by the pleasure of discovering what these musicians from varying walks of life can come together and create. The swelling rock ballad ‘From Can To Can’t’ featuring Corey Taylor (Slipknot) and Rick Nielsen (Cheap Trick) is quickly identified as an album highlight, as is the unexpected grit that Rick Springfield brings with Foo Fighters to ‘The Man That Never Was’. Punk fans who like their vocals gnarly and their drums panic-inducing will appreciate Fear frontman Lee Ving and especially Taylor Hawkins’ skills in ‘Your Wife Is Calling’. ‘You Can’t Fix This’ may see listeners develop a new-found fondness for Stevie Nicks as it’s clear that age only improves her flavours.
Dave himself plays from beginning to end, but his presence blends seamlessly and never overshadows that of his collaborators. The lone track on which he is given vocal duties, ‘If I Were Me’, is sonically exquisite in the way it highlights the ‘feel’ of musicians connecting in a studio and will bring a tear to the most hardened listener’s eye.
There are weaker points, but these are quickly forgiven and forgotten when the remaining members of Nirvana (you read that right) team with Paul McCartney for a track that seems to go where ‘Helter Skelter’ threatened to venture and then pushes it right over the edge.
The album closes with Dave, Trent Reznor and Josh Homme bringing a digital angle to the predominantly analog conversation piece, and one comes away from this with a sense that, in this age of accessible technology and disposable music, there is still hope so long as there is a sizable portion of the music community who are championing the connection between the people and the music.
Roswell Records
9/10
Reviewer: Kirri Liepins
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czBOumtEj6I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTeoRQDX9pk