Anyone who is interested in rock music should rush to see this fantastic, well made and impeccably researched documentary about the famous recording studios. Muscle Shoals is a nondescript little town with a population of about 8000 along the Tennessee River in Alabama, but it is also home to the the highly influential Fame Studios that has hosted a veritable who's who of the music world and produced lots of memorable number one hits and some of the greatest songs of the past fifty years. The studio was built by Rick Hall, who was basically following his dream. Hall assembled some of the best session musicians who had an instant chemistry and as the in-house backing band provided the rich rhythm and blues sound on many hits. Surprisingly though the musicians were all white, and they worked with artists no matter their colour, creed and ethnicity. The studio broke down some of the racial barriers that existed in America at that time, and the film depicts the divisive racial politics that were raging in Alabama at the time. Artists of the calibre of Wilson Pickett, Percy Sledge, Aretha Franklin, Paul Simon, Bob Seger, and even The Rolling Stones all recorded here during their careers, and the songs that emerged from this humble little studio often changed their musical direction and gave them some of their biggest hits. And while the townsfolk barely tolerated the black singers they were openly disdainful of the long haired hippy types, like the members of Lynard Skynard who also briefly recorded there and developed their distinctive swamp rock sound. Muscle Shoals has been directed by Greg Camalier, making his feature film directorial debut here, who incorporates plenty of rich archival footage with some revealing interviews with the likes of Bono, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Aretha Franklin and Clarence Carter. And Hall himself talks at length about his own life and personal tragedies, as well as giving some candid revelations about the humble recording studio that he founded. We also learn about his bitter falling out with legendary record producer Jerry Wexler. Muscle Shoals is jammed full of great music, colourful characters and wonderful anecdotes. A must for music fans!

I liked "Muscle Shoals" for many reasons but the biggest one is that it taught me a lot about something I knew absolutely nothing about, as I'd never heard of the famed 'Muscle Shoals'. However, there's more to the film than that--it is quite interesting, has some surprisingly big name musicians who gave interviews (such as members of the Rolling Stones, Bono and some great R&B legends) and terrific music! So, unless you absolutely hate R&B, the blues and rock (and I know that there at least three of you out there),there is plenty that you'll enjoy about this one and it's worth seeing--as well as well made.

By the way, I have no idea why but this film, the Oscar-winning "20 Feet From Stardom" and "Sound City" all came out at about the same time---and ALL are very similar. So, if you like one, you probably would like to see the rest!

There's a line in the Lynrd Skynrd song, 'Sweet Home Alabama' that goes: "Now Muscle Shoals has got the Swampers, And they've been known to pick a song or two".

That's what this documentary is about. Muscle Shoals is the unlikely name of a small Alabama town on the banks of the Tennessee River. Native American legend has it that 'the river sings', and has an influence on the people who live there and perform music. This story is largely about a man named Rick Hall who escaped a life of poverty to become the founder of Fame Records, bringing together a host of session musicians who would much later be dubbed by Duane Allman as 'The Swampers', in tribute to the local habitat of Muscle Shoals. The documentary traces the rise of Fame Records and the eventual dissolution of Rick Hall's original session team when they joined Capital Records under the direction of Jerry Wexler.

Very similar to the story of Sam Phillips, founder of Sun Records, Fame Studios brought white and black musicians together at a time when there was still racial hostility in the country. It's interesting to hear directly from artists like Clarence Carter and Wilson Pickett discuss their early days with Hall and his team, and how the music they recorded clicked with the general public to become highly enjoyable and entertaining. Other on screen musicians interviewed for this story include Keith Richards, Mick Jagger, Percy Sledge and the late Aretha Franklin. Hall by the way, does credit Sam Phillips for his help in mentoring the early success of Fame Records.

There's really no single category that the Muscle Shoals sound encompasses. You've got such diverse talent as Percy Sledge, Wilson Pickett, The Rolling Stones, Aretha Franklin, Steve Winwood, Bono and Lynrd Skynrd who have all been influenced by the soulful, bluesy music that emanated from this small town since the late Sixties. The documentary is a wonderful tribute to some of the talent behind the talent that became big names in the music industry, in much the same manner as the legendary Funk Brothers contributed to the success of Motown during roughly the same era. For that story, you'll have to look up the 2002 documentary "Standing in the Shadows of Motown".