Tag: Documentary

‘Give Me A Word: The Collective Soul Story’ – Documentary Review

Published on by 2loud2oldmusic6 Comments

Recently, Collective Soul released on Blu-Ray, their very own documentary entitled ‘Give Me A Word: The Collective Soul Story’ and I finally had a chance to sit down and watch it. And I am so glad I did. One of my all time favorite bands, I feel Collective Soul is one of the most underrated bands out there. They have a unique sound and tone that is all their own. You hear one of the many cool-ass riffs they’ve written and you know in an instant that is Collective Soul. You hear the vocals of lead singer, Ed Roland, and you know it is Collective Soul.

The band hails from Stockbridge, Georgie which is just south of Atlanta and because of that, I consider them a local band for me as I lived just outside of Atlanta myself. Thanks to the college radio station at Georgia State University (where my wife went to college around that time), the world was introduced to the song ‘Shine’ thanks to radio DJ Southside Steve…man, I so remember that station and DJ. Brings back so many fond radio memories. It was because of that little college radio station playing ‘Shine’ that the band drew interest and were signed to Atlantic Records. They released their debut album, ‘Hints, Allegations, and Things Left Unsaid’ which was really only a collection of demos. They felt, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.

The documentary kicks off with the band recording an album at Elvis Presley’s Palm Springs house and shows the band recording as well as talking to them about the history of the band. While they were there recording, Lisa Marie Presley passed away which is a little surreal for them.

We go back to the debut and they walk through their time with Atlantic and then how things fell apart once their contract was up with the label. Ross Childress, lead guitarist, slept with Ed Roland’s wife so he was out of the band. The original drummer, Shane Evans, got in to drugs and was in a really bad place and he left the band. That left Ed, his brother Dean and bass player Will Turpin to carry on, which they did.

Continue reading “‘Give Me A Word: The Collective Soul Story’ – Documentary Review” →

Bon Jovi – ‘When We Were Beautiful’ (2009) – Documentary Review (The Bon Jovi Collection Series)

Published on by 2loud2oldmusic24 Comments

Bon Jovi’s 11th Studio album is ‘The Circle’ and came out on November 10, 2009. My version of the album has a bonus DVD entitled ‘When We Were Beautiful’. The video is documentary movie that was recorded during the 2007 Tour for the band’s ‘The Lost Highway’ Tour. The film premiered at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival and was directed by Phil Griffin. This isn’t your typical behind the scenes video, there is more depth and expertise to it and a purpose behind it. A story that was meant to be told.

The video shows them on stage and off and some very intimate moments. This isn’t some wild, crazy party video, but an opportunity for the guys to be shown as people and far more than just Bon Jovi. Don’t get me wrong, there are some fun moments. For instance, it was hilarious, and a little bit scary, when a woman jumped on stage in Dublin just to kiss Jon. That girl was bound and determined to do it and she succeeded.

But the interviews here with the band members are the most enjoyable part. You get to see a very serious side of Jon Bon Jovi, the smoker, the businessman, the CEO of a major brand over the last 25 years. A man who struggles more with touring, the stress, the loneliness. There is an artistic side to the film as well. I love when they show Jon singing “Hallelujah” and intersperse an interview with him as the song is playing. Jon talks about his insecurities about performing and how he hates the lull in the show and always wants to have it going up, up and up. It is moments like this that keep this film interesting and a step above most documentaries you have seen.

Tico Torres, the man who doesn’t look to the past, and lives in the moment and loves to spend his down time playing golf, but family is his most important thing. Tico had a serious drinking problem and had so many issues with his dad leaving him at a young age. He has dealt with those demons and today might be the most together person of the whole band. He has found salvation in his art.

Continue reading “Bon Jovi – ‘When We Were Beautiful’ (2009) – Documentary Review (The Bon Jovi Collection Series)” →

ZZ Top: That Little Ol’ Band from Texas – Documentary Review

Published on by 2loud2oldmusic20 Comments

This documentary has been on my watchlist for awhile thanks to my fellow bloggers and I finally got around to watching it.  ‘ZZ Top: That Little Ol’ Band from Texas’ is a documentary that covers the history of the band from the origins in the late 60’s only up to the album ‘Eliminator’ in 1983 which in my opinion was too short, but that is the only fault I have with this documentary.

The story kicks off in how the band came in to being and I love a good origins story.  They talk about how Dusty Hill met Frank Beard, then Frank met Billy Gibbons and so on and so forth…I don’t want to spoil it if you don’t know.  What makes this documentary so special is that it actually is told from the perspective of the people that were there.  I mean it is basically told by Dusty, Billy and Frank along with some key people involved in their success from recording engineers (Robin Hood Brians and Terry Manning) to even a publicists (Howard Bloom). There are a few guest appearances from Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age), Steve Miller and Billy Bob Thornton which add a nice flavor, but give me the ZZ Top boys all day and every day please.

zz Continue reading “ZZ Top: That Little Ol’ Band from Texas – Documentary Review” →

Airbourne – Diamond Cuts Box Set – Album Review

Published on by 2loud2oldmusic9 Comments

This Australian heavy metal band is a full on rock band that is loud, obnoxious and freaking awesome.  If you like AC/DC, well here is the second coming of the band.  Where Greta Van Fleet get blasted for sounding like Zeppelin, no one seems to care that these guys sound like AC/DC.  Hell, they are doing AC/DC better than AC/DC right now.

If you don’t know about the band, know that Lemmy (Motorhead) was a huge fan of the band and even showed up in one of their music videos from their debut album.  That was enough for me to give this band a try and and I am so glad I did.  After Lemmy’s passing, the band paid tribute to Lemmy in their song “It’s All For Rock & Roll” and even had the airplane lighting rig Motorhead used on tour in the video.  It was pretty cool to see.

After the band’s fourth album, ‘Breakin’ Outta Hell’, they decided to put together a collection of B-Sides together for an album and released it as a Box Set that included their first 3 albums.  I received the Vinyl Edition as a Christmas gift from my girls and to top if off, the bought “Breakin’ Outta Hell’ on vinyl as well.  My Airbourne Vinyl collection was complete.

img_1647

Continue reading “Airbourne – Diamond Cuts Box Set – Album Review” →

Lady Gaga – Gaga: Five Foot Two – Documentary Review

Published on by 2loud2oldmusic13 Comments

Amazingly, I have a had time to watch a few documentaries I have been wanting to see.  First it was ‘Hired Gun’ Review and now it is the Lady Gaga documentary, ‘Gaga: Five Foot Two’ which I have been wanting to watch since its release in September 2017 on Netflix.  The documentary covers the time in Stefani Germanotta’s life (aka Lady Gaga) between the making of her outstanding album ‘Joanne’ and her Super Bowl appearance in 2017.

The style of the video takes a minute to wrap your head around and understand why it is being filmed that way.  The style is called Cinéma Vérité which is an observational style of filiming.  Click on the name to learn more.  Once I got passed the style, I really started enjoying the film.  It is an in depth, behind the scenes, look into her life.  It doesn’t look like she was too worried about how she came across.  You see her happy and smiling, crying, with or without make-up or even clothes at times.

Lady Gaga bares it all and doesn’t hold back anything which really draws you into her world and makes her feel authentic.  You start to feel what she is going through and she becomes relatable.  The thing I got out of it, being a rock star is not glamorous at all.  It is grueling work, it is brutal, it is exhausting, it is painful and it is not a life for the faint of heart.

Continue reading “Lady Gaga – Gaga: Five Foot Two – Documentary Review” →

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers: Runnin’ Down a Dream (2008 – Documentary)

Published on by 2loud2oldmusic1 Comment

On July 4th, I wasn’t feeling well and decided to sit and watch the Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers documentary called Runnin’ Down a Dream that is now streaming on Netflix.  I figured I might as well watch one of America’s greatest rock bands ever on our country’s birthday.

The film is by Director Peter Bogdanovich and released in 2008 by Warner Brothers.  When it was originally released it was as a 4 disc box set with the first 2 DVD disc being the movie, the third DVD disc was the 30th Anniversary concert and the fourth disc was a CD of rare tracks.  I just might pick this up if I see it when I am out.

Now be warned, if you plan to watch make sure you have 4 hours available because once you start there is no stopping.  The 4 hours flies by as this documentary is so entertaining mixed with great interviews and great footage of the band’s history. Any fan of Tom Petty should check it out as you will not be disappointed.

Continue reading “Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers: Runnin’ Down a Dream (2008 – Documentary)” →