Tom Dowd's influence on American popular music can't be exaggerated. As the main recording engineer at Atlantic Records, he worked with a wide range of musicians in many different genres, including jazz, soul, rock, and blues. How much you enjoy this documentary may depend on how interested you are in the music of the late 20th century, though my disinterest in and dislike of the music of Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Allman Brothers Bands hasn't dampened my enthusiasm for the film. There's some great footage of Aretha Franklin in the studio and some stunning excerpts from the Stax/Volt European tour of 1967, plus enlightening interviews with Atlantic execs Ahmet Ertegun and Jerry Wexler. Perhaps the most surprising aspect of the film is the amount of time spent on Dowd's teenage years spent working on the Manhattan Project, but director Mark Moormann manages to make it an integral and important part of this tribute to a wonderful and talented human being.
7 Reviews
inspiration
cjr7124427 April 2006
I loved this. I'm a fan of a lot of the musicians and bands featured in this movie so that makes me a little biased. That aside Tom Dowd as portrayed in this film is a wonderful, truthful and inspirational person. He produced and engineered all kinds of music not sticking to just one genre. He seemed to excel at everything he tried. If you are interested at all in the recording process or are a fan of the allman brothers, eric clapton, ray charles, booker t. and the MGs, aretha franklin, cream, duane allman then I recommend this movie. It shows footage of some of the artists in the studio and has tom talking throughout about everything. It also covers the history of Atlantic records and criterion studios in Miami. Don't forget to find out about the 5 M's
Solid Documentary
jacketpo4 October 2003
Tom Dowd & the Languange of Music is an excellent look at one of the key background people of popular music. Not only did Dowd make several technical innovations in the engineering field, he recorded some of the most important records of the 20th century. He worked with Tito Puente, Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, Thelonius Monk, John Coltrane, Dusty Springfield, Rod Stewart, etc. I especially liked the interviews with giants such as Jerry Wexler, Ahmet Ertgun, Eric Clapton, Allman Brothers, Ray Charles, Les Paul, etc. Although sometimes the praise seems a little much at times, it is well deserved when you you see him work the board again.
A great insight into the creative process
ggallagher17 May 2005
This documentary provides a wonderful insight into the recording business as it was in the early days when Tom Dowd established himself as one of the foremost recording engineers of our time. To learn that he passed away shortly after the film's completion is extremely sad, as he was a unique talent. He love for music comes through loud and clear in both his personal comments, and those of the myriad stars he committed to tape and wax. It is hard to believe that someone could remain at the top of his industry for a full half century, influencing multiple generations in the process. Anyone with an interest in music, recording, or production should enjoy this comprehensive look at Tom Dowd and his life.
A Great Documentary
mbennett5556 September 2005
Warning: Spoilers
This is a great documentary, because in a straightforward manner it tells the story of a great man, Tom Dowd, a recording engineer who worked for Atlantic Records for about 50 years. Mr. Dowd was the lead recording engineer for many famous albums, including those by John Coltrane, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Led Zeppelin, and Derek and the Dominos.
After participating in the Manhattan Project for 2 years, Mr. Dowd began his career as a recording engineer in the late 1940s with Atlantic Records, when each session was recorded directly onto a wax master disc. Later, he pioneered the use of 8-track studio recording, and the use of the linear (as opposed to rotary-knob) level control in studio control units.
There's a scene in this documentary that shows Mr. Dowd's musical ability: Archival film taken in the late 1960s or early 1970s shows him in the studio politely asking a guitarist to strum his electric guitar for a sound check. After the guitarist does that twice, Mr. Dowd says, "Ah! Check the E-string!" The guitarist nods in agreement.
Another scene shows Mr. Dowd in front of a multi-track studio control board. He plays back for us the 8-track master tape of the song "Layla", by Derek and the Dominos (on which both Eric Clapton and Duane Allman have guitar solos). He finds the tracks containing each of those solos and sort-of tells us how Mr. Clapton and Mr. Allman obtained some of those notes-- no, they didn't use the frets. I fell in love with the song "Layla" when I was in college in the 1980s, and I played it many times. It was a special moment to listen to Mr. Dowd give a guided tour of that song, using the original 8-track master.
Ray Charles and Eric Clapton, among others, appear in interviews made for this documentary. There is also archival footage of those artists and many others.
Sadly, Mr. Dowd died soon after the making of this documentary.
After participating in the Manhattan Project for 2 years, Mr. Dowd began his career as a recording engineer in the late 1940s with Atlantic Records, when each session was recorded directly onto a wax master disc. Later, he pioneered the use of 8-track studio recording, and the use of the linear (as opposed to rotary-knob) level control in studio control units.
There's a scene in this documentary that shows Mr. Dowd's musical ability: Archival film taken in the late 1960s or early 1970s shows him in the studio politely asking a guitarist to strum his electric guitar for a sound check. After the guitarist does that twice, Mr. Dowd says, "Ah! Check the E-string!" The guitarist nods in agreement.
Another scene shows Mr. Dowd in front of a multi-track studio control board. He plays back for us the 8-track master tape of the song "Layla", by Derek and the Dominos (on which both Eric Clapton and Duane Allman have guitar solos). He finds the tracks containing each of those solos and sort-of tells us how Mr. Clapton and Mr. Allman obtained some of those notes-- no, they didn't use the frets. I fell in love with the song "Layla" when I was in college in the 1980s, and I played it many times. It was a special moment to listen to Mr. Dowd give a guided tour of that song, using the original 8-track master.
Ray Charles and Eric Clapton, among others, appear in interviews made for this documentary. There is also archival footage of those artists and many others.
Sadly, Mr. Dowd died soon after the making of this documentary.
How to Make a Documentary About Tom Dowd
maxlebow14 March 2006
Although he was well-known in the recording industry, Tom Dowd's obituary rated only 712 words in The New York Times, and not much more than that in Rolling Stone Magazine, although Rolling Stone published a picture with it.
Few people outside the recording industry know much about what is shown in this documentary. However, Dowd's impact on the industry affected millions of fans of Eric Clapton, The Allman Brothers, John Coltrane, Aretha Franklin, Tito Puente, Otis Redding, Ray Charles, Ornette Coleman, Thelonious Monk, and Phil Ramone. All of those artists appear in this documentary.
Dowd also recorded a host of others. The discography on the documentary's website, www.thelanguageofmusic.com, is huge.
In February, 2002, Dowd received a Grammy for his services to the recording industry. Eric Clapton said Dowd had encouraged him to realize "what my skills were." This documentary is supposed to fix the problem of Dowd's relative obscurity. Everyone who worked on it had the best of intentions. Dowd's smiling face and buoyant disposition are amiably represented. But in the end, the documentary leaves out a lot of interesting stuff, in order to keep the audience from getting bored. Also, the rhythm is off. Time and place seem to shift out from under the viewer.
Don't get me wrong, this is a documentary well worth watching. The music is GREAT! Just be prepared, after it's over, to want more.
Few people outside the recording industry know much about what is shown in this documentary. However, Dowd's impact on the industry affected millions of fans of Eric Clapton, The Allman Brothers, John Coltrane, Aretha Franklin, Tito Puente, Otis Redding, Ray Charles, Ornette Coleman, Thelonious Monk, and Phil Ramone. All of those artists appear in this documentary.
Dowd also recorded a host of others. The discography on the documentary's website, www.thelanguageofmusic.com, is huge.
In February, 2002, Dowd received a Grammy for his services to the recording industry. Eric Clapton said Dowd had encouraged him to realize "what my skills were." This documentary is supposed to fix the problem of Dowd's relative obscurity. Everyone who worked on it had the best of intentions. Dowd's smiling face and buoyant disposition are amiably represented. But in the end, the documentary leaves out a lot of interesting stuff, in order to keep the audience from getting bored. Also, the rhythm is off. Time and place seem to shift out from under the viewer.
Don't get me wrong, this is a documentary well worth watching. The music is GREAT! Just be prepared, after it's over, to want more.
Great footage, oddly constructed film
seavey-129 October 2005
This film has fabulous archival footage and some interviews with the greats -- Ray Charles, Ahmet Ertegun, Jerry Wexler, Eric Clapton - and many others. And some of the footage is well shot.
But the film's story suffers - a lot - from the oddly constructed narrative. It was as if the filmmaker wasn't sure what the story was he wanted to tell and therefore kept starting and stopping as if he was still deciding. From all these fits and starts all over the film -- some stories ultimately lead lead somewhere and some of which lead no where at all. It felt more like the rough cut of a film, not the final film itself.
It was a disappointment to me because of the great access that the filmmaker had and how little story-telling ability he demonstrated.
But the film's story suffers - a lot - from the oddly constructed narrative. It was as if the filmmaker wasn't sure what the story was he wanted to tell and therefore kept starting and stopping as if he was still deciding. From all these fits and starts all over the film -- some stories ultimately lead lead somewhere and some of which lead no where at all. It felt more like the rough cut of a film, not the final film itself.
It was a disappointment to me because of the great access that the filmmaker had and how little story-telling ability he demonstrated.
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