Sound City: Real to Reel

"Sound City: Real to Reel" Soundtrack (2013) - Roswell Records 

Hello Friends,

Sound City: Real to Reel isn't so much a soundtrack to the Dave Grohl documentary as much as it is a companion piece.  This is not a compilation of all of the great songs recorded at the legendary Sound City recording studios, but rather a labor of love by Grohl (and a hodgepodge of friends) who got together to create some totally new music in celebration of his film.

Most of the 11 tracks here were recorded by Butch Vig and ALL were recorded in Grohl's private studio on "the" Neve 8028 console from the original Studio City.  

Surprisingly (or maybe unsurprisingly) its an incredibly listenable double LP set with every song pretty much being good.  

Side A has Grohl and the Foos jamming with such strange bedfellows as members of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club ("Heaven and All"), Masters of Reality, Rage Against the Machine ("Time Slowing Down") and Miss Stevie Nicks ("You Can't Fix This").  At first, we just figured this was going to be a throwaway novelty song, but the Stevie Nicks song is great! It sounds as if it would have been right at home on Fleetwood Mac or Rumors.

Side B begins with "The Man That Never Was" featuring Rick Springfield and the song sounds exactly like a Foo Fighters song if it were sung by Rick Springfield!  Things take a (welcome) punk turn on "Your Wife Is Calling", featuring the vocals and harmonica(!) of Mr. Lee "Fear" Ving.  The side concludes with "From Can to Can't" featuring a passionate Corey Taylor (Slipknot) on vocals and the inimitable Rick Nielsen on lead guitar.

Side C starts out with two songs featuring longtime Grohl collaborators, Josh Homme and Alain Johannes ("Centipede" and "A Trick With No Sleeve").  Speaking of collaborators, Nirvana bassist, Krist Novoselic, joins Dave and Pat Smear on the Grammy-winning, "Cut Me Some Slack" which features septuagenarian Paul McCartney on vocals and guitar.  Again, the result is far from the cheesiness one might expect; it sounds like a loud and grungey update of Helter Skelter-era Paul.  A fusion of two of the most important Rock & Roll bands of all time, what's not to like?

Side D begins with Grohl going mostly acoustic on the ballad-y "If I Were Me" (again, this would fit right in on a Foo Fighters record!).  And the album closes with the 8 minute climactic, "Mantra", featuring Grohl, Homme & Trent Reznor-- a fitting conclusion to an overall great record.  (Plus, Reznor & Homme harmonizing sounds really good!)

Our fear here was that this was going to sound like a hastily put-together "Rock & Roll Hall of Fame" Jam Session, but instead, the artists here (lead by Grohl) really give their all and come up with 11 really enjoyable songs.  There's not a stinker in the bunch and because of Grohl's presence throughout the record has a good flow, a solid sound, from start to finish!

RATING: 4.5 Your Wife Is Calling (Tell Her I'm Not Here) out of 5