The Language of Music
by Mark Moormann
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DVD details
Actor: Aretha Franklin, Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker, John Coltrane, Ray CharlesDirector: Mark Moormann
Brand: Uni
Producer: Mark Moormann
Producer: James Kirk
Producer: Jonathan Dana
Producer: Juan Carlos Lopez
Producer: Lawrence Saichek
Producer: Mark L. Hunt
Producer: Scott L. Gordon
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: DVD-Video, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.78:1
Running Time: 82 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-08-24
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: Palm Pictures / Umvd
DVD Reviews of The Language of Music
DVD Review: Thorough overview of a key music man
Summary: 5 Stars
Anyone viwing this probably already knows the Tom Dowd story. Still, this is a very complete look at the many innovations made by Tom Dowd during his long career at Atlantic Records where he recorded many of today's classic r&b, rock and jazz hits. For music experts and those interested in music history, this dvd hits the right note.DVD Review: Real talent rarely seen anymore...
Summary: 5 Stars
Tom Dowd. What an amazingly talented engineer and producer. His unique ability to have such a technical understanding of engineering coupled with his musical prowess made him such a special talent in the studio. Thanks Tom... wherever you are!DVD Review: Tom Dowd, The Language of Music
Summary: 5 Stars
Before this DVD I had no idea who Tom Dowd was. But if you have been a fan of any kind of popular music over the last 50 years you have been a fan of Tom Dowd. He was amazing. This DVD was amazing. If you love music, engineering, or history you will love this documentary. I now know what a sound engineer does, what a record producer does and have a deeper appreciation of the record making process. The best parts are the behind the scenes and the in-studio stories of Eric Clapton, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Lynard Skynyard and The Allman Brothers Band.DVD Review: +1/2 -- Extraordinary musical figure, adequate documentary
Summary: 3 Stars
Tom Dowd (1925-2002) was best known to top-flight jazz, soul and rock musicians, and detail-oriented music fans who read through all of an album's liner notes. Dowd's credits as engineer or producer can be found on back covers and in CD booklets of seminal recordings by Ray Charles, Ruth Brown, Joe Turner, LaVern Baker, The Clovers, The Drifters, The Coasters, Bobby Darin, John Coltrane, MJQ, Ornette Coleman, Lester Young, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Machito, Roland Kirk, George Shearing, Charlie Mingus, Cream, Eric Clapton, Buffalo Springfield, Sonny & Cher, The Allman Brothers and Lynyrd Skynyrd, to name just a very few.
Dowd was one of the critical elements behind Atlantic's ascendancy in the `50s and `60s, and helped Stax find their audio groove. He was both an engineer and a producer, but more importantly he was a studio catalyst whose musical sensibility and golden ears led musicians to their best work, which he then captured on tape. Fellow producer Phil Ramone calls Dowd a "coach," and his multiple roles as engineer, producer and musical confidant are echoed by the likes of Eric Clapton and Lynyrd Skynyrd's Billy Powell. It was Dowd who suggested the unusual downbeat that marks Cream's "Sunshine of Your Love," it was Dowd who captured the energy of the Allman Brothers at the Fillmore East, and it was Dowd who first captured on tape everything Otis Redding had to offer, resulting in the seminal album Otis Blue.
Dowd's career spanned the early days of direct-to-disc recording, in which the balance of musicians was engineered live, through mono and half-track stereo (the latter of which Dowd was one of the first to use for LP production), through overdubbing on multi-track tape, to the unlimited tracks, automation and editing possibilities of today's digital studios. His biggest step forward was the introduction of an eight-track recorder at Atlantic, which revolutionized the way pop music was recorded, and in turn the music itself. The ability to record first and mix later freed engineers to focus on sound capture, and the ability to lay down individual tracks at different times divorced recording from the aesthetic of a live band.
This documentary is filled with the music of Dowd's productions and features interviews with Dowd, Ahmet Ertegun, Jerry Wexler, Ray Charles, Mike Stoller, Phil Ramone, Eric Clapton, members of the Allman Brothers and Lynyrd Skynyrd, and others. There's superb archival photos and film footage, including snippets of Dowd working in the studio and control room and performance footage of Booker T & The MGs, Otis Redding and more. There's a wonderful shot of the Baldwin piano on which Jim Gordon played "Layla," and a recitation of the instrument's other guests, including Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Gregg Allman, Billy Powell, and Dr. John.
There's a lot of great material here, but like the sequence in which Dowd fiddles with the individual tracks of "Layla," the film doesn't gel into a coherent statement. The staged studio recreations feel like a cheat, and the super congenial tone, though apparently representative of Dowd's temperament, turns this into more of a tribute than a documentary This film is worth seeing for the archival footage and newly struck interviews, but while it provides context for Dowd's work, it's not nearly as moving as his actual music. DVD extras include three deleted scenes, additional interview clips, a photo gallery and a "making of" showing the set-up for filming the recording studio recreations. 3-1/2 stars, if allowed fractional ratings. [?2009 hyperbolium dot com]
DVD Review: A musical education!
Summary: 5 Stars
I first saw this program on Ovation TV and I had to buy it for my own.
Music is a very important part of my life--it has saved me many times!
And the music on this film is some of the best--Eric Clapton,the Allmans,
etc.Tom Dowd was a genius in the control room--he worked with SO many of
the greatest musicians ever recorded.He also had a very interesting life
apart from music,but I don't want to ruin it by telling you what he was
involved in!For your own pleasure,entertainment and education,buy this
DVD.It will give you nothing but pure joy.God Rest Your Soul,Mr.Dowd.
Description of The Language of Music
TOM DOWD & THE LANGUAGE OF MUSIC profiles the extraordinary life and legendary work of music producer / recording engineer Tom Dowd. Historical footage, vintage photographs and interviews with a who's who list of musical giants from the worlds of jazz, soul and classic rock shine a spotlight on the brilliance of Tom Dowd, whose creative spirit and passion for innovative technology helped shape the course of modern music. Tom Dowd's credits include recording sessions with Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Eric Clapton, Otis Redding, John Coltrane, The Allman Brothers Band, Tito Puente, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Cream, Rod Stewart, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Booker T. & the MG's and countless other musical luminaries.Includes Music & Interviews with Ray Charles, Eric Clapton, Aretha Franklin, The Allman Brothers Band, Les Paul, Otis Redding, Thelonious Monk, Booker T. & the MG's & many more!
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