Growing up in the sixties and seventies for me, as with most
young people then, records were a part of our daily life. Possibly more so than
ever before music shaped us and molded us. It was a part of our daily lives as
transistor radios made it easy for us to have access to music. That paved the
path for us to seek out the music we loved and in so doing directed us to the
record store, that glorious haven of vinyl that drained us of money earned
mowing lawns.
While record stores were mostly mom and pop joints at the
same time chains began to pop up. Locally there was Karma Records and Peaches.
But perhaps the most famous well known record store was Tower Records. Tower
Records was the store in LA that was featured in numerous movies I saw in the
70s. The building with the huge replicas of album covers posted on the outside
of the building, where rock stars showed for release parties and where they
could also be found picking up the latest hits was well known no matter where
you lived.
When I saw this documentary was coming out I was excited to
hear about their story. Vinyl had disappeared from the music scene by compact
discs but that didn’t destroy the music store business. Then along came digital
downloads. No longer did you have to go to the store to purchase your music.
You could just get online and there it was. That brought about, to me at least,
the end of the music store business. But watching this documentary I learned
that wasn’t exactly the case with Tower Records.
The movie starts at the beginning of the business, how it
was small like all businesses are and then grew over time. It shows the gradual
progression of the small business into the conglomerate that it was, an
influence in the world of music it was so big. There was a time when Tower
Records boasted that it made $1 billion dollars in a single year. But then
things begin to change and the fortunes once thought to be never ending slowly
changed.
This movie is incredibly well made. Some documentaries have
that boring tone to them, a slow meandering pace that makes you anxious for it
to get to the point. This film draws you in from the start with smooth
storytelling and great visuals that take you back to the time when record
stores ruled the world of music.
While watching the movie I found myself recalling all those
hours spent in record stores looking at album art, many of those albums which I
have retained for that very reason. I thought of looking at the new releases up
front and the cut out albums I could purchase for less if funds were tight. I
realized how many songs bring back certain memories to this day. I can’t hear
“Band on the Run” without thinking back to walking in a parking lot as I left a
free outdoor concert and it blared from the sound system between acts. All of
these thing tie in to visits to the record store.
And this movie brought back memories of that desire to see
the mecca of all record stores, Tower Records. It was there in Rolling Stone
magazine. It was featured in movies like FM. It was always there and now like
many things from the past it is gone. Talk to young people today and they have
no idea what Tower Records was and less about what a record store is.
The movie is well crafted and holds your interest from start
to final credits. It includes some memorable music as well as commentary from
various music royalty. It tells the story not only of the store but the history
of records and the music business as well. Best of all it never gets boring. So
watch this with someone young so they can see what it was all about. Show them
what going to the record store was like. And relive some of those great
memories you still have. Dream of what it would have been like to visit that
best of all record stores, Tower Records while watching.
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