Release Date: September 13, 2016
Rating: Not Rated
Running Time: 94 minutes
Established in 1960, Tower Records was once a retail powerhouse with 200 stores, in 30 countries, on five continents. From humble beginnings in a small-town drugstore, Tower Records eventually became the heart and soul of the music world, and a powerful force in the music industry. In 1999, Tower Records made an astounding $1 billion. In 2006, the company filed for bankruptcy. What went wrong? Everyone thinks they know what killed Tower Records: The Internet. But that’s not the story.
***
Wow. Wow, wow, wow. Any person who considers themselves a hardcore fan of music needs to see this documentary, needs to see and appreciate the history behind Tower Records. There are so many things that I didn’t know before watching this and much I did but didn’t have personal faces to put to the store so I am so, so glad that I checked this one out because it really is such a love letter to music stores, the music culture from the time Tower Records began to now, and how the culture affects the people who sell it.
“If you don’t take advantage of a new idea, if it makes any sense at all, then you’ve lost something.”
The documentary starts out with the Founder of Tower Records, and quickly expands to viewers hearing from Tower Records staff – including the second female staff member of Tower who was very determined to take on the position and be treated as an equal (she’s since been the “first female” in every role she’s taken on moving up in the company), and more. We get to hear from the Founder of Geffen Records, Bruce Springsteen, Dave Grohl, Sir Elton John, and many more.
I was fascinated with the simplicity of how Tower Records began, in love with the love and passion that drove this business to the top. I was in awe of its growth from one store to many, from one state to many to expanding to Japan and many other countries, from hundreds and thousands of dollars to billions, from LPs to cassettes and CDs and evolving with the times, and its constant genuine presence in the music industry. I was troubled to see how a company that soared for 30 years – and generally speaking, wasn’t as business savvy as one would assume – lost the business rock of their company (the sole person in the company who really did know what they were doing and tried to stop the train from crashing), lost their way, gained competition, and later filed for bankruptcy many decades later.
The highs explored in this documentary are just as honest and have just as much raw emotions behind them as the lows detailed and it is truly a strange and wonderful history to look back on. This documentary tells a captivating story about hopes and dreams, the passion to make those become a reality, and what happens when you don’t adequately prepare yourself in reality for the future. I really enjoyed this documentary and know that anyone who watches it will say the same.
The documentary is directed by Colin Hanks and boy did he do a fine job here. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing what he directs next. So to recap, All Things Must Pass is fantastic and you’re doing yourself a disservice as a music fan if you don’t catch this doc putting the spotlight on one very iconic part of the industry.
Unfortunately, there are no Bonus Features on the DVD.
Own All Things Must Pass on DVD today.