Reviewed by Chris Eberle

Foo Fighters: Sonic Highways - Blu-ray Movie Review

Synopsis

For the Foo Fighters eighth studio album, Sonic Highways, the group decided to jump-start their creative process by writing and producing each song in a different city. The idea was to capture the flavor of the music scene in that city and let it influence the song and its performance. In addition, a local legend sat in on each track and contributed to the recording.

This series, originally shown on HBO, profiles the history of each city’s music scene as told by the musicians that were part of it. The group used a different studio to record each song and the audience gets to see the creative process as it happened. Filmed in Chicago, Washington D.C., Nashville, Austin, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Seattle and New York City; Sonic Highways is a unique look at music history and evolution of blues, country, rock and a whole host of the different genres that make up American musical culture.

Specifications

  • RCA/HBO
  • 2014, Color, Not Rated, 9 Hrs
  • Dolby TrueHD 5.1, 1.78:1 Aspect Ratio
  • Starring: The Foo Fighters
  • Directed by Dave Grohl

Rating

  • Entertainment:
  • Video:
  • Audio:
  • Extras:
  • Violence: No
  • Sex: No
  • Language: Mild

Commentary

I’m a big Foo Fighters fan so this film was a must-see for me. I really enjoyed Grohl’s last film, Sound City; so when the Sonic Highways Blu-ray was announced, I pre-ordered it immediately.

I really enjoy Dave Grohl’s style of film-making. He does a perfect job of letting his interview subjects tell the story without focusing any attention on himself. In fact you hardly see him on screen unless a recording session is being shown. That process is fascinating to watch as well. In each city, the Foo Fighters record in a famous studio. In Austin for instance, they record in the original sound stage used for the production of PBS’s Austin City Limits which has now been running for 40 years.

And the interviews! You will see some true legends of music telling frank and fascinating stories about their childhoods and their journey through the music business. Blues greats like Buddy Guy and Gary Clark, Jr.; rock luminaries like Billy Gibbons and Joe Walsh; country icons like Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson barely scratch the surface of the music history you will see unfold during the eight-part series.

Normally when I review a series like this I burn through all the episodes in a couple of days’ time. Sonic Highways is so good I found I had to savor it more like a fine box of chocolates. I couldn’t just watch it all at once in a marathon session. Even if you’re not a Foo Fighters fan, the walk through music history in this series is unparalleled. If you are a fan, it will only increase your enjoyment of the album which I now can’t stop listening to. I can’t recommend Sonic Highways highly enough.

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Technical

The video is the only flaw in an otherwise stellar release. For some reason, overall black levels are too high. It’s obvious when the picture fades to black; it’s much too gray. Content filmed for the show looks a little flat and hazy though detail is rock-solid as is color accuracy. Archival footage runs the gamut from average to poor but it’s presented as well as it can be.

The audio is exemplary in every way. The front soundstage is wide and deep with tons of range in both dynamics and frequency. The best part is at the end of each episode you get a full performance of each song. In high-res Dolby TrueHD the music sounds incredible. After hearing Sonic Highways lossless, a Redbook CD seems like a crude approximation by comparison.

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Extras

Bonus features are included on a third disc and include extended interviews with several of the musicians seen in the film. You also get a short behind-the-scenes look at the recording of each song on the album.

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