My dvd review for the week is a documentary called It Might Get Loud. It is directed by Davis Guggenheim (An Inconvenient Truth ) and it features guitarists Jimmy Page, The Edge and Jack White of The White Stripes. The film is a round table discussion of sorts and it chronicles the history of each guitarist and traces their musical roots as well as some personal history. With the exception of Page -the musicians chosen is debatable. If you asked fans of rock-n-roll guitar who they would like to see featured you would probably get 100 different answers. I will discuss the film itself and leave the guitarist roster open for debate.It Might Get Loud is really a love letter to the guitar. The strength of this film is showing just how different an instrument can sound depending on the person playing it. Jimmy Page, The Edge and Jack White have very different backgrounds and each grew up in a different era - thus their influences differ as well as how they were drawn to music.
The film takes us back to where it all began for these guitarists. We see Jimmy Page return to Headley Grange where Led Zeppelin recorded and wrote some of their music. The Edge returns to his boyhood school where U2 was formed. Jack White talks about his being raised in a rough area of Detroit and details his growing up as one of ten children.
There is plenty for guitar enthusiasts to enjoy. Jimmy Page plays Whole Lotta Love and The Edge and Jack White have the look that says " Can you believe we are witnessing this ?" The Edge shows how he creates some of his signature sounds and even plays some early home demos that sound surprisingly good . Jack White also explains his concept for having a Green Bullet microphone installed in his guitar. Each player developed different techniques in order to create the sound in their head.
The three share some stories and do some playing together as well. The Edge shows the other two how to play "I Will Follow" and at one point Jimmy Page says "Are you sure that's how it goes ?" There is a cool jam of the Zep classic "In My Time Of Dying" as well as a version of The Band staple "The Weight".
All in all - It Might Get Loud is a must see for fans of any of these musicians. I believe guitarists in general will also love this documentary. Casual fans of rock -n- roll may be lost with some of the more technical aspects of the instrument but should check it out for the great clips of the artists, as well as their interesting life story and love of the electric guitar.
