All Things Must Pass (2015)

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

For anyone that remembers growing up in the second half of the 20th century, going to the local record/CD store was a big deal. Perusing all the different albums, finding that one backcatalogue CD you'd been looking for, listening to something new was a lot of fun. In the US, the big name was Tower Records.The history given in this documentary is mostly given from former employees, most of which started with the company early and stayed until the bitter end (or at least as close to the bitter end that they were allowed). There are also interviews with musicians such as Dave Grohl, Elton John and Bruce Springsteen. These interviews help shape the way we're supposed to look at the history presented.It all seems pretty accurate, and is definitely entertaining. For those that used to shop at record stores it's even nostalgic. That said, the one big hole is that the main interviewee is Russ Solomon, the founder of the company. And while he makes for a great interview, one can't help but wonder if there's a part of the story not being told. The fall is kind of glossed over a little bit, pointing blame outward, when more can be pointed inward. Having a record executive admit that they killed the cheaper single to drive sales to a $20 album when most people didn't want the whole thing should have been dug into more.In sum: If you have memories of shopping for CDs or records it's a documentary well worth watching. Just don't expect the full picture.

All Things Must Pass, no not the utterly fantastic George Harrison landmark triple LP, the story of Tower Records. In the title there's a melancholy sadness since we know it alludes to the passing of the LP, then the decline of all other physical music media. It's only fitting a documentary of an amazing music related business is entitled after an equally amazing actual album, one that broke new ground being an over-the-top triple-LP set by a Beatle.Tom Hank's son Colin is behind this lovingly put together visual journey of the Tower Record story. If ever a there was an untapped gargantuan market at a particular time in history that was expertly tapped it has to be the record business as defined by Tower Records. What a ride it was. Probably the most loosely structured billion-dollar business empire ever created that wasn't based on criminal intent. Quite the opposite, it was based on the joy of music and how it enhanced life.Watching the documentary you get the feeling it wasn't entirely the loose management, the sometimes ill-advised entry to strange foreign markets, or even musical tastes of the times that killed Tower Records. It was the changing technology as we now see taken even further with on line streaming. Could the company have survived, like Japan, and flourished even as the physical media sales sagged? That's the huge question. Things started to break, perhaps, before the exit of founder;s Russ Soloman's right hand accountant having to exit due to health. His exit, however, started a new chapter where the banks took over. Everything the bank dictated broke a little more of the foundation that built the company while never, actually, fixing anything.As I sit and write this I read LP sales are growing once more. Jack White has actually built a new record pressing plant in Detroit. Granted, it's just a small thing, but it's a sign. The real sign will be when once more there's just a single Tower Records store somewhere in the United States. Music is such a powerful medium I wouldn't bet against it. If you have a love of music and have good memories of spending time in any record store you simply must watch this. A great American success story that runs against most everything they teach in business school.

The "Rise" portion was nostalgic and interesting. The second half was a load of self-serving baloney: Russ Solomon admitting he made a few mistakes but, if the banks had only continued lending him money without telling him what to do, all would have been well. A bunch of longtime employees kvetching about losing their jobs, but not ONE SINGLE WORD about all the labels and distributors who got royally screwed and are still trying to cope with their losses to this day. I started out as a specialty music retailer in 1974 and, thankfully, am still going strong. I well remember Tower's predatory greediness, demanding ridiculous terms from labels and distributors: six months dating, 100% return privileges. Finally, the labels and distributors had to say 'no' to getting in any deeper. The fact that this painful fact wasn't even mentioned, reminds me of the 'ServPro' motto, "Like it Never Even Happened".

Liberation. That is what music is all about. Always has been, always will be. It brings people together, it creates a community, a family. It changes, it evolves, and never dies. This is the central message, the heart, of Colin Hank's tremendous documentary, "All Things Must Pass: The Rise and Fall of Tower Records." Founded in 1960 by Russ Solomon, Tower Records grew to become one of the most monumental record franchises in the history of the industry. From its very humble beginnings, as an extension of Solomon's father's drugstore, to its international expansion, Tower Records was a cornerstone of the musical world for half a century.Load video Hank's explored the history of Tower Records through interviews with those in Soloman's inner circle's of 30 plus years, some from the inception to accounts from music industry giants such as, Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, and Dave Grohl. The store's lax attitude and nonchalant way of business proved pivotal to its success, a business strategy that would sink any business today. Elton John recounts Tower Records being his primary record provider, while Grohl worked at a Tower Records in Washington D.C. before his music career took off and recognized its significance in his musical journey. One particular anecdote that highlighted Tower Record's influence was that when it opened in a particularly desolate neighborhood in Manhattan, the streets flourished and became revitalized in the years following its opening. It is hard to imagine any store, particularly any record store having that power today.The demise of Tower Records also speaks volumes about the last decade of decline in the music industry. Though Napster and the rise of pirating music is notorious for the music industries steady decline, truly the rise in record prices was the downfall of record stores in general, as is touched on in the film. Though not entirely the reason for Tower Records ultimate demise, it was a crucial shift in business. The slow death of the industry staple was an emotional climax of the film, as it truly captured the importance of Tower Records to many individuals who invested their life to be apart of this journey, and family.No music, no life.