DVD Review: Tom Dowd and the Language of Music (B)

Tom Dowd & the Language of Music (2003)
Directed by Mark Moormann
Starring Tom Dowd, Eric Clapton, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Lynyrd Skynyrd and The Allman Brothers
MPAA: UR
Grade: B

Review by Scott Standish

This one took me by surprise. I mean, who the heck is Tom Dowd? I had never even heard of the guy but after watching this film, I am totally amazed. Tom Dowd & The Language of Music is a fascinating documentary on a brilliant music producer and sound engineer.

Tom's life is a bizarre one. He worked on the Manhattan Project helping to build the atomic bomb. He recorded classic doo-wop tracks like the Drifters "Save The last Dance For Me" and Bobby Darin's "Splish Splash". Then, as naturally as he worked in that genre, he would switch over to hard rock, working with Eric Clapton or Lynyrd Skynyrd. Funk and soul? Sure, he's shown working all the early tracks with Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles and even Otis Redding. This guy was a true chameleon.

Its hard to label a producer or sound engineer a "genius" but many people in this film apply that label to Dowd. Is he a genius? Maybe not, but one thing is for sure, he is a heck of a producer and a very interesting person. Tom Dowd & The Language of Music is a very entertaining documentary and its one that I recommend highly.

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