It Might Get Loud (2009)

I love blogging when there is related music to play while I'm writing (even though the lyrics pose a slight problem to my compositional ability). This rock doc puts together three guitar giants from three different generations: Jimmy Page (Yardbirds and Led Zeppelin, born 1944), The Edge (U2, 1961), and Jack White (White Stripes and Raconteurs, 1975). I saw U2 at the Los Angeles Coliseum sometime in the mid 1980s and Led Zeppelin at the Boston Garden during the 1969-70 academic year (they opened with Whole Lotta Love). Wow. When I made today's playlist based on these three virtuosos I already had 94 songs in my itunes library. Page was a studio musician before he joined the Yardbirds in 1966 (check out the outfits in the archival video!), and they changed their name to Led Zeppelin in 1968. Though Robert Plant's voice is great and important to the latter group's sound, it wouldn't have been Led Zeppelin without Page's guitar. Likewise, Bono sings beautifully, and it's essential, but The Edge's guitar (with lots of technical doo-dads) gives U2 its, er, edge. Those are my opinions; Page and Edge say nothing of the sort. In the movie Edge takes us to the Dublin high school where he met the future co-members of U2. Jimmy Page invites us into his home for part of the footage, and the shelves behind him are filled to the ceiling with music on all media. Jack White comes off as the most offbeat (you should forgive the expression) of the three hard-core musicians. I always thought he and bandmate Meg White were siblings, and he introduces her in a clip in the movie as his "big sister." Turns out they were married and he changed his name to hers before they divorced (Phillip already knew this). His claim that he is the youngest of ten is apparently unproven either way. He, too, loves electronic enhancement to his guitar and vocals and the three men together have amassed an impressive collection of guitars and subsidiary equipment (not to mention the coke bottle contraption White makes at the beginning). The list of songs at the end of the movie (you won't be tempted to leave because they perform together during the entire run of the credits) is so long that it goes from pages 16-21 of the press kit. There's other fun info in the press kit (I'm not too worried about spoilers since it's a documentary!).

My regular readers know how much I love music of all kinds, and this movie was heaven. If it's still playing when Amy comes home for fall break in two weeks, I'll gladly see it again. Jack commented, as we left the theatre yesterday, "We could recommend this to everyone."