All Things Must Pass

I feel old, but used to drive out there from the coast to hit up the movie store across the street too. Of course, no you have... well, this.

A thoroughly interesting documentary that us Baby Boomers will love . Well directed by Colin Hanks .

This is a great case study and story about Moore's Law and technological disruption. At the outset, it's easy to guess why not only Tower Records, but Borders, Blockbuster Video, and other retail giants gave way to e-commerce. Yet this doc specifically centers on Russ Solomon as well as the heart and soul of Tower Records: its people. Perhaps this is why there wasn't a broader story about other industry disruptions. Thank you, Mr. Hanks, for a fine documentary. As a side note, one day I went to Tower Records and listened to a band in the CD listening booth. The band instantly became my favorite band as I bought their album, "Songs for the Deaf," five minutes later. The band's name is Queens of the Stone Age, and I am eternally grateful for Tower Records for introducing me to a band that profoundly influenced my life in a positive way. Thank you a million times; "No music, No life."

This documentary was nicely crafted. I remember Tower Records in NYC. So sad to see that era gone. Yeah you can bring vinyl back but it's not the same. Things change over time. It's a reality.

As a musician that grew up on the West Coast and living in Tokyo now, this documentary struck me hard. Totally crying at the end. (Lol) Very inspiring, gives you a whole new sense of what the music industry has gone through from the retail perspective; important stuff for an artist to know too.

I use to love to go to Tower Records!!!!

This was oddly both interesting and difficult to watch. The history of Tower, its place in the music industry, and its demise make for interesting narrative. The hard part is all the self-agrandazing and revisionist history by people that let their passion turn to greed. They unfairly and inaccurately take responsibility for cultural shifts and being the “first” at many things (e.g., they claim their newsletter/flyer was one of the first real rock magazines instead of advertising rag). They act like they helped create popular music when they are far more responsible for making it unaffordable and setting the stage for their own demise. I loved going to Tower as much as anybody, but it wasn’t the musical mecca and social hub they describe; that was my local, independent record store.

A cast of talking heads babbles on and on about crazy everything was back in the old days. Ahh, the old days. Everything was so much better then. Wasn’t it? It’s sad to watch these old timers reminisce about how great everything was in the beginning. We were crazy! We did whatever we wanted! In the end, these old folks never realize that it was not the fault of the changing industry but rather it was their fault that this business failed. The things that made Tower Records great in their eyes, e.g. we were crazy, we did what we wanted, are the same things that pushed the once great empire over the ledge to its death. The folks running this company had no idea when or where to stop. Consider the escalating prices of CDs ($18.99? Jesus!) in their stores and the price-fixing class action lawsuit that the company lost. Tower Records showed no loyalty to its customers, and in the end its customers returned the favor.

Unfortunately this documentary reminds me of a similar film, at least in style, about the invention of the mountain bike: endless loops of the same thing being said over and over again only by different people. It's ok to let all the old crew chime in but when it doesn't move the story along its the hour of the editor. This should not have ended up as an internal promo real intended for former employees to help them reminisce. The story is not uninteresting but it could have been told in a good thirty minutes. Or, alternatively, the filmmakers could have dug a little deeper, as other commentators have suggested. An interesting piece of record industry history that could have done with a lot less fluff. Entertaining when you have the option to fast forward.

When I was a kid in the 70's I would save my paper route money, take a bus to the Tower Records in San Jose and spend all my money on LPs. There was such a good vibe at my Tower Records and it made buying music exciting, which is captured by this documentary. Just watch it and you can see that we've lost something special in the digital download era. My greatest memory of Tower Reccrds was purchasing my first rock album, KISS ALIVE. I was attracted to the album cover, which was displayed everywhere in the store. I walked up to a bearded and husky employee and asked, "How much is this record?" He said, "You mean that record and the pediatrics bill?"