From 1960 to 2006, Tower Records was one of the coolest music store chains in the country with locations in cities such as San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles and Seattle. Eventually, the chain expanded overseas to London, Tokyo, Dublin and Bangkok.
As you surely know, the music industry drastically changed in the mid-2000s, as people were able to get their music online, rendering record stores with deep catalogs of music and cool obsolete. Even an institution like Tower Records couldn’t withstand the drastic change of the cultural tide.
But Tower is still remembered fondly by those who shopped, worked and just hung out at those stores, absorbing the music, books, videos and magazines the chain offered — content that wasn’t often available anywhere else. Colin Hanks was one of those fans and has made a documentary about Tower Records titled All Things Must Pass. Here is the trailer:
This looks like it will be massively appealing to music fans and audiophiles, and anyone who just enjoyed the culture that a Tower Records store created. (Personally, I spent many, many hours — and a lot of money — at the location in Ann Arbor, Mich., thumbing through CDs, videos, books and magazines. I don’t know how many albums I bought just because I heard them play over the speakers at Tower. It truly broke my heart when that store closed.)
With testimonials from the many who worked at Tower, in addition to artists such as Dave Grohl, Bruce Springsteen, Elton John and Chuck D, All Things Must Pass is set to be released this month in limited markets. No word yet on whether a wider release is planned (not always a definite proposition for documentaries) or if the film will be available on demand and for download.
