THE PLOT THUS FAR
‘Amazing is an understatement. He was brilliant.` So says the Queen of Soul in this Grammy nominated documentary chronicling the life and career of `One of the greatest producers of the 20th Century` who produced more than 50 gold and platinum records with sales topping 50 million units. Supported with a treasure trove of archival footage, photos, music and in-depth interviews with Sir George Martin, Bette Midler, The Bee Gees, Hall & Oates, Phil Collins, Norah Jones, Barbra Streisand, and more.
WHAT WE THOUGHT
“The Greatest Ears in Town” celebrates the life of Arif Mardin. It’s a standard celebratory piece about how awesome it is to work in the industry for decades. Honestly, I have to say that it’s well made with just the right amount of interviews. Normally, it’s easy to poo-poo these affairs due to the ability to turn into puff pieces. However, this film serves as an extended time capsule for the industry.
What’s so impressive is that the guy worked with everyone from the Bee Gees to Norah Jones to indirect work on the South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut soundtrack. If you had to balance the material, I could see acts getting cut. But, the presentation of the acts in this documentary showcase its history. Somehow, I feel like I’m not selling how informative the material will be.
The DVD comes with no substantial special features other than the extra interview footage. However, the A/V Quality holds up across the board. The transfer is pretty flat and the full PCM 48K track supports the dialogue. That being said, it wasn’t meant to blow out your home theater. In the end, I’d recommend a purchase to fans of rock history.
RELEASE DATE: 11/05/2013