All Things Must Pass: The Rise and Fall of Tower Records (2015)

Cast

Dave Grohl
as
Elton John
as
Bruce Springsteen
as Himself
Chris Cornell
as Himself

Get more information about All Things Must Pass: The Rise and Fall of Tower Records (2015) on IMDb

Genres & Description

Action Documentary History Music

7.3 / 10

Established in 1960, Tower Records was once a retail powerhouse with two hundred stores, in thirty countries, on five continents. From humble beginnings in a small-town drugstore, Tower Records eventually became the heart and soul of the music world, and a powerful force in the music industry. In 1999, Tower Records made $1 billion. In 2006, the company filed for bankruptcy. What went wrong? Everyone thinks they know what killed Tower Records: The Internet. But that's not the story. "All Things Must Pass" is a feature documentary film examining this iconic company's explosive trajectory, tragic demise, and legacy forged by its rebellious founder Russ Solomon.

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Comments on this trailer
Comments may include spoiler!

Bass Player

A music store open in the mall but the employees and even the managers of the place had no control on anything. All the music where arrange alphabetical but all the genres where included....so u couldn't explore at all...u know like see what is new for metal or country. U had to basically know what u r looking for...then it closed down again. - @Monday, July 23, 2018 7:23 PM

Jae KiDd

didn't they make a movie on this in the 90s where it was going to shut down so they threw a concert to keep it open?!? - @Friday, June 29, 2018 10:55 PM

MrAntiSellOut

There should also be a documentary about Tower Video - @Monday, March 5, 2018 10:35 AM

Armando chavez

i want my tower records!!! - @Wednesday, December 27, 2017 12:56 AM

BubblegumShallow

and yet the vinyl record album remains and is stronger now than it was 35 years ago the more things change....... - @Friday, December 8, 2017 2:15 AM

Vladiatör Amöndinejad

What's this? A cabal of Jews make bad business decisions, run company into the ground? WHY I NEVER! - @Sunday, July 30, 2017 9:21 AM

vonsmitty1313

Kids download music for free now,because it's so shitty that nobody wants to pay $$$ for it. Then when it isn't considered cool anymore they can delete it and pretend they never liked it in the first place... - @Saturday, May 20, 2017 8:43 PM

DelDuio

For many years the Tower at the corner of Newbury St was the place to be. For me, that was the early 90s. One day in there for shits & giggles I filled out an application- mind you, this was when it was actually pretty hard to get a job there because they always had a huge stack of applications. They called me back and I worked there for a year, in '95. But it was the people I worked with that really made that job fun for me, and gave me lasting memories I'll have forever. And as an added bonus I now know what the hell Zydeco music is! Haha. - @Sunday, April 9, 2017 5:18 PM

Cuntboy McCuntface

I fucking love farting. - @Sunday, March 12, 2017 5:16 PM

Brock Chenier

song at 1:00 is "Fire And Brimstone" by Indigenous Engines. shoutout shazam - @Saturday, January 21, 2017 6:35 PM

This was a story, worth a watch for sure, even if you only have a minor interest in the music from the previous decades. - @Thursday, December 22, 2016 1:28 PM

525Lines

Whether a chain or a hipster operation, record stores were so much more than records.Electronics, magazines, posters, the people, the music. Usually incense burning. You always found something to buy beyond the record you wanted. One store kept back issues of Rolling Stone. Sometimes places had videos and laserdiscs. Some radio stations put out the top 40 list and you always knew somebody that dutifully got & kept each one. You can buy an MP3 anytime of the day or night but there's a certain something we lost. - @Wednesday, November 2, 2016 5:24 AM

m. saint

I was co owner of "The Corner Pocket" pool hall that was directly across the street when Tower Records first opened up back in the early 70s. I saw Sly Stone all fkd up as he drove his brand new Bentley through the plate glass window. Rampart police came, beat his ass and took him to jail. I'm pretty sure that was in 1971. Me and Sky Saxton was standing there smoking some Afghanistani Primo when we heard this loud BOOM. I'll never forget that night. - @Monday, July 25, 2016 2:25 AM

arthur kyriazis

i managed two collectors lp stores in Harvard Square in the late 1970s and damn if my life wasnt exactly as great as described in the documentary. I mean, it was the coolest job in the world--rock stars, rock critics, beautiful women all came in to buy music. and i was their muse and guide. saturdays were very busy. later, after i was very successful, i loved Tower. I used to hang at many of the stores depicted in the documentary--the Tower near NYU at 4th & Broadway in NYC, the one on the Strip in LA, the mega Tower they eventuallt built on the Strip. It was just this temple to music. My wife and i loved Tower. I am sad, sad, sad it's gone. this documentary does it justice. running now on Showtime. - @Monday, May 23, 2016 12:47 PM

Igal Behar Dog Trainer, Educator

he went bankrupt in his own birth country. but honored in Japan. - @Tuesday, May 17, 2016 9:58 AM

wavygr

Great documentary you could tell Tower was a fun place to work. They should had found disgruntle former employees too. - @Monday, April 25, 2016 3:45 PM

Edward Bliss

This was a great documentary. At the end, when the founders were reliving the demise of Tower Records and how the restructuring ripped the heart out of the company, it was sad, but it was just delaying the inevitable. All chain record stores eventually suffered the same fate - @Tuesday, April 12, 2016 11:55 AM

candlewolff

I'm proud of my record collection. - @Monday, April 11, 2016 10:33 PM

SLAV

im downloading this - @Sunday, April 10, 2016 9:39 PM

IX III MCMXCIV

what song on 0.00 pleaseeee - @Saturday, April 9, 2016 3:51 PM

Avant Shrestha

name of the song after 1:00 please!! - @Thursday, April 7, 2016 3:23 PM

Mr.Bboy

Amoeba Accesshiphop.com Underground hip hop.com ear candy music.com This are my to go music stores now. Buy vinyl!!!! Steal mp3!!!!! And i still buy cassette tapes time to time..... Only Good musicians make products like this nowadays. Those limited pressings or or so many copies were made on tape.... its all about actually owning the music in your hands you dont own mp3..... ive had so many friends say i lost my ipod..my phone with all music.... mp3 files were trash or erase....that sucks....!!!!! - @Tuesday, March 29, 2016 12:09 AM

゚チデナヅカウ゚メ

Similar to Blockbuster , rise & fall - @Thursday, March 17, 2016 2:22 AM

agam ghai

which song is it from 1 25 anybody plz - @Monday, March 14, 2016 2:08 AM

Theo Lamp

Please forgive me if I make a short speech. I sell music in a small independent family owned store. I've set our reputation on carrying old school music. No small store can be everything to everybody. If you try to, you lose both your focus and your customers. I do bring in new artists, but I am very selective on the ones I bring in. When I learn a customer's musical tastes, I will often play them some artist's songs on Youtube that I think they may like. I did that today, introducing an old school Jazz guy to Tia Fuller. I never pretend to know everything about music. Anyone who does is either delusional or a liar. But, before I was selling music, I went into a big box chain store, and told the girl I was looking for John Lennon's ACOUSTIC album. She answered John who. I can't make that kind of stuff up. Anyway, I hope those that have stuck with me so far will patronize their local independent music stores. At least those store that show you they really care about the music. Remember, MP3s don't have the same quality as CDs & nothing has the same warmth and fullness as a clean vinyl. Also, for reference as to what we do, Our best sellers are Jazz, Old School R&B & 60's & 70's Rock. My best selling artist is Eva Cassidy. Sorry, it ended up as a long speech. Enjoy the music, Best wishes, Ted - @Sunday, March 13, 2016 5:53 AM

Nathaniel Carr

Excellent0 Howdy?# frightening base What's your opinion about this, guzs !! - @Wednesday, March 9, 2016 4:23 PM

hamajangz

I cried like a bitch when TR closed its doors. So many fond memories of that place. Miss it so much. - @Sunday, February 28, 2016 10:31 PM

HitsTownUSA

IMO, the brick and mortar record store began it's decline when they got rid of 45's and LP's. You could buy a single for $2 in 1989, the following year in 1990 they shoved piece of shit cassette singles ($3) and overpriced CD-Maxi singles ($7) down the consumer's throat, or be forced to buy a full length CD album for $16. Napster/file sharing just drove the final nail on a coffin that was all but nailed shut. - @Tuesday, February 23, 2016 5:26 AM

fliptopsbattle

tnx YTS - @Tuesday, February 9, 2016 12:20 PM

Charthers

I have nice memories from those stores but I have to say man the 90's sucked so much.. I wish I could've been born 10 years later.. - @Saturday, January 30, 2016 12:15 AM

Cleo Ashbee

I worked at Tower records in Sac in 96 & 97 - @Wednesday, January 27, 2016 4:02 PM

Jarvis Adison

Now hipsters have taking over and think they're better than you! - @Saturday, January 23, 2016 4:35 PM

Edward F. Pignataro IV

Rad 5 years working there! - @Monday, January 18, 2016 10:01 PM

JonFL500

I loved Tower Records. Because liked they said, they had everything. I used to go there over Sam Goody, Camelot, and Suncoast. - @Sunday, October 18, 2015 12:47 AM

Wot replays

is John lennon voice at the 00:11 ? - @Saturday, October 17, 2015 3:58 PM

Stephen Flechsing

Tower Records went away because they were way over priced.. there are still record stores like Rasputin and Amoeba in the Bay area that dropped their prices and started focusing on used cd/records/dvds and hard to find titles and they are still doing fine. - @Wednesday, October 14, 2015 8:30 AM

reb1138

Nothing lasts forever - @Monday, October 12, 2015 9:14 PM

Aidan Richardson

Hey. You Rule. story book !!! - @Sunday, October 4, 2015 7:20 PM

records1990

Tower Records was a HUGE part of my life. The day they closed i cried like a baby. I sure do miss it. Cant wait to see this ..looks good. 👍 - @Sunday, September 27, 2015 9:28 AM

RealHomeRecording.com

I'm looking forward to this. If there is a physical release please do not forget to include bonus features as an incentive to purchase it over a digital version! - @Wednesday, September 23, 2015 8:36 PM

Elliott Murray

Well Done. high-pitched clover What do you think, guys? - @Wednesday, September 9, 2015 11:45 AM

LikeTanyaNoT

Good times- this is like my high school yearbook, loved Tower, thanks for the memories, saw Dick Dale perform at the downtown Broadway /East Village branch in the early 90's as well as saw Brian Wilson with his wife walking around the aisles just after the Grammys had let out another time. I always loved the showman goth guy manager who looked like he was a member of The Damned who worked behind the counter with the huge hair and cowbilly outfits with the winkle picker boots, everyone was so nice until the end when things kind of went sideways but whatever. CBGB's was the same way. #NothingLasts - @Tuesday, September 8, 2015 10:33 PM

Nick Michalak

The only Tower Records around Chicago seemed to be about an hour's drive away from me, and when I discovered it in 2003, DAMN were they overpriced! - @Tuesday, September 1, 2015 11:25 PM

FAN SOLO

I will be buying a PHYSICAL COPY of this doc. No more digital down load garbage. - @Saturday, August 29, 2015 12:51 AM

dimitris bright

A prime example of refusing to adapt when evolution and adaptations are necessary - @Friday, August 28, 2015 10:12 PM

Michael Heffernan

Thank god places like brick-and-mortar Amoeba Music still exist here in San Francisco. - @Friday, August 28, 2015 8:25 PM

djmones

Still have Tower Records in Dublin for years now - @Friday, August 28, 2015 4:18 PM

mike nillos

Digital age just destroying the past when looking back at old places lends perspective! - @Friday, August 28, 2015 2:26 PM

THE ROCK FATHER

Rock Father-approved! I've been waiting to see this for years... - @Friday, August 28, 2015 2:13 PM