The Netflix documentary takes you back to a certain night - January 28, 1985, to be particular - when legendary musicians of the time came together to create a (now iconic) song that'd contribute to a charitable cause. The story behind the conception and production of the song, narrated with buzzing energy by Lionel Richie, is one where you wouldn't anticipate multiple layers. For starters, to bring all of these musical geniuses (..and I'm talking the likes of Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Diana Ross, Cyndi Lauper, Ray Charles, Huey Lewis, Kenny Rogers, and many more) under the same roof to record the track over the course of a single night - that sounds as fascinating as it is stressful. You gotta give plaudits to producer Quincy Jones for keeping them in unison all through the night, even when there were hints of things going awry.
I can't envision something of this kind happening in today's music scene. Even if a producer wanted to compose a universally resonating track featuring a hundred artists of this generation, it would all be made with modern software technology that'd make it easier to dissociate from, as a music lover. The sheer energy that we can see leaking in the archival footage is something that's hard to replicate. There's even a moment where blind musicians Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles accompany each other to the restroom - like, where else would you hear that kind of a story? I also like how Richie confidently plays the role of a pacifier within this large group; that too on the same night he hosted the AMAs and won half a dozen awards.
Admittedly, the piece does show signs of indulgence towards the end, but it's clever on the makers' part not to keep it too lengthy and unfocused. In its current form, it's a delectable throwback piece that'd simply wow you with all the wonderful footage, the unquestionable charisma of these incredible artists, and the production crew that managed to keep the tightrope steady for some of our favourite musical legends to seamlessly walk on. They created art that night, and we still appreciate it almost four decades later!
I can't envision something of this kind happening in today's music scene. Even if a producer wanted to compose a universally resonating track featuring a hundred artists of this generation, it would all be made with modern software technology that'd make it easier to dissociate from, as a music lover. The sheer energy that we can see leaking in the archival footage is something that's hard to replicate. There's even a moment where blind musicians Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles accompany each other to the restroom - like, where else would you hear that kind of a story? I also like how Richie confidently plays the role of a pacifier within this large group; that too on the same night he hosted the AMAs and won half a dozen awards.
Admittedly, the piece does show signs of indulgence towards the end, but it's clever on the makers' part not to keep it too lengthy and unfocused. In its current form, it's a delectable throwback piece that'd simply wow you with all the wonderful footage, the unquestionable charisma of these incredible artists, and the production crew that managed to keep the tightrope steady for some of our favourite musical legends to seamlessly walk on. They created art that night, and we still appreciate it almost four decades later!