I Need That Record

Brendan Toller directed this documentary on how the changing shape of the music industry is helping to kill off the mom and pop record stores that have done so much to enrich the culture of pop music fandom, and it gets a worthwhile presentation on DVD from MVD Visual. I Need That Record!: The Death (Or Possible Survival) of the Independent Record Store has been transferred to disc in the full-frame aspect ratio of 1.33:1. The transfer is clear and well detailed, and while the film was clearly produced on a shoestring budget (and some of the found footage was clearly sourced from aging videotapes or on-line sources), most of the materials look quite good on this release. The audio has been mastered in uncompressed PCM Stereo, and while the location interview recordings are often short of flawless, the overall fidelity is good and at very least adequate. The interviews and dialogue are in English, with no subtitles or multiple language options included. As a bonus, this edition also includes additional interview footage from some of the musicians who appear in the film, including Thurston Moore, Ian MacKaye, Lenny Kaye, Glenn Branca and Patterson Hood. This DVD presents Toller's film in a simple but manner, and the extras will appeal to the sort of music fans who would enjoy this film most and enjoy hearing thoughtful indie rock icons chat at length about their musical enthusiasms.