Yxklyx
01-25-2008, 09:59 PM
A belated review... recommended by Eleven
Monterey Pop (1968, D.A. Pennebaker) [Disc 1 from the newly released set]
It's a mixed bag of different shapes and sizes. There's very little shown other than the performances and some audience shots which was fine. Towards the beginning there are some rather mediocre acts (from bands I've never heard of) and some very good ones. Also, some of the musical selections left a bit to be desired. I like Simon and Garfunkel but Feeling Groovy is not something I'd go to a concert to listen to - blech. The Mamas and the Papas song felt a bit flat - I mean where's the flute solo - that's that makes that song (California Dreamin'). The best of the early performances is Janis Joplin singing Ball and Chain. Spectacular! Canned Heat has a very good set too - I don't think I've ever listened to them before. Jefferson Airplane and the guy from The Byrds (?) had rather dull sets. As for Hendrix and The Who, they both felt out of place. They were more about the act than the music. I didn't realize that Daltry's stutter in My Generation was just a gimmick to make their performance stand out and during Hendrix' sex with the guitar the camera kept lingering on a girl who looked totally bored with the whole thing. I'm probably forgetting a few other good performances BUT the definite highlight of the film is the last set where Ravi Shankar goes wild for about 15 minutes. That amazing finale is all that was needed. 6/10
Monterey Pop (1968, D.A. Pennebaker) [Disc 1 from the newly released set]
It's a mixed bag of different shapes and sizes. There's very little shown other than the performances and some audience shots which was fine. Towards the beginning there are some rather mediocre acts (from bands I've never heard of) and some very good ones. Also, some of the musical selections left a bit to be desired. I like Simon and Garfunkel but Feeling Groovy is not something I'd go to a concert to listen to - blech. The Mamas and the Papas song felt a bit flat - I mean where's the flute solo - that's that makes that song (California Dreamin'). The best of the early performances is Janis Joplin singing Ball and Chain. Spectacular! Canned Heat has a very good set too - I don't think I've ever listened to them before. Jefferson Airplane and the guy from The Byrds (?) had rather dull sets. As for Hendrix and The Who, they both felt out of place. They were more about the act than the music. I didn't realize that Daltry's stutter in My Generation was just a gimmick to make their performance stand out and during Hendrix' sex with the guitar the camera kept lingering on a girl who looked totally bored with the whole thing. I'm probably forgetting a few other good performances BUT the definite highlight of the film is the last set where Ravi Shankar goes wild for about 15 minutes. That amazing finale is all that was needed. 6/10