Another one of my Criterion Collections’ 50% off purchases was “Jimi Plays Monterey / Shake! Otis at Monterey” which documents each artists’ performance at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967. This is directed by D.A. Pennebaker - for the most part, straight concert footage is used, a credit to Pennebaker’s taste. One point where this strays during the music is during Otis’s “Try a Little Tenderness” where Pennebaker cuts in shots of various women in the audience and outside of the venue with children, lovers, etc. It’s short, very sweet, and manages to get beyond all the negative hippie mystique of the era and show the truly beautiful aspects of the 60’s - all in a short 2-3 (?) minute sequence. Very well done.
Both of these are historic performances and important documents of the history of rock and rhythm and blues music. There are many highlights, not the least of which is seeing a very young Donald "Duck" Dunn spasm all over his bass in glorious fashion.
I’m glad they’re in my collection.
Cool post! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lori. I looked at your to-do list this morning - commenting on a friends' blog wasn't on the list - thanks for taking the time to do so.
ReplyDeleteI bought the cassette tape of "Jimi Plays Monterey" in high school and nearly wore it out. Great live show; I'll have to check out the film.
ReplyDeleteI bet you'd like it, then, Mr. Kaiju. The sound quality is really good, plus there's performance of the Experience doing a cover of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" that's really cool, too - can't remember where it was filmed, though.
ReplyDeleteHi! You're so welcome! It's my pleasure. You're a great blogger. Also, I like the layout of the blog. Did you take the photograph of the tree in the snow?
ReplyDeleteI cannot take credit for the photograph - it's one of the blogger themes that I tweaked. Thanks for the compliment. I've been using the blog as a way to exercise my woefully underused writing chops, not as a way to try and reach the world, necessarily - it's great when friends do take the time to comment, though. It's not the same as getting together, but given how busy we all are, it can provide some good discussion.
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