It’s a documentary that’s a loving look-back at the music scene in Laurel Canyon in the late ‘60s. I of course, am a sucker for those times.
Jakob Dylan handles the interviews and part of the film is organizing a concert where current stars do cover versions of these iconic hits. Hey, if that’s what it takes to get young people interested in classic
60s music I’m all for it. Plus, a lot of these contemporary artists were great.
From about 1964 until the early ‘70s, the Laurel Canyon section of Los Angeles was a music mecca. The Byrds, the Doors, Brian Wilson, Buffalo Springfield, the Mamas & the Papas, the Association, Joni Mitchell, Frank Zappa, Graham Nash, Carole King, Eric Clapton, Micky Dolenz (I saved the best for last) are just a few of the groundbreaking artists who huddled in the canyon only a few miles away from the Sunset Strip, where they all played.
Make no mistake; the documentary sugarcoats the whole scene. Yes, it was creatively exciting, and everyone was working on everyone else’s songs. And Mama Cass would cook for you.
But left out was rampant drug use, alcohol abuse, and any other self-destructive behavior young people suddenly with money could get into. There were lots of O.D.’s, lots of future rehabs, and drastically accelerated expiration dates. The good times did not come without a price.
I never learned how to play an instrument so I never crashed that scene. I was also paranoid about drugs. But there’s no denying that it was a magic era and the music produced has stood the test of time. ECHO IN THE CANYON is worth seeing. Even I learned a few things I didn’t know. Wow, Michelle Phillips really slept around.
And I miss Humble Harve even more.
31 comments :
So you don't think any of the male musicians of that era slept around? Come on, Ken...
Is Jackie DeShannon part of this? If not, it's a notable (and unfortunate) decision. Perhaps her ties to pop and the LA equivalent of Tin Pan Alley took her out of contention since as a singer and songwriter (the Byrds covered her "Don't Doubt Yourself, Babe," for one), she definitely belongs. And, as I've asked before, hasn't she earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame?
"Make no mistake; the documentary sugarcoats the whole scene..."
That's what always gives me pause in watching music biopics, particularly ones about living or recently deceased people. I am convinced that as long as surviving family and friends are in the mix, if only to give their approval to the rights to the story, the result will cover up the worst aspects of that person or scene. And it will inevitably end with a message of triumph and hope--basically a hagiography.
And the thing that is most disheartening to me is that many of these films are potentially great, and often superbly well-acted: RAY at the top of the list, also the recent Brian Wilson biopic. They don't entirely shy away from things like drug use and other personal shortcomings, but man do they ever paint it as Bad Things That Happened To A Virtuous guy. You could watch RAY leaving thinking that Ray Charles never touched dope ever again after 1965, which is not true.
Could a film about James Brown even possibly be made today?
Michelle Phillips talked about sleeping around quite a bit in her autobiography. She really bought into the free love philosophy, and things went a bit pear shaped on occasion when her partners would get possessive.
Jeff,
OF COURSE they did and that's why I envied the bastards. :)
"Micky Dolenz (I saved the best for last)"
Ha! Good one.
You and Mr. Isaacs should think about creating and developing a series about this era, Ken.
" Frank Beans: Could a film about James Brown even possibly be made today?"
Um, there was one just 5 years ago- "Get on Up". Pretty good, too.
So much great music made by so many young people in such a short time - it was almost akin to the 19th Century Impressionists.
The problem is a major factor in destroying it was the drugs. If you look at the history of the bands, anyone who tells you differently doesn't know what they are talking about. Yes, they could enhance creativity - but only for a short time before the negatives overwhelm the positives. (If you look at Pet Sounds or Sergeant Pepper, which were chemically enhanced, you'd only have to look three or four years down the road to see where it led - neither the Beach Boys or The Beatles of 1970 would have been thought of as major artists had it not been for their legendary work of the early and mid 1960's ).
next to the drugs the most destructive influence was the corporate takeover of the music.
I just have to say that Micky Dolenz had one of the best voices in pop music. His harmonies with Mike Nesmith were beautiful on songs such as "The Door Into Summer". The snark was not appreciated.
I'm anxious to see this. These were my 'formative years'. I knew all the bands, band members' backgrounds, what equipment they used, everything I could learn. I was fascinated with the music of that era and still am. That period was also when FM radio blossomed. My mother was newly divorced at the time and didn't have much money but managed to afford to get me the FM radio I wanted so badly. It was a demonstrator with a broken button. I was glued to that radio every night and heard new songs and information about the bands on it. I grew up in the San Diego area and there was a station called KPRI 'Capri' that played beautiful music and signed off around midnight. Some guys paid them to use their facilities and signal each night from sign off til about 3am. It was one of the first 'underground' stations in the country. And it was a great one. Those memories remain vivid in my mind.
A cheap Monkee joke? That's lazy writing!!
current stars do cover versions of (standards) .... (they) get young people interested in classic 60s music
Long before my wife gave me a better education in The Great American Songbook, Linda Ronstadt got me started in my twenties. How? In the 80s she released three LP's fronting Nelson Riddle's orchestra. You may have heard of some of the songwriter/arrangers:
Gershwin (both), Irving Berlin, Ellingon, Billy Strayhorn, Rodgers and Hart, are the "famous ones" - more famous are the songs themselves.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What%27s_New_(Linda_Ronstadt_album)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lush_Life_(Linda_Ronstadt_album)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/For_Sentimental_Reasons_(Linda_Ronstadt_album)
Jeff Weimer:
Yes, sir. Aye aye, captain. I will dutifully follow your order and watch the movie that my ignorance has kept me from, and promise never to have an erroneous opinion ever again.
Yeah 60's music was cool but I know what you really want to talk about is baseball. So here is a great example of why computer called Balls and Strikes will be coming sooner than later. https://streamable.com/j24n1
Mickey D was a child star also. I think you should include Linda Ronstadt and Jackson Browne as a big part of that scene. It seems like they all slept around with the same circle of people! I read a book a few years back which chronicled Joni, Carole and Carly. It was interesting to realize these strong female voices had lives that revolved around the men they were dating, and they themselves were not very supportive of other female singer. Janice B.
There's the book "Girls Like Us"which is about the lives of Carole King, Joni Mitchell and Carly Simon. A good part of it deals with Joni and the "ladies from the canyon".
It seem to me that in the past there have been similar documentaries on this subject. I think one might have been on PBS. Regardless, I wonder if there's really anything new in this doc or if it's just retreading old ground. Who knows? It may be worth watching even if one is already familiar with the subject.
M.B.
P.S. By the way Ken, you're the right age. Did you get any of that hot, 60's lovin'?
Jeeeeeeeeeeesus. I'm a Monkees fan. Ken apparently is not. That's fine. It's his blog, he gets to make a Monkees joke without people getting their panties folded while still wearing them.
Sleeping around...
In Linda Ronstadt's autobiography, she talks about sitting at the bar with Janis Joplin, both of them enviously watching a girl with a golden voice whom *everybody* wanted to fuck - Maria Muldaur.
From The Office of Sanctimony.
(Calling out trivial differences in speech since 2013)
Dear Ken,
Its come to our attention that you singled out a female member of the Phillips family for past immoral behavior? I simply cannot allow this transgression to go improperly snarked upon. Otherwise, next thing you know you'll be talking about how only Lady Macbeth made a terrible host or how just Sister Woman acted mendaciously. Wake up it's almost the 2020s!
Further Jeff Grant only called out your festering mess of a mistake in the most tepid manner. For his failure he must bear the stock and a braining with rotten fruit. Repent accordingly lest you suffer a similar fate Mr. Levine. But for now suffer under the oppressive chant of shame (coincidentally printed on my seal of office) . SHAAAMMMEEE!
Yours sneeringly,
Francis "Shrimpy" McFussbritches
The Sanctimonious Prig in Chief
Sean
I just read that movie theaters in August will show five colorized episodes of 'I Love Lucy's as part of a Lucille Ball birthday tribute. Initially, I couldn't see an audience that would pay current movie ticket prices for this. Then I saw that they are going to release them on DVD.(The theatrical showing is a promotion for the DVD.) I am old enough to remember when episodes of Your Show of Shows were shown in theatres. Do you think episodes of shows that you worked on could be shown effectively on a big screen? Can you think of any classic situation comedy that could have episodes shown?
Check out "Laurel Canyon: The Inside Story Of Rock-And-Roll's Legendary Neighborhood", Michael Walker, Faber & Faber, 2nd ed, 2016
A little more honest about debauchery, but also thorough musical research.
Recent documentaries are benefitting from estates archiving their materials in various research-based universities/library/museums over the last twenty years or so. Fresh takes galore!
Maria Muldaur! I still listen to "Midnight at the Oasis."
Viewing the above comments, I'm surprised you weren't criticized yesterday for your obituary on Humble Harve.
Their argument - it should have been accompanied by another 5 paragraphs on an obituary for a female, as an article simply about a male is sexist.
Aren't there days like today where you feel that it would be better off to shut down the comments section?
@Frank Beans,
Serious question (not snarky). Does that mean you didn't know about or remember "Get On Up," or that you had a negative opinion about the movie? I never saw it myself, and heard mixed reviews.
Andrew--
I actually had not heard of the documentary, and I will check it out. It sounds worth watching.
As for the snark--well, part yes, part no.
I thought ECHO was terrific, but I was surprised that there was zero mention of The Doors. I wonder if there were a rights issue, or if they simply felt that ground had been tilled once too often.
Incidentally, in the ArcLight Stories that followed it at the showing I attended, the director notes that one of his inspirations was (no kidding) IT'S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD. He said it was the first movie that made him conscious of the geography of L.A., and added that an early poster design mimicked Jack Davis' iconic key art. Who'da thunk it?
Since 1982, I've had the pleasure of being friends with comic book artist/historian Trina Robbins; she was a mentor to me as a kid and remains my hero. I'm not claiming that we're incredibly close or anything, but I thought that after knowing her for so long, there were no surprises left.
Then I happened to check her Wikipedia page about 3 years ago and discovered that Trina, *our Trina*, was one of The Ladies of the Canyon, the first one mentioned! Whuh? Huh? Zuh??? Then it went on to say that she designed costumes for Morrison and Donovan as well as the costume for Vampirella (what there is of it! PHWOAR!), and I about fell OUT. I asked her about it, and she confirmed it all (and more!), absolutely bemused that these facts had somehow escaped my notice. Love her to bits.
Cheers, thanks a lot,
Storm
Agree
But why call her out? That’s not cool.
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