In an attempt to explain to the rest of the world what was happening musically in San Francisco in the late 1960s, pioneering public television documentarian and Rolling Stone magazine co-founder Ralph J. Gleason produced a pair of films featuring performances by the Jefferson Airplane, the Grateful Dead, Quicksilver Messenger Service, the Steve Miller Band and other popular groups from the city. The results are collected here on a two-DVD set: 1968's impressive West Pole and 1969's less-informative, more experimental Go Ride the Music.
By using innovative split screens, psychedelic lighting, unusual camera angles and other experimental production techniques, Gleason presented a San Francisco many viewers outside of the area had probably never seen. Given the blurry and distorted performance footage, plenty of flower-power dancing scenes and unrehearsed interviews with a slew of hippies, I'm not sure about the effectiveness of these films each clocking in at less than one hour in the big world outside of the Haight Street district. But made available now by the Gleason estate, they stand both as valuable pieces of history and tremendous slices of nostalgia. And some of the performances, most notably the Airplane's "We Can Be Together" and "Volunteers," the Dead's "New Potato Caboose," the Steve Miller Band's "Roll With It" and Sons of Champlin's "Freedom" stand up to repeat viewing 40 years on
Track Listings
West Pole:
1) Music-Ace of Cups
2) Roll With It-Steve Miller Band
3) Greasy Heart-Jefferson Airplane
4) New Potato Caboose-The Grateful Dead
5) Dino's Song-Quicksilver Messenger Service
6) Sittin' In Circles-Steve Miller Band
7) Simplicity-Ace of Cups
8) Freedom-Sons of Champlin
9) Gospel Song-Ace of Cups
Go Ride the Music
1) Intro
2) We Can Be Together-Jefferson Airplane
3) Volunteers-Jefferson Airplane
4) Mexico-Jefferson Airplane
5) Warm Red Wine-Quicksilver Messenger Service
6) Baby Bay-Quicksilver Messenger Service
7) Subway-Quicksilver Messenger Service
8) Plastic Fantastic Lover-Jefferson Airplane
9) Somebody to Love-Jefferson Airplane
10) Mona-Quicksilver Messenger Service
11) Emergency-Jefferson Airplane
12) Wooden Ships-Jefferson Airplane
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