Search - Various Artists :: Summer of Love: 40th Anniversary

Turn On - Tune In - Drop Out - Four Discs - Good Value!!

Rob Burns | Collinsville, IL USA | 05/15/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This Combo DVD/CD packs a lot of Bang for the Buck. This Audio/Video document of a Free Concert on Sept.2 2007 in Golden Gate Park San Francisco reunites many of the Key Bands that flourished in and around the San Fran/Haight-Asbury scene circa 1967. 2 DVDs with over 3 hrs of Concert & Interview content AND 2 CDs with 2+ hrs of Audio.



Packaging states HD DVD but I wouldnt go that far. Video is very good Multi -Cam and Audio is clean; not an overwhelming amount of reverb or crowd noise. 5.1 mix makes great use of Surround Channels for all instruments, so much so that it tended to drown out some lead vocals and solos but can easily be remedied by adjusting individual volume on surround channels.



I do have to laugh though given the nature of the Good Intentioned-Hippie Feel Good Aura surrounding this release, me thinks there was more than a lil "partaking" goin on during Filming and Production. Misspellings on Artists Names on Title Cards, A lil out of Focus & Shakey Camera work now and then but its kept to a minimum. There's a time or two when the Bass is heavy enough its either rattling the camera lens or the clear baffle in front of camera. Also, there's no Song Titles listed on packaging of any of the 4 discs/Song Titles ARE listed on Menu of 2nd DVD but not 1st DVD?



The musicianship is strong and all performances are complete; no snippets of songs or Filler. I do wish the producers would've cut the Interviews by half or offered some Retro 1960's footage instead of including interviews on the majority of the artists. There are a few major bands missing from the San Francisco scene I wouldve loved to see included in the event (remaining members of Grateful Dead, Quicksilver Messinger Service, Santana, Steve Miller) but given this was a FREE EVENT witnessed by 100,000 folks that day, the organizers surely must've been blessed to have all these artists play for Free.



DVD SONG LISTINGS:



DISC ONE (DVD 1)



JEFF JOLLEY The Ride

THE ROWAN BROTHERS Circle Of Friends

JIM POST (of FRIEND & LOVER) Reach Out Of The Darkness

NEW RIDERS OF PURPLE SAGE Any Naked Eye

THE CHARLATANS Early In The Morning

DAN HICKS & HOT LICKS The Buzzard Was Their Friend

RAY MANZAREK w/MIKE MCCLURE Maybe Mama Lion

(SF Beat Poet) and ROB WASSERMAN

CANNED HEAT w/FREDDIE ROULETTE Let's Work Together

TAJ MAHAL EZ Rider

LESTER CHAMBERS (Chambers Bros) Time Has Come Today

MOBY GRAPE Hey Grandma

JERRY MILER BAND (Moby Grape) In The Open (Blues Instrumental)

w/DAVID LAFLAMME and (Its a Beautiful Day)

TIRAN PORTER (Doobie Brothers)





DISC THREE (DVD 2)



COUNTRY JOE MCDONALD Bass Strings

BARRY MELTON (C. Joe & The Fish) The Butchers Boy

SQUID VICIOUS Whole Lotta Love

BRIAN AUGER w/ALAMEDA ALL-STARS Hot 'Lanta

(feat members Gregg Allman's

back-up band)

JEFFERSON STARSHIP White Rabbit and Somebody To Love

LEIGH STEPHENS (Blue Cheer) Its Only Make Believe

w/MARIO CIPPOLINA (Huey Lewis & News)

and GREG DOUGLAS (Steve Miller)

LYDIA PENSE & COLD BLOOD I Just Want To Make Love To You

TERRY HAGGERTY(Sons of Champlin) All Along The Watchtower

RON THOMPSON Frieght Train

DICKIE PETERSON (Blue Cheer) Hootchie Kootchie Man



***I havnt got thru CDs yet (Discs 2 and 4) - Most performances seem to be the same but not all artists featured on DVD are on CD."