Customer Reviews

A Night at the Family Dog 1970 (The Grateful Dead / Jefferson Airplane / Santana)

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

These performances were actually taped at the Family Dog in San Francisco in February, 1970, not September, 1970 as indicated in the blurb accompanying the Amazon entry. The late Spencer Dryden was still drumming for Jefferson Airplane, and had yet to be replaced by Joey Covington, who joined the band in the spring of 1970, so that gives a clue as to the performance date. I have a nth-degree-generation, very-poor-quality VHS of the original TV broadcast, which I saw at least a dozen times on PBS channels 13 and 21 in New York between 1970 and 1972. The intensity of all 3 bands is startlingly good, and the bands are in fine fettle, but the gig represents a sort of swan song for the 60s-era-iterations of the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane, as both bands would change directions in the coming months---the Dead towards country/bluegrass/folk, and the Airplane towards its well-documented splinter into the Slickantner and Hot Tuna factions. But, oh, the memories! btw, the JA version of "The Ballad of You & Me & Pooneil" that is part of the Family Dog show is also included in the recently-released "Fly Jefferson Airplane" DVD.

Beyond the film quality which is 1970's average at best, this DVD is Rock essential. Santana, The Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, the light show and hippie dancers is short in length, but still worth every penny. SANTANA - Carlos Santana in recent years admitted the original band was his best. They follow the Woodstock performance here playing two instrumetals proving they were no one hit wonders. "Abraxas" was not out yet, so it was still a work in progress. The musicianship is better than Woodstock, though not the fire. Gregg Rolie, "Chepito" and the rest made this more of a group than in the later years when the guitar hero was backed by... "Who's He Got This Year"? THE GRATEFUL DEAD - Why was this band never the same after Ron "Pigpen" McKernan died? He was the group's premier showstopper. Jerry Garcia was the leader, "Pigpen" the spark plug. He lets it all go on the R&B "Hard To Handle" lifting the room to peak level. The jam on "China Cat" is just a notch bellow "Europe 72". Still doggone good. The drummers sizzle. JEFFERSON AIRPLANE - Jack Casady's blistering bass solo alone on "The Ballad Of You & Me & Pooneil" is something to watch and hear. The guy is wired. Grace Slick, vocals and Jorma Kaukonen, guitar are in sync on "Eskimo Blue Day" even though after the song, it's apparent Slick is loaded. This was a great 60's band that splintered later into three parts. The Airplane is better here than at Woodstock and Monterey. THE ALLSTAR JAM is good only for watching. Carlos, Jerry and Jorma seem to respect each other too much rather than trying to top each other. Which band steals the show? It's a three way tie, all having shining moments that will never again will be dupliated. Now that "A Night At The Family Dog" is finally available, I hope next to follow will be the "Fillmore: Last Days" movie on DVD.

I write this from the perspective of a deadhead for deadheads. Okay, a night in a small club with a youthful trio of Santana, the Grateful Dead, and the JA, what could even compare today? How many visual opportunities exist to see Pigpen put his signature on "Hard To Handle"? For these reasons, this is a must buy for all, and not even a second thought for deadheads.

Still, if you've listened (and watched) enough Grateful Dead in your life, you can tell the truly great nights from the good nights, despite any hype or advertising. This was a good night, not a great night (at least for the Dead). The "Hard to Handle" is a treat with Pigpen in great (Workingman's Dead era) form, thinned down from the mid-sixties but not yet gaunt and sick from '72 until RIP. Yet, within a year or so, the Dead would find magic with the jam portion of this song. Simply listen to the Hollywood Palladium show from 8/6/71 or from their final show at the Fillmore East on 4/29/71 to hear what Hard To Handle sounded like on a great night.

More of the same with China Cat Sunflower/I Know you Rider. This version is a good 1970 version. However, by 1972 the Dead had taken the suite to a much higher level, and continued to develop it well into 1974 and later.

The Santana songs are quite good. The highlight of the Airplane portion is the bass solo in "The Ballad Of You And Me And Pooneil". Jack Casady was simply one of the coolest rock stars of his time and his sound and style are vividly on display. This is Airplane on a very psychedelic night (as opposed to political night).

Then comes the All Star Jam... Well again, how many other dvds can you go out and buy that have Garcia, Santana, Kaukonen, et. al. playing together simultaneously on the same stage? None, I believe. Still, musically its not anything that would make the hair stand up on your back. Its a lot of cooks in the pot.

Thirty-seven years later it is a joy to have this show play in our living rooms. For years I owned a vhs copy of this show (I think bootlegged from WNET). It is a surprise and pleasure to now have it on dvd. However... they did nothing to improve the sound (like even get it to stereo, let alone 5.1). Further, the artwork for the sleeve is funny, as they managed to get song titles and band names mixed up.

Go out and buy this dvd. Just know the Dead reached heights much higher than this night - as cool as it must of been to be at the Family Dog that night.

this is an approx. 1-hour color videotape, 16-track recorded snapshot of February 1970 performances by these three bands at The Family Dog in San Francisco. Originally produced at the time for public television broadcast; see the review entitled "Amazing Performances" for details ... also disagree w/ "It's Not the 60's" review comment: Grateful Dead were still to break new musical ground from 1970-74 esp. after 1971 when Keith Godchaux joined on piano, as was Santana with even more jazz-oriented 1972-74 albums and lineups (powerhouse drumming from Michael Shrieve here).

for 58 minutes you'll be transported to a time and place in music which can't come back - savor it.

Musically this dvd is 5 star material, If it were a cd this would be a 5 star review. Problem being the brevity and editing. This dvd is much too short (about one hour). The editing flaws include slo-mo shots of a chick hippie-dancing in a sheer dress w/out a bra (even as I type this I feel wrong complaining) the problem is it'll be during peak jams where I would rather see Jerry or Santana's hands or even facial expressions than borderline soft-core porn. The material is great though, Pigpen on video alone is worth the price. It's obvious the cameraman got into the "special punch" that night and just shot whatever the hell he felt like tripping on. For completionists.

I stumbled upon this Public TV one hour special in '70 as a feckless and un-radicalized 14-year old in the midwest. It was a monday night, I think. My parents were in the room. I sat and watched, and my mind was properly blown. I never forgot that bit of programming that came ... and just as quickly, went - Live From The Family Dog. A few years back I noticed it was "out there" ... but not quite ready for release. It was on my watch list in the blink of an eye, and now ... in my collection.
My initial impressions of the production hold true to this day, 37 years later; three outstanding bands, each in midseason form, playing stretched-out songs, with great sound and good visuals ... plus the hippie girls dancing ecstatically around the amps (yeah!), and the psychedelic light show, and the wild-eyed crowd, and the "jam" at the end of the night (what a wonderful mess). All in all, a high-water-mark testament to the Bay Area music scene as it prepared to devolve into something less delightful in the years to come. Watch it for the sizzling rhythm section of Santana, with the conga players in the spotlight. Watch it for Pigpen fronting the Dead as only Pigpen can, in HARD TO HANDLE. Watch it for the mind-melting Jack Casady bass solo in THE BALLAD OF YOU AND ME AND POONEIL, full of ritualistic thunder. Watch it for the Airplane all strumming hollow body axes (!?) Watch it for the Bobby Weir guitar solo on CHINA CAT SUNFLOWER. All in all, a great way to spend an hour.

I had no problem getting an unopened or re-shrinkwrapped copy of this DVD. There is so little visual record of these bands, it is a must-have for fans of this era. Santana cooks, the Dead chug, and the Airplane sound like nobody else but the Airplane. The video quality is quite good, considering color videotape was only a few years along, and the extrapolated Dolby 5.1 Surround is phenomenal, since this was originally recorded in mono. There is a sense, however, as a previous reviewer noted, that these bands were about to leave the period that had been their most formative and creative. The Airplane degenerated into Starship, the Dead became a noodling nostalgia act for Haight wannabees, and Santana became, well, Carlos Santana. There's a big messy"Super Jam" at the end, where nobody can stay in the groove, and if anything symbolizes how the 60's ended, this jam does. Still, these groups really said something in their time which has yet to be equaled. If you liked these bands in your youth, this is a tasty fossil from this era. If you weren't born when these bands were playing, well, too bad, this isn't even their best stuff. But to paraphrase Bruce Springstein the night after Lennon was shot, if it wasn't for these guys, we'd all be someplace else.

Any fan of the Dead must purchase this DVD just to see the band rockin' with Pig singing Hard to Handle (complete with his gracious "thankee" at the end of the song).Then come the classic China Cat/Rider jam. Absolute perfection! Seeing Mickey and Bill on drums,a thin Jerry with black hair,Phil and Bobby front and center and in full support of Jerry's lead,and a "healthy" Pigpen is so awsome.
This is how they looked and sounded when I first attended a Dead show,and this is the most perfect film document of their early days. In full color,complete with dancing hippy-chicks,all you need is some good weed to complete this time capsule.

The Santana performance is also classic post-Woodstock perfection. I love their original band. Excellent latin heat from the acid era.
Speaking of the acid-era,enjoy the original Airplane in full flight.They were one of the loudest bands of that era,and Jorma and Jack provide their best of the that time.Also good harmonies between Marty/Grace and Paul. I loved that band,and I think they're over-looked today when people talk about rock legends.

This is a little piece of history captured for our viewing pleasure...
It only makes you wish there were more old vintage performances available
on dvd... Cheers to eaglevision for keeping the past alive and relevent..

Glad to see they rereleased this dvd.Performances are great ,the music is right on,but it could have been a lot longer.Buy this dvd to see the great PIG PEN with the DEAD.Priceless.