Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Read before you buy. This was a great DVD., February 23, 2006
This DVD explored the history of the Red Dog Saloon. It is a documentary of the origins of the Haight-Ashbury cultural scene, not early footages of the rock bands. It never was marketed as such. "Featuring music by ...", not "full concert footage by ...." If you want a Grateful Dead show, buy one. There are plenty. This DVD doesn't claim to be one, so if you thought it was when you bought it, you need to read to more carefully next time.
As a documentary, it features interviews with the owners, bartenders, cook, et al., all the people who made the Saloon, and eventually the Haight. All insightful and entertaining.
Of course the Charlatans figured an important part of the DVD; they were an important part of the Saloon and its history. Not the Dead. Not Quicksilver. Not the Airplane.
It dragged toward the end, and I could have done without the current music performances, and would have prefered more
of the personal videos and photographs (if there were anymore), and more about the 2nd and 3rd tiered groups.
A fascinating documentary it is (for those interested in the history of the San Francisco rock scene). A video full of early performances it's not.
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18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Psychedelic Music Backstory , April 16, 2006
I consider this an essential documentary of the sixties music scene. It's a story that might well be lost without this film.
If you're expecting a Grateful Dead video, like all the other videos from this company, then don't bother buying this one.
I'm really quite shocked by the one star reviews of this fascinating video. I guess either you get it or you don't.
Rockin' at the Red Dog isn't boring - it's hip, man, you dig?
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The only footage of the Charlatans are on this DVD, January 21, 2007
I have to agree with some aspects of the negative reviews found here: Yes, if you're looking for stories revolving around the popular bands of the area, don't buy it. Actually, only buy this, if you heard or read of the Red Dog Saloon before. Because then it's safe to assume that you are really familiar with the development of the music scene in San Francisco in the 60s. Because then you don't have to rely on this DVD to learn who the Grateful Dead or Jefferson Airplane were.
If the Red Dog Saloon does ring a bell, buy this DVD. Buy it, because it contains the only known footage of the Charlatans, the real pioneers. True: If you listen to their sound you would never guess that they were the spearhead of the music scene back in 64 and 65. But that's not the point. This DVD basically explains why the Charlatans worked as a band, as an image and as a visual focus point that drew people because it was way cool.
Also to be seen on DVD: Excerpts of the Red Dog Reunion concert back in the early 90s with the Charlatans and Big Brother And The Holding Company. Lynne Hughes is there, too. The background of the Light Machine is explained. Interviews with people from the scene less famous than the typical names associated with it. Oh yes, and music. Music that is virtually forgotten by most of us today but still belongs and is easily identified as part of the dawn of psychedelic rock.
The bottom line: Great if not fantastic DVD for people interested in the background of the music scene. It concentrates on the Red Dog and leaves therefore little room for the more famous bands of the area. But that was not the intention. The DVD is a joy to watch. It is great to listen to the interviews. I will treasure this DVD.
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