Customer Reviews

Rockin' at the Red Dog: The Dawn of Psychedelic Rock

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

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.

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?

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.

"Rockin' at the Red Dog" is a well made documentary on the beginnings of the San Francisco psychedelic music/art scene that would eventually sweep the country (and the world) and have repercussions lasting for decades. The interviews with those involved are entertaining and insightful. However, I did have some small qualms; the packaging would lead one to believe that there is a lot of Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, etc. in the film when they are only mentioned briefly and there are no live performances by those bands. This is primarily about the Charlatans, a seminal SF band, and there isn't really much footage of them in existence to show. It would have been nice to have seen them playing live in their (very short) heyday, as well as some of the other SF garage bands briefly glimpsed in the film. Still, I recommend "Rockin" to those interested in rock history/evolution. Deadheads looking for concert footage will be disappointed.

I was stunned to see how little footage of any of the bands there was on this DVD especially after the description touted them so much. It's an ok documentary of that time but the way it is being marketed borders on misrepresentation. If you want to see or hear these bands go elsewhere. Very disappointing.

I watched this DVD waiting to see the Dead and Quicksilver to show up and guess what?-they're not in it! To even attempt to tie this DVD to the music scene in SF is outrageous. So if you want to start a bar out in the country and get one band to play there, buy this. If you want to see the DEAD-get their DVD, if you want to see QMS-get John Cippolina's tape, JA-get their DVD, etc. But don't buy this one. I watched the SF genre develop and kept hearing about THE CHARLATANS and couldn't understand why they didn't "break out" nationally. This tells me why. They just were not good. If you want to "hear" the true spirit of SF, buy the first MOBY GRAPE album (CD). It has all you need to hear.

I gave this DVD every star available. It is solidly produced and presents a robust explication of a Movement which is taken for granted now, but was, lest we forget, ephemeral and wildly improbable in the extreme. Yet it happened. Chaos theory spins a tale of the "butterfly effect" which can eventually power a hurricane on the other side of the Earth. How did the long hair of the Hippie's actually come about? Were Hippies "slobs", "bums", "idiots"? No, they were perfectionists, actually, as any Grateful Dead roadie could endlessly testify. The accessability of the story is perhaps too clear and immediate for viewers to credit on first viewing. This film will get under your skin. It is neglected, discounted anthropology. It is important.

This DVD says it all--the history, the music of the era, the culture of the 60s San Franciso-Virginia City, NV scene that helped to create it..amazing Charlatans. This DVD is a documentary that digs deep into the origins of the 1960s Haight-Ashbury counterculture. This is a story of Beatniks transforming into countercultural artists and the culture that develops out of a Virginia City, Nevada saloon. This DVD features Big Brother and the Holding Company when the group first began, as well as The charlatans, and more. These artists and individualists created a new culture and a new prototype society on the streets and in the Red Dog Saloon. You will not be disappointed by this amazing and highly informative film.

Not having seen this video yet, I must still say this: To appreciate this DVD, you must understand that there is VERY LITTLE original footage of ANY SF bands from this period. The heyday of the Red Dog Saloon in Virginia City, particularly related to The Charlatans, was '65/'66. We didn't have video cameras back then, for crying out loud! ANY surviving footage is to be treasured, now! If it wasn't for Monterey, there'd be next to nothing of the early days of bands like JA or Big Brother, either. BUY IT WHEN YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY! The Charlatans were different ... not the best, but they, like so many, were plowing new ground, and that alone is to be appreciated ...

This was very interesting from a historical perspective of the psychedelic movement in San Francisco, and how the original Family Dog started. Great clips of some of the favorite old bands of the era, but I would have liked more. Some of the interviews seemed long and rambling without much insight, just a lot of reminiscing about people that may not have been included in the film. All in all, worthwhile watching for anyone interested in the history of these exciting, definitive times.