There are many people, places, and things that made up the San Francisco psychedelic explosion of the 1960s. Much of it has become an important cultural moment in history, known to many, with the likes of key figures like Bill Graham, places like the Fillmore West, and groups and artists such as the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane and others.
A venue that may not be known to the casual fan of ’60s music is The Family Dog. While not as popular at the Fillmore, or with as long a run as Winterland, it was a key part of the scene. Performances that were part of a series of San Francisco public television broadcasts from 1970, that were originally released on DVD in 2007, have now been reissued as a two-DVD set and include two additional shows from 1969 and 1968 that were part of a 2008 reissue.
The concerts and television broadcasts that comprise these discs were produced by Ralph J. Gleason. Gleason was a jazz critic for the San Francisco Chronicle, who was a key figure in the birth of the scene. The older critic, along with the young Jan Wenner launched Rolling Stone magazine in San Francisco in 1967. His stature, influence and blessing on the trailblazing young musicians and hipsters lent a legitimacy to the scene’s early birth.
The first concert segment here, A Night At The Family Dog At The Great Highway, features some of the key groups of the time and place—Santana, the Grateful Dead and the Jefferson Airplane. The performances capture Santana just as the group was exploding on the scene after its 1969 galvanizing performance at Woodstock, the release of its self-titled debut album, and the year that the group would release its iconic Abraxas album.
The Grateful Dead was just hitting its early peak and moving into a more countrified acoustic sound with Workingman’s Dead and American Beauty. The band’s three performances here are the group at its best, with the iconic “China Cat Sunflower” a standout. The Jefferson Airplane was also at a somewhat transitional phase, as the group was between the politically charged Volunteers and the experimental Bark, the second-to-last album from the group in this period. The end of the concert features a jam including all three bands.
Go Ride The Music features the Jefferson Airplane playing live in a recording studio in 1970 and the Quicksilver Messenger Service performing outdoors at Sonoma State University in 1969. The Airplane lineup is the same as at the Family Dog segment, except drummer Spencer Dryden is replaced here by Joey Covington. Just like in the Family Dog segment, the footage here of the Jefferson Airplane reflects the group’s immortal magic.
There’s a slightly reworked “Somebody to Love” and a majestic “Wooden Ships,” the first time we really get to see a more prominent role by Paul Kantner. There are several shots of David Crosby in attendance and it’s surprising he didn’t join in on “Wooden Ships.” The Quicksilver set catches that band at one of its peaks and is some of the best film available of the group on DVD or Blu-ray out there.
Westpole, is the oldest and most experimental segment included here, while the Family Dog segment is mostly a straightforward concert film and the Go Ride The Music has some supplementary, non-performing segments and an occasional unique approach to filming and staging performances. Westpole also puts out front the driving force behind these programs, Ralph J. Gleason. He is the host and guide, offering insights and support for the still relatively new San Francisco counterculture. He’s an avuncular and calming avatar, who enthusiastically champions this new sound and style and his imprimatur seal of approval lends real weight to the proceedings and probably opened the eyes of older generations to the worth of the music.
This final segment, while providing more Grateful Dead and Quicksilver music, focuses on then lesser-known acts like Ace Of Cups, the Steve Miller Band, and Sons of Champlin. We get two iconic performances, one from the Grateful Dead, doing “New Potato Caboose” and another from Quicksilver on “Mona.”
The segments recorded on video have a home-grown, cinema-verite feel, but the more experimental and shot-on-film sequences are more visually arresting. The audio is offered in two-channel mono, Dolby digital stereo, and 5.1 Surround Sound, making for stellar and varied sound. The package includes liner notes by Toby Gleason, Ralph J. Gleason’s son, and include a beautiful, psychedelic poster.
This artifact of another age may sometimes seem like footage of aliens from another civilization, but the music is impeccable, particularly the irrepressible and super-group lineups of the Jefferson Airplane. The music here has aged surprisingly well and, unfortunately, supports the notion that much of today’s popular music is not very original or groundbreaking, but, often artificial, sterile, and too reliant on image, and most importantly, a reflection of a scene with no new significant groups.
