classicsoncall The ensuing forty plus years have not been kind to "Monterey Pop", the rockumentary that intended to capture the spirit of the three day concert event that kicked off the San Francisco 'Summer of Love'. I found the film to be rather underwhelming, and find it surprising to be so much at odds with other posters on this site regarding it. Honestly, the only acts I found to be entertaining both musically and artistically were Janis Joplin (Ball and Chain), Otis Redding (Been Loving You Too Long), and Jimi Hendrix (Wild Thing). All performers were personal favorites of mine back in the day, and I still listen to their music now, maybe even more so than I did back then.As for the rest, mainly disappointing. The Mamas and the Papas with their opening number sounded more often than not to be off key with unsteady voices. Canned Heat, Simon and Garfunkel, The Animals, not very exciting, while Hugh Masekela didn't convey an identity with his rambling performance. Jefferson Airplane - as uninspiring as their Woodstock clip, though they might have had a good reason for that one, coming on a Sunday morning to a worn out crowd with absolutely no energy. The Who was OK, but you could tell that smashing guitars and destroying their instruments was something new for the audience, even Hendrix' electrifying performance elicited puzzled looks from the crowd. Like, didn't those instruments cost you some money?As for it's influence on the hippie movement and flower power, the seeds were definitely planted and nurtured here, but contrary to what other reviewers on this site propose, this was not 'hippies and great music'. Except for the brightly painted buses and a few other colorful nods to psychedelia, many of those spotlighted in the crowd were rather 'normal' looking by comparison, not even sporting long hair in many cases. Need further proof - how about all those neatly lined up chairs for the concert goers? And if you ask, what about all the cool lava lamp effects that back lit a lot of the performers, try catching any of these headline acts on variety shows of the era and you'll see much of the same.I hate to come across as being that harsh, but for all of it's fame and notoriety as a seminal American music event, "Montery Pop" the movie doesn't do justice to the memory of Monterey Pop the festival. I guess you had to be there.

ed-627 I think, that once you see this masterpiece, especially the finale... which ranks with probably the greatest art in music, you'll agree, simply that it is beyond excellence.Nothing will ever come close to encapsulating the 60's (and I wasn't around then) than this work of art. I could almost live, breathe, smell and rejoice in the atmosphere.It was a rare combination of genius, the times, and a great filmmaker that made something that I consider one of the greats of my life.Great Moments? Mamas and Papas, the jet that flew over the festival, the (amateur?) film maker and his camera (reminded me of Donald Sutherland) and the camera moving past the sultry youth during Ravi Shankars finale. Big pieces and little moments.

phooper I was but 9 years old when this event happened but was/am certainly familiar with most of the performers. The DVD has outtake performances. Many are absolutely dismal. Performers who made poor showings include The Byrds (David Crosby drove me nuts), The Mamas and Papas and Al Kooper. Of course the outtakes don't include the complete performance of these performers but the ones on the film are bad. However, I give this package a rating of "7" for a few gems. I'm into harder music for the most part but the biggest surprise for me was the song "Poverty Train" by Laura Nyro. Absolutely incredible. Her backup band was somewhat questionable but her singing performance was incredible. I became an instant fan. Unfortunately she passed away circa 1997 from ovarian cancer :-( Another gem was The Blues Project with their "Flute Thing". Somewhat dated with the flute through a tape echo unit, the musicians were nonetheless capable and the tune was musically interesting. Of course Otis Redding (with Booker T. and the MGs) and Hendrix were great. The one tune by the Electric Flag proved an excellent blues number. Interesting early showing by Mike Bloomfield and Buddy Miles (who later appeared on Band of Gypsys with Hendrix).And my kids love it. It's worth a look.

w2amarketing The performance quality of the music and, in fact, the overall production, is rather poor. However, Monterey Pop is worth watching at least once simply as a window into the culture of the mid- to late-1960's. In a way, the Monterey Pop festival represented the last pure gasp of "Sixties" love and harmony, coming as it did before things went haywire in 1968 & 1969. While Woodstock was more of a rampage of frustration, Monterey is more representative of how those who were there want "the Sixties" remembered. Thus, the most interesting elements of the movie are the interviews with performers and attenders, behind-the-scenes footage, and random shots of the crowd before, during and after performances. It's all the more interesting for viewers who are in their 20's and early 30's today, watching what is essentially their parents' generation when THEY were in their 20's and early 30's.Coincidentally, I just finished the autobiography of the late John Phillips ("Papa John") which devotes a full chapter to his involvement with Monterey Pop. Definitely an interesting companion read if you're planning on watching the movie. One anecdote worth repeating is that Scott Mackenzie's rendition of "San Francisco" which runs at the beginning of the film was the studio version, not the live version, which Mackenzie flubbed mercilessly on stage at Monterey.