Rock To Watch

Near the end of the summer of 1979 America was wrapping up a world tour. Peter Clifton had just finished making The Punk Rock Movie and the Led Zeppelin film, The Song Remains The Same. These two forces converged in Central Park and resulted in the first and only America concert film.

In many ways, America's music personified the 70s. The lyrics and melodies of songs like "Tin Man", "Ventura Highway", "Sandman" and "A Horse With No Name" were a welcome refuge. America may not have always wowed the critics, but as this film shows, their audiences were more than captivated.

The 16mm film has been digitized and the sound remixed. The result is a very entertaining hour, and the rekindling of a lot of mostly good memories.

The latest entry in Eagle Rock Entertainment's Classic Albums series is a thoroughly engrossing look at the making of the Doors' groundbreaking debut self-titled album.

The story is told through archival footage and new interviews, including surviving Doors Ray Manzarek, Robby Krieger and John Densmore.

This is a fascinating eyewitness account of the formation and development of the group in a slickly produced, highly entertaining package. The nearly 90 minutes of material moves quickly, and includes some tidbits that may enlighten even the hardest of hardcore Doors fans.

Even if you aren't a dedicated fan, the band's musical and cultural significance is such that you really need to watch this.

Fairport Convention was one of the preeminent Brit bands of the 60s, and one of the first to venture into electric folk rock. Their first three albums relied heavily on covers of Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell, but by the time of their first and only filmed performance in the summer of 1970, they had developed their own distinctive blend of rock and traditional folk.

This performance also includes a pair of songs by Matthews Southern Comfort, fronted by former Fairport Convention member, Iain Matthews. A 2007 interview with the film's director, Tony Palmer, is rich in the history of the band.

This is a pleasant though brief (47 minutes) look at a "moment in time" in the life of a classic rock sub-genre. It's worth a look and listen.

It's hard to decide which is more interesting, the story of a rock festival from setup through performances, or the 30 year old images and sounds of Genesis.

Genesis was the headliner on a bill that also included Jefferson Starship, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Atlanta Rhythm Section and Devo (although only Genesis performances appear in the video.)

If you are a Genesis fan, you'll enjoy this glimpse at the Phil Collins-era, Then There Were Three period in the band's life. But you don't have to be a Genesis fan to enjoy this "week in the life" of a professionally executed outdoor rock festival.

Historically and musically, this is "good stuff."

Heads up, hard rock fans. Here's something you don't see every day. In fact, you haven't seen this at all, unless you happened to catch it when it was broadcast on the BBC in 1981.

After his first stint with Deep Purple, Ian Gillan fronted Gillan. The band released six albums between 1978 and 1982, five of which charted in the top 20 in the UK.

This concert showcases both the band's punkish hard rock and the jazz fusion of its predecessor, the Ian Gillan Band. There are also "bonus" tracks from German and British TV performances.

Bernie Torme's manic guitar and Mick Underwood's machine gun drums are the perfect compliment to Gillan's wild vocal style. For pure musicianship alone, this is a very entertaining package.

With psychedelic rock and progressive rock blossoming, the late '60s emergence of the German electronic band Tangerine Dream was quite well timed. They were part Emerson Lake & Palmer, part Jimi Hendrix, part Pink Floyd, but with a unique musical identity that in later years made them especially well known for their movie soundtracks -- Firestarter, Risky Business, Sorcerer just to drop a few well known names.

In keeping with the band's brand of music, there is something surreal about this performance in a grand cathedral setting, but the appropriateness of the combination is never in doubt.

This film is being released on DVD for the first time. It is a visual and musical experience of the highest order.