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 Festival
Express
Starring: Janis
Joplin, The Band, The Grateful Dead, The Full Tilt Boogie Band, Buddy Guy, The
Flying Burrito Brothers, Sha Na Na, Mash Maken and oodles more.
Directed by:
Bob Smeaton
Buy
it Bluntly
speaking? Festival Express is going to be musical nirvana for some! In fact,
if you're into (read: INTO) Janis
Joplin, Gerry
Garcia or The Band stop
reading now and run to Amazon and buy
this DVD. Because Festival Express is by far the most incredible, awe-inspiring
- surreal - footage to be "discovered" of a few hefty musical icons
in decades. I'm not a huge GD fan...love Janis, but not fanatically...it was The
Band footgae that sent my inner lighter yielding concert groupie soul to a giddy
place. Festival
Express is the ultimate backstage pass. It covers a five-day train travelin' festival
that brought the music to the audience, across Canada in 1970. The musicians spent
the "after hours" on a train together… jamming…. partying….
chatting and it's all on film! And
what "film." Festival is filled with remarkable concert and all-access
behind-the-scenes footage. All of which was locked up in a swanky vault somewhere
in the wild tundra of Canada for decades. It has just recently been resurrected,
given remastering, oomphed sound and turned into simply an awe inspiring musical
interlude with some of the finest musicians living or dead, our ears have ever
had the pleasure of getting to know…
But wait there's more! Among
retro interviews and festival related footage you get some of the key players
in modern interviews trying to explain this phenomenon as best they can, and sharing
intimate recollections. The
film's magnetism is two-fold; the remarkable frat-house (the cool frat house)-like
camaraderie 'tween the talents. For example a very "happy" mega-talented
Rick Danko crooning beside a vivacious Janis Joplin, while Gerry Garcia wails
out a Canadian folk song. Breath
in... breath out. Secondly,
Festival Express' resurrecting film makers took the time to remix sounds and sync
properly with choice visual selections of some incredulous musical performance
sights that'll have the hairs on your neck erect with excitement as you watch
the hootenanny and frolicking before you. The carefree vibe from the train flows
upon the stage, and all as if the doc were shot a month ago.
But
for all Festival Express' nostalgia and meteoric-like beauty and haunting images
of beloved legends, dead and alive, it aint depressing - not for a nanosecond.
It'll lift your being up to that special happy place once only accessed by semi-organic-style
substances Timothy Leary woulda been handing out at the show. This
is one rock doc you've got to experience to believe. Domo arigato to all who brought
this capsule to the light of day. Snack
recommendation: Canadian bacon
Buy
it Film
Songs
1. Grateful Dead: Casey Jones
2. Grateful Dead: Don't
Ease Me In
3. Grateful Dead: Friend of the Devil
4. The Band: Slippin'
and Slidin'
5. Delaney & Bonnie etc: Goin' Down the Road
6. Buddy
Cage/ Various Artists: Traditional Country Song
7. Buddy Guy & Rick Danko:
Baby Here I Come
8. Jerry Garcia & Sylvia Tyson: Better Take Jesus' Hand
(1st version)
9. Mashmakan: Comin' Home Baby
10. Buddy Guy: Money
11. Flying Burrito Bros: Lazy Day
12. The Band: The Weight
13. Janis
Joplin: Cry Baby
14. Buddy Guy & Jerry Garcia: I Can't Do It Baby
15. Rick Danko & Janis & Jerry: Ain't No More Cane
16. Buddy Guy
& Rick Danko: Soul Jam
17. Various Artists: Sunshine of Your Love
18. Sha Na Na: Rock & Roll is Here to Stay
19. Ian & Sylvia&The
Great
Speckled Bird: CC Rider
20. Grateful Dead: New Speedway Boogie
21. The Band: I Shall Be Released
22. Janis Joplin: Tell Mama
23.
Janis Joplin: Me & Bobby McGee
24. New Riders of the Purple
Sage
I hear tell the dvd's got even more kids... | 
