Looking Back At Monterey Pop.

I watched, almost in its entirety, a documentary on 1967’s Monterey Pop Festival today on VH1 Classic. Holy shit- there’s a music channel out there that plays and talks about music exclusively?! Woodstock may have been remembered as the crowning, epic, final achievement of late 60’s counter-culture; but Monterey made it possible, and also may have had a more varied and interesting weekend long bill. From what I’ve seen of the Festival, which also is almost in its entirety, here are some of my favorite sets from those three days. I’m picking my FAVORITES. Just because the Mamas and The Papas and Jefferson Airplane ruled Haught-Asbury in 1967 doesn’t mean I like them the most.

FRIDAY, JUNE 16th

• The Paupers- There’s something to be said about a Canadian rock band that can stroll into New York City, in the year 1967 mind you (the same year as Monterey and the height of Jefferson Airplane), open up for Jefferson Airplane and “blow them away”. The Paupers had a strange Canadian fury about them akin to a canuck version of The Who. But in addition to this, they rehearsed so much that their sound was ridiculously tight. Combine that with a midday set on the opening Friday, this was the first amazing set of the Festival.
• The Animals- The Animals were so damn angry. To me, they really stood out in the second British Invasion probably the most (I’m not referring to the late 70’s here, in my opinion that’s the 3rd). The Animals, similarly to the Paupers lit the fire of Monterey from the get go. But in a more mystifying manner. This version of the Animals screamed, and brought a more psychedelic flavor than a blue-collar frustration (although that version of the band rocked too). They even wrote several songs later that year about their experience at Monterey.

SATURDAY, JUNE 17th

• Country Joe and The Fish- In the eyes of jam-band lovers and hippies, I’m not quite sure why this band never peaked higher on the popularity scale than they did. First of all, the band named themselves after leftist ideas and people. Also, their biggest song was the uber-anti-war song “I Feel Like I’m Fixin’ To Die Rag”. This could be again a case of Woodstock overshadowing EVERYTHING else. At Woodstock, only Country Joe played a solo acoustic set by himself. But his band, a lot like Otis Redding, made him truly great. This early Saturday set showcased The Fish to a large audience better than any other.
• Quicksilver Messenger Service- Quicksilver, as most people knew them by, was one of the Monterey bands actually from San Francisco. Another jam-band, but dipping into psychedelica and combining it with a couple of the members’ strong FOLK backgrounds. From what I’ve seen/read/heard, this set was one of the most anticipated of the weekend. This band was absolutely loved around the San Fran area. Apparently they played a blistering long set, jamming as only a four piece, which was pretty astounding, and still is, for a hardcore jam-band.
• Otis Redding- The show on VH1 Classic, “Monterey 40″, showcased LOTS of interviews. Both musicians and simply attendees almost all said two things: “I’d never seen Otis Redding before”, and “he and his band, the best backing band of the festival, blew my mind”. Otis came out on the largest day of the Festival, the most acts. Lots of people began filing out while he was walking onstage. But he directed his band that night to perform almost every song in double-time. All those drained, tired eyes and ears from the day simply weren’t ready for something so fast and “soulful”. The white hippies were blown away, and Otis’ set was remembered as maybe the second best behind you-know-who.

SUNDAY, JUNE 18th

• Ravi Shankar- This man is fucking legendary. George Harrison gets a lot of credit for introducing Shankar to American ears, as he should. My favorite Beatle learned quite a bit from the man spiritually, musically, emotionally, and philosophically. Shankar came out with very few musicians, in some cases only a percussionist with a set of tambas or bongos. Hendrix sat in the front row, with a joint, and smiled from ear to ear at the man’s amazing left hand flying up and down that sitar neck with such ease. Shankar got pissed though, when he visited the Haught-Asbury district after his show to see the Americanizing of Indian culture: “I felt offended and shocked to see India being regarded so superficially and its great culture being exploited. Yoga, Tantra, mantra, kundalini, ganja, hashish, Kama Sutra? They all became part of a cocktail that everyone seemed to be lapping up!”.
• The Who- Straight from his mouth, Pete Townsend “begged” Hendrix to follow The Who, not the other way around. He and Clapton had been following The Experience around London before anyone knew them in the States. And they both knew how good the guy was, and they both respected the hell out of him. But The Who have got nothing to be ashamed of, even if most people believe they truly SHOULD have opened for The Experience. Of course, The Who threw the entire fucking kitchen sink at the audience that night. Moon put explosives into his drums, denoting them after kicking the set over. And feedback ruled, both bass and guitar, during a final mess of noise and smash. Much like Otis Redding, The Who blew the minds of the counter-culturists in that: they played faster and heavier than on their records that night, they weren’t typical San Fran music, and they went WAY out of their way to entertain.
• The Experience- What else can be said about the night that introduced Hendrix to immortality forever that hasn’t already been said? Not much- other than apparently no one knew he was going to do the things he did (he smuggled in lighter fluid in his pants). He fucked his guitar that night, which was also an extension of his body and soul that night. Played it, fucked it, burned it, and smashed it. Easily his most famous show ever, and for good reason. A day earlier, no one knew who the guy was when he arrived (besides Townsend). But the musicians had impromptu jam sessions in the catacombs, and Jimi was the star there too. A testament to his attitude: while beginning to jam, someone walked up to him, while he was playing, and put a HUGE hit of acid in his mouth, and he just took it without stopping or anything.

Honorable mentions go to:

• Lou Rawls on Friday.
• Simon & Garfunkel on Friday.
• Electric Flag’s two separate sets on Saturday.
• Steve Miller Band on Saturday.
• The Byrds on Saturday.
• Big Brother and the Holding Company on Sunday.
• Buffalo Springfield on Sunday.
• The Grateful Dead on Sunday.

-Sonny

~ by sonnywilkins on August 18, 2008.