Go Ride The Music And West Pole

Various Artists

During a conversation I had with Toby Gleason last year, he explained that because his father, famed music critic Ralph J. Gleason, had established very close relationships with both the Jefferson Airplane and Grateful Dead during the mid-60s, he was able to accurately document their historic evolution as the quintessential Bay Area bands of the late 60s. By all accounts, Gleason, who had previously produced the Jazz Casual series featuring guests like Dave Brubeck and John Coltrane, functioned as the catalyst between the mainstream and the underground, capturing the meteoric rise of the San Francisco psychedelic scene with a sense of cultural reverence. Gleason’s 2007 DVD, A Night At The Family Dog, features some vintage live performances from the Airplane, the Dead and Santana. The double DVD follow-up, Go Ride The Music & West Pole, delves further with more live Airplane and Dead footage, as well as performances from Quicksilver Messenger Service, Steve Miller Band, Sons Of Chaplin and Ace Of Cups.

Plop in the Go Ride The Music disc and off we go with roadies moving gear in and out, traveling entourages, freaky audience members, split screen shots covering the entire scene — typical rock-band-on-tour footage now, but then it was new, novel and wild. Jefferson Airplane indulges us with seven tracks from Pacific High Recording. The fiery interplay of bassist Jack Casady, new drummer Joey Covington, and guitarists Paul Kantner and Jorma Kaukonen provides the backdrop. Interspersed are generous close-ups of the svelte and commanding presence of Grace Slick slotted alongside a few inordinate ramblings from Marty Balin and even Jerry Garcia. For their part, Quicksilver Messenger Service set up at a park and dig in deep with their unique blend of psychedelic folk and blues.

West Pole builds on the cinématique contortions and elements of Go Ride The Music, but works as a snapshot in time, offering an overview of the emerging San Francisco sound. Gleason narrates, outlining the mass infusion of countless bands, while man-on-the-street interviews with fans help to reinforce the impact. Ace Of Cups, an all-girl fivesome, open the disc on a high, optimistic note before segueing into erratic MTV-style short films featuring the Dead, Airplane, Sons Of Champlin, Steve Miller Band, and Quicksilver Messenger Service. Clearly, the filmmakers were testing the goods from Owsley Stanley’s private stash when they edited these clips together. Either that, or they were experimenting with a form that would pioneer the marriage of film and music. And what of Ralph J. Gleason himself? The late Rolling Stone magazine co-founder’s legacy has never been more important in a day and age where music stands as the great language of the universe.

~ Shawn Perry

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