film review: Becoming Led Zeppelin

 

Directed by Bernard MacMahon

ChinoKino review: A- (in IMAX)

Reviewed by Allan Tong

First of all, this movie rocks on a giant screen. True, some footage is grainy on an IMAX screen, and the sound is bright in places, but this long-gestating doc effectively chronicles the sudden rise of the top hard-rock band of all time.

Led Zep's three surviving members, plus deceased drummer John Bonham heard in a rare 1980 interview, tell their early life stories. Guitarists Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones were top session men in Swinging Sixties London, lending riffs to everything from the Goldfinger theme to the early Kinks hits, while singer Robert Plant and mate Bonham were gigging in various blues-rock bands up in Birmingham. By the time they coalesced in the summer of 1968, all four were seasoned professionals. Page built the band from the ashes of the legendary Yardbirds, knowing his way around both a studio and stage. By the time of his birthday in January 1970, Led Zeppelin were the top band in the world. 

Their rise was that swift, that sudden. For once, a rock band isn't inflating its own importance. Becoming Led Zeppelin is told only by the band members. No confidantes, no ex-wives, no rock historians. It doesn't need to. If the story was about the later debauchery that gripped the band's world tours (i.e. underage groupies, drunk "The Beast" Bonham running amok), then such a film would need other perspectives. Here, the band alone suffices.

That said, manager Peter Grant needs some colour in Becoming Led Zeppelin. He was crucial to their rise by securing a golden record deal with Atlantic Records as well as record-breaking fees at the box office. Grant was a rare manager who protected and didn't exploit his band. He was also a former wrestler, infamous for intimidating tour promoters.

Another criticism is that a lot of the live footage in the film is taken from the excellent two-DVD set, Led Zeppelin. This includes the brief, but memorable performance from Tous en Scene, shot in Paris in June 1969 and broadcast on French TV. What is lost on home TV screens is magnified here--and it's not the band. Rather, it's the audience of ordinary folk--moms, dads, kids. Two little children plug their ears while their elders stare blankly as these screeching long-hairs. (I wonder if they later they boasted of seeing one of the first Zeppelin gigs.)

Another clip from the DVD set is the extended Dazed and Confused from UK's Supershow. It has been played often on TV and easily found online. However, this clip was the showstopper at the IMAX screening I saw. It is mesmerizing on a giant screen.

The film ends with a glimpse of the January 9, 1970 show at London's Royal Albert Hall. The entire gig is presented on the DVD, but looks disappointingly grainy on the big screen. That said, the two hours leading up to this point are a thrilling ride. You may not need to purchase the inevitable blu-ray or DVD of this doc, but fans should catch it on the big screen while they can.

Becoming Led Zeppelin opens across Canada in 13 cities in IMAX on Feb. 7.

film review: REVIVAL69: The Concert That Rocked the World

 

 

Directed by Ron Chapman

Review by Allan Tong

ChinoKino score: A

"It was the end of the Beatles."

Documentarian D.A. Pennebaker describes the climax of the set performed by John Lennon, Yoko Ono and the Plastic Ono Band on September 13, 1969 at Toronto's Varsity Stadium. Lennon had ordered his bandmates, including Eric Clapton, to lean their guitars on their amps which sparked feedback that howled alongside Ono's avant-garde vocals. "It was such a fantastic ending," said the legendary Pennebaker who filmed the concert, because it knew it would be historic. After the Toronto show, Lennon would return to London and indeed break up the Beatles. A remarkable new documentary tells the chaotic, hilarious and pivotal story behind this one-day rock fest that nearly collapsed several times.

Pennebaker eventually released a film about the Toronto Rock 'n' Roll Revival, a fly-on-the-wall doc made in the same vein as his innovative films, Don't Look Back, about Bob Dylan's 1965 U.K. tour, and the revolutionary Monterey Pop Festival of 1967. However, director Ron Chapman has used Pennebaker's footage as the core of an entirely new film. Chapman has new footage, including intimate super-8 film, many insightful interviews, rare stills and smart animation to tell a thrilling story.

The tale began with two young concert promoters who organized a one-day festival to honour the pioneers of rock 'n' roll: Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Bo Diddley, Gene Vincent and Jerry Lee Lewis. But tickets didn't sell. Co-promoter John Brower, only 22 at the time, hired two notable L.A. DJ's to emcee the show, but that did nothing. Next, he booked the Doors (for $200,000 in today's money) by borrowing cash from a biker gang. But the Doors didn't move the needle either. With just days to go amid threats of the bikers collecting on their loan, one of the DJ's, Kim Fowley, urged the promoters to call John Lennon out of the blue and ask him to host.

After all, Lennon became a Beatle because of Berry et al. By chance, a Toronto rock journalist who was working for the Beatles, the renown Ritchie Yorke, vouched for Brower, so Lennon said yes. Miraculously, this exchange was captured on audiotape. However, nobody in Toronto believed Brower. Unbelievably, CHUM Radio kicked the promoters out of the station and even circulated rumours that Lennon would not show. (Shame on you, CHUM.) It took a Detroit DJ to get the word out and move tickets.

Other twists and turns abound in Revival 69, making the viewer ride a rollercoaster. The festival nearly collapsed a few times, but when it unfolded it was truly magical. Among the crowd of 20,000, Geddy Lee was a suburban longhair tripping on acid at the fest. Singer Claudia Barry was there to check out the black musicians. Both were blown away. Barry left knowing what she would do the rest of her life.

Chapman has done his homework. He interviewed Klaus Voorman and Alan White whom Lennon summoned to grab their bass and drums and meet him at the London airport. They convey the chaos, thrills and anxiety of rehearsing on the plane and racing to Varsity Stadium. Several other musicians on the bill recall that gig, namely Alice Cooper. His band were nobodies at the time, but they left Toronto as legends (Google "Alice Cooper chicken Toronto"). "We were an affront to everybody. We were the future."

Robbie Krieger of the Doors recalls headlining the festival, but remembers Jim Morrison being in awe of the the 1950s legends on stage, including Chuck Berry. Sadly, Mr. Mojo Rising balked at appearing on camera, so there is no footage of the Doors. Elsewhere, camerawoman Molly Davis recalls filming John and Yoko's limo as 80 bikers escorted it from the Toronto airport to Varsity Stadium (the head biker had a crush on her). Then there's the godfather of American rock criticism, Robert Christgau, who largely narrates the film by offering historic context and first-hand observations that are right on the money. Interviews by Lennon assistants, local musicians and other crew members contribute to a parade of colourful anecdotes.

The icing on the cake is animation by Mathew den Boer. It vividly presents the John and Yoko story which perfectly matches the crystal-clear audio recordings of their actual call with Brower. That audio is a highlight of the film.

REVIVAL69 wisely does not to focus too much on Lennon. Instead, it strikes a fine balance in telling the stories of all the musicians and characters behind the scenes. The film is a fine addition to the canon of rock docs, because it cements the significance of the 1969 Toronto Rock 'n' Roll Revival as a pivotal chapter of rock history. It marked the end of The Beatles and the 1960s and heralded the 1970s. REVIVAL69 should be held in the same regard as Woodstock and Gimme Shelter.

REVIVAL69 is currently playing film festivals. The next screening is in Oshawa at the Durham Region International Film Festival on Saturday, October 1.

2015 JUNO Awards – winners

It was a star-studded night of musical celebrations as Canada's top talent took to the red carpet and stage for Canada's biggest night in music, The 2015 JUNO Awards, on Sunday, March 15. CTV's live broadcast from Hamilton's FirstOntario Centre dazzled viewers with an all-star lineup of performances, special tributes to Canadian music legends, and the presentation of JUNO Awards in six categories.

Performer Kiesza was the weekend's big winner, garnering a total of three JUNO Awards. Having already picked up two JUNO Awards at Saturday night's JUNO Gala Dinner & Awards for Dance Recording of the Year and Video of The Year (Sponsored by MuchFACT, exclusively funded by Bell Media) for her chart-topping hit "Hideaway", the electro-dance starlet added another statuette to her collection during the broadcast: the JUNO Award for Breakthrough Artist of the Year (sponsored by FACTOR, the Government of Canada, Radio Starmaker Fund and Canada's Private Broadcasters). She also graced the stage for a dynamic mash-up performance of "Sound of A Woman" and "Hideaway."

2015 JUNO Gala Dinner & Awards – winners

Canada's music elite gathered to toast 35 JUNO Award winners at the 2015 JUNO Gala Dinner & Awards presented by SiriusXM Canada last night in Hamilton. Hosted by Jessi Cruickshank at the Hamilton Convention Centre, the evening's festivities featured performances by a spectacular lineup of 2015 JUNO Award nominees and winners, as well as unforgettable tributes to some of the most influential names in Canadian music.

Multiple Award winners at the Gala included alternative singer-songwriter Bahamas, who won honours for both Songwriter of the Year and Adult Alternative Album of the Year; and electro-dance sensation Kiesza, who earned Dance Recording of the Year and Video of the Year. Kiesza will also be making her JUNO Award performance debut during the Sunday night Broadcast on CTV from Hamilton's FirstOntario Centre.

2015 JUNO Awards – nominations

The nominees for the 2015 JUNO Awards were announced by The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) at a press conference at The Danforth Music Hall in Toronto this morning, as Canada's top artists now get ready for a trip to JUNO Week in Hamilton, March 9 – March 15, 2015.

Magic! garnered a leading five nominations: JUNO Fan Choice, Single of the Year, Breakthrough Group of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, Pop Album of the Year.

Close behind with four nods were Kiesza (Single of the Year, Breakthrough Artist of the Year, Dance Recording of the Year, Video of the Year) and Leonard Cohen (JUNO Fan Choice, Album of the Year, Artist of the Year, Adult Alternative Album of the Year).

Artists with three nods each are Hedley (JUNO Fan Choice, Single of the Year, Album of the Year), Nickelback (JUNO Fan Choice, Album of the Year, Group of the Year), and Serge Fiori (JUNO Fan Choice, Album of the Year, Francophone Album of the Year).