Echo In the Canyon

I have a feeling Echo in the Canyon will be watched for decades into the future as the essential document of a very specific time and place that changed music forever.

Even if Echo in the Canyon feels slightly anemic at 85 minutes or so, there are worse ways to revisit this epochal artistic moment than via Andrew Slater’s affectionate, intimate documentary.

Echo In the Canyon is an affectionate look at the pop music that came out of the Laurel Canyon area of Los Angeles in the mid-‘60s, a period that the film argues quite effectively, was hugely influential.

The most ambitious thing about this laid-back documentary was creating a tribute concert and getting big names to perform in it, and that is lovely to hear and behold. The glory of Echo in the Canyon is gathering the oral histories of a generation of performers who are passing from the scene, getting their final words on how it all happened.

By keeping things short, sweet and dutifully tuneful, Echo in the Canyon is like the doc version of one of the period’s sonic nuggets, leaving you with a peace/love/understanding high and a desire to break out the vinyl for more of the same.

“Echo” recalls a fertile era in the history of American pop music. But all too often, it wanders out of the very canyon that defines it.

Slater didn’t need to get every last Canyon musician on camera, but to avoid mentioning many of them altogether is a total dereliction of duty. Mojo and Uncut magazines do this sort of nostalgic rock history with so much more specificity and impact – spend your money on some real storytellers.

The California Sound came out of Laurel Canyon in the mid-60s, when folk went electric. Jakob Dylan interviews prominent band members from the period (David Crosby, Stephen Stills, Michelle Phillips, Ringo Starr, John Sebastian, Brian Wilson), as well as musicians who were influenced by them (Tom Petty, Jackson Browne, Beck). He also recorded an album of seminal songs and produced a concert honoring them, but the most fun is hearing these legends talk about the creative explosion and cross-pollination that occurred. For those of us who lived thru this period, this proves a fascinating, informative look at an important era in American pop culture. For those younger, it's essential in appreciating the time and the music.

“Echo in the Canyon” is an exploration of the LA music scene from 1965-1967. During that time, The Byrds, The Beach Boys, The Mamas and the Papas, Buffalo Springfield and others were experimenting with a fascinating amalgamation of folk and rock that would impact The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and other bands worldwide. This documentary began when Jakob Dylan (son of Bob, front man for The Wallflowers) and Andrew Slater (former CEO of Capitol Records) decided to put together a 50th anniversary tribute concert to these 60s bands on October 12, 2015, in LA. Fiona Apple, Beck, Jade Castrinos, Norah Jones, Regina Spektor and Cat Power participated in the concert. While the film includes some clips from the tribute concert, it’s at its best when it uses archival footage and contemporary interviews with the people who lived in Laurel Canyon and participated in this truly groundbreaking music-making. Because Dylan is a first-rate interviewer, the moviegoer is treated to some fabulous behind-the-scenes recollections during these first-hand accounts: confirmation from Ringo Starr that The Beach Boys’ “Pet Sounds” was the motivation for The Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper” album; Michelle Phillips’ explanation that her regular dalliances with other men, including the other male member of The Mamas and the Papas, was the motivation for husband John Phillips to write “Go Where You Wanna Go”; David Crosby’s definitive explanation on why he was kicked out of The Byrds. The documentary is further enriched by its examination of the still-existing studios, the Rickenbacker 12-string guitars – the infrastructure that helped it all happen. This level of detail is captivating, particularly when supplemented by interviews with contemporaries of these artists – producer Lou Adler, Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr, Jackson Browne, Tom Petty – who fully explain the impact and consequences of the music created in Laurel Canyon during this period. The movie is further augmented by the obvious respect the performers of the period have for their peers, even when they were rivals of a sort. The movie seems to bog down when it dwells too long on the observations and speculations of the younger artists discussing events that occurred years before they were born. There are also some glaring omissions. Most unforgivably, there’s no mention of The Wrecking Crew, a group of legendary studio musicians who were the backbone for recordings by The Mamas and the Papas and were instrumental in the recording of The Beach Boys’ revered “Pet Sounds.” Fortunately, you can watch the 2008 documentary “The Wrecking Crew” to fill in the gaps. Despite these minor reservations, explore “Echo in the Canyon.” You’ll leave the theater refreshed by the sun, the sand, the mellow vibe and the palm trees waving in the background.

What a great idea for a film. What disappointing execution in every respect. It's aimless, beginning as an examination of Laurel Canyon's culture and creativity and then barely mentions those again, instead mostly exploring the studio culture of L.A., with no connecting theme. Then, almost an hour in (as in almost an hour late) it jerks back to the Canyon, with anecdotes about what first drew people to it. Where was the editor in all this mess? Finally, the recreations of 60s L.A. hits are pointless and mediocre, with Jakob Dylan's dour, quiet voice completely unsuited to the material, and guest stars with talent (like Norah Jones) looking understandably lost in his turgid and inappropriate arrangements. Somewhere in all this footage, with all these celebrity interviews, there must be a good film. This isn't it.