DVD Review: "Legends Of The Canyon"

I did not grow up in the Laurel Canyon area of Los Angeles nor did I grow up in Southern California. But as a young teenager from Western Pennsylvania I was somehow drawn to the music that was coming out of this creative community. As a matter of fact, the first LP that I ever purchased was The Eagles "Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975." Other early additions to my record collection were by Jackson Browne, The Byrds and Carole King. So I was excited to view the new DVD release "Legends Of The Canyon" to learn more about the artists I love and what it was like to live where the Southern California sound was created.

The DVD cover gives us the promise of CSN, Joni Mitchell, America and others. The full color booklet that comes with the disc contains multiple photos of musicians such as Jackson Browne and The Doors. Unfortunately, the promise of hearing from these artists is left unfulfilled and what we end up with is a DVD that only focuses on a small portion of the artists that lived in this famous neighborhood. "Legends Of The Canyon" is narrated by legendary rock photographer Henry Diltz (The Doors, CSN, James Taylor) who's the perfect choice since he was there from the beginning and these artists weren't just his subjects but also his friends.

Towards the end of the DVD Henry Diltz quotes his friend, journalist Paul Zollo, who said, "Those mountains served as a creative cradle." Well, if that's true, then this DVD would have you believe that this cradle was only big enough to nurture 4 infants… Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. And that's the problem; "Legends Of The Canyon" ends up being more of a documentary about the careers of CSN than anything else. Those are the 3 main artists interviewed, along with their drummer Dallas Taylor.

So were these interviews good? Actually they were great! These elder statesmen of Southern California rock were funny, candid and genuinely nostalgic for the times when they were making their most well known music. But, if this is truly about the "legends of the canyon" why didn't we hear from more people? The Eagles and Jackson Browne aren't even mentioned. Joni Mitchell is talked about many times and quite lovingly but… where is she? We see photos of her -- but it would have been great to get a woman's view of living in the canyon. Again, lots of people are mentioned but not heard from. Where are Judy Collins and Carole King?

Other glaring problems with this documentary: It takes too long to get to the subject matter. It takes almost 15 minutes to start the Laurel Canyon story and during that time we get some general voiceover about Bob Dylan, The Beatles and the 60's. The DVD then concludes with how the times changed towards the end of the 60's with montages of Kent State, anti war protesters and one of the most graphic photos of the Sharon Tate murders that I have ever seen. (The inclusion of this photo was not only gratuitous but quite frankly angered and offended me.) Why Director Jon Brewer felt the need to include this image or give Charles Manson one more second of notoriety is beyond me. These murders may have occurred in Laurel Canyon but have absolutely nothing to do with the music, peace and love that was made there.

If you are a fan of CSN then I would recommend seeking out this release. If you are expecting to get a full documentary on the lives and artists who lived in Laurel Canyon you would be better served reading "Laurel Canyon: The Inside Story of Rock-and-Roll's Legendary Neighborhood" by Michael Walker.

Drumroll please… 4 out of 10 drumsticks!