"Going Underground - Paul McCartney, The Beatles And The UK Counter Culture" DVD

Beatles member dealing deeper underground

Another unauthorized documentary from the UK's venerable Pride Productions, this one centers on McCartney's inspirations from and within the sixties UK underground scene. As well as looking at the Beatles, a large part of this feature-length (153 minutes) film focuses on figures like Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd, the Soft Machine, AMM, the famous UFO Club, and Dr. Timothy Leary.

As with most of Pride's excellent productions, this one doesn't skimp on photos or footage. And though there are no official Beatles members interviewed, there are a number of important folks who were around then, including Eddie Prevost (of AMM), John "Hoppy" Hopkins (founder of the International Times magazine), Joe Boyd (Pink Floyd producer and UFO Club founder), Robert Wyatt (of the Soft Machine), as well as journalists and biographers. 

I gleaned a lot of info here, and learned that McCartney was far more instrumental in the Beatles' movement from teen-pop act to experimental rock than I'd previously imagined. His immersion in the counterculture, drugs, and the arts scene led him down a path which became immensely influential to the world of music and our own modern culture. "Going Underground" is a fine look at a time and place long since past, but still remaining vital as we go forwards. Well-done!

Pride Productions

McCartney's site

Don 'Sugar Cane' Harris - "Sugar Cane's Got The Blues" CD

Finally released onto digital format after years of obscurity, this gem of an album is the result of a one-off 1971 Berlin Jazz Festival live collaboration between electric violinist Harris (known best for his work with John Lee Hooker and Frank Zappa, among others) and a band featuring members of the Soft Machine, as well as other jazz/rock fusion players from Germany, New Zealand, and Norway - so it's truly an international affair, and one that, at least on paper, shouldn't work.

The reality is, it does, and these stunningly powerful (and lengthy) tracks showcase the improvisational skill and melodic genius of Sugar Cane himself. The violin solo in the only cover here, Horace Silver's 'Song For My Father', is startling, and at the same time really quite beautiful.

That's not to overshadow the strong band assembled behind him, especially Wyatt's dexterous drumming (a good mix of both subtle finesse and pure sinew), or the lilting, haunting guitarwork of Terje Rypdal (on 'Song For My Father'). 'Where's My Sunshine' is a soulful melding of blues and jazz, and also works wonderfully.

The technical aspects of most jazz can undoubtably be daunting to the inexperienced listener, but 'Sugar Cane's Got The Blues' is a recording that doesn't sound clinical and studied. It's free and loose, and ultimately emotive. I can draw a parallel to stuff like Can in spots, as that German act also closed the gaps between free jazz, avante rock, and more experimental inspirations. Sugar Cane was definitely ON in Berlin this night, and the recording is as timeless and they come. Wow. (Promising Music/SPV Germany)