Shout Factory | 1969 | 56 mins. | Not Rated
In 1969, concert promoter John Brower convinced John Lennon to play a short set the Toronto Rock and Roll Revival Festival. Though Lennon’s performance lasts a mere thirty-five minutes (the last twelve of which are Yoko’s caterwauling), the impact was lasting. Thankfully, D.A. Pennebaker (Monterey Pop, Don’t Look Back), was on hand to capture the event on film. Originally titled Sweet Toronto–and still seen in the opening titles of the film proper–was previously available only as a bootleg-quality disc. On June 23, 2009, Shout! Factory finally gives this piece of musical history the proper DVD release it deserves.
The festival was a one day event, with the expressed purpose of spotlighting rock n’ roll legends of the 1950’s (including Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Little Richard, and Jerry Lee Lewis) and the modern acts they had influenced (including The Doors and Alice Cooper). Reportedly, the festivals organizers had asked the Beatles to appear but they declined. However, John Lennon was intrigued and decided to put together a group of musicians to play the event.
Held on September 13, 1969, Lennon’s performance was just days before The Beatles released Abbey Road and the concert marked the first time a Beatle had performed as a solo act. Lennon appeared with Yoko Ono, and their Plastic Ono Band (a label they applied throughout the 70s to whatever group of musicians they were appearing with). On this day, the members of the band were: Klauss Voorman (bass guitar), Alan White (drums) and Eric Clapton (guitar). The group never really rehearsed; they talked about a set list and went over a couple of standards on the plane ride from London.
Much of the fifty-six minute film focuses on Lennon’s performance, with only a single number each for Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Bo Diddley (and half of his performance of “Bo Diddley” is used as accompaniment for the Lennon entourage’s arrival in Toronto and shuttling to the show). However, they all sound great and at least they all got a song; unfortunately, Chuck Berry is seen only briefly, standing around backstage.
“Okay,” Lennon announces at the top of the set, “we’re just gonna do numbers that we know, because we’ve never played together before.” And with that, the quartet launches into an awesome set of rock and roll standards. Lennon seems a little nervous at first but that quickly subsides. The band’s cover of “Blue Suede Shoes” is bluesy and passionate, giving Clapton his first opportunity to rip up a solo. Their bristling, cover of “Money” is soulfully effective, and the set’s highlight is “Dizzy Miss Lizzy,” which finds Lennon in terrific voice and is augmented by another wicked Clapton guitar solo.
I know ripping on Yoko Ono has gotten a little old after all these years but it can’t be avoided here. Ono disappears for the first three numbers (yippee!), only to reappear for “Yer Blues” (from the White album), and starts screeching along with the song. I kept hoping she would disappear again but she adds her screech to Lennon’s just-recorded “Cold Turkey,” which he introduces by noting, “We’ve never done this number before, so best of luck”; the version performed here has a smoother instrumentation, missing the record’s distinctive main guitar riff. Yoko screams along, John has to reference the lyrics from Yoko’s notes and the whole thing kind of collapses at the end.
Yoko’s vocal work on “Give Peace A Chance” is okay, because of the sing along nature of the song. One warning though: when John announces, “Now Yoko’s gonna do her thing,” hit the mute button or shut down the entire disc. What follows is that twelve minutes of Yoko caterwauling over guitar feedback.
Yoko Ono aside, John Lennon & The Plastic Ono Band: Live in Toronto ’69 is a piece of music history that every John Lennon/Beatles fan should own. Recorded before the Fab Four officially broke up, this concert contains some wonderful performances and gave us a glimpse into the kind of music a solo John Lennon would later experiment with.
Shout! Factory is at the mercy of the original materials here and they’re not in the greatest shape. The 1988 prologue has a washed-out, softness to it, while the 1969 footage is fairly grainy and marred by the expected dirt, specks, and scratches. However, it looks worse in the traveling footage at the top; once they get on-stage, the full-frame image is much cleaner. There are some fleeting compression artifacts but that’s the only real transfer issue. It’s a decent image, considering the age and source material.
The 5.1 audio track is more important than the video and it is quite good. The sound is rich, full, and immersive–it’s not a pristine mix, by any stretch of the imagination but sounds like you’re there at the show. Vocals are occasionally hollow and instrumentation isn’t always perfectly modulated but those little imperfections primarily contribute to the loose, off-the-cuff feel of the show. A 2.0 mix is also offered.
No special features are included, contrary to claims on the box. The 1988 Yoko Ono interview is merely a reference to the brief interview in the prologue section of the film.
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