As I stated in my review of Episode #4 of this series, there seems to be a disconnect in this episode's placement in the lineup for 'The History of Rock 'n' Roll' series as I write this. I see other reviewers commenting on 'The Sounds of Soul' chapter, even though the title of this one is 'Plugging In'. I've submitted a correction to the IMDb staff, so we'll see how that works out. In the meantime, I'll offer my comments on 'Plugging In'.
A good alternative title for this chapter might have been taken directly from a Bob Dylan title - 'The Times They Are a' Changing'. The emphasis on Dylan takes up the early part of the episode, who on camera takes his inspiration from Muddy Waters and Woody Guthrie. It was a time in the early Sixties when folks like Dylan, Phil Ochs, and Richie Havens were playing coffeehouses in New York City's Greenwich Village, creating social awareness with their music and writing their own stuff, some of it often politically oriented. Female singers like Judy Collins, Joan Baez and Suzanne Vega were also part of this movement.
However the Newport Folk Festival in 1965 turned things upside down for Dylan's following when he stunned the crowd with an electric presentation. Dylan's friend and roommate Peter Yarrow (of Peter, Paul and Mary) describes how Dylan was heavily booed, the crowd feeling angry and betrayed by his turn. These were fans who hated rock 'n' roll and felt that Dylan's acceptance of a more powerful sound was a cave in to commercialism.
Some performers didn't feel the same way. Iggy Pop for one, felt that Bob Dylan upped the ante on everything by going electric. Acts who followed Dylan's lead included The Mamas and The Papas, The Byrds, and The Beach Boys. When Dylan eventually went to England and met John Lennon, he inadvertently challenged The Beatles' songwriting by telling Lennon that he wasn't producing anything meaningful. The result was that they both wound up influencing each other's music for the better.
Brian Eno makes the case for Jimi Hendrix as the first proper electronic composer because of his originality and boldness. Pete Townsend of The Who comments on how intimidated he and Eric Clapton were when they first heard him perform in a small London club. Hendrix didn't get any traction in America until he returned from England and appeared for the first time at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival, the first real venue for him and Otis Redding. Monterey was the premier event that finally legitimized Rock 'n' Roll to an international audience.
While I was fully expecting Hendrix's version of 'Wild Thing' to be the focal point of his performance at Monterey, the episode threw a curve and showed him playing 'Like a Rollin' Stone' instead. That was probably the better selection as it turns out, as it nicely complements the way the episode opened with Bob Dylan, who wrote the song. It was a cool way for the show to go full circle on the theme of 'Plugging In', since the song as performed by Jimi Hendrix is truly one of a kind.
A good alternative title for this chapter might have been taken directly from a Bob Dylan title - 'The Times They Are a' Changing'. The emphasis on Dylan takes up the early part of the episode, who on camera takes his inspiration from Muddy Waters and Woody Guthrie. It was a time in the early Sixties when folks like Dylan, Phil Ochs, and Richie Havens were playing coffeehouses in New York City's Greenwich Village, creating social awareness with their music and writing their own stuff, some of it often politically oriented. Female singers like Judy Collins, Joan Baez and Suzanne Vega were also part of this movement.
However the Newport Folk Festival in 1965 turned things upside down for Dylan's following when he stunned the crowd with an electric presentation. Dylan's friend and roommate Peter Yarrow (of Peter, Paul and Mary) describes how Dylan was heavily booed, the crowd feeling angry and betrayed by his turn. These were fans who hated rock 'n' roll and felt that Dylan's acceptance of a more powerful sound was a cave in to commercialism.
Some performers didn't feel the same way. Iggy Pop for one, felt that Bob Dylan upped the ante on everything by going electric. Acts who followed Dylan's lead included The Mamas and The Papas, The Byrds, and The Beach Boys. When Dylan eventually went to England and met John Lennon, he inadvertently challenged The Beatles' songwriting by telling Lennon that he wasn't producing anything meaningful. The result was that they both wound up influencing each other's music for the better.
Brian Eno makes the case for Jimi Hendrix as the first proper electronic composer because of his originality and boldness. Pete Townsend of The Who comments on how intimidated he and Eric Clapton were when they first heard him perform in a small London club. Hendrix didn't get any traction in America until he returned from England and appeared for the first time at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival, the first real venue for him and Otis Redding. Monterey was the premier event that finally legitimized Rock 'n' Roll to an international audience.
While I was fully expecting Hendrix's version of 'Wild Thing' to be the focal point of his performance at Monterey, the episode threw a curve and showed him playing 'Like a Rollin' Stone' instead. That was probably the better selection as it turns out, as it nicely complements the way the episode opened with Bob Dylan, who wrote the song. It was a cool way for the show to go full circle on the theme of 'Plugging In', since the song as performed by Jimi Hendrix is truly one of a kind.