Tony Palmer - All My Loving (DVD)

By 1968, rock 'n' roll had been so transformed that it seemed to demand a new, fresh introduction. So much had happened in the six or seven years since the emergence of a new wave in British pop, and so much had shifted in the nature of cultural consumption, that what had been cutting edge rock 'n' roll music in 1962 already seemed distant, passé. The staggering stylistic revolutions that washed through pop music in the '60's (remember, it was merely five years between Meet the Beatles and Sgt Pepper) remain today the most exciting arena of study and appreciation for music fans. However, what appears now as a coherent progression, fueled by the turn to psychedelic drugs, the pyrotechnic innovations in sound and recording methods, and the expanding space for inventive, experimental artists in the pop world, was, at the time, simply confounding.

All My Loving, the prolific Tony Palmer's 1968 "masterpiece", is a 52-minute made-for-BBC examination of the state of the art in pop music, replete with interviews with key players, and never-before-seen footage of such heroes as Cream, Pink Floyd, and The Who. It touches on everything from the idealism of youth to the market realities of the popular; from the black man in America to the influence of LSD; from the coming of a new Parthenon to the probability of permanent ear damage; and from pop demagoguery to the global reach of George Harrison. Although this cacophonous, incoherent ramble through the music scene was widely discussed when it was first broadcast, it hardly needs to be reconsidered today.

Full article available at http://www.popmatters.com/pm/film/reviews//46723/all-my-loving

Source: Popmatters