Echo in the Canyon
The Wallflowers’ Jakob Dylan interviews white-haired boomer rock legends about the LA music scene of the 1960s, with particular focus on the Byrds, the Beach Boys, Buffalo Springfield, and the Mamas and the Papas. Some of the interviews are nice—hey, Tom Petty! we miss you—but they’re intercut by footage of Dylan re-recording the era’s songs in either neutered studio versions, or slightly peppier live renditions with guests like Beck and Fiona Apple. It feels like a promotional press kit to supplement the inevitable soundtrack album rather than a legit documentary, and the film’s omissions (Joni Mitchell, Love, Spirit, and the Doors, to name just a few) are nothing short of egregious.
by Ned Lannamann