JUKEBOX: Down In Monterey
While Woodstock may have been the most famous music festival of the 1960s, Monterey was arguably the best. Taking place right in the middle of the legendary “Summer of Love,” the Monterey International Pop Music Festival was in many ways the culminating success of the hippie movement, a completely peaceful event wherein the police and the counterculture youth actually got along just fine. Unlike at Woodstock, the grounds weren’t waterlogged, all amenities were taken care of, nobody died, and everyone who came could actually hear the music.
Not only was Monterey a well-run show, but it brought forth a series of amazing musical performances by a slew of the decade’s brightest stars, and it even gave some of them their big breaks. Many of the acts who would make Woodstock such a big deal later on, including Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and the Who, got a major boost in their careers by appearing at Monterey.
In honor of this legendary three-day event, which came to its close 48 years ago yesterday, we’re recreating the original set list with one or two songs from almost every artist on the bill in the order they performed. Alongside the highlights like Hendrix’s fiery licks and Joplin’s emotional “Ball and Chain,” we’ll also take a look at some of the less famous moments of the festival, including some that were not fortunate enough to be immortalized in the final cut of D.A. Pennebaker’s Monterey Pop documentary.
1) The Association, “Along Comes Mary”
One of the things that made Monterey so fascinating was that it showcased a wide variety of acts, from Lou Rawls to Ravi Shankar, who greatly ranged in both musical style and level of fame. The opener, however, was already a successful AM pop act. Known for their beautiful harmonies and radio-friendly melodies, the Association were quite an interesting choice to begin a show that would also feature the likes of Country Joe and Paul Butterfield, and their inclusion signaled a sort of a changing of the guards in popular music. But in spite of the competition, the Association held their own, opening with a great rendition of their first hit, “Along Comes Mary.”
2) Beverley, “Picking Up the Sunshine”
Beverly Martyn, then Beverly Kutner, has always been on the more obscure side of the music world, and her lack of fame is probably what caused her Monterey performance to be lost to history. As famous as Monterey would come to be, only certain portions of it were recorded (or if they were recorded, they have not been released to the public), leaving lots of unverified rumors and testimonies from attendees about what exactly happened onstage. Yet, we do know that Beverly closed her three-song set with this tune, and this bootleg of the unreleased single is perhaps the closest we will get to hearing her original performance.
3) Steve Miller Band, “Mercury Blues”
It’s especially cool to note that Monterey not only introduced musicians who would become big names later in the ’60s, but also featured future ’70s stars the Steve Miller Band, who had yet to release standards like “Rock’n Me” and “The Joker” which would make the group a household name. When Steve Miller took the stage at Monterey, his band hadn’t even released their first record, and the set contained only “Mercury Blues” and “Livin’ In the U.S.A.,” the latter of which would become their first single to crack the Hot 100 the following year.
4) Moby Grape, “Indifference”
The sad misfortune of Moby Grape has been retold time and time again. But in case you’ve never heard of this talented band, know that Monterey very well could’ve been their big break. Unfortunately, this was not to be, as they were not included in Pennebaker’s documentary due to legal disputes. Allegedly, their manager demanded a million dollars for the filming rights, and the issue also presumably led to them being given a bad slot with a smaller audience. However, the audio recordings of Moby Grape’s performance reveal the versatility they were known for among San Francisco bands of the era, and it’s clear that the attendees who managed to catch this part of the festival were lucky to witness one of its best acts.
5) Laura Nyro, “Poverty Train”
Singer-songwriter Laura Nyro’s performance is one of the more infamous in Monterey’s history, largely because it was left on the cutting room floor when Monterey Pop was completed. For years, it was widely believed she was booed off the stage and left in tears. However, this surviving clip of “Poverty Train” seems to dismiss the story, as Nyro is absolutely splendid, and nary a jeer can be heard.
6) Big Brother & the Holding Company, “Combination of the Two”
Because of the massive fame of Janis Joplin’s “Ball and Chain” performance, it’s only natural that “Combination of the Two” would fall by the wayside. However, I think this cut deserves to be recognized as well, as it showcases the entire band’s talents. Plus, it’s great to see Joplin having so much fun onstage in her prime.
7) The Group With No Name
The Group With No Name is arguably the greatest mystery of Monterey Pop. It’s essentially impossible to find anything about them, other than that those who heard them play reported they were terrible. Like Beverly and the Paupers, nobody seems to have recorded them, but unlike anyone else on the bill, their set list is completely unknown. Perhaps someday a bootleg will surface to confirm the rumors of their incompetence, but until then, we can only wonder about these mysterious characters.
8) The Mamas and the Papas, “Somebody Groovy”
When the Mamas and the Papas played back to back with Hendrix to close out the last day of the festival, it was a clear sign of the changes happening in the popular music world. While Hendrix was only gaining momentum, the Mamas and the Papas had not done much rehearsing at all, as John and Michelle Phillips had been busy organizing the festival while Denny Doherty was away in the Virgin Islands up until the last minute. Still, the group pulled out probably the best follow-up to Hendrix they could have mustered, and this part of their performance shows them letting loose a bit and having some fun at what the Phillips would remember as the height of the band’s career.
Celebrate Monterey Pop’s 48th anniversary with our Spotify playlist below:
