Search - Chicano Rock!: The Sounds of East Los Angeles on DVD

Superb documentary on little covered area of Rock and Roll

Steven I. Ramm | Phila, PA USA | 02/08/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It's great that PBS is making this 2008 hour-long documentary available on home video because it probably didn't get a lot of exposure on PBS TV stations outside of the Los Angeles area. Produced with a grant from the California Council on the Humanities, it wouldn't have been a big "pledge draw" showing in other parts of the country.

But this highly colorful and entertaining film covers an important part of the history of rock and roll music and it's timing couldn't be better with the just-passed 50th anniversary of the plane crash which killed pop idol and Mexican-American Richie Valens. His name is now in the news and this may draw folks to this film.

As narrated by actor Edward James Olmos, the film covers a wider range of Chicano artists than I knew existed. Sure there was Valens and Los Lobos. But I didn't know that Cannibal & The Headhunters - who ruled the airwaves in the 1960s with "Land of 1000 Dances" - or Tierra (with the 1970s smash hit "Together" which sounds a lot like Philly Soul) were from the East L.A. Mexican-American community. And there were even Chicano punk bands!

Producer/Writer/Director/Editor Jon Wilkman found some great archival footage and interviewed nearly every major Chicano artist - except for the late Valens - going back to the first big Chicano superstar, Lalo Guerrero, who started in the 1930s!

If you want to know the FULL history of Rock and Roll, this DVD will add tio your knowledge. Note that there are no supplemental features.

Steve Ramm
"Anything Phonographic"
"

Nice insight on East L.A. culture

CyberTiger | NW Indiana | 04/24/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Actually when I bought this I had "The History of Latin Rock" in mind, I didn't know it would only focus on East L.A., at first I was disappointed on what I purchased but after watching the documentary, I was pleasantly surprised. I recommend this for anyone interested in roots rock from the Hispanic view."

Superb History in Music

Shirley J. Fredricks | Los Angeles, CA USA | 04/09/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This DVD tells the story of the Chicano movement that started in East LA and tells it through the music that evolved into a unique beat and blend of Mexican and American music. The stories are great and told with skill and sweetness. You won't be able to resist dancing with joy and welcoming this music into the U.S. story.

Shirley Fredricks"