Various Artists
Going Underground: McCartney, The Beatles And The UK Counter-culture DVD
Review by Gary Hill
The first thing I noticed watching this documentary is that the title is a little misleading. Yes, Paul McCartney and the Beatles do figure into this story. They are specifically mentioned and references are used to tie them into the main concept of the documentary. The thing is, it’s almost a stretch. I mean, The Beatles and McCartney connection is a little more than a minor one in a lot of ways. That said, this is a fascinating documentary exploring the evolution of the underground movement in the UK. It starts with jazz and beat poetry and moves out into other territory. Pink Floyd are fairly prominent in this documentary. I think that perhaps if someone bought this for McCartney and The Beatles they might be disappointed. This is an excellent documentary. There is one bonus feature, a short documentary on the difference between the UK psychedelic scene and the US one. Overall, the whole thing has some cool material and is well worth having.
This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2013 Volume 5 at lulu.com/strangesound.
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