John Kay & Steppenwolf: A Rock & Roll Odyssey

As much as i enjoyed the dvd and the interviews with Johnand the ex members, what this dvd is lacking is archivalfootage. There is plenty of it on you tube, so why not on here?It gets irritating as John narrates about the early days,then it cuts in and out thru out the narration with the 2003 version of steppenwolfplaying the songs. There is an excellent clip of vintagesteppenwolf from 1968 with the great rushton moreve on bassfrom playboy after dark making the rounds. That could have been on the dvd.They were on tv quite a few times in the 60's and early 70's.The new steppenwolf could have been placed at the end of the storyor as a bonus feature.

I've been a Wolf fan for over 40 years and really enjoyed the trip through this underrated band's history. Not sure where some other reviews are coming from, but I enjoyed John Kay's narration, and also many appearances and comments by noted band members from the past ---including Goldy McJohn, Nick St. Nicholas, Mars Bonfire, Jerry Edmonton and Larry Byrom.Like many other rock groups,this one has had feuds and firings, along with many flings!!But it just gives fans a deep appreciation of a band not only with original, hard-hitting music, but many songs with a strong message, including some very timely today.Kay and Goldy, Nick and others bury the hatchet and share memories of the early Sparrow days in Toronto, struggles to get enough money just to survive till the next gig, and frustrations dealing with club owners and music industry.There is a long cut of the classic "Monster" which takes us back to a time in the 60s when we were out protesting the war in Vietnam and fears for loss of our civil liberties."Now we are fighting a war over there ---no matter who is the winner, we can't pay the cost."That message resonates today, as do other Wolf songs in the Odyssey --including "Ride with me," and "Move Over."The package also includes a bonus dvd on "The Last Wolf Fest," the last band and fan gathering in Nashville before Steppenwolf really started cutting down live concerts and new recordings. My wife Chris and I were glad to be there, and meet Wolf friends from all over the place, from Alaska to Florida, and also overseas in Germany and other countries.Goldy was there, and sat in at the keyboard for some songs. I was glad just to be able to hug him one more time, and chat with John and the current band, along with other vets like Bobby Cochran and Larry Byrom. It's all there on that bonus DVD.So Ride with Me on your Screaming Nighthawk with Odyssey. It's never too late to take one more Magic Carpet Ride.Earl

Looking for a great comprehensive history of Steppenwolf? Looking for tons of great footage from the 60's & 70's, interviews with all the original band members, great stories about being on the road, hanging with the other rock stars of that era?Well keep looking. This is about 95% John Kay talking and not much else. NO concerts from those days and only a few minutes of archival footage are included. If you are into his current band, songs, and concerts then you might find this interesting otherwise save your cash.

this is one of the only video documentaries available for Steppenwolf. takes the viewer back to the formative stages through to the final album and discusses the continuing touring that John Kay does with the same band name even if with different members.

Thought it was a full concert

I agree with those saying this DVD could have been so much more. I was hoping to see more behind the scenes footage. There is only one snippet of the Wolf in the studio recording, and no concerts. Why not more in the studio, or TV shows, like Ed Sullivan palying whole songs. I would have liked to have heard from the original members on they're playing style, and input into the music. I have to say that I was very disappointed with the is video of one of my favorite bands from the 60's and 70's.

History of lead singer John Kay's life -- which is okay but not what a fan would hope to see in a DVD format that you would hope would finally be a definitive review/history of the BAND.

It's a quite enjoyable DVD if you let go of certain expectations.There are definitely some great moments in it that gives you a great insight and understanding about John Kay's background.A good part of the interviews are filmed on location and you get to see the places where Steppenwolf first came to be and used to hang around.When the story takes us through the formative years is at its best and most entertaining, and informative.Unfortunately, there's NO vintage footage of the band performing in the 60s and 70s (whether is tv shows or live in concert)... if you go to youtube, you'll see that exist lots of vintage footage to draw from. Reading the back cover of the DVD box, it clearly mentions "archival footage", which ended up being the band just fooling around some time in the late 60s (handheld-mute-8mm-type-of-stuff).Also VERY LITTLE original sound recordings from Steppenwolf circa 60s or 70s is use either...A good 95% of the performances (video and audio) comes from "Live in Louisville" and "John Kay & Friends" DVDs.Only when the story brings us to the 80s, we SEE and HEAR footage and audio from the 80s (which is probably the only period that could benefit from updated performances, production-wise).One more negative thing is that at times it gets too political (more like a history lesson than the Steppenwolf story). English not being my first language, when I first heard Steppenwolf, I was hooked on other aspects of this AMAZING band: Their songs, John's voice, the Hammond organ, the overall sound of their albums, etc), so when it gets too deep into the political issues, it leaves behind a lot of other things I would've prefer they talk about (example: how did they get that hammond organ sound?:P).Anyways... the points I criticized are NOT meant to discourage you to buy this DVD, but to let you know what you will and won't find in this DVD, because like I said at the beginning, it can be quite enjoyable if you let go of certain expectations.Long live the Wolf !