Immediate Family – 7

A pleasant, if somewhat self-congratulatory, profile of the four studio musicians who seemingly played on every memorable singer-songwriter album of the ’70s. It also served, incidentally or not, as a promotional piece for their later-in-life tour, appearing at the Lobero on February 14. I don’t know enough to judge the musical chops the film showed, but the caliber and quantity of singers who praised their work–James Taylor, Carole King, Jackson Browne, Phil Collins, David Crosby, Linda Ronstadt, not to mention Warren Zevon, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young–speaks for itself. And when they went their individual ways they inspired Don Henley, Stevie Nicks, Keith Richards and even Jimmy Buffett. The resulting montage of song clips was nostalgia heaven, although it often left one wanting to hear more than the clip. The film itself was remarkably even-keeled and one-dimensional: no mention of families or private lives, any setbacks or disharmony (in the rock world!?), or musical disagreements. More than immediate, it was one happy family.