Tower of Song

Subtitled the "epic story of Canada and its music," this sprawling tribute to 30 artists in the Canadian Music Hall of Fame is intermittently engaging, exasperatingly arranged (it's not chronological, it's not by genre, it's...well, beats me), and wildly uneven (Anne Murray receives more than twice the attention devoted to Glenn Gould). Which is not to say that some of the archival music clips aren't wonderful (who doesn't want to watch Joni Mitchell singing "Big Yellow Taxi"?) or the stories entertaining (Geddy Lee, bass player and lead singer for the prog rock group Rush recalls the band's early days when management complained that the waitresses couldn't hear the beer orders over the heavy metal din), it's just neither documentary fish nor performance video fowl. But what a talented line-up: Denny Doherty (The Mamas and the Papas), Paul Anka (remember when everyone wished they were having his baby?), Leonard Cohen, Oscar Peterson, The Band, David Clayton-Thomas (Blood, Sweat & Tears), Gordon Lightfoot, the Guess Who, and, one of the top 10 names in all of rock 'n roll: Neil Young. A strong optional purchase. Aud: P. (R. Pitman)