Jimi Hendrix - Live at Woodstock (1999) Review

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(More customer reviews)Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock is disputabily the greatest concert ever given. I am an avid Hendrix fan and was elated to see this DVD. This is by far the best DVD I have and shows Hendrix at his greatest. Izabella is revolutionary, Fire is rock solid, Red House is great (Jimi broke his high E string), his Woodstock Improvisation is incredible and his Star Spangled Banner is priceless. That being considered, it deserves 5+ stars.
Although Expericnce Hendrix has done a great job releasing material since they won Jimi's legacy a few years ago, this DVD, contrary to the CD version, was disappointing in its length. There are many songs missing. I owned the CDs first and will list my disappointments: (1) I desperately wanted to hear and see all of Message to Love and Hear my Train a Comin', two of Jimi's new songs as he broke away from the Experience. (2) I also wanted to see Spanish Castle Magic, Foxy Lady, Hey Joe and Lover Man, all not included on the DVD. (3) The order of the songs was jumbled on the DVD and I wanted to see the actual chronological order of the songs. (4) Many of Jimi's comments, some pretty interesting (a la those before Izabella for those who own the CDs), were totally cut out. (5) If it replaced another of the aformentioned left-out songs, I really did not need to hear Larry Lee being backed up be Jimi on Jam Back at the House. Considering they cut out Larry Lee's other songs from the CD I was amazed that this one even made it.
I guess I wanted a DVD identical to the CDs, which is not what this is. However, this is a must for any fan of rock music in general, but I felt I had to voice my completist complaints. Without a doubt, a must have.

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CROSSROADS GUITAR FESTIVAL 2010 (2010) Review

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(More customer reviews)I was at the Crossroads 2010 show and eagerly awaited the theatrical release. The first thing you have to realize is that nothing, not a 2 hour movie or a 4 hour DVD will capture what it was like to have actually seen some of the brilliant performances of that day. The editing was shaky at best but the sound was quite good (I'm sure the sound varied greatly depending on the theater). Although I was dissapointed in the movie, I'd see it again and here's why. The movie missed a lot of the high points of the 11 hour show, but it caught enough to remind me of how great the entire experience had been, and that's all I asked for. I was pleasently surprised at the applause in the theater after some of the better performances. The most dissapointing thing about the movie was the performances that weren't included. John Mayer, Buddy Guy, and Jeff Beck all played sets that deserved complete coverage (and I would pay money to buy a DVD). "Going Down", "Killing Floor", "La Grange", "Mystery Train", and "Comin' Home" were all songs I was sad didn't make the cut. And although he didn't add a whole lot musically, Bill Murray's intro's were hysterical. Addressing a negative critism: I don't know what a "I-IV-V progression in G with a capo" is, but I could watch Robert Randolph, Jimmie Vaughn, and Hubert Sumlin play it all day!(I've seen a lot of pictures of Muddy Waters with a capo and I heard he's pretty good!). I'm quite sure the DVD will capture more of the esscence of the complete concert, but, as we all know, that's impossible.

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Black Snake Moan (2007) Review

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(More customer reviews)I was drawn to this movie because I enjoyed director Craig Brewer's earlier film, "Hustle and Flow". If anything, I liked "Black Snake Moan" even better. The movie combines tawdry and lurid components with a tale of love, forgiveness, and hope. I don't think the film is exploitative. Instead it suggests in a simple way how sensual and redemptive parts of life often complement each other.
In thinking about this movie, I was reminded of George Eliot's novel, "Silas Marner", the bane of every high school student. In Eliot's novel, Marner, an embittered miser finds redemption when he raises Eppie, an orphaned girl, from childhood to young adulthood. Similarly, "Black Snake Moan" tells the story of a middle-aged black American man, Lazarus, portrayed by Samuel Jackson, who feels embittered when Rose, his wife of 12 years, leaves him for his best friend. Lazarus happens upon a young scantily dressed white woman, Rae, played by Christina Ricci, who has been beaten and left near-dead on a country road following a wild party. Lazarus takes her into his home and tries to teach and care for her. Ultimately, the movie suggests, both Lazarus and Rae receive a kind of hope, Rae by marrying her boyfriend, Lazarus by finding what may be a promising new relationship.
The story gets life through a great deal of tawdry sex. At the turning point of the movie, Lazarus chains Rae to a radiator to prevent her escape. Rae was a victim of sexual abuse and a neglectful mother, and in her boyfriend's temporary absence for military service, she throws herself at every man she can find. She appears in the movie scantily clad, in a cut-off blouse with a Confederate flag and in shorts. Lazarus has his own frustrations to work out from the loss of Rose, his wife. A black preacher, the Reverend R.L., played by John Cotham, helps both Lazarus and Rae and is the quiet hero of this movie.
In this movie, atmosphere and scene count for a great deal. The story is set in a small Tennessee town near Nashville, and the story is redolent with poor Southern life, both black and white. There is scenes in shacks and farms, and small town stores and streets, and in clubs and bars that bring the movie to life. Brewer shows the same love for and knowledge of the rural South that he showed in "Hustle and Flow". Most importantly there is music. The tale of sex and redemption is captured in the flow of the blues in a soundtrack and in performances by Lazarus himself. Jackson spent long hours learning the blues guitar in preparation for this movie. The movie includes two scenes of footage with the great Delta bluesman Son House holding forth appropriately on love, loss, and the blues. Music is a redemptive force in people's lives, and in this movie of the hot-blooded South, redemption comes through the blues.
I found the tawdry elements of this movie an essential part of the story it had to tell. "Black Snake Moan" is rewarding.
Robin Friedman

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In this tale of love, loss and faith, Academy Award nominee Samuel Jackson and Christina Ricci seek redemption Down South through the power of the blues and the transcendence of an unlikely friendship.

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Albert King / Stevie Ray Vaughan: In Session (2010) Review

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(More customer reviews)This was filmed in December, 1983 for an Ontario, Canada, TV station program. It's finally been released on DVD. The visual & sound quality is great. I'm not sure of the total running time, but it is a fairly, lengthly, session, concentrating on a young 29 year old Stevie Ray, with his Fender Stratocaster, Electric Guitar (Old #1 also called "Lenny") & a mature 60 year old, experienced, professional blues guitarist & singer, Albert King, with his Gibson "Flying V", electric guitar (named "Lucy"). Stevie Ray does switch guitars a couple of times during the session. Stevie had a reputation about being rough on his guitars, kinda like Jerry Lee Lewis was with pianos. Stevie Ray is a right handed guitarist, Albert is a left handed guitarist. This is a great close up, and personal jam session, with the backing band, barely in sight. The main focus is on Stevie Ray & Albert King. Stevie was a young Texas Blues guitarist & singer. Albert was an original, Mississippi Delta Blues guitarist & singer. This session is like a tutorial session, where the older & wiser Albert, jams with Stevie, and gives him advice. The 2 blues guitarists are relaxed and "laid back", and Stevie shows great respect for his "tutor". Also, Albert shows great respect for Stevie Ray. There is no live audience. The music is fantastic!!!
The musicians are as follows:
Albert King - Electric guitar, vocals
Stevie Ray Vaughan -Elecric guitar, vocals on "Texas Flood"/"Pride & Joy"
Tony LLoren - piano, organ
Gus Thorton - electric Bass
Michael Lloren - drums
The set list is as follows:
Introduction
"Born Under a Bad Sign" (An Albert King Classic) this is one of the best performances of the song, I've seen on a dvd. This includes vocals by Albert.
"Texas Flood" (a Stevie Ray Classic), this is mostly jam music, with some vocals from Stevie Ray, its great electric blues guitar play.
"Call it Stormy Monday" (an Albert Classic) includes Albert on vocals
"Old Times" - this is a conversation between Albert and Stevie, recalling how Stevie Ray met Albert King back in 1973 in Austin, Texas, at Austin's Coliseum Club. Stevie was just 18 years old, and he was fasinated by Albert. Also, 2 years later Stevie Ray got to sit in on a session with Albert at Antone's in Austin.
"Match Box Blues" - (An Albert Classic) with great electric guitar blues, including vocals by Albert.
"Pep Talk" - Albert King gives Stevie Ray some advice & encouragement.
"Don't Lie to Me" (Another Albert Classic) with great electric guitar blues & Albert on vocals.
"Who is Stevie" - Another conversation between Albert as "tutor", and Stevie Ray as "student".
"Pride and Joy" (A Stevie Ray Classic) more great electric, blues guitar play, with Stevie Ray on vocals.
" I'm Gonna Move to the Outskirts of Town" - (Another Albert Classic), with more great electric, blues guitar play & Albert on vocals.
"Outro" - Credits, etc.
This is certainly a great dvd to have for any blues, &/or blues rock lover. It was sad, that Stevie died in a helecopter crash in 1990, and then Albert died 2 years later in 1992. However, this dvd speaks volumes about the two legendary blues musicians.
Also, with the dvd, you get some excellent liner notes giving the details of this event and some history on both blues artists. I highly recommend this for any blues, or blues rock fan. Thanks!!!
P.S. Even though Stevie Ray's Old #1 guitar was also called "Lenny", it was not his "official", "Lenny" guitar. The "official", "Lenny", also a Fender Stratocaster, had been re-worked, with a new brown body, with a white plastic shield, and a solid maple neck, which is light colored wood on all sides of the neck. SRV usually only played this guitar, when he would perform the song "Lenny". If you'd like to see the "original Lenny", then Stevie plays it in the dvd "Live at the el Mocambo", when he performs the song "Lenny".

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On December 6, 1983, legendary blues guitarist Albert King joined his disciple Stevie Ray Vaughan on a Canadian sound stage for the live music television series In Session.Magic happened. The highly sought after video footage from that one-time renowned summit becomes available for the first time ever with the release of Stax Records' DVD In Session. The DVD contains three classic performances unavailable on the previously issued audio disc: "Born Under a Bad Sign," the landmark title track from Albert King's biggest Stax release written by William Bell and Booker T. Jones; Stevie Ray's "Texas Flood," the Larry Davis-penned title track of Vaughan's immortal debut album; and "I'm Gonna Move to the Outskirts of Town," made famous by Louis Jordan and later, Ray Charles. "It was evident from the first choruses," writes liner notes author/musicologist Samuel Charters, "that they were playing for each other. And that was the best audience either of them could ever have. The music never lost its intensity, its quality of something very important being handed back and forth and there was time for Stevie and Albert to see where their ideas took them."Accolades have showered upon this momentous encounter. "As a document of what was probably one of the greatest nights in the musical life of SRV, this belongs in the collection of every true fan," said the Austin American-Statesman. Sonic Boomers added, "Both men are gone now, but rare recordings like In Session remind us of a time when blues giants still walked the earth side by side." Elmore magazine called it "an indispensible part of any blues fan's collection." And BluesWax noted, "thank goodness, this disc lives on and on." Now this previously unavilable visual document featuring two giants of American blues can be enjoyed by audiences the world over.Sadly, King and Vaughan would not share a stage together ever again. Vaughan, 31 years King's junior, died in a helicopter crash in the fog on the way back from a concert in 1990. King outlived him by two years, dying of a heart attack in 1992. They didn't meet often, and their careers took different paths. But we can all be grateful for that one long day in a television studio when sparks flew and this timeless performance was forever captured.01. Introduction02. Texas Flood03. Call It Stormy MondayAct II04. Matchbox Blues05. Pep Talk06. Don't Lie To Me 07. Who Is Stevie?08. Pride and JoyThe Finale09. I'm Gonna Move To The Outskirts of Town10. Outro

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Cadillac Records (2008) Review

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(More customer reviews)So it averages out to 4 stars then.
The music is just great with many key blues performances from Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Etta James, Howlin'Wolf and Willie Dixon recreated. The story is a blend of fiction and fact and one wonders why the half truths and lies had to find their way into the story. Just a few of the "mistruths":
-There were 2 Chess Brothers, not just one and both had a strong involvement in the company.
- Len Chess died 2 months after he sold his company not just after stepping foot outside the door.
-Etta James did not record "I'd Rather Go Blind" in Chicago although she did record her composition for the Chess label.
-Etta had already been a star for 5 years prior to joining Chess.
-Len Chess did actually serve as a session musician if the situation demanded it.
-The Chess company recorded many other musicians and styles during their career.
-Whether Chess ever dated Etta James is debatable. She had a boyfriend who was writing some of her best material at the time.
- Chess operated in a few smaller buildings before moving to 2120 South Michigam Ave in 1955.
A thorough account on what is true and what is not would no doubt reveal countless other mistruths. The question is why does Hollywood have to falsify and dress up the facts when a simple report on the facts would have been so much better. Still, the music in this movie is a blues fan's dream and credit must be given for that.

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Cadillac Records chronicles the rise of Leonard Chess' (Adrien Brody) Chess Records and its recording artists including Muddy Waters (Jeffrey Wright), Little Walter (Columbus Short), Chuck Berry (Mos Def), Willie Dixon (Cedric The Entertainer) and the great Etta James (Beyonce Knowles). In this tale of sex, violence, race and rock and roll in Chicago of the 1950s and 60s, the film follows the exciting but turbulent lives of some of America's greatest musical legends.

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