Customer Reviews

The Derek Trucks Band - Songlines Live!

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Any fan of Trucks will want this recording, but also any fan of good music too. What I like about this guy and this band is their open and sincere and high approach to music and culture and us as listeners (shows in how they relate to the audience and how they price this DVD).

This recording is well if modestly done. Nothing flashy here, just 6 guys playing well together. I was a bit surprised to have the show start with a few short interviews introducing the band and their approach to the music. Then for the next 2+ hours we get the full uninterupted concert. And I loved the show! And I was also glad to have had the reminder of the intention behind it.

I'm a big fan of Trucks but was more impressed by the rest of the band as well, the varied selection of tunes, the skill they played and interplayed with, and the general way they approach their task. As Trucks says in the intro these guys play as it is their church, and that includes us and the collective intention of the best the world has to offer.

This is the way to approach music; from the sacred, with humility, playfulness, joy, inclusiveness, and the love of doing it right.

I'VE SEEN ALOT OF MUSIC LIVE, IN MY 58 PLUS YEARS ON THIS PLANET BUT NEVER HAVE I WITNESSED THE KIND OF SLIDE PLAYING THAT DEREK TRUCKS DOES !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
THIS KID IS OFF THE CHARTS. I THOUGHT HE WAS OUTSTANDING WITH THE ALLMAN BROTHERS "LIVE AT THE BEACON" DVD JAMMING NOTE FOR NOTE WITH THE LEGENDARY WARREN HAYNES BUT THE PLAYING ON THIS DVD IS WAY ABOVE THAT. A GREAT SUPPORTING CAST ROUNDS OUT A INCREDIBLE 2 HOUR SET. THE FILMING IS TOP NOTCH. I OWN OVER 250 CONCERT DVD'S AND THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST. SUPPORT THIS MAN AND HIS BAND AND BUY THIS DVD TODAY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Before I bought this DVD, all I knew about Derek Trucks is that he did some second generation work with the Allman Brothers Band that helped bring that band back into the realm of my musical interests. I hadn't even thought about him lately until I spotted this DVD on sale at an area book/music store. The price was great, so I thought I'd give it a shot.
What a band! This DVD is astounding! If you like a little funk and soul, stirred with some Southern Rock, and shaken with a generous shot of the blues and a dash of world music, then you are bound to like Songlines Live. I can't recall the last time I saw a music DVD where the band is so tight and the music so fluid as it it here (Well, maybe Boz Scaggs Greatest Hits Live).
Some of the vocals are great and some I didn't care for, but I was never disappointed when Trucks and his band cut loose. My favorite here is the band's rendition of Key to the Highway. If you are familiar with Derek and the Dominoes' version (Eric Clapton's band), well Derek Trucks and his band just put them to shame. Trucks' play on that will make you forget you ever heard Clapton's version.
This is one DVD that's going to get a lot of play at my house. Take a couple of hours out of your day, put Songlines Live on, and get ready for a real musical thrill! The low price should make your decision to own this an easy one.

This is a very well done DVD. The concert is well shot, the band are playng good and the sound is very good. The mix is very democratic with all instruments represented well. This is truly a band performance, where you can tell they are listening to each other.

The documentaries are very well done and give a nice insight into what makes Derek and the other musicians tick.

Very enjoyable.

I had been eagerly awaiting the arrival of this DVD in my mailbox since I read that it was being recorded. It does not disappoint. It is an excellent representation of where Derek Trucks is as a musician and an clues the viewer in on why being part of a band is more important to his creative process than any solo/star turn could ever be. In this DVD the viewer can see the continuing collaboraive process at work.

The song selection is first rate. The band opens with Joyful Noise, the title track from the record that preceded songlines. They play 20 songs including much of the Songlines record (unfortunately no version of This Sky, but you can't have everything). Also included are blistering versions of two songs closely related to Derek and the Dominoes, Key to the Highway and Anyday. The former is a clinic in how to construct a guitar solo and shows the differece in approach between Derek Trucks and most players. Instead of attacking the solo and leaving it all in the first chorus, he starts slowly and builds to a climax. Anyday, on of my favorite Clapton/Allman performances cooks with passion and technical excellence.

As for the video feed, the visual effect is stunning. The colors are vivid, and one catches some of the subtle interplay between musicians. I went back and made the logical comparison between this disc and the Allman Brothers Band's One Way Out, Live at the Beacon Theatre, and frankly the video is much clearer and more appealing (though I prefer the ABB musically).

The bonus features are quite nice, though I would have liked more. A long piece about the nature of being on the road with the DTB and the approach to the music was informative and lots of fun. It was especially gratifying to hear Derek talk about his career, friends and influences. The second section "Recording Songlines" was a nice window into the recording process. The final section "Working Overtime" talked about Derek's workload, sharing time between this band and the Allman Brothers, and now the Eric Clapton tour.

All in all an excellent value in a DVD. Watch it, the joy might be contagious. Highly recommend

Derek Trucks guitar prodigy, nephew of Allman Brothers drummer (Butch Trucks) is truely an incredible musician/guitarist. I have seen Derek Trucks live a couple times with his band and the Allman Brothers. Its been a long time seen I have ever seen a young guitarist in their prime. Derek has the passion any aspiring guitarist would have he shows his raw emotion, talent, and love for the guitar on songlines live. His band which formed in 1997 has members ranging from all over the world including Derek Trucks(guitar), Todd Smallie(bass), Yonrico Scott(drums, percussion), Kofi Burbridge(keyboards), Mike Mattison(vocals), and Count M'Butu(congas & percussion). This concert was shot live at The Park West in Chicago, Illinois January 28, 2006. This DVD is filled with great music from the opening song Joyful Noise to the closing Up Above My Head. My personal favorites include Crow Jane, Volunteered Slavery, Key To The Highway, All I Do, Sailing On, and Anyday. These songs have alot of different aspirations. Their are a couple bonus features which include behind songlines, life on the road, and derek trucks side projects which include the Allman Brothers, and Eric Clapton's 2006 tour. I highly recommend this to any guitarist/musician. Derek Trucks Is Young, Energetic, And Inspiring!!!!!!!! 5 stars!!

If music is art then the Derek Trucks band have painted us a piece of art with their new DVD. What a beutifully awesome guitar player he is, not just with the slide, or picking away like a chicken. I've seen Muddy Waters and Lowell George, and yes Duane, but Derek is just in a different league He plucks notes out of the air, that make me think of a time long past, and then I wonder if this would not have been the perfect 60's band.The band treats each other with respect, but to quote Derek, you show your respect, then go in their and do what you do... Wonderful, beautiful music.

Blues based improvisation at its best! That's what this latest release of the Derek Trucks Band's "Songlines - Live" DVD is. Filmed in high-definition, the sound and color of "Songlines - Live" matches the quality musicianship, hard at work. Twenty songs are included, plus bonus footage and interviews.

This DVD is excellent in every aspect. The original authored track selections and covers are extremely diverse, and it is obvious that Trucks' musical palette is far reaching, as Derek and his band cover a wide range of styles. There is no doubt that Derek has a very special understanding and appreciation of various genre's and influences, as The DTB covers Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Big Bill Broonzy, Don Robey, King Curtis, Lightnin' Hopkins, Ashford and Simpson, Herbie Hancock/Phil Upchurch, Clapton/Whitlock, Stevie Wonder, and Sister Rosetta Tharpe- talk about being musically open-minded! It is truly amazing to see how the DTB works their special flow of improvisation, especially the fearless leader Trucks. To my ears, every fan of slide guitar (especially us Duane Allman fans) should have "Songlines - Live" in their home music collection.

Highlights of the covers captured on this fine disc include the Clapton/Whitlock/Derek & the Dominos "Anyday," "Key To The Highway" (which was also covered by the Dominos on "Layla"), the Ray Charles smash hit (written by Ashford & Simpson) "Let's Go Get Stoned," King Curtis' "Soul Serenade," and Rahsaan's "Volunteered Slavery." Original authored standouts are; "Joyful Noise," "I'll Find My Way," and "For My Brother."

I would title The Derek Trucks Band as- forward thinking musicians, with an un-quenchable desire to explore, with very few musical boundaries. Is Derek Trucks the future of blues? I am not sure, as Trucks does not seem to want to be pigeon holed, but the music he and his band create is most definitely blues based, and the band seems to thirst for original American Blues music originally authored by founding fathers of the blues. It will be interesting to watch young Trucks grow, as he is only twenty-seven years old- so watch closely & stay tuned!

One other thought occurred to me about Trucks, and that is that I am thrilled with the fact that while Derek continues on with his own band, it is also fascinating to see him regularly playing with and (more importantly) learning with the current edition of the Allman Brother's, as well as with Eric Clapton's touring band, as from those road tested fathers of roots/rock/blues- one can only expect Trucks bear more fruitful growth. The Derek Trucks Band "Songlines- Live" is highly recommended listening and viewing- Enjoy!

As the musicians who surround Trucks are so very strong, I appropriately added the DTB entire personnel: Derek Trucks: guitar; Todd Smallie: bass and vocals; Yonrico Scott: drums, percussion and vocals; Kofi Burbridge: keyboards, flute and vocals; Mike Mattison: vocals; Count M'Butu: congas and percussion.
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These guys are all extremely talented and impressive. That is the first thing that stands out. The second thing is their ability to combine very diverse styles. Third is their unique way of combining multiple styles. Also in there is the surprise at Mike Mattison's ability to sing with completely different voices and styles and have complete conviction on each. I'm primarily a guitar fan and Derek Trucks is one of the few newer guitarists who can really deliver and connect with music in a passionate way. This is a good DVD and definitely a great price, but even with all of that, I just expected a little more from it. It could be me, but I just didn't connect with the music as much as I thought I would and I found myself skipping ahead 4 or 5 times. I love long instrumental jams and this has plenty of that and as I said earlier, when Mike steps up to sing, he really delivers, but I enjoyed their stuff on Crossroads 2007 far more. They just seemed to have a higher energy and dynamic there. I like hard rock, blues, some jazz, 70's era fusion (Jeff Beck, Al Dimeola, John McLaughlin etc), older Funk and R & B grooves and I like things mixed up in extended jams, so I did find this DVD to be enjoyable because these guys mix some of those and other styles in their own way, but some of the other influences seemed to lower the pulse of some of the jams. Jam bands put certain genres as the jam's musical core and bring the other stuff into it and I think that the core style is key to how well I connect with it. I'd give this 4 out of 5 stars at best .... Worth the money if you just love honest, live music and watching excellent musicians show what they're capable of.

I am a big blues fan, but after 35 years of listening and playing blues music, there are few surprises. Sure there are great players, but you feel like you've heard it all before ... and then appears Derek. Even though I am old enough to be his father, I watch this young man in amazement. It's more than blues, but definitely blues-tinged. Even though I am sure he spent many hundreds of hours honing his skills, he has also been blessed with a gift that most of us can just watch and appreciate. Buy this video to watch the start of musical history.