Customer Reviews

John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers - 70th Birthday Concert

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I am a professional musician in Texas and this is one of the very best music DVD's (and it's live!) I've ever heard in my life. From the impecable playing from John and the band to the camera work and editing and sound. I couldn't be happier. Being a drummer it was really nice how they would show Joe from different angles and stay long enough to be able to learn something. Mick Taylor and Eric Clapton were great but John's guitarist Buddy Whittington hung right in there with both of them. He is one very talented guitar player/vocalist and I have followed him for years. This is a MUST HAVE DVD for any and all blues musicians.

Well like most Blues fans my age, I got the Bluesbreakers LP in 1966 and played it to death. I spent countless hours playing along with Eric Clapton on "All Your Love" and "Hideaway". They were great days. John Mayall has done so much to promote the blues world-wide, he can't get enough credit. Well, also like most people, after his time with Mick Taylor ("Crusade") I stopped buying his records.

This concert in Liverpool is very entertaining. It has a great song selection and the sound is good. Mayall brings out the old Bluesbreakers Eric Clapton and Mick Taylor (Why no Peter Green?) and they do a pretty good job. Taylor has a great tone and is as stone faced as ever. He is a matter-of-fact guitarist and plays well, especially on the Albert King number "Oh, Pretty Woman" -written by WDIA DJ AC Williams. Eric comes out and does a good job as well. He has been criticized for years as one who has stopped trying to be flash and has become more of a B.B. King-type of Blues player. He does "Hideaway" and "Have You Heard" and "All Your Love" from the original LP of so long ago. He uses his flashy Fender custom shop 2002 strat, too!

The previous reviews have raved about Buddy Whittington (another Texan guitar player!) with his special Mesa Boogie amps and tone BUT. as a guitar player for 40 years I think the flash technique (volume control, pick harmonics of the 1970s rock scene), with very little soul or bending (no 1 Blues technique!!!) is ok, but not great for pure blues. Actually Buddy should get a job with Steely Dan or a Steely Dan tribute band. He is a great player, but seems to be one who bases his skill on speed and technique rather than feeling, which is what the Blues is, "playing in between the notes". However, I do like Buddy's reliance on one guitar- a two-tone sunburst vintage 1950s stratocaster.

John Mayall's vocals in is old age have improved (that is always controversial- I don't think him a really horrible singer). However, his harp playing is more like a blues Bob Dylan (Butterfield used to make fun of it!). It is pretty cool the way he plays simple harp and piano at the same time! But he should stick to organizing and arranging. All in all this is an historical concert and is very entertaining. It is a a great addition to one's DVD library.

The highlights are "All Your Love", "Have You Heard", "Oh, Pretty Woman" and "Hideaway". John does a good job, but it is curious that with his lack of real talent on the harmonica he would do a tune about Little Walter as well as one of Little Walter's own songs.

The sound overall is good and this is a very entertaining and well presented concert. Blues lovers both young and old will appreciate it. The price is reasonable and the lenght is good. The bonus interview is also interesting and one can see the follow-up complete interview on the DVD John Mayall "Godfather of the Blues".

John Mayall, a pure bluesman with a great spirit of musical adventure not to mention a brilliant bandleader with the greatest taste in guitar players, leads a free-flowing but tight show with guitar gods galore. His current axe-master Buddy Whittington is excellent, and Clapton has some good moments, but for me the night belonged to ex-Stones great Mick Taylor who hasn't sounded this hot since Sticky Fingers. He doesn't look all that healthy (even in comparison to his old bandmates) but he plays with so much fire here I was just jaw-droppingly happy after seeing/hearing it.I don't think there's a guitar player alive who has such incredible tone and phrasing. Highlights too numerous to mention, but if you like blues in any form or just love guitars in general, I highly recommend this. Maybe Mayall will grab all the above and bring Coco Montoya and Peter Green along for his 75th. And proceeds go to Unicef, so hey, do yourself and someone else some good at the same time. Happy birthday John, and many many more.

I bought this DVD after attending a fantastic John Mayall concert in my hometown. I was so knocked out by the performance that I just had to buy this. The problem is that very high expectations usually turn into disappointment... but not this time!!! This concert is absolutely unique. It is not at all an 'overpaid dinosaurs meet for making cash' act, but a thrilling Blues gig by a master bandleader in top form featuring TONS of awesome guitar playing.
Anybody who likes electric Blues guitar should check out this movie, as it features three ace guitarists playing at their best. Buddy Whittington, who used to be a little too flashy in previous records, has matured and become a wonderfully tasty and original guitarist. He can really stand the comparison with Clapton and Taylor, something that only a guitar god can do. The brilliant Mick Taylor, as always, plays electric slide like nobody else can, and Eric Clapton -though a little cold at the beginning, and obscured by mixing problems- also shows his enormous talent, especially in the memorable ending of 'Have You Heard'. By the way, this track is SO INCREDIBLE it has to rank among the best blues performances ever filmed. Honestly. When Mayall, himself marveled, says at the end of the song: 'THE BLUES DOES NOT GET BETTER THAN THAT', I felt that he was not exaggerating that much...
As for the Bluesbreakers, Mayall's band all over the album is rock solid, and the frantic Hammond player is remarkable. You feel they are all enjoying themselves an awful lot. The first songs, all of them Mayall's recent compositions, are among the best of his career.
That is not to say that the DVD is perfect: Mayall is not an outstanding harmonica player nor pianist, and people who dislike him will probably be bored by his soloing. I do not rank among them, as I find that, although not technically brilliant, the man has a big bag of tricks that will definitely move the audience and propel the songs. However, the biggest mistake in the DVD (at least in my edition) is in the sound mixing: Clapton's volume is way too low! His playing is barely audible when he's playing duets with Mayall -a big error, although only present in two of the songs. I hope it gets fixed in a future edition...
Overall, the best thing I can say about this DVD is that I want to see it again and again, and that it now features side to side with my revered 'Blues Breakers'-Beano LP.

Clapton was always going to be the ace card in this show and his presence is arguably the most compelling reason people will want to hear this concert. It is ironic that resident Bluesbreaker Buddy Whittington smokes him on the territory that Clapton pioneered. Clapton is like the Stradivarius of blues guitarists - once upon a time he was so good at what he did that people have become blinded to the possibility he may no longer deserve his reputation.

Mick Taylor is the first guest onstage, and starts off with some nice understated playing - which is exactly where he stays. He seems oblivious to Buddy tearing up the other side of the stage, and although his lines are solid he appears at times to be searching for inspiration. Clapton follows him on halfway through the set and plays with a calculated air. If Taylor tries and fails to reach the depths within then Clapton flatly refuses to do so. He finally rises to the occasion on "Have You Heard", earning a standing ovation for a performance that Whittington bested at least half-a-dozen times during the show to far less acclaim. The dichotomy between the old guitar heroes and the only-slightly-younger unknown illustrates the divide that plagues the blues today: whether the blues is best represented by the form of the music or the spirit of the music. For my money, Buddy's was the more persuasive argument.

Some have complained about Mayall's harmonica playing, but being a harp player myself I found Mayall's performance very honest and unadorned by cliche - no small achievement given the quirks of this instrument. That is not to say that Mayall is more than a journeyman (at best) on the harp, but it illustrates his awareness of his own limitations as well as his sensitivity and taste. If it doesn't sound like Little Walter, well, that puts Mayall on Whittington's side of the argument above. Mayall was never a hack and this is why he can continue to surround himself with stellar musicians.

I could not wait to get my hands on this DVD but was a little disappointed. Some highlights:
* John is in fantastic shape for a 70 year old - he could pass for 60 perhaps less.
* The band's regular guitarist was great: tasteful licks, subtle articulation, superbly rich tone (especially for a Stratocaster) -- wonderful.
* Eric Clapton & Mick Taylor appear.
* There are some excellent tracks - some of my favourite Bluesbreakers tracks.
* John's harmonica playing was very good.
However, there were low points too:
* You can barely hear the two stars, Mick & Eric, as they are so down in the mix! Incredible. [John's vocals, organ & the regular guitarist are prominent in the mix].
* Eric's & Mick's tone was uncharacteristicially thin & lack luster. What a waste. Somebody give EC a Les Paul and turn them both up, way up, please.
* More video extras would have been nice.
* Where was Peter Green?! (Although the line up was impressive anyway).

Overall: not bad but there is definitely room for improvement.

I saw John six years ago on a hot Mesa Arizona afternoon. He looked old and tired from the heat and the road (I talked to him and he signed my ticket and a CD I bought). Here on this show he is clearly having a ball as was the audience and band. Another reviewer said his voice is shot. He/she had better get a new sound system! What I heard and saw was an excellent show from the undisputed grandfather of the British blues and a fantastic band giving a GREAT performance. The band (including Eric Clapton and Mick Taylor of the Rolling Stones) all seemed very proud and happy to be a part of this monumental occassion.

If you enjoy the blues, this DVD is a MUST for your collection!

I have played this DVD at least 30 times already and I am not tiring of it yet. I own close to 30 John Mayall albums and this has gone to the top of the charts immediately. On the first viewing, I was disappointed with Mick Taylor. It seemed like he was rusty. Subsequently, I find myself playing the tracks featuring him more and more and have realised how magic is his performance (although still a little rusty). This album celebrates John Mayall's 70'th birthday and what a celebration! John's bands have always been about his musicians. Joe Yule is an very good drummer and really lifts this performance. Hank Van Sickle is good on bass as well, as is Tom Canning on keyboards. Buddy Whittington is absolutely brilliant and probably surpasses Taylor and Clapton on guitar. As a non horn lover, I am surprised to admit that Chris Barber on trombone is also memorable!

The only disappointing aspects of this dvd are:
(1) The guitar levels given to Eric Clapton on some of his tracks which spoil his performance
(2) The front row audience! How can you listen to such brilliance and sit still during each song!

Listen particularly to any Mick Taylor track, Hoochie Cooche Man, Have you heard and Talk to you daughter for the ultimate in guitar blues.

We guitar players are very competitive, and some of the reviews here show that. Was Buddy better than Clapton? Was Taylor better than Buddy? Make no mistake, each player in this great DVD held his own. Taylor played a great slide. Buddy is a very good blues-rock guitar player, although purists of the blues will find his style a little 'hard rock'. Clapton played great, and the audience in this concert showed it to him. Don't expect Eric to play flashy runs, the melodic style of him has taken over, but it was great.
Sound is really tight, Mayall plays a great piano and harmonica, and sings as if he was 40. He managed to get 3 different guitar playing styles in an evening of the blues. Amazing video quality, in anamorphic 16:9, sound is 5.1 or Dolby Digital, your choice, and there even is a brief interview wiht Mayall and behind the scenes shots. DVD includes leaflet with many pictures and a message byn John, and, especially, royalties from this DVD will help UNICEF. So if you are a fan of the blues and great guitar playing, this DVD is for you.

The clarity of picture is so sharp I nearly cut myself!

The sound is so good (DTS) I had to check out my room for stowaway musicians!

There are no slackers in this line-up. This is truly a GREAT DVD with GREAT musicians, GREAT songs, GREAT editing and all-in-all a future classic.

If you like the Blues then get this one. You will not regret it.