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32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Get This For The Best Albert King Sound Available, April 16, 2005
This review is from: John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers - Jammin' With the Blues Greats (DVD)
This DVD is now available again after years of being out-of-print. Originally it was VHS tape that was available in the Mid-Eighties. That version did not contain the Jam at the end or Albert King's "Born Under A Bad Sign". During the 90s it reappeared as a full-lenght VHS tape with all tracks present, however, if you live in Australia as I do, it was in NTSC and not available in PAL (I paid $50 in 1997 to get it changed over!Before the technology revolution in TVs). I was able to get the first DVD copy of this work from the UK in 2001 and it is now deleted. This copy is a treasure and what a price!!!!! You should buy two just in case one gets worn out playing Albert King's segment! OK, the previous reviews are great and I agree with most of what they say. John Mayall was and is a great promoter of the Blues. This concert was in a way a Jam Session (as the name implies) and a chance to give the Blues a kick start in the days just prior to the emergence of the dynamic SRV. It was 1982 and most Blues acts were stagnant-most people were listening to the 1980s New British Pop-Soul Invasion, Billy Joel and so on, enough said. This set has its ups and downs but the HIGHLIGHT is Albert King. As I have said in my many reviews of his work, material on him is very scarce. Even now, this is much better than the DVD released last year "Live In Sweden"- the sound is better, his guitar has no 1970s phaser on it, the guitar is mixed up front, his singing is at its best and he's not grumpy!!! The other DVD of Albert is "Godfather of the Blues". He has a good sound, but he's 69 years old and the band is very mediocre (Except "Dave Jefferson" on drums). The very rare "Maintenance Shop Blues" tape (can you still get it at all??) he has a good band with horns, it's in this period around the middle 1980s, but his guitar is super phaser driven and not out front. If they ever release "A Blues Session" (well they just re-released "A Rockabilly Session" with Carl Perkins in the same series!!!) Albert has his second best video exposure, with SRV and Paul Butterfield doing "The Sky Is Crying"). Now to be able to get this DVD with Albert in top form and bassist Frank Dunbar, who played with Albert through the mid-1980s until he got a newer band with the fabluous Jimmy King on second guitar, for only ten bucks is the all time Albert King bargain available- I now own two of the tapes and four of the DVDs!! About the players. The Bluesbreakers with Mick Taylor and John McVie are great. Taylor's big Marshall sound and great slide playing prevail. I think the best tunes are Buddy Guy's "My Time After A While" and "The Dark Side of Midnight" with Taylor's great playing with a Wah-wah and a Les Paul. Sippie Wallace is super for 83 (she died the year after this concert) you may want to see a younger Sippie caught in the American Folk Blues Festival (Vol. 1) worth seeing! Buddy and Junior Wells are their usual selves. Although Buddy is really not up to scratch with the old Guild he played between Stratocasters. His sound is pretty thin and does not suit his fast playing. This mix is also not the best. Etta James is Etta James, a great Blues singer, but she should have done different material-she did Jimmy Reed's "Baby What You Want Me To Do" (A curious song that actually never refers to the title-Reed was drunk at the time (as usual) and couldn't name the tune he had written with his wife and Eddie Taylor). Etta performed this on about every TV performance she did in the 1980s.(eg-B.B.King, Joe Walsh's special, etc.) Overall this show belongs to the late great Albert King. Albert never got the credit or recognition he deserved in his lifetime, except from guitar players and die hard blues lovers. Perhaps the re-release of this material will spark some well overdue interest in Mr King. Most guitar players who play blues have to include some of B.B. King's style in their lick dictionary (Guy, Little Milton, Freddie King, Clapton, etc.). However, Albert King never did, once!!! He is the most original blues guitar stylist. Hear him on this DVD. He is the best, the King of soulful bending!
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great concert CD, February 8, 2008
This review is from: John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers - Jammin' With the Blues Greats (DVD)
This is a wonderful concert DVD, featuring John Mayall's Bluesbreakers (Mayall with vocals and on harmonica and keyboard, John McVie on bass, Mick Taylor on guitar, and Colin Allen in drums) and some guests--Sippie Wallace (then 83 years old), Etta James, Buddy Guy and Junior Wells, and Albert King. This was recorded in 1982 and provides a nice glimpse of blues work at its best. Some examples of the works on this DVD: The Bluesbreakers play "An Eye for an Eye": This starts off with nice harmonica work by Mayall himself. This is about a man killing another man and implying the Biblical pronouncement that represents the title of this work. There is a very nice blues sensibility here. The Band plays well, with Mick Taylor's estimable guitar work standing out. "Messin' with the Kid" features Buddy Guy and Junior Wells. Nice guitar work (as one would guess) from Guy. Wells wings in a gritty fashion and plays the harmonica most finely. There is nice back and forth guitar work between Taylor and Guy. Then, there is "Why Are You so Mean to me," featuring Albert King. What guitar work on his part! The Bluesbreakers back him nicely, with special mention to Mayall's harmonica, which acts in nice counterpoint to the smoking guitar work of King and Taylor. "Call It Stormy Monday": King's version compares very nicely with that of T-Bone Walker. It starts off with King's mean guitar licks. Taylor and King play well off of one another. Key lines: "They call it stormy Monday, But Tuesday's just as bad. Y'know Wednesday's worse, Lord, Thursday is also sad." Finally, an extended jam session, featuring "C. C. Rider": Sippie Wallace begins the vocals, followed by the likes of Etta James, King, and Wells. The guitar byplay among Guy, King, and Taylor is great fun. Wells' harmonica work is terrific. What a nice extended jam session! So, how to evaluate this? A wonderful concert, featuring some great talents. The ensemble works well together. If you are interested in the genre and some of the artists, this will be a nice investment.
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14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Historical event at a nice price, April 12, 2005
This review is from: John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers - Jammin' With the Blues Greats (DVD)
This is a great low priced Dvd containing John Mayall and some blues history from 1982. The 80's were some of the hardest times for artists that saw their prime at the begining of the 70's. On this Dvd John Mayall performs a concert with the likes of Etta James, Buddy Guy & Junior Wells, Sippie Wallace, and Albert King. It's cool to see Mayall bumpin elbows with John McVie, and Mick Taylor again. Although Mick seems to have a very Stones esq attitude towards the special guests, and can't seem to play a song without smoking a cigarette. But otherwise ego's seemed to be checked at the door. I'm pretty sure Mayall is content with playing along with his idols. He always seems to thank his idols one way or another during live shows. Also his attidude has changed a bit since the 1972 album "Jazz Blues Fusion." In between songs the audience yells out requests for "Room to Move" and John replies "Did you come to see a concert or hear a record?" But at the end of the set on the DVD John says "What would a concert be without a little "Room to Move."" So it is good to see he has embraced playing some nostalgia rather than banging out new tunes. I saw John perform at a club in Buffalo NY about a year ago. I was floored when I got to meet him and he signed his 70th birthday DVD for me and I thanked him for introducing me to the blues. John is a very nice guy and played an excellent set. But I'm getting off track. This DVD contains some great performances by blues greats who I'm sure you'd be hard pressed (they are out there but it'll take some research) to find on DVD anywhere else other than here. Buddy Guy and Junior Wells are an awesome duo on stage. You can see the obvious BB King influences in Buddy's playing. Junior can honk a serious harp too. The Albert King set is awesome. The guy plays guitar left handed eventhough it is strung right handed, its pretty cool to see. Etta James and Sippie Wallace both do very good singing although I've never been a fan of women singing the blues. The C.C. Rider Jam is awesome as well with everyone having a chance to shine. For the price its hard to beat this DVD. Seeing blues greats that usually don't get as much credit as they should on stage is really cool. If you are a John Mayall fan or just a fan of the blues you should get this. But if you are a blues fan you probably already have it.
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