Customer Reviews

Muddy Waters - In Concert 1971

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

 

 

This dvd is simply fantastic. Muddy Waters is backed by a beautiful band (I LOVE Sammy Lawhorn!) and performs some terrific blues. The four final (bonus) tracks from the 1961 Newport Jazz Festival, albeit a very poor sound and video quality, feature some top-level blues, with Muddy Waters dancing on the notes of 'Got my mojo working'!
Much better than the 'Messin' with the blues' dvd.
A must.

I have quite a few Muddy Waters CDs, and I bought this video on a whim. I'm glad I did. Muddy is a pleasure to watch, and he was in top form for this concert. This 42-minute video provides lots of closeups of Muddy's guitar playing while he and his band performs the following songs: Long Distance Call, Hoochie Coochie Man, Manish Boy, Walkin' Thru the Park, Crawlin' Kingsnake, She's 19 Years Old, and Got My Mojo Working. In addition, the tape features a four-minute interview with Muddy, recorded in the back seat of a limo.

The concert was recorded in 1971 at the University of Oregon. The sound quality leaves a bit to be desired, but what can you expect from a 30-year old recording? If you're interested in higher quality versions of these songs, pick up a copy of his "The Lost Tapes" CD, which was recorded during the same 1971 tour.

The description here lists the tape as black and white. Not true. It was originally shot in 16mm color. The video is definitely in color, but the color is a bit washed out and may even look better in black and white. The price, I think, is a bit high considering the brevity and sound quality. But it's a must-buy for any Muddy Waters fan.

A great addition for any fan/historian, this documentary is a true "close-up" of one of the greatest Blues singers, players, composers, in history. It is touching that it appears that this amazingly influential musician is still so deeply involved in his sonic roots - there's no "programmed" feel to his performance.
The song titles herein speak for themselves: Hoochie Coochie Man, Mannish Boy, Got My Mojo Working, etc.
The cinematography is fine, though it appears that the original negative is not used here, or that the monochromism is due to storage issues. Audio is very good.