Search - Blues Masters on DVD

Great for the Bookshelf, But..

GOVINDRAJ | Bombay, India | 04/27/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Its a great collection of masters no doubt, particularly Muddy Waters and Otis Sann and Willie Dixon, appearing true to form, these recordings are from 1966, put together by CBC Television The black and white recordings adds to the period effect and the sound is incredibly well restored. Listening and watching these masters deliver their masterpieces tells you a lot about how this amazing genre of music has stood the test of time.The biggest bug bear is the rather intrusive appearance of the presenter Colin James, whose body of work I am not personally familiar with. His introductions and preludes are interesting to take in the first time around but become a pain in the neck every subsequent time one plays out the DVD, popping up as he does at the beginning and end of every song and then goes on to digitally play along with Willie Dixon as well...Smart, but not impressive. The producers of this DVD should have separated James' free flowing wisdom and uncalled for participation, from the original recordings...I hate to say this but would have perhaps reconsidered by decision to buy this DVD if I were aware of the nature of the mastering."

Great piece of work from muddy and friends

greg l gibson | huntington, wv United States | 01/08/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is an excellent dvd of vintage blues from the likes of Muddy,Otis Spann, SonnyTerry, Brownie Mcgee, Sunnyland Slim, Wille Dixon and Mable Hillery. The picture quality is great and the sound is fine. I don't know why Colin James(the host) is in this dvd and is quite annoying when he appears with Wille Dixon but with songs like You Can't Lose What You Never Had by Waters band and Crazy For My Baby by Dixon makes his apearance go out the window fast This dvd is a great example why this music is still going strong"

Powerful Performances; Awful Host

B. Lockhart | Davis, CA USA | 04/19/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Having read a lot about this DVD, I hotly anticipated viewing it. I've been a fan of Chicago blues forever, and getting a chance to see its masters performing live is simply a treat. I wasn't disappointed. Each artist has the talent, integrity, soul, and genius you'd expect. That said, it's a travesty that the "artist", Colin James would even dream about imposing himself on this gem by "playing with" Willie Dixon. If there's ever a chance that this wonderful show is re-released, I pray the producers have the guts to cut out this ridiculous segment. The guy needed to stay quietly in the background, his guitar in its case. Otherwise, this is a must-have DVD for any serious fan of great blues."

Best available Muddy and Spann I've ever seen

Richard O'Donnell | Edinburgh, Scotland, UK | 06/26/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The best blues must-have on DVD/video.You MUST BUY THIS!! Trust me, I am a Muddy and Spann fanatic!!Colin James intrudes a little but OK.Willie Dixon spoils things, playing off-key most of the time - except for on "his" songs. (you can see Muddy looking at Otis Spann in disgust as Dixon spoils the boiling-point blues tension. Muddy,Spann, Sunnyland Slim, S.P.Leary (drums) all fantastic, the rest - not so good. Where is the rest of the footage and Fred McDowell/Big Joe Williams/Bukka White ???????? Some songs only clips - tragic! Someone PLEASE release all of it - I'd pay big bucks to see it all. Even still, BUY IT !!!"