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Gimme Some Lovin': Live 1966
Gimme Some Lovin' Live 1966
Genres: Music Video & Concerts
NR     2005     1hr 32min

"Gimme Some Lovin: Live 1966" features extremely rare archive footage of the original line-up playing live and includes many of their major hit songs including "Keep On Runnin'", "Gimme Some Lovin'" and "I'm A Man". Also ...  more »

     
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Movie Details

Genres: Music Video & Concerts
Sub-Genres: Pop, Rock & Roll
Studio: Cornerstone Ras
Format: DVD - Black and White - Closed-captioned
DVD Release Date: 03/08/2005
Release Year: 2005
Run Time: 1hr 32min
Screens: Black and White
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaDVD Credits: 1
Total Copies: 0
Members Wishing: 2
MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Languages: English

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Movie Reviews

A real treat for Winwood fans.
Dennis Hawley | Asheville, NC | 04/26/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)

"Gimme Some Lovin' Live 1966 consists of two sections. Only one is actually the band `live in 1966', the other being a documentary filmed for German television. Titled `With Their New Face On' (also the title of their first post-Winwood album), it takes up 58 minutes of the discs 92 minute running time. The documentary features band members Spencer Davis, drummer Pete York, guitarist/vocalist Phil Sawyer and organist Eddie Hardin. Basically, it consists of footage (with German narration) of the band rehearsing, working on material, clowning around and performing on-stage. While interesting from a rock history perspective, it's unlikely to generate repeated viewings by many. One scene, in fact, is almost painful to watch: Phil Sawyer recording a beverage commercial (`Great Shakes') to the tune of `I'm a Man.' Although Hardin and Sawyer were fine musicians, and nearly filled the instrumental gap left by Winwood, the loss of his voice simply could not be overcome.
The other portion of the disc (and the reason to buy it) consists of the original Spencer Davis Group (Davis, York, Muff and Steve Winwood) performing live before a small audience in Germany. Unlike many rock-oriented shows of the time (Shindig, Top of the Pops, etc.), the band actually played and sang. No lip-synching here (musicians were paid less to do this than if they actually performed live). Truly, the SDG with Steve Winwood was one of the great British rock bands of the era, and the eight songs contained here prove it. Great live versions of such blockbuster hits as Gimme Some Lovin', I'm a Man and Keep on Running, along with vocal and instrumental showcases such as Georgia On My Mind (Winwood's organ work is especially impressive on this number), Together Till the End of Time and When I Come Home are a joy to see and hear. The blazing blues guitar riffs provided by Winwood on tunes like Mean Woman Blues and Dust My Blues (with Spencer Davis on vocals) are impressive, especially considering that he had only begun to play guitar a few years earlier (in the Winwood biography `Roll With It', brother Muff, who practiced hard to learn the instrument, describes when Stevie first picked the guitar up, saying "it's not so hard" and proceeded to play like a pro, much to his brother's chagrin).
There's also a very interesting interview between sets, with the band eating, drinking and smoking (everybody smoked like chimneys) while being interviewed.
The one complaint with the live set (mentioned by another reviewer) is that there are German lyrics superimposed at the bottom. Aside from this distraction, the sound and image are quite good, and fortunately, the camera work was also very well done.
Various songs by the original SDG have appeared on rock compilations over the years, but none can hold a candle to this. If you're a SDG/Winwood fan, this is a must-have.
I would have given it a higher rating, but the documentary takes up too much of the disc playing time to justify it."
Great DVD...almost
Samuel B. King | Concord, NH | 03/11/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)

"Great black and white footage of the classic SDG, including the Winwood brothers, Pete York and Spencer Davis. its worth the price of admission to see these rare shots of Stevie Winwood in his prime, including his singing, organ AND guitar playing (his use of a white strat is reported as a motivation for Clapton moving to that instrument). The DVD also reminds viewers of the blues roots of the Spencer Davis Group. The reason I gave this a four star rating is because the songs include the annoying lyrics of each song written in German at the bottom of the screen as they are performed (taken from a filmed German performance). A real drag, blemishing an otherwise wonderful DVD. The second part of the DVD is a documentary focusing on the first of a number of post Winwood brothers versions of the band. I regret that the version shown did not include the guitarist Ray Fenwick (I saw that lineup in the late sixties). He is a great unheralded (in America) British blues-rock guitarist. It is a curiosity why the Spencer Davis Group never rose in popularity in America beyond their two major hits (I'm a Man and Gimme Some Lovin). This DVD reveals some of the reasons why that neglect is unjust. My recommendation on this one is to purchase it for the content BUT ONLY IF you can stand the irritating lyrics text on the screen. Hey, why did they not edit that out in the digital remaster??!!? A shame!"
Transcendent
Robert Slocum | STAMFORD, CT USA | 01/23/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)

"When I'm on my deathbed and pondering the meaning of existence, I'm going to remember watching film of the eighteen-year old Steve Winwood singing "Georgia on my Mind" with acne and effortless soul. I go to it every so often to get hopelessly lost in thoughts of love, youth, song and the earth. It's a song about a song (so is Hoagy Carmichael's other gem, "Stardust," but he didn't do the lyrics for either one); it's a song about a particular place; it's about love; and it's sung with exquisite innocence by the very ancient spirit inhabiting dear young Winwood. (FYI It was originally written about Carmichael's sister Georgia, but has come to mean the state.) Winwood steals Ray Charles's intonation completely here (Charles did his version six years earlier in 1960), but no matter. It works. It's wonderful. Just skip to that one track. If you have a taste for rock and roll and above all if you remember the tunes, watch "I'm a Man" just before it and "Gimme Some Lovin'" just after it. Icing on the cake. I don't even care for rock anymore--I like electronic music and various other modern styles--but I once did (I'm Winwood's age) and this is epic stuff.

It's worth noting that Winwood's keyboard work is fantastic, too.

I'm no expert but I think the cinematography is ahead of its time, with ultra-close-ups and some fade-ins that are impressive. I suppose I should give this documentary some demerits **as a documentary** but as an experience in DVD watching with a fast forward button, I say it's seven stars, or twelve."