Search - Otis Rush - Live at Montreux 1986 on DVD

More Footage Of The Rare Otis Rush

Perry Celestino | Tahmoor, NSW Australia | 04/15/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Otis Rush, the West Side Bluesman, is one of the rarities of American Blues Music. Like Albert King, he is a self-taught left-handed guitarist who plays an upside down right-handed and strung guitar, has great innovative bends (especially Otis' signature "lazy" vibrato) and sings with a convincing passion. There is very little available for fans to see. In 2003 the "Live Blues Part 1" on Blues Express was released showing us an older, slower Mr Rush BUT with a fabulous band! I would highly recommend this set too!

This DVD was eagerly awaited by all Blues fans. It was shot in 1986 and shows us a younger (52) Otis in his first of three Montreux performances between 1986 and 1996 (thanks to Eric Clapton). Otis had been to Europe with the AFBF in the 1960s and his input in those DVDs is very exciting. In this set he has the Professor Eddie Lusk Blues Review as his backup group and honestly-they are only adequate. Otis needs a horn section and a tighter drummer and bassist to bring out his sound. Otis himself sings great and puts over a very good overall performance. His guitar is a little thin and down in the mix. However we learn a few great things about his technique--like he plays a lot without a pick and also when he does pick he uses it from different sides and angles-pretty cool! And the most revealing item: his great vibrato is done not only with his ring finger-but also his forefinger. I'm sure this is where Mike Bloomfield picked it up-one of Mike's most distinctive licks!

The set is very good and comprehensive for 1986. Many tunes are from his "Right Place, Wrong Time" LP. An LP that took ten years to be released. He starts with "Tops" which is from an album he recorded at the San Francisco Blues Festival and is probably his best live CD. Then he does his Earl Hooker signature tune "I Wonder Why" (or Blues in D Natural) which is a bit slow and underplayed by the bass and drummer. He then does Little Milton's "Lonely Man" and things pick up. This was also an Albert King tune and Otis further includes Albert's "Crosscut Saw" "Let's Have a Natural Ball" and the very nice "You Don't Love Me"-done as Albert King's funkiest instrumental, Peter Green did it with the Bluesbreakers and Al Kooper did it on "Super Session"-and later Gary Moore did it at Montreux in 1990. Otis does this tune excellent and laid back. Willie Cobb would have been proud.

The tune "Gambler's Blues" shows Otis's excellence with the slow blues. This tune is a medley with "It's My Own Fault". These are both B.B. King tunes as well (a major Rush influence). T-Bone Walker's "Mean Old World" is offered a tune he did a lot in the 1970s -it's a bit uptempo and cool! Eric Clapton comes out and plays very well (with his Fender Custom Shop Strat in red to match Otis' ES-355 Gibson!). Much better on most of his latest efforts. He helps out on several Otis tunes and curiously opens the vocal on "Double Trouble". This is like coming to a Rolling Stones concert and another person playing the riff in "Satisfaction" instead of Keith Richards. This is strange! And Otis also has mike problems as well. Eric's guitar is a bit too thick but his phrasing is really excellent.The Rush signature tune "All Your Love" is really great-look out for the facial expression of the Lusk Band's guitar player, Tony Palmer (who, interestingly is featured in the new Jimmy Burns DVD! 20 years later!) watching Eric's solo, it's a classic!

Luther Allison comes out and does one number. It is really a song tribute to Otis not really "Everyday I Have the Blues"!! Luther over does it a bit I think and his guitar is way too distorted. But he was a Hendrix disciple!

Any footage on the West Side Bluesmen is scarse. Freddie King has had several releases of which "The...Beat" is probably best-shows him in his pre-1970s period. Buddy Guy has had a lot of later material like "Lightning In A Bottle" but hardly anything from his early days (best is the DVD release with Muddy Waters and Junior Wells at Montreux: "Messin' With The Blues", in the early 1970s): Magic Sam only has only one recorded performance on the 2nd AFBF DVD. and Otis has the two mentioned in this review and a tune done in Scorsese's Blues Film "Father's and Sons" (as an extra).

If you love Blues music pick up this DVD. A great record of Otis Rush's career and you'll see him younger than any other performance except the AFBF "I Can't Quit You Baby" in the 1960s.



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Singing great, guitar not so great

mojostrapper | arizona | 03/29/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"i had waited months for this dvd release since there is precious little concert film on otis rush and having both eric clapton and luther allison on as guests added to my excitement. that being said this concert is a real mixed bag. mr rush has always had supreme confidence in his vocals but his guitar playing has been up and down depending on how he was feeling on a particular night. the concert starts with otis walking out wearing his trademark big white cowboy hat and playing his red gibson es-335. he seems genuinely touched by the crowds warm greeting. his guitar tone is very clean and a bit tinny like he was playing a strat. he does not seem pleased with the tone and is constantly fiddling with his control knobs. his guitar solos are average for this concert as he seems a bit out of sorts at times. but the hightlight is his wonderful vocals, he has the unique mixture of pain and beauty that makes him one of the finest blues singers of his generation. he can literally give you goosebumps. it is great to see clapton on stage, his guitar has a very dirty sound and he plays some very nice solos but never tries to show up otis which shows what a class act clapton is. luther allison is just a throw in, nothing special from a performer that is usually a powerhouse. so if vocals are your thing you will probaby rate this higher, if guitar is your thing three stars is just about right."

A Night of Good Blues with Otis and Eric

Ronnie Milsap | Arizona | 06/23/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This 1986 concert at the Montreux Jazz Festival is a treat for blues fans, considering how rare good video footage is of Otis Rush and other blues legends. Otis sings and plays well in this show, and the band lays down some solid playing behind him too. Professor Eddie Lusk, the band leader and keyboardist, gives Rush a strong introduction. The drummer here is a little too busy on most of the songs, but Lusk is fun to watch as he really gets into the music during the show.

Otis proves himself a fine blues vocalist as he sings his heart out during an excellent performance of "Gambler's Blues" that is one of the high points of the concert. Otis and the band carry the show just fine by themselves, but the special appearance of Eric Clapton is a nice treat. The audience gives him a rousing welcome as he takes the stage. Clapton offers some nice solos during his segment and sings really well on a duet of Otis' masterpiece "Double Trouble". Both Clapton and Rush recorded excellent versions of this classic song.

Otis is a good guitar player and a soulful singer, but here he lacks the powerful stage presence of other bluesmen such as Buddy Guy or Freddie King, and Clapton is pretty mellow on this night as well. The energetic Luther Allison comes out for one song and raises the energy level a few notches with a spirited performance. He gets up in Clapton's face and plays a gritty solo that leaves Eric smiling. It is the highlight of the show.

This is a nice DVD for lovers of Chicago style blues and anyone who wants to see Otis Rush on stage in some quality video footage.

"

Not Otis Rushes best performance

Robert Ramirez | El Paso, TX USA | 12/04/2008

(1 out of 5 stars)

"It seems to me,as a blues musician, that Otis is playing out of tune through the whole set. Every note just sound off.If you want to hear a better Otis Rush performance then buy "Otis Rush Live Part 1"."