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John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers and Friends: 70th Birthday Concert [Blu-ray]
John Mayall The Bluesbreakers and Friends 70th Birthday Concert
Blu-ray
Actors: John Mayall, Mick Taylor, Tom Canning, Eric Clapton, Chris Barber
Genres: Music Video & Concerts
NR     2009     2hr 39min

Liverpool's King's Dock on July 19, 2003 was the venue for a long awaited and much anticipated reunion between Eric Clapton and John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers. The occasion was both a celebration of John Mayall's 70th yea...  more »

     
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Movie Details

Actors: John Mayall, Mick Taylor, Tom Canning, Eric Clapton, Chris Barber
Genres: Music Video & Concerts
Sub-Genres: Clapton, Eric, Classic Rock
Studio: Eagle Rock Ent
Format: Blu-ray - Color,Widescreen
DVD Release Date: 06/30/2009
Original Release Date: 01/01/2009
Theatrical Release Date: 01/01/2009
Release Year: 2009
Run Time: 2hr 39min
Screens: Color,Widescreen
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaDVD Credits: 2
Total Copies: 0
Members Wishing: 4
MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Languages: English
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Movie Reviews

One Of The Best Music DVD's I've Ever Seen
Wade Johnson | Arlington, Texas | 12/29/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)

"I am a professional musician in Texas and this is one of the very best music DVD's (and it's live!) I've ever heard in my life. From the impecable playing from John and the band to the camera work and editing and sound. I couldn't be happier. Being a drummer it was really nice how they would show Joe from different angles and stay long enough to be able to learn something. Mick Taylor and Eric Clapton were great but John's guitarist Buddy Whittington hung right in there with both of them. He is one very talented guitar player/vocalist and I have followed him for years. This is a MUST HAVE DVD for any and all blues musicians."
John Mayall Revisits His Old Bluesbreakers!
Perry Celestino | Tahmoor, NSW Australia | 02/27/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)

"Well like most Blues fans my age, I got the Bluesbreakers LP in 1966 and played it to death. I spent countless hours playing along with Eric Clapton on "All Your Love" and "Hideaway". They were great days. John Mayall has done so much to promote the blues world-wide, he can't get enough credit. Well, also like most people, after his time with Mick Taylor ("Crusade") I stopped buying his records.

This concert in Liverpool is very entertaining. It has a great song selection and the sound is good. Mayall brings out the old Bluesbreakers Eric Clapton and Mick Taylor (Why no Peter Green?) and they do a pretty good job. Taylor has a great tone and is as stone faced as ever. He is a matter-of-fact guitarist and plays well, especially on the Albert King number "Oh, Pretty Woman" -written by WDIA DJ AC Williams. Eric comes out and does a good job as well. He has been criticized for years as one who has stopped trying to be flash and has become more of a B.B. King-type of Blues player. He does "Hideaway" and "Have You Heard" and "All Your Love" from the original LP of so long ago. He uses his flashy Fender custom shop 2002 strat, too!

The previous reviews have raved about Buddy Whittington (another Texan guitar player!) with his special Mesa Boogie amps and tone BUT. as a guitar player for 40 years I think the flash technique (volume control, pick harmonics of the 1970s rock scene), with very little soul or bending (no 1 Blues technique!!!) is ok, but not great for pure blues. Actually Buddy should get a job with Steely Dan or a Steely Dan tribute band. He is a great player, but seems to be one who bases his skill on speed and technique rather than feeling, which is what the Blues is, "playing in between the notes". However, I do like Buddy's reliance on one guitar- a two-tone sunburst vintage 1950s stratocaster.

John Mayall's vocals in is old age have improved (that is always controversial- I don't think him a really horrible singer). However, his harp playing is more like a blues Bob Dylan (Butterfield used to make fun of it!). It is pretty cool the way he plays simple harp and piano at the same time! But he should stick to organizing and arranging. All in all this is an historical concert and is very entertaining. It is a a great addition to one's DVD library.

The highlights are "All Your Love", "Have You Heard", "Oh, Pretty Woman" and "Hideaway". John does a good job, but it is curious that with his lack of real talent on the harmonica he would do a tune about Little Walter as well as one of Little Walter's own songs.

The sound overall is good and this is a very entertaining and well presented concert. Blues lovers both young and old will appreciate it. The price is reasonable and the lenght is good. The bonus interview is also interesting and one can see the follow-up complete interview on the DVD John Mayall "Godfather of the Blues"."
A historic event, good music but lacking...
sir_isaac_newton | UK | 04/12/2004
(3 out of 5 stars)

"I could not wait to get my hands on this DVD but was a little disappointed. Some highlights:
* John is in fantastic shape for a 70 year old - he could pass for 60 perhaps less.
* The band's regular guitarist was great: tasteful licks, subtle articulation, superbly rich tone (especially for a Stratocaster) -- wonderful.
* Eric Clapton & Mick Taylor appear.
* There are some excellent tracks - some of my favourite Bluesbreakers tracks.
* John's harmonica playing was very good.
However, there were low points too:
* You can barely hear the two stars, Mick & Eric, as they are so down in the mix! Incredible. [John's vocals, organ & the regular guitarist are prominent in the mix].
* Eric's & Mick's tone was uncharacteristicially thin & lack luster. What a waste. Somebody give EC a Les Paul and turn them both up, way up, please.
* More video extras would have been nice.
* Where was Peter Green?! (Although the line up was impressive anyway).Overall: not bad but there is definitely room for improvement."
Stunning. British Blues at its Best
Miguel Angel Martinez Rolland | Madrid Spain | 04/05/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)

"I bought this DVD after attending a fantastic John Mayall concert in my hometown. I was so knocked out by the performance that I just had to buy this. The problem is that very high expectations usually turn into disappointment... but not this time!!! This concert is absolutely unique. It is not at all an 'overpaid dinosaurs meet for making cash' act, but a thrilling Blues gig by a master bandleader in top form featuring TONS of awesome guitar playing.
Anybody who likes electric Blues guitar should check out this movie, as it features three ace guitarists playing at their best. Buddy Whittington, who used to be a little too flashy in previous records, has matured and become a wonderfully tasty and original guitarist. He can really stand the comparison with Clapton and Taylor, something that only a guitar god can do. The brilliant Mick Taylor, as always, plays electric slide like nobody else can, and Eric Clapton -though a little cold at the beginning, and obscured by mixing problems- also shows his enormous talent, especially in the memorable ending of 'Have You Heard'. By the way, this track is SO INCREDIBLE it has to rank among the best blues performances ever filmed. Honestly. When Mayall, himself marveled, says at the end of the song: 'THE BLUES DOES NOT GET BETTER THAN THAT', I felt that he was not exaggerating that much...
As for the Bluesbreakers, Mayall's band all over the album is rock solid, and the frantic Hammond player is remarkable. You feel they are all enjoying themselves an awful lot. The first songs, all of them Mayall's recent compositions, are among the best of his career.
That is not to say that the DVD is perfect: Mayall is not an outstanding harmonica player nor pianist, and people who dislike him will probably be bored by his soloing. I do not rank among them, as I find that, although not technically brilliant, the man has a big bag of tricks that will definitely move the audience and propel the songs. However, the biggest mistake in the DVD (at least in my edition) is in the sound mixing: Clapton's volume is way too low! His playing is barely audible when he's playing duets with Mayall -a big error, although only present in two of the songs. I hope it gets fixed in a future edition...
Overall, the best thing I can say about this DVD is that I want to see it again and again, and that it now features side to side with my revered 'Blues Breakers'-Beano LP."