The Blues Greats (Passport)
Picture: C
Sound: C Extras: D Main Program: B-
As a result of the commercial success of the Martin
Scorsese-produced PBS Blues series, other companies see this as a time
to issue their own DVDs. Passport has
come up with an interesting-but-short DVD called The Blues Greats that
is made up sections of two unidentified shows.
The second smaller segment is sandwiched between the longer one. The songs are:
1) Listen
To The Blues – Memphis Slim/Matt “Guitar” Murphy/Willie Dixon
2) I’m
Nervous – Dixon/Slim/Murphy
3) Matt’s
Guitar Boogie – Murphy/Slim/Dixon
4) Please,
Don’t Go – Big Joe Williams
5) All By
Myself – Slim/Murphy/Dixon
6) Down The
Road Apiece – Amos Milburn (second section)
7) Rocky
Mountain - Milburn
8) Bewildered -
Milburn
9) Bad Bad
Whiskey - Milburn
10) Too Late To Cry –
Lonnie Johnson
11) TB Blues – Victoria Spivey
12) Keep It To Yourself – Sonny
Boy Williamson
13) Got My Mojo Working -
Williamson
14) Bye Bye Baby – set
to stills of Slim, Murphy, Dixon, Williams, Johnson, Spivey, Williamson and
Waters. They are the performers from
the longer show without Milburn.
This lasts under 50 minutes, but this is all authentic,
strong, old school Blues, shot on black and white film in both cases likely no
later than the 1950s, but no dates are provided. Perhaps the footage on the last track was so damaged form the
print they had that they decided to supplant it with the stills. It is for certain that some of these songs
are still well known today for all kinds of reasons. The Blues Greats may not be extensive or comprehensive,
but it is not bad and recommended for music fans, whether they usually listen
to the Blues or not.
The full frame, black and white footage shows its age,
whatever age that happens to be. The
pictures are not razor sharp, so this is second or third-generation material,
but it has decent Video Black just the same considering. The Dolby Digital 2.0 mono is limited and
scratchy at times, averaging out the presentation. There are no extras, but it is still not a bad disc.
- Nicholas Sheffo
