Johnny “Guitar” Watson
– Music Hall In Concert
Picture: C
Sound: B- Extras: D Concert: B-
We last
looked at Johnny “Guitar” Watson in a July 2, 1990 concert from the German
television concert series Ohne Filter, which offers the usual nearly
hour-long program. This 1993 program
may be three years after the other series, but is not as sharp-looking in a way
that says something about the quality of Ohne Filter and its studio set
up. The songs here are very similar to
the selection on the Ohne Filter DVD, including:
1)
Strike
On Computers
2)
Girl
I Need It
3)
Superman
Lover
4)
Ta
Ta You Baby (NOT
chapterized or listed in the menu!!!)
5)
Ain’t
Life A Bitch
6)
Nothing
Left To Be Desired
7)
Gangster
Of Love
8)
A
Real Mother For Ya
Though
there are less tracks here, they go on longer, so those who like jam sessions
will enjoy this set a bit more than the Ohne Filter release. Happening a few years later than any of the
material on that DVD, Watson and company are still in great form with all kinds
of energy and great showmanship. And I
thought the last disc had a tendency to show an “extended jam kind of thing”
that got dragged out on the last disc, but this was even a bit better a concert
running the same length of time, with his blues guitar and vocals still in good
shape. This almost tops the previous
release. If only it ran longer.
The full
frame PAL color video is about what would expect for a taping of the time,
having the usual limits in its otherwise good color and limited
definition. The sound is available in the usual PCM CD-type 2.0
16bit/48kHz Stereo, as well as a slightly better Dolby Digital 5.1 EX AC-3,
which both sound decent. The PCM is not bad, nor is the Dolby, but
neither are spectacular. Unlike the Ohne
Filter release, this also offers DTS 6.1 Matrixed ES that shows some audio
flaws and limits not found in the Ohne Filter disc. That holds back the audio unfortunately, but
the DTS was still a good choice by MVD and company, helping this DVD just edge
out the other release.
- Nicholas Sheffo
