Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes In Concert (Ohne Filter)
Picture:
C+ Sound: B- Extras: C+ Concert: B-
The
debate about Rock out of New Jersey is usually Bruce Springsteen (the real
thing) versus Jon Bon Jovi (the clichéd pop fill-in), and in all of this, many
of the great rockers form the area get lost.
One of the best is Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes, who offer
the real thing, raw and blues-influenced.
The material is as follows:
1)
Better Days
2)
Talk To Me
3)
Walk Away Renée
4)
Broke Down Piece Of Man
5)
Souls On Fire
6)
Shake ‘em Down
7)
All The Way Home
8)
Workin’ Too Hard
9)
The Fever
10) Coming Back
11) We’re Having A Party
This
program was taped back on April 9th, 1992 and I was not happy with
the predictability in some of the material, but there is enough intensity to
overcome those limits. Walk Away Renée was originally an early
Art Rock record for all intents and purposes, but it simply does not translate
well as a Rock/Blues number. At his
best, Johnny’s vocals are seriously Soul/Blues-influenced, several levels above
the current crop of would-be vocalists who do more rolling than Chef Boyardee.
That is
enough to take a look and listen to this nearly-hour long performance. I would like to hear them do even more
challenging and classic material, but this is a fair summation of how good they
can be regardless of mixed material.
The full
frame PAL color image is not bad for its age, though has some softness typical
of this analog format. The sound is
available in PCM CD 2.0 Stereo that is a bit on the weak side and a Dolby
Digital 5.1 AC-3 mix that is fuller and clearer. Besides repeating the same stereo cords plug,
other DVDs in the series, and Ohne
Filter producer interview, it has a biography of the band that includes
some of their history. All in all, a
good package for fans.
- Nicholas Sheffo
