John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers and Friends: 70th Birthday Concert [Blu-ray] | ![John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers and Friends: 70th Birthday Concert [Blu-ray]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51yk-1TG08L._SL500_.jpg) | Actor: John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers and Friends
Studio: Eagle Rock Ent
Category: DVD
List Price: $24.98
Buy New: $13.49
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Seller: -importcds
Rating:  43 reviews
Sales Rank: 7599
Format: Color, Live, Widescreen
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Media: Blu-ray
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 159 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 6.7 x 5.3 x 0.5
MPN: 33335
UPC: 801213333592
EAN: 0801213333592
ASIN: B0029W2V8Q
Theatrical Release Date: December 9, 2003
Release Date: June 30, 2009
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Amazon.com
Not all that many blues musicians (or any other kind, for that matter) live to 70, so British bandleader John Mayall had good reason to celebrate when he reached that milestone in 2003--and celebrate he did, with the admirable, 137-minute John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers: 70th Birthday Concert to show for it. Mayall, a capable if not exactly stellar singer and multi-instrumentalist, is best known for the many fine players who passed through his band over the years, and Eric Clapton, the most renowned of the lot, is on hand here, as is former Mayall/Rolling Stones guitarist Mick Taylor. Clapton sings several tunes in addition to playing his trademark stinging solos on "Hideaway" and "All Your Love" (two of the tunes most responsible for the "Clapton is God" graffiti seen around London in the '60s), while Taylor is mostly impressive as well. But arguably the best guitarist on the Liverpool stage this night is current Bluesbreaker Buddy Whittington, who more than holds his own in the company of his more esteemed predecessors (check out Whittington's superb solos, informed by both Buddy Guy and jazz, on "Blues for the Lost Days" and the 17-minute "Have You Heard"). Indeed, this may well be Mayall's best and most versatile band ever--no mean feat for a guy now in his fifth decade on the scene. A Mayall interview is the disc's sole bonus feature. --Sam Graham
Description
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 year and a fundraiser for UNICEF. Also invited to the party were former Bluesbreaker and Rolling Stone Mick Taylor and veteran trombonist Chris Barber. If you're a lover of the blues it doesn't get much better than this. The show ran for around two and a half hours and the film is now presented here in its entirety for the first time. TRACK LISTING 1) Southside Story 2) Kids Got The Blues 3) Dirty Water 4) Somebody's Acting Like A Child 5) Blues For The Lost Days 6) Walking On Sunset 7) Oh, Pretty Woman 8) No Big Hurry 9) Please Mr. Lofton 10) Hideaway 11) All Your Love 12) Have You Heard 13) Hoochie Coochie Man 14) I'm Tore Down 15) It Ain't Right 16) Talk To Your Daughter Bonus Features Three tracks from the concert that had to be cut from the original DVD issue for space reasons: 1) Grits Ain't Groceries 2) Jacksboro Highway 3) California Plus: Interview with John Mayall.
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 43
 One Of The Best Music DVD's I've Ever Seen December 29, 2003
Wade Johnson (Arlington, Texas)
35 out of 38 found this review helpful
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! February 27, 2004
Perry Celestino (Tahmoor, NSW Australia)
26 out of 30 found this review helpful
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".
Fantastic stretched-out jamming for adventurous blues fans. June 21, 2004
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
John Mayall, a pure bluesman with a great spirit of musical adventure not to mention a brilliant bandleader with the greatest taste in guitar players, leads a free-flowing but tight show with guitar gods galore. His current axe-master Buddy Whittington is excellent, and Clapton has some good moments, but for me the night belonged to ex-Stones great Mick Taylor who hasn't sounded this hot since Sticky Fingers. He doesn't look all that healthy (even in comparison to his old bandmates) but he plays with so much fire here I was just jaw-droppingly happy after seeing/hearing it.I don't think there's a guitar player alive who has such incredible tone and phrasing. Highlights too numerous to mention, but if you like blues in any form or just love guitars in general, I highly recommend this. Maybe Mayall will grab all the above and bring Coco Montoya and Peter Green along for his 75th. And proceeds go to Unicef, so hey, do yourself and someone else some good at the same time. Happy birthday John, and many many more.
Stunning. British Blues at its Best April 5, 2004
Miguel Angel Martinez Rolland (Madrid Spain)
12 out of 13 found this review helpful
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.
 A historic event, good music but lacking... April 12, 2004
sir_isaac_newton (UK)
13 out of 15 found this review helpful
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.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 43
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