Average Customer Review:
 ( 11 customer reviews )
Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 12 found the following review helpful:
 Limited, but EssesntialFeb 27, 2004
By thestaxman
Well it is absolutely about darn time a DVD was released dealing exclusively with the single greatest and most influential Blues guitarist of all time. This DVD certainly has its limitations. It was filmed in 1980 and the wonders of technology haven't done much to improve the audio or visual quality. It is also disappointingly skimpy. Just fifty-eight minutes and that includes pieces of an interview. When I saw the track listing, I was thrilled to see "Summertime". I could hear King's haunting guitar on the standard, and my mouth began to water. Unfortunately, Albert sat this one out, and it is just his band doing a nice, but predictable Jazz version. Imperfections aside, if you know Albert King's work, you are invariably a fan, and so this DVD is an essential buy. There's plenty of good camera work showing King's giant paws working the frets and choking the you know what out of Lucy, the Gibson Flying V guitar that Albert calls, "My honey". We hear his signature tune "Born Under a Bad Sign" (I still haven't heard a version that wasn't just a little better than decent without King's Stax Records compadres Booker T. & the MGs backing him up) and the standard "The Very Thought of You", which shows that the deep voiced Blues giant was also one heck of a soulful singer, and that though Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughn could almost match his power, they never came close to his tastefulness and touch. King definitely provides great highlights, not only with his playing, but with his always perfectly timed "Woooooooos!" and "Yeahhhhs!". Those moments are great examples of Albert King style Blues. Orgasmic bursts of joy that could instantly cure the bluest man's blues. Usually depicted as a gruff giant, King comes across more as a lovable teddy bear in the snippets of the interview. I found him to be truly endearing as he chuckles at things he just said. The interview, though pretty skimpy as well, and also the closing number make everything worth while. He does a wonderful version of "As the Years Go Passing By". And as they pass on by, the world will never see his equal. Every year I hear of a new guy on the scene who is being hailed as the heir apparent, but there will never be another Albert King.
5 of 5 found the following review helpful:
NOT HIS BESTFeb 20, 2004
By Ronnie Cowlishaw Sr.
The picture quality is better than the sound quality, when I first heard this was coming out I couldn't wait to see it. I was somewhat disappointed by it, but it does have some good points. I thought his vocals were great, there were also a a lot of good solos. And I also thought the other guitar player with Albert was fantastic, Albert gave him plenty of room which was great. This man is quite a guitar player, but there is a better DVD of Albert out there, (Ohne Filter) which was recorded live in Germany. This was recorded about six months before Albert passed, it was his last European tour (1992). This is very hard to find, if you can find a copy you will be more than pleased. I bought a burned copy from Europe which turned out to be excellent quality.
14 of 19 found the following review helpful:
 A poor epitaph for a real King of the BluesApr 03, 2005
By Siriam
I have been a long time fan of Albert from the late 1960s post release of his Filmore Live wire/Blues Power set; have all his CDs and been fortunate enough to see him perform live before his death. Sadly, this hacked DVD of a Swedish TV live show including an interview is a big disappointment and not the man at his best.
1. The show has been edited around (as evidenced by Albert's state of dress and level of sweat) so is not the original running order it seems.
2. The highspots are when Albert lets fly on his solos (his fingering and left handed style caught very well on camera) but his West Coast support band is at best perfunctory and a second guitarist who is sadly not in his league which waters down the intensity of the show - highspots are "Born under a Bad Sign" and the Elmore Jame song "The sky is crying" and the first interview when he covers his early days of struggle pre-Stax success.
3. Lowspots are the band's (without Albert) rendition of Summertime and the final track overlapped with a second interview, plus the overall set listing is not all of Albert's best.
While one suspects Albert's video recording legacy is not great one hopes that better examples of this great bluesman can be traced and released (rumours his CD released Montreux shows were videotaped abound and paired with his Wattstax show would be a killer DVD).
10 of 14 found the following review helpful:
 ALBERT'S FANS: DONT MISS THIS TREASURE !!!Mar 04, 2004
By GUSTAVO RUBINSZTEIN
I CALL MYSELF ONE OF THE MOST CRAZIEST ALBERT KING FAN WORLDWIDE.
AS A COLLECTOR AND ONE OF THE FOUNDERS OF THE ALBERT KING TRIBUTE BAND IN ARGENTINA , THE FACT TO HAVE THE CHANCE TO GET THIS NEW DVD IS A MIRACLE.
NOT JUST ABOUT THE QUALITY, WICH IS GREATE IN IMAGE AND SOUND.
IT'S A REAL TREASURE TO HEAR ALBERT SO CLOSE IN THE INTERVIEW, UNGRY WITH THA BAND IN SOME MISTAKES ON STAGE, AND SINGING "THE VERY THOUGHT OF YOU" BETTER THAN OTHERS VHS TAKEN.
TO TRUE ALBERT'S FANS: DONT MISS THIS CHANCE, TO MEET A DIFERENT ALBERT THAT WE NEVER SAW IN OTHERS FILMS. LONG LIVE ALBERT KING GUS
5 of 7 found the following review helpful:
Not his best performance but is still the King playing.Feb 16, 2004
I love Albert King and I got this DVD the moment I've seen it.
I'm a bit disappointed thought.
Sound quality is not very good, especially in the first songs.
This is not one of his good performances.
If you like Albert King you'll enjoy some of his solos and his
amazing voice.
To me, his best performance is the unpublished "In Session" with
Stevie Ray Vaughan.
See all 11 customer reviews on Amazon.com
|
based on 11 reviews
