Record Reviews

CREAM ~ THE FAREWELL CONCERT BMG 864689 (Barcode: 743218646898) ~ UK ~ Classic Rock Recorded: 1968 Released: 2001 Although short-lived, British super-trio CreamFind albums by this artist is undoubtedly one of the greatest Rock phenomena in all times, influencing generation after generation of Rockers, decades after the last chord they played went silent forever. Eric ClaptonFind albums by this artist, Jack BruceFind albums by this artist and Ginger BakerFind albums by this artist created a complete new level of Rock expression, building upon the Blues tradition, turning the volume knob to the max and most importantly adding the element of improvisation, enabling them to extend the 3 minutes song format into half an hour epics. The combined talents of the trio amalgamated into a foray of ideas, mostly on the instrumental plateau. Bruce also contributed his extraordinary songwriting skills, which combined with the lyrics provided by poet Pete BrownFind albums by this artist resulted in many Rock anthems, unsurpassed to this very day. Sadly on November 26th, 1968 Cream played their last concert together, announcing their intentions to disband shortly beforehand. The concert took place at London´s Royal Albert Hall with the BBC commissioning the filming of the event by director Tony PalmerFind albums by this artist. The result is an essential piece of music history, which every Rock fan on earth should see at least once, to comprehend the might and glory of this music. An edited version of the film was broadcasted on TV, but this DVD includes both the TV version and the full unedited version of the film. Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, 80 minutes.

DVD 1 Essential Recommend To A Friend

RORY GALLAGHER ~ IRISH TOUR `74 (40TH ANNIVERSARY DELUXE EDITION) SONY 888750048820 (Barcode: 888750048820) ~ IRELAND ~ Blues-Rock Recorded: 1973 - 1974 Released: 2014 This is a monumental reissue project, which expands the original double LP live album by the Irish Blues-Rock guitarist / vocalist Rory GallagherFind albums by this artist into a Box Set with seven CDs and one DVD. The material was recorded during the last days of December 1973 and early January 1974 during Gallagher´s tour of Ireland (including Northern Ireland). The DVD presents the spectacular documentary film made by the British film director Tony PalmerFind albums by this artist (who specializes in music documentaries) made during this tour. Gallagher´s group during this tour included pianist Lou MartinFind albums by this artist, bassist Gerry McAvoyFind albums by this artist and drummer Rod De`AthFind albums by this artist. In spite of Gallagher´s idol status in the 1970s, his invaluable contributions to Blues and Rock legacy are today sadly almost forgotten. On stage Gallagher was a force of Nature and his incredible inventiveness and pure magic he managed to produce on his guitar were absolutely colossal. He definitely belongs to the very elite of white Blues guitarist, which also includes Mike BloomfieldFind albums by this artist, Eric ClaptonFind albums by this artist, Johnny WinterFind albums by this artist, Duane AllmanFind albums by this artist, Peter GreenFind albums by this artist and a handful of others. The whole issue of white Blues guitarists excelling in music which has its cradle in the Afro-American cultural legacy is quite fascinating and Gallagher is an extraordinary example how this legacy, which he learned from the very early age was transformed by him into a completely new level due to his talent of combining virtuosity, improvisation and complexity. Since these live shows were recorded only a few days apart from each other, they include quite similar set lists, which of course results in a certain amount of repetition as far as the material is concerned. The beauty of this set is, that each and every performance of the same tune present on these albums is so different from any other that the repetition is not only most welcome, but also extremely educational. These recordings are also a superb example of the spirit of music that was present on stage during the Golden Age, when charismatic and totally dedicated performers were Gods. It was all about music and all the rest (mostly money) was completely secondary. These raw performances had no element of staging or decoration and the only thing that mattered was how well everybody played. These days are sadly utterly gone. This Box Set is a great example of how to make Box Sets work. It includes brilliant top quality material, minimizes the packaging (and subsequently the price) to bare minimum and does not deal with fads and fashions of superfluous sound technologies. This is pure Gold from start to finish, exactly as it was forty plus years ago and it is here to stay forever. Of course this is absolutely essential for all Blues fans everywhere on this globe, a capsule of frozen greatness for us to recollect and for the younger generations to discover. Essential I said? Way beyond essential it is!

Updated: 26/01/2019Posted: 17/01/2016

7CD+DVD 8 Box Set Remastered Bonus Tracks Essential Recommend To A Friend