Eric Clapton

Crossroads: Eric Clapton Guitar Festival 2007

The second Crossroads Guitar Festival a day-long concert featuring legendary music and collaborations was held on July 28 2007 to benefit the Crossroads Centre in Antigua. Filmed in HD Rhino has captured the event for release on 2-disc DVD thefollow-up to 2004 s Crossroads Guitar Festival DVD that has been certified 8X platinum.The Festival showcased a wide range of styles Rock Blues and Country Featuring Eric Clapton Jeff Beck Robert Cray Sheryl Crow Vince Gill Buddy Guy B.B. King Los Lobos John Mayer Willie Nelson Robert Randolph Robbie Robertson Derek Trucks Jimmie Vaughan Johnny Winter Steve Winwood and more.Highlights included Clapton regrouping with Blind Faith band mate Steve Winwood a virtuosic instrumental set from Jeff Beck Vince Gill performing along with Sheryl Crow and Willie Nelson Robbie Robertson s rare concert appearance John Mayer s bluesy set Clapton s own set featuring Derek & The Dominos material plus a tribute to George Harrison with a performance of his It s A Pity and Buddy Guy closing the show in his hometown with an all-star jam on Sweet Home Chicago. Since its inception Clapton s vision for the Crossroads Guitar Festival has been to create an event where his friends andcontemporaries can have fun and jam together for the benefit of a good cause. The Crossroads Festival is the realization of a dream for me to gather a group of amazingly talented musicians to perform on one stage said Clapton. The Crossroadsperformers are all musicians I admire and respect. Royalties from the sale of this DVD will benefit Crossroads Centre AntiguaFormat: DVD AUDIO Genre: MUSIC DVD/CONCERTS UPC: 603497987764 Manufacturer No: 352124

A lot of good (and some great) music for a worthy cause takes center stage once again as Eric Clapton hosts the second edition of his Crossroads Guitar Festival, a benefit for his Crossroads Centre rehab facility in Antigua and a near embarrassment of six-string riches occupying two discs. Staged in suburban Chicago in July, 2007, it features several of the same players who were at the first concert (2004, in Dallas), including Robert Cray, Buddy Guy, B.B. King, John Mayer, Vince Gill, John McLaughlin, and Robert Randolph. They're all in fine form, but it's those appearing for the first time who make the biggest impressions. Derek Trucks, who performs on his own, with his wife (Susan Tedeschi, herself an excellent blues guitarist), and backing several other artists (including a frighteningly decrepit-looking Johnny Winter), is a strikingly versatile young player. On the other end of the generational spectrum, the veteran Albert Lee spins out a series of stupefyingly swift licks on "Country Boy," while Jeff Beck is, well, Jeff Beck, at age 63 still inarguably one of the most original musicians to ever strap on a Stratocaster. While most of the others are content to play straight blues or blues-derived rock, Beck sounds as if he's riding a spaceship with strings, wringing sounds out of his instrument that defy understanding, let alone imitation; backed by ace drummer Vinnie Colaiuta and 22-year-old Tal Wilkenfeld, who may be the most exciting electric bassist to emerge since Jaco Pastorius, Beck delivers versions of "'Cause We've Ended as Lovers" and "Big Block" that are the highlights of the show. Elsewhere, Clapton, as is his wont, rises to the occasion in the presence of his peers and plays with considerable passion, even if his "reunion" with Steve Winwood lacks fire (mostly due to the lackluster nature of their Blind Faith-era material, other than the lovely "Can't Find My Way Home"). In the end, one might wish for more good songs, as opposed to opportunities for extended soloing, but even diehard axe-heads will surely be satiated after some four hours of hot licks. As for everyone else, well, that's why God invented the fast forward button. --Sam Graham

The Last Waltz

Twenty-five years ago on Thanksgiving Day 1976 five thousand cheering fans gathered for the historic farewell concert of "The Band". In Martin Scorsese's "brilliant" (Newsweek) film superstars Eric Clapton Joni Mitchell Neil Young and Van Morrison join the musicians on-stage along with one-time collaborator Bob Dylan and Ringo Starr in an unforgettable finale.System Requirements:Running Time: 117 Min. Color. This film is presented in "Widescreen" format. Copyright 2002 MGM Studios. Genre: MUSICALS/MUSICALS Rating: PG UPC: 027616875754 Manufacturer No: 1003426

Martin Scorsese's 1978 capsule history of the Band is mixed with footage of the group's allegedly last performance (certainly their last performance as a quintet) in this particularly stylish concert film. Scorsese shoots the players and their sundry guests with the same flair and enthusiasm one can see in the later The Color of Money or Goodfellas. He also proves a good interviewer with Band members, particularly Robbie Robertson, whose sleepy-sexy good looks make a star-caliber impression in close-up. But the film's real hook is the stage show, which features a rotation of rock legends (Van Morrison, Joni Mitchell, Paul Butterfield, Bob Dylan, and so on) playing with the Band before a wildly appreciative audience. --Tom Keogh

The Johnny Cash Show: The Best of Johnny Cash 1969-1971

Country and rock 'n' roll legend Johnny Cash hosted his own variety television series from the summer of 1969 to spring 1971, and by all accounts the weekly program was destination TV. The Johnny Cash Show: The Best of Johnny Cash 1969-1971 is an 83-minute summary of everything Cash tried to do in his hourlong format, from presenting an eclectic and even-handed overview of popular music to promoting a humanitarian perspective on issues that mattered most to him: drug use, poverty, reliance on faith, compassion for criminals.

This DVD documentary is largely comprised of musical performances by Cash and some of the many guests who appeared on his show. But there are also snippets of interviews with behind-the-camera talent involved with the program as well as such old friends as Kris Kristofferson and Hank Williams Jr. Everyone speaks highly of Cash's warm, on-camera persona, and selected footage proves them right: Cash is ever the gentleman with an expansive spirit and down-to-earth grit. Musical highlights include Cash's own "I Walk the Line" and "Man In Black," Bob Dylan's straightforward "I Threw It All Away," Loretta Lynn's "I Know How," and a delightful George Jones medley. Ray Charles takes a bluesy spin on "Ring of Fire," Cash's fellow Sun Records artists Carl Perkins and Roy Orbison take turns in the spotlight, Neil Young brings the crowd to its feet with an amazing "The Needle and the Damage Done," and Eric Clapton (fronting Derek and the Dominos) turns in a passionate "It's Too Late." --Tom Keogh

From the summer of 1969 to the final show in March of 1971 (58 episodes in all) The Johnny Cash TV Show not only exposed an American audience to an eclectic array of musical talent but also helped establish Johnny Cash as a true artist humanitarian and a larger-than-life legend. The 66 performances contained on this new Best-Of DVD showcase the spectrum of incredible performers that Johnny hand-picked to be on his show many for their first network appearance. So "come along and ride this train" - the train that Cash envisioned for us all - every week on The Johnny Cash TV Show and now for generations to come.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: MUSIC DVD/CONCERTS UPC: 886970402699

Crossroads Guitar Festival

Although it could have been twice as long, this double-DVD set effectively captures over three hours of highlights from one of the most comprehensive and diverse collection of guitarists ever assembled for a single event. Recorded over three days in June of 2004 to benefit Eric Clapton's Crossroads Center in Antigua (as do the sales of this set), the show is not surprisingly heavy on the rootsy blues and country that comprise Clapton's primary inspirations. But it also includes folk (James Taylor), gospel (Robert Randolph & the Family Band), fret-shredding rockers (Steve Vai who delivers a dazzling performance), jazz (John McLaughlin), and, most interestingly, Indian classical music (a stunning piece from Vishwa Mohan Bhatt).

Most compelling are the rare and sometimes unusual collaborations. Joe Walsh and Taylor clown around on "Steamroller Blues," and Booker T. & the M.G.'s back both Joe Walsh on a rollicking "Rocky Mountain Way" and Los Lobos' David Hidalgo tearing into a sizzling "The Neighborhood." Clapton and J.J. Cale share the stage as do Clapton and Carlos Santana, and a show-stopping blues summit with Robert Cray, Jimmie Vaughan, Hubert Sumlin, B.B. King, Buddy Guy, and Clapton is a treat for all involved.

There are some shortcomings. The event isn't presented in chronological order--different stages, days, and backing bands are shuffled with Clapton's own set scattered throughout--ZZ Top's closing is a bit anticlimactic, and there are many omissions due to time constraints. But every act rises to the occasion, and this expertly recorded and shot DVD gives the viewer a front-row seat to a once-in-a-lifetime experience. --Hal Horowitz

A guitar concert featuring Eric Clapton.
Genre: Music Video: Concerts
Rating: NR
Release Date: 9-NOV-2004
Media Type: DVD

A Concert for George

Exceptionally moving but not the least bit sentimental, Concert for George is a splendid tribute to the late George Harrison, whose contributions to the Beatles were so often hidden in the long shadows of John Lennon and Paul McCartney. A year to the day after Harrison's November 29, 2001 death, Eric Clapton assembled some musicians--people who had played with Harrison and known him intimately, including McCartney, Ringo Starr, and Tom Petty--to perform his music at London's Royal Albert Hall. They take on not just the predictable ("My Sweet Lord" and "Something," beautifully sung by Billy Preston and Sir Paul, respectively), but also lesser-known fare like "Old Brown Shoe" and "Beware of Darkness," all to superbly empathetic effect. But the tune most likely to make you misty-eyed is "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," which brings together three of the five musicians who played on the original recording: Ringo on drums, Clapton replicating his own classic solo, and McCartney playing piano and harmonizing with Clapton's lead vocal. Concert for George enjoyed a brief theatrical release, but even those who caught it on the big screen will delight in this two-disc DVD edition. Disc 1 features the complete concert (sans interview and rehearsal footage, but with a few additional songs and in the original running order), while disc 2 contains the theatrical version and some additional backstage and photo material. All in all, a beautiful piece of work. Wish you were here, George--but man, what a way to be missed. --Sam Graham

A tribute to George Harrison under the musical direction of Eric Clapton.
Genre: Music Video: Concerts
Rating: NR
Release Date: 18-NOV-2003
Media Type: DVD

The Other Side of the Mirror: Bob Dylan Live at Newport Folk Festival 1963-1965

Matched only by the Beatles and Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan continues to captivate music and pop culture fans with a seemingly never-ending stream of new and old recordings, books, documentaries, feature films, and more. The Other Side of the Mirror - Live at Newport Folk Festival 1963-1965 is a worthy addition to the canon; whether this 83-minute compilation will serve to illuminate the Dylan myth or merely perpetuate it is open to question, but without a doubt there's plenty of fascinating material here. There are nearly 20 songs represented, covering three consecutive years of Dylan appearances at the famed Rhode Island festival. Some have been seen before (most recently in No Direction Home, Martin Scorsese's 2005 Dylan doc, and in Festival, a Newport chronicle released on DVD that same year and directed by Murray Lerner, who is also responsible for The Other Side of the Mirror). Some are from Dylan's daytime "workshops," others from his nighttime main stage performances. Some are complete, others oddly truncated. Some are terrific (like "Chimes of Freedom," 1964), others not so much (cf. the turgid "With God on Our Side" from '63, with Joan Baez adding shrill harmony). In any case, these were the years when Dylan assumed the mantle of "spokesman of a generation," whether he wanted it or not. We see him evolving from the earnest young protest singer of '63 to the visionary artist of the following year who, with the astonishing torrent of rhymes, alliterations, symbols, and brilliant turns of phrase in "Chimes" and "Mr. Tambourine Man," turned the whole notion of songwriting on its ear. And, of course, we also witness Dylan's turn from acoustic to electric guitar, when he was joined onstage by members of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band (sans Butterfield himself) in 1965; only two songs from that legendary (and, at the time, infamous) gig are seen here, and viewed four decades after the fact, neither "Maggie's Farm" nor "Like a Rolling Stone" is all that special, notwithstanding some searing solo work by guitarist Mike Bloomfield. The DVD package, which includes a bonus interview with Lerner and a nice booklet with liner notes by Tom Piazza, adds to the appeal of what has to rank as a must-have for Dylanologists of every stripe. --Sam Graham

The Other Side of the Mirror - DVD

Few performances in history are as legendary - or as controversial - as Bob Dylan's 1965 appearance at the Newport Folk Festival. In a single, galvanizing instant, Dylan plugged an entire generation in, forever changing not only the way the music was made, but the way it was heard. By putting you in the audience for Dylan's Newport performances from 1963 through that pivotal set in 1965, Academy Award®-winning director Murray Lerner's The Other Side Of The Mirror captures Dylan's metamorphosis from the folk family's best-kept secret to rock's fiercely confrontational poet who would electrify an entire nation and become the voice of his generation.

CHAPTER LIST

All I Really Want To Do (7/24/1965) - afternoon workshop

1963

North Country Blues

With God On Our Side (with Joan Baez)

Talkin' World War III Blues

Who Killed Davey Moore?

Only A Pawn In Their Game

Blowin' In The Wind (with The Freedom Singers, Joan Baez, and Peter, Paul and Mary)

1964

Mr. Tambourine Man

Johnny Cash sings Don't Think Twice, It's All Right

Joan Baez sings Mary Hamilton as Bob Dylan

It Ain't Me, Babe (with Joan Baez)

With God On Our Side (with Joan Baez)

Chimes Of Freedom

1965

If You Gotta Go, Go Now

Love Minus Zero/No Limit

Maggie's Farm (electric)

Like A Rolling Stone (electric)

Mr. Tambourine Man

It's All Over Now, Baby Blue

Bonus Feature: Interview with director Murray Lerner

Tommy

If you've ever wanted to hear Jack Nicholson sing (or try to) or marvel at the sight of Ann-Margret drunkenly cavorting in a cascade of baked beans, Tommy is the movie you've been waiting for. As it turns out, the Who's brilliant rock opera is sublimely matched to director Ken Russell's penchant for cinematic excess, and this 1975 production finds Russell at the peak of his filmmaking audacity. It's a fever-dream of musical bombast, custom-fit to the thematic ambition of Pete Townshend's epic rock drama, revolving around the titular "deaf, dumb, and blind kid" (played by Who vocalist Roger Daltrey) who survives the childhood trauma that stole his senses to become a Pinball Wizard messiah in Townshend's grandiose attack on the hypocrisy of organized religion.

The story is remarkably coherent considering the hypnotic dream-state induced by Russell's visuals. Tommy's odyssey is rendered through wall-to-wall music, each song representing a pivotal chapter in Tommy's chronology, from the bloodstream shock of "The Acid Queen" (performed to the hilt by Tina Turner) to Nicholson's turn as a well-intentioned physician, Elton John's towering rendition of "Pinball Wizard," and Daltrey's epiphanous rendition of "I'm Free." Other performers include Eric Clapton and (most outrageously) the Who's drummer Keith Moon, and through it all Russell is almost religiously faithful to Townshend's artistic vision. Although it divided critics when first released, Tommy now looks likes a minor classic of gonzo cinema, worthy of the musical genius that fueled its creation. --Jeff Shannon

The Last Waltz [Blu-ray]

Martin Scorsese's 1978 capsule history of the Band is mixed with footage of the group's allegedly last performance (certainly their last performance as a quintet) in this particularly stylish concert film. Scorsese shoots the players and their sundry guests with the same flair and enthusiasm one can see in the later The Color of Money or Goodfellas. He also proves a good interviewer with Band members, particularly Robbie Robertson, whose sleepy-sexy good looks make a star-caliber impression in close-up. But the film's real hook is the stage show, which features a rotation of rock legends (Van Morrison, Joni Mitchell, Paul Butterfield, Bob Dylan, and so on) playing with the Band before a wildly appreciative audience. --Tom Keogh

It started as a concert. It became a celebration. Join an unparalleled lineup of rock superstars asthey celebrate The Band's historic 1976 farewell performance. Directed by Martin Scorsese (Raging Bull, Goodfellas), The Last Waltz is not only "the most beautiful rock film evermade" (New York Times) it's "one of the most important cultural events of the last two decades" (Rolling Stone)!

Eric Clapton - Masterpieces (Collectors Special Edition)

Finally the mighty Clapton in all his guises! From the Yardbirds to Cream this double DVD collector s set examines the motivations behind some of the best music in modern history!DISC 1- MUSIC IN REVIEW: the definitive independent film review of Eric Clapton s music on film on record and in concert. Featuring interviews with leading Clapton authorities including Chris Welch author of Cream and Clapton insiders including former band mate Jack Bruce alongside rare archive material from the early days and onwards.DISC 2- INSIDE CREAM: drawing on rare archive material this independent and candid review revisits every single Cream album reassessing the work of the band from their breathtaking debut to untimely demise. Led by Cream lyricist Pete Brown a leading team of experts analyze vintage performances.System Requirements:Running Time: 123 minutesFormat: DVD AUDIO Genre: MUSIC DVD/LIVE PERFORMANCES Artist: CLAPTON ERIC UPC: 823880026638 Manufacturer No: CLL-DV2663

Jimi Hendrix (Deluxe Edition)

The long-awaited Deluxe Edition of the 1973 theatrical documentary Jimi Hendrix is loaded with extras and completely remastered and remixed to provide exceptional sound and picture quality This is the biography of Jimi Hendrix the world famous guitarist who died much too young. Featuring the guitar wizard on stage and behind the scenes classic concert footage is interspersed with interviews with friends and prominent musicians giving first-hand recollections including Pete Townshend Mick Jagger Eric Clapton Little Richard Lou Reed Buddy Miles and more. Includes songs "Hey Joe" "Rock me baby" "Like a rolling stone" "A Star Spangled Banner" from Woodstock 69 and many more from his beginnings to his Monterey Woodstock and Isle of Wight performancesRunning Time: 103 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DOCUMENTARIES/MISC. UPC: 012569698468

If any artist deserved a hagiography it was Jimi Hendrix, and Joe Boyd's 1973 "authorized" tribute adequately sanctifies the legend. Perversely for a documentary, it achieves this simply through well-chosen concert footage rather than through the insights of the various talking heads. Pete Townshend, Eric Clapton, Mick Jagger, Lou Reed, and Germaine Greer are all wheeled out to wax lyrical about their days with Jimi, but nothing is more eloquent than watching and listening to him play. From "Hey Joe" in grainy black and white on the Ready Steady Go TV show, classic footage of Monterey, Woodstock (yes, "The Star-Spangled Banner"), and the Isle of Wight festivals to an acoustic 12- string rendition of "Hear My Train a' Comin'," Hendrix the musician speaks for himself.

But if Hendrix the musician shines through, this is not the most insightful profile of Hendrix the man. The circumstances surrounding his death, for example, are hardly touched upon (girlfriend at the time Monika Dannemann gets only a few seconds of screen time). Interview footage with Hendrix himself plus some occasionally rambling and incoherent comments from such intimates as his father, army buddies, ex-girlfriends (including Linda Keith, who "discovered" him in New York and brought him to England), and fellow musicians all take second place to the music itself. The most sensible quote comes from Little Richard, who proves once and for all that he's utterly bonkers when he says of Jimi's music: "At times he made my big toes shoot up into my boot." --Mark Walker, Amazon.co.uk