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J.J. CALE featuring LEON RUSSELL : IN SESSION AT THE PARADISE STUDIOS - LOS ANGELES, 1979 |
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Label : Warner Music Vision Length : 80 minutes Released : August 27, 2002 Venue : Paradise Studio, Los Angeles, California, USA Recording Date : June 1979 NTSC : 4:3 Review (Uncut) : Playing live is the natural habitat of the Tulsa king of laid-back boogie, yet surprisingly we've never had a live album from JJ Cale. Then last year, Classic Pictures released on DVD a long-lost film of a live session recorded in Los Angeles in 1979. Now comes the audio version, as Cale shuffles his way through 20 songs, including "Cocaine", "Crazy Mama", "After Midnight" and "Call Me The Breeze". Leon Russell, that other pillar of the Tulsa sound, guests on keyboards. Cale's voice and guitar are immaculately understated and it's a joy to hear musicians who know how to roll as well as how to rock. Review (Amazon) : This is an absolute joy of a DVD.. I knew I would enjoy it, I'm a big JJ fan but only watching The Last Waltz has made me feel as overjoyed before. Seeing JJ strum through and perform most of his best known tunes in a relaxed setting thats perfect for his sound.. it's every fans dream DVD. I have the tour DVD too which for other obvious reasons is fantasic but leaves you wanting to see more of JJ perform.. and this is that DVD.. and it's him performing right bang in the middle of his heyday.. Filmed in 1979, right after 5 had been released the whole band get together here in Leon Russells place and play through all the tunes.. And because theres no audience etc etc.. there's no showmanship (not that there ever really is with JJ), no interference.. just a relaxed bunch of friends playing great music.. its as if they are in your living room.. if ever you wished JJ had appeared more on shows like the old grey whistle test or Jools holland (which I know he did actually do once).. but if ever you wished you had more footage of him playing live, then this is the perfect way to see JJ's music brought to life live.. Stand out tracks and performances are - After Midnight, Don't Cry Sister, Louisiana, Boiling Pot, Same Old Blues, Nowhere to Run, Sensitive Kind, Ten Easy Lessons and Roll On.. If you like J.J Cale.. you honestly don't need to worry - you will LOVE this DVD!!! - a genuine fan. Review (Amazon) : J.J. Cale has always been known as a laid back cool guy, his music and the rhytms relaxed and kind of on the "backbeat" or slightly "after" the beat, but a lot of the numbers on this dvd are played extremely fast and sounded to me more on the front beat, than the pleasant, slowly, exciting musical style, I like from him. One thing that is "laid back" in the mix on this dvd is J.J. Cale's voice, because you can hardly hear, what he is singing in several of the numbers - maybe worst in the first half of the concert. I also miss an audience for a concert like this. It might have resulted in a more engaged performance from the musicians, because to me there is a lot of just "implicit" communication between the musicians, but I think, it would have been a better concert with happy enthusiastic fans and listeners. |