BOOKS & DVDs
MEDIA
Preview
BY CHRIS KIES
DVD
The Who At Kilburn: 1977
One of the concerts initially shot, but not
used, for the Jeff Stein documentary The
Kids Are Alright, has finally surfaced. Even
though Who enthusiasts and live performance aficionados may discount this as a
second rate package in comparison to Live
at Leeds, they shouldn’t, because this DVD
needs to be seen in its proper context.
It’s important to remember that The Who
hadn’t played live in nearly a year, either
because they were concentrating on their
1978 release Who Are You or still recovering from “the loudest concert ever” in
1976 at the Charlton Athletic Football
Ground. Whatever the reasons for the
break, the layoff isn’t evident. They come
out of the gate with vigor and determination that rivals any Who performance
caught on tape. Whether its Moon’s
pounding beats, Entwistle’s entrancing
rhythms, Daltrey’s commandeering delivery
and microphone acrobatics or Townshend’s
windmilling power-strums and unorthodox
jumping, the power that has come to signify the band’s performances is still very
apparent in this concert.
There’s no doubt this performance kicks
you where it counts musically. The audio
quality of the footage was enhanced
digitally. However, the visual quality—by
today’s standards—lacks the production
values, isolated camera angles and clean
transitions the MTV audience has grown
accustomed to. This “downside” is negligible. The raw and unrefined filming actually compliments the sincere, yet coarse,
performance of one of their only live gigs
that year.
It’s no surprise that the band performs
all their hits, including “My Generation,”
“Behind Blue Eyes,” “Won’t Get Fooled
Again,” and the often mislabeled “Baba
O’Riley.” It’s the hidden nuggets of history that make this package valuable. The
1977 Kilburn performance is one of the last
videotaped performances of Moon before
his premature death in 1978. The show also
featured the first live performance of the
Who classic “Who Are You.”
In addition to the concert footage, the
set comes with a second DVD featuring
a never-before-seen performance at the
London Coliseum in 1969. This disc provides some of the Who’s early hits and
rarely performed B-sides.
Despite being passed on for The Kids Are
Alright, the Kilburn show and DVD extras
aren’t a second rate offering. The DVD is
certainly worthy of any Who fans or rock
historian’s attention.
MSRP $24.98
Street $18.99
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Ronnie Earl and the Broadcasters
Hope Radio Sessions
What do you get when you remove gimmicks, flashy stage maneuvers and over-the-top effects from a live performance? Well, in
this instance, you get a blues guitarist and
his band on top of their game. In this DVD,
Ronnie Earl and the Broadcasters adeptly
weave between jazz and blues with their
cohesive, soulful jams. This all-instrumental
performance stretched across two nights captures what has drawn blues enthusiasts to Earl
for over 25 years.
In this closed,
intimate setting, Earl
and company take the
crowd to a
higher place
on the wings
of poignant
and inspirational playing. It’s not
so much a
player and his
instrument,
but instead an extension of who Ronnie Earl
is as man and the struggles he overcame.
Deep, mesmerizing and spiritual are adjectives that could describe both Earl’s playing
and the man behind the Fender. While each
song is its own adventure, as a whole they
create a rollercoaster journey of emotions
that few instrumental guitarists can achieve.
Collectively, each bend and lick becomes
Earl’s spirit turned outward and conveyed
through his Strat.
Earl’s playing isn’t over the top, nor does he
try to fit as many notes and bluesy tricks into
a track as some contemporaries. His style is
more nuanced, rhythmic and powerful. With
effective camera angles and smooth transitions, it’s easy to decipher what Earl is trying
to communicate through the language of his
soul-driven blues. Earl uses only one guitar on
