MEDIA
Preview
BY MICHAEL ROSS, JOE COFFEY, CHRIS BURGESS AND BRIAN COLEMAN
DVDs
Even if Bullock is not your cup of tea,
this DVD is worth the investment just for
Robben Ford’s solo on “Hideaway,” (not
the Freddy King tune) included in the
bonus tracks from Montreux 1981. Also on
a modified Strat, Ford turns in a typically
brilliant blues/jazz masterpiece—MR
Dave Sanborn:
Live at
Montreux
1984
If this DVD is your
first exposure to
the late, great
Hiram Bullock, try
not to be distracted by his mugging,
Street $11.97–$21.89
eaglerockent.com
The DVD is almost like buying interactive
sheet music to some of CCR’s greatest hits.
The tab moves along the bottom of the
screen as the lesson carries on, almost like
karaoke or a sing-along video. Something to
be aware of is that the tab moves somewhat
quickly, and there is no option to slow it
down. If you’re just beginning to learn one of
these songs, this may prove difficult.
high-fiving, and happy feet dancing. Instead,
keep in mind that though these days guitarists who are simultaneously conversant
in funk, blues, rock, and jazz are a dime a
dozen, in 1984 they were a rare breed.
Bullock wastes no time demonstrating what
he brought to the party (and whenever he
played it was truly a party). In his solo on the
first tune, he imitates rockets and dive bombers (without a whammy bar or pedal), serves
up some raw blues, and cuts loose with the
odd bebop lick. Throughout, he proves a perfect foil for Sanborn, who purveys his brand of
lively jazz-funk—before lame imitators turned
it into flaccid smooth jazz.
Creedence
Clearwater
Revival
(Guitar Play-Along DVD,
vol. 20)
Songs included in the video lesson are “Bad
Moon Rising,” “Born on the Bayou,” “Down
on the Corner,” “Fortunate Son,” “Green
River,” “Lodi,” “Proud Mary” and “Up
Around the Bend.”— BC
MSRP $14.99
halleonard.com
Creedence
Clearwater
Revival was
one of the most
popular American
bands of the late
60s and early 70s.
This instructional DVD teaches you to jam
like Fogerty himself.
Iggy Pop: Lust For Life
Bullock definitely put the “show” in show
business: sitting on the edge of the stage,
rolling around on the floor, and posing
like one of Madonna’s back-up singers,
he added a sorely needed visual element
to Sanborn’s staid presence. The tongue-waving may have taken it over the top, but
there is no doubt that he had the chops to
back it up. Bullock’s solo guitar turn begins
with an exercise in harmonics; moving into
a jazz medley, incorporating volume swells
and bending behind the nut; followed by a
John Lee Hooker boogie that morphs into
a funk groove as the band joins in. Finally, a
ring-modulated solo abruptly switches into
the scratched rhythm of the next tune.
The DVD menu is basically the track listing, where the viewer can choose their
favorite Creedence song. Once a track is
selected, the viewer can choose either the
“demo track” option or the “play along
track” option. The “demo track” allows you
to hear with guitar, while the “play along
track” allows you to play guitar with bass
and drum accompaniment.
This DVD
offers a rare
glimpse at the
“Godfather
of Punk.” The
documentary/
concert film
features interviews with
Iggy and the
late Stooges
guitarist Ron
Asheton in
separate, but revealing segments. Much of
the DVD is concert footage and interviews
from 1986, a time where Iggy was enjoying
the successful Blah Blah Blah album and a
hit single, “Wild Child.”
Early in the DVD, Iggy reveals his pure love
for sound in general, including his fascination with the sounds of machine presses
and electric razors during his childhood.
He reflects on his early days with “The
Iguanas,” his dropping out of college, his
love of the blues in Chicago and how all
this influenced his stage persona.
In the days before too much partying laid him
low, Hiram Bullock took his battered, modified, 60s Strat to places where few guitarists
had hitherto ventured. He will be missed.
There are four parts to each song lesson.
The “intro/lesson” selection introduces some
background and history of the selected
song, and shows you how to tune your guitar to the necessary key. The “player’s view
with tab” selection shows the frets and fingers of the teacher as he sees them, upside
down, while the tab scrolls underneath as
the song plays. The “wide view with tab”
shows the guitar as if you sat across from
the teacher while the tab again scrolls
underneath. The “player’s view with pick
hand close-up” again allows the viewer to
see the guitar from the teacher’s perspective
as well as his pick hand as he plays.
Ron Asheton, who died on January 6, 2009,
chronicles his discovery of the barre chord in
a basement where the young Stooges practiced. He reveals his belief that volume was
the spirit of The Stooges’ music, addresses
