Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 33
 clapton/ winwood - a marriage made in heaven June 12, 2009
yerblues (london)
17 out of 17 found this review helpful
Quite simply, this is as good as it gets. A truly magnificent live album, equal, if not surpassing all other classic rock/blues live albums that i've heard over the last 40 odd years..I thought the Cream reunion cd was pretty good - but this is in a different class altogether... which shows that the Clapton/Winwood collaboration shouldn't have ended after the blind faith album in 1969.....(in fairness that departure did produce my other favourite clapton live album Delaney and Bonnie on Tour)....but even so........
Although both men are in their 60's, Clapton's playing has never been so potent and Winwood's voice has actually improved and matured with time. Each known track, be it 'tell the truth' 'little wing' 'pearly queen' 'ramblin on my mind' 'presence of the lord' 'had to cry today' 'split decision', betters the original studio version. Winwood's rendition of his Traffic classic 'no face, no name, no number' is perfect and extremely moving. Originally recorded in 1967 when Winwood was 19 years old, it sounds more convincing, now that age and experience are behind him. The same can be said for 'georgia' , which Winwood recorded on the Spencer Davis Group 2nd album in 1966.
The musicianship throughout is sublime and Clapton's guitarwork is the best I've heard from him. The Winwood and Clapton voices compliment each other really well (i.e. presence of the lord). There are a couple of unexpected highlights: they bravely tackle Hendrix's Voodoo Chile (the slow blues version) and against the odds, pull it off. As everyone knows, Winwood played the keyboards on the original Electric Ladyland album version. If anyone is worthy of doing hendrix, there's no one more qualified than Clapton. Also present is a great version of Buddy Miles's 'them changes', originally recorded on Hendrix's Band of Gypsys.. Little Wing stays faithful to the Derek and the Dominoes version on 'Layla'. But as Little Wing and all the other tracks on this great double cd show, to hear the now definitive versions, just go out and purchase 'Live from Madison Square Garden'...
Voodoo Chile - a joy to behold! May 30, 2009
Simon (Australia)
21 out of 22 found this review helpful
If you are familiar with Blind Faith and Traffic then no doubt you will buy this on the spot and you will not be disappointed, I promise.
However it is Voodoo Chile which is well worth the price of admission alone! Not to be confused with it's sibling Voodoo Chile (slight return) which was released as a single, this is the extended bluesy jam version and it weighs in at just over 16 minutes! The original version was recorded 'live' in the studio and can of course be found on Electric Ladyland. An alternate version which was recorded as a warm up can be found on Jimi Hendrix: Blues. Both are simply wonderful.
To hear Messrs Clapton and Winwood playing this song together is a joy to behold. Of course Winwood played with Hendrix on the original in 1968. Quite likely he has not played it in 40 years, but then one is hard pressed to think of anyone besides Clapton who has the pedigree with whom he could play. Rarely does Clapton have the opportunity to extend himself in a song of this length and it is an absolute treat to hear these two masters paying homage to an old friend.
What are you waiting for?
Unsurpassed ... June 3, 2009
M. P. Davies (Dorset UK)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
I came across the BBC4 concert almost by mistake whilst searching through BBC i-player for something else so as a lifelong Clapton fan I just had to download it. God, (pardon the pun) I was not disappointed. I know the BBC version was only an hour but when Steve and Eric played Voodoo Chile - I nearly fell off my seat. It was the best thing I've heard EC do in years! Throughout the whole of the concert these guys looked so incredibly relaxed and Eric's smokey vocals were awesome. However, I was astounded when Steve sang Voodoo Chile - to me one of the best live tracks I think I've ever heard. It made the hairs on my neck stand on end. I played and played it over and over until it expired on i-player .. I shall certainly be downloading the whole album from Amazon in the next few days and then I can play this track in my car til my heart's content - it'll certainly put me in the best of moods on my way to work in the morning and has knocked Eric's live 'Double Trouble' off the top spot for me. An outstanding performance by a couple of world class musicians (not to forget the rest of the band). Superb stuff!
Just buy it June 9, 2009
Mr. Christopher M. Child (uk)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Absolutely stunning. Both stars on top of their game. One of the best live albums of all time.
Eric and Steve Triumph May 18, 2009
P. M. D. Schueler (East Sussex United Kingdom)
19 out of 21 found this review helpful
I too watched the hi-lights of this concert on BBC 4 and was glued to the screen the whole way through!
Of course Eric does play better guitar than Steve Winwood but that's rather missing the point because Eric has the more complex guitar parts to play anyway. The point about this concert is the interaction between these two great musicians and indeed all the musicians on stage.
The track Vodoo Child is a stand out and Steve's contribution is every bit as important as Eric's sublime guitar playing.
Also, at last - a live performance film where the camera and editing focuses on the players (in particular Eric's guitar playing - you could almost learn the solos from this) and not silly 1 sec picture edits that is the norm for most concert videos these days!!!!!
Showing reviews 1-5 of 33
|
![...& Steve Winwood Live from M [DVD] [2009] [US Import]](http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B001XJEKGC.01._AA75_PU_PU-5_.jpg)
