Short review: Buy it-or rent it now!
Long Review: Finally, the guitars gods have smiled-and bestowed a Jeff Beck DVD on us fans! And its only taken 50 years...
One of the pleasures of the digital age we live in, is getting an ever increasing selection of great music-related DVD's, from complete concerts, documentaries, conceptual works-and many hybrid versions of the aforementioned. Some artists seem to have an endless supply of DVD's-others are notable for their absence. And Jeff Beck definitely fell into the later category! Just why some artists take their time getting to this format is a mystery, possibly it may come down to factors like record company indifference, squabbles over royalties, artist differences-and a myriad of other complicating reasons as to why they have empty spaces in the visual medium.
After reading various rave live concert reviews in the English rock press, I knew that when this DVD was first slated for release, it would be a foregone conclusion that my battered credit card would take another unavoidable hammering, to acquire this masterpiece.
I wasn't disappointed...
In fact, It was revelatory to say the least. Not only at the ripe young age of 65 is Jeff Beck still a master of the guitar, but the backing band were something else as well. That would be the combined skills & talents of: ultra-skillful drummer Vinnie Colaiuta, the shy-ish but stylishly impressive Jason Rebello on Keyboards and last-but not least, the precocious pint-sized Aussie wonder-girl Tal Wilkenfeld on bass guitar. Her facial expressions back to Jeff are both very entertaining-and revealing at the same time. The look of unadulterated joy is absolutely irresistable! Having pointed that out, the rest of the band are clearly having a ball as well. In fact, the audience joins in as well; feeding off on watching the jaw-dropping talent on close display - and the band respond in kind. When Jeff announces later on, that its been "The best week of my life", you are very much inclined to agree with him. To have witnessed this first-hand would have been something else. Again, thank god for the DVD medium. Now, we get to share what those few lucky enough to have been at Ronnie Scott's witnessed in the flesh. Pure musical magic on an unprecedented scale.
To single out any particular song is redundant with a DVD of this magnitude. The whole thing rocks-from go to whoa!
BUY IT NOW!!!
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