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Amazon.co.uk Review
It may have been underrated when first broadcast, but executive producer Martin Scorsese's homage to the blues is a truly significant, if imperfect, achievement. "Musical journey" is an apt description, as Scorsese and the six other directors responsible for these seven approximately 90-minute films follow the blues--the foundation of jazz, soul, R&B, and rock & roll--from its African roots to its Mississippi Delta origins, up the river to Memphis and Chicago, then to New York, the United Kingdom, and beyond. Some of the films (like Wim Wenders's The Soul of a Man and Charles Burnett's Warming by the Devil's Fire) use extensive fictional film sequences, generally to good effect. There's also plenty of documentary footage, interviews, and contemporary studio performances recorded especially for these films.
The last are among the best aspects of the DVDs, as the bonus material features the set's only complete tunes. Lou Reed's "See That My Grave Is Kept Clean" and the ElektriK Mud Kats' (with Chuck D. of Public Enemy) hip-hop-cum-traditional updating of Muddy Waters's "Mannish Boy" are among the best of them; on the other hand, a rendition of "Cry Me a River" by Lulu (?!) is a curious choice, even with Jeff Beck on hand. The absence of lengthier vintage clips, meanwhile, is the principal drawback. For that reason alone, Clint Eastwood's Piano Blues is the best of the lot; a musician himself, Eastwood simply lets the players play, which means we get extensive file footage of the likes of Art Tatum, Oscar Peterson, and Nat "King" Cole, as well as new performances by Ray Charles, Dr. John, and others. Overall, this is a set to savor, a worthwhile investment guaranteed to grow on you over the course of repeated viewings. --Sam Graham
Product Description
(1930s-2000s 'Vulcan') 2003 veröffentlichter Block von 7 Filmen unter der Federführung von Regisseur Martin Scorsese, eine beeindruckende um umfassende Dokumentation der Geschichte des Blues. Diese Edition liefert alle Filme auf DVD, Details weiter unten
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
52 of 52 people found the following review helpful
the blues is, in my view, about confronting the reality of life. it may be so hard on you that you simply need to acknowledge that it is the reason why you feel bad. others learn to laugh at their troubles through the blues.
this documentary is perhaps the finest example of the myriad of styles of this cathartic music. the sheer depth of the documentary and its subject matter will instantly take you from the crossroads of ignorance to the electric realisation that you are a well informed and passioante exponent of this historic and meaningful genre. although i am not american, this documentary makes you realise that there is a sophistication and allure to their culture that in many ways goes undocumented.
whether you are a musician like me, or a hobo in the world of music you will learn an enormous amount from this collection.
there is unfortunately a major scar on the otherwise flawless face of this documentary. disc 5 - the godfather's dvd is a magical journey of music. the fatal mistake was made by the person who gave mr chess the microphone voiceover. if you can ignore his righteous swagger and self-congratulation, and realise that he is the only fraudulent aspect to this otherwise wonderful section of the documentary, you will love it. he ruins an otherwise wonderful section with prententions and shameless braggadoccio that makes the artists in the documentary squirm. but the music, and the voices of the artists fortunately drown his unbearably loud voice out!
i personally recommend discs one and seven as being the most uplifting introduction. ray charles involvement in this documentary is a beautiful celebration of his life. for those of you who love his music, you will learn to love the man even more!!
so turn down the lights, take a julep and tune in to the raw sound of the beautiful south, and the way they sing them blues.
this documentary is perhaps the finest example of the myriad of styles of this cathartic music. the sheer depth of the documentary and its subject matter will instantly take you from the crossroads of ignorance to the electric realisation that you are a well informed and passioante exponent of this historic and meaningful genre. although i am not american, this documentary makes you realise that there is a sophistication and allure to their culture that in many ways goes undocumented.
whether you are a musician like me, or a hobo in the world of music you will learn an enormous amount from this collection.
there is unfortunately a major scar on the otherwise flawless face of this documentary. disc 5 - the godfather's dvd is a magical journey of music. the fatal mistake was made by the person who gave mr chess the microphone voiceover. if you can ignore his righteous swagger and self-congratulation, and realise that he is the only fraudulent aspect to this otherwise wonderful section of the documentary, you will love it. he ruins an otherwise wonderful section with prententions and shameless braggadoccio that makes the artists in the documentary squirm. but the music, and the voices of the artists fortunately drown his unbearably loud voice out!
i personally recommend discs one and seven as being the most uplifting introduction. ray charles involvement in this documentary is a beautiful celebration of his life. for those of you who love his music, you will learn to love the man even more!!
so turn down the lights, take a julep and tune in to the raw sound of the beautiful south, and the way they sing them blues.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Seven movies about the blues by seven directors, most of whom profess "not to want to just make another documentary about the blues", well they could have done worse and most did. I've reviewed each separately under their individual names but given the comparative bargain that the box set represents most will go with that. No argument there, you'll get a lot of fantastic blues clips, some,but not a great deal, of good live footage, a great dollop of interesting interviews and some appalling pseudo drama. The trouble is of course that its all spread over seven dvds, with little overall coherence, and a pretty poor selection of extras.
Two of the directors try and innovate with dramatized incident, by far the worst of these is 'warming by the devli's
fire',by Charles Burnett. Wim Wenders' contribution, 'Soul of a man' is clunky but still has enough charm to get by.
All the others are effectively in the talking heads format with live contributions intermixed with stills and clips. Almost without exception the historic material dwarfs the new, sometimes embarrassingly so, Tom Jones, Chuck D., and when it doesn't its cut frustratingly short, T-Bone Burnette, Los lobos....... Eastwood and Richard Peace come up with the best films,probably because there enthusiasm for the music isn't swamped by the need to put their artistic stamp on it. Wish Ken Burns had been given the whole brief. Oh and get the book-its actually much better.
Two of the directors try and innovate with dramatized incident, by far the worst of these is 'warming by the devli's
fire',by Charles Burnett. Wim Wenders' contribution, 'Soul of a man' is clunky but still has enough charm to get by.
All the others are effectively in the talking heads format with live contributions intermixed with stills and clips. Almost without exception the historic material dwarfs the new, sometimes embarrassingly so, Tom Jones, Chuck D., and when it doesn't its cut frustratingly short, T-Bone Burnette, Los lobos....... Eastwood and Richard Peace come up with the best films,probably because there enthusiasm for the music isn't swamped by the need to put their artistic stamp on it. Wish Ken Burns had been given the whole brief. Oh and get the book-its actually much better.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Although dreamy and a little self-indulgent in places, this set is - so far - a good addition to any bluesologists(!) collection. Haven't finished it yet so will post a more detailed review then.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Have you heard about LOST YOUTH VOLUME 2 LONDON
LOST YOUTH VOLUME 2 LONDON
"The most talked about true life novel of 2012 has arrived : Every Cambridge student is taking this novel underground to share with the masses... Read more
"The most talked about true life novel of 2012 has arrived : Every Cambridge student is taking this novel underground to share with the masses... Read more
Published 23 hours ago by Geoff McDonald
bargain
For £10.99 this is a bargain I brought this at £15 so grab it while you can coz this must own box set!
Published 14 days ago by Leebone
Value for money
This is a very informative box set, which is based on Blues music. My father loved the Blues and was always talking about Muddy Waters and Howlin Wolf, amongst others. Read more
Published 2 months ago by P.Williams
Martin Scorsese presents the Blues
I knew about this release already and have seen parts of it in TV. Can only recommend this 7 DVD compilation, the price/value for this purchase is outstanding!
Published 17 months ago by Werner Eisner
A must-see, must-have, must-anything
Simply a masterpiece.
It covers Blues from the begining to the fusion of the genre, from various points of view...
Well, anybody who likes music should have it. Read more
It covers Blues from the begining to the fusion of the genre, from various points of view...
Well, anybody who likes music should have it. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Muggsy
Blues DVD is value for money
The Martin Scorcese collection of films about the blues Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues: A Musical Journey [DVD](each by a different director) is definitely for the aficianado. Read more
Published 22 months ago by J. Cowles
The greatest Blues documentary
A treasure to have on the shelf, I replayed several dvd's many times, going down the path of history with many twists, curves and surprises. Recommended.
Published 24 months ago by Rudi
The best Blues documentary ever, bar none.
Scorsese doesn't take the traditional documentary makers approach, instead he has let loose directors such as Mike Figgis, Wim Wenders and Clint Eastwood to present their own... Read more
Published on 18 April 2010 by Mr. R. J. Wilson
A Musical Journey
I first saw the programs on BBC4 a few years ago. I saw your catalogue in Amazon for the DVD's. It was a must have. These 7 DVD's rekindled my interest in all Blues music. Read more
Published on 24 Mar 2010 by Mr. G. D. Carey
Very good choice of songs and artists throughout the blues era.
Very good choice of songs and artists throughout the blues era.There is also a DVD collection with 7 great documentaries on the subject from the same project..... Read more
Published on 1 Feb 2009 by Rob
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