Amazon.co.uk Review
Jools Holland's long-established Hogmanay/New Year's Eve celebration
Later
Hootenanny remains TV's definitive dad-rock haven after 11 years on air. This formidably well-stuffed collection is a best of the best: the easiest way to check out the guest list is to study the cover picture--there really are that many names. Amusingly, the compilation comes close to shooting itself in the foot by
opening with Solomon Burke's rip-roaring "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love", thus giving the following 31 turns a near-impossible act to follow. If in doubt, watch it at the end, as the everybody-up-on-stage version of Jeff Beck's "Hi Ho Silver Lining" that closes the disc is unfortunately a shambles. Along the way, though, there are plenty of highlights, the best of which add up to a triumph for the Welsh contingent. Cerys Matthews and Tom Jones do their best smoochy version of "Baby It's Cold Outside" before it began to wear a bit thin, the strapping Matthews managing to come on like a cross between Bambi and that girl you fancied in the lower sixth. Immediately preceding this is a gloriously menacing performance from John Cale in which he turns Johnny Mercer's jazz classic "I Wanna Be Around" into a leering, spitting threat to the listener's personal safety. There's something for everyone here, though, so just enjoy the show.
On the DVD: Later
Hootenanny on disc has nothing much by way of extras other than a handy facility that allows you to programme a sequence of any six tracks of your choosing, which is quite clever. But with over 30 acts performing more than two hours of music on a single disc, you really don't need anything more. --Roger Thomas
DVD Description
Track Listing:
- Everybody Needs Somebody To Love Solomon Burke
- You Really Got Me Ray Davies
- Let The Boogie Woogie Roll Robert Plant
- You Can Get It If You Really Want Jimmy Cliff
- Fly Me To The Moon Hughie Morgan
- War Edwin Starr
- The Time Is Now Roisin Murphy
- Such A Night Dr. John
- A Change Is Gonna Come Beverley Knight
- Miss Otis Regrets Kirsty MacColl
- Handbags And Gladrags Kelly Jones
- Be-Bop-A-Lula Tom Jones & Jeff Beck
- Reconsider Baby Eric Clapton
- Ooh La La Ronnie Wood
- Aint No Pleasing You Chas n Dave
- Will It Go Round In Circles? Paul Weller
- Surrender Sharleen Spiteri
- Out Of This World Chrissie Hynde
- Im In A Dancing Mood Jools Holland
- Give Me A Little More Time Gabrielle
- Misty Blue David McAlmont
- Eyesight To The Blind B.B. King
- I Wanna Be Around John Cale
- Baby Its Cold Outside Tom Jones & Cerys Matthews
- A Whiter Shade Of Pale Gary Brooker
- Im A Man Steve Winwood
- T-Bone Shuffle Mick Hucknall
- Rotterdam Paul Heaton & David Rotheray
- Cry To Me Solomon Burke
- Drown In My Own Tears Sam Brown
- Say Hello Wave Goodbye Marc Almond
- Lets Stick Together Bryan Ferry
- Thats All Ruby Turner
- Hi Ho Silver Lining Jeff Beck
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