Red, White & Blues

Part of the PBS The Blues documentary series, Mike Figgis's film looks at the early 60s British blues scene that led to such bands as The Rolling Stones and The Yardbirds. It is centred around on an extended live studio jam session with performers such as Van Morrison, Lulu, Jeff Beck, and Tom Jones with, for my money, Chris Farlowe's rendition of Stormy Monday stealing the show)/ This is interspersed with interview segments from the same and additional well-known musos such as Steve Winwood, John Mayall and Eric Clapton.

The various interviewees recount their personal experiences of discovering authentic black blues against the background of the traditional jazz and folk revival movements in the thriving English club scene, much affected by the influence of American soldiers in Britain and Germany after WWII. Also included is archival footage of various black and white performers.

FYI: Figgis who is also a musician (he can be seen and heard in the DVD extras playing piano) played in a blues band with Bryan Ferry that was to provide the nucleus of the first incarnation of Roxy Music.

DVD Extras: 7 full length performances not seen in the main film; a commentary from Figgis and an interview with him along with his filmography. Comes in 5.1 surround sound. For some reason there is a separate listing of the songs performed in the film although only short segments of each are shown.

Available from: Madman

 

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