Text © Robert Barry Francos / FFanzeen,
2015
Images from the Internet
Jack Bruce: The 50th
Anniversary Concerts – DVD Edition (2 DVDs)
MIG / Intact
235 minutes, 1993 / 2014
www.mig-music.de
www.mvdvisual.com
Jack
Bruce is associated with many of the important blues rockers of the 1960 and
onward, including John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, Manfred Mann, Blues
Incorporated and West, Bruce & Laing. However, it will always be Cream for
which his name will be linked first.
Quick side story: when I was in sleepaway
camp during the 1960s, during one year the only record anyone thought to bring
up for the three weeks was Cream’s “Sunshine of Your Love.” When we had dances,
we would play it over and over. If we wanted to dance fast and frantic, we
played it at 78. When we wanted to slow dance, we played it at 78. I don’t
remember them putting the needle to the B-side, though they probably did. To
this day, I am conformable hearing it at all those speeds.
On
November 2 and 3 of 1993, concerts were held at E-Werk in Cologne, Germany, to
celebrate Jack Bruce’s 50th birthday, almost 21 years before his
passing on October 25, 2014 at age 71.
As
presented here in usual excellent Rockpalast
standards, the beginning is at a slow build. It initiates with Bruce playing Improvisation on Minuet No. 1 solo on
the cello. A multi-musical talent, I understand now why people don’t usually
know him for this instrument. I’m
just sayin’ and truthifyin’, not hatin’.
After
he jumps on the piano (much better) and starts a selection of tunes that sound
pretty jazzy in an early style that Fats Waller would have loved, he is joined
by keyboardist Gary Husband. With Bruce playing a full piano and Husband on
electronics, they blend a sound that is both titters and full chested. Getting
better all the time.
When
those numbers are completed and Husband is dismissed, Bruce picks up the bass
and brings out British blues saxophone legend Dick Heckstall-Smith (d. 2004), along
with his Cream compadre, the one and only curmudgeon drummer Ginger Baker. This,
of course, changes the dynamics of the room. Interestingly, the trio does not
break out into busting some Blues, but into some beautify jazz riffs, usually led
by Heckstall-Smith’s sax (though sometimes he does this trick where he plays
the sax and clarinet at the same time). Naturally, everyone gets their solo
shots. There is a lot of off-kilter-style jazz improvs that would have made
Miles proud, full of a-tonal and arrhythmic phrasing.
At
42 minutes, the band expands and we finally get to hear some rock solid blues,
with “First Time I Met the Blues.” Of course, it is heartfelt and respectful.
Then, as the band gets even larger – including the amazing keyboardist Bernie
Worrell, who I had the pleasure to meet in the 1980s when he accompanied Human
Switchboard at Irving Plaza – they start to rock a bit more.
About
an hour into the first disc, the selection starts turning proggish, and my
interest started to wan… Part of me wanted to put on the Ramones, which is
always an antidote to this. It was going fine until then, but I suddently starting
thinking about what was for supper, and that’s a bad sign. But I was determined
to stick it out.
It
was worth it, of course, because being the Blues man, you know that would come
back, and it did strongly with “Neighbor, Neighbor” and “Born Under a Bad
Sign.” This, as with most of the songs, comes with many solos by various
musicians, everyone getting their limelight time.
One
of the variances into classic rock style with a Celtic lilt is “Ships in the
Night,” when he is joined by singer Maggie Reilly (who, elsewhere, was the
female vocal on Mike Oldfield’s amazing “Five Miles Out,” but I digress…). With
this and the following numbers, she goes into back-up singer, Darlene Love / Uta
Hedgwig mode for a few numbers, before vanishing into the night.
“Willpower,”
a blasting and grinding number, also shows one of the reasons for the rise of
punk rock, just seeming to go on and on (and on). It’s over 5 minutes, and it
seems half of it is just the chorus, consisting to the song title, over and
over (and over). The follow-up, with Bruce switching back to piano, is “Never
Tell Your Mother She’s Out of Tune,” which goes on for over 9 minutes.
Fortunately, it’s a totally up-beat blues-based
raver,
and like so many choices on these, there is sections of instrumentals.
Rightfully so, he backs off to a slower number, “Theme From an Imaginary
Western,”for which he never lets up with the power. Being his 50th
birthday, it makes sense to end the first DVD with “Golden Days.”
Before
discussing the second disk, I need to stop here for a moment and reflect with
an explanation. Jack Bruce is extremely talented, as was all members of Cream,
and everyone who participated on this is stellar. I am certainly not trying to
put it down in any way. That being said, there was a reason I stopped listening
to the radio soon after Sgt. Pepper’s,
and especially into the ‘70s, because music became too…sterile. Even the bluesy
numbers of, say, Led Zeppelin, sounded bombastic to the point of driving me to
the “1-2-3-4” of the Ramones. Jack Bruce and company are the same. Over the
years I’ve come to appreciate the talent behind these British Blues rockers,
but there is still something about long songs, seemingly endless solos and
earnest musical masturbation that can make me…distracted to something else.
Now
that I’ve cleared the air a bit, I’m ready for disc two, which seems more
focused on the Cream era. We shall see.
As
with the first, this disc opens on a nice, slower note, with Bruce sitting with
an acoustic guitar, singing “As You Said,” accompanied by two cellos. It’s
pretty effective, and has a mix between Celtic and modern. The band comes in
for the next, similar sounding “Rope Ladder to the Moon.” See, part of the
problem with me, particularly, reviewing this, is with the exception of some of
the Cream stuff, Bruce’s material never really entered into the realm of my
tastes, so I am not familiar with much of it (e.g., “Oh, this is from that
group and that album…”).
For
example, after he switches back to the bass, they do “Life on Earth.” This song,
from 1981, sounds like another of that string of Peter Gabriel “Sledgehammer” /
Steve Winwood “Higher Love” ‘80s solo comebacks. I was listening to hardcore
and the Garage Revival back then, so this is kinda out of my ken. The next few
songs seem from the same period.
I
was amused at the juxtaposition of Toto’s Simon Phillips’ extended drum solo.
His kit is huge and he rambles on with it. Afterwards, you see Ginger Baker,
ciggy-butt dangling from his half-toothless mouth (he has COPD now…keep smokin’ kids!), get into his
miniscule-by-comparison kit, and almost nonchalantly show how it’s done. One of
my fave moments.
The
Cream starts rising, with “Sitting on Top of the World,” a folk song they Blues’d
up to fame. And here is where the really long, extended songs begin (this one
is over 7 minutes, as are many of the others to come). Baker on drums, Bruce on
bass; all that’s missing is, well… Clapton would tour with the two in the next
decade, but he was not present for this. Ably taking his place for this section
is Humble Pie’s Clem Clempson. Pete Brown, the lyricist who co-wrote some of
Cream’s biggest hits (and cousin of Marty Feldman), jumps in and joins the
vocals for “Politician.”
It’s
the Cream era that I’ve been patiently (sorta) waiting for, and here it is.
“White Room” (8+ minutes) bleeds out, and a near full orchestral “Sunshine of Your
Love” (7+ minutes) are actually done great. With the extra instrumentation
(including two bassists, two drummers, a horn section, an acoustic guitar, piano,
Bernie Worrell’s keyboard) and Clempson’s guitar, they show that the songs
retain their power even after all these years…make that decades.
This
section ends with the sizzling 8+ minute (get my point?) blues grinder, “Blues
You Can’t Lose.”
Though
everyone seems to be wearing the same clothes, I’m wondering if this next part
is from a different night, because he covers a bunch of the material that’s
already be done. However, for this part he’s joined by Baker on drums and Thin
Lizzy’s Gary Moore (d. 2011) on guitar. Moore is a dynamic player, different in
style than Clempson, so he manages to shake up the redone material, making it
fresh.
Even
“Life on Earth” takes on a more rock mode than ‘80s pop. Thanks, Gary, for
that! Also, not only does he breathe an entirely different flavor into the mix,
he also pushes Bruce into a different direction, as they both play their asses
off, feeding each other’s energy. So much better than the first time around,
even the solos.
While
this trio doesn’t re-do “Sunshine,” they cover Willie Dixon’s Blues classic
“Spoonful,” in a glorious fashion, and finish off, however, with “White Room.”
Again,
in usual Rockpalast fashion, the
sound is great (though I notice Worrell gets drowned out sometimes), the visuals
sharp, and the editing enjoyable (not MTV-ishly quick cuts). I also like the
way the camera focuses in on the musicians rather than the audience, who are
only in a few shots. Better that way, because it’s the talent I want to see,
not a roll call.
There
are three different versions of this release. One is, obviously, this one,
called the DVD Edition, containing 2
DVDs. There is also the Extended Edition,
with both DVDs and a CD Digi-Format (just over 5 hours of material), and the Special Edition boxset of 3 DVDs plus
Bonus DVD and CD (almost 8 hours). Up
to you to get yer Jack Bruce fix, and how much of it you can handle.
Jack Bruce, you were a talented man, and I thank you for your years of playing; RIP. Meanwhile,
I’m turning on “Rock-Rock-Rockaway Beach…”
DVD1:
Improvisation on Minuet No. 1
FM
Can You Follow?
Running Thro’ Our Hands
Childsong
The Tube
Over the Cliff
Statues
First Time I Met the Blues
Smiles & Grins
Bird Alone
Neighbor, Neighbor
Born Under a Bad Sign
Boston Ball Game 1967
Ships in the Night
Willpower
Never Tell Your Mother She’s Out of Tune
Theme From an Imaginary Western
Golden Days
DVD 2:
As You Said
Rope Ladder to the Moon
Life on Earth
Drum Solo by Simon Phillips
NSU
Sitting on the Top of the World
Politician
White Room
Sunshine of Your Love
Blues You Can’t Loose
Featuring
Gary Moore:
Life on Earth
NSU
Sitting on the Top of the World
Politician
Spoonful
White Room
BONUS:
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