| Review: The Last Waltz -
Absolutely Great, JE De Matteo
In The
Last Waltz, the Band and Martin Scorsese team up and turn the
final concert run of the original Band into a summation of the “1960s” musical
era, and a collectable DVD (VHS), CD (cassette); a time capsule
candidate if I ever saw
one. I've had the video and cassette tapes since they were
originally released. However, like most re-releases these
days, both the DVD and the CD editions have plenty of "never
before" released tracks. The CD set has a whopping 54
tracks.
All of the
performances, for the most part filmed live at “Last
Waltz” concert performances, are all excellent and cover the
spectrum of the many genre influences on the Rock n Roll of that
era: Country, Folk, R & B/Soul, Gospel, etc.
Such greats as Muddy Waters, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Joni
Mitchell, both Neil Young and Neil Diamond (talk about different
roads taken), Dr. John, Van Morrison, Emmylou Harris the Staples and many,
many more, join the Band to sing some of the best music of
the late 1960s and early 1970s.
The end sequence has all the stars join Bob Dylan (with
whom the Band toured and recorded for a number of years) for a
truly grand finale, talk about going out with a bang; it's terrific.
Man would I like to have gone to the party that took place
after that show.
In sometimes
contrived, but always entertaining interviews, Scorsese has Band
members talk about their memories and the experiences they had on
their road from rags to riches. They even tell
some stories about some of the Rock Superheroes they played and
partied with.
Grab a bottle of
Southern Comfort or Jack, or some other type of
mellow-outer, or don’t, and turn on this time machine on
disc, you’ll enjoy the 2 hours.
JE De Matteo
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