Band Du Lac
A veritable charity concert classic hides behind the peculiar label. None other but Gary Brooker, frontman of Procul Harum, regularly sets up an all-star band for a good purpose. Phil Collins was involved with this group in the late 80s. Most of the band members come from Surrey, England, where the concerts take place on a regular basis. The 2005 show of the Band Du Lac took place at the historical Wintershall Estate in Surrey just outside London. The core of the 2005 all-star band consisted of Gary Brooker (keyboards, vocals), Mike Rutherford (guitar), Andy Fairweather-Low (guitar), Harry Spinetti (drums) and Paul Carrack (organ, keyboards, vocals). Guest musicians include stars like Eric Clapton (guitar, vocals), Queen’s drummer Roger Taylor (vocals), Katie Melua (vocals), Ringo Starr (vocals) and The Drifters. The concert was a fundraiser for HASTE (Heart And Stroke Trust Endeavour) and a part of the proceeds from the DVD will be donated to that organization, too.
There are 23 tracks in the DVD with constantly changing line-ups. The opening song is a classic: Tequila, and Gary Brooker, head of the all star band (see photo, left), introduces the musicians of the Band Du Lac. Two Mechanics songs are played; Over My Shoulder can be heard early on, while Carrack’s How Long occurs later in the set. Eric Clapton was present, too. He played a couple of classics, Reconsider Baby and the atmospheric Lay Down Sally that was only outdone late in the show by Cocaine. Clapton also played Willie & The Hand Jive. Katie Melua’s performance was something for her fans only, as it were, the mood flagged somewhat during that part of the show. One of the highlights certainly was the performance by Roger Taylor. He presented a new Queen song (Say It’s Not True, which he also sang on the recent Queen & Paul Rodgers tour) and two Queen classics – These Are The Days Of Our Lives and I Want To Break Free. Roger Taylor, like Mike Rutherford, is a local hero. In fact, both were neighbours for a time. What impresses most about Taylor is his very confident vocal performance; he is, after all, a singing drummer just like Phil Collins. Gary Brooker played This World Is Rich himself and, of course, Procul Harum’s best-known song, A Whiter Shade Of Pale. Andy Fairweather-Low, who plays in both Eric Clapton’s and Roger Waters’ bands, sang another rock classic, Lay My Burden Down. He comes across like the maths teacher of the local grammar school, and his singing, heavily supported by the background singers, sticks to that likeable naïve style. Fairweather-Low, unlike Clapton, has a quite agreeable voice, but he will never turn into a proper frontman. Ex-Beatle Ringo Starr causes a buzz playing, amongst other songs, the classic With A Little Help From My Friends; later on The Drifters delight everyone with Stand By Me.
The grand finale is – I Can’t Dance. All the musicians come on stage and chant the Genesis joke song. Rutherford often had it in the Mechanics’ set list while showman Paul Young was still around. This night Gary Brooker does vocal duty. The song is okay as an all-star finale, but it just shows how much this number thrives on Phil Collins’ kind of humour. For once the song is played on real percussion without any drumcomputers. New elements consist of a saxophone solo, a laser show and fireworks. The guitar solo at the end is not played by Mike, but by Eric Clapton.
The DVD is very entertaining and it offers an interesting performance by Mike Rutherford and Paul Carrack. They never take the centre spot, though. Mike never was that great a guitarist and that’s how he plays the whole show.
For sounds one can choose between stero, DD 5.1 and dts surround. The sound is clear but the surround version was mixed a bit carelessly. All speakers provide more or less the same thing – live atmosphere is something else. Not much to complain about the video part. It is usually clean enough though some gadgets like a triple mirroring of the same show are a tad annoying. A documentation about the concert was added as a bonus. Some of the musicians talk about the show while others, like Mike, more or less stand around. The DVD also comes with a six-page colour booklet with some photos.
The Strat Pack
A similar density of stars is featured on the slightly older DVD The Strat Pack. On the Strat Pack concert Brian May was so thrilled by performing with Paul Rodgers that this gig triggered the Queen & Paul Rodgers. The Bad Company classic Alright Now on the DVD bears witness to the special musical chemistry. Apart from Paul Rodgers and Brian May there are a number of other musicians of world-wide fame, most of them guitarists, on the DVD. Gary Moore, for example, plays Red House. Upcoming star Jamie Cullum plays Angel and performances by veterans like Joe Walsh and Phil Manzanera are also included. The most glamourous part of the show was played by Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour. He played a peculiar short “late Floyd” set consisting of Marooned, Coming Back To Life and Sorrow with much feeling. When this concert took place neither a new Gilmour record nor the Pink Floyd reunion had appeared on the horizon. Comfortably Numb with its definitive Gilmour Stratocaster solo, however, was an unhappy omission.
Mike Rutherford and Paul Carrack were not part of the house band but played a brief set on their own. And it certainly was another idiosyncratic set. Those who expected songs like Over My Shoulder or The Living Years were surprised by All Along The Watchtower and While My Guitar Gently Weeps. Add to that the Ace classic How Long and, again, I Can’t Dance that perhaps that day celebrated its premiere with Paul Carrack’s vocals. Celebrated, however, is probably the wrong expression. Their performance seems oddly uninspired and off-colour. Everybody in the audience who expected Mike to play the lead guitar on All Along The Watchtower and While My Guitar Gently Weeps were disappointed. The solos were played by the house guitarist, Mike just accompanied him. A meagre effort for someone who has been playing the Stratocaster for years and who was capable of so much more in the Genesis years.
The performance by Ronnie Wood of the Rolling Stones more than made up for that disappointment. Still many listeners won’t believe their eyes, or rather their ears. It is unbelievable that this performance really was released on DVD. Ronnie Wood plays Ooh La La, a song made popular in a version by Rod Stewart. Ronnie Wood on the other hand does not even try to hit the right note. His capricious performance probably resulted from his being excessively inebriated. At the very least he offered an entertaining show. The all-star line-up then plays an unspectacular Stay With Me, bringing a memorable concert to a close.
The Strat Pack can be heard in stereo, DD 5.1 and dts surround. The mix is somewhat better than on the Band Du Lac DVD. The booklet consists of ten coloured pages.
The DVD may not be a feast for Genesis/Rutherford-only fans, but it is an interesting document for friends of good guitar rock.
by Christian Gerhardts
translated by Martin Klinkhardt
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DU LAC Tracklist House Band Tequila Over My Shoulder (Vocals Paul Carrack) + Eric Clapton Reconsider Baby Lay Down Sally How Long (Vocals Paul Carrack) Willie & The Hand Jive + Katie Melua Crawling Up A Hill My Aphrodisiac Is You The Closest Thing To Crazy House Band, Vocals Fairweather-Low Lay My Burden Down + Roger Taylor Say It's Not True These Are The Days Of Our Lives I Want To Break Free House Band, Vocals Gary Brooker This World Is Rich + Ringo Starr Act Naturally Photograph With A Little Help From My Friends House Band, Vocals Gary Brooker A Whiter Shade Of Pale + Eric Clapton & Chris Barber Stormy Monday + The Drifters Under The Boardwalk Stand By Me + Eric Clapton Cocaine All Star Band I Can't Dance |
STRAT PACK Tracklist The Crickets, Albert Lee & Brian May Peggy Sue Maybe Baby I Fought The Law Oh Boy That'll Be The Day Hank & Ben Marvin The Rise And Fall Of Flingel Bunt Sleepwalk Apache Theresa Andersson I'm On My Way Country Boy (feat. Albert Lee) Mike Rutherford & Paul Carrack How Long All Along The Watchtower While My Guitar Gently Weeps I Can't Dance Gary Moore Red House Jamie Cullum Angel Amy Winehouse Stronger Than Me Paul Rodgers Muddy Waters Blues Drinking (feat. Jasmine & Steve Rodgers) Alright Now (feat. Brian May) Can't Get Enough (feat. Joe Walsh) Joe Walsh Funk 49 Life's Been Good Life In The Fast Lane Rock Mountain Way Phil Manzanera 6PM David Gilmour Marooned Coming Back To Life Sorrow Ronnie Wood Ohh La La All Star Line-Up Stay With Me |
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