Bonnie Raitt
Live At Montreux 1977
Eagle Eye EE39082-9
The Montreux Jazz Festival began in 1967 and has become an esteemed music festival. Eagle
now has a Live At Montreux DVD concert series. Notoriety had escaped 27-year-old Bonnie
Raitt at the time of her first Montreux appearance on July 23, 1977. Absorbed in the blues
since college, she began her boundless career as a solo acoustic slide guitar act
performing country blues. Raitt's 11-song set features rock, pop and ballads from her
first six albums. Given its age, the video images are exceptionally good, though
horizontal lines are occasionally visible. The digitally re-mastered audio was originally
recorded on analog tape, which accounts for the scratchy vocals and hiss. Although
recorded live, the engineers captured the sound of a 1970's Los Angeles studio.
At first glimpse, Raitt - dressed in '70s era bell bottom jeans - looks a
crossbreed of Janis Joplin and Linda Rondstat. Raitt is homesick as she mentions U.S.
states and cities, and how nervous she is to play Europe for the first time. Her
disciplined band features Freebo (bass/tuba), Dennis Whitted (drums), Will McFarlane
(guitar) and specialist Marty Grebb (keys/sax). You can tell the folk-rocking
"Under
The Falling Sky" was written by Jackson Browne without reading the credits. On it,
Raitt breezes through several tempo changes. Thanks to the chorded harp solo of guest
Jerry Portnoy, "Love Me Like A Man" contains the most blues. Easy rolling
rhythms with ragtime feel is present on "Give It Up, Or Let Me Go". The
burlesque "Women Be Wise" is performed as a tribute to Raitt's late
1960"s mentor Sippie Wallace. Raitt plays signature unerring slide on
"Sugar
Mama" before the encore, "Runaway". Ironically it was Raitt's first
radio hit, but it doesn't meld into her repertoire.
Her image, songs and band are dramatically different on the four bonus cuts from her 2nd
Montreux appearance on July 10, 1991. The wide screen, high definition cinematography and
sound quality are greatly improved. Her larger group contains no band members from the
'70s show. Now a mature looking woman, and Grammy Award winning musician, Raitt is
confidently at home with her foreign audience. Her refined vocals are superior on these
cuts. The upbeat and polished songs feature Americana roots rock on "Papa Come
Quick" and special guest Charles Brown on "Think". Those unfamiliar with
Raitt will enjoy the 1991 performances, but the 1977 concert documents a piece of history.
- Tim Holek -
Southwest Blues DVD Review - April 2007
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