Lightning in a Bottle

This is a concert film more than a documentary. Anthony Fuqua directed a show that has been recorded for posterity and for those of us, unfortunate enough, not present in the audience. The whole purpose of the concert seems to be to pay a tribute to all the great musicians that have made the blues a musical genre that is unique. This is music derived from the pain of whoever is experiencing it, who obviously is going through a rough patch in life.

Some of the best interpreters of this type of music are seen on stage. Most of the old timers that performed have had distinguished careers and are still around to delight us, their fans with their renditions on these, mostly, sad songs in a way that gives us the viewers pleasure by watching them.

The best way to appreciate this film is to let it surround you and enjoy a couple of hours in excellent company.

With all due respect to the blues legends that performed, and were celebrated in this documentary, it was awesome. I loved the camera angles, the lighting, the sound, as well.

During the viewing of this film, I was searching, listening, for the answer to the question its title sets up - what is "Lightning in a Bottle?" I just don't know - they never told me...is it whiskey? I've yet to figure it out. If someone reading this caught the answer, please name it, for my attention failed.

However, there were things that were shown to me, that I feel could have with common nicety, been edited out. I didn't need to see Odetta, lady blues icon turned bitterness, stomp in and scream that Ruth Brown must not compete with a band. It was enough for me to notice her dramatic instability when she budged off stage following her own performance. Likewise, I didn't need to see Macy Gray asking someone what song she would be singing, and how she should sing it. First of all, who doesn't know "Hound Dog?" Second of all, it didn't do her justice to display her ignorance in this rudimentary phase of practice.

My last gripe - what a sad, sad tribute Chuck D displayed for John Lee Hooker. There was no homage in that, no reverence, or even dignity. He should be ultimately ashamed for taking a disc from the spine of blues and smashing it into such a blasphemous, desperate failure. Mr. Hooker must have rolled in his grave.

Back to the positive notes...Buddy Guy, as usual, was awesome. I even forgive him for coming back out to play while some band butchered Voodoo Chile. It was that performance made for one great camera shot in which I was looking up from the floor at his hand scratching away on his guitar. Clarence Gatemouth Brown was wonderful. I enjoyed him talking, and doing his thing on the stage. BB King gave a great and fitting finish.

Most of the big names in American blues music, certainly the black exponents, get glimpsed in this tribute show - and if they didn't attend, mainly because they are deceased, there is archive footage of them. Although a concert, the film manages to become a documentary as well and reasonably chronological. Obviously you can't expect this condensed film to be comprehensive about a subject this big with so many artists, but it makes a good try. The artists and their performances I guess are a matter of personal taste, but I enjoyed most of them. The borders between blues, soul and rock are rather blurred sometimes, but there are lots of people who resist categorization. Standouts for me were Buddy Guy's rendition of Jimi Hendrix's "Red House" (Hendrix was actually a big fan of Buddy Guy) and BB King's fret work right at the end. For blues lovers it's a must see; for those who don't know much about it, this film is a good introduction. Try to see it in a cinema with a good sound system.

penseur wrote about Buddy Guy's rendition of Jimi Hendrix's Red House. Red House is an old blues standard that a million people cover, so Guy wasn't covering Hendrix he was just playing Red House.

I don't mean to nitpick but it's frustrating when I see things like "Clapton's I Shot the Sheriff" or "Aerosmith's Train Kept A Rollin". Covering blues tracks is a fundamental, and great, part of rock and roll, but the songs should be remembered for what they are, not some mega-bands rendition of them. Led Zeppelin's first album was almost entirely blues covers and it was awesome. Those guys constantly give credit to the great American blues legends. Without them there is no Led Zeppelin.

I really enjoyed this movie. It was a mixture of Blues history, music, interviews and historical footage - heavy on the Blues music. It was a treat to have some of the oldies, especially Buddy Guy, getting intense and passionate while doing their music. "Voodoo Chile" was magical. I also enjoyed the younger/newer artists doing covers on some of the songs. I would have given this movie a "9 or 10" except for one inappropriate performance. Chuck D did his sloppy version of one of the classics and used it to interject his negative opinion of President Bush. It didn't fit the rest of this "classy" film. I highly recommend this film to anyone that likes the Blues. It would be an especially good film to watch with a few music-loving friends because it feels like you're getting a personal concert. Check it out!