Robben Ford - Ohne Filter: Revisited
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Robben Ford - Ohne Filter: Revisited
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After already releasing several excellent instructional guitar videos over the last decade, Robben Ford finally delivered his fans their long awaited concert video in 2003, which featured his 1993 appearance on the German television show Ohne Filter - Musik Pur. The DVD was simply titled In Concert, and it captured a scorching blues-rock set by Ford and his early 90's power-trio, the Blue Line. Ford returned to Germany in 1997, during a tour in support of his highly-acclaimed new album at the time, Tiger Walk, and made his second appearance on the Ohne Filter show. If only we had such quality live music shows here in the U.S. Ford's remarkable Ohne Filter: Revisited performance has now finally been released on DVD, and it makes for the perfect companion to his first visit to the show. Although Ford had recently parted ways with his Blue Line brothers before the Tiger Walk sessions began, he had once again surrounded himself with a remarkable group of musicians for the ensuing tour, this time adding some keyboards to the mix, with Deron Johnson, as well as recruiting Chris Chaney on the bass, and Gary Novak on the drums. Tiger Walk was Robben Ford's self-described "guitar album", and this all-instrumental affair really allowed him to showcase his rock, blues, and jazz fusion chops like no other. The nine song Ohne Filter: Revisited setlist features five songs from Tiger Walk, as well as four from his previous album, Handful of Blues. The performance kicks off with one of Tiger Walk's most rocking tracks, "Just Like It Is", which highlights Ford's masterful use of the wah-wah pedal. Deron Johnson's tasty Hammond B-3 playing is also featured prominently here, along with most of the other Tiger Walk tracks, and is what really sets this performance apart from the first Ohne Filter DVD. These Ohne Filter releases have certainly been a godsend to concert DVD fans like myself, but their sub 60-minute run times can definitely leave you more frustrated than satisfied. I do realize that all of the performances must be edited to conform to the one hour TV show length, but it's a shame that some of the edited out songs could not have been restored for these DVD releases. Hell, after the first song you even hear Robben telling the audience that he just played TWO songs from the new album, so you know he played more than the nine songs that are featured on this DVD. Ford sticks with his vintage, cream-colored Fender Telecaster during most of the show, with the only exception being when he turned to one of his Strats for "Tiger Walk". But don't concern yourself with what guitar Ford is playing at any given time, because they all seem as natural on him as the limbs he was born with. His remarkable playing is as effortless and fluid as it comes, and is tone and phrasing is instantly recognizable to any real guitar fan's ears. That is the true sign of a great guitarist. The highlights of this performance for me were "Freedom", which Ford effortlessly transitions between delicate blues ballad and scorching rock anthem with each new chorus. "The Champ" is also a highlight of the Tiger Walk album, and Ford completely outshines the album version with the burning live performance that is captured here. As with all of the Ohne Filter DVD's I own, this one also features some excellent production quality. Audio is offered in both PCM stereo and Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround mixes and they are both winners. I would have to give the nod to the PCM mix here, as the bass was much more pronounced and the guitar had a little more punch, although it did lack some of the ambience of the surround mix. The picture was about your average TV show quality, but the Ohne Filter camera crew does another fantastic job of making you feel like you were at the show. This excellent DVD only serves up further evidence that Robben Ford is one of the most gifted electric guitarists on the planet. Now you can watch both of these Ohne Filter DVD's back-to-back and see for yourself. Reviewed by Paul M. Roy - April 2008 |
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Running Time: 53 Minutes |
DVD Release Date - March 2008 |