Steve Lukather & Los Lobotomys - In Concert
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Steve Lukather & Los Lobotomys - In Concert
Performance
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The first real taste of Steve Lukather I got, outside of what I had already heard with Toto, was when I stumbled across him guesting on a Lee Ritenour concert video, where he joined Ritenour onstage for a performance of "Cause We've Ended As Lovers". Steve provided the heavily distorted, sustain soaked counterpart to Ritenour's usual clean, smooth-jazz tone. I had always considered Jeff Beck's version of "Cause We've Ended As Lovers", from his masterpiece Blow By Blow album to be one of the finest rock guitar instrumentals of all time, so I had high hopes, but timid expectations for what Steve and Lee would do with it. Well, my friends, thanks to Steve's jaw-dropping virtuosity and highly emotional playing, this performance was on par with Mr. Beck's, if not better. Simply staggering. Enter Los Lobotomys, the blues/rock, fusion group Lukather sometimes dusts off between his Toto, and session gigs. If you are a guitar fan who only knows of Lukather's playing from his work with Toto, you are likely to be blown away by the ultra-heavy, and soulful guitar and vocals he contributes to Los Lobotomys. This DVD is a recording from their Candyman tour, of a performance on the German television show Ohne Filter - Music Per, in 1994. This excellent show features intimate club performances by typically lesser known, but highly regarded, bands such as Los Lobotomys. Many of these shows have been released on DVD including Robben Ford & The Blue Line, which I have also reviewed, and the production quality is usually excellent for being 80's and 90's recordings. The name of the show literally translates to "Without Filter - Sheer Unadulterated Music" - which couldn't describe it's brilliance any better. The only negative thing about these DVDs are the short running times - typically only 45 to 60 minutes. Lukather is joined by Simon Phillips on drums, John Pena on bass, and David Garfield on keyboards, who are all accomplished virtuosos in their own right. Phillips also joined Toto during the mid-90's after the death of drum-phenom Jeff Porcaro, and he breathed much-needed new energy into the band with his incredible drumming, as well as outstanding production abilities. Check out Toto's recent Mindfields and Livefields albums, as well as the outstanding Live In Amsterdam DVD, if you don't believe me. I don't think I've ever seen a band so mercilessly ripped apart by the critics as much as Toto, but I've got the cojones to admit I like a lot of their stuff, especially some of the later stuff when Simon Phillips came onboard. Tell me you don't like "Hold The Line", with that simple piano intro and incredible guitar riff - I dare you. What are you deaf! Oh, get back to your Bob Dylan albums. Anyways, this here concert starts off on a strong note with the song "Hero With A 1000 Eyes", which flaunts a catchy-as-hell guitar riff from Luke. Yeah, I feel I've earned the right to call him by his nickname if I want to. Right off the bat you get to see that Simon Phillips is no mere mortal on the drums, but an absolute monster. I am a guitar player and I couldn't decide whether to focus more on him or Lukather. Damn you Phillips! Guess that is what repeated viewings are for. Lukather, who is an admitted Jimi Hendrix freak, does a smoking version of "Machine Gun" next, which is highlighted by one of his many phenomenal guitar solos. "Extinction Blues" comes up next, and is a slower blues/rock number which features a strong vocal performance by Lukather, to match his tasty blues licks. "Dismemberment" is a super jazz-fusion number that features some incredible bass playing by John Pena, which he makes look so damn easy that it is sickening. David Garfield even straps on one of those portable guitar-like keyboards and struts around the stage showing that he definitely belongs up there with these other virtuosos. The show ends with a song called "Party In Simon's Pants", which caused my jaw to hit the floor - and lots of drool to run from my mouth. Well not literally, but the musicianship was that impressive. I think most of the song is in like 17/8 time or something crazy. There are only seven songs that run 58 minutes on this DVD, so it leaves you wanting more. These Ohne Filter shows are produced really well, and for a 1994 performance, the audio and video quality were very good. The Dolby 5.1 surround mix provided excellent instrument separation, with crisp highs and thunderous double bass drum sound. The surround speakers were used perfectly to make it sound like you were sitting in the middle of the club. If you wanted to get a little bit more punch out of the guitar, try the PCM stereo mix, which was more powerful sounding. The video quality was also very good, providing a generally sharp and clear picture, with good color reproduction. The camera work was outstanding, as it usually has been for these shows. The angle changes were never too quick and you were made to feel like you were in the front row, with added views from the side of the stage, and some great close-ups of Lukather's fretboard work. If you are a fan of any of these great musicians in Los Lobotomys, or simply great blues-rock or fusion music in general, do not hesitate to get this outstanding concert DVD. Reviewed by Paul M. Roy - July 2004 |
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Running Time: 58 Minutes |
DVD Release Date - November 2002 |