Bill Wyman's Blues Odyssey

They called him “the quiet Stone” (although Charlie Watts was never exactly garrulous himself), but it turns out that former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman has plenty to say about the music that inspired him and his erstwhile bandmates in the first place. This two-part documentary features many of the elements common to such programs: a decent history of the blues (as well as skiffle and other sounds that particularly influenced Wyman and other Brit musicians), nice footage of bluesmen--both famous (Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf) and relatively obscure (Blind Willie McTell, to name only one), plenty of good music (presented in Dolby Digital stereo), and interviews (conducted by Wyman, as well as with him). But it's Wyman's personal touch that separates it from the pack. He has an encyclopedic knowledge of the music and a pretty much photographic memory (no one who has read his amazingly detailed memoir, Rolling with the Stones, will be surprised that he can reel off the months and years when many of these musicians were born). More to the point, Wyman actually knew many of these giants; he even played and/or recorded with the likes of Muddy and Wolf. Don't expect to see more than a few brief glimpses of the Stones themselves here, but Wyman's odyssey is an entertaining and enlightening trip in and of itself. Recommended. Aud: P. (S. Graham)