Willie & the Bees? Lady Bianca? Minnesota Barking Ducks? Baby Doo Caston? If these names don't exactly leap to mind when you think of the great blues musicians, well, you're hardly alone. Filmed live at Wilebski's Bar in Minnesota in March 1984, Blues Collection: Live at Wilebski's features some bigger names as well, including John Lee Hooker and Dr. John, as well as artists who may be known to serious music fans, like pianist Ben Sidran (who appears, oddly, with avant-garde saxophonist Archie Shepp), singer Geoff Muldaur and the duo of singer-guitarist Nick Gravenites (ex-Electric Flag) and John Cipollina, the great guitarist from Quicksilver Messenger Service. By and large, however, this is a pretty humdrum affair, plagued by poor audio and grainy video that render the performances lackluster at best. DVD extras include someone's weird idea of the “All Time Blues Top 50 Songs” (Robin Trower made the list but Muddy Waters didn't--go figure), a trivia quiz, artist bios, and more. Not a necessary purchase. Aud: P. (S. Graham)
Blues Collection: Live at Wilebski's
(1984) 80 min. DVD: $19.95. Music Video Distributors (avail. from most distributors). Color cover. Volume 18, Issue 1
Blues Collection: Live at Wilebski's
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