Ike & Tina: On the Road 1971-72

On the Road provides an off-the-cuff look at R&B performers Ike and Tina Turner at home, in rehearsal, and on tour. Rather than making a formal documentary, rock ‘n' roll photographer Bob Gruen and his wife, Nadya Beck, stitched together grainy (but functional) footage, alternating between color and black-and-white. The film also features a clip from The Tonight Show in which Ike and Tina performed with their backing band along with the singing and dancing Ikettes. Unfortunately, no onscreen text specifies where the other shows took place (except for a sign indicating the University of North Dakota), although the accompanying booklet—featuring photographs and liner notes by Gruen—fills in a few gaps. Off the road, Tina cooks for the kids, washes dishes, and talks to Nadya—who occasionally appears onscreen—about her image and her desire to write more songs. While the monaural sound can be muddy and the camerawork shaky, the performances of the full-throated Tina and live-wire Ikettes are consistently riveting, and this disc offers up 19 selections from the group's repertoire, including the signature numbers "River Deep, Mountain High" and "Proud Mary," although not all are played in their entirety. Gruen and Beck concentrate most of their attention on Tina, but Ike contributes a lengthy, psychedelic guitar solo during an intense, slow-burning version of the blues standard "I Smell Trouble." DVD extras include a slideshow. Fans are sure to welcome this release, which is recommended, overall. (K. Fennessy)