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Author Topic: The Land Where the Blues Began 30th anniversary DVD  (Read 8134 times)

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Offline uncle bud

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The Land Where the Blues Began 30th anniversary DVD
« on: November 01, 2009, 05:50:40 AM »
Looks like a must have. Ships Dec 1. From http://www.media-generation.com/DVD%20PAGES/Land/Land.html


In 1978, Alan Lomax, Worth Long, and John Bishop took portable video cameras deep into The Land Where the Blues Began.and collaborated with the Mississippi Authority for Educational Television to produce this program.
As Alan Lomax 's articulated oour mission--

Today we give a platform to this vital folk culture and its creators. These people witnessed the birth of the blues. They lived them. This haunting music, laughing at life?s ironies, and set to a dancing beat. This amazing mix of Europe and Africa is America?s most distinctive song style. It?s also the product of the folk culture of the Mississippi Delta.

We visit picnics and revivals. We meet the black pioneers who helped to carve Mississippi out of the wilderness with their work on farm, river, railroad and levee, creating a new music out of their loneliness and their deprivation. Music that, once heard, can never be forgotten.

The program features performances by Sam Chatmon, Jack Owens & Bud Spires, Eugene Powell (Sonny Boy Nelson), Belton Sutherland, Othar Turner, Napoleon Strickland, and Joe Savage.

Finished in 1979 and broadcast on PBS in 1980. the program won awards and played in numerous festivals. In 1990 was broadcast again on PBS, re-edited as part of the America Patchwork series. This DVD presents the original version with more than three hours of additional material, which has never been available before.

Contents (4.5 hours of video and two articles)-

The Land Where the Blues Began (59 min) with optional English subtitles
Video out takes of 2 hours of additional musical selections
The first edit of the levee camp interview (27 min)
Making The Land Where The Blues Began video (27 min)
Editing The Land Where The Blues Began video (5 min)
Alan Lomax introduction to the first broadcast (2 min)
Transcript of the program (PDF)
Making The Land Where The Blues Began article (PDF)



« Last Edit: November 01, 2009, 05:54:29 AM by uncle bud »

Offline RobBob

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  • Blues is truth.
Re: The Land Where the Blues Began 30th anniversary DVD
« Reply #1 on: November 04, 2009, 01:57:33 PM »
I placed an order for this DVD.  Am looking forward to seeing it and all of the additional footage.  I spent time with some blues guys, none of them famous back then, but those times seem easier than these and they were hard.

Ain't that the blues?

Offline oddenda

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Re: The Land Where the Blues Began 30th anniversary DVD
« Reply #2 on: November 05, 2009, 06:51:56 PM »
Love him or hate him, Alan's work is always worth a look.

Peter B.

Offline RobBob

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  • Blues is truth.
Re: The Land Where the Blues Began 30th anniversary DVD
« Reply #3 on: December 18, 2009, 01:05:01 PM »
I got my copy last Friday.  Today we are having rain/snow/sleet/ice and wind.  Students canceled, the world in the south comes to a halt at times like this.  So I have been watching and listening and remembering players I knew and played with.  There are two hours of music performances on this DVD and nothing in the way of the music.  It is great.  In this holiday time I miss some old friends, but this reminds me that their music lives on in recordings, videos and memories.

RB

Offline Stumblin

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Re: The Land Where the Blues Began 30th anniversary DVD
« Reply #4 on: November 17, 2010, 02:49:45 PM »
I just got a copy today. The extra songs make it worth resurrecting an old thread!
I had to rip my copy to the hard drive & burn a new disc due to it being an American Region DVD. But I'm sure you all know how to go about such workaday tasks.
Anyway, I'm enjoying the treasure trove of Sam Chatmon videos in the disc's extras  :)

Offline slideaway

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Re: The Land Where the Blues Began 30th anniversary DVD
« Reply #5 on: November 17, 2010, 03:45:29 PM »
thats funny you got region 1 disc, i often buy DVD's off amazon. (i'm in oz) and they say, only available in region 1 format, NTSC ect. but when i get them, about 90% are region free discs, including my copy of TLWTBB.. strange.. anyway you can get the cracks to make normal DVD players play any region, off the internet, like easter egg hidden command thingys.. usually only the expensive ones are region specific all the cheap ones play any zone pretty sure.. plus say on my old mac, i can use a program like VLC to play region locked DVDs without ripping them..

anyway what a great dvd, I have been haunted by Joe Savage's singing everyday since .. thats the blues  woah

Offline uncle bud

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Re: The Land Where the Blues Began 30th anniversary DVD
« Reply #6 on: November 17, 2010, 05:52:29 PM »
I agree, the extras with all that Sam Chatmon is great to have (even if he's playing rather similar accompaniment for much of it). But for me the price of this DVD is covered just by Belton Sutherland, who is a joy:




Offline lindy

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Re: The Land Where the Blues Began 30th anniversary DVD
« Reply #7 on: November 17, 2010, 07:11:59 PM »

I remember in the original film, they put in a Lomax voiceover after 1 minute of Belton, which drove me nuts the few times I watched the film. Does the 30th anniversary version have an extended clip of Belton singing the entire song?

Lindy

Offline uncle bud

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Re: The Land Where the Blues Began 30th anniversary DVD
« Reply #8 on: November 18, 2010, 07:05:16 AM »
Yes, the extras feature the full Belton Sutherland performance of Kill the Old Grey Mule, plus another song called Strange Thing Happening. They aren't kidding about 2 hours of extras. The performances in the DVD extras are:

Jack Owens and Bud Spires
Cherry Ball
Rather Be the Devil
Kansas City Blues
Catfish Blues
Hard Times

Sam Chatmon

Cold Blooded Murder
Corina
Sitting On Top of the World
Pallet On the Floor
Sugar Blues
Hollandale Blues
That's All Right
Growling Groundhog
Bumble Bee
Trouble In Mind
How Long

Eugene Powell
Blues
Highway 61
Tight Like That

RL Burnside

Blues
Jumper On the Line

Belton Sutherland
Strange Thing Happening
Kill the Old Grey Mule

Othar Turner
Gravel Springs Fife and Drum

Heavenly Gospel Singers
I Stepped In the Water
Sit Down Servant
We Must Have Trials

St. James Congregation

Redeemed
Leak In This Old Building
Lining Hymn

The Friendly Brothers
Where Shall I Be


Offline jaycee

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Re: The Land Where the Blues Began 30th anniversary DVD
« Reply #9 on: November 18, 2010, 09:24:10 AM »
this dvd is going straight to the top of my christmas wish list.
jaycee

Offline J. H. Deeley

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Re: The Land Where the Blues Began 30th anniversary DVD
« Reply #10 on: November 22, 2010, 06:56:02 PM »
this dvd is going straight to the top of my christmas wish list.

Ditto that.

Offline btasoundsradio

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Re: The Land Where the Blues Began 30th anniversary DVD
« Reply #11 on: December 01, 2010, 11:11:35 AM »
I ordered this...the extra footage is absolutely essential. Jack Owens and Bud Spires are the greatest duo of alltime and Belton Sutherland is my new favorite country blues anomaly. RL Burnside was a sexy dude....
Charlie is the Father, Son is the Son, Willie is the Holy Ghost

Offline blueshome

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Re: The Land Where the Blues Began 30th anniversary DVD
« Reply #12 on: December 01, 2010, 02:16:10 PM »
A letter has gone to Santa.

Offline Michael Cardenas

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Re: The Land Where the Blues Began 30th anniversary DVD
« Reply #13 on: December 03, 2010, 11:27:57 PM »
Crucial DVD and Belton steals it, but the Chatmon and Owens footage is essential.
LISTEN TO BLUES MUSIC

Offline Steve Pajik

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Re: The Land Where the Blues Began 30th anniversary DVD
« Reply #14 on: January 23, 2011, 11:58:45 AM »
In case anyone is interested, a streaming version of the original is available here: http://www.folkstreams.net/film,109

 


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