Charlie Daniels Band
" Live at Rockpalast DVD "
www.Mig-Music.de

BluesWax Rating: 8

down home and southern styled will like The Charlie Daniels Band "Live at the Rockpalast" DVD. Read about this flashback from the 1980s."Chip Eagle for Blues Revue Magazine & Blueswax.com

Even in Deutschland, The South Does It Again

Here's yet another live concert from the Rockpalast venue in Dortmund, Germany, where the vibrant Charlie Daniels Band exports their southern style over the pond to Europe. This solid set was recorded in November of 1980, and it's a good one. This version of the CDB band lineup includes two drummers (Fred Edwards and James W. Marshall), Tom Crain on guitar and vocals, Taz DiGregorio on keys and vocals, Charlie Hayward's bass, and Charlie Daniels' guitar, violin, and vocals. As usual, these top-shelf Tennessee musicians fire on target throughout. I have to wonder if the Germans understood the taped "Tennessee Waltz" segment that introduced the band, but everyone seemed to be having a good time as the band kicked off with "Funky Junky," and drove through a greatest hits extravaganza. There is a standout cover of "Reflections," Daniels tribute to the members of Lynyrd Skynyrd, but I was not familiar with the blues tune "No Potion for the Pain" sung by and co-authored DiGregorio, which was a pleasant surprise. There's a rearranged "In America" that hums and a riveting Daniels guitar solo on an also rearranged "Uneasy Rider." Daniels finally flashes his violin late in the set on "Cumberland Mountain No.9" and closes the set (fiddle in hand) with a torrid version of "Devil Went Down to Georgia" that's also modified. But there's more, and even in Germany it wouldn't be right if the CDB gang didn't serve up a kicking "The South's Gonna Do It Again" that had the crowd begging for more. So after another brief break, the band returns for a smoking hot 8:45-long version of "Orange Blossom Special" where everyone is fired up, especially Daniels who screeches on violin, as the band eventually winds it down with locomotive-like sounds - whew!

The video quality of this live recording is pretty good, especially considering the technical challenges of the early 1980's, but I would have thought that the sound could have been more dynamic and crisp. But it all comes down to the music and performances and seeing the CDB from this time period (from over thirty years ago) is a great depiction of how hot this band was and, by the way, they still smoke to this very day. So brothers and sisters who like their music down-home and southern styled, drag over the barstool, throw down a frosty one, perhaps take a toke, and hit that whiskey flask to maximize this effect, and have a grand old time.

Bob Putignano a senior contributing editor at BluesWax. He is also the heart of Sounds of Blues at www.SoundsofBlue.com. Bob maybe contacted at: bob8003@yahoo.com

Bob Putignano: www.SoundsofBlue.com