DVD: Eric Clapton Live At Montreux 1986 / Artists: Eric Clapton, Phil Collins, Nathan East, Greg Philliganes / 114 Minutes / On The Streets Now / Eagle Rock Entertainment
It may sound a little strange to rave about something other than just the music when talking about a DVD experience that features the music of one of the greatest guitarists to ever live, the incomparable Eric Clapton, 
however that is exactly what I am going to do. Clapton and fellow musicians Phil Collins (drums), Nathan East (bass guitar) and Greg Phillinganes (keyboards/vocals), were spectacular at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1986, as depicted on the Live DVD from Eagle Rock Entertainment, but equally stunning is the cinematography of the camera crew. Under the direction of Executive Producer Claude Nobs, the 114-minute DVD is filled with quality up close images of Clapton and company.
Often when describing music DVDs writers will talk about the viewer getting a front row seat at a concert, however in the case of Eric Clapton Live At Montreux 1986, you literally find yourself on stage with the great one. There are numerous quality, tasteful and tight images of Clapton’s fingers massaging his frets and strings, Phillinganes’s soulful keyboarding and East’s finger picking. Although the performance was twenty-one years ago, there are no grainy images, evidenced by the tight shots of Collins behind his drum kit. You can see through the skins of his toms.
I grew up listening to the music of Eric Clapton in his various incarnations with The Yardbirds, Cream, John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers, Derek and the Dominos, Blind Faith and of course his spectacular solo career. The DVD highlights some of those memorable musical experiences with performances of Cream’s “White Room,” (Wheels of Fire) which hit # 6 on the US charts in 1968 and another Cream tune “Sunshine of Your Love,” (Disraeli Gears-1967), which also climbed the charts before finding a home at # 5. Clapton and his fellow musicians also perform the Derek and the Domino’s # 10 hit song “Layla.”
A moment to cherish during the concert is Clapton’s rendition of the Bob Marley tune “I Shot The Sheriff,” from Clapton’s 1974 record 461 Ocean Boulevard. Although the song did not do a lot for Marley, it went all the way to # 1 on the US charts for Clapton and # 9 on the British charts.
Almost two hours of great footage and sixteen songs are presented in DTS Digital Surround Sound. So many classic concerts are reproduced with grainy images and poor quality sound that rock aficionados often wind up disillusioned and newbies to the artist’s music wonder what all the fuss was about. Such is not the case with Eric Clapton Live At Montreux 1968. Whatever you end up paying for a copy of this DVD is well worth your investment. The DVD can be purchased through many of the online music stores such as Amazon and CD Universe.
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Reviewed September 2007
