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| Images courtesy of Cleopatra Entertainment |
The American blues band The Fabulous Thunderbirds originally
formed in 1974 with singer Kim Wilson being the only constant performer in the
band’s history with several members coming and going over the years including
but not limited to Jimmie Vaughan, brother to Stevie Ray Vaughan. Their 1986 album Tuff Enuff whose
title track was featured in the Live in Houston concert filmed in 2006
was a huge success and spawned a couple of hit singles including the title
track and Wrap it Up. Originally
released on DVD, the concert film recorded at Warehouse Live in Houston, Texas
on June 30th 2006 has received a substantial upgrade from Cleopatra
Entertainment who have furnished both a standalone release with the track listing
and a special limited digipack edition featuring a compact disc of the tracks
included.
Said to be ‘uprezzed’ by Cleopatra Entertainment and MVD
Shop, the film shot and directed by Alan Ames with audio recording by Steve
Gerik looks and sounds acceptable though the image quality feels a lot like a
DVD upscale. The sound mixing is
unfortunately lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 surround but for a concert film less than
an hour long it gets the job done. Consisting
of eleven tracks, there are no real extras to speak of. If you already have the DVD release of this
concert film, the Blu-Ray upgrade is marginal at best. But for someone like myself who was
uninitiated to The Fabulous Thunderbirds it was a welcome acquisition.
Originally a blues band that expanded into Cajun, Soul and
Rock influences, the 2006 concert captures the band arguably at their creative
height with player/vocalist Kim Wilson rising to the occasion through all
eleven tracks. Special attention is paid
to the other band members over the course of the concert though again running
at a mere fifty-three minutes or so, once the concert wraps up there’s not much
else left here to play around with. Yes
a stereo mix is included with the 5.1 surround mix but the differences are
negligible at best. Mostly a novelty for
blues fans and The Fabulous Thunderbirds disciples, this concert DVD
upscaled to Blu-Ray won’t wow viewers or listeners but fans of the band will
likely get some enjoyment out of it on their home theaters.
--Andrew Kotwicki
