Search - Johnny Clegg with Savuka & Juluka - Live! and More... on DVD

Tom K. from RIVERVIEW, FL
Reviewed on 11/5/2010...

Absolutely amazing.........what energy!!!!

For Clegg fans, not enough, but better than nothing

Nicholas Carroll | Portland OR United States | 12/03/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I'm a huge fan of Johnny Clegg, ever since I was swept away from the first listen of the opening chants of his album "Cruel Crazy Beautiful World" in 1990. Since that time, I've amassed nearly all of his albums (just one or two rare ones are missing from my collection), seen him in concert four times, met him three times, and I can vouch for him being a very nice, thoughtful, and appreciative person. His talent is amazing, and anyone who has seen him in concert has not walked away disappointed by his high energy performances. This DVD was long awaited and very coveted by many fans.



The reason I give this dvd three stars, even though I want to give it five, is because of the quality of it. Though not a fault of Johnny Clegg, I blame the people who produced this DVD by second-rate standards. The concert video is poorly edited...and as a result, its somewhat jarring to watch. I've seen concert videos that flowed really well and were punchy, this one was edited in a sloppy manner that's unbecoming of the high musical quality of Johnny Clegg. The old Juluka music videos are embarrassingly bad, and I felt bad for Johnny as I watched it. True, those videos were made in the early days of music videos (early 1980s), but I also have Midnight Oil's compiliation of music videos on DVD and their early ones, while primitive compared to latter ones were still quite good. But, I attribute this to a lack of money to produce a high quality music videos. I love the Savuka videos, particularly "Great Heart", "Scatterlings of Africa", "I Call Your Name", and "The Crossing". I consider "The Crossing" video to be his best music video that I've seen. As for the Juluka videos, I like "Fever" the best. The video accurately reflects the beat of the song and has an interesting street scene. The most cringe-inducing moments for me are the "Kilimanjaro" and "Third World Child" videos in which Johnny is too literal in his pantomiming of the lyrics of his song (such as "suit and tie", "the world keeps on turning" or something like that). But that's a younger Johnny, goofing it up for the cameras. The best feature on this dvd is the interview he gives. Its nice to hear Johnny give his opinion and talk about some of his experiences. He truly is one of the most underappreciated and creatively talented musicians on the planet. Its nice to have any video footage of Johnny for my collection and I hope that a better produced dvd of his "South African Story" concerts will be released, and any music videos he might have made for his "Crocodile Love" and "New World Survivor" albums. For Clegg fans, buy this along with "Jane Goodall's Wild Chimpanzees" (featuring 3 or 4 songs by Johnny Clegg and a short documentary of Johnny in a recording studio). They are worth having for your Clegg fix. And to the producers out there, give Johnny your best and make something of the kind of quality he and his loyal fans deserve."

Absolutely Amazing!

andynh | Vermont/New Hampshire USA | 07/11/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I can't think of another material possession that has brought me and my family as much joy as this DVD. The main feature is a 65-minute concert during the peak of the Johnny Clegg and Savuka days, filmed in Paris. The band is hot, the audience is enthusiastic from the first notes and the videography is excellent. There are 7 or 8 musicians onstage plus three Zulu dancers for some songs in addition to Johnny, dancer/percussionist Dudu Zulu and vocalist Mandisa Dlanga. The views afforded by the cameras, including overhead shots from a catwalk, make it better than what you could see at a concert. The additional features (another hour or so) are easily worth the price of another DVD. There is a live concert scene from the early Juluka days with its grainy footage that gives a sense of the raw energy of one of Clegg's earlier bands, Juluka. There are a dozen music videos that give a chronology of the bands' phases and are all excellent. There is an interview with Johnny Clegg. There is a version of Asimbonanga, Clegg's song about Nelson Mandela, Steven Biko and others performed in Frankfurt, Germany in 1999. During the song, Nelson Mandela walks out on stage with the band! This scene will bring tears to anyone who remembers the anti-apartheid movement or has read about it. Finally, there is one song (Giyani) that includes the arrangements and band members that are currently with the Johnny Clegg Band that toured the US during Spring and Summer 2004. My only complaint about this DVD is why it doesn't include more of this hot, new group of young talent from South Africa that has joined Johnny and two veterans of the Savuka days. Maybe there's another DVD coming out soon. I can only hope....."

Absolutely Astonishing

Robert Carlberg | Seattle | 07/08/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This concert video of Johnny, long overdue from a 1999 concert in Paris, was recorded with top notch sound and multiple cameras, although you never see one on stage. Those of us who have not been lucky enough to catch one of his rare concerts outside South Africa have to content ourselves with this DVD, but one certainly couldn't ask for better.Fabulous performance from everybody in the band. Incredible sound (especially on headphones!) Great camera work which never intrudes on the concert itself. Plus, there's a boatload of extras on the disc like early Juluka videos, a long interview with Johnny and his mum, and more. A wonderful production from start to finish."