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| Blind Faith's "Hyde Park 1969" DVD Blind Faith's debut gig was in front of a cool 100, 000 people on a warm day in Hyde Park. Since 7th June, 1969 when this concert took place, it has never been seen in its entirety. This is a unique opportunity to see the world's first Supergroup perform for the very first time. Sanctuary Visual Entertainment will release Hyde Park 1969 the DVD on 10th April 2006. The audience gathered in London's central Hyde Park, were filled with anticipation awaiting Blind Faith's debut. The newly formed collective of four virtuoso musicians who individually were already rock royalty, were the talk of the town and expectations both within the band and out amongst the counter-culture generation crowd, were high. Fusing the psychedelic blues of Eric Clapton and the soulful vocals and keyboards of Steve Winwood, with Rick Grech on Bass and the phenomenal Ginger Baker on drums, they didn't disappoint. The set may have lasted just over 40 minutes long, but fans were treated to a selection of timeless tracks including “Presence Of The Lord, ” “Sleeping In The Ground” and The Stones' classic “Under My Thumb.” The DVD Hyde Park 1969 also boasts archive footage of the various members of Blind Faith performing within their earlier musical guises. Clips of the Spencer Davis Group performing “I'm A Man, ” Traffic's “Hole In My Shoe, ” Family performing “Dim” and Cream with “Sunshine of Your Love, ” act as a gentle introduction to the main concert event. There is also a discography for all the members of Blind Faith pre-1969, plus a collection of rare photos set to the sounds of “Well All Right.” By the end of the 60s with hippies still dancing on the horizon and a man on the moon a new form was taking shape on this musical stage. The Supergroup: a band of highly talented individuals creating a new musical experience. The very first of these was Blind Faith consisting of Steve Winwood, the original blue eyed soul boy who came from a musically supportive family and shot to prominence shortly after he joined the Spencer Davis Group in 1963 aged 15. The band had numerous chart toppers including “Keep On Running” and “I'm A Man.” He went on to forge a wider musical path absorbing influences including psychedelia, British folk and jazz that enhanced his R n'B sensibilities. He did this with Chris Wood, Dave Mason and of course Jim Capaldi who fused together to create Traffic, a successful collaboration that spawned hits like “Paper Sun” and “Hole In My Shoe.” Eric Clapton was the superstar of Blind Faith. He originally became obsessed with the Blues as a teenager and joined the Yardbirds in 1963. As they went more commercial with hit single “For Your Love” Eric left to join John Mayall's Bluesbreakers as the unchallenged master of white rock blues guitar. “Eric Clapton is God” was a well documented graffiti of the time as his stature further grew with Cream. This power trio of Clapton, Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce were each heralded as fully blown rock stars enjoying major international commercial success with hit singles and sell out concerts for their loud, blues inspired inventive music that featured extended solos and improvisation. Blind Faith's Ginger Baker also came from the critically acclaimed Cream. After gigging with jazz ensembles, his wild rhythmic style moved on to R&B outfits led by Alexis Korner and then Graham Bond. His ferocious unconventional playing, that had got him the sack in some of his early bands, developed into a creative force that was admired by numerous other recognized rock and jazz drummers and it has often been said that he was the greatest drummer in the world. The final member of Blind Faith was bassist Rick Grech who joined the Farinas that eventually evolved into Family a progressive, arty folk rock band from Leicester. Rick did not come from the same rock royalty as the other members of Blind Faith but had been admired for some time by Eric Clapton and provided the essential solid support the band needed. Blind Faith Gig: Well All Right; Sea Of Joy; Sleeping In The Ground; Under My Thumb; Can't Find My Way Home; Do What You Like; Presence Of The Lord; Means To An End; Had To Cry Today. write your comments about the article :: © 2006 Jazz News :: home page |