Jorma Kaukonen
And Vital Parts - Live At Rockpalast 1980 DVD and 2 CD Set
Review by Gary Hill
I previously reviewed an earlier release of this titled "West Coast Legends Vol. 2." That one was just a single CD from the show. Here we get a nice set that includes a double audio CD version as a bonus to a DVD of it. Here is what I said when I originally reviewed the CD
"This album is a 1980 live performance from Jorma Kaukonen. He’s probably best known as one of the founding members of Jefferson Airplane and for his band Hot Tuna. This is a killer album that features a sound that’s got some of that Airplane element in places. It’s also got a punk rock edge a lot of the time and some serious real deal blues on many of the tracks. There’s not a thing wrong with the blistering performances. The mix seems at times a little bass heavy, but that really works well for me because I’m a recovering bass player. The only complaint involves the packaging in that there is a problem with the track listing. One of the early songs isn’t listed on the sleeve and it throws all the rest off. Of course, if you just listen straight through, who cares what the song titles are?"
It's great that we get the full show on CD instead of the excerpts presented first time around. That alone would make this worth getting, but then when you consider that the DVD is the main piece of the puzzle, this is an even more compelling purchase. That DVD is almost exactly an hour-and-a-half long. The video and audio quality were good for the time, but the video does appear a little grainy in today's standards. What do you expect, though? It's not like you can go back in time and re-shoot the show with modern equipment. All in all, this is a great set that is well worth having for all fans of Kaukonen.
This review is available in book (paperback and hardcover) in Music Street Journal: 2019 Volume 3. More information and purchase links can be found at: garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2019.
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