Teddy! Live In ‘79
Picture: C+
Sound: C Extras: C+ Concert: B
Teddy Pendergrass was one of the great R&B vocalists
of his time and time has forgotten his greatness more than it should have. Shout! Factory has issued a DVD of a fine
concert entitled Teddy! Live In ’79.
Originally a drummer with Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, he became
their lead singer in 1970 and then went solo in 1976 as he continued to be a
powerful force in Philadelphia Soul.
Here he is at his solo peak, performing some great songs in the
following set that lasts about 80 minutes:
1) Life Is
A Song Worth Singing
2) Only You
3) All By
Myself
4) Blue
Notes Medley: If You Don’t Know Me By Now/The Love I Lost/Bad Luck/Wake Up
Everybody
5) Close
The Door
6) When
Somebody Loves You Back
7) Get Up,
Get Down, Get Funky, Get Loose
Track 3 is a remarkable interpretation of the
sometimes-criticized Eric Carmen pop hit that remains one of the most covered
songs ever written, while the medley strings together all four of his former
band’s top Pop chart hits. Most were #1
R&B too. Track 5 is his one big
solo hit before the majors squeezed the life out of the Black-owned independent
record labels they were afraid would make them loose control and dominance of
their industry. That makes this concert
all the more vital.
The 1.33 X 1 image was shot on professional NTSC analog
videotape of the time and holds up about as well as that can be expected to for
its age. The Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono is
a bit more frustration and compressed than expected, but not to the extent the Dionne
Warwick – In Concert Classics DVD reviewed elsewhere on this site was. Like that disc, the performances here are so
good that it is worth suffering through any audio imperfections. The only extra is a 2002 interview with
Pendergrass after his near-fatal car accident that is very good and takes us
back to his music roots in a way that complements the concert, even though it
was not taped for this DVD. Along with
Marvin Gaye, Al Green, Stevie Wonder and solo Smokie Robinson never to be
underestimated, Teddy Pendergrass is one of the great Soul voices of the 1970s
and the resurrection of his music is long overdue.
- Nicholas Sheffo
