Tony Joe White In Concert – Ohne Filter Show

 

Picture: C+     Sound: B-     Extras: C+     Concert: B

 

 

From the singer-songwriter and Country Rock movements of the late 1960s/early 1970s came “Swamp Rock” and was a bigger niche rage than you’d expect.  Obviously, Credence Clearwater Revival was an instigator.  Tony Joe White was one of the most enduring artists from this period, scoring as a one-hit wonder with Polk Salad Annie in 1969, produced by Billy “I Can Help” Swan.  A year later, R&B vocalist Brook Benton had his last (and one of his biggest hits) with the White-penned Rainy Night In Georgia.  Tony Joe White In Concert – The Ohne Filter Show offers a solo concert from the great German music show from April 1992.

 

I vaguely remember any of these songs, though I do know Steamy Windows because of Tina Turner’s remake in the 1980s.  The full track listing is as follows:

 

1)     Willie & Laura Mae Jones

2)     Undercover Agent Of The Blues

3)     Tunica Motel

4)     You’re Gonna Look Good In Blues

5)     Ain’t Going Down This Time

6)     Biyo Rhythm

7)     Closer To The Truth

8)     Polk Salad Annie

9)     Steamy Windows

10)  Rainy Night In Georgia

11)  Troll Song

 

The program lasts about an hour, the show’s running length.  White still has control of his instrument and his voice is still solid.  This is a show that keeps surprising and we hope to cover as many of them as possible.  Tony Joe White In Concert is a relief in a world of plastic Country music.

 

The full frame image is taped in the PAL format just about as we know it today.  It has improved in noticeable ways since Adam Ant and ABC used it to make their classic Music Videos.  There is softness throughout, but that can be partly attributed to the PAL/NTSC difference, which we have noticed on many an A&E British TV import set.  It is also a little softer than the Mark King installment of this series reviewed elsewhere on this site.  The sound is available in PCM 2.0 Stereo and Dolby Digital AC-3 5.1 mixes, which are both good, but the 5.1 is a bit compressed, so the two are a toss-up.  The supplements are virtually identical to that of the Mark King DVD in this series, bragging about how good the studio where Ohne Filter is taped is, and you will believe it after listening to this DVD on a good system.  The other extras include language and subtitle options, but not on the actual concert, so the package is misleading and/or unclear about this.  There is also a text bio on White (not King) and a few plugs for some high quality audio/video cables, obvious sponsors of these fine programs.  Too bad they are not sold in the U.S., but they offer SCART connections only used on PAL TVs, so that is one we would never need anyhow.  Even non-fans will enjoy this one.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo