B.B. King: Live At Montreux 1993 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		4.0

B.B. King: Live At Montreux 1993 Blu-ray Movie Review

The latest addition to Eagle Rock Entertainment’s fantastic catalog of Blu-ray releases is B.B. King: Live at Montreux, a terrific concert that was recorded in the summer of 1993. In front of an enthusiastic crowd, the legendary bluesman performed some of his greatest hits – “The Thrill Is Gone”, “Why I Sing The Blues”, “Since I Met You Baby”, and “Please Accept My Love” amongst others.

B. B. King’s fantastic band opened up the show. Leon Warren (Guitar), James “Boogaloo” Bolden (Trumpet), Walter King (Saxophone), Melvin Jackson (Saxophone), James Toney (Keyboards), Michael Doster (Bass), Calep Emphrey (Drums) and Tony Coleman (Percussions) warmed up the audience with terrific renditions of “Fanfare”, “Six Pack” and “Two I Shoot Blues”. Then, B .B King entered with a long bluesy tune, followed up by his unforgettable “Let The Good Times Roll”.

One of the great moments from this concert is B.B. King’s performance of “Caldonia”, the energetic tune which the bluesman loves so much. Spiced up with terrific sax solos, “Caldonia” effectively proves that everyone on the stage was having a ball.

The real jam, however, is “All Over Again”, a slow, moody, and really heavy piece of blues where B.B. King shows why he is the best. Listen to his wailing guitar, watch his fingers move and his face grimacing – yes, no one can play the guitar as the King does. And no one ever will!

This Blu-ray disc also contains three exclusive tracks from B.B. King’s 2006 appearance at the Montreux Jazz Festival – “Why I Sing The Blues”, “When Love Comes To Town” and “Guess Who”. Slightly older but still as passionate about music, B.B. King delivers a top rendition of the tune Bono from U2 wrote for him and recorded for “Rattle and Hum”.

The King

B.B. King: Live At Montreux 1993 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080i "live" transfer, B.B. King: Live at Montreux arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eagle Rock Entertainment.

Absolutely nothing will surprise those of you who are already familiar with Eagle Rock Entertainment's catalog - B.B. King: Live at Montreux is yet another solid Blu-ray release. Clarity and detail are strong, contrast good and edge-enhancement not a serious issue of concern. I did not spot any macroblocking to report in this review either. Furthermore, motion-judder is practically non-existent. This being said, the actual concert has been recorded with multiple cameras providing the viewer with all sorts of different looks at B.B. King and his impressive band. The lighting is also competent – there are no disturbing shadow effects plaguing this transfer. Finally, I did not detect any disturbing image deteriorations to report either. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you will be able to access its content regardless of your geographical location).

B.B. King: Live At Montreux 1993 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are three different tracks on this Blu-ray disc: Music DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Music Dolby Digital 5.1 and Music LPCM 2.0. I opted for the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track and later did a few random comparisons with the other two tracks for the purpose of this review.

Generally speaking, the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is very strong. B.B. King's intoxicating solos sound terrific and so does his band. The drums, the bass, the saxes, the electric piano, the trumpet and guitars are very easy to hear. With a few minor exceptions (mostly courtesy of the band's bassist), the balance between B.B. King's and the band musicians is also very good. The vocals are crisp and clear, projecting as well as I hoped they would. This being said, the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track conveys a good dynamics range that isn't present on the Dolby Digital 5.1 track. The separation between the band and the King is also far more convincing on the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. Finally, I did not detect any disturbing dropout, pops, cracks, or hissings to report in this review.

As I implied above, the Dolby Digital 5.1 track is not as strong as the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. As far as I am concerned, the most notable gap between the two is in the dynamics range. This being said, the Dolby Digital 5.1 track is rather well balanced. Finally, I did not detect any disturbing dropouts, pops, cracks, or hissings on the Dolby Digital 5.1 track either. For the record, optional English subtitles have not been provided by Eagle Rock Entertainment.

B.B. King: Live At Montreux 1993 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Unfortunately, there are no supplemental features to be found on this Blu-ray disc.

B.B. King: Live At Montreux 1993 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The fantastic Eagle Rock Entertainment deliver yet another excellent release. Fans of B.B. King should definitely try to get this Blu-ray disc - it looks great, it sounds great and it is very attractively priced. Obviously, we Highly Recommend it.