2003 was heralded the 'Year Of The Blues', but in reality not much seems to have happened at all when compared to what was happening in the years 1962-1966, when Horst Lippmann and Fritz Rau, two German promoters, were touring their American Folk Blues Festivals around Europe. These tours, which featured a truly amazing cross section of blues talent, laid the foundation for the continuing popularity of blues music in Europe, while influencing scores of British musicians who would, in turn, help reinvigorate the blues scene in the USA. The release of the first two volumes of a planned three-DVD set of material recorded in Germany by the Sudwestfunk TV station is nothing short of sensational and may turn out to be the real highlight of this 'Year Of The Blues'.

Volume one kicks off with T-Bone Walker sitting by the side of a clapboard house (constructed in the TV studio), playing his big Gibson electric guitar almost acoustically backing Shakey Jake singing Call Me When You Need Me. A lady sits next to T-Bone doing her knitting, taking no notice of the delicate performance right in front of her. The number finishes and T-Bone carefully lays his guitar across his chair and walks to his left to introduce Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, who are standing by the front porch of the studio set, who proceed to whoop and holler their way through Hootin' Blues, surrounded by bopping couples. Their number concludes and McGhee articulately introduces Memphis Slim-- fade to a different set-- a bit of street and door which leads to a joint with Slim playing inside. This first segment dates from I962 which was the first year of the American Folk Blues Festival. Three more numbers from '62 feature on the second volume.

Each year the programme makers had a different approach to filming the package. In 1963 they filmed a live concert, '64 was back on studio sets. In '65 the artists performed in the studio against enlarged photographic backgrounds, with a few props scattered about and in 1966 they filmed another live concert. The two DVDs mix the chronology of the festivals to good effect, so that the combined two and a half hours of musical footage is consistently riveting to see and hear. The professional excellence of the original photography and sound recording comes across fully on the DVD reproduction and the overall packaging, including the informative and superbly-illustrated booklets, is excellent. In addition, the DVDs contain a still photo gallery depicting a selection of historic photographs taken by Stephanie Wiesand, of the artists backstage, on stage, at rest and at work (some of which are reproduced in the booklets).

But it's the music that counts most of all and to have such a collection of truly great performances takes your breath away. To just pick a few is not to detract from the remainder and everyone who sees these DVDs will have their own favourites. Mississippi Fred McDowell cutting to the bone on Going Down To The River, Otis Rush crying out I Can't Quit You Baby, Sonny Boy Williamson crouching and prowling on Nine Below Zero or Sippie Wallace resplendent in fur stole and bedecked with a large string of pearls, extolling Women Be Wise on volume one. On volume two, Howlin' Wolf blasts out three awesome tracks backed by Hubert Sumlin, Sunnyland Slim, Willie Dixon and Clifton James, Memphis Slim is masterful on Everyday I Have The Blues, Roosevelt Sykes has a ball with Tall Heavy Mama and Big Mama Thornton leads a grand finale jam with Walter Horton, J.B. Lenoir, Doctor Ross and John Lee Hooker, all playing harmonicas! And the two bonus tracks on this volume are just as priceless - Magic Sam, live in 1969 playing his classic All Your Love and rocking wild on Magic Sam's Boogie. Beg or borrow (please don't steal) to get these DVDs and save up ready for the forthcoming release of volume three.