Supershow

In an empty, abandoned linoleum factory, west of London, some of the legends of rock, blues and jazz were brought together for an historic and amazing session.

Who was there? Eric Clapton was, and Jack Bruce and Buddy Guy, meeting Eric for the first time in what was to be a long relationship of the two greatest blues guitarists of a generation. Great drummers Buddy Miles and John Hiseman and the enigmatic superstar Stephen Stills. The extraordinary jazz legend Roland Kirk plays with his Quartet and then jams with the rockers.

The Modern Jazz quartet, one of the greatest ensembles in the history of modern music, add an ethereal, spacey calm to the proceedings. Only to have it shattered by Buddy, Jack, Buddy, Dick Heckstall-Smith, jumping on Mary Had A Little Lamb!

A powerful, haunting recording of one of the last great sixties musical events.

Track Listing:
1. Those Who Are About To Die, We Salute You: JON HISEMAN'S COLOSSEUM
2. Love Potion: BUDDY MILES, STEPHEN STILLS, JACK BRUCE, DALLAS TAYLOR, DICK HECKSTALL-SMITH, CHRIS MERCER
3. Under The Jasmine Tree: MODERN JAZZ QUARTET
4. Mary Had A Little Lamb: BUDDY GUY, JACK BRUCE, BUDDY MILES, DICK HECKSTALL-SMITH, CHRIS MERCER
5. Primitive Ohio: ROLAND KIRK QUARTET
6. Checking On My Baby / Texas Blues: BUDDY MILES, GLENN CAMPBELL, BUDDY GUY, STEVE HEARD, CHRIS MERCER
7. Visitor From Venus: MODERN JAZZ QUARTET
8. Bad Hat: GLENN CAMPBELL WITH THE MISUNDERSTOOD
9. Hoochie Coochie Man: BUDDY GUY
10. Debut: JON HISEMAN'S COLOSSEUM
11. Stormy Monday / Kansas City: BUDDY GUY, ROLAND KIRK, JACK BRUCE, JIMMY HOPE, RON BURTON
12. I Say A Little Prayer: ROLAND KIRK QUARTET
13. My Time After A While: BUDDY GUY, JACK BRUCE, BUDDY MILES
14. Black Queen: STEVE STILLS, BUDDY MILES, JACK BRUCE, DICK HECKSTALL-SMITH, CHRIS MERCER
15. Slate 27: ERIC CLAPTON, ROLAND KIRK, DICK HECKSTALL-SMITH, JACK BRUCE, JON HISEMAN, RON BURTON, VERNON MARTIN
16. End Jam: ERIC CLAPTON, BUDDY GUY, STEVE STILLS, DUSTER BENNETT plus others...

The pairings of Steve Stills with Cream bassist Jack Bruce and drummer Buddy Miles, plus Eric Clapton with bluesman Buddy Guy and jazz saxophonist Roland Kirk, are the attraction of this so-called "last great jam of the '60s," recorded in '69 (we're not told where). Results are mixed. Stills is negligible, but sparks fly when Kirk and Guy (who thoroughly outclasses Clapton) are onstage, especially together for "Kansas City"; and the veteran, understated Modern Jazz Quartet (then improbably signed to the Beatles' Apple label) are marvelous. But the whole enterprise is torpedoed by audio that sounds like an ancient, very scratched record album coming through the 2-inch speaker in a '62 VW Beetle (the grainy video is precious little better, and the film editing is atrocious). Hard to imagine any of the participants being thrilled that this dubious document is seeing the light of day. --Sam Graham