![Curtis Mayfield - Live At Ronnie Scott's [1988]](http://picnic.ciao.com/uk/66338776.jpg)
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Curtis Mayfield - Live At Ronnie Scott's [1988]
Filmed in 1988, just two years before a cruel stage accident left him wheelchair-bound and
... more
unable to perform,Curtis Mayfield Live at Ronnie
Scott'sshowcases the undiminished talents of one
of the late, great soulmen. In the 1980s, Mayfield
enjoyed a revival of interest in Britain following
the rare groove explosion, when clubbers weary of
chart music, hip-hop and techno rediscovered the
warmer, more organic sounds of 70s soulsters,
though Mayfield is not to blame for the Luddite
and austere white soul movement led by the likes
of Paul Weller. Here, Mayfield is interviewed by
Weller, to whom he explains his roots in church
music. When pushed by the Style Council frontman
on his radical political beliefs, Mayfield
politely demurs, claiming, perhaps to Weller's
dismay, to be apolitical. He describes America as
"land of the free" and his backing musicians,
strangely, wear stars and stripes tank
tops.Mayfield's music, though, bristles with
attitude. Unlike subsequent hip-hoppers and garage
acts, Mayfield was unequivocal in de-glamorising
ghetto lifestyle. And though he wrote scores for
films likeSuperfly, he consciously subverted their
"blaxploitation". The message of songs like
"Freddie's Dead" and "Pusherman", performed here,
is that the desperate life of guns 'n' drugs is a
crying shame. Mayfield spoke gently, sang sweetly
and his soul arrangements floated like cream, but
his music carried a huge stick. This 1988
performance is no retro-fest, but is as stirring
and vital as his 70s heyday.On the DVD:Curtis
Mayfield Live at Ronnie Scott'shas an introduction
from Kevin Le Gendre which points up Mayfield's
revolutionary qualities, particularly his setting
up his own record label. He also provides
individual audio commentaries for tracks, offering
perspicacious remarks on "To Be Invisible", for
instance, Mayfield's encore, based on Ralph
Ellison's bookThe Invisible Man. --David Stubbs
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![Curtis Mayfield - Live In Concert [2001]](http://picnic.ciao.com/uk/65507927.jpg)
This product has not yet been reviewed. ![Soul Legends [Remastered] [Digipak] - Curtis Mayfield & The Impressions](http://images.ciao.com/iuk/images/products/small/641/Soul_Legends_Remastered_Digipak_Curtis_Mayfield_The_Impressions__6589641.jpg)
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