This excellent fourth addition to the series continues to present revelatory and sometimes bewildering 60s blues footage. Sonny Boy Williamson reveals himself as a true eccentric, beatboxing and playing harmonica with his nose. He then shoves it in his mouth and plays a few bars handsfree. Howlin’ Wolf has never been a man you’d want to meet in a dark alley, but his pelvic gyrations during Smokestack Lightnin’ send his fearsomeness into the realm of surrealism. As ever, his performances are mesmerising, scary and great fun.
Speaking of gyrations, Sugar Pie DeSanto successfully removes any traces of innuendo from Rock Me, Baby in a performance so overwhelmingly primal that even Willie Dixon, the mountainous bassist, looks scared of the tiny singer. Sister Rosetta Tharpe is seen here playing on a railway platform in the rain. She turns in a searing pair of tunes full of her signature guitar solos and a healthy dose of testifying.
There are plenty more highlights, with Lightnin’ Hopkins, Lonnie Johnson and others making appearances. There’s also the fun of seeing all the nerdy English teenagers in the audience getting their first taste of the blues.
