The Blues Brothers

[DaveO]

Now this is a film I enjoy revisiting from time to time:

One reason is this scene with Ray Charles:

 

[DaveO]

And for pure revivalist entertainment, the Blues Brothers have a terrific scene with Cab Calloway revisiting his hit from the 1930's.  Great entertainment

 

[Bob Wells]

BB has really grown on me over the years. The BB Band is really outstanding -- not much in the acting department, but those boys could really play.

[DaveO]

2 hours ago, Bob Wells said:

BB has really grown on me over the years. The BB Band is really outstanding -- not much in the acting department, but those boys could really play.

The musicians got to play with some amazing stars, none better in my mind than Aretha--in one of the all time best musical scenes in a film.  Really...Think about it...

(it is a restaurant/food scene after all) 

 

[MC Horoscope]

Would it make any difference if we told you we're on a mission from God?

[DonRocks]

I guess the fact that I've never seen this film says more about me than the film.

I know almost nothing about it.I *loved* "Animal House" (1978) my senior year in high school - I saw it like 5 times! When "The Blues Brothers" (1980) came out, I was in college and growing up some - there wasn't much film selection down at Clemson back then, and Belushi was typecast as a fraternity dolt.

As an adult, I see the songs above as (forgive me) "blues sung for white people." I'll be the first to admit I'm wrong (if Calloway, or anyone else wanted to expand their works to a larger audience, who am I to say no?), but to me, *this* is blues:

If it's a good movie, I'd like to watch it - I *loved* "A Fish Called Wanda" a few months ago. I'm okay with some of the songs being sanitized, if it's a good movie. "Do the Right Thing" was sanitized, and I loved it.

[Al Dente]

I hate Illinois Nazis.

[Bob Wells]

6 hours ago, DonRocks said:

If it's a good movie, I'd like to watch it - I *loved* "A Fish Called Wanda" a few months ago. I'm okay with some of the songs being sanitized, if it's a good movie. "Do the Right Thing" was sanitized, and I loved it.

You should watch it. Many of the performers are gone. But don't expect "Blues," authentic or not. The music in the movie is Rhythm & Blues, and very well done.

[dcs]

4 hours ago, DonRocks said:

As an adult, I see the songs above as (forgive me) "blues sung for white people." I'll be the first to admit I'm wrong (if Calloway, or anyone else wanted to expand their works to a larger audience, who am I to say no?), but to me, *this* is blues:

You should grab a copy of Albert Murray's Stomping the Blues for a scholarly explication on the nature and various expressions of the blues idiom.  Here is a link to an excerpt of the book discussing folk art and fine art in the blues context.  I think this may read upon the point you were making.  I would say that Blind Willie Johnson falls into the folk art camp and musicians like Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington, and Count Basie are more squarely in the fine art business.  Yet, they all are firmly rooted in the blues.

[DaveO]

There is a nice video that describes the status of popular music in 1980 versus music that had prevailed until around the mid 70's.  The video focuses on Aretha Franklin, but by extension it explains why the Blues Brothers, in bringing in scenes with James Brown, Cab Calloway, John Lee Hooker, and Ray Charles was a gift to Americana music lovers everywhere.  It reintroduces the music that became popularized from the late 50's to the mid 70's.  In Cab Calloway it reintroduces popular jazz from the 1930's.  (frankly in 1980 it was more difficult and less likely to hear that earlier music at all, and very rare to ever see it performed).   If nothing else it provided an opportunity for Aretha to still pump out hits for another decade and expand her popular repertoire.

Now not described in this video is a bit of foreshadowing of another change in Americana, more current in its implications:   The car chase scene in the mall is an early foreshadowing on how Amazon has wreaked havoc on the US mall shopping experience of so many generations...at least that is  the way I currently conceive of it.

Aretha must have enjoyed the film experience.  After all she appeared in only one other film in her long career;  the 2nd version of the Blues Brothers --BB2000 where this time she sings Respect. 

The perspective on Aretha's scene in the Blue Brothers and on her career post Blues Brothers

 

[DonRocks]

2 hours ago, Bob Wells said:

You should watch it. Many of the performers are gone. But don't expect "Blues," authentic or not. The music in the movie is Rhythm & Blues, and very well done.

I will - I just want to go into it with a better understanding.

[Al Dente]

21 hours ago, DonRocks said:

I will - I just want to go into it with a better understanding.

You think too much.

[DonRocks]

1 hour ago, Al Dente said:

You think too much.

This is what I was afraid of - if I saw "Animal House" now, I'd hate it; when it came out, I saw it about five times.

[dracisk]

1 minute ago, DonRocks said:

This is what I was afraid of - if I saw "Animal House" now, I'd hate it; when it came out, I saw it about five times.

My husband loves both "Animal House" and "The Blues Brothers." He's probably seen each movie a thousand times, starting from a young age. I saw both for the first time in my late 30s or early 40s. I really didn't understand the appeal of "Animal House," but I thought "The Blues Brothers" was pretty good. The Cab Calloway scene is awesome.

[DIShGo]

There's 106 miles to Chicago, we've got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark out, and we're wearing sunglasses.