Review of Strat Pack, The The 50th Anniversary Of The Fender Stratocaster Live

Introduction

On 24th September 2004, an all star line up featuring of some of the world`s greatest living guitarists and thousands of fans gathered at Wembley Arena to celebrate the 50th birthday of a music legend, the Fender Stratocaster guitar. The concert was a charity event in aid of the Nordoff-Robbins music therapy charity, and raised somewhere in the region of £175,000.

There were lots of rumours about who would and wouldn`t be appearing (Jeff Beck was confirmed for the line up but then pulled out), so here`s who turned up and what they played. There are 5 tracks missing from what was played on the night, but the set list is largely intact.

1. Peggy Sue - The Crickets, Albert Lee and Brian May
2. Maybe Baby - The Crickets, Albert Lee and Brian May
3. I Fought The Law - The Crickets, Albert Lee and Brian May
4. Oh Boy - The Crickets, Albert Lee and Brian May
5. Thatll Be The Day - The Crickets, Albert Lee and Brian May
6. The Rise And Fall Of Flingel Bunt - Hank and Ben Marvin
7. Sleepwalk - Hank & Ben Marvin
8. Apache - Hank & Ben Marvin
9. Im On My Way - Theresa Andersson
10. Country Boy - Albert Lee and Theresa Andersson
11. How Long - Mike Rutherford and Paul Carrack
12. All Along The Watchtower - Mike Rutherford and Paul Carrack
13. While My Guitar Gently Weeps - Mike Rutherford and Paul Carrack
14. I Cant Dance - Mike Rutherford and Paul Carrack
15. Red House - Gary Moore
16. Angel - Jamie Cullum
17. Stronger Than Me - Amy Winehouse
18. Muddy Water Blues - Paul Rodgers
19. Drinking - Paul Rodgers featuring Jasmine & Steve Rodgers
20. Alright Now - Paul Rodgers and Brian May
21. Cant Get Enough - Paul Rodgers and Joe Walsh
22. Funk 49 - Joe Walsh
23. Lifes Been Good - Joe Walsh
24. Life In The Fast Lane - Joe Walsh
25. Rocky Mountain Way - Joe Walsh
26. 6pm - Phil Manzanera
27. Marooned - David Gilmour
28. Coming Back To Life - David Gilmour
29. Sorrow - David Gilmour
30. Ooh La La - Ronnie Wood
31. Stay With Me - The All Star Line-Up

Video

A 1.78:1 anamorphic transfer, as you would expect from a modern concert DVD. Visually, this isn`t exciting as it`s just a load of blokes up on stage playing lots of Stratocaster guitars, with a few swirly lights going round. This is not a DVD with slick visuals etc. - it`s all about the music.

Audio

A choice of DD2.0 stereo (a reasonable stereo track), DD5.1 and dts soundtracks. They are all pretty good tracks, but when you move up to the DD5.1 track and the dts track there`s just that nice little edge to the sound, with some great instrument placement, good separation, nice bass and audience sound. Very nice to listen to, with lots of people making that Strat sing.

My only complaint is that the mix on the finale track (with about 10 different Strats all playing) is rather muddled, so you can`t always hear everything as clearly as you would like to. And it would have been nice if Paul Rodgers had bothered to learn the words before agreeing to sing!

Features

Just a Nordoff Robbins Music Therapy promo spot.

Conclusion

I`ve just got one question. At the 50th birthday of the Strat, there appears to be at least one guest missing. A man who has been playing the thing beyond its limits for years. A man who knocked a few together to make his own (a version of which is now made by Fender). He wasn`t touring or doing anything else. So where`s Eric Clapton?

That moan aside, this is a great concert for Strat fans. Some of the finest exponents of the instrument are playing for your pleasure. As always with these big gigs featuring loads of artists, there are hits and misses, and these depend on who you are a fan of. I enjoyed Hank Marvin, Joe Walsh and Dave Gilmour, you might want to listen to someone else.

Your desire to buy this depends on how much you like the various artists. If you want to see Dave Gilmour playing the Fender Stratocaster with the serial number #001 (it`s getting on a bit now, and sounds like it too), then you`ll want this DVD. If you like 2 or more artists then it will be worth the 12 pounds or so (rough online price) that you can pick it up for.

The picture is standard concert fare and the sound is great, showing off those Strats to the full. If you like Strats, you`ll probably like this disc. And the money goes to charity too!