Artist Johnny Clegg merged the white, English-speaking culture with the Black, African culture of South Africa to form South Africa's first interracial band Juluka. In the days of apartheid, Juluka encountered their share of problems, including the banning of their first album by the South African government. After this group disbanded in the mid-80's, Clegg formed another band, Savuka, which blended European pop with African music. Savuka toured North America, opening for Steve Winwood and George Michael, as well as garnering a Grammy nomination in the Best World Music Category. Track Listing:
Savuka - Live In Paris
1. Umfazi Omdala
2. Cruel Crazy Beautiful World
3. Take My Heart Away
4. Jericho
5. It's An Illusion
6. Hambile/The Dance
7. Scatterlings of Africa
8. Warsaw 1943
9. Siyayilanda
10. Dela
11. Asimbonanga
12. One Man One Vote
13. I Call Your Name - Dance Savuka Videos
1. Great Heart
2. Third World Child
3. I Call Your Name
4. These Days
5. The Crossing
6. In My African Dream
7. When The System Has Fallen
8. Tough Enough Acoustic In Mae Sai - Giyani Juluka Videos
Scatterlings Of Africa
December African Rain
Kilimanjaro
Forever Juluka - Live in Cape Town
Impi
Umbaganga Music Bonus Material
Asimbonanga - With Nelson Mandela In Frankfurt
Juluka Mantombana Dance - Concert In The Park
Johnny Clegg Interview
Song Lyrics |
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20 of 21 found the following review helpful:
 For Clegg fans, not enough, but better than nothingDec 03, 2004
By Nicholas Carroll
I'm a huge fan of Johnny Clegg, ever since I was swept away from the first listen of the opening chants of his album "Cruel Crazy Beautiful World" in 1990. Since that time, I've amassed nearly all of his albums (just one or two rare ones are missing from my collection), seen him in concert four times, met him three times, and I can vouch for him being a very nice, thoughtful, and appreciative person. His talent is amazing, and anyone who has seen him in concert has not walked away disappointed by his high energy performances. This DVD was long awaited and very coveted by many fans.
The reason I give this dvd three stars, even though I want to give it five, is because of the quality of it. Though not a fault of Johnny Clegg, I blame the people who produced this DVD by second-rate standards. The concert video is poorly edited...and as a result, its somewhat jarring to watch. I've seen concert videos that flowed really well and were punchy, this one was edited in a sloppy manner that's unbecoming of the high musical quality of Johnny Clegg. The old Juluka music videos are embarrassingly bad, and I felt bad for Johnny as I watched it. True, those videos were made in the early days of music videos (early 1980s), but I also have Midnight Oil's compiliation of music videos on DVD and their early ones, while primitive compared to latter ones were still quite good. But, I attribute this to a lack of money to produce a high quality music videos. I love the Savuka videos, particularly "Great Heart", "Scatterlings of Africa", "I Call Your Name", and "The Crossing". I consider "The Crossing" video to be his best music video that I've seen. As for the Juluka videos, I like "Fever" the best. The video accurately reflects the beat of the song and has an interesting street scene. The most cringe-inducing moments for me are the "Kilimanjaro" and "Third World Child" videos in which Johnny is too literal in his pantomiming of the lyrics of his song (such as "suit and tie", "the world keeps on turning" or something like that). But that's a younger Johnny, goofing it up for the cameras. The best feature on this dvd is the interview he gives. Its nice to hear Johnny give his opinion and talk about some of his experiences. He truly is one of the most underappreciated and creatively talented musicians on the planet. Its nice to have any video footage of Johnny for my collection and I hope that a better produced dvd of his "South African Story" concerts will be released, and any music videos he might have made for his "Crocodile Love" and "New World Survivor" albums. For Clegg fans, buy this along with "Jane Goodall's Wild Chimpanzees" (featuring 3 or 4 songs by Johnny Clegg and a short documentary of Johnny in a recording studio). They are worth having for your Clegg fix. And to the producers out there, give Johnny your best and make something of the kind of quality he and his loyal fans deserve.
8 of 8 found the following review helpful:
 Absolutely AstonishingJul 08, 2004
By Robert Carlberg
This concert video of Johnny, long overdue from a 1999 concert in Paris, was recorded with top notch sound and multiple cameras, although you never see one on stage. Those of us who have not been lucky enough to catch one of his rare concerts outside South Africa have to content ourselves with this DVD, but one certainly couldn't ask for better.Fabulous performance from everybody in the band. Incredible sound (especially on headphones!) Great camera work which never intrudes on the concert itself. Plus, there's a boatload of extras on the disc like early Juluka videos, a long interview with Johnny and his mum, and more. A wonderful production from start to finish.
7 of 7 found the following review helpful:
 Really good if it works on your DVD playerAug 14, 2005
By Joseph Geni
Johnny Clegg & Savuka are an amazing band with an amazing history. Their songs are actively political without being obnoxious and preachy, and unlike a lot of political groups they can deftly shift content from politics to romance (sometimes within the same song-"Woman be my country 'til my country can be mine"). The band's one studio weakness is that they sometimes (in this reviewer's opinion) get a bit too chirpy and bubblegummy. That is not a problem on this DVD, because live, these songs are explosive and energetic.
With the full band plus a couple of backing musicians, by the looks of it, the live show in Paris that is the centerpiece of this DVD is a fantastic spectacle. While it's only 13 songs, they are all masterfully executed. The band is technically flawless and full of life onstage, with terrific dance steps to go along with the music, and the band's brilliant fusion of Western pop and African musical traditions has never sounded better. The show climaxes with a stirring rendition of "Asimbonanga" and a charged, fist-pumping rendition of "One (Hu)Man One Vote."
This concert predates "Heat Dust and Dreams" so none of that album's songs are in the set list (that's OK, because "Cruel Crazy Beautiful World" was their best album anyway). The DVD however, is somewhat more recent, so as a side treat this thing is loaded with a number of music videos, most from "Heat Dust and Dreams." (If you're like me, you won't really watch much of these, because the live material is much more engaging.) There are also a number of bonus live gems, such as a wonderfully grainy recording of Clegg's old band Juluka doing an electrictrifying drum-and-dance routine before a packed soccer stadium in the late '70s, and another live take of "Asimbonanga" (this time from the late 1990s) featuring and appearance by none other than the song's subject himself-Nelson Mandela.
My only complaint is that the two copies of this DVD I have encountered have both had skipping problems on certain DVD players. Hopefully this won't happen to you, and this content is worth the risk.
5 of 5 found the following review helpful:
Johnny Clegg - the greatest musician ever. Period.Feb 03, 2005
By Wes Swindale
Johnny has touched my life in so many ways. I use his music to inspire me, to inspire others, to help me get through things - from life to marathons and beyond. I aim one day to meet the great man and watch him live in concert. He is truly brilliant in everything he does - from his lyrics, to his rhythm, to dance, to his beats, his energy, and just the feeling that he conveys through his music so fluidly and so powerfully. To me, he is the epitome of what every musician should be. Johnny Clegg is music. He is energy. He is so much, and he is a South African. Ngibonga kakhulu Johnny!
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
Ok - now for a review from a South African who grew up with zulu music!Apr 14, 2006
By Paul Levinson
"skollieboy"
Only 4 stars bc. of the imperfect audio/video production. Nevertheless, an awesome dvd - esp. the live Paris concert. What is it about the French that make them so appreciative of all African music?!
Johnny Clegg is a Zulu soul in an Englishman's body - plain and simple. This dvd captures the sincerity, modesty, compassion and inspirational energy of this icon of trans-apartheid fusion. When white folk were talking and complaining about the injustices of apartheid, Clegg was learning to speak Zulu, make music and dance the soul of the Zulu people. His music captures the triumph of joy over suffering that characterizes this people - the ability to see the spark of sunshine in the greyest of days.
The bonus videos have been criticized for being amateurish. I personally think they are wonderful, but then I am a person who can't stand the over-produced slick MTV videos you see these days. The Nelson Mandela moment wil touch your soul.
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