Anyone wondering what the ambience surrounding {~the Fillmore East} -- not just the venue, but the neighborhood, and the scene there in the early '70s -- or where the roots rock direction that a lot of British blues took at the start of the decade came from could do a lot worse than looking at Pierre Adidge's {=Mad Dogs and Englishmen} for the answers. It's not as well known as, say, {#Cocksucker Blues}, {#The Concert for Bangladesh}, or {#Get Yer Ya-Yas Out}, but it has its virtues, among them tight editing and a very careful balance between performance and background and backstage clips that makes the two-hour movie feel like it's a lot shorter than that and very full, which makes it even more important 30 years on -- who, in 2003 (or born after 1962), would even know how huge Joe Cocker was in 1970-1971, or could guess at his appeal? Or, coming along this late in the game, genuinely understands the significance of Leon Russell during that period? The DVD is pretty much a musical extravaganza, though that's too exalted a word for what's here. It's just some unbelievably good performance clips of Cocker, Russell, Rita Coolidge, Claudia Lennear, Carl Radle, Jim Gordon, and others -- one only wishes they could have gotten some footage of the Flying Burrito Brothers, who were an opening act on one bill. The recording was very good and the cameras pretty much went everywhere, on and off the stage, so there are no complaints about the visual content, or the way the DVD handles it, going letterboxed whenever a split-screen segment comes up, so viewers miss nothing of musical significance. Even those who are not fans of Cocker, Russell, and the others may end up having their minds changed, especially as the Dolby Digital playback gives this disc a playback clarity that matches the best CDs. What makes the music so significant in a larger context is that it was the roots rock inclinations of Russell and company as embodied here (and related activity by Delaney & Bonnie), picked up by the likes of Eric Clapton and others, that helped lead British blues back closer to American sources, themes, and styles than ever, and helped to spawn acts like Derek and the Dominos. The 15 chapters cover each song, and the menu is easy to use. ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide