Ike & Tina: On the Road 1971-1972

Ike & Tina Turner's charisma, showmanship and commanding performances resulted from years of canvassing the "Chitlin' Circuit," where it was considered safe for African American entertainers to perform during the age of racial segregation in the States. Filmed with a Sony Portapack camera by the then 26-year-old Bob Gruen, personally hired by Ike Turner (whom he had accidentally met at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1970), On the Road 1971-1972 ties in with Gruen's later work amidst the burgeoning NYC punk scene, where live performances were truly where the rubber met the road. While the sound quality is surprisingly decent, the debatable image quality showcases Gruen's struggle with new technologies as he chronicles Ike and Tina's life on the road, in the recording studio and in the luxury of their home. It isn't clear how much of the original material was kept, but in the words of the acclaimed photographer, this footage shows why Ike and Tina were together for 20 years before the domestic abuse and madness that inspired What's Love Got to Do With It? finally nailed the coffin shut. However violent and irrational their miasmatic relationship might have been (the omnipresent bickering that occurs during the opening sequences foreshadows what will one day transpire), it's difficult to avoid being taken aback by the live performances captured by Gruen. Nevertheless, On the Road 1971-1972 is unlikely to turn a neophyte into a diehard Turner fan. Similar to Gruen's New York Dolls' cinema vérité effort, All Dolled Up, On the Road is a substantial document that needs to be relished in the company of dilettante friends.