Live on Saturdays: Video Reviews and Summaries

mark winstanley · May 16, 2020

riskylogic said: ↑

Yellow Submarine

Movie By The Beatles
Directed by George Dunning
Animation: Robert Balser, George Dunning, Jack Stokes
Live-action: Dennis Abey, Al Brodax
Produced by Al Brodax
Screenplay by Lee Minoff, Al Brodax, Jack Mendelsohn, Erich Segal, Roger McGough
Story by Lee Minoff
Based on "Yellow Submarine" by Lennon–McCartney
Narrated by Paul Angelis
Music by Lennon–McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr
Musical Director: George Martin
Edited by Brian J. Bishop
Production companies Apple Films, King Features Syndicate, TVC London
Distributed by United Artists
Release date 17 July 1968 (United Kingdom) 13 November 1968 (United States)
Running time 87 minutes
Country United Kingdom, United States
Language English
Budget £250,000

Yellow Submarine (also known as The Beatles: Yellow Submarine) is a 1968 British animated film inspired by the music of the Beatles, directed by animation producer George Dunning, and produced by United Artists and King Features Syndicate. Initial press reports stated that the Beatles themselves would provide their own character voices. However, aside from composing and performing the songs, the real Beatles participated only in the closing scene of the film, while their cartoon counterparts were voiced by other actors.

The film received widespread acclaim from critics and audiences alike, in contrast to the Beatles' previous film venture Magical Mystery Tour. Pixar co-founder and former chief creative officer John Lasseter has credited the film with bringing more interest in animation as a serious art form. Time commented that it "turned into a smash hit, delighting adolescents and aesthetes alike". Half a century after its release, it is still regarded as a landmark of animation.

Plot
Pepperland is a cheerful, music-loving paradise under the sea, home to Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. The titular Yellow Submarine rests on an Aztec-like pyramid on a hill. At the edge of the land is a range of high blue mountains.

The land falls under a surprise attack from the music-hating Blue Meanies, who live beyond the mountains. The attack starts with a music-proof glass globe that imprisons the band. The Blue Meanies fire projectiles and drop apples (a reference to the Beatles' then-new company Apple Corps) that render Pepperland's residents immobile as statues, and drain the entire countryside of colour.

In the last minutes before his capture, Pepperland's elderly Lord Mayor sends Old Fred, an aging sailor, to get help. Fred takes off in the Yellow Submarine ("Yellow Submarine"). He travels to Liverpool ("Eleanor Rigby"), where he follows a depressed Ringo to "The Pier", a house-like building on the top of a hill, and persuades him to return to Pepperland with him. Ringo collects his "mates" John, George, and Paul, and the five journey back to Pepperland in the submarine. As they operate the submarine, they sing "All Together Now", after which they pass through several regions on their way to Pepperland, including the Sea of Time, where time flows both forwards and backwards ("When I'm Sixty-Four"); the Sea of Science ("Only a Northern Song"); and the Sea of Monsters, where Ringo is rescued from monsters after being ejected from the submarine. In the Sea of Nothing, the protagonists meet Jeremy Hillary Boob Ph.D., a short and studious creature ("Nowhere Man"). As they prepare to leave, Ringo feels sorry for the lonely Boob, and invites him to join them aboard the submarine. They arrive at the Foothills of the Headlands, where they are separated from the submarine and Old Fred ("Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds"). They then find themselves in the Sea of Holes, an expanse of flat surfaces with many holes. Jeremy is kidnapped by a Blue Meanie, and the group finds their way to Pepperland.

Reuniting with Old Fred and reviving the Lord Mayor, they look upon the now-miserable, grey landscape. The Beatles dress up as Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and steal some instruments. The four rally the land to rebellion ("Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"). The Chief Blue Meanie retaliates by sending out the Dreadful Flying Glove, but John defeats by singing ("All You Need is Love"). Pepperland is restored to colour as its flowers re-bloom and its residents revive. The original Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band are released, and join the Beatles in combating the Meanies' multi-headed dog ("Hey Bulldog"). Jeremy performs some "transformation magic" on the Chief Blue Meanie, causing the Meanie to bloom roses and sadly concede defeat. John extends an offer of friendship, and the Chief Blue Meanie has a change of heart and accepts. An enormous party ensues ("It's All Too Much").

The real Beatles then appear in live-action, and playfully show off souvenirs from the events of the film. George has the submarine's motor, Paul has "a little 'love'", and Ringo has "half a hole" in his pocket (having supposedly given the other half to Jeremy). Ringo points out John looking through a telescope, which prompts Paul to ask what he sees. John replies that "newer and bluer Meanies have been sighted within the vicinity of this theatre" and claims there is only one way to go out: "Singing!" The four oblige with a short reprise of "All Together Now", which ends with translations of the song's title in various languages appearing in sequence on the screen.

Voice cast
John Clive as John
Geoffrey Hughes as Paul
Peter Batten as George (uncredited)
Paul Angelis as Opening Narrator / Chief Blue Meanie / Ringo / George (additional dialogue)
Dick Emery as Max / Lord Mayor / Jeremy Hillary Boob
Lance Percival as "Young/Old" Fred

Music
In addition to the 1966 title song "Yellow Submarine", several complete or excerpted songs, four previously unreleased, were used in the film. The songs included "All Together Now", "It's All Too Much" (written by Harrison), "Baby, You're a Rich Man" (which had first appeared as the B-side to "All You Need Is Love" in June 1967), "Only a Northern Song" (a Harrison composition originally recorded during sessions for Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band) and "Hey Bulldog". Written by Lennon, this last track was cut from the film before it opened in the US. "Hey Bulldog" was restored for the US theatrical and home video reissue in 1999. The four new songs used on the soundtrack album were not considered of high enough quality for appearance on a "regular" Beatles album.

The film's instrumental music was an orchestral score composed and arranged by George Martin. One of the film's cues, heard after the main title credits, was originally recorded during sessions for "Good Night" (a track on The Beatles, also known as the "White Album") and would have been used as the introduction to Ringo Starr's White Album composition "Don't Pass Me By". The same cue was later released as "A Beginning" on the 1996 Beatles compilation Anthology 3.

Musical numbers
All tracks written by Lennon–McCartney except where noted.

Track start and end time is indicated in hrs:mins:secs. These are approximated because the songs are embedded in the film plot and cannot be strictly separated.

0:00:21–0:02:15: "Introduction Story" music by George Martin

0:07:55–0:10:40: "Yellow Submarine"

0:10:40–0:13:30: "Eleanor Rigby"

0:19:00–0:19:55: "Love You To" (George Harrison) (excerpt)

0:22:30–0:23:05: "A Day in the Life" (excerpt, orchestral swell)

0:23:25–0:25:55: "All Together Now"

0:28:20–0:31:15: "When I'm Sixty-Four"

0:31:30–0:34:30: "Only a Northern Song" (Harrison)

0:43:15–0:46:15: "Nowhere Man"

0:48:00–0:51:30: "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds"

0:54:30–0:54:50: "Yellow Submarine" (a short vocal excerpt)

0:56:15–0:56:25: "Think for Yourself" (Harrison) (short excerpt)

1:06:35–1:08:50: "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"

1:08:50–1:09:05: "With a Little Help from My Friends" (short excerpt)

1:11:45–1:15:05: "All You Need Is Love"

1:16:30–1:16:40: "Baby, You're a Rich Man" (excerpt, the recording of the song is expanded for the American-released version, replaces the anti-climactic "Hey Bulldog".) – not on 2012 resoration

1:17:25–1:21:00: "Hey Bulldog" (originally shown only in Europe before the film's 1999 restoration); also on 2012 restoration.

1:24:15–1:27:15: "It's All Too Much" (Harrison)

1:27:15–1:29:00: "All Together Now"

______
Version Control
There are many different versions of this, but the 2012 version is far superior to earlier versions: On 20 March 2012, Apple Corps announced that the film had been restored by hand for DVD and Blu-ray release on 28 May 2012 (29 May in North America), later delayed one week to 4 June 2012 (5 June in North America). The company stated: "The film's soundtrack album will be reissued on CD on the same date. The film has been restored in 4K digital resolution for the first time – all done by hand, frame by frame." I have the bluray.

The Movie
As I have been doing with the Beatles movies, I will mainly run through the scenes with whole songs. However, there are also many scenes that have an orchestral soundtrack – the whole movie is an auditory treat. The picture is great, the audio is DTS HD, and it’s got a new surround mix.

“Yellow Submarine”
After the introduction to Pepperland, the credits roll with the title track on Track 4. It starts out with Starr vocals in the center channel, guitar in front, and waves rolling in surround. Then background vocals sound effects (chatter) in the rear. A terrific surround mix. There’s a few seconds of extraneous movie at the beginning that I may edit out, but it’s a fairly clean song as it is.

“Eleanor Rigby”
Chapter 5 is a semi-animated tour of London by the Yellow Submarine. There’s an orchestral intro that isn’t strictly part of the song, but it’s a great intro and it has great surround: I won’t edit it out. Lennon vocals in center, strings in surround, backing vocals in rear. This video takes the crown:

“All Together Now”
On Chapter 11, all the Beatles are aboard the Yellow Submarine, and a song breaks out. There is some movie at the beginning of the that will need to be edited, and might have to keep just a bit in. Background vocal in back, everything else in front.

“When I’m 64”
In the Sea of Time, time speeds up and on chapter 13 the Beatles become old, which leads to a song that starts before the dialogue stops. McCartney vocals in center, guitar, bass and percussion in front, woodwind in surround, chimes and bv in rear. The video counts a minute off and the Beatles get young again. More dialog at the end to edit out.

"Only a Northern Song"
In the Sea of Science, a little dialog at the beginning of chapter 14 before the song begins along with a completely abstract video. Harrison vocals in center, horns and sound effects in rear, everything else in front. Clean but abrupt ending.

“Nowhere Man”
The Beatles meet Jeremy in the Sea of Nothing. On chapter 17, the song about Jeremy breaks out after 5 seconds of dialog. Jeremy and the Beatles run forwards, Backwards , and in circles. Relatively little surround on this one – guitar in center, lead and background vocals mixed partly to the back. Dialog at the end; Jeremy is coming along for a submarine ride too.

"Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds"
The song starts up in the Headlands, on chapter 19, after a little dialog. McCartney organ in surround. Vocals in both center channel and back, then background vocals fading from front to back; lead in right rear. A fantastic surround track with a great psychedelic video. I can only embed one, but here’s the link. Also dialog at the end to edit out.

"Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"
After finally arriving at Pepperland, the Beatles put some color back in on chapter 26 with a song that start after a few seconds of dialog. Guitar, bass, and drums lead vocals in front, and then lead guitar in right rear; sound effects in center channel and rear. There’s a little bit of movie narration (by the fake Lennon, I believe) of the lyrics in the center channel and then right rear that sounds like it’s part of the song. Well, it is now; can’t edit it out I guess that’s OK – it’s a great surround track. Another abrupt ending

“All You Need is Love”
On chapter 29, the Beatles engage in an epic battle against the Glove. Quite a bit of dialog at the beginning. The glove is entrapped on screen by the written lyrics. Horns and background vocals in rear, strings in surround, lead vocal in center. This is first song to have an annoying amount of movie sound and dialog in the last third of the song – which is really too bad because it’s a great surround track.

"Hey Bulldog"
On chapter 31, the Beatles encounter the four headed dog. The song starts off again after dialog, and this time there are movie sound effects all the way through, but they aren’t as intrusive as on the last track – the dog barking sounds like it could be part of the song, but the explosions are annoying. Not much in the way of surround on this, I may leave it out.

“It’s All Too Much”
On track 34, after the head Meany turns flower child (dialog) Harrison’s guitar reverbing guitar pans from back to front. Harrison vocals center, bass and drums front, horns in rear. Abrupt ending.

_____
Given the fact that it is all animated, I’d guess a DVD could deliver about the same picture. But I’m not going to ruin a perfect rating for that. The movie is a lot of fun, the music and sound effects through are great, and the surround is fantastic – for both the songs themselves and throughout the movie.

The songs aren’t as rippable as they were in Help!; I did have to do a lot of editing to get a great set of Beatles 5.1 tracks. I had to learn how to do fadeouts (especially on “Only a Northern Song” and “Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band”, but once I did that the only two main annoyances are the 15 seconds of dialog in the middle of “All You Need Is Love” and the brief explosion at about 1:21 on “Hey Bulldog”. The rest of the movie noise additions I am quite able to think of as additional effects added to enhance the surround mix.

Music – 3
Sound quality – 3
Video presentation – 3
Video quality – 3
Surround – 3

Top notch all the way around for the third time. I not going to evaluate my old 1999 DVD, but I figure it would probably get 2's for Sound quality, Video Quality, and surround.
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I may need to check this out.
For some reason I have always avoided it

riskylogic · May 16, 2020

mark winstanley said: ↑

I may need to check this out.
For some reason I have always avoided it
Click to expand...

You really should - It's one I'd figure you on having already.

riskylogic · May 16, 2020

Acoustic In Concert

Live album by Simple Minds
Released June 2017
Recorded 10 November 2016 at London's Hackney Empire
Genre Rock
Length 79:00
Label Eagle Rock Entertainment
Producer Simple Minds

Acoustic in Concert is the sixth live album by Scottish rock band Simple Minds, released in June 2017. On the eve of the Acoustic album release on 11 November 2016, Simple Minds took to the stage at London's Hackney Empire to perform a special show for the BBC's Radio 2 In Concert series. The show comprised acoustic versions of some of their greatest hits and best-loved tracks along with cover versions of some of the songs that shaped them. The album release date in June 2017 was set to coincide with the UK leg of the Acoustic Live '17 tour

Personnel
Simple Minds
Jim Kerr – vocals
Charlie Burchill – guitar
Ged Grimes – bass and backing vocals
Gordy Goudie – guitar, harmonica and backing vocals
Cherisse Osei – percussion
Sarah Brown – backing vocals
Catherine Davies a.k.a. The Anchoress – backing vocals
Guest
Steve Harley – special guest

Track Listing
No. Title Length
1. "New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84)" 7:05
2. "See the Lights" 4:52
3. "Glittering Prize" 4:14
4. "Stand by Love" 4:26
5. "Waterfront" 5:47
6. "Andy Warhol" (David Bowie cover) 3:26
7. "Chelsea Girl" 4:23
8. "Someone Somewhere in Summertime" 5:30
9. "Dancing Barefoot" (Patti Smith cover) 4:01
10. "Speed Your Love to Me" 3:47
11. "Promised You a Miracle" 4:49
12. "Don't You (Forget About Me)" 5:57
13. "Sanctify Yourself" 5:49
14. "Long Black Train" (Richard Hawley cover) 3:19
15. "Alive and Kicking" 6:36
16. "Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)" (Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel cover) 4:59

Version Control
Three formats carried the entire gig, including a Blu-ray, DVD and double DVD-CD package (the CD and the DVD are housed in a slimline jewel case with eight-page booklet). I have the CD-DVD combo, which was dumb – I could have gotten the bluray from Amazon for just a little more.

The Concert
As a result of my sloppy shopping, it’s only DVD quality – but I actually might not notice if it weren’t the fact that I’m watching right after a couple of blurays. It’s easy to tell if you pause it though – the resolution just isn’t as good. The lighting is a bit on the bright side. It has DTS in addition to Dolby Digital; that’s good enough for me. However, I will complain about the surround; there isn’t any to speak of. Just a tiny bit of reverb – those acoustic guitars should ruling the rears, but they’re not. The center channel is hardly used either. I’d probably switch it to stereo, but that is DD only.

"New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84)"
From New Gold Dream. After Kerr makes some introductory remarks, the concert starts off with an introduction to drummer Cherisse Osei. She plays standing up and she works very hard at it. There is a camera that shows her playing from the back; the “BBC Radio butt cam” as it were. That’s the camera that divulges that she is working the foot pedals with high-heeled shoes on, standing up!!! Eventually, the rest of the band wanders out onto the stage and they play New Gold Dream. Osei may be working very hard, but I don’t know about Kerr and Burchill. Burchill is sitting, and Kerr’s voice just isn’t as deep as it used to be.

Since we get both a Cherisse Osei workout video and one of the better songs of the concert, it would be silly to use the clip anywhere else:

"See the Lights"
From Real Life. Nothing wrong with this rendition, Kerr carries the tune by himself

"Glittering Prize"
From New Gold Dream. The two backup singers, Brown and Davies, step in on this one – they provide the additional vocal range that Kerr can no longer deliver himself. It sounds quite different from the original, of course.

"Stand by Love"
From Real Life. Same story. Burchill can make his acoustic guitar sound almost electric.

"Waterfront"
From Sparkle in the Rain. New Gold Dream and Sparkle and the twin towers of the SM catalog in my book. Lots of songs from the former, but this is the only one from the latter. I’m guessing Kerr’s voice isn’t up for it. But Brown comes in to sort of make up for it. Nice rendition.

"Andy Warhol"
David Bowie cover. No, this isn’t the same song as “Killing Andy Warhol” that appeared on Néapolis. Davies takes over on lead vocals. Aka “The Anchoress”, I have one of her albums. Kerr with backing vocals. A very nice rendition.

"Chelsea Girl"
From Life in a Day. The background vocals are terrific. For the first time, I think this is an improvement on the original. But it doesn’t sound like a Simple Minds song anymore either.

"Someone Somewhere in Summertime"
From New Gold Dream. Great song, but I can’t say this is an improvement.

"Dancing Barefoot"
Patti Smith song, covered by Simple Minds on Neon Lights. Brown on lead vocals. I think this is my favorite track on here – both Brown and the acoustic guitars sound great. Kerr conducts from the back.

"Speed Your Love to Me"
From New Gold Dream. Kerr is a mere shadow of his former self on this one. The backup singers to a good job of picking up the vocal slack, but it’s not the same.

"Promised You a Miracle"
From New Gold Dream. Brown is co-lead, and the result is nice; but compared to the original version it’s hardly recognizable.

"Don't You (Forget About Me)"
The big hit single. Kerr takes the mike back and all the old fogies in the audience all get up to dance for this one. The nonsurround mix is so bad that the crowd noise comes mostly from the front. La la la la la la la ugh. An all around facepalm.

"Sanctify Yourself"
From Once Upon a Time. This is much better; the backup singers go gospel, and it works. It doesn’t hurt that this album has a female backup singer. End of set.

"Long Black Train"
Richard Hawley cover. Brown co-lead. Grimes comes forward to play a string bass.

"Alive and Kicking"
From Once Upon a Time. Brown and Davies fill in for Robin Clark again, and the crowd joins in too.

"Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)"
Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel cover. Steve Harley comes out with an acoustic guitar, and takes the lead vocal. Kerr conducts from the back again.
_______

Well, in this case the answer to the question “Can they still play?” is “No, not really”. It’s the younger female musicians that make the show worth watching. The set list is pretty impressive, but these renditions generally make me want to run for the originals. The high point of the concert was a non-Simple Minds song sung by someone other than Kerr – that kind of sums it up. But I’ll take what I can get.

Music – 2 (-1 for acoustic malarkey)
Sound quality – 3
Video presentation – 2 (+1 for new talent, -1 for old talent)
Video quality – 2 (3 for bluray)
Surround – 1

mark winstanley · May 16, 2020

riskylogic said: ↑

You really should - It's one I'd figure you on having already.
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For some reason the Sub always got bypassed. I have the album, but never visited the movie.

Grooverider · May 16, 2020

riskylogic said: ↑

there is nothing like the show that Wilson put on, and since it’s in the same place it’s hard to not make that comparison.
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I really enjoyed reading this review! I did see Porcupine Tree in a small venue in Cincinnati when they were touring “Fear of a Blank Planet”! They did that entire album with video accompaniment plus several pieces from earlier albums! It was WICKED! Since his Porcupine days, I have really appreciated Wilson’s solo projects even more! I have most of them and most of those are on vinyl! These would include “To The Bone” on a white vinyl, half speed mastered, double record 45rpm set! The sound of that is phenomenal! My favorite of his though would have to be “Hand. Cannot. Erase.”! I’m also very impressed with the Yes box set he did the remix for! They actually are better sounding than the originals and I’m very picky when it comes to Yes music! They even featured fresh new Roger Dean artwork!

riskylogic · May 16, 2020

Grooverider said: ↑

I really enjoyed reading this review! I did see Porcupine Tree in a small venue in Cincinnati when they were touring “Fear of a Blank Planet”! They did that entire album with video accompaniment plus several pieces from earlier albums! It was WICKED! Since his Porcupine days, I have really appreciated Wilson’s solo projects even more! I have most of them and most of those are on vinyl! These would include “To The Bone” on a white vinyl, half speed mastered, double record 45rpm set! The sound of that is phenomenal! My favorite of his though would have to be “Hand. Cannot. Erase.”! I’m also very impressed with the Yes box set he did the remix for! They actually are better sounding than the originals and I’m very picky when it comes to Yes music! They even featured fresh new Roger Dean artwork!
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Yes, I saw the FOABP tour - in Baltimore I think. There's a pretty good concert video for that too - Anesthetize. I have it, but haven't done a review for it yet. I did cover Arriving Somewhere... a few weeks ago, which is pretty awesome, especially from an audio standpoint.

mark winstanley · May 16, 2020

U2 360° at the Rose Bowl

Video by
U2
Released 3 June 2010
Recorded 25 October 2009
Venue Rose Bowl (Pasadena, California)
Genre Rock
Length 131 minutes
Label Mercury, Interscope
Director Tom Krueger
Producer Katherine Allen, Ned O'Hanlon

U2360° at the Rose Bowl is a 2010 concert film by Irish rock band U2. It was shot on 25 October 2009 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, during the band's U2 360° Tour.[1] The Rose Bowl concert featured a sold-out crowd of 97,014 people, breaking the US record for single concert attendance for one headline act. It was live streamed over the Internet via YouTube, and was later released on DVD and Blu-ray on 3 June 2010 in the United States, 7 June in the United Kingdom, and 8 June in Canada.[2]

U2

Bono – vocals, harmonica, rhythm guitar

The Edge – lead guitar, keyboards, backing vocals

Adam Clayton – bass guitar

Larry Mullen, Jr. – drums, percussion, backing vocals

Additional performers[36]

Terry Lawless – keyboards, programming

Technical[36]

Director – Tom Krueger

Producers – Katherine Allen, Ned O'Hanlon

Executive producers – Malcolm Gerrie, Paul McGuinness

Show designer/director – Willie Williams

Music recording – Declan Gaffney, Jay Vicari

Music producer/mixing – Carl Glanville

Mastering – Scott Sedillo (at Bernie Grundman Mastering)

1. "Get On Your Boots" 3:50
2. "Magnificent" Bono, The Edge U2, Brian Eno, Daniel Lanois 5:35
3. "Mysterious Ways" 4:37
4. "Beautiful Day" 7:19
5. "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" 5:38
6. "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of" Bono, The Edge 4:40
7. "No Line on the Horizon" U2, Eno, Lanois 4:17
8. "Elevation" 3:38
9. "In a Little While" 4:00
10. "Unknown Caller" U2, Eno, Lanois U2, Eno, Lanois 5:53
11. "Until the End of the World" 4:56
12. "The Unforgettable Fire" 4:45
13. "City of Blinding Lights" 5:20
14. "Vertigo" Bono, The Edge 4:23
15. "I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight" 5:25
16. "Sunday Bloody Sunday" 6:36
17. "MLK" 1:02
18. "Walk On" 6:37
19. "One" (Preceded by recorded speech by Desmond Tutu) 6:59
20. "Amazing Grace" / "Where the Streets Have No Name" 6:59
21. "Ultraviolet (Light My Way)" 5:14
22. "With or Without You" 5:36
23. "Moment of Surrender" U2, Eno, Lanois 7:38
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I don't really have much of an opening spiel here. I haven't watched this in ages. I have had the bluray for this for a long time, and I have watched it, but not for a long time.
Thank to @GodShifter 's U2 album thread, I have had an old flame rekindled, and am discovering songs and albums that had been really, kind of ignored by me. It has been a great journey that has left me questioning myself about why I stopped with the band ... but anyway ... that's all I have for the moment, because I don't really remember much about this at all.

It is a bluray, and it has a 5.1 track ... aside from that

We open with a pretty neat digital graphic, of good quality, that leads into the band entering stage.
Get your boots on is a fairly new song for me. It comes over well and the band sound very good.
Bono's voice is loud and clear from the centre speaker.
They have messed something up here in the 5.1 mix though. I just referenced the stereo track to see what the deal was, and sure enough in the stereo mix , we have a nice solid bottom end, the 5.1 mix is almost bereft of bottom end, and it is a terrible shame, because for the most part they have mixed it quite well.... not amazing, but quite well, with some audio in the sides.
We're currently on Mystetious ways, and suddenly out of nowhere some synth bass powers out of the sub ....
Again on Beautiful Day we have a fairly empty bottom end, and then in the middle some synth bass powers out of the sub.
Towards the end Bono sings some lines from in God's Country, and the sub has bass in it.... I wonder if it some mastering error.
Aside from this bottom end inconsistency it sounds pretty good, and we get a pretty decent usage of the rear speakers.
The picture quality is very good.
Still haven't found comes over well, it has a nice Stand by Me coda with plenty of crowd involvement.
Edge pulls out the acoustic and we get Stuck in a moment.
No line on the horizon is also a song I am very unfamiliar with.
That bottom end issue is terribly disappointing. Bono is in fine voice, the band are tight, the 5.1 mix is actually pretty good, but the bottom end is missing.
The stereo sound is very good and with the 5 channel effect it sounds much better, more full in frequency range.
So disappointing.

This is an excellent concert, and the band are great, but the 5.1 is very disappointing, and even though the mix is good, the sound is lacking.
If 5.1 doesn't interest you this is a great disc.

riskylogic · May 17, 2020

Road Movie

Live Performance by R.E.M.
Released August 25, 1996
Recorded November 18–21, 1995
Venue The Omni, Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Genre Alternative rock
Length 90:00
Label Warner Reprise Video
Director Peter Care

Road Movie is a documentary-style film by rock group R.E.M., released on both VHS and DVD, charting the conclusion of the band's 1995 worldwide tour in support of Monster, their album released the previous year. Directed by Peter Care, the ninety-minute effort features nineteen songs (all but one a montage) performed over the final three nights (November 18, 19 and 21) of the tour, at The Omni in Atlanta, Georgia. The set-list reads very much like a complete R.E.M. show—gigs on the Monster tour were opened by either "I Took Your Name" or "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" (with the former taking precedence in this case), while the last song of the night was invariably "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" (as it is here). The film is a companion piece to the Tourfilm documentary (with a synonymous title), which chronicles the band's 1989 tour on the back of the previous year's album Green.

Personnel
R.E.M.
Bill Berry – drums, percussion, bass, vocals
Peter Buck – guitar, bass
Mike Mills – bass, keyboards, guitar, vocals
Michael Stipe – lead vocals

Additional musicians
Amanda Brown – violin
Nathan December – guitar
Scott McCaughey – guitar, keyboards

Track Listing
All songs written by Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills and Michael Stipe.

1. Intro – 0:19
2. "I Took Your Name" (unedited from the second night) – 3:56
3. "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" – 3:42
4. "Crush with Eyeliner" – 4:37
5. "Undertow" – 5:15
6. "The Wake-Up Bomb" – 5:10
7. "Revolution" – 3:08
8. "Losing My Religion" – 4:47
9. "Binky the Doormat" – 5:23
10. "Orange Crush" – 3:55
11. "Strange Currencies" – 4:27
12. "Tongue" – 4:42
13. "Man on the Moon" – 5:43
14. "Country Feedback" – 6:21
15. "Find the River" – 4:21
16. "The One I Love" – 3:23
17. "Star 69" – 3::25
18. "Let Me In" – 4:08
19. "Everybody Hurts" – 5:52
20. "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" (mostly from the final night) – 5:03

Version Control
This was originally released on VHS in 1996, and the following year on DVD. I have the DVD. It’s out of print, but used copies are dirt cheap.

The Concert
This is another one I’ve had sitting on the shelf for maybe 20 years, and I don’t remember anything about it. That’s not a good sign. The set list looks pretty good though. I’m a little worried about the documentary to concert ratio. Hopefully, there won’t be too much of the former. It’s top-notch for VHS video and stereo only. They are playing in a basketball arena; I don’t think the acoustics are very good.

"I Took Your Name"
From Monster. Great start; all song, no documentary. There a strobe light that’s often coming straight at the camera – that’s annoying. Berry and his drums are in back everyone else in front

"What's the Frequency, Kenneth?"
From Monster. Another complete song – nice. The strobe has been dialed back a bit.

"Crush with Eyeliner"
From Monster. Theirs is a large projection screen in back and another on the right with semi-psychedelic imagery, and another excellent complete song.

"Undertow"
From New Adventures in Hi-Fi. Well, I don’t like this song that much. Might be a good time for some documentary. Screen still going with barely discernable images. Nope, all song.

"The Wake-Up Bomb"
From New Adventures in Hi-Fi. Another decent song, and I’m beginning to think there is no documentary.

"Revolution"
Monster bonus track. I don’t think I’ve heard this song before; I like it.

"Losing My Religion"
From Out of Time. Stipe takes off his jacket because it’s time to get down to business – they are going to play my favorite song. Buck switches to banjo, Amanda Brown comes out with a violin, and the other guest musicians are playing electric and acoustic guitar. Screen is blank, no strobe at all now either.

"Binky the Doormat"
From New Adventures in Hi-Fi. Buck back on electric guitar, Brown still on stage with violin – other two guys gone. Screen showing flowers.

"Orange Crush"
From Green. Back to a foursome with major strobe action again. Great song and performance.

"Strange Currencies"
From Monster. Amanda Brown back out, and Buck has a banjo again. Strobes gone, xrays on the screens.

"Tongue"
From Monster. A reflector orb (I guess there’s a name for those things) descends down behind Stipe’s head. Mills and McCaughey both on keyboards, Buck on bass. Stipe singing with his high pitched voice.

"Man on the Moon"
From Automatic from the People. The foursome back to the their regular instruments, plus an extra acoustic guitarist (December, I think). Another great song.

"Country Feedback"
From Out of Time. The screen projectors don’t always hit the screen; seems like they go off into the audience sometimes, which must have been annoying. Anyway, we’ve got a bunch of large projected faces and a song I can’t get excited about. Mills is on keyboards, one of the other guys is on bass, along with another acoustic guitar. Buck long guitar solo.

"Find the River"
From Automatic from the People. Brown back with violin, and double keyboards. Buck with 12-string acoustic.

"The One I Love"
From Document. Yay, another rock song with an extra electric guitar – the other two guys are usually off in the dark and I can’t tell which is which.

"Star 69"
From Monster. There’s only the four them I think – the strobes are going again.

"Let Me In"
From Monster. Another one of the R.E.M. quasi-ballads that just don’t work for me. The projector is running; seems to be some welding going on; lots of orange anyway.

"Everybody Hurts"
From Automatic from the People. More balladeering. The screen is a study in blue this time. Amanda back with violin, and two extra guitars.

"It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)"
From Document. Well, they end on high note – this is one of my favorites. General mayhem on the screen. One extra guitar. Berry on background vocals – usually it’s just Mills. The strobes come back.
_______

Well that was a pleasant surprise. I have no idea why the wiki entry describes this as a ‘documentary-style film’. It’s all concert performance, no interviews, and no nuthin else. False advertising usually works to the benefit of the seller, but in this case I don’t think it does. I didn’t like all of the songs, but that’s just the way it is with me and R.E.M. I do wish “Bang and Blame” plus something from Murmer could have been on there. The audio and video aren’t great, but still what I would expect from 1995 performance in a sports arena, and it was a pretty good show.

Music – 2
Sound quality – 2
Video presentation – 3
Video quality – 1
Surround – 1

riskylogic · May 17, 2020

Symphonic Live

Live Performance by Yes
Released 18 June 2002
Recorded 22 November 2001
Venue Heineken Music Hall, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Genre Progressive rock, symphonic rock
Length 194:00 (including bonus material; concert just under 150 minutes)
Label Eagle Vision Eagle Records
Producer Perry Joseph

Symphonic Live is a video and live album by the English progressive rock band Yes, released on DVD and a single CD on 18 June 2002 by Eagle Vision and subsequently on two CDs and on Blu-ray by Eagle Records. The album documents the group's performance at the Heineken Music Hall in Amsterdam on 22 November 2001 during their Yessymphonic Tour, supporting their nineteenth studio album Magnification, which also featured an orchestra. The tour featured Yes performing on stage with an orchestra; Symphonic Live features the European Festival Orchestra conducted by Wilheilm Keitel.

Keyboardist Rick Wakeman was invited by the band to perform at this concert, but this did not happen because of scheduling conflicts. In his place was Tom Brislin.

Personnel
Yes
Jon Anderson – vocals, acoustic guitar, percussion
Steve Howe – guitars, lap steel guitar, backing vocals
Chris Squire – bass guitar, backing vocals, harmonica, percussion
Alan White – drums, backing vocals, keyboards

Additional musicians
Tom Brislin – keyboards, backing vocals, percussion
European Festival Orchestra, Wilhelm Keitel – conductor

Production
Perry Joseph – producer
Aubrey Powell – director
Bob Cesca – digital artwork

Track Listing
No. Title Writer(s) Length
1. "Overture" 2:30
2. "Close to the Edge" Jon Anderson, Chris Squire, Bill Bruford, Steve Howe, Rick Wakeman 20:30
3. ""Long Distance Runaround" Anderson, Squire, Bruford, Howe, Wakeman 5:29
4. "Don't Go" Anderson, Howe, Squire, Alan White 4:29
5. "In the Presence Of" Anderson, Squire, Howe, White 11:04
6. "The Gates of Delirium" Anderson, Howe, Squire, White, Patrick Moraz 23:30
7. " Lute Concerto in D, 2nd Movement/ Mood for a Day" Vivaldi (arr. Howe), Howe 6:26
8. "Starship Trooper” Anderson, Howe, Squire 12:18
9. "Magnification" Anderson, Howe, Squire, White 7:23
10. "And You and I" Anderson, Bruford, Howe, Squire, Wakeman 11:16
11. ""Ritual (Nous Sommes du Soleil)" Anderson, Howe, Squire, White, Wakeman 28:21
12. "I've Seen All Good People" Anderson, Squire 7:21
13. "Owner of a Lonely Heart" Trevor Rabin, Trevor Horn, Squire, Anderson 5:49
14. "Roundabout" Anderson, Squire, Bruford, Howe, Wakeman

Version Control
There are many versions of this. The bluray I have was released in 2011; it seems to be out of print and a little pricey, but the DVD is still available new.

The Concert
I have had this for a while, and I already know it’s awesome. The picture and sound quality are great and so is the music and the show. The only minor let down is the surround which is very good but not exceptional; Anderson gets the center channel and the rear channels get lots of action especially from the orchestra, but there is no discrete mixing to the back.

I have no idea what the European Festival Orchestra is or was. A google search turned up a facebook page for a German outfit, but it doesn’t seem to be the same. I’m thinking it’s basically a group of music students who were brought together for the concert who are having the time of their lives. The lead cellist seems to be the favorite target of the camera. They look pretty young for the most part - their average age must be about half that of the Yes band members. OTOH, the guest keyboardist, Tom Brislin,is closer to their age. He has also played with Camel, and is now a member of Kansas.

The concert is part of a tour for the Magnification album; three tracks are from that. The rest of the songs are stone cold classics.

"Overture"
Starts out with animation; presumably with a soundtrack delivered by the orchestra.

"Close to the Edge"
From Close to the Edge. They start off with the shortest of the three 20+ min songs. Howe, Anderson, and Squire are in front, Brislin amd White are behind them, and then the orchestra is at the back of the stage. There are some animated sequences spliced in; not from Roger Dean I don’t think, but in the same ballpark. Seems to feature a fleet of alien ships that make crop circles. Anyway, the back speakers are dominated by strings and horns. Anderson has a battery of instruments – chimes, other percussion, and a keyboard that he plays when not singing. Spends a lot of time with the chimes on CTTE. Brislin does a fine job of subbing for Wakeman. Sounds fantastic.

“Long Distance Runaround"
From Fragile. The orchestra starts it off. The band comes in after about a minute, Howe’s acoustic guitar gets a little play in the back along with the strings and horns.

"Don't Go"
From Magnification. A short poppy song that they got too much in the habit of making. But, I like this one; it’s over soon enough. An animated care takes a trip across the screen, which seems silly and out of place. Brief used of split screen. I’d characterize the use of the back as mostly reverb.

"In the Presence Of"
From Magnification. A longer semi-epic piece from the new album. Starts off with Alan White on Jon’s keyboards, but he quickly moves back to his drum set. How starts off with acoustic guitar – he must play something like 10 different guitars during the course of the concert. Squire gets by with just one bass guitar. Jon picks up his one and only guitar too. The crop circlers make another appearance. Strings plus some guitar reverb from Howe’s pedal steel slide guitar in the back. The violinists get a chance to do some plucking.

"The Gates of Delirium"
Well this is just freaking awesome. The song takes up the entire first side of Relayer is awesome anyway, but with an orchestra backup it’s sublime. It’s an antiwar song, and there is a bunch of WWI video and WWII animation spliced in that I could do without, but that’s a minor complaint.

It’s on Youtube in three parts, here is 2:

" Lute Concerto in D, 2nd Movement/ Mood for a Day"
Steve Howe plays solo. The second song is from Fragile.

"Starship Trooper”
From The Yes Album. The band is back, but the orchestra is still taking a break – which means the rears need something else to do: Background vocals and crowd clapping in the rear. Squire with fantastic solo. Howe takes over and the Orchestra come back.

"Magnification"
From Magnification. Jon Anderson has a guitar. Some animation superimposed over the concert video.

10. "And You and I"
From Close to the Edge. Starts with computer animated figure with a soundtrack provided by Howe at first and then with the rest of the band. Lots of guitar reverb in the back. Eventually we get back to the concert and the orchestra starts up too. The figure pops back in occasionally afterward.

“Ritual (Nous Sommes du Soleil)"
From Tales from Topographic Oceans. OK, now for the last epic. But this isn’t just the regular epic, it’s an extended 28 minute version that never would have fit on one side of an LP. Chimes from both Anderson and the orchestra. Strings and background vocals in the back. Brislin seems to be getting some of the vocal parts that Howe normally takes. Both Howe and Squire get a workout – there’s an extended jamb from Squire that accounts for a good chunk of the extra length. The stage crew bring out some extra drums for Brislin, Anderson, and Squire to play during the percussion heavy segment that largely features Alan White; horns and percussion from the orchestra in the back. After another round of singing, Anderson finished with a guitar in his hand, and we’ve got Howe reverb and strings in the back. This is also glorious.

"I've Seen All Good People"
From Fragile. Starts out acappela, with all vocals in front. Then Howe has a mandolin, left front, keyboards far left (a bit to the back), Squire vocals continue on right. Drums, bass, and orchestra come in eventually, and Howe switches to acoustic guitar; hornes, strings, and guitar reverb in back. Then another round of mostly acapella followed by a very brief full band and orchestra finale. End of set.

"Owner of a Lonely Heart"
From 90125. Steve Howe starts it off. I think it was this song made him want to go off and start Asia. Brislin with backing vocals along with Squire, and he gets a solo. No orchestra and the back is pretty much silent.

"Roundabout"
From Fragile. Howe starts it off again. The orchestra comes out to the front, between first and second rows, to dance. The girls are all in the middle and get most of the camera love. Just a little reverb in the back. A big wind down, and that’s it.
_______

This disc goes a long way towards removing the sting of the disappointment of Yessongs. It’s only 2001, so they’re not all the way over the hill yet, and they’ve got an orchestra, and yet we still get a bluray with DTS-MA. It’s also true that they had to sub in a new keyboard player for Kaye, Wakeman, Moraz et al. But if you are searching for a modern disc from a prog rock legend with as few compromises as possible, this one is pretty hard to beat. If you don’t have time to sit through the entire two and a half hour concert, just spending 73 minutes with the three long tracks is not a bad way to go.

Music – 3
Sound quality – 3
Video presentation – 3
Video quality – 3
Surround – 2

Åke Bergvall · May 17, 2020

riskylogic said: ↑

Version Control
This was originally released on VHS in 1996, and the following year on DVD. I have the DVD. It’s out of print, but used copies are dirt cheap.
Click to expand...

R.E.M.'s Road Movie is also part of the Blu-ray in the recent Monster package. The audio has not been remixed into Hi-res as far as I can tell, so it will sound (and look) the same as on the DVD.

Grooverider · May 17, 2020

riskylogic said: ↑

There's a pretty good concert video for that too - Anesthetize. I have it, but haven't done a review for it yet. I did cover Arriving Somewhere... a few weeks ago, which is pretty awesome, especially from an audio standpoint.
Click to expand...

Indeed! I have both of those videos and they are awesome! I have nearly all of the PT albums! I have “Fear” on CD, Vinyl and 5.1 audio! For a while I was quite the Steve Wilson fanatic collecting and listening to his stuff every day! Still love it but exploring new (to me) stuff now.

riskylogic · May 23, 2020

Live

Live Performance by Alison Krauss & Union Station
Released November 5, 2002 (CD); DVD released in 2003
Recorded April 29, 2002 & April 30, 2002
Venue The Louisville Palace, Louisville, Kentucky
Genre Bluegrass
Length 100:30
Label Rounder
Producer Alison Krauss & Union Station

Live is the eleventh album and the first live album by Alison Krauss and Union Station. All of the songs except "Down to the River to Pray" (performed at Austin City Limits) were recorded at The Louisville Palace on April 29–30, 2002.

Personnel
Alison Krauss - Vocals, fiddle
Jerry Douglas - Resonator guitar, vocals
Dan Tyminski - Guitar, mandolin, vocals
Ron Block - Guitar, banjo, vocals
Barry Bales - Bass, vocals
Larry Atamanuik - Drums

Track Listing
1. Let Me Touch You For Awhile
2. Choctaw Hayride
3. The Lucky One
4. Baby, Now That I've Found You
5. Bright Sunny South
6. Every Time You Say Goodbye
7. Tiny Broken Heart
8. Cluck Old Hen
9. Stay
10. Broadway
11. Ghost In This House
12. Forget About It
13. Faraway Land
14. A Tribute To Peador O'Donnell/Monkey Let The Hogs Out
15. The Boy Who Wouldn't Hoe Corn
16. Take Me For Longing
17. I Am A Man Of Constant Sorrow
18. Maybe
19. We Hide & Seek
20. But You Know I Love You
21. When You Say Nothing At All
22. New Favorite
23. Oh, Atlanta

Version Control
This is available as a double CD, a two DVD set with extra bonus material, and a 2CD+DVD set. The latter is still available new. I have the two DVD set.

The Concert
Even though the opening screen looks a little fuzzy, once the concert starts up it seems to be normal video quality for a modern DVD. It also has DTS surround – which as good as a DVD gets. The concert was performed just after the release of New Favorite – they play just about every song off the album.

“Let Me Touch You For Awhile”
From New Favorite. We’ve got Douglas, Krauss, Tyminski, and Block lined up in front, standing on a carpet laid on the stage, wit a couple of standing lamps in the back – going for the living room look, I suppose. Bales is hanging out in back with the drum set no one is using yet. The theater is a piece of work. It’s got Greco-Roman sculpture lining the walls, gothic facades, and the ceiling has blue lighting that makes it seem like it’s outdoors.

Douglas is playing dobro; which I’d characterize as a lap guitar that lays flat, but is played standing up. Tyminski and Block have acoustic guitars. Krauss has a violin, but she mostly just sings real good.

However, let’s scratch surround – nothing from the center channel, and the rears have crowd noise and only a tiny bit of reverb.

“Choctaw Hayride”
From New Favorite. Krauss just plays violin, Block switches to banjo. An instrumental with Tyminski as lead.

“The Lucky One”
From New Favorite. Back to three guitars and Krauss singing.

“Baby, Now That I've Found You”
A The Foundations cover, appears on an AK & US compilation. Krauss lead vocals, Tyminski backing.

“Bright Sunny South”
From New Favorite. Tyminski lead vocals, Block on banjo.

“Every Time You Say Goodbye”
From Every Time You Say Goodbye. Krauss back on lead, Block still with banjo.

“Tiny Broken Heart”
Cover of 1956 song not on any previous albums. Tyminski lead vocals, Bales backing.

“Cluck Old Hen”
From Every Time You Say Goodbye. Instrumental, Krauss serious with the violin for the first time.

“Stay”
From Forget About It. Now we find out what the drum set is for – Atamanuik comes out. Krauss on vocals, Block leads with acoustic guitar; Tyminski with a mini guitar of some sort and backing vocals.

“Broadway”
Cover found on Now That I've Found You. Krauss still lead vocals, Tymiski backing and normal acoustic guitar.

“Ghost In This House”
From Forget About It. Slow ballad, Krauss lead vocals, Tyminski and Bales backing,

“Forget About It”
Cover from Forget About It. Krauss still singing, Tyminski backing vocals and his mini guitar again, maybe it’s a mandolin; sounds like it. I’m going to call it a mandolin whether it is or not.

“Faraway Land”
From Ron Block solo album. Block lead guitar and vocals, Tyminski with mandolin. Krauss plays violin.

“A Tribute To Peador O'Donnell/Monkey Let The Hogs Out”
It’s Douglas’ turn to take the stage, he plays two traditional tunes solo on one of his dobros.

“The Boy Who Wouldn't Hoe Corn”
From New Favorite. This is a song that has lyrics, but it seems that Douglas is playing it as a solo instrumental. No wait, Dan Tyminski comes out to sing, and then the rest of the band comes out too – well except for the drummer.

“Take Me For Longing”
From New Favorite. The band segues straight in to this one, which has Krauss on lead. This is a nice representative twofer:

“I Am A Man Of Constant Sorrow’
Union Station are the Soggy Bottom Boys – this is from O Brother Where Art Thou? Tyminski sings while Krauss gets a few licks in with her violin too.

“Maybe”
From Forget About It. After Krauss gives Bales a hard time, she sings another ballad. The drummer is back, and Tyminski has the mandolin.

“We Hide & Seek”
Instrumental piece; Tyminski leads off with the mandolin, Block has a banjo, and Krauss is busy with the violin. There’s a whole lotta pickin goin on.

“But You Know I Love You”
Kenny Rogers cover. Krauss lead vocals, Tyminski and Block backing. Not very bluegrassy.

“When You Say Nothing At All”
From an Allison Krauss solo album. Slow song; Krauss vocals, Tyminski lead guitar.

“New Favorite”
From New Favorite. A very pretty slow song. Krauss vocals, more drums than usual, and really nice dobro work from Douglas.

“Oh, Atlanta”
A Bad Company song covered on Now That I've Found You. A southern rock song, Atamanuik goes wild. No, not really. But still, this is as close as they going to get to a rock song; with a bluesy guitar solo from Block.

"Down to the River to Pray"
Plays during the closing credits, I think this is taken from the O Brother Where Art Thou? soundtrack.
_______

This is off my beaten path, but I still like it a lot. There isn’t very much else in my music collection that has even a tinge of bluegrass. Ozark Mountain Daredevils comes to mind; I’ve got lots of that. I’ve got compilations for Charlie Daniels and Marshall Tucker, but that's a stretch perhaps. Then bluegrass has some overlap with English and Irish folk, and I have a bunch of that, albeit usually played with electric guitars. The big show in the concert is that Krauss has lots of stories to tell. Many of the chapters on the DVD are taken up just by her telling a story, usually about one of her bandmates. It’s a very enjoyable show even if you’re only casually interested in bluegrass. Seems like the acoustic guitars would sound a little better with surround though.

Music – 2 (that is as high as bluegrass gets on my scale)
Sound quality – 3
Video presentation – 3 (+1 for exceptional banter)
Video quality – 2
Surround – 1

riskylogic · May 23, 2020

Vehicle of Spirit

Live Performance by Nightwish
Released December 16, 2016 (Europe) / January 6, 2017 (North America)
Recorded July 31, 2015 at Ratina Stadion, Tampere, Finland
December 19, 2015 at Wembley Arena, London
Length 181:06
Label Nuclear Blast

Vehicle of Spirit is a video and audio release from Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish that features two shows recorded during the Endless Forms Most Beautiful World Tour. It also includes various other songs recorded around the world.

Personnel
Floor Jansen – female vocals
Tuomas Holopainen – keyboards
Emppu Vuorinen – guitars
Kai Hahto – drums
Marco Hietala – bass, male vocals
Troy Donockley – Uilleann pipes, tin whistle, bouzouki, additional vocals, additional guitars

Track Listing

The Wembley Show
No. Title Lyrics Music Length
1. "Shudder Before the Beautiful" Tuomas Holopainen Holopainen 6:58
2. "Yours Is an Empty Hope" Marco Hietala · Holopainen Holopainen · Hietala 5:47
3. "Ever Dream" Holopainen Holopainen 5:10
4. "Storytime" Holopainen Holopainen 4:52
5. "My Walden" Holopainen Holopainen · Hietala 5:15
6. "While Your Lips Are Still Red" Holopainen Holopainen · Hietala 5:05
7. "Élan" Holopainen Holopainen 4:27
8. "Weak Fantasy" Hietala · Holopainen Holopainen · Hietala 6:19
9. "7 Days to the Wolves" Holopainen Hietala · Holopainen 7:16
10. "Alpenglow" Holopainen Holopainen 4:56
11. "The Poet and the Pendulum" Holopainen Holopainen 14:00
12. "Nemo" Holopainen Holopainen 4:53
13. "I Want My Tears Back" Holopainen Holopainen 7:13
14. "Stargazers" Holopainen Holopainen 5:11
15. "Ghost Love Score" Holopainen Holopainen 10:36
16. "Last Ride of the Day" Holopainen Holopainen 4:58
17. "The Greatest Show on Earth" (feat. Richard Dawkins) Holopainen Hietala · Holopainen 22:37

The Tampere Show
No. Title Lyrics Music Length
1. "Shudder Before the Beautiful" Holopainen Holopainen 7:05
2. "Yours Is an Empty Hope" Hietala · Holopainen Holopainen · Hietala 5:41
3. "Amaranth" Holopainen Holopainen 4:24
4. "She Is My Sin" Holopainen Holopainen 5:11
5. "Dark Chest of Wonders" Holopainen Holopainen 4:36
6. "My Walden" Holopainen Holopainen · Hietala 5:08
7. "The Islander" Holopainen Hietala 5:55
8. "Élan" Holopainen Holopainen 4:27
9. "Weak Fantasy" Hietala · Holopainen Holopainen · Hietala 6:23
10. "Storytime" Holopainen Holopainen 5:47
11. "Endless Forms Most Beautiful" Holopainen Holopainen 5:10
12. "Alpenglow" Holopainen Holopainen 5:03
13. "Stargazers" Holopainen Holopainen 5:10
14. "Sleeping Sun" Holopainen Holopainen 4:45
15. "Ghost Love Score" Holopainen Holopainen 10:41
16. "Last Ride of the Day" Holopainen Holopainen 4:54
17. "The Greatest Show on Earth" Holopainen Holopainen · Hietala 20:55

Version Control
The two-disc set is available on both DVD and Bluray. Amazon. I have the 2-bluray European version. The dimensions of the bluray set I have is different from anything else in my collection, which is a bit annoying.

The Concerts
Since the majority of the songs are the same, I am just going to run through the Wembley concert in it’s entirety. I will also cover the six songs from the Tampere concert that are different.

It’s got PCM surround, how cool is that? The video is a little grainy for a bluray, but I guess it’s still better than a good DVD.

Wembley

"Shudder Before the Beautiful"
Main vocalists Hietala (also plays bass) and Jansen are front center. Guitarist Vuorinen is also in front, and he roams around. In the rear from left to right, it’s Holopainen on keyboards, Hahto a little further back on drums, and multinstrumentalist Donockley. It’s a large stadium and it’s pretty packed. Lots of blue spotlights from behind as we start out.

The first song is from the 2015 album Endless Forms Most Beautiful. By that time Nightwish were (and are) best classified as symphonic metal, which means that Holopainen is doing his best to imitate and orchestra using synthesizers, and everyone else is playing as fast as they can. Jansen is lead. Surroundwise, , there’s a wall of sound in front that utilized the front channel, and the reverb in the back is dominated by guitar and synth.

"Yours Is an Empty Hope"
From Endless Forms Most Beautiful. A head banger with Hietala as lead. Jansen backing vocals and hair twirling. The spotlights are supplemented by flame throwers. Not a very catchy tune really.

"Ever Dream"
From Century Child. Jansen starts off with a melody and the crowd sings along in the back. They’re pretty good actually, but Floor is better.

"Storytime"
From Imaginaerum. The light behind the stage go off, and a large screen that backs the entire stage comes on, and there’s a rather impressive video show going on behind the band. More singing from the crowd – they are giving the rear speakers a good reason to be there.

"My Walden"
From Endless Forms Most Beautiful. A Celtic ballad; Donockley introduces the song and starts off on vocals, before switching to his Uilleann pipes. The screen is showing North Sea coastline I reckon, there’s a windmill in there too; I guess because Floor is Dutch. She and Donockley are both new members of the band; the rest are all Finnish.

"While Your Lips Are Still Red"
From Amaranth EP. Hietala leads off with Holopainen piano, then Donockley on guitar, Jansen backing. Winter scenery on the screen.

"Élan"
From Endless Forms Most Beautiful. Another Celtic-tinged tune. There’s a blatant Ayreon ripoff of Nightwish Celtery, also featuring Jansen, on The Source. Donockley with tin whistle.

"Weak Fantasy"
From Endless Forms Most Beautiful. Another symphonic head banger. Hahto starts it off. Floor loses her leather jacket and shows off her tattoos. Donockley with bouzouki.

"7 Days to the Wolves"
From Dark Passion Play. There’s a folk ballad in there somewhere behind the wall of sound. I wonder if Floor has to do any special workout exercises to do all that hair whirling.

"Alpenglow"
From Endless Forms Most Beautiful. More Celtery; sort of a cross between Enya and Rush.

"The Poet and the Pendulum"
From Dark Passion Play. A heavy metal opera starring Floor. Has several quiet interludes where Holopainen demonstrates his ability to emulate an orchestra with more than a little keyboard programming I imagine. Jansen shows off the upper part of her immense vocal range. Donockley sits this one out. The screen show has a pendulum theme.

"Nemo"
From Once. Opera over, Holopainen leads off a mere song for Floor to sing. Donockley is back to play whistle.

"I Want My Tears Back"
From Imaginaerum. Donockley on pipes. Hietala colead vocals with Jansen. The flame throwers are back.

"Stargazers"
From Oceanborn. Floor is third vocalist for Nightwish. I haven’t heard the original version of this early song, but I guessing the first vocalist was a soprano because Jansen singing way up high again.

"Ghost Love Score"
From Once. Another mini-opera with lots of pseudo-orchestral interludes. Floor and everything else goes up in smoke and flames at the end. Flames on the screen, the flame throwers are running again, and there’s a smoke machine:

"Last Ride of the Day"
From Imaginaerum. A roller coaster ride on the screen with a soundtrack to go with it.

"The Greatest Show on Earth"
From Endless Forms Most Beautiful. Is this the first prog metal epic? It’s the only 20+ minute example I know of, but then I’m not really an expert. Lots of work from Donockley, and the rest of the band too as usual. Narration from Richard Dawkins, and Jansen does a little narration too; she sings relatively little on this. The screen gives some visual lessons in evolutionary biology. Since the end is all programmed, the band can take their bows while the song finishes up with live narration from Richard Dawkins (I imagine this is usually taped). It was a great show anyway.

Tampere

"Amaranth"
From Dark Passion Play. This concert from earlier in the tour is also in a packed stadium, but there’s a few empty seats. It’s “nightime”, but it’s also Finland in July so it’s still broad daylight. Floor speaks a little Finnish. She has a similar outfit design as at Wembley, But it’s Finnish blue and white instead of all black, plus she’s got some blue facepaint. Besides the screens behind the stage, there are two large vertical screens on either side of the screen, showing band members; mostly Jansen.

This third song is warmup headbanger, also with some audience participation. Absolutely nothing in the rear speakers. Wait, why was I so enthused about the PCM surround?

"She Is My Sin"
From Wishmaster. Fast-paced metal with Jansen’s soaring vocals.

"Dark Chest of Wonders"
From Once. Hietala introduces the song in Finnish, but we’ve got subtitles. More symphonic that the two previous older songs. None of the video on these songs have been as impressive as they were at the full Wembley concert. The fact that it is daytime doesn’t help.

"The Islander"
From Dark Passion Play. This breaks up “My Walden” and “Elan” instead “While Your Lips are Still Red”. There a secondary stage protruding into the crowd (e.g. like Secret Word Live) and Hietala is out there by himself. He introduces the song in Finnish and then sings the solo piece in English while playing the guitar part of his double necked beast. Hahto, Jansen, Donockley and eventually come back out on the main stage to help.

"Endless Forms Most Beautiful"
From Endless Forms Most Beautiful. Kinda weird this one got left out of the Wembley concert. It’s relatively short but still combines all the elements that make Nightwish exceptional.

"Sleeping Sun"
From Angels Fall First. Jansen goes out on the runway near the end of the concert as it’s starting to get dark. This is an early song, and Floor is a soprano. The screen is showing stars.
_______

I don’t know if I need any more Nightwish concert videos, but I’m glad to have one. Even 90 minutes of this stuff is a lot to take in one sitting. There’s a newer one that has more of their earlier stuff, but I think I like the emphasis on Endless Forms. Both shows are visually spectacular, but the Wembley one is better. The title track from Endless is the main bennie of the second disc. The center channel is used to bolster the wall of sound in front, and there is a little reverb in the back and some crowd vocals in surround on a couple songs in the first disc, but don’t really think that is worth a point – it sounds pretty much the same in stereo.

Music – 2
Sound quality – 3
Video presentation – 3
Video quality – 3
Surround – 1

They have a new album out that I just ordered, along with a video version of Imaginaerum that I figure on reviewing on this thread at some point.

mark winstanley · May 23, 2020

riskylogic said: ↑

Future Past Perfect

Live Performance by The Church
Recorded: Dec. 17, 2011 at the Enmore Theatre in Sydney
Released: 2013
Country: Australia & New Zealand
Genre: Rock
Producers: Tim Powles and Marty Willson-Piper
Sound Mixing: Ted Howard, Marty Willson-Piper
Duration: 174 min

Future Past Perfect chronicles the band's Dec. 17, 2011 show at the Enmore Theatre in Sydney, part of their "Summer Tour Australia 2011."

It features 3 albums played in their entirety, filmed from multiple angles, in stereo, by the folks at Moshcam. Included is an 8-page tour program.

Personnel
Steve Kilbey – lead vocals, bass guitar, string bass, guitar
Peter Koppes – guitars, bass guitar, keyboards, backing vocals
Tim Powles – drums, backing vocals
Marty Willson-Piper – guitars, bass guitar, drums, backing vocals
Craig Wilson – guitars, keyboards, string bass, mandolin, percussion, backing vocals

Track Listing
1-1 Cobalt Blue
1-2 Deadman's Hand
1-3 Pangaea
1-4 Happenstance
1-5 Space Saviour
1-6 On Angel Street
1-7 Sunken Sun
1-8 Anchorage
1-9 Lunar
1-10 Operetta
2-1 Aura
2-2 Ripple
2-3 Paradox
2-4 Lustre
2-5 Swan Lake
2-6 Feel
2-7 Mistress
2-8 Kings
2-9 Dome
2-10 Witch Hunt
2-11 The Disillusionist
2-12 Old Flame
2-13 Chaos
2-14 Film
3-1 Destination
3-2 Under The Milky Way
3-3 Blood Money
3-4 Lost
3-5 North, South, East And West
3-6 Spark
3-7 Antenna
3-8 Reptile
3-9 A New Season
3-10 Hotel Womb

Version Control
There’s only one version of this – unless you count PAL vs. NTSC. It’s a live performance of three different albums in their entirety. I think The Cure did that sort of thing first – and I have that one too. But this is a new acquisition, and I’m going to do it first because I just can’t wait. The first of the three albums is Untitled #23, it being their 23rd album. I have 14 of the previous 22 and one of the next two, but I don’t have #23. The other two are old classics. The second one being Priest=Aura, which is definitely one of their best, and then Starfish which is a stone cold classic that has nary a weak song.

I bought this from Importcds, but I have since discovered that Amazon has it for $14. Pretty good deal for a three disc set.

It’s merely a triple set DVD; so there will be no 1080p – but since it’s a recent recording we should get all 720p. No surround either, but the label says it’s LPCM stereo.

The Concert

The video quality is top notch for a DVD, and no worries on audio quality. Since Craig Wilson is along as a guest musician, it’s a five man band. Wilson and Powles are in the back, while Koppes, Kilbey, Willson-Piper and are lined up in front. There’s no camera on Wilson, but you sometimes catch him behind one of the band members.

Untitled #23
I was thinking I might not do a track-by-track since there are so many, but since all but Powles are picking up different instruments for every song, I will record that.

Cobalt Blue: Kilbey - bass, lead vocals; W-P; guitar, Koppes – guitar, Wilson -keyboards

Deadman's Hand: Kilbey - guitar, lead vocals; W-P; bass, Koppes – 12 string guitar, Wilson –keyboards and guitar. Also, Willson-Piper occupies the center spot on this song – he’s usually over on the right, but Kilby is over there instead.

“Pangaea”: Kilbey - bass, lead vocals; W-P; 12-string acoustic guitar that seems to be held together with duct tape, Koppes – guitar, Wilson –keyboards

“Happenstance”: Kilbey - 12-string acoustic guitar, lead vocals; W-P (right) - bass, co-lead vocals, Koppes – guitar; Wilson – guitar

Space Saviour: Kilbey - guitar, lead vocals; W-P– bass; Koppes – guitar; Wilson – guitar and keyboards. Kilbey and Willson-Piper switch places again.

On Angel Street: Kilbey (middle) - lead vocals (he acts out the lyrics a bit on this one), picks up bass at end; W-P (right) - guitar; Koppes – guitar; Wilson – keyboards (gets on camera here). Best track of album so far.

“Sunken Sun”: Kilbey (middle) –lead vocals, bass; W-P (right) - guitar; Koppes – guitar; Wilson –guitar and keyboards.

“Anchorage”: Kilbey (middle) – just lead vocals, which lets him get animated again; W-P (right) - guitar; Koppes – bass; Wilson –guitar and keyboards. Two guests: Wesley ? on bass, Tiare Helberg vocals. 2nd best song

“Lunar”: Kilbey (middle) – just lead vocals; W-P (right) - bass; Koppes – guitar; Wilson –keyboards.

“Operetta”: Kilbey (middle) – just lead vocals; W-P (right) - bass; Koppes – 12-string guitar; Wilson – keyboards.

Preist=Aura
The instrumentation is much more consistent on the album. Koppes, Kilbey, and Willson-Piper all have six string electric guitars, and no one has a bass guitar. The bass line is usually carried by Kilbey who just plays the top two strings of his guitar; he is also lead vocalist; he is also lead vocalist.

“Aura”: The intermission is over, and Wilson starts out on keyboards without the actual band being on the stage. But, they come out. Wilson also plays guitar. Damn fine song, brilliant guitar work from W-P.

Couldn't find anything from Starfish, but this is not a bad choice:

“Ripple”: I don’t think Wilson is playing on this one.

“Paradox”: I think Koppes has the bass line on this.

“Lustre “: Wilson not playing.

“Swan Lake”: Wilson – keyboards.

“Feel”: Wilson – keyboards.

“Mistress”: Wilson – keyboards.

“Kings”: Wilson – 12-string acoustic guitar – he finishes the song by himself.

“Dome “: Wilson –guitar and keyboards.

“Witch Hunt”: Wilson – keyboards.

“The Disillusionist”: Wilson with guitar – he carries the bass line while Kilbey concentrates on just singing.

“Old Flame”: Wilson – keyboards, Koppes doesn’t play.

“Chaos”: Wilson – guitar.

“Film”: Koppes moves back to take over the keyboard position, Kilbey moves to his left front position with guitar (no vocals on this song); Wilson moves to front middle with guitar – but that earns him no camera time: Both he and Kilbey play in the dark.

Starfish
As the default, Koppes and Willson-Piper both have six string electric guitars, and Kilbey is lead vocalist and has a bass guitar.

“Destination”: Wilson – guitar and keyboards.

“Under The Milky Way”: W-P – 12-string acoustic duct tape guitar; Wilson – keyboards.

“Blood Money”: Wilson – 12-string acoustic guitar and keyboards.

“Lost”: Wilson – Tambourine and keyboards

“North, South, East And West”: Wilson – guitar and tambourine.

“Spark”: W-P – lead vocals; Wilson not playing

“Antenna”: Wilson – Mandolin.

“Reptile”: Wilson – Keyboards.

“A New Season”: Koppes – lead vocals; Wilson – guitar

“Hotel Womb”: Wilson – Keyboards.
_________
Well, my faith in the DVD as a video format and my mid-fi home theater system has been restored. This set of three discs looks and sounds great on it. The BÖC fiasco left me a little shaky. However, since I decided to rip the audio to my hard drive, I discovered that the audio is not LPCM – it’s Dolby Digital. I ripped it anyway – it will still sound great in the car, but I'm not giving it full marks for audio.

Even though I’ve liked this band for a very long time, I’ve never seen them play in person or otherwise, so getting to see them was a real treat. The Kilbey vocals and the dual guitar work from Koppes and Willson-Piper make a great show. #23 sounds good, but it’s not in the same category as the other two. But still, it’s nice to have something new to go along with the classics.

Music – 3 (On the strength of Priest=Aura and Starfish)
Sound quality – 2 (It's a great recording; I was almost fooled into giving it a 3)
Video presentation – 3
Video quality – 2 (It does look very good for a DVD)
Surround – 1
Click to expand...

So I ended up getting this. I am certainly a fan of the Church.
The Church were somewhat an oddity when they came out at the turn of 1980. The Aus music scene was dominated by hard rock, and particularly pub rock, and the Church had a sort of retro-pop thing going on.
Survival in the Aus music scene was dependent on being a good draw at the pubs, by being a very good live band. During the seventies and eighties Aus had some of the best live bands in the world because of this.... sadly the live venues were starting to dry up by the nineties.....

Here we get the band covering three specific albums.
I think their grounding in the Aus live scene shows, and we get very good tight renditions of all the material.
Very enjoyable set.
Thanks for the heads up Risky!

riskylogic · May 24, 2020

New Blood - Live In London

Live Performance by Peter Gabriel
Released 21 Oct 2011
Recorded 23–24 March 2011
Venue Hammersmith Apollo, London
Genre Symphonic rock
Length 141:14
Label Real World/Virgin
Director – John Metcalfe
Producer – Peter Gabriel

Live Blood is a live album and video by the English rock musician Peter Gabriel. Recorded at the HMV Hammersmith Apollo, London on 23 and 24 March 2011, the concert featured Gabriel singing with the New Blood Orchestra and vocalists Ane Brun, Melanie Gabriel, Sevara Nazarkhan and Tom Cawley.

The setlist included songs from his previous orchestral covers album Scratch My Back and new orchestral arrangements of his solo songs, most of which went on to appear on the studio album New Blood. A single CD version of Live Blood formed part of the New Blood Deluxe Edition DVD released in 2011. The concerts were filmed in 3D.

The orchestral versions were arranged by John Metcalfe with Peter Gabriel except "Signal To Noise" which was arranged by Peter Gabriel and Will Gregory and "The Book of Love", which was arranged by Nick Ingman. The songs were conducted by Ben Foster, who is best known for his work on the BBC science fiction series Doctor Who, except "In Your Eyes" which was conducted by John Metcalfe.

Personnel
Bass Clarinet – Jon Carnac
Bassoon – Sarah Burnett
Celesta – John Metcalfe
Cello – Caroline Dale, Chris Worsey, Ian Burdge, Jacqueline Thomas, Nick Roberts
Cello [Principal] – Will Schofield*
Clarinet – Jon Carnac
Concertmaster – Louisa Fuller
Conductor – Ben Foster (tracks: 1-19, 21-22), John Metcalfe (tracks: 20)
Double Bass – Ben Russell, Richard Pryce, Steve Rossell
Double Bass [Principal] – Chris Laurence
Flute – Eliza Marshall
French Horn – Phil Woods
French Horn [Principal] – Nigel Black
Oboe – Alun Darbyshire
Percussion – Joby Burgess, John Metcalfe, Rob Farrer
Piano – Tom Crowley
Piccolo Flute – Eliza Marshall
Trombone – Dan Jenkins, Mark Frost
Trombone [Principal] – Tracy Holloway
Trumpet – Dan Newell*
Trumpet [Principal] – Andy Crowley
Tuba – David Powell
Viola – Helen Kamminga, Ian Rathbone, Jon Thorne (3), Paul Cassidy, Reiad Chibah
Viola [Principal] – Fiona Bonds
Violin – Alison Dods, Cathy Thompson, Charles Mutter, Clare Hayes, Debbie Widdup, Emma Parker, Ian Belton, Ian Humphries, Jeremy Morris, Kathy Shave, Natalia Bonner, Odile Ollagnon, Rita Manning, Roland Roberts
Violin [Principal] – Martin Burgess
Vocals – Ane Brun , Melanie Gabriel, Peter Gabriel, Sevara Nazarkhan (track 20)

Track Listing
# Title Length
1. "Intruder" 5:59
2. "Wallflower" 7:29
3. "The Boy in the Bubble" (written by Paul Simon & Forere Motloheloa) 4:35
4. "Après Moi" (written by Regina Spektor) 5:16
5. "The Drop" 2:58
6. "Washing of the Water" 4:20
7. "The Book of Love" (written by Stephin Merritt) 3:54
8. "Darkness" 6:34
9. "The Power of the Heart" (written by Lou Reed) 6:36
10. "Biko" Peter Gabriel 3 (Melt) 6:54
11. "San Jacinto" 7:44
12. "Digging in the Dirt" 6:01
13. "Signal to Noise" 8:46
14. "Downside Up" 6:29
15. "Mercy Street" 6:47
16. "The Rhythm of the Heat" 6:54
17. "Blood of Eden" 6:31
18. "Red Rain" 7:11
19. "Solsbury Hill" 6:15
20. "In Your Eyes" 8:27
21. "Don’t Give Up" 8:32
22. "The Nest that Sailed the Sky" 6:48

Version Control
Many versions of this were released at the outset – there’s a CD, a DVD, a bluray, a 3D bluray, and various combo sets. I have the bluray, which I bought in February for under $10. However, apparently quarantine demand has driven the current price up to more like $15. Amazon.

The Concert
The video and audio quality are both great. We’ve got the orchestra in back, Gabriel is front and a bit to left. The other two vocalists on the right and they sing facing Gabriel rather than the audience, which seems odd, but I guess they’re the choir. Over on the far right is Tim Crowley on a piano.

I’ve got lots of rock concerts with backing orchestras or string sections, but that’s not what this is. It’s just an Orchestra with three vocalists and a piano. Basically NOT a rock concert.

"Intruder"
From Peter Gabriel 3 (Melt). Gabriel, Brun, and Melanie Gabriel walk out onto the stage while the orchestra starts up. They are playing a modern score, that you wouldn’t recognize as the song were it not for the fact that Gabriel comes out and starts singing.

There are a large horizontal in screen in front of the stage that doubles as the curtain, plus one large screen above and behind the orchestra.

For surround, Gabriel is in the center channel and the orchestra is mostly in front, but there is a little reverb in the back. Brun and Melanie are mixed left and right (not sure which is which) and partly to the rear – so often only their voices are heard in the rear speakers.

"Wallflower"
From Peter Gabriel 4 (Security). Crowley leads of on piano, and the orchestra plays a much more subdued and melodic score than on the first song. After spending most of the song singing in unison with Gabriel, Brun and Melanie sing a chorus by themselves

"The Boy in the Bubble"
From Scratch My Back. Paul Simon cover. Gabriel’s last album was a cover album, where all of the songs were written by other artists. Supposedly there was going to be another album where the same artists were going to do Gabriel songs, but it never happened. That sort explains this concert though – not only is he doing cover versions of his own songs, he’s doing covers of the covers that he did on Scratch My Back. Anyway, Gabriel sings this one solo, with accompaniment from piano and a few woodwinds.

"Après Moi"
From Scratch My Back. Regina Spektor cover. Brun and Melanie are back and the orchestra is busier this time, mostly strings.

"The Drop”
From Up. Back to his own material. Starts out with Gabriel and woodwinds. Brun and Melanie chip in briefly.

"Washing of the Water"
From Us. Gabriel and strings this time. Melanie sings the female part of the song on her own, without Brun. She comes from the center channel instead of one of the sides. The back screen has been showing abstract shapes up to this point, but on this song it shows the faces of both Gabriels while they are singing. The one large screen in split into three separate fields.

"The Book of Love"
From Scratch My Back. A Magnetic Fields cover. Just strings from the orchestra, and still just Melanie. The back screen and front screens have coordinated graphics for the first time, which produces some 3D imagery; I think some of it may be added during video editing.

"Darkness"
From Up. Horns, woodwinds, and strings, and they get a little punchy. Brun comes back, and she and Melanie are singing from the sides again.

"The Power of the Heart"
From Scratch My Back. Lou Reed cover. Gabriel starts out with piano, horns come in, then strings. No backing vocals.

"Biko"
From Peter Gabriel 3 (Melt). Starts out with string bass and single drum, then all three vocalists, then woodwinds. The screen shows candles and pictures of Stephen Biko.

"San Jacinto"
From Peter Gabriel 4 (Security). Starts off with piano and strings, then Gabriel and backing vocals. Piano gives way to horns and woodwinds. Monkey eyes on the screen.

"Digging in the Dirt"
From Us. Starts with metronome, then woodwinds, then Gabriel, then strings horns and backing vocals from Brun and Melanie. The absence of percussion is palpable.

"Signal to Noise"
From Up. Gabriel and strings start it up. Then Brun and Melanie; Brun gets some screen time with 3D effects. Then a drum, a few horns, and lots more strings. There’s also some post-performance 3D graphics added. Spectacular finish from the orchestra.

"Downside Up"
From OVO. Starts off with bassoon and strings. Then Melanie solo, who then joined by Gabriel and Brun. The video goes upside down briefly. Then Gabriel introduces the bass and drum players, which seems ridiculous. I’ve been enjoying the music on its own merits without worrying too much about whether or not it sounds like the original, because usually it doesn’t. But when Chris Laurence starts plucking his double bass, I just have to chuckle: Wait, this guy is supposed to replace Tony Levin? I think not.

"Mercy Street"
From So. Starts with xylophone and some violin plucking, then Gabriel, then background vocals, then horns, flute solo,

"The Rhythm of the Heat"
From Peter Gabriel 4 (Security). Starts of with some pretty cool video, and Gabriel proves he can still belt it:

"Blood of Eden"
From Us. Starts with piano and Gabriel, then strings; Brun and Nazarkhan sing the female part in unison.

"Red Rain"
From So. Starts off with horns and strings, Gabriel, and a holographic projector – looks like the same thing that Wilson used in Home Invasion, or maybe it’s added during video production. A xylophone carries the beat.

"Solsbury Hill"
From Peter Gabriel 1 (Car). Piano, woodwinds and strings start it off, horns join in later. Besides singing, Gabriel fools around with one of the hanging cameras that are projecting images onto the screen. Brun and Melanie just dance, sort of, until singing a bit at the end.

"In Your Eyes"
From So. The front screen starts out lowered; it is then raised again to expose the stage. The strings start up and another vocalist (Nazarkhan) walks out; she’s mixed to the center channel too. The screen goes down and up again – it is semi-transparent.

"Don’t Give Up"
From So. The bass section and the woodwinds start it up. Gabriel sings the male part, while Brun takes the female part. This song is good at illustrating about what works well in this concert and what doesn’t. The orchestra is excellent at playing the notes for the slow first part of the song, but not so much with the rocking finale; it’s almost pitiful.

"The Nest that Sailed the Sky"
From OVO. All instrumental, with Gabriel at the piano (not sure if he actually plays or not). Some pretty awesome graphics that must have been added during video production.
_______

It’s a somewhat familiar setlist, but this is the symphonic version. I don’t think he could top Secret World Live and Growing Up Live (I haven't gotten to that one yet), so it’s just as well that Gabriel decided to do something completely different if he’s going to play mostly the same songs anyway. If you can get over the fact that it is not a rock concert and the original versions are usually better, it’s pretty good. However, to like it you probably have to both be somewhat familiar with the originals and also be ready for something different. There are lots of pretty amazing visual images, many of which must have been added during video production; I'd guess the 3D version is pretty cool. Thanks to the use of the rear speakers for background vocals, there’s a enough surround for a point.

Music – 2
Sound quality – 3
Video presentation – 3
Video quality – 3
Surround – 2

riskylogic · May 24, 2020

A Night in London

Video by Mark Knopfler
Released 1996
Recorded BBC Building, London, 15 April 1996
Length 94 minutes
Label Universal

A Night in London is a live concert video by Mark Knopfler released on VHS tape and Laserdisc in 1996 by PolyGram Music and on DVD in 2003 by Universal Music. The setlist includes songs from Knopfler's first solo album, Golden Heart, along with well-known Dire Straits numbers and film themes composed by the artist.

Personnel
Mark Knopfler – vocals, guitar
Richard Bennett – guitar
Guy Fletcher – keyboards, backing vocals, acoustic guitar
Jim Cox – keyboards, backing vocals
Glenn Worf – bass, backing vocals
Chad Cromwell – drums
Paul Franklin – pedal steel guitar
Sonny Landreth – guitar
Jools Holland – piano
Dónal Lunny – bouzouki
Liam O'Flynn – uilleann pipes
Seán Keane – violin
Máirtín O'Connor – accordion
Sonia Slany – violin
Jules Singleton – violin
Jocelyn Pook – viola
Dinah Beamish – cello

Track Listing
# Title Length
1. "Darling Pretty" – 5:39
2. "Walk of Life" – 5:21
3. "Imelda" – 5:50
4. "Father and Son" – 3:23
5. "Golden Heart" – 4:53
6. "Rüdiger" – 7:17
7. "Cannibals" – 7:07
8. "Je Suis Désolé" – 7:23
9. "Last Exit to Brooklyn" – 2:16
10. "Romeo and Juliet" – 7:49
11. "Done with Bonaparte" – 5:08
12. "A Night in Summer Long Ago" – 5:46
13. "Brothers in Arms" – 8:30
14. "Going Home" – 5:02
15. "Are We in Trouble Now" – 6:03
16. "Gravy Train" – 7:15

Version Control
This was first released on VHS in 1996, and then on DVD in 2003. It is still available new (Amazon), and used copies are cheap (Discogs). I somehow ended up with a PAL version, which means I had to watch it on my computer with headphones. Good thing it’s only stereo anyway.

The Concert
It’s VHS video with a 4:3 screen, and Dolby Digital stereo.

It’s a very small venue / recording studio. There doesn’t seem to be a stage per se. Knopfler is standing in an open space (there is a slightly raised circular stage of sorts) along with the bass player Worf and another guitar player that I will assume is Bennett. All the other musicians are arranged in a semi-circle around them. There is a small audience of maybe 200 people, some of whom are behind the band. The picture on the cover seems to be completely fraudulent. Knopfler is not wearing a head band or a red shirt, nor does he have a red guitar, and he has short gray hair instead of long brown hair.

"Darling Pretty”
From Golden Heart. Starts off with a bouzouki, an accordion, and small flute – I don’t see any small woodwinds listed in the credits, and it sounds like we’re in for some Irish folk. Then Bennett starts off with an acoustic guitar, and bass, drums and Knopfler comes in with electric guitar and vocals – and it’s not Irish folk any more, just typical Knopfler folk-rock.

"Walk of Life"
From Dire Straits Brothers in Arms. OK, he has a red guitar now. Sounds pretty much like the original version, but maybe more piano. Franklin with long pedal steel solo at finish.

"Imelda"
From Golden Heart. This is a bit of a rocker – probably my favorite song from the album. The computer program I’m using shows the audio bit rate – 224 Kbps. It’s basically an mp3, and since I amusing headphones I can really tell.

"Father and Son"
From Cal soundtrack. Another Irish intro, and they keep playing this time – Knopfler joins in on guitar.

"Golden Heart"
From Golden Heart. Starts out as guitar duet with Bennett, with Knopfler vocals. Bass, drums, and the string section join in.

"Rüdiger"
From Golden Heart. Starts off with strings, then all three guitar players join, Worf’s bass sounds like a string bass, drums and piano.

"Cannibals"
From Golden Heart. Sonny Landreth takes a place in the center with Knopfler, Bennett and Worf who really has a string bass now. Franklin has left – don’t need two slide guitar players. Landreth starts out with the lead, but eventually the drums kick in and Knopfler starts singing and playing. some southern boogie, i.e. sounds like Dire Straits.

"Je Suis Désolé"
From Golden Heart. Also sounds like a Dire Straits song, Making Movies era I’d say. Worf can sing backing vocals in French too. Lots of tasty guitar work from both Knopfler and Landreth.

"Last Exit to Brooklyn"
From Last Exit to Brooklyn soundtrack. Another string intro, with Worf on string bass, Bennett acoustic.

"Romeo and Juliet"
From Dire Straits Making Movies. Knopfler has his steel guitar, and we’re still in making movie mode, but this is a low budget version. Sounds like there’s some strings, but they’re not playing; methinks there’s some keyboard programming at work.

"Done with Bonaparte"
From Golden Heart. Wait, while we weren’t looking, the Irish guys have all been moved into the center. They lead things off and carry the song, and Knopfler sings and he still has his shiny guitar. Even though they’ve been banished to the back circle, Bennet and Worf are still playing too.

"A Night in Summer Long Ago"
From Golden Heart. We've got uileann pipes just like that guy in Nightwish plays; the Irish guys are still front and center, but Knopfler has traded in his shiny guitar for an electric one – but it’s not red.

"Brothers in Arms"
From Dire Straits Brothers in Arms. Well damn, the Irish guys get kicked to the back somewhere, and the string section takes their place. But the bass player in the back is still Worf, and the drummer imitates the Union Station guy. PG maybe could have learned a thing or two here; let’s give him a lesson:

"Going Home"
From Local Hero soundtrack. The string section takes another turn in the spotlight. This was the closer on Alchemy.

"Are We in Trouble Now”
From Golden Heart. The cameos are over, and Works and Bennett are back. No vocals; just strings, drums, bass, and guitar. Oh, Franklin is back with the pedal steel too.

"Gravy Train"
From Wag the Dog soundtrack. Before the song starts, Knopfler warns one of the keyboard players not to hurt himself (I don’t think he did). Landreth is back, and we’re rocking. A spectacular display of fretwork to finish things off.
_______

Possibly excepting the last track, this is a much lower key and folksy performance than Alchemy; it’s more in the neighborhood of Union Station than Dire Straits. But if you’re a fan of Knopfler’s solo albums (and the first one in particular) it’s pretty much essential.

Music – 2
Sound quality – 2
Video presentation – 2
Video quality – 1
Surround – 1

This concert has some common elements with all of the other three that I've posted this weekend. It's got uilleann pipes like Nigthwish, a tinge of bluegrass and first class picking and fretwork like Allison Krauss and Union Station, and it has a remake of an old rock classic with classical instrumentation like Peter Gabriel.

Guy Smiley · May 24, 2020

riskylogic said: ↑

New Blood - Live In London

Live Performance by Peter Gabriel
Released 21 Oct 2011
Recorded 23–24 March 2011
Venue Hammersmith Apollo, London
Genre Symphonic rock
Length 141:14
Label Real World/Virgin
Director – John Metcalfe
Producer – Peter Gabriel

Live Blood is a live album and video by the English rock musician Peter Gabriel. Recorded at the HMV Hammersmith Apollo, London on 23 and 24 March 2011, the concert featured Gabriel singing with the New Blood Orchestra and vocalists Ane Brun, Melanie Gabriel, Sevara Nazarkhan and Tom Cawley.

The setlist included songs from his previous orchestral covers album Scratch My Back and new orchestral arrangements of his solo songs, most of which went on to appear on the studio album New Blood. A single CD version of Live Blood formed part of the New Blood Deluxe Edition DVD released in 2011. The concerts were filmed in 3D.

The orchestral versions were arranged by John Metcalfe with Peter Gabriel except "Signal To Noise" which was arranged by Peter Gabriel and Will Gregory and "The Book of Love", which was arranged by Nick Ingman. The songs were conducted by Ben Foster, who is best known for his work on the BBC science fiction series Doctor Who, except "In Your Eyes" which was conducted by John Metcalfe.

Personnel
Bass Clarinet – Jon Carnac
Bassoon – Sarah Burnett
Celesta – John Metcalfe
Cello – Caroline Dale, Chris Worsey, Ian Burdge, Jacqueline Thomas, Nick Roberts
Cello [Principal] – Will Schofield*
Clarinet – Jon Carnac
Concertmaster – Louisa Fuller
Conductor – Ben Foster (tracks: 1-19, 21-22), John Metcalfe (tracks: 20)
Double Bass – Ben Russell, Richard Pryce, Steve Rossell
Double Bass [Principal] – Chris Laurence
Flute – Eliza Marshall
French Horn – Phil Woods
French Horn [Principal] – Nigel Black
Oboe – Alun Darbyshire
Percussion – Joby Burgess, John Metcalfe, Rob Farrer
Piano – Tom Crowley
Piccolo Flute – Eliza Marshall
Trombone – Dan Jenkins, Mark Frost
Trombone [Principal] – Tracy Holloway
Trumpet – Dan Newell*
Trumpet [Principal] – Andy Crowley
Tuba – David Powell
Viola – Helen Kamminga, Ian Rathbone, Jon Thorne (3), Paul Cassidy, Reiad Chibah
Viola [Principal] – Fiona Bonds
Violin – Alison Dods, Cathy Thompson, Charles Mutter, Clare Hayes, Debbie Widdup, Emma Parker, Ian Belton, Ian Humphries, Jeremy Morris, Kathy Shave, Natalia Bonner, Odile Ollagnon, Rita Manning, Roland Roberts
Violin [Principal] – Martin Burgess
Vocals – Ane Brun , Melanie Gabriel, Peter Gabriel, Sevara Nazarkhan (track 20)

Track Listing
# Title Length
1. "Intruder" 5:59
2. "Wallflower" 7:29
3. "The Boy in the Bubble" (written by Paul Simon & Forere Motloheloa) 4:35
4. "Après Moi" (written by Regina Spektor) 5:16
5. "The Drop" 2:58
6. "Washing of the Water" 4:20
7. "The Book of Love" (written by Stephin Merritt) 3:54
8. "Darkness" 6:34
9. "The Power of the Heart" (written by Lou Reed) 6:36
10. "Biko" Peter Gabriel 3 (Melt) 6:54
11. "San Jacinto" 7:44
12. "Digging in the Dirt" 6:01
13. "Signal to Noise" 8:46
14. "Downside Up" 6:29
15. "Mercy Street" 6:47
16. "The Rhythm of the Heat" 6:54
17. "Blood of Eden" 6:31
18. "Red Rain" 7:11
19. "Solsbury Hill" 6:15
20. "In Your Eyes" 8:27
21. "Don’t Give Up" 8:32
22. "The Nest that Sailed the Sky" 6:48

Version Control
Many versions of this were released at the outset – there’s a CD, a DVD, a bluray, a 3D bluray, and various combo sets. I have the bluray, which I bought in February for under $10. However, apparently quarantine demand has driven the current price up to more like $15. Amazon.

The Concert
The video and audio quality are both great. We’ve got the orchestra in back, Gabriel is front and a bit to left. The other two vocalists on the right and they sing facing Gabriel rather than the audience, which seems odd, but I guess they’re the choir. Over on the far right is Tim Crowley on a piano.

I’ve got lots of rock concerts with backing orchestras or string sections, but that’s not what this is. It’s just an Orchestra with three vocalists and a piano. Basically NOT a rock concert.

"Intruder"
From Peter Gabriel 3 (Melt). Gabriel, Brun, and Melanie Gabriel walk out onto the stage while the orchestra starts up. They are playing a modern score, that you wouldn’t recognize as the song were it not for the fact that Gabriel comes out and starts singing.

There are a large horizontal in screen in front of the stage that doubles as the curtain, plus one large screen above and behind the orchestra.

For surround, Gabriel is in the center channel and the orchestra is mostly in front, but there is a little reverb in the back. Brun and Melanie are mixed left and right (not sure which is which) and partly to the rear – so often only their voices are heard in the rear speakers.

"Wallflower"
From Peter Gabriel 4 (Security). Crowley leads of on piano, and the orchestra plays a much more subdued and melodic score than on the first song. After spending most of the song singing in unison with Gabriel, Brun and Melanie sing a chorus by themselves

"The Boy in the Bubble"
From Scratch My Back. Paul Simon cover. Gabriel’s last album was a cover album, where all of the songs were written by other artists. Supposedly there was going to be another album where the same artists were going to do Gabriel songs, but it never happened. That sort explains this concert though – not only is he doing cover versions of his own songs, he’s doing covers of the covers that he did on Scratch My Back. Anyway, Gabriel sings this one solo, with accompaniment from piano and a few woodwinds.

"Après Moi"
From Scratch My Back. Regina Spektor cover. Brun and Melanie are back and the orchestra is busier this time, mostly strings.

"The Drop”
From Up. Back to his own material. Starts out with Gabriel and woodwinds. Brun and Melanie chip in briefly.

"Washing of the Water"
From Us. Gabriel and strings this time. Melanie sings the female part of the song on her own, without Brun. She comes from the center channel instead of one of the sides. The back screen has been showing abstract shapes up to this point, but on this song it shows the faces of both Gabriels while they are singing. The one large screen in split into three separate fields.

"The Book of Love"
From Scratch My Back. A Magnetic Fields cover. Just strings from the orchestra, and still just Melanie. The back screen and front screens have coordinated graphics for the first time, which produces some 3D imagery; I think some of it may be added during video editing.

"Darkness"
From Up. Horns, woodwinds, and strings, and they get a little punchy. Brun comes back, and she and Melanie are singing from the sides again.

"The Power of the Heart"
From Scratch My Back. Lou Reed cover. Gabriel starts out with piano, horns come in, then strings. No backing vocals.

"Biko"
From Peter Gabriel 3 (Melt). Starts out with string bass and single drum, then all three vocalists, then woodwinds. The screen shows candles and pictures of Stephen Biko.

"San Jacinto"
From Peter Gabriel 4 (Security). Starts off with piano and strings, then Gabriel and backing vocals. Piano gives way to horns and woodwinds. Monkey eyes on the screen.

"Digging in the Dirt"
From Us. Starts with metronome, then woodwinds, then Gabriel, then strings horns and backing vocals from Brun and Melanie. The absence of percussion is palpable.

"Signal to Noise"
From Up. Gabriel and strings start it up. Then Brun and Melanie; Brun gets some screen time with 3D effects. Then a drum, a few horns, and lots more strings. There’s also some post-performance 3D graphics added. Spectacular finish from the orchestra.

"Downside Up"
From OVO. Starts off with bassoon and strings. Then Melanie solo, who then joined by Gabriel and Brun. The video goes upside down briefly. Then Gabriel introduces the bass and drum players, which seems ridiculous. I’ve been enjoying the music on its own merits without worrying too much about whether or not it sounds like the original, because usually it doesn’t. But when Chris Laurence starts plucking his double bass, I just have to chuckle: Wait, this guy is supposed to replace Tony Levin? I think not.

"Mercy Street"
From So. Starts with xylophone and some violin plucking, then Gabriel, then background vocals, then horns, flute solo,

"The Rhythm of the Heat"
From Peter Gabriel 4 (Security). Starts of with some pretty cool video, and Gabriel proves he can still belt it:

"Blood of Eden"
From Us. Starts with piano and Gabriel, then strings; Brun and Nazarkhan sing the female part in unison.

"Red Rain"
From So. Starts off with horns and strings, Gabriel, and a holographic projector – looks like the same thing that Wilson used in Home Invasion, or maybe it’s added during video production. A xylophone carries the beat.

"Solsbury Hill"
From Peter Gabriel 1 (Car). Piano, woodwinds and strings start it off, horns join in later. Besides singing, Gabriel fools around with one of the hanging cameras that are projecting images onto the screen. Brun and Melanie just dance, sort of, until singing a bit at the end.

"In Your Eyes"
From So. The front screen starts out lowered; it is then raised again to expose the stage. The strings start up and another vocalist (Nazarkhan) walks out; she’s mixed to the center channel too. The screen goes down and up again – it is semi-transparent.

"Don’t Give Up"
From So. The bass section and the woodwinds start it up. Gabriel sings the male part, while Brun takes the female part. This song is good at illustrating about what works well in this concert and what doesn’t. The orchestra is excellent at playing the notes for the slow first part of the song, but not so much with the rocking finale; it’s almost pitiful.

"The Nest that Sailed the Sky"
From OVO. All instrumental, with Gabriel at the piano (not sure if he actually plays or not). Some pretty awesome graphics that must have been added during video production.
_______

It’s a somewhat familiar setlist, but this is the symphonic version. I don’t think he could top Secret World Live and Growing Up Live (I haven't gotten to that one yet), so it’s just as well that Gabriel decided to do something completely different if he’s going to play mostly the same songs anyway. If you can get over the fact that it is not a rock concert and the original versions are usually better, it’s pretty good. However, to like it you probably have to both be somewhat familiar with the originals and also be ready for something different. There are lots of pretty amazing visual images, many of which must have been added during video production; I'd guess the 3D version is pretty cool. Thanks to the use of the rear speakers for background vocals, there’s a enough surround for a point.

Music – 2
Sound quality – 3
Video presentation – 3
Video quality – 3
Surround – 2
Click to expand...

Regarding the follow up album of others covering Gabriel, it did happen. Just a lot later than PG planned.

The original idea was to release the album, titled And I’ll Scratch Yours, at same time as Scratch My Back. Unfortunately, many of the artists returning the favor by covering PG were late with their tracks, and a few (Most notably Bowie, Neil Young, Ray Davies, and Radiohead) declined to cover a PG song at all.

Anyhow, PG released a handful of singles over a period of time instead and then finally released the album in 2013 with a few other artists brought in to replace those who declined to participate:

And I'll Scratch Yours - Wikipedia

I’d kind of like to see this concert (Maybe I’ll look for some You Tube clips), but at the time I really didn’t care for what I heard from PG’s album. Everything sounded so dour and downbeat to me.

Likewise, I had a chance to see a concert from this tour when PG made a stop in my town. But the idea of Peter Gabriel without percussion and guitars seemed so wrong.

I credit him for always trying new things, but I couldn’t wrap my head around this. Further, it was a summer festival show where there are lots of people and lots of rowdy folks drinking. I kind of expected a disaster in the making, with this show and that crowd, so I passed. My loss, I’m sure. I saw him on the Growing Up tour though, which was wonderful, and I have Secret World Live, so that will suffice.

riskylogic · May 24, 2020

Live! at the Rainbow

Live Performance by Bob Marley and the Wailers
Released 1978
Recorded Summer, 1977
Venue Rainbow Theatre, London
Genre Reggae
Length 90:00
Label Universal Records, Island Records
Director – Keef
Producer – Scott Millaney

Live! At the Rainbow is a concert performance filmed at the Rainbow Thetaer in London in the summer of 1977, after the release of the album Exodus.

Personnel
Bob Marley – Vocals, Rhythm Guitar
Julian (Junior) Marvin – Lead Guitar
Aston Barrett – Bass
Tyrone Downie – Keyboards
Carlton Barrett – Drums
Alvin Patterson – Percussion
Judy Mowatt, Marcia Griffiths, Rita Marley (aka the I Threes) – Backing Vocals

Track Listing

Trenchtown Rock

Them Belly Full (But We Hungry)

I Shot The Sheriff

Rebel Music (3 O'clock Roadblock)

Lively Up Yourself

Crazy Baldhead

War / No More Trouble

The Heathen

No Woman, No Cry

Jamming

Get Up, Stand Up

Exodus

Version Control
This was originally released on VHS in 1978. A two disc DVD version was first released in Europe in 2004; the second disc has a 100 minute documentary on the life of Bob Marley. I have the U.S. version that was released in 2005, which I bought recently. Amazon. I am just going to cover the concert.

The Concert
I used to have a VHS copy of this and it was one of my favorites. So I’m glad to have it on DVD even if the video is no better; it’s still a 4:3 screen with VHS resolution. The audio is ostensibly better – it’s got a DTS 5.1 soundtrack. As for the surround, the rear speakers are pretty much silent. The center channel is used, but not discretely – so it still pretty much sounds like stereo.

“Trenchtown Rock”
From African Herbsman. Marley in up front in the middle. The formidable background trio are also in front, over on the right. Everyone else is in back. Mostly just see the vocalists on this song. Lots of double imaging - two shots of Marley at the same time, Marley and the trio at the same time, Marley and percussion at the same time.

“Them Belly Full (But We Hungry)”
From Natty Dread. The formidable trio lead it off. Marley roams the stage during keyboard and guitar solos; the trio dance in place.

“I Shot The Sheriff”
From Burnin’. Bass and drums lead it off. Marley does most of the singing, the formidable trio do most of the dancing, Marvin does all of the guitar playing.

“Rebel Music (3 O'clock Roadblock)”
From Natty Dread. Marley mostly runs the show; Marvin gets a solo.

“Lively Up Yourself”
From Burnin’. Marvin starts it up; he comes up to the front of the stage for a bit. The formidable trio can sing and dance at the same time. Marley sings for a while, then Marvin plays some more – he goes up front while Marley goes back to play in the rhythm section. The Marley put his guitar down to concentrate on dancing, runs a lap around the stage.

All the songs are great, but this video is the best at showing the whole band:

“Crazy Baldhead”
From Rastaman Vibration. Marley has his guitar back, and he sings too. The vocalists get most of the camera attention, lots of double imaging again. Long run of back and forth between Marley and the formidable I Threes.

“War / No More Trouble”
From Rastaman Vibration and Catch a Fire. Marley and the trio are still the show – Marley goes over to sing with them for a bit.

“The Heathen”
From Exodus. Marley takes a tour with his guitar; over to play with the formidable trio, then the rhythm section, and then he dances in place. After another round of singing, Marvin takes over while the trio keep singing.

“No Woman, No Cry”
From Rastaman Vibration. Marvin leads off with solo, Downie and the keyboards get some focus. Marley takes over, but Marvin finishes.

“Jamming”
From Exodus. Mostly Marley and the trio, with lots of double imaging.

“Get Up, Stand Up”
From Burnin’. Marley with lots of double imaging. The crowd joins in – and they’re in front. There ain’t no surround.

“Exodus”
From Exodus. Barrett and the rest of the rhythm section lay it down. Lots of shots of the whole band. When they aren’t singing, Marley and the trio concentrate on dancing. The vocalists all make an exodus while the rest of the band carries on without them.
_______

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m thinking this is the finest reggae performance caught on video ever. The video quality isn’t great by modern standards, but for something recorded over 40 years ago, it’s quite good. If you’re not a Bob Marley or reggae fan already, watching this concert is a good way to become one. Yes there is a 5.1 mix, but I wouldn't call it surround.

Music – 3
Sound quality – 3
Video presentation – 3
Video quality – 1
Surround – 1

riskylogic · May 24, 2020

Guy Smiley said: ↑

But the idea of Peter Gabriel without percussion and guitars seemed so wrong.
Click to expand...

Like I said in the review, it works better for some songs than others. Fortunately, he had the good sense to not even attempt to cover songs like "Sledgehammer" and "Steam".

riskylogic · May 24, 2020

Time for another index update. Here is a synopsis of my current rating system that has been modified slightly since the opening post:

1) Music Quality. This is loosely tied to my collection of about 4000 stereo titles. A 3 means top 10%, a 2 is in the next 40%, a 1 is bottom half.

2) Visual performance. This is also completely subjective, and since I don’t have a frame a reference, I am basically just winging it.

3) Sound Quality. I am giving everything that is DTS or better a 3. Dolby Digital gets a 2, even though you may not notice the difference unless you are listening on a pretty good system. A 1 means there are obvious problems with the audio, no matter what you are listening on.

4) Video quality. 3 is bluray quality, 2 is DVD, 1 is VHS, 0 is Archival Footage. Longer explanation here. Note that it’s the quality of the actual video that matters, not the format itself; putting an old VHS recording on a bluray does not increase the score.

5) Surround Quality. 3’s are rare on this thread, but I give them for either discrete mixing in the back or for center channel use plus ambience (more than just reverb) in the back. Use of the center channel or use of the rears for more than just reverb is good enough for a 2. Stereo is 1, Mono is 0.

Ranges indicate either that the rating is version dependent, or that the content varies. The reviews are mine unless other attribution is given. The highlighted link for the reviews and ratings are different if the initial review is from Mark or someone else, or if I have changed the ratings for some reason.

AC/DC – Let There Be Rock / Live Performance and Concert Documentary (@mark winstanley)
Anathema – A Moment in Time / Live Performance / Rating: 11
Ayreon - Electric Castle Live and Other Tales / Live Performance / Rating: 13

Band, The – The Last Waltz / Live Performance and Concert Documentary / Rating: 12-14
Beatles, The – A Hard Day’s Night / Movie / Rating: 11
Beatles, The – Help! / Movie / Rating: 9-12
Beatles, The – Yellow Submarine / Movie / Rating: 15
Beck, Jeff – Performing This Week... Live At Ronnie Scott's / Live Performance / Rating: 14
Blackfield – NYC: Live in New York City / Live Performance / Rating: 11
Blue Öyster Cult – Live 1976 / Live Performance / Rating: 7

Camel – Live At The Royal Albert Hall / Live Performance / Rating: 12
Cave, Nick – Once More With Feeling / Concert Documentary (@mark winstanley)
Church, The – Future Past Perfect / Live Performance / Rating: 11
Clapton, Eric – The Cream of Eric Clapton / Video Collection / Rating: 10*

Dead Can Dance – Yulunga and Other Stories / Video Collection / Rating: 9-12
Dire Straits – Alchemy / Live Performance / Rating: 13*
Dream Theater – Distance Over Time / Video Collection /Rating: 12*
Dylan, Bob – No Direction Home / Concert Documentary (@mark winstanley)
Eurythmics – Sweet Dreams - The Video Album / Video Collection / Rating: 8

Gabriel, Peter – Secret World Live / Live Performance / Rating: 13
Gabriel, Peter – Play / Video Collection / Rating: 11-13*
Gabriel, Peter – New Blood - Live In London / Live Performance / Rating: 13

Genesis – Pop Shop Live TV 1972 / Studio Performance / Rating: 8*
Gentle Giant – The Power and the Suite / Video Collection / Rating: 13
Gilmour, David – Live in Gdańsk / Live Performance / Rating: 11
Gilmour, David – Live at Pompeii / Live Performance / Rating: 13
Glass, Philip – Koyaanisqatsi / Movie / Rating: 13

Hendrix, Jimi – Band of Gypsys: Live at The Fillmore East / Concert Documentary / Rating: 8*
Iron Maiden – Flight 666 / Concert Documentary (@mark winstanley)

King Crimson – Déjà Vrooom / Live Performance / Rating: 11
King Crimson – Meltdown: Live in Mexico City / Live Performance / Rating: 14
Knopfler, Mark – A Night in London / Studio Performance / Rating: 8
Kraftwerk – 3D 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 / Video Collection / Rating: 13
Krauss, Allison & Union Station – Live! / Live Performance / Rating: 11

Mannheim Steamroller – Fresh Aire 8 / Video Collection / Rating: 9*
Marillion – Fish Tales / Video Collection / Rating: 9-10*
Marillion – Recital of the Script / Live Performance / Rating: 11*
Marley, Bob & The Wailers – Live! at the Rainbow / Live Performance / Rating: 11
Nightwish – Vehicle of Spirit / Live Performance / Rating: 12

Pink Floyd – Devi/ation 1970 / Video Collection / Rating: 4
Pink Floyd – The Wall / Movie / Rating: 10
Porcupine Tree – Arriving Somewhere... / Live Performance / Rating: 13 - 14
Presley, Elvis – That's The Way It Is (@mark winstanley)

R.E.M – Road Movie / Live Performance / Rating: 9
Roxy Music – The High Road / Live Performance / Rating: 12
Rush – Exit ..... Stage Left / Live Peformance (@mark winstanley)

Santana – Santana IV Live At The House Of Blues Las Vegas / Live Performance / Rating: 13
Simple Minds – Acoustic In Concert / Live Performance / Rating: 1o
Springsteen, Bruce - The River Tour / Live Performance (@mark winstanley)

Talking Heads – Stop Making Sense / Live Performance / Rating: 11-13
Tangerine Dream – The Video Dream Mixes / Video Collection: Rating: 7
Tool – Vicarious / Video / Rating: 10
Townsend, Devin – Ocean Machine – Live / Live Performance (@mark winstanley) / Rating: 10-12

U2 – Under a Blood Red Sky / Live Performance (@mark winstanley) / Rating: 12
U2 – 360° at the Rose Bowl / Live Performance (@mark winstanley)
U2 – Live in Paris / Live Performance (@mark winstanley)
Ultravox – Rage in Eden / Live Performance (@mark winstanley) / Rating: 13

Various Artists – Woodstock / Live Performance and Concert Documentary / Rating: 12*
Various Artists – Baraka / Movie / Rating: 12

Wilson, Steven – Home Invasion / Live Performance / Rating: 15
Wishbone Ash – Live Dates 3 / Live Performance / Rating: 13

Yes – Yessongs / Live Performance / Rating: 6*
Yes – Symphonic Live / Live Performance / Rating: 14

Zappa, Frank – The Torture Never Stops / Live Performance / Rating: 8
Zimmer, Hans – Live in Prague / Live Performance (@thetman) / Rating: 15

* One point deducted from original rating as a result of video rating scale adjustment.

Comments on any of the above are always welcome.

mark winstanley · May 25, 2020

riskylogic said: ↑

Live! at the Rainbow

Live Performance by Bob Marley and the Wailers
Released 1978
Recorded Summer, 1977
Venue Rainbow Theatre, London
Genre Reggae
Length 90:00
Label Universal Records, Island Records
Director – Keef
Producer – Scott Millaney

Live! At the Rainbow is a concert performance filmed at the Rainbow Thetaer in London in the summer of 1977, after the release of the album Exodus.

Personnel
Bob Marley – Vocals, Rhythm Guitar
Julian (Junior) Marvin – Lead Guitar
Aston Barrett – Bass
Tyrone Downie – Keyboards
Carlton Barrett – Drums
Alvin Patterson – Percussion
Judy Mowatt, Marcia Griffiths, Rita Marley (aka the I Threes) – Backing Vocals

Track Listing

Trenchtown Rock

Them Belly Full (But We Hungry)

I Shot The Sheriff

Rebel Music (3 O'clock Roadblock)

Lively Up Yourself

Crazy Baldhead

War / No More Trouble

The Heathen

No Woman, No Cry

Jamming

Get Up, Stand Up

Exodus

Version Control
This was originally released on VHS in 1978. A two disc DVD version was first released in Europe in 2004; the second disc has a 100 minute documentary on the life of Bob Marley. I have the U.S. version that was released in 2005, which I bought recently. Amazon. I am just going to cover the concert.

The Concert
I used to have a VHS copy of this and it was one of my favorites. So I’m glad to have it on DVD even if the video is no better; it’s still a 4:3 screen with VHS resolution. The audio is ostensibly better – it’s got a DTS 5.1 soundtrack. As for the surround, the rear speakers are pretty much silent. The center channel is used, but not discretely – so it still pretty much sounds like stereo.

“Trenchtown Rock”
From African Herbsman. Marley in up front in the middle. The formidable background trio are also in front, over on the right. Everyone else is in back. Mostly just see the vocalists on this song. Lots of double imaging - two shots of Marley at the same time, Marley and the trio at the same time, Marley and percussion at the same time.

“Them Belly Full (But We Hungry)”
From Natty Dread. The formidable trio lead it off. Marley roams the stage during keyboard and guitar solos; the trio dance in place.

“I Shot The Sheriff”
From Burnin’. Bass and drums lead it off. Marley does most of the singing, the formidable trio do most of the dancing, Marvin does all of the guitar playing.

“Rebel Music (3 O'clock Roadblock)”
From Natty Dread. Marley mostly runs the show; Marvin gets a solo.

“Lively Up Yourself”
From Burnin’. Marvin starts it up; he comes up to the front of the stage for a bit. The formidable trio can sing and dance at the same time. Marley sings for a while, then Marvin plays some more – he goes up front while Marley goes back to play in the rhythm section. The Marley put his guitar down to concentrate on dancing, runs a lap around the stage.

All the songs are great, but this video is the best at showing the whole band:

“Crazy Baldhead”
From Rastaman Vibration. Marley has his guitar back, and he sings too. The vocalists get most of the camera attention, lots of double imaging again. Long run of back and forth between Marley and the formidable I Threes.

“War / No More Trouble”
From Rastaman Vibration and Catch a Fire. Marley and the trio are still the show – Marley goes over to sing with them for a bit.

“The Heathen”
From Exodus. Marley takes a tour with his guitar; over to play with the formidable trio, then the rhythm section, and then he dances in place. After another round of singing, Marvin takes over while the trio keep singing.

“No Woman, No Cry”
From Rastaman Vibration. Marvin leads off with solo, Downie and the keyboards get some focus. Marley takes over, but Marvin finishes.

“Jamming”
From Exodus. Mostly Marley and the trio, with lots of double imaging.

“Get Up, Stand Up”
From Burnin’. Marley with lots of double imaging. The crowd joins in – and they’re in front. There ain’t no surround.

“Exodus”
From Exodus. Barrett and the rest of the rhythm section lay it down. Lots of shots of the whole band. When they aren’t singing, Marley and the trio concentrate on dancing. The vocalists all make an exodus while the rest of the band carries on without them.
_______

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m thinking this is the finest reggae performance caught on video ever. The video quality isn’t great by modern standards, but for something recorded over 40 years ago, it’s quite good. If you’re not a Bob Marley or reggae fan already, watching this concert is a good way to become one. Yes there is a 5.1 mix, but I wouldn't call it surround.

Music – 3
Sound quality – 3
Video presentation – 3
Video quality – 1
Surround – 1
Click to expand...

Another one I have looked at often and never pulled the pin on.

mark winstanley · May 25, 2020

Albert Lee ‎– Tearing It Up
Label: AIX Records ‎– AIX 85054
Format: Blu-ray, Stereo, Multichannel
Country: US
Released: 26 Jun 2012
Genre: Rock
Style: Country Rock, Rock & Roll

Credits

Backing Vocals – Alexandra Lee

Bass – Bob Glaub

Co-producer, Mastered By, Engineer – Dominic Robelotto

Drums – Don Heffington

Lead Vocals, Electric Guitar, Piano – Albert Lee

Pedal Steel Guitar – Randle Currie

Piano – John Thomas (5)

Producer, Executive Producer, Music Director, Engineer, Mixed By – Mark Waldrep

Recorded December 18, 2006 at Zipper Auditorium in the Colburn School Of Performing Arts, Los Angeles, California.

1 I’m Ready Written By – Joe Robichaux, Pearl King, Ruth Durand
2 Rock Around With Ollie Vee Written By – Sonny Curtis
3 Hangin' On Written By – Buddy Mize, Ira Allen
4 Restless Written By – Carl Perkins
5 Brand New Heartache Written By – Boudleaux & Felice Bryant
6 'Till I Gain Control Again Written By – Rodney Crowell
7 Sleepless Nights Written By – Boudleaux & Felice Bryant
8 Luxury Liner Written By – Gram Parsons
9 Evangelina Written By – Hoyt Axton, Kenneth Higginbotham
10 Rock Of Your Love Written By – John Hiatt
11 Country Boy Written By – Albert Lee, Ray Smith, Tony Colton
12 Don’t Written By – Leiber & Stoller
13 Dimming Of The Day Written By – Richard Thompson
14 Tear It Up Written By – Dorsey Burnette, Johnny Burnette, Paul Burlison
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is a quality product, and it is really going to depend on whether you like Albert Lee or not.
Albert Lee is an exceptional guitarist who tends to lean towards Country, Country Rock, but he also likes a bit of old time rock and roll, as some of the songs up there clearly point to.
Albert has played with everyone and is probably among the most liked and respected guitarists going around.
He has recorded with
1971 Jon Lord of Deep Purple's, Gemini Suite
The Crickets in 1974 with Sony Curtis and Jerry Alison, via an introduction from Rick Grech.
Replaced James Burton in Emmylou Harris's band in 1976.
In 1978 he joined Eric Clapton and he appears on one of my favourite live albums, Eric Clapton At Budokan from 1980.
In 1983 Albert was responsible for the Everly Brothers reunion concert and was the musical director. He played with the Everly Brothers regularly for about twenty years.

Lee has had a remarkable career, and although he has never particularly had a ton of commercial success with his many solo albums, he is highly regarded as one of the great guitarists, and all round good guys of the music industry.
I was lucky enough to see Albert live in the nineties with Steve Morse and Steve Vai, and what a gig that was.
One of the interesting things about this disc is what a very good singer Albert is as well.

It is still available through AIX records for about $35 Albert Lee – Tearing It Up – AIX Records
Also it is on discogs for about $30 Albert Lee - Tearing It Up

From an audio perspective the disc has 2, 5.1 mixes. A stage mix, and an audience mix both dolby true hd 96/24. We also have a stereo 96/24 pcm mix.

Stage mix
We have the drummer on the right side.
The pianist is from the left side around to the front.
The pedal steel guitarist is on the right side.
Albert is left front .
Bass is in front.

Audience mix
Drums across the front
Piano left side around to front.
Pedal steel just to the right
Albert up front left
Bass in front

The audience mix is more up front, but the piano and the pedal steel move into the sides.

The quality of the players is extremely high. The recording is a sort of live in the studio type recording.

I prefer the stage mix, even though the drums are over on the right side. It has a nice wide live representation of what is happening on the stage.

Albert was obviously influenced by the Everly's because his singing reminds me a lot of them.
On Sleepless nights we get Albert on the piano and singing, and it is just as impressive.

If you like Albert, country/rock, rock and roll, this is good stuff.

Unfortunately there aren't any youtube videos, but if you go to the Aix link - Albert Lee – Tearing It Up – AIX Records - there is the Luxury Liner clip there.

weekendtoy · May 27, 2020

riskylogic said: ↑

Live

Click to expand...

I have this one on SACD and it's the finest sounding live album I have. I believe it was one of the first live albums recorded straight to DSD.

riskylogic · May 30, 2020

Live In Paris '79

Live Performance by Supertramp
Released 2012
Recorded 29 November 1979
Venue Pavillon de Paris, Paris, France
Genre Progressive rock, pop rock, art rock
Length 133 min
Executive-producer – Dave Margereson, Geoff Kempin, Terry Shand
Film Director – Peter Clifton

Paris is a live album by the English rock band Supertramp, released in 1980. It was recorded on Supertramp's Breakfast in America tour in Paris, France, with most of the tracks taken from a 29 November 1979 show at the Pavillon de Paris, a venue which was once a slaughterhouse. The album was originally going to be called Roadworks. Paris reached number 8 on the Billboard 200 in late 1980 and went Gold immediately, while the live version of "Dreamer" hit the US Top 20. The Live In Paris '79' releases contain recordings performed on the 3rd night on 1st December 1979 of a four show series played between 29th November and 2nd December 1979.

In 2010, Clifton was contacted to finish editing the initial three videos, aiming to later release a concert film out of the Paris concert. The footage was delivered to Roger Hodgson before a concert in Sydney. Once Supertramp manager Dave Margereson and Eagle Rock Entertainment offered to cover the post-production costs, Clifton worked on finishing the film, doing his initial work in Australia. By the time he moved to London to conclude the project, Clifton found out his original idea to feature heavily footage of Paris, adding a story akin to his work in The Song Remains the Same, was nixed by the band, who edited most of what he had done without consent to instead showcase more of the group. The sound was remixed by Peter Henderson and Supertramp's original sound engineer Russel Pope from the original multi-tracks.

The concert film was released on 27 August 2012 under the title Live In Paris '79, with editions in both DVD and Blu-ray Disc. Hodgson would later express his disapproval with the finished project, saying the rest of the band made most decisions regarding the DVD without asking his input and avoiding giving correct songwriting credit to himself or Davies. The DVD was repackaged in 2015 with the full show on two CDs and correct songwriting credit on the rear packaging.

Personnel
Rick Davies – lead and backing vocals, acoustic and Wurlitzer pianos, Hammond Organ, Elka and Oberheim synthesizers, Hohner Clavinet, harmonica, tambourine;
Roger Hodgson – lead and backing vocals, acoustic and electric guitars, pianos, synthesizers, bells;
John Helliwell – saxophones, clarinet, synthesizers, percussion, backing vocals, spoken intros;
Dougie Thomson – bass, backing vocals on "Fool's Overture", "Bloody Well Right" and "Two of Us";
Bob Siebenberg (as Bob C. Benberg) – drums, percussion, backing vocals on "Two of Us".

Track Listing
1. French Touch (Intro)
2. School
3. Bloody Well Right
4. The Logical Song
5. Goodbye Stranger
6. Breakfast In America
7. Hide In Your Shell
8. Asylum
9. Even In The Quietest Moments
10. Give A Little Bit
11. Dreamer
12. Rudy
13. Take The Long Way Home
14. Another Man's Woman
15. Child Of Vision
16. Fool's Overture
17. Two Of Us
18. Crime Of The Century
19. From Now On (Credits)

Version Control
Both DVD and bluray versions of this are still available. Amazon. I have the UK bluray.

The Concert
Since this was transferred directly from film to a digital format in the 21st century, it’s better than VHS and it’s widescreen, but I can’t really say it’s up to the modern bluray standards, so let’s call it DVD quality. However, some segments are worse than that; the shots from the camera behind the audience are very grainy.

Even though there is a 5.1 track, the center channel isn’t used at all, and there is just crowd noise and a tiny bit of reverb in the back. The stereo track is perhaps better.

The stage is set up with drums in the back – Siebenberg is completely invisible behind the cymbals. Bass player Thomson is just in front of the drums at start, but he tends migrate to wherever the other front guys aren’t. There are multiple sets of keyboards over on the left, including an actual piano; Hodgson is always over there. Davies is sometimes over there too, but when he is playing guitar he is over on the right. Helliwell introduces all the songs and he is usually front and center – there is also a set of keyboards right-center that he uses. I’ll also point at this juncture that all five band members sing high-pitched at some point, and that seems to be the norm, the main exception is that Hodgson often sings in his normal voice. Hodgson is a high-range tenor, so he can sing those notes in his normal voice, but I think everyone else is singing falsetto.

“School “
From Crime of the Century. After an opening sequence featuring a Charlie Chaplin clown going into the concert, Davies leads things off with a harmonica seated at the small front keyboard (I’m going to call this Keyboard One) because he and Hodgson both use it. Helliwell selects the clarinet. Over on the right, Hodgson sings first with guitar in hand. Thomson starts out at the keyboard behind the piano (Keyboard Two) before retreating to his bass playing position. Davies moves back to the actual piano, and provides backing vocals. Hodgson sings in semi-normal voice at end

“Bloody Well Right”
From Crime of the Century. Davies starts out at Keyboard One. He sguints while he is playing. Hogdson and Davies are co-leads, Hodgson normal voice, Davies high pitched and guitar. Heliwell on his keyboards, then sax. Hodgson falsetto too at the end. Out of my three choices, I’m going to go with this one because I like Supertramp better when Hodgson is on guitar:

“The Logical Song”
From Breakfast in America. Hodgson is on Keyboard One singing falsetto. Heliwell with brilliant sax and backing vocals.

“Goodbye Stranger”.
From Breakfast in America. Davies is on Keyboard One, singing both normal and falsetto. Heliwell on Keyboard Two, also backing along with Davies over on the right with guitar. That leaves Thomson to be front and center. Heliwell has a tambourine, and Hodgson can be an awesome guitar player when he gets around to it.

“Breakfast in America”
From Breakfast in America. Heliwell tries to explain why breakfast in America is better to the Parisians in French. Hodgson is on the piano and lead vocals while Davies occupies the Keyboard Two position. Heliwell is front and center playing clarinet while Thomson wanders over to the right.

“Hide In Your Shell”
From Crime of the Century. Hodgson moves up to Keyboard One and lead vocals, Davies still on Two and backing vocals, while Heliwell is on his own keyboards, and backing vocals. At the end of the song three more background vocalists come on back right (Two male, one female), and they are all singing at a pretty high pitch.

“Asylum”
From Crime of the Century. Davies on piano and lead normal voice vocals. Hodgson on guitar and a short backing vocal, Heliwell keyboards and sax, and we get to see a bit of Siebenberg. A monkey clown with a banana comes out on stage during the finishing piano solo.

“Even in The Quietest Moments”
From Even in the Quietest Moments. Hodgson with acoustic guitar and lead vocals, Heliwell clarinet.

"Give A Little Bit"
From Even in the Quietest Moments. Hodgson with acoustic guitar and lead vocals, Heliwell a little guitar then sax, Davies tambourine and Keyboard Two.

“Dreamer”
From Crime of the Century. Hodgson on Keyboard One and lead vocals, Davies Keyboard Two and backvocals, Heliwell backing vocals - while lounging on the piano at one point.

“Rudy”
From Crime of the Century. Davies on piano with lead vocals. Heliwell on keyboards and clarinet, Hodgson guitar. When the song starts cooking, the concert video is replaced by B&W time lapse train photography (like the old Cure “Jumping Someone Else’s Train” video). I don’t know if they did that originally, or whether the DVD video editors were to make up for bad film. Anyway, when the song slows down, the concert video comes back.

“Take The Long Way Home”
From Breakfast in America. Davies on piano and lead vocals; Hodgson harmonica at Keyboard Two position, then keyboards and backing vocals; Heliwell keyboards, backing vocals, and clarinet.

"Another Man's Woman"
From Crisis? What Crisis? Davies on piano with lead vocals. Davies over on right with guitar and backing vocals. Heliwell sax and backing vocals. Awesome piano and guitar duet from Davies and Hodgson, but can’t a find a video.

“Child Of Vision”
From Breakfast in America. Davies on Keyboard One and lead vocals, Hodgson piano and backing vocals, Heliwell keyboards and sax.

“Fool's Overture”
From Even in the Quietest Moments. Hodgson on piano and lead vocals. We get some B&W video spliced in again with a Churchill sample, and after that’s over, there’s another set of keyboards over on the right (that makes five if you’re counting) that Hodgson is playing with bass and drums. There are some clowns milling about. Heliwell comes in with sax, Davies is on piano. An interlude with more spliced in video, and the stage is filled with clowns when we get back to the concert – including the Charlie Chaplin and monkey clowns encountered earlier.

“Two Of Us”
From Crisis? What Crisis? Hodgson goes solo with guitar and vocals, except the other four guys chime in with a falsetto chorus. An abbreviated version of the song.

“Crime Of The Century”
From Crime of the Century. Davies on piano and lead vocals, Hodgson on guitar. The concert video gives way to a gorgeous aerial video of the Eiffel Tower at night, which is then replaced by semi-animated Crime of the Century cover art.

“From Now On”
From Even in the Quietest Moments. Plays while the credits roll.
_______

How many decent concert videos are there of prog heroes at the height of their career? Not very many. I feel very lucky to have this. Even though it’s the end of the Breakfast of America tour, they play seven out of eight songs from Crime of the Century, which is their best album. I would have liked more from Crisis though. I am sooo glad the band squashed the idea to “include a story” with the concert.

Music – 3
Sound quality – 3
Video presentation – 3
Video quality – 2
Surround – 1

riskylogic · May 30, 2020

Magical Mystery Tour

Movie by The Beatles
Genre Surreal comedy
Written by The Beatles
Directed by The Beatles
Starring The Beatles
Narrated by John Lennon
Composer(s) The Beatles
Country of origin United Kingdom
Original language(s) English
Producer(s) Dennis O'Dell
Cinematography Richard Starkey M.B.E.
Editor(s) Roy Benson
Running time 52 minutes

Magical Mystery Tour is an English made-for-television musical film directed by and starring the Beatles. It is the third film that starred the band and depicts a group of people on a coach tour who experience strange happenings caused by magicians. The premise was inspired by Ken Kesey's Further adventures with the Merry Pranksters and the then-popular coach trips from Liverpool to see the Blackpool Lights. Paul McCartney is credited with conceptualising and leading the project.

Much of Magical Mystery Tour was shot in and around RAF West Malling, a decommissioned military airfield in Kent, and the script was largely improvised. Shooting proceeded on the basis of a mostly handwritten collection of ideas, sketches and situations. The film is interspersed with musical interludes, which include the Beatles performing "I Am the Walrus" wearing animal masks and the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band performing Vivian Stanshall and Neil Innes' "Death Cab For Cutie"

The script of Magical Mystery Tour was largely improvised. The Beatles gathered together a group of people for the cast and camera crew, and told them to "be on the coach on Monday morning". Ringo Starr recalled: "Paul had a great piece of paper – just a blank piece of white paper with a circle on it. The plan was: 'We start here, and we’ve got to do something here …' We filled it in as we went along."

The film originally aired on BBC1, in black-and-white, on Boxing Day, 26 December 1967.[3] A colour transmission followed on BBC2 on 5 January 1968.[4] It was poorly received by critics and audiences,[5] although its accompanying soundtrack was a commercial and critical success. The film received an American theatrical release in 1974 by New Line Cinema, and in select theatres worldwide in 2012 by Apple Films.

Songs
In the order of appearance on the soundtrack:

1. Magical Mystery Tour
"Magical Mystery Tour" was written as the main theme song shortly after McCartney conceived the idea for the film. In Hunter Davies' contemporary account of the 25 April session, McCartney arrived with the chord structure but only the opening refrain ("Roll up / Roll up for the mystery tour"), necessitating a brainstorming discussion the following day to complete the lyrics. Like "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", the song serves to welcome the audience to the event and uses a trumpet fanfare.

2. Your Mother Should Know
"Your Mother Should Know is a song in the music hall style similar to McCartney's "When I'm Sixty-Four" from Sgt. Pepper. Its lyrical premise centres on the history of hit songs across generations. He originally offered it for the Our World broadcast, but the Beatles favoured Lennon's "All You Need Is Love" for its social significance. McCartney later said he wrote the song as a production number for Magical Mystery Tour, where it provides the film's closing, Busby Berkeley–style dance sequence. In author Doyle Greene's view, the lyrics advocate generational understanding in the manner of "She's Leaving Home" but, unlike in the latter song, to the point of "maternal authority and youth compliance", and contrast sharply with the confrontational message of the EP's next track.

3. I Am the Walrus
"I Am the Walrus" was Lennon's main contribution to the film, written partly during his acid trips, and lyrically inspired by Lewis Carroll's poem "The Walrus and the Carpenter" from Through the Looking Glass. The impetus came from a fan letter Lennon received from a student at his former high school, Quarry Bank, in which he learned that an English literature teacher there was affording the Beatles' lyrics scholarly interpretation. Bemused by this, Lennon set out to write a lyric that would confound analysis from scholars and music journalists. In addition to drawing on Carroll's imagery and Shakespeare's King Lear, he reworked a nursery rhyme from his school days, and referenced Edgar Allan Poe and (in the vocalised "googoogajoob"s) James Joyce. Author Jonathan Gould describes "I Am the Walrus" as "the most overtly 'literary' song the Beatles would ever record", while MacDonald deems it "[Lennon's] ultimate anti-institutional rant – a damn-you-England tirade that blasts education, art, culture, law, order, class, religion, and even sense itself".

4. The Fool on the Hill
McCartney wrote the melody for "The Fool on the Hill" during the Sgt. Pepper sessions but the lyrics remained incomplete until September. The song is about a solitary figure who is not understood by others,but is actually wise. In Everett's interpretation, the fool's innocence leaves him adrift from and unwilling to engage with a judgmental society. McCartney said the idea was inspired by the Dutch design collective the Fool, who derived their name from the tarot card of the same name, and possibly by the Maharishi. A piano ballad, its musical arrangement includes flutes and bass harmonicas, and a recorder solo played by McCartney.

5. Flying
"Flying" is an instrumental and the first Beatles track to be credited to all four members of the band. It was titled "Aerial Tour Instrumental" until late in the sessions and appears in the film over footage of clouds and outtakes from Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove. The track is a 12-bar blues and set to what music historian Richie Unterberger terms a "rock–soul rhythm". It consists of three rounds of the 12-bar pattern, led first by guitars, then Mellotron and organ, and finally a chanted vocal chorus.

6. Blue Jay Way
"Blue Jay Way" was named after a street in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles where Harrison stayed in August 1967. The lyrics document his wait for music publicist Derek Taylor to find his way to Blue Jay Way through the fog-ridden hills, while Harrison struggled to stay awake after the flight from London to Los Angeles. MacDonald describes the song as Harrison's "farewell to psychedelia", since his subsequent visit to Haight-Ashbury led to him seeking an alternative to hallucinogenic drugs and opened the way to the Beatles' embrace of Transcendental Meditation.

Version Control
There many different versions of this movie. I upgraded DVD with Dolby Digital stereo to a bluray currently for sale because it has a new 5.1 soundtrack.

The Movie
It’s 4:3 video, but I’d still call it DVD quality. Not that it matters; it’s a terrible movie. But let’s see if there are any rippable surround tracks in there. It’s DTS-MA HD, so the sound quality has the potential to be very good.

"Magical Mystery Tour"
On Chapter 1, the song runs during the opening credits, which is fine, but unfortunately the movie starts up before the song is over which means we have some dialog in the middle of it. Surroundwise, we’ve got lead vocals in the center channel and background vocals in surround – so only background vocals in the back. Editing needed at end.

"The Fool on the Hill"
The song's sequence on Chapter 2 in Magical Mystery Tour involved a dedicated film shoot, featuring McCartney on a hillside overlooking Nice, in the South of France, which added considerably to the film's production costs. Piano on left, flute on right both mixed partially to the back, lead vocals in center channel. Needed to edit a few seconds out at the beginning, and about two minutes at the end.

"Flying"
On Chapter 5, with video of mountains that I’m pretty sure are nowhere near the English countryside. Guitar bass and drums all on left, second guitar and mellotron on right. Vocals in surround. Mellotron in surround at end. Needed editing at both the beginning and end

"I Am the Walrus"
On chapter 8 the Beatles put on a good show; definitely the best video:

Lead vocals in center, piano left, strings on right. The last ha-ha-ha is the rear speakers – first discrete mix in the back so far. Needed editing at the end.

"Blue Jay Way"
On chapter 10 George is meditating in front of a keyboard facsimile, with lots of multiple imaging. Organ and drums left, lead vocals center, cello on right. Needed editing at the end.

"Your Mother Should Know"
On chapter 13 the Beatles are dancing at the ball, and Paul is singing. Piano left, lead vocal center, organ, drums and bass right. Background vocals in surround. Extraneous second and a half at the beginning, otherwise clean.
__________

Let’s not beat around the bush. This is the worst Beatles movie by far. At least it doesn’t last very long. But I still splurged for the bluray for one reason only – it’s got a new surround mix. As it turns out, it’s more like the first two movies than Yellow Submarine – there only one instance of discrete mixing to the back. The audio quality is excellent, and the 5.1 mix does use the center channel for lead vocals, and other instruments and background vocals are often mixed partially to the back. I still ended up with a decent surround mix of the UK soundtrack EP. The first track is the only one marred by movie dialog.

Music -2
Sound quality – 3
Video presentation – 1
Video quality – 2, but who cares
Surround – 2

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