Great review! I love all three of the sets featuring the docs and play them often. If only all of my favorite bands kept video records this well.
Sweet! I’ve been meaning to ask if you’d ever picked this up, after we discussed when you reviewed the GD Movie, or if you were planning to review it. I was going to offer, if you hadn’t/weren’t! Sounds like you mostly liked it, and I’m glad. Glad you found it a good price too! It’s a great, and epic, show. They closed a classic hall in classic fashion, as only the Dead. As Bill Graham said, “They aren’t the best at what they do. They’re the only ones who do what do they do.” I’ll share some thoughts later, as I have time. Thanks again!
Yes, I did enjoy it. Also, since I don't have but the one live album it fills a hole in my collection. However, I don't anticipate doing any more Dead concerts - so if anybody wants to call attention to another have at it.
I wish to call attention to Rocking The Cradle ~ Egypt 1978 (Rhino 2CD + DVD) Goes for stupid money now, even more for the version with a third bonus CD. Recorded in September, the bonus DVD set list has little duplication from Winterland. Shot on video, but the 5.1 DTS 48k sounds good to me, strong front sound field for the rhythm with keys & guitars in surrounds. "Bertha" > (Hunter, Garcia) – 5:30[a] "Good Lovin' " (Arthur Resnick, Rudy Clark) – 7:52 "Row Jimmy" (Hunter, Garcia) – 11:20 "New Minglewood Blues" (Lewis) – 6:07 "Candyman" (Hunter, Garcia) – 7:08 "Looks Like Rain" (Barlow, Weir) – 8:33 "Deal" (Hunter, Garcia) – 6:52 "Ollin Arageed" > (El Din) – 7:49 "Fire on the Mountain" > (Hunter, Hart) – 9:12[a] "Iko Iko" (Crawford) – 6:04 "I Need a Miracle" > (Barlow, Weir) – 5:54 "It's All Over Now" (B. Womack, S. Womack) – 3:30[a] "Truckin' " (Hunter, Garcia, Lesh, Weir) – 9:23[a]
I listened to the concert portion at the end of Rainbow Bridge in honor of Jimi's passing 50 years ago this week. 5.1 is nothing much on my Rhino DVD from 2000, not expecting much from the Live in Maui blu ray, but will take whatever we get with no complaint.
I just might! Gotta find the time is all. Sunshine Daydream (Veneta, OR 1972) is a standout, and a very famous show. Dead Ahead (Radio City Music Hall 1980) is another solid choice. Dave mentioned Rockin’ the Cradle already. Several more from the 80s/90s that are all worthwhile too. I wish Beat Club ‘72 would get an official release. There have been a couple of one-off showings in recent years, but that’s it. I don’t believe Rhino/the GD actually own the rights it: Sorry for the typos earlier. Should never try to type before morning coffee.
I suspect Jimi in Maui will be mostly documentary, very little music. But I hope it’s more than the 17 minutes in Rainbow Bridge. This is pretty tantalizing, short though it is:
Growing Up Live blew my mind when I first saw it because I had no idea that Peter Gabriel put on such a spectacle. Not only was the show pure theatre, but the video concept is neat as well, with the bottom half of the screen sometimes being used to show what's happening beneath the stage. The very simple opening, with Gabriel performing “Here Comes The Flood” solo at a PC setup, could be seen as a counterpart to Stop Making Sense’s “Psycho Killer” and there's a real kinship between two videos by acts who were at their greatest popularity at the same time. It's been a while since I've sat down to watch this. Even on DVD the picture is very crisp here, showing immediately what was gained by Gabriel in filming this during the era of digital cameras. The saturated colour scheme gives the overall video an impact that has not been diminished by the years, but one problem is that the musicians are so flawless and the staging so precise that there is no spontaneity at all: in this video we're watching a single, well-oiled machine in perfect running order. Use of the rears is not flashy but there are definitely effects to be heard there, such as a panning electronic noise at the end of (the overlong) “Darkness”. I find that through “Red Rain” and “Secret World” (neither of them favourite songs of mine) I'm really waiting for them to get on with it, and the performances are kind of routine, though PG himself seems to enjoy bashing a tambourine that sweeps nicely around 360° in the speakers. “Sky Blue” is a song I like a lot and it's nice to have the Blind Boys of Alabama performing here live, especially with the vocals nicely channelled for maximum impact. (Though I wonder if it was the best use of their time to bring them along for one song!) Next up is the fantastic “Downside Up” from Evo ... fantastic not so much as a song (though it's certainly good) but as a staging opportunity. The gantry walk is the first “I can't believe they did that” moment in the concert. The next phase of the video begins with Gabriel's satire of reality chat shows, “The Barry Williams Show”, which is a pretty decent song where they use a lot of video feeds and blur the distinction between live concert video and MTV “video” ... okay. During “More Than This” eyes are on the first unveiling of The Ball, which says something about that mediocre song. “Mercy Street” is one of the best songs from So and the start here, with harmony vocals all around, is very effective; I'm not sure whether I like the very literal staging with the boat, but maybe I do. At the start of “Digging In the Dirt” (which has a lot of multichannel effects) The Ball is stripped of its “screen” layer: it's not a song that I know so well since Us generally left me cold, but the song goes well live. “Growing Up” is notable for the primary use of The Ball, a visual conceit that has not lost its impact even these days when this type of ball is a fairground recreation rather than an innovation. Mind you, you can see the sweat dripping off Gabriel's face by the end of this one: rather him than me! “Animal Nation” gives him a chance to recover but to my taste it’s a minor song. Now we get two big hits back to back: “Solsbury Hill” and “Sledgehammer”. They go well in the hall with crowd but I could do without hearing them. Gabriel cycling around the stage on the former leaves me cold, but the lightbulb jacket on the latter is a nice touch and reminds me, of course, of Byrne's “big suit” on Stop Making Sense. “Signal To Noise” is for me the main event because I adore both the song and the staging. The trick of having the drummer on stage on his own behind gauze was later used by Steven Wilson on the Get All You Deserve tour but here it closes the concert rather than opening it. It would have been great to be in that audience for this concert closing. I could not be less interested in “In Your Eyes” ... I've always thought it was the weakest thing on So, a warning of PG's imminent decline as an artist, and I struggle to see why people like it other than that film. “Father Son” is also an odd way to end the concert but, hell, I got mine. Growing Up still stands up as a concert film but it depends on how you feel about Peter Gabriel's career trajectory. Seen as a great example of concert staging it is well worth seeing but to me PG will always be a studio artist primarily and I find his performance here energetic but uncharismatic. Overall, the best pictures for his music are probably the ones in your imagination.
By 1978 it seems they'd dropped all that material from the set lists for a while. The song Blues for Allah was only ever played live three times in '75 and twice more in the 80's?!
I'm not. It's @riskylogic 's thread though, and I don't know what he has. I just messaged him with some I had, and he let me know what ones he was going to be doing
For some reason it's regarded as “okay” for an Anglophone Prog fan not to know anything in particular about the French band Magma. I don't know quite why this is, since Magma don't sing in French but a made-up language of their own, but they are well-represented on video, even if those videos are stereo-only. I'm starting with the most recent and the one that I regard as the cream of the crop: Ëmëhntëhtt-Ré Trilogie. The video was recorded in November 2014 at Le Triton, an intimate Jazz Club setting, so the video coverage is very close-up. You're going to have to get used to looking at the faces of this band because on the first DVD you've got over two hours of that. Christian Vander's brooding, seemingly furious, facial expressions will be seared upon your member by the end. The second disc is an illuminating but watch-once interview with Christian Vander, the band leader, composer and drummer, meaning that package as a whole comes in quite expensive, but it's completely worth it because the performances are uniformly excellent and you are getting full performances of three albums, which will put even a Magma novice firmly on a road to understanding the band. The trilogy starts with Köhntarkösz Anteria, which is widely regarded as one of the band's best albums although it was only released in 2004. Musically all three albums are similar in style: an extraordinarily skilled vocal group who sing chant-based material backed by a fiery rock band with limited excursions into Jazz-inflected improvisation. K.A. (as it is invariably known) is especially short on improvisation, being almost entirely through-written, highly rhythmical and, broadly, accessible. Not only are the drumming virtuosic (as you'd expect from Vander's critical role) but the bass of Philippe Boussonnet and guitar of James Mac Gaw are thrilling as well: it's a treat to be able to follow them visually. Keyboards and percussion (mainly tuned) round out the band and sound quality is excellent. The climax of the piece (on the word Alleluia ... you can expect some bewildered looks from members of your family who had not previously known about your enthusiasm for charismatic Christianity) is suitably uplifting. Second up is Köhntarkösz itself, performance of an album originally released in 1974 during Magma's “classic” period and directly after their best-known album, Mekanik Destructiw Kommandoh. The vocalists are reduced to a trio here, but are in any case used less while the instrumentalists get to stretch out a little more. The piece begins with a theme already heard in K.A. and progresses to a slow, rather heavy, somewhat dissonant section: this is the least to my taste of the three albums and should be thought of as the “slow movement” in between two predominantly fast movements. Roughly six minutes in we switch to a section with more movement in it that reminds me somewhat of Zappa’s instrumental music. About fourteen minutes in there is a brief duet for two of the vocalists, which gives rise to a mellower section, but things again become troubled and the music rises to an uneasy peak which becomes faster and more frenzied, issuing into a long, wide-ranging guitar solo from Mac Gaw. A thrilling bass feature leads into the coda of the piece and the re-entry of the vocalists, leading to a headlong race to the end of the piece. At 34 minutes this is the shortest of the three albums. The final piece is Ëmëhntëhtt-Ré itself, which was only released as recently as 2009 but incorporates sections from much earlier in the band's history (notably “Hhaï”). Nearly the first seven minutes of the piece are a sort of vocal prelude, and we are soon after in a fast section whose momentum will carry us through the first half of the piece. In the course of this it becomes “Hhaï” which is (dare one say it?) a hhaïlight of this disc, with an extended vocal performance from Christian Vander passing into an instrumental passage with nimble rhythm work (not least from the bass guitar) and climaxing in a soaring chant. About 22 minutes in we abruptly cut to a long, faster passage which ends at the half hour mark. Shortly after this we get the first statement of the chant that will carry us to the end of the piece (I call it the “left, left, left-right-left” chant for reasons that will be obvious to you if you hear it). Stella Vander gets a solo vocal spot during the course of this and just short of the forty minute mark things move up a gear and reach the climax of the piece. A short coda is dominated by solo vocalising by Stella and ends in calm and resolution, a tolling tubular bell and one final discord. Despite the lack of surround and the fact that the visual interest is limited to “musicians performing music” I strongly recommend this disc due to the music itself, the performances and the sound quality. The Magma video catalogue is actually quite large (I have eight DVDs of theirs) and this is the place to start.
Erm, feel free to sear upon your member any image you like, but I'm pretty sure that word was meant to be memory.
I saw SW on the same tour that was filmed for Home Invasion. It was the third time I had seen him in concert and the mixture of vanity & arrogance he showed on that night was enough to persuade me that it will be probably be the last time I see him live as well, but musically the show was pretty good and I remember that the concert video is good as well, so let's see. The concert begins with the bland pop of “Nowhere Now”, which is a million miles from the dramatic start of the earlier SW concert video, Get All You Deserve. Then we're into the power ballad, “Pariah”, with Ninet on stage: many people love this song but personally I find it average. “Home Invasion/Regret #9” seems to perk the crowd up and it's more to my taste as well; fun to see SW play a bass while Nick plays some Stick. Alex gets a nice solo spot at the end. Better. Then an energetic run through “The Creator Has a Master Tape” ending with a nice piano interlude from Adam Holzman which takes us into “Refuge”, a song so anonymous that I just assumed that it was on To The Bone (and I was right). Obviously I've heard this song many times, including live and in this concert video, and I couldn't pick it out of a lineup. “People Who Eat Darkness” doesn't benefit from Ninet's voice but the creepy animation on the back projection definitely contributes and the aggression of the song comes across well. “Ancestral” - as I wrote in the Sunday thread earlier this week - is a big favourite of mine and it goes well here with some very dramatic lighting. Alex hams it up a bit in his spotlit solo and SW seems to enjoy conducting the audience clapping along before the faster section where Craig works hard at the drums. The split screen effect used towards the end is very effective: it's an editing effect used sparingly throughout the video. After “Ancestral” you'd expect things to take an understandable dip but instead we get “Arriving Somewhere But Not Here” which must be the highlight of the concert. The opening, with shaker eggs, worked well live (it's a bit self-indulgent on video) but once the song starts we're off to the races: this wasn't even a song I particularly cared about prior to seeing it live. Alex's guitar tone on the slow section is to die for. The superimposed timelapse footage of traffic works also works well. “The time has come ... you know what time it is.” Yes, Steven, it's time for you to alienate your fanbase. He cuts down his monologue here (mercifully) and then we’re into “Permanating” and a visitation from what, if you can see past the costumes, is essentially a latterday Pan's people. I like the song and it goes well live. “Song of I” isn't a song that I cared much about but it was great live and it's great on the video as well, largely thanks to the dance video (here - I think - largely overlaid in post) which underlines how the song is SW's attempt at a Bond theme. The sound quality on this track is just stellar ... there is absolutely no need to revisit the studio version after this. “Lazarus” ... never liked it, don't like it here, but it gives an opportunity for some acoustic guitar and it breaks up the (perhaps) oppressive nature of the surrounding material. “Detonation” is a standout on To The Bone and features some of SW's most impressive live vocals but to be honest it's a bit ... boring here and it's a relief when they go to the video of the dancer. SW's tossing his locks again: I'm afraid he does that too much throughout this Blu-Ray and they should probably have cut to something else when editing. Alex's noodling is less impressive on this one, but the riff at the end is good, which makes me feel that I only like this eleven minute song for the 30 second climax. “Same Asylum As Before” brings out Lasse Hoile at his most irritating on the accompanying video: the song has lots of segments of which I only really like the heavy one but SW takes a nice guitar solo at least. I don't care about the “Song of Unborn” but it's a nice concert beat. “Vermillioncore” has an interesting moment when Nick's bass riff goes from being panned left to being panned right which just goes to show how although the audio is live the mixing is very much “studio“. “Sleep Together” is not what I wanted to hear from FoaBP but the version here is good, although I think that the way that the roar of the crowd is faded up towards the end is rather self-aggrandising. In contrast, “Even Less” is terrible ... way to throw away the song with a busked version that just doesn't work. Ninet is back for “Blank Tapes”, which I like a lot. “Sound of Muzak” goes well and throw another bone to the Porcupine Tree fans. The concert proper ends with “The Raven That Refused To Sing” which, wonderful as it is, seems out of place in this concert: a recollection of a different Steven with different priorities. The bonus, rehearsal footage is interesting. “Routine” in an empty theatre has a magic all of its own and is one of the best things on the disc, not least for the gorgeous footage of the Royal Albert Hall itself. Don't overlook this extra when you dig out the Blu-Ray. “Hand. Cannot. Erase.” is very good as well and (although there’s a part of me that feels that these songs from H.C.E. should really only be performed in sequence) I do wonder why such an upbeat song was left out of the main setlist. “Heartattack In A Layby” is again something of a winner, with lovely harmony vocals at the end. For once, the bonuses are as good (possibly better) than much of the main feature. You can't argue with the sound and vision of this Blu-Ray: it's state of the art in every way, and the musical performances are top notch. But then, they also are on Anaesthetise and Get All You Deserve, either of which I would recommend above Home Invasion. I think that both are more consistent and coherent documents of more focused periods in SW's career. But maybe that says more about where I am with SW than it does about the film itself.
Theusz Hamtaahk: Trilogie au Trianon is, like the Ëmëhntëhtt-Ré Trilogie video, an opportunity to hear three Magma projects performed in their entirety as part of their respective complete works. This time we are at the larger Trianon theatre in May 2000, and the first thing that is striking is how much weaker both the sound & video quality are: sound levels are rather low, there is less bass extension and the focus is often soft. The DVD authoring is also odd; your player will show the total length of the disc as 84 minutes, but that's actually just the first two parts and part three adds another 48 minutes. I first owned these three concerts on audio as part of the excellent Köhnzert Zund 12-disc boxed set (still in stock at Amazon and well worth buying!) They are also available separately on CD: a sign of how important that this “Thirtieth Anniversary” performance is to the band. Theusz Hamtaahk itself is probably the weakest movement of the trilogy. Although the music dates back to 1974 there is no studio recording of this one. The first eighteen minutes is a patient, rather gloomy, march that shifts up a gear as the four singers move centre stage for a chant. The we're in a faster section still before things become calmer and, frankly, rather directionless. About half an hour in we get a chant on the phrase “Theusz Hamtaahk” and subsequently a build-up to a rather exciting climax that seems to come from nowhere. Ŵurdah Ïtah also dates to 1974 and was issued as a soundtrack album under Vander's own name, though it is clearly a “Magma” album. It's also probably the part where we hear most clearly the heavy influence of Carl Orff on Vander. The opening of the album has, again, a rather terse, martial feel, and Antoine Paganotti has a long spoken vocal part which doesn't improve things much. At DVD track 14 we hit an accelerating section that understandably fires up the audience and gets the piece more on track. With its rapidly shifting chants this is really closer to the Magma of today but it is soon followed by a sort of scat duo for the male singers that is itself succeeded by a poppy, jubilant chorus from the female singers. DVD track 16 features a very Carmina Burana-style chant. Tracks 17 & 18 both alternate between male and female chants and we are now really in the heart of the piece. (Note how episodic this movement is, with no real flow.) By track 19 we have all six vocalists performing the chants and we get some reprises and further chanting throughout. Track 21 features the closing theme (also heard on the Ëmëhntëhtt-Ré disc) and 22 is a sort of postlude with a drone. Overall Ŵurdah Ïtah is a good piece that can be seen as a precursor to the way that Vander gathered together shorter pieces to assemble the later trilogy. The lack of a real sense of momentum is the only strike against it. Say what you like about the first two parts, but most listeners will regard Mëkanïk Dëstruktïw Kömmandöh as the main attraction of the DVD as a whole: indeed the first two parts are pretty much a curtain-raiser to the third. This isn't my favourite album but it's up there and this live version is absolutely the place to hear it. The performance, featuring an additional brass quartet that adds a lot of weight to what is essentially an “epic” album, begins with a gentle keyboard pattern that repeats throughout a spoken narration (and recurs later) and then an impressive chant featuring all six vocalists. I'm not even going to try to note everything that happens in the piece but by now you know that it will feature chants (often divided between the male and female vocal groups) extended build-ups and dramatic shifts of pace. Unlike the earlier parts this has a firmer internal logic, coming close to the sustained brilliance of K.A.: although Vander divides M.D.K. into eight unequal parts you don't really hear it that way. Bass guitar and then electric guitar take exploratory solos during Part Five before a pretty sensational choral passage in which a chant is first slowed to a quiet crawl and then allowed to build in speed and volume into multiple chants and the piece's primary climax. After that we get a brief finale and, typically, a dissonant postlude which almost calls into question the spirit of what went before. As a bonus to the disc you get a half hour documentary in French that you will get more out of than I do if you paid more attention in French lessons than I did. Overall, this is a disc that, again, I'd highly recommend, but with the caveat that once again you’re coming for the music primarily and the video second. Get Ëmëhntëhtt-Ré Trilogie first, then this one. Only if you become a Magma fan will you need any of the other concert DVDs.
I've thought SW was full of himself on several occasions, and especially on that tour. But that won't stop me from going to see him again.
Cubism Concert Performance by Pet Shop Boys Released May 21, 2007 (UK), July 24, 2007 (US) Recorded November 14, 2006 at the Auditorio Nacional, Mexico City, Mexico Genre Electronic, Dance, Pop Length 114 minutes Label Rhino Records Director David Barnard Cubism is a 2007 DVD release of Pet Shop Boys' Fundamental tour. Filmed on November 14, 2006 at the Auditorio Nacional in Mexico. The DVD contains a short documentary, a gallery and audio commentary as special features. Personnel Pet Shop Boys Chris Lowe – Keyboards Neil Tennant –Lead Vocals Additional Musicians Sylvia Mason-James – vocals Andy Love – vocals Nic Clow – vocals Track Listing 1. "Psycho Intro" 2. "God Willing" 3. "Psychological" 4. "Left to my own devices" 5. "I'm with Stupid" 6. "Suburbia" 7. "Can you forgive her?" 8. "Minimal/Shopping" 9. "Rent" 10. "Dreaming of the Queen" 11. "Heart" 12. "Opportunities/Integral" 13. "Numb" 14. "Se a vida é/Domino dancing" 15. "Flamboyant" 16. "Home and dry" 17. "Always on my mind" 18. "Where the streets have no name (I can't take my eyes off you)" 19. "West End girls" 20. "The Sodom and Gomorrah Show" 21. "So hard/It's a sin" 22. "Go West" Version Control There were multiple international releases, all on DVD in 2007. It’s still available new, but used copies are cheap. Amazon. Discogs. The Concert We’ve got top-notch-for-a-DVD video and DTS 5.1. The surround mix uses the center channel for lead vocals, but there is precious little in the rears. Not giving a point for that. Two guys come on stage. One is dressed in black with a top hat, the other in a bright yellow sweatshirt and caps that take on the hue of the lighting. Then two more guys dressed the same some on – they seem to be dancers. Then two more guys, which are Tennant in black and Lowe in yellow. The first two guys turn out to be backing vocalists who also dance a little. Lowe is the only one playing an instrument – keyboards. The rest is all prerecorded or preprogrammed. I am quite reminded of Kraftwerk and Yello. There is a contraption in the back that can function as a screen, but it also seems comprised of eight cubicles. Hence the concert title. "Psychological" From Fundamental. “God Willing” plays during the intro, but this is the first song performed. There a recliner over on the left side, and the top hat dancer sits in it. The yellow dance just stands. The lighting and the caps are blue. "Left to my own devices" From Introspective. The pace picks up and the dancers dance. The lighting and cap colors turn to pink. "I'm with Stupid" From Fundamental. Both backing vocalist move the left side of the stage – they were previously split left and right – they dance a little to. The two dedicated dancers take the song off. "Suburbia" From Please. Sylvia Mason-James comes out next to Lowe; she has the best voice on the stage by far – she is colead on this song. The dancers who have returned and the backing vocalists are all reclad in black hoodies. "Can you forgive her?" From Very. Possibly my favorite PSB song. Mason-James goes over on the left to make the backing choir a trio. The dancers and male vocalists now in black shirts. Might as well go here: "Minimal/Shopping" From Fundamental/Actually. Just Lowe and Tennant on stage. These are both spelling songs, and the “minimal” and “shopping” get spelled out the screen. The backing trio comes back out for the second song – they are all wearing striped suits and glasses. "Rent" From Actually. Tennant goes around back of the screen and sings from inside one of the cublicles. One of the dancers is in one of the other cublicles. Backing trio off again, so Lowe is out front all by himself. "Dreaming of the Queen" From Very. The backdrop serves as a video screen with what I think is Pricess Di’s funeral procession. Tennant sings with his hat off and the background trio are back. "Heart" From Actually. I also consider this to be a classic PSB song. The dancers are in the cubicles. "Opportunities/Integral" From Please/Fundamental. The dancers are clad in striped suits too now, the backing trio move to the center next to Tennant for the second song. "Numb" From Fundamental. The backdrop is a screen with winter scenery again and Lowe starts of the nondance song by himself. There been a wardrobe change – Lowe has a jacket on and earmuff that may also me headphones. Tennant and the backing trio also come out dressed for winter. "Se a vida é/Domino dancing" From Bilingual/Introspective. The background trio take of their coats, and their dancing too. Lowe takes off his jacket and he’s in a blue sweatshirt now. Tennant loses the hat. The dancers are back for the second song too wearing Nuggets jerseys. "Flamboyant" From Pop/Art. Another non-dance song. Boring. "Home and dry" From Release. Whoa, Tennant sits on the chair with an acoustic guitar and Lowe plays keyboards all-live. Tennant barely plays the guitar though. The background vocalists are plenty busy though. Still bored. "Always on my mind" From Introspective. Things pick up and the dancers are back with some new stage props that seem to be large replicas of the top half of Tennant and Lowe’s heads. Those disappear and one of the dancers wears an oversized top hat. The background trio finish the song by themselves. Still thinking this is a dispensable part of the concert. "Where the streets have no name (I can't take my eyes off you)" From Behaviour. OK, we’re back to dancing to a U2 cover – one in front dressed in gold and another behind the cubicle but projected to appear much larger. The background trio eventually comes out also dressed in gold. "West End girls" From Please. OK, I like this song – I’m officially amused again. The dancers are front and center. Only Mason-James on backup. "The Sodom and Gomorrah Show" From Fundamental. There is suddenly a drummer and a bass guitar player over on the right side behind Lowe – we’ve got a band. The drums are mostly electronic. Tennant, the male backup singers, and the dancers all in military garb. "So hard/It's a sin" From Behaviour/Actually. Encore time. Back to just Lowe who starts with a mostly prerecorded – most of the shots are of the audience – why not? The backing trio are the first out, and Mason-James seems to be the lead. Tennant and the dancers come out for second song, and I’m getting what I came for once again. "Go West" From Very. They are more less back all wearing what they stated the concert with to do what I guess is their most popular song. Not my favorite, but it’s still a nice finale. ______ I like the set list, but I’m not a big enough Pet Shop Boys fan to give them better than a 2. Definitely some slow stretches in there for me. Most of my favorite PSB songs are from the first four albums, and Fundamental is probably my fifth favorite. I have not heard any of their more recent stuff. In any case, I like the first half of the show much better. The stage show was entertaining enough but the default point I usually give for musicianship on display just isn’t there this time – I guess that is just the way it is with Pet Shop Boys concerts. Music – 2 Sound quality – 3 Video presentation – 2 (+1 for dancing, -1 for no instruments) Video quality – 2 ound – 1 There’s a newer PSB concert on bluray, but I’m not really tempted.
1+ Video Collection by The Beatles Released Nov 06, 2015 Recorded 1962-1970 Genre Rock Length 200 min Label Capitol Records 1 is a compilation album by the English rock band the Beatles, originally released on 13 November 2000. The album features virtually every number-one single the band achieved in the United Kingdom and United States from 1962 to 1970. Issued on the 30th anniversary of the band's break-up, it was their first compilation available on only one CD. 1 was a commercial success and topped the charts worldwide. It has sold over 31 million copies. 1 was remastered and reissued in September 2011, and was remixed and reissued again in several different deluxe editions in November 2015, the most comprehensive of which is a three-disc set entitled 1+, which includes video discs of the band's promotional films. Compiled by producer George Martin and the (then) three surviving members of the band, 1 includes the 27 Beatles songs that went to number one in the United Kingdom on the Record Retailer Top 50 chart or in the United States on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. However, despite the song "For You Blue" charting at number 1 on Billboard, along with the A-side "The Long and Winding Road", Capitol Records treated "For You Blue" as strictly a B-side and did not promote it as an A-side. Meanwhile, "Day Tripper" was included on 1, since it charted at number 1 in the UK as a double A side with "We Can Work It Out", while in the US, only "We Can Work It Out" was number 1. Two notable singles written by John Lennon and released in both the UK and US were omitted as they did not top either the Record Retailer chart or the Billboard Hot 100: "Please Please Me" and "Strawberry Fields Forever". The former was the Beatles' first UK number one single in all British charts except for Record Retailer, reaching the top spot in the musical magazines New Musical Express, Melody Maker and Disc. On the other hand, "Strawberry Fields Forever" was part of a double A-side single along with "Penny Lane", which reached the top spot in Melody Maker and peaked at number 2 in the other UK charts, behind Engelbert Humperdinck's single "Release Me". This album is essentially a combination of both the US and UK versions of the earlier album 20 Greatest Hits, with the addition of "Something" (which was left off 20 Greatest Hits because of time constraints).[citation needed] On 1, "Hey Jude" was released in its original full-length version (slightly over seven minutes); on the American version of 20 Greatest Hits it had been released as a shortened version. On 6 November 2015, Apple Records released a deluxe version of the original album, titled 1+. Most of the tracks on 1 have been remixed from the original multi-track masters by Giles Martin, except the first three tracks, which are the original mono mixes. In addition to the new mixes, there are surround sound 5.1 mixes presented as Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio in the Blu-ray version and Dolby Digital and DTS in the DVD version. 1+ also includes 50 promotional films/performances, plus commentary and introductions from Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. All the videos have been digitally restored and enhanced. They are available on DVD and Blu-ray. Personnel The Beatles Paul McCartney John Lennon George Harrison Ringo Starr Track Listing 1. Love Me Do 2:21 2. From Me To You 1:56 3. She Loves You 2:20 4. I Want To Hold Your Hand 2:25 5. Can't Buy Me Love 2:11 6. A Hard Day's Night 2:32 7. I Feel Fine 2:19 8. Eight Days A Week 2:43 9. Ticket To Ride 3:10 10. Help! 2:19 11. Yesterday 2:05 12. Day Tripper 2:49 13. We Can Work It Out 2:15 14. Paperback Writer 2:18 15. Yellow Submarine 2:38 16. Eleanor Rigby 2:05 17. Penny Lane 3:00 18. All You Need Is Love 3:47 19. Hello Goodbye 3:27 20. Lady Madonna 2:16 21. Hey Jude 7:05 22. Get Back 3:11 23. The Ballad Of John And Yoko 2:59 24. Something 3:01 25. Come Together 4:18 26. Let It Be 3:50 27. The Long And Winding Road 3:41 Version Control Variations of 1/1+ include standard CD, CD/DVD, CD/Blu-ray, CD/2DVD, CD/2Blu-ray. The double-disc video editions also feature a 124-page hard-bound book with illustrations. The DVD/Blu-ray video editions are also available as a stand-alone package. All are still available. I probably should have just gotten the bluray, but I have the CD/2Blu-ray edition. Amazon. The Video Collection The audio on 1+ is DTS HD 5.1 and good to great throughout. For some tracks, the audio is from a live performance, and therefore different from the version found on one. However, many of the tracks are promo videos where the audio is derived from a studio performance. The wiki entry for 1 has some pretty detailed information for each track – more than I really want really. I’m taking the source history from there and tacking on my comments on the audio and video. However, the video and surround vary quite a bit, so a track by track rating is necessary. "Love Me Do" The DVD/BD track is from The Little Theatre, Southport, Merseyside, England, 27 August 1963 recorded for the BBC documentary The Mersey Sound; it aired on 9 October. It’s 4:3 black and white, I think the “surround” is mono in all five speakers. But, the harmonica sounds good in surround – that’s worth a point. Video-1, Surround -1 "From Me to You" The DVD/BD track is from the Royal Variety Performance, Prince of Wales Theatre, London, England, 4 November 1963, aired on 10 November. Same, but the sound is just a little muddy – I think the audio is from the live performance. I think this is also from a mono source – mostly mixed up front. Video-1, Surround - 0 "She Loves You" The DVD/BD track is from the Swedish television pop music show Drop In, recorded 30 October 1963, aired 3 November. Same comments as previous track. Video-1, Surround - 0 "I Want to Hold Your Hand" The DVD/BD track is from Studio Four, Granada TV Centre, Manchester, England, 25 November 1963 filmed for Late Scene Extra, aired two days later. They don’t have microphones – I presume they are miming. Also mainly mixed in front. Video-1, Surround - 0 "Can't Buy Me Love" The DVD/BD track is from the Beatles' television special Around the Beatles, music recorded on 19 April 1964, performed lip-synched on 28 April (at Studio 5 A/B, Wembley Studios, London, England), and aired on Rediffusion 6 May. They do have microphones, but they aren’t really using them apparently. Still no sign of stereo, let alone surround. Video-1, Surround - 0 "A Hard Day's Night" The DVD/BD track is from the Palais des Sports, Paris, France, 20 June 1965, recorded/filmed for a 31 October broadcast of Les Beatles. This is a live performance, and it sounds like it might be stereo, and I think lead vocals are favored in the center channel. Not much in back. Video-1, Surround - 1 "I Feel Fine" The DVD/BD track is a promo video filmed at the Twickenham Film Studios, Middlesex, England, 23 November 1965. Still 4:3 black and white, the video quality has gone up a notch. A studio performance and this has stereo mix that also uses the rears a bit. Video-2, Surround - 1 "Eight Days a Week" The DVD/BD track is a montage of footage of their famous concert at Shea Stadium, New York City, New York, 15 August 1965. Color for the first time, and he video quality is excellent even though it’s still 4:3. Audio is essentially stereo. Video-3, Surround - 1 "Ticket to Ride" The DVD/BD track is a promo video filmed at Twickenham Film Studios, Middlesex, England, 23 November 1965. Back to B&W and TV video, and they’re miming. Basically stereo, the surround from the movie is better. Video-1, Surround - 1 "Help!" The DVD/BD track is a promo video filmed at Twickenham Film Studios, Middlesex, England, 23 November 1965. Same as above. Video-1, Surround - 1 "Yesterday" The DVD/BD track is from The Ed Sullivan Show, recorded 14 August 1965, aired 12 September. Live performance with screaming girls. Just Paul, with a guitar, and some prerecorded strings. As it turns out, it the best surround track so far – Paul’s vocals are in the center, guitar in front, strings in surround. Video - 1, Surround - 2 "Day Tripper" The DVD/BD track is a promo video filmed at Twickenham Film Studios, Middlesex, England, 23 November 1965. Also decent surround; Ringo on the left, Lennon guitar on right – both with presence in the rear. Video - 1, Surround - 2 "We Can Work It Out" The DVD/BD track is a promo video filmed at Twickenham Film Studios, Middlesex, England, 23 November 1965. I think this is another three track mix – one each for the front, left, and right. You get something different for each corner that way. Video - 1, Surround - 2 "Paperback Writer" The DVD/BD is a promo video filmed in colour at Chiswick House, Chiswick, London, England, 20 May 1966; later aired in black and white on Top of the Pops. Another excellent color video, albeit 4:3. The surround is mix is excellent – they must have multitracks now. Video - 3, Surround - 3 "Yellow Submarine" – 2:37 The DVD/BD track is montage of footage from the animated film Yellow Submarine (1968). This is excerpted from the 2012 restoration – the widescreen video and surround are both excellent. Video - 3, Surround - 3 "Eleanor Rigby" – 2:06 The DVD/BD track is a sequence originally found as a part of Yellow Submarine. Ditto. However this is a cleaner version that what I extracted from the movie. Video - 3, Surround - 3 "Penny Lane" – 3:00 The DVD/BD track is a promo video filmed on 5 & 7 February 1967 in England (Stratford, London; Knole Park, Sevenoaks, Kent; Liverpool (non-Beatles footage)); later aired on Juke Box Jury, Top of the Pops (both from the BBC), and The Hollywood Palace (in the U.S.). Back to 4:3 color, with the Beatles riding the countryside. Decent surround. Video - 2, Surround – 2. "All You Need Is Love" – 3:46 The DVD/BD track is a live broadcast from Studio One, Abbey Road Studios, London, England, 25 June 1967 for the Our World special. Famous guests who appeared included Mick Jagger and Keith Richards (of The Rolling Stones), Eric Clapton, Keith Moon of The Who, Graham Nash of The Hollies, Mike McGear (McCartney's brother), and Gary Walker of The Walker Brothers. Pretty cool video of a studio performance. Decent 4:3 color and surround. Video - 2, Surround – 2. "Hello, Goodbye" – 3:26 The DVD/BD track is a promo video filmed at the Saville Theatre, London, England, 10 November 1967 featuring The Beatles in their Sgt. Pepper outfits (unlike the other two videos found on the disc). It later aired on the Sunday 26 November episode of The Ed Sullivan Show and The Hollywood Palace two days later. Due to the Musicians' Union's ban on miming during performances in the UK, the video was replaced by a montage of shots from the film A Hard Day's Night (1964) for 23 November broadcast of Top of the Pops and the film Magical Mystery Tour (1967) two weeks later. This s also pretty special – great color video albeit 4:3 and surround. Video - 3, Surround – 3. "Lady Madonna" – 2:15 The DVD/BD track is a promo video filmed in Studio Three, Abbey Road Studios, London, England, 11 February 1968 and at Chappell Studios, London, England three days later. It included shots of the band recording "Hey Bulldog" (with its accompanying video found on the second disc). Also 4:3 color. The Beatles are playing, but it’s not the song we are hearing. Nice surround, but a little more pedestrian. Video - 3, Surround – 2. "Hey Jude" – 7:03 The DVD/BD track is a promotional recording made on 4 September 1968 at Twickenham Film Studios, Middlesex, England, with a live vocal from McCartney. It later aired on Frost on Sunday (by David Frost) on 6 October 1968, and a month later on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. A live performance, very good video quality, but the surround is just a little reverb. Video - 2, Surround – 1. "Get Back" – 3:12 The DVD/BD track is a promo video featuring filmed footage at the famous Apple rooftop concert in Saville Row, Mayfair, London, England, 30 January 1969. Edits and mash-ups of the three times they played the song were done by Apple Films for later broadcasts such as Top of the Pops. Still 4:3 color, but the video quality takes another step back. Also, no surround. Video - 1, Surround – 1. "The Ballad of John and Yoko" – 2:57 The DVD/BD track is a promo video created by Apple Films with outtakes from the film Let It Be (1970) and footage shot at places like London, Paris, Amsterdam, and Vienna. Same deal. Video - 1, Surround – 1. "Something" – 3:01 The DVD/BD track is an Apple-produced promo video filmed in October 1969 featuring the four Beatles and their wives at Tittenhurst Park, Ascot, Berkshire, England (the Lennons); "Kinfauns", Esher, Surrey, England (the Harrisons); "Brookfield", Elstead, Surrey (the Starkeys); and Mull of Kintyre, Scotland (the McCartneys). Video still not so good, but surround better. Video - 1, Surround – 2. "Come Together" – 4:16 The DVD/BD track is a multimedia clip created by Melon Dezign for the launch of The Beatles' official website, which was done to celebrate the original release of 1. Animated color video that seems to be somewhere between 4:3 and 16:9. Excellent surround again, I wonder if this is the same as the Abbey Road 5.1 release. Video - 2, Surround – 3. "Let It Be" – 3:48 The DVD/BD track is from the film Let It Be being synced with the single version for promotional release. It was of the recording sessions for said song at Apple Studio, Saville Row, London, England, 31 January 1969, a day after the Apple rooftop concert. Not so good video with decent surround. Video - 1, Surround – 2. "The Long and Winding Road" – 3:36 The DVD/BD track is from the film Let It Be, with footage being used from the same recording sessions as "Let It Be". The only exception with both videos is that the audio from the sessions was used in this video instead of the one for "Let It Be". Same as above. Video - 1, Surround – 2. Well since I have it, I’m going to take a quick charge through the second disc for the first time. Highlights: “Please Please Me”: Another live performance from the Ed Sullivan show, complete with screaming girls. “Day Tripper” second promo: The dancing girls at the beginning are a nice touch. “Rain” – first promo. Decent 4:3 color promo video, stereo. “Strawberry Fields Forever”. The Beatles paint a piano in the middle of a field. Decent 4:3 video with decent surround. “Tomorrow Never Knows” – A modern production with widescreen video with fantastic surround. It’s only about two minutes long, but this just may be the reason to get the two-bluray edition. “A Day in the Life” – the surround comes to life at the end. “Hey Bulldog”: A studio performance with excellent surround – cleaner than what I was able to extract from the YS movie. “Revolution”: I think this is a live performance with decent 4:3 color; audio quality is sketchy. “Don’t Let Me Down”: Another one from the rooftop concert. I think it is live – reverb in the rears. “Free as a Bird”: Bird flies around the room in surround at the beginning. Woodstockian mini-widescreen animated video with decent surround after that. “Real Love”: 4:3 montage with decent surround. ______ So, I figure the one disc video collection is pretty much essential Beatles. Since I’ve now gotten through my entire Beatles video collection, I will rank them. However, since you can buy 1 without the +, I’ll treat them as separate entries: 1) Yellow Submarine movie (2012 rendition) 2) 1 (Two of the best videos on 1 are taken from the YS movie) 3) A Hard Day’s Night movie 4) Help! movie 5) + 6) Magical Mystery Tour movie Most of the videos are good but not great. But the five song run on the first disc from “Yellow Submarine” to “Hello, Goodbye” plus TNK from the second disc all get top marks. The surround mixes in that sequence are very good too. Music – 3 Sound quality – 3 Video presentation – 2 to 3 Video quality – 1 to 3 Surround – 0 to 3
Mark put up two reviews of DVD's with video content today on the surround thread. His comments are mainly focused on the surround, but he covers the video just a bit too: McCartney, Paul – The McCartney Years, Part 1 ( @mark winstanley) I'm calling his review Part 1 because I've been motivated to order a used copy. It's a 3 DVD set, and I think he just commented on the first disc. DVD 3 is a concert disc, and I figure on reviewing that here at some point. Police, The - Every Breath You Take ( @mark winstanley) I have an SACD version of this, which doesn't have video. I'll comment on the other thread.
I ordered this. Since I've never heard of them, I thought I'd grab a CD or two first - but those are kind of pricey too. So, I figure this is as good an entry point as any.
Well, that's 10 new ones so I'll update the index. I only did four of them this time. 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. Rating System Explained Here AC/DC – Let There Be Rock / Live Performance and Concert Documentary (@mark winstanley) Anathema – A Moment in Time / Live Performance / Rating: 13 & Anathema – Universal / Live Performance / Rating: 16 Ayreon - Electric Castle Live and Other Tales / Live Performance / Rating: 14 & Band, The – The Last Waltz / Live Performance and Concert Documentary / Rating: 15-17 Beatles, The – A Hard Day’s Night / Movie / Rating: 11-13 Beatles, The – Help! / Movie / Rating: 11-14 Beatles, The – Magical Mystery Tour/ Movie / Rating: 10-12 Beatles, The – Yellow Submarine / Movie / Rating: 17 & Beatles, The – 1+ / Video Collection / Rating: 12-18 Beck, Jeff – Rock 'n' Roll Party (Honoring Les Paul) / Live Performance / Rating: 14-15 Beck, Jeff – Performing This Week... Live At Ronnie Scott's / Live Performance / Rating: 17 Big Big Train – Reflectors of Light / Live Performance / Rating: 15 Blackfield – NYC: Live in New York City / Live Performance / Rating: 13 Blue Öyster Cult – Live 1976 / Live Performance / Rating: 9 Blue Öyster Cult – 40th Anniversary - Agents Of Fortune - Live 2016 / Studio Performance / Rating: 14 & Camel – Live At The Royal Albert Hall / Live Performance / Rating: 14& Camel – Moondances / Live Performance / Rating: 11-12 Cave, Nick – Once More With Feeling / Concert Documentary (@mark winstanley) Church, The – Future Past Perfect / Live Performance / Rating: 13& Clapton, Eric – The Cream of Eric Clapton / Video Collection / Rating: 12*& Clapton, Eric and Winwood, Steve – Live From Madison Square Garden / Live Performance (@mark winstanley) /Rating:16 Clapton, Eric – Slowhand at 70 – Live at the Royal Albert Hall / Live Performance / Rating: 16 & Cliff, Jimmy – The Harder They Come / Movie / Rating: 15 Cold Chisel – The Last Stand / Live Performance (@mark winstanley) Cure, The – Trilogy / Live Performance / Rating: 13-15 Dead Can Dance – Yulunga and Other Stories / Video Collection / Rating: 12-15 Dead Can Dance – Toward the Within / Live Performance / Rating: 11 Depeche Mode – Live in Berlin / Live Performance / Rating: 12& Dido - Live at Brixton Academy / Live Performance / Rating: 13 Dire Straits – Alchemy / Live Performance / Rating: 16* Doobie Brothers, The – Live From The Beacon Theatre / Live Performance (@mark winstanley) Doors, The – Live At The Bowl '68 / Live Performance (@mark winstanley) Dream Theater – Distance Over Time / Video Collection /Rating: 13*& Dream Theater – Score / Live Performance /Rating: 13 Dylan, Bob – No Direction Home / Concert Documentary (@mark winstanley) Emerson, Lake & Palmer – 40th Anniversary Reunion Concert / Live Performance / Rating: 14& Eurythmics – Sweet Dreams - The Video Album / Video Collection / Rating: 9 Gabriel, Peter – Secret World Live / Live Performance / Rating: 16 Gabriel, Peter – Play / Video Collection / Rating: 12-15 *& Gabriel, Peter – Growing Up / Live Performance / Rating: 16 Gabriel, Peter – New Blood - Live In London / Live Performance / Rating: 14 & Genesis – Pop Shop Live TV 1972 / Studio Performance / Rating: 11 * Gentle Giant – GG at the GG / Live Performance / Rating: 13 Gentle Giant – The Power and the Suite / Video Collection / Rating: 16 Gilmour, David – Live in Gdańsk / Live Performance / Rating: 11 Gilmour, David – Live at Pompeii / Live Performance / Rating: 15 Glass, Philip – Koyaanisqatsi / Movie / Rating: 15 & Glass, Philip – Powaqqatsi / Movie / Rating: 13 Grateful Dead – The Grateful Dead Movie / Concert Documentary / Rating: 13-14 Grateful Dead – The Closing of Winterland / Concert Performance / Rating: 13 Grateful Dead – Rocking The Cradle ~ Egypt 1978 / Concert Performance (@~dave~~wave~) Green Day – Bullet in a Bible / Live Performance / Rating: 11 & Hackett, Steve – The Tokyo Tapes / Live Performance / Rating: 13 Hackett, Steve – Somewhere in South America / Live Performance / Rating: 10 Hendrix, Jimi – Jimi Plays Monterey / Live Performance / Rating: 13 Hendrix, Jimi – Live at Woodstock / Live Performance / Rating: 12 Hendrix, Jimi – Band of Gypsys: Live at The Fillmore East / Concert Documentary / Rating: 10 *& INXS - Live Baby Live / Live Performance (@mark winstanley) / Rating: 13 Iron Maiden – Flight 666 / Concert Documentary (@mark winstanley) Iron Maiden – The History of Iron Maiden – Part 1: The Early Days / Concert Documentary (@mark winstanley) Jethro Tull – Too Old To Rock 'n' Roll: Too Young To Die (The TV Special Edition) / Studio Performance / Rating: 11 Kansas – There's Know Place Like Home / Live Performance / Rating: 15-16 Killing Joke – XXV Gathering! / Live Performance / Rating: 11 King Crimson – Déjà Vrooom / Live Performance / Rating: 13 King Crimson – Eyes Wide Open, Part 1 / Live Performance / Rating: 11 King Crimson – Eyes Wide Open, Part 2 / Live Performance / Rating: 15 King Crimson – Meltdown: Live in Mexico City / Live Performance / Rating: 17 Knopfler, Mark – A Night in London / Studio Performance / Rating: 9& Kraftwerk – 3D 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 / Video Collection / Rating: 15 Krauss, Allison & Union Station – Live! / Live Performance / Rating: 13 Led Zeppelin – The Song Remains the Same / Live Performance and Movie / Rating: 14 Lee, Albert – Tearing it Up / Live Performance (@mark winstanley) Magma – Theusz Hamtaahk: Trilogie au Trianon / Live Performance (@Sordel) Magma – Ëmëhntëhtt-Ré Trilogie / Live Performance (@Sordel) Mannheim Steamroller – Fresh Aire 8 / Video Collection / Rating: 11* Marillion – Fish Tales / Video Collection / Rating: 12-13* Marillion – Recital of the Script / Live Performance / Rating: 13*& Marillion – Somewhere in London / Live Performance / Rating: 13 Marley, Bob & The Wailers – Live! at the Rainbow / Live Performance / Rating: 14 McCartney, Paul – The McCartney Years, Part 1 ( @mark winstanley) Midnight Oil – Best of Both Worlds / Live Performance (@mark winstanley) Midnight Oil – Armistice Day / Live Performance / Rating: 16& Nightwish – Vehicle of Spirit / Live Performance / Rating: 14 Pet Shop Boys – Cubism / Live Performance / Rating: 12 Pineapple Thief, The – Where We Stood / Live Performance / Rating: 17 Pink Floyd – 1970 Devi/ation / Video Collection / Rating: 5 Pink Floyd – 1971 Reverber/ation / Video Collection / Rating: 9& Pink Floyd – Live at Pompeii / Live Performance / Rating: 13-15& Pink Floyd – The Wall / Movie / Rating: 12 Pink Floyd – The Endless River / Music Video Collection / Rating: 9 Police, The - Every Breath You Take / Video Collection ( @mark winstanley) Porcupine Tree – Arriving Somewhere... / Live Performance / Rating: 16 - 17 Porcupine Tree – Anesthetize / Live Performance / Rating: 18 Presley, Elvis – That's The Way It Is (@mark winstanley) Pretenders, The – Loose in L.A. / Live Performance / Rating: 14 R.E.M – Road Movie / Live Performance / Rating: 11 Rolling Stones, The & Various Artists – Rock and Roll Circus / Studio Performance / Rating: 14 Roxy Music – The High Road / Live Performance / Rating: 15 Rush – Exit ..... Stage Left / Live Performance (@mark winstanley) Rush – R30: 30th Anniversary World Tour / Live Performance (@mark winstanley) / Rating: 17 Rush – Rush in Rio / Live Performance (@mark winstanley) Rush – Snakes & Arrows Live / Live Performance / Rating: 16 Rush – Clockwork Angels Tour / Live Performance (@mark winstanley) Rush – R40 Live / Live Performance / Rating: 15 Santana – Santana IV Live At The House Of Blues Las Vegas / Live Performance / Rating: 15& Simple Minds – Acoustic In Concert / Live Performance / Rating: 12-13 Springsteen, Bruce – The River Tour / Live Performance (@mark winstanley) Sting – Live in Berlin / Live Performance / Rating: 12 Supertramp – Live In Paris '79 / Live Performance / Rating: 15 Talking Heads – Stop Making Sense / Live Performance / Rating: 14-16 Tangerine Dream – Live at Coventry Cathedral 1975 / Music Video / Rating: 10 Tangerine Dream – The Video Dream Mixes / Video Collection: Rating: 8 Tool – Vicarious / Video / Rating: 12& Townsend, Devin – Ocean Machine – Live / Live Performance (@mark winstanley) / Rating: 12-14 Townsend, Devin – Acoustically Inclined in Leeds / Live Performance (@mark winstanley) / Rating: 11 Transatlantic – Whirld Tour 2010 / Live Performance / Rating: 12 U2 – Under a Blood Red Sky / Live Performance (@mark winstanley) / Rating: 15 U2 – Rattle and Hum / Studio and Live Performance / Rating: 14-15 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: 16 Vai, Steve – Visual Sound Theories (Live With Holland Metropole Orkest) / Live Performance (@mark winstanley) Various Artists – The Monterey Pop Festival / Live Performance / Rating: 13& Various Artists – Woodstock / Live Performance and Concert Documentary / Rating: 15* Various Artists – Baraka / Movie / Rating: 14 Waters, Roger – In the Flesh - Live / Live Performance (@mark winstanley) Wilson, Steven – Home Invasion / Live Performance / Rating: 18 Winter, Edgar – Reach For It / Live Performance / Rating: 11 Wishbone Ash – Live Dates 3 / Live Performance / Rating: 15 & Wishbone Ash – Live in Hamburg / Live Performance / Rating: 13 Yello – Live in Berlin / Live Performance (@jamesc) Yes – Yessongs / Live Performance / Rating: 9* Yes – Symphonic Live / Live Performance / Rating: 17 Zappa, Frank – Baby Snakes / Movie and Live Performance / Rating: 9 Zappa, Frank – The Torture Never Stops / Live Performance / Rating: 9 Zappa, Frank – The Roxy Movie / Live Performance (@mark winstanley) Zimmer, Hans – Live in Prague / Live Performance (@thetman) / Rating: 17& * One point deducted from original rating as a result of video rating scale adjustment. & Half point deducted from music score before doubling Comments on any of the above are always welcome.
The Beatles 1+ is pretty much essential for any Beatles fan, not necessarily for its A/V quality, but for its historic value. To a degree, if surround isn't the main thing your after, and you were only going to buy one Beatles video, ot would be this, simply for the breadth of coverage over the Beatles career. When I first got it, in its fancy package and bluray format, I ended up being disappointed, because I was dreaming of magical mixes and eye popping video, but it is what it is, and it is an excellent historic document of the band. For the record, I am pretty certain that these 5.1 mixes are different to the more recent album mixes. Definitely worth having though.
