Live on Saturdays: Video Reviews and Summaries

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by riskylogic, Feb 15, 2020.

  1. riskylogic

    riskylogic Forum Resident Thread Starter

    The Wall

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    Movie by Pink Floyd
    Directed by Alan Parker
    Animation: Gerald Scarfe
    Produced by Alan Marshall
    Screenplay by Roger Waters
    Based on The Wall by Pink Floyd
    Starring Bob Geldof
    Music by Pink Floyd, Bob Ezrin, Michael Kamen
    Cinematography Peter Biziou
    Edited by Gerry Hambling
    Production company Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Tin Blue Productions, Goldcrest Films International
    Distributed by MGM/UA Entertainment Company
    Release date 23 May 1982 (Cannes), 15 July 1982 (United Kingdom)
    Running time: 95 minutes

    Pink Floyd – The Wall is a 1982 musical film directed by Alan Parker with animated segments by political cartoonist Gerald Scarfe, and is based on the 1979 Pink Floyd album of the same name. The film centers around a solitary rock star named Pink, who, after being driven into insanity by the death of his father and many depressive moments during his lifetime, constructs a metaphorical (and sometimes physical) wall to be protected from the world and emotional situations around him. The screenplay was written by Pink Floyd vocalist and bassist Roger Waters.
    Like its musical companion, the film is highly metaphorical, and symbolic imagery and sound are present most commonly. The film is mostly driven by music and does not feature much dialogue. Gerald Scarfe drew and animated 15 minutes of animated sequences, which appear at several points in the film. The film is best known for its imagery of mental isolation, drug use, war, fascism, dark or disturbing animated sequences, sexual situations, violence and gore. Despite its turbulent production and the creators voicing their discontent about the final product, the film has since fared well generally, and has established cult status.

    The film soundtrack contains most songs from the album, albeit with several changes, as well as additional material. Soundtrack


    Version Control
    The album came first; it was released in 1979. It was described as a rock-opera, and like Tommy, it was later turned into a movie that was released in 1982. It has been released in many formats; I have a DVD that was released in 1999. It has 5.1 surround with Dolby Digital. There is no official bluray version. There is a also a movie soundtrack that is somewhat different from the original album. Finally there is a Roger Waters Concert Documentary on bluray that intertwines a concert performance of the entire album with commentary from Waters.

    The Movie
    I have had this disc on the shelf for a long time, but I don’t ever remember watching it. The was opened; maybe I just watched part of it and never got around to the rest of it. Well now, I have watched it all the way through and I have two main things to say about it:

    1) The movie is much better than the album. I basically always thought of The Wall as a long double album with two good songs on it. But the movie makes sense of the rest of it.

    2) It’s really depressing. That may well be why I never got through it twenty years or so ago. OK, it still only has two good songs, but all the other stuff makes a much better soundtrack than something you want to listen to while driving down the road.

    It just so happens that one of the best scenes on the album also has one of the two good songs, so here’s part 2 of “Another Brick in the Wall”:



    The movie video accompanying “Comfortably Numb” is dismal.
    _____

    I’ve got my old mid-fi home theater system set up with a smallish 46” screen set up at the cabin, and I think it’s actually better for watching vintage DVDs like this. Both the picture and the sound seem top notch - and it was at the time. The surround is quite decent too; the center channel is used for lead vocals, and the rears are often used for more than just reverb; mostly movie sound effects, but some of those dovetail with the music too.

    The bottom line is that I’m very glad I got around to watching this once. It all makes sense now. However, I don’t think I will be watching it again any time soon, or listening to the album for that matter. I’m also in no hurry to get the Roger Waters performance.

    Music – 2
    Sound quality – 2
    Video presentation – 2 (-1 for being depressing)
    Video quality – 2
    Surround – 2
     
    ARK, ti-triodes, weekendtoy and 3 others like this.
  2. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product

    One of my favourite albums of all time. A somewhat disturbing movie with a direct story and a subtext that really get to you, if you allow it. For a long time it was my favourite movie.
    Personally, I think contextually, it doesn't have a bad track on it.
    Highlights for me
    In The Flesh
    The Thin Ice
    The Brick In the Wall trilogy
    Mother
    Young Lust
    Hey You
    Nobody Home
    Comfortably Numb
    Many of the songs tie into the story being told, and are essential, but more cinematic than melodic in their delivery. So I can understand someone feeling that there is somewhat a lack of songs, for me, I thought it was perfect.
    Run Like Hell
     
  3. riskylogic

    riskylogic Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Recital of the Script

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    Live Performance by Marillion
    Recorded Hammersmith Odeon, London, 18 April 1983
    Genre Progressive rock, neo-progressive rock
    Length: 81 min

    Recital of the Script is a live album by Marillion, recorded at a concert at the Hammersmith Odeon (as it was called then - it's now the Apollo), London on 18 April 1983. The recording was made on the final date of the tour promoting their 1983 debut album Script for a Jester's Tear. Featuring former members Fish on vocals and Mick Pointer on drums, it comprises songs from that album as well as all tracks of the 1982 debut EP "Market Square Heroes" and the b-side of "He Knows You Know" (1983). It was the last performance by Pointer with the band.

    A video recording of this concert, entitled Recital of the Script and containing only six tracks, had first been released on VHS tape in October 1983. In April 1984, this was supplemented by The Video E.P. which contained another two tracks, The Web and the 19-minute-plus "Grendel" In July 2003, EMI released a DVD under the title Recital of the Script[3] combining the material of the 1983 and 1984 VHS tapes. Additionally, this DVD contained another two tracks, footage and an interview with Fish recorded at the Marquee Club (then in Wardour Street) in December 1982.

    Personnel
    Fish – vocals
    Steve Rothery – guitars
    Mark Kelly – keyboards
    Pete Trewavas – bass, backing vocals
    Mick Pointer – drums

    Tracklist
    1 Script For A Jester's Tear 8:47
    2 Garden Party 7:00
    3 The Web 10:07
    4 Chelsea Monday 7:45
    5 He Knows You Know 6:24
    6 Forgotten Sons 13:59
    7 Market Square Heroes 8:29
    8 Grendel 19:07

    Version Control
    There are multiple CD (audio only) and video releases. However, I am reviewing it today because it is part of the bluray included in the recently released Deluxe Edition of Script For a Jester’s Tear. It appears to be the same version as one the DVD released in 2003. It has 48/16 Stereo LPCM audio, which is basically CD quality. The additional material recorded at the Marquee club is also included in the bluray in the Extras section, but I’m not going to include it here.

    The Concert
    “Script For A Jester's Tear”
    Starts with spotlights on Fish and Kelly. Rest of stage lights up after into. There’s a little dry ice going, but no frills otherwise. Fish doesn’t have as much face paint as he did in the Market Square Heroes promo, but he still has plenty. It’s just 4:3 and stereo, but otherwise the video and audio are very good. It’s a new album, but a lot of the audience already know the lyrics my heart.



    “Garden Party”
    The camera is almost always on Fish. That is surely because he is the only one delivering a theatrical performance. All the other band members are just playing. Fish doesn’t only sound like Gabriel, he acts like him too. Fish shares an ale with one of the audience, and they sing along.

    “The Web”
    After the intro, the rest of the band gets put in the dark again – all the focus is on fish for a minute or two; the whole stage lights up again. Even while Rothery is playing a tasty guitar solo, the focus is on Fish destroying a potted plant. Trewavas gets a little air time though.

    “Chelsea Monday”
    Trewavas leads off on bass with Fish. Kelly plays two keyboards at once. The dry ice is running full blast. ; Fish ends the song in a cloud.

    “He Knows You Know”
    Fish introduces the song in his native Scottish tongue – it’s a “drug song”. While Fish shoots himself up with the microphone, Kelly gets air time, as does Rothery. Hey, there are screens in back showing the single cover.

    “Forgotten Sons”
    Fish introduces the song; it’s about the undeclared war in Northern Ireland. Doesn’t have the overdubbed vocals of the studio version – I guess Fish can’t do both on stage. Fish dons a camo jacket and helmet, starts shooting at the crowd with the microphone stand. Pointer with “Machine Gun” volleys – he gets a spotlight.

    “Market Square Heroes”
    Encore time; this song is from the EP that preceded Script. One of the cameras in among the crowd – you see more of the backs of bobbing heads than the stage. Fish has scrubbed off most of the face paint. Strobe lights start going. Fish has a drum machine. Trewavas with backing vocals.

    “Grendel”

    This is also from the EP, and I’m not familiar with this song, and it’s long. Rothery finally gets some significant camera love. Starts with guitar solo, camera is on crowd. Fish puts on another helmet, but this one is a few centuries older, and it has a mask. Fish brings up someone from the audience and performs a ritual of some sort. The audience member seems amused, but I don’t think I would be. Maybe they are going for the Genesis epic here, but I’m not sure they succeeded. I’m going to put the EP on my phone and give the studio version a few listens.
    _____

    This is what I would call major league bonus material. If I didn’t already have this by virtue of having the Book set, I would want to buy it. It’s normal 4:3 DVD video with CD quality stereo audio. I’m very glad to have concert video with Fish in front – he is a show all by himself.

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

    @mark winstanley has a review of the Script For A Jester's Tear 5.1 mix on the surround thread
     
    elee532, ARK, Åke Bergvall and 2 others like this.
  4. riskylogic

    riskylogic Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Meltdown: Live in Mexico City
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    Live Performance by King Crimson
    Released 20 October 2018
    Recorded 14–19 July 2017
    Venue Teatro Metropólitan in Mexico City
    Genre Progressive rock
    Length 218:07 (Audio); 152:16 (Video)
    Label Discipline Global Mobile
    Producer Bill Rieflin

    Comprising three compact discs and a Blu-ray, Meltdown: Live in Mexico City is a robust package documenting an incarnation of King Crimson that the group's founder Robert Fripp described as "the best band I’ve been in, musically, personally, professionally."[3] The three CDs distill King Crimson's five concerts in Mexico City from 14 to 19 July 2017 down to three and a half hours, and the Blu-ray video further condenses the performances to two hours.

    Meltdown marked the first release to feature recordings of the band's extended lineup playing "Breathless", "Discipline", "Moonchild" and the cadenzas of Tony Levin and Jeremy Stacey.[4] These recordings are taken from concerts during the band's June-July 2018 European tour, and are featured at the end of the third disc as the 2018 Official Bootleg.

    Personnel
    King Crimson
    Robert Fripp – guitar, keyboards, production
    Mel Collins – saxophones, flute
    Tony Levin – basses, Stick, backing vocals, photography
    Pat Mastelotto – drums, percussion
    Gavin Harrison – drums
    Jeremy Stacey – drums, keyboards
    Jakko Jakszyk – guitar, flute, voice
    Bill Rieflin – keyboards, mix production

    Tracklist
    No. Title Length
    1. "Walk On" 3:28
    2. "Neurotica" 4:51
    3. "Pictures of a City" 8:23
    4. "Cirkus" 7:34
    5. "Lizard" (The Battle of Glass Tears – Part I: Dawn Song) 2:19
    6. "Lizard" (The Battle of Glass Tears – Part II: Last Skirmish) 6:10
    7. "Lizard" (The Battle of Glass Tears – Part III: Prince Rupert's Lament) 2:26
    8. "Epitaph" 8:31
    9. "Devil Dogs of Tessellation Row" 3:09
    10. "Fracture" 11:05
    11. "Islands" 10:10
    12. "Indiscipline" 8:03
    13. "Peace – An End" 1:56
    14. "Easy Money" 9:55
    15. "Interlude" 2:47
    16. "The Letters" 6:13
    17. "The Sailor's Tale" 6:23
    18. "CatalytiKc No. 9" 1:13
    19. "Fallen Angel" 6:00
    20. "The Talking Drum" 3:48
    21. "Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Part Two" 6:51
    22. "Starless" 13:24
    23. "The Hell Hounds of Krim" 3:39
    24. "21st Century Schizoid Man" 13:58
    Total length: 152:16

    Version Control
    The is a relatively new release and it is still available. Amazon.

    The Concert Video
    I get the sense that this is primarily an audio recording, and that the video is just tacked on for a little extra entertainment value. In fact, one of the viewing choices at the beginning is to simply listen to the audio with the sound off. You can obviously do that with the CDs too, but the bluray has hirez audio and surround.

    The picture quality is very good, it’s a bluray and the pixels are all there. The lighting and contrast are a little harsh, which is a reason why you might want to turn the video off and just listen. They also don’t put on a show at all; this might just as well be a studio recording – so again, if you turn the video off, you won’t miss all that much. On the other hand, split screen is often used, which yields close ups of multiple musicians at once.

    The surround mix is outstanding. It basically preserves the soundstage, but wraps it around the listener. The musicians are arranged with a back row of Collins-Levin-Rieflin-Jakszyk-Fripp, and the drummers all in front Mastoletto-Stacey-Harrison:

    [​IMG]

    The surround mix has Levin-Rieflin-Jaksyck mixed in the front. Levin might be shaded a bit to the left. The center channel is mostly used for Jakszyk’s vocals, but his guitar is on the left. Fripp and Harrison are placed over on the right, often spilling over into the right rear speaker. Collins and Mastoletto are similarly placed over on the left. To complete the circle, Stacey is in the back.

    I’ve got a at least three other King Crimson albums on tap (I ordered Eyes Wide Open @albertop ). What distinguishes this live album from all of those is the amount of material from the first four albums. In particular, both Lizard and Islands are well covered. That is almost certainly related to the return of Mel Collins, who was a member of the band when those latter two albums were recorded. On the other hand, there is very little (just two) from the Belew era. I don’t know if it’s the reason why, but as a vocalist Jakzyck seems to be much better at covering Lake and Wetton than he is at Belew.

    There is now not much left to say about each individual track, but here goes:

    "Neurotica"
    This song from Beat starts with a drum trio, which lets you hear the surround drum placement without other instruments. Collins on sax, Levin on 12-string stick, Rieflin keyboards. Jakzyck sounds nothing like Belew. Finishes with left and right guitar duet from Jaczyck and Fripp.

    "Pictures of a City"
    Song from The Wake of Poseidon. Starts a long sequence of early material. Collins played also played sax on this song as a guest musician on the original version. Levin switches to 4 string bass. Jaksyck does a better Greg Lake.

    "Cirkus"
    From Lizard. Stacey switches to keyboards. Collins leads with sax, Jakzyck sings sort of. Fripp switches to mellotron at the end.

    "Lizard: The Battle of Glass Tears " (spanning three tracks)
    Also from Lizard. Fripp starts out with mellotron. Collins with oboe, Levin starts with string bass. Then Levin switches back to 4-string electric, Collins picks up a flute. Rieflin and Stacey front and back keyboards. Stacey switches back to drums at end, Fripp with solo from the right.

    "Epitaph"
    From the debut album In the Court of the Crimson King. Fripp guitar, Jaksyck vocals and guitar, Rieflin and Stacey both on keyboards, Levin electric bass. Collin eventually comes in with oboe.

    "Devil Dogs of Tessellation Row"
    There hasn’t been a new KC studio album since The Power to Believe, which was released in 2003. However, there are many new titles on the 2016 Live album Radical Action. Devil Dogs is one that is repeated here. It’s a drum trio that often features a triple split screen, one for each of the drummers.

    "Fracture" 11:05
    From Starless and Bible Black. Two guitar intro left and right. Levin chimes in with electric bass, then sax and three drummers. . Fripp switches to melletron briefly. Collins comes back in with flute. This is a much more complex version than the original.

    "Islands" 10:10
    From Islands. Collin alto flute, Stacey keyboards, Jaksyck just vocals. Everyone else sits. Collins switches to sax. Finally Fripp joins with mellotron, Rieflin plays a few notes, and Collins has an oboe. Then Collins sax, Fripp guitar, Levin bass, Harrison and Mastoletto with a few taps that slowly become a little more vigorous.

    "Indiscipline" 8:03
    From Discipline. Doesn’t Jakko understand that the lyrics are supposed to be spoken rather than sung. Oh well, he won’t do another Belew song for the rest of the disc. In deference to the Mexican crowd, “Me gusta” instead of “I like it” at the end. This is the only clip I could find (I would have picked “LTiA2), so here:



    "Peace – An End"
    Also on Radical Action. Guitar duet from Jaczyck and Fripp

    "Easy Money"
    From Larks' Tongues in Aspic. Stacey on keyboards, Jaksyck does Wetton well, so does Levin. Collin supplements with sax.

    "Interlude"
    Also on Radical Action. Levin switches to string bass, while first Collins and then Jaksyck pick up flutes. Levin plays with bow.

    "The Letters”
    From Islands. Jaksyck, Fripp and Rieflin start. Lenin joins with string bass. Then three drummers and a sax. We get an eight-way split screen near the end. Jaksyck finishes with vocal solo.

    "The Sailor's Tale"
    Also from Islands. Bass, sax, and three drummers, Fripp guitar. Then Levin, Mastoletto, and Fripp by themselves. Then everyone else joins – Stacey on keyboards, Collins sax.

    "CatalytiKc No. 9"
    This is a new song, err percussion piece for three drummers. Harrison leads.

    "Fallen Angel"
    From Red. This starts a four song sequence of material from the Fripp-Wetton-Bruford era. Fripp starts off, Jaksyck vocals and a little guitar, Levin bass, Collins oboe then sax, Stacey keyboards then drums.

    "The Talking Drum"
    From Larks' Tongues in Aspic. Jaksyck guitar leads off; Fripp on mellotron, Mastoletto and Harrison with manual percussion. Then bass, sax, three busy drummers, Jaksyck sits, Rieflin mellotron, Fripp guitar.

    "Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Part Two"
    Also from Larks' Tongues in Aspic. Starts out with everyone except Collins, but he eventually joins with sax. Mastoletto breaks out a set of squeaky toys. No really – a plastic pig, then a panda, then a bird. I’m sure they all have their own special squeaks.

    22. "Starless" 13:24
    From Red. Rieflin starts with mellotron, Levin bass, Mastoletto drums, Fripp guitar. Jakko vocals, Collins oboe. Jakko finishes singing, switches to guitar. Mastoletto switches to toys again, but fortunately there are two other drummers to pick up the slack. Mastoletto switches to gong. Lots of Collins at the end, with Mastoletto drumming again. End of regulation.

    23. "The Hell Hounds of Krim"
    Also on Radical Action. Another drum trio. These are not boring.

    24. "21st Century Schizoid Man"
    From In the Court of the Crimson King. Collins on sax. Jaksyck channeling Lake. Stacey is the only drummer for a while – he’s in back. Then Harrison has a long drum solo; he is mixed to front center.
    ________

    I don’t know if this is a great concert video, but it’s a fantastic surround disc. Yes, they’re old fogeys (Stacey and Harrison are the youngsters – they were both born in 1963), but they can still play. A must for early KC fans and surround fans in general too.

    Music – 3
    Sound quality – 3
    Video presentation – 2 (and that’s only because of the split screen video)
    Video quality – 3
    Surround – 3

    I was going to do this one last Saturday, but I lost my song notes and had to reproduce them. Now maybe I can finally get around to listening to the surround mix for Script.
     
    mshare, Tim Bucknall, ARK and 3 others like this.
  5. JakeKlas

    JakeKlas Impatiently waiting for an 8-track revival

    Location:
    United States
    I love that Jakko turned this into a “sung” song. Tackling Adrian’s quirkiness is a hard task and there were certainly more traditionally sung songs they could have chosen. But I appreciate the fact they took one of his more unique songs and gave it a reworking.

    Adrian’s era of KC is my favorite, but his vocal songs get relatively little love in the setlist these days. Don’t know if that’s because of wanting to avoid comparisons to Belew, but whatever it is, I like that they’ll try something different to see how it works.
     
    Tim Bucknall likes this.
  6. riskylogic

    riskylogic Forum Resident Thread Starter

    I don't know whether it is cause or effect, but Mel Collins has something to with it: They are either concentrating on early KC because he is with the band, or they added him because they wanted to concentrate on earlier stuff.
     
    Tim Bucknall likes this.
  7. riskylogic

    riskylogic Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Live 1976

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    Live Performance by Blue Öyster Cult
    Released 1991
    Recorded Capital Center, Largo, Maryland, 1976
    Genre Hard rock, heavy metal
    Length 82:00
    Label Castle
    Director Eric Gardner
    Producer Eric Gardner, Sandy Pearlman, Steve Schenck

    Live 1976 is a live video by the American hard rock band Blue Öyster Cult, released in 1991 in Europe by Castle Communications on VHS, 15 years after the recording that is on the tape. It was recorded at the Capital Centre in suburban Maryland (The Washington DC Metro area) during the tour for their Agents of Fortune album and included the same lineup that was featured on that album. The concert was also released as a live album on CD, with the same track listing.


    Personnel

    Eric Bloom - vocals, electric guitar
    Donald 'Buck Dharma' Roeser - electric guitar, vocals
    Allen Lanier - electric guitar, keyboards
    Joe Bouchard - bass guitar, vocals
    Albert Bouchard - drums, vocals

    Tracklist
    No. Title Length
    1. "Stairway to the Stars" - 4:19
    2. "Harvester of Eyes" - 4:30
    3. "Cities on Flame" - 4:59
    4. "ME 262" - 5:14
    5. "Dominance and Submission" - 7:39
    6. "Astronomy" - 7:27
    7. "Buck's Boogie" - 19:03
    8. "This Ain't the Summer of Love" - 11:56
    9. "Born to Be Wild" - 7:01
    10. "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" - 6:13

    Version Control
    So there’s a new Blue Öyster Cult bluray that has the band running through Agents of Fortune in its entirety as part of a 40th Anniversary concert (it was recorded in 2016). It’s not the original band – only Buck Dharma and Eric Bloom are left, but you could preorder on Amazon for just under 8 bucks, so why not? Well, apparently that’s what everyone thought because my order has been pushed back twice. Presumably they will eventually get around to manufacturing another copy for me. In the mean time, I’ll just have to suck it up and listen to the 0th anniversary concert that I’ve had on the shelf for ages. It was originally released in VHS format in 1991, and the DVD I have was issued in 1998. There is also a CD version. The DVD is encoded with stereo LPCM, so the audio is presumably as good as the CD. I’m sure I’ve watched it before, but I don’t remember anything about it.

    The Concert Video
    Uh Oh, this is bad. The video is widescreen, and I figure it’s the original VHS clipped on top and bottom. I know it seemed like a good idea at the time, but leaving the video as 4:3 preserves the original resolution instead of making it worse. But it’s still watchable. The audio is actually the bigger disappointment. So, I guess this is just about watching them play.

    "Stairway to the Stars" – from s/t debut
    Announcer introduces the eighth wonder of the world in the dark. Bloom, Roeser, and Joe are in front. Lanier back left, Albert back right. Bloom with lead. Buck has a jacket with a really wide lapel, and he knows how to play guitar. They just don’t make jackets like that anymore.

    "Harvester of Eyes" – from Secret Treaties
    Bloom with lead. Lots of double imagery. Dharma is often shown simultaneously from two different camera angles.

    "Cities on Flame" – from s/t debut
    A. Bouchard with lead vocals, Lanier comes forward with guitar between Roeser and Joe. Dharma with an extra solo at the end.

    "ME 262" – from Secret Treaties
    Bloom back on left with lead vocals.

    "Dominance and Submission" – from Secret Treaties
    Bloom gives long song introduction. Apparently, it’s about the skyrocketing price of good Colombian, and a write-in campaign is needed. And oh yeah, the 55 mph speed has gotta go too. Gets crown to scream “Dominance” while he replies with “submission”. Eventually, he lets Roeser play.

    "Astronomy" – from Secret Treaties
    Bloom with vocals, harmonica and a slide pointer. Roeser plays real good. Double imagery with Dharma A. Bouchard. I think this is as good as it gets:



    "Buck's Boogie"
    This is a BOC live album staple, but there is a studio version in the Columbia box. Bloom vocals, Lanier takes another turn with guitar. The actual song is over after about three minutes – it’s an extended jam after that. Roeser noodles for a while, then looong drum solo with a light show of some sort (hard to tell, the video quality is not good), then back to the Buck Dharma show. Lot’s of double imagery again.

    "This Ain't the Summer of Love" – from Agents of Fortune
    This is not a song I would have picked from Agents, but it is the opener. Bloom on vocals. But after the song is basically over, Joe Bouchard launches into an extended bass solo – he also gets the double image treatment. He can play pretty fast too. Bloom and Lanier get many guitar solos in too. Albert comes up with a guitar too, so four guitars and a bass.

    "Born to Be Wild" – Steppenwolf cover
    Stage lights up (it was getting a little dark), and the dry ice machine fires up. Bloom and Roeser finish with stupid guitar tricks; at one point the rub the strings of their two against each other: It makes a noise.

    "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" – from Agents of Fortune
    Ok, here we go. Their big hit song back when it was new. Roeser with lead vocals. It seems like it would be pretty awesome if you could actually see and hear it.
    _________

    It’s a good thing I love this band, otherwise that would have been painful. Besides the fact that the video and audio were bottom of the barrel, I’m not all that thrilled with the song selection. They are great musicians, but that the run from “Buck’s Boogie” to “Born to be Wild” didn’t really show it. Now I want that bluray more, not less.

    Music – 2
    Sound quality – 1
    Video presentation – 2
    Video quality – 1
    Surround – 1
     
    mark winstanley likes this.
  8. riskylogic

    riskylogic Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Live At Pompeii

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    Concert Performance by David Gilmour
    Released 29 September 2017
    Recorded 7–8 July 2016
    Venue Amphitheatre of Pompeii
    Genre Progressive rock, blues rock
    Length 155 min (DVD, BD)
    Label Columbia
    Director Gavin Elder
    Producer David Gilmour

    Live at Pompeii is a live album and film by David Gilmour, the former guitarist of Pink Floyd. It was recorded at the Amphitheatre of Pompeii. It documents his 2015–16 world tour to promote his album, Rattle That Lock (2015). The concert was directed by Gavin Elder.

    Personnel
    David Gilmour – electric guitars, acoustic guitars, classical guitar, console steel guitar, lead and backing vocals, cymbals on "One of These Days", whistling on "In Any Tongue"
    Chester Kamen – electric guitars, acoustic guitars, classical guitar, 12-string acoustic guitar, high-strung acoustic guitar on "Comfortably Numb", backing vocals, harmonica on "The Blue"
    Guy Pratt – bass guitars, double bass, backing vocals, co-lead vocals on "Run Like Hell"
    Greg Phillinganes – piano, keyboards, backing vocals, co-lead vocals on "Time"
    Chuck Leavell – organ, keyboards, accordion, backing vocals, co-lead vocals on "Comfortably Numb"
    Steve DiStanislao – drums, percussion, backing vocals, aeoliphone on "One of These Days"
    João Mello – saxophones, clarinet, additional keyboards on "The Blue", high-strung acoustic guitar on "In Any Tongue"
    Bryan Chambers – backing vocals, lead vocals on "In Any Tongue" and "The Great Gig in the Sky", tambourine
    Lucita Jules – backing vocals, lead vocals on "The Great Gig in the Sky"
    Louise Clare Marshall – backing vocals, cowbell, lead vocals on "The Great Gig in the Sky"[

    Tracklist
    1. "5 A.M."
    2. "Rattle That Lock"
    3. "Faces of Stone"
    4. "What Do You Want from Me"
    5. "The Blue"
    6. "The Great Gig In the Sky"
    7. "A Boat Lies Waiting"
    8. "Wish You Were Here"
    9. "Money"
    10. "In Any Tongue"
    11. "High Hopes"
    12. "One of These Days"
    13. "Shine On You Crazy Diamond"
    14. "Fat Old Sun"
    15. "Coming Back to Life"
    16. "On an Island"
    17. "Today"
    18. "Sorrow"
    19. "Run Like Hell"
    20. "Time" / "Breathe (Reprise)"
    21. "Comfortably Numb"
    22. "Beauty" (closing credits) (studio recording)

    Version Control
    The album was released on 29 September 2017 and is available on CD, LP, digital download, DVD, BD and deluxe box set containing the CD album and BD, plus a bonus exclusive BD of extras. I have the bluray.

    The Concert Video
    The video starts out with an aerial view of the coliseum and the volcano in the background. There’s more than a little dry ice going down below, so the coliseum looks a bit like a volcano. Inside, there’s a big stage, with a big round rear projection screen in back, and a small crowd of maybe 500 hundred people in front. The concert starts at dusk.

    "5 A.M."
    From Rattle That Lock, like all of the first three songs. Instrumental piece– just guitar and Leavell keyboards

    "Rattle That Lock"
    Crowd chants “rattle that lock” from the rear speakers before the songs starts. The front row, left to right: Contingent of three vocalists (Chambers, Jules, and Marshall), bass, Gilmour, Kamen on Guitar. Keyboards (Leavell left and Phillinganes right) and drums (DiStanislao center) are in back. Animation on the screen – from RTL film. Gilmour vocals are in center channel, background vocals far left spilling into back. There are some chain ratting sounds in surround at both the beginning and end of the song. I think these must be studio effects added during mixing.

    "Faces of Stone"
    Phillinganes starts out far right on piano – another aerial of the volcano as the sun sets. Mello comes out with clarinet between Gilmour and Kame – he’s front right. Leavell with accordian and keyboards – he is mixed to the rear. No bv vocals. Gilmour guitar in front stereo, and he is shown on the big screen.

    "What Do You Want from Me"
    From Division Bell. Background vocalists far left again. Mello disappears. Just reverb in back.

    "The Blue"
    From On an Island. Pratt has an acoustic string bass, Kamen acoustic guitar and a harmonica. Just reverb in back.

    "The Great Gig In the Sky"
    Starts with some fiery imagery on the screen, and let me interject at this point the fact that the screen is freaking awesome – the clarity on it matches what is on the TV screen which is also excellent. The vocal trio earn their keep on this song. Gilmour slide guitar, Leavell piano.

    "A Boat Lies Waiting"
    An0ther one from RTL. Leavell piano, Gilmour slide guitar, Pratt string bass with bow. Backing vocals from everyone.

    "Wish You Were Here"
    Kamen leads off, he gets the big screen too. Gilmour joins ins – they both have acoustic guitars. Crowd sings along from the rears. Phillinganes piano and the big screen. The vocal trio have taken a break.

    "Money"
    Starts with what must be studio cash register surround effects. Money on the big screen too. Mello is back with a sax.

    "In Any Tongue"
    More RTL screen animation. The trio are back over on the left. Keyboards in back for the first time in a while. Mello with acoustic guitar, Kamen electric.

    "High Hopes"
    From Division Bell, and DiStanislao has the bell; he rings it with a small hammer. Gilmour vocals, Phillinganes piano. The screen has photographic video – I presume it’s from the Division Bell film. The trio come back for background vocals. Gilmour plays both acoustic and slide guitar. End of first set

    "One of These Days"
    Yay, a classic from Meddle. Animated video on screen. Gilmour goes back to help on percussion, then sits down to play slide. The screen goes wild:



    "Shine On You Crazy Diamond"
    Phillinganes starts off, then Gilmour with electric guitar. More video on screen. Trio on left with background vocals, Mello with sax on right.

    "Fat Old Sun"
    I wouldn’t have thought this one from Atom Heart Mother was worth bringing back, but here it is. Big sun on screen. Gilmour with acoustic guitar and vocals. Kamen electric, Leavell organ. Gilmour switches to electric guitar for jam at end. No trio or Mello.

    "Coming Back to Life"
    From Division Bell. Gilmour starts with electric guitar solo, then vocals with Leavell organ. The trio are back, Mello still gone. Screen is blank, lots of dry ice instead.

    "On an Island"
    Gilmour electric guitar, vocals, and up on the big screen. Everyone on background vocals.

    "Today"
    Also from On an Island. Everyone on vocals, screen is blank. Then they start playing and Gilmour is up on the screen.

    "Sorrow"
    From A Momentary Lapse of Reason. Screen is off. Gilmour solo with lots of reverb and dry ice. Then the arena lights up green, and the band starts up. Guitar in back – I think it’s Kamen. This is the first really good surround track. Gilmour’s guitar shows up on screen periodically.

    "Run Like Hell"
    From The Wall. Starts with Gilmour reverb and strobe lights. Then bass and drums. The trio and Phillinganes with backing vocals. Gilmour and Pratt with lead, which earns Pratt some screen time. Phillinganes strong organ work on the right. Ends with fireworks.

    "Time" / "Breathe (Reprise)"
    Quad chimes stolen from surround mix. Drums way over on left. Gilmour with lead vocals, but I think Kamen is lead guitar at start. Trio and Phillinganes backing. Animation on screen. Gilmour takes over on guitar. Phillinganes takes turn at lead vocals. Leavell on organ.

    "Comfortably Numb"
    From The Wall. Leavell co-lead vocalist, everyone else backing. Lots of green lights projecting from the stage, then white, red, and yellow too. Gilmour finishes on the big screen with white streaming lights – that’s the cover photo.
    _________

    The video and audio quality are both top notch, and that huge projecting screen makes an amazing visual spectacle. The camera overlooking the venue with volcano in the background provides gorgeous daytime and nightime views as well.

    My main problem with this presentation is that I’m not wild about later years Pink Floyd or the later Gilmour solo albums – and that’s mainly what this concert covers -especially the first set. I like the second set much better than the first (starts with “One of These Days”); it has far more early Floyd. I also can’t shake the feeling that DG is a little past his prime at this point.

    The surround mix is above average. However, except for a few songs (especially “Sorrow”), it’s not in the upper echelon for surround.

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

    I have several other Gilmour items to cover. One of them is the “Rattle That Lock” film that comes in the RTL box set. I’ll do that one whenever Mark gets around to covering the surround mix.
     
  9. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product

    Meltdown and Monkey Mind are both quite wonderful.
     
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  10. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product

    I really enjoyed this one. I really liked the Rattle that Lock album, and memory tells me it's a nice 5.1 too.
    Dave is getting on in years, but I still enjoy his work ...
    Can't think of the name offhand, but he did a really cool mainly acoustic concert dvd also
     
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  11. Hymie the Robot

    Hymie the Robot Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    You lost me at "the movie is better than the album" AND "there are only two good songs".
     
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  12. riskylogic

    riskylogic Forum Resident Thread Starter

    OK, maybe more than two. I guess "Run Like Hell" is worth mentioning too. But still, The Wall never was one of my favorite Floyd albums - and that has nothing to do with the movie.
     
  13. Hymie the Robot

    Hymie the Robot Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    In this particular instance, The Wall, the album has a lot to do with the movie considering it is played in its entirety. To say it has "nothing" to do with the movie is lol funny.
     
  14. riskylogic

    riskylogic Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Future Past Perfect

    [​IMG]

    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
     
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  15. riskylogic

    riskylogic Forum Resident Thread Starter

    You're missing the point: I appreciate the music more for having seen the movie - but I still don't think it's a classic Floyd album.
     
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  16. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product

    The Church are a fantastic band, I may have to get this
     
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  17. riskylogic

    riskylogic Forum Resident Thread Starter

    I highly recommend it for anyone who likes The Church at all.
     
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  18. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product

    AC/DC: Let There Be Rock

    [​IMG]
    Directed by Eric Dionysius
    Eric Mistler
    Starring Bon Scott
    Angus Young
    Malcolm Young
    Cliff Williams
    Phil Rudd
    Music by AC/DC
    Cinematography Jean-Francis Gondre
    Edited by Mariette Lévy-Novion
    Distributed by Warner Bros.
    Release date
    • 1 September 1980 (United Kingdom and France)
    • 14 September 1980 (United States)
    • 31 December 1981 (Australia)
    Running time
    99 minutes
    Country United States
    France
    Language English

    • Directors – Eric Dionysius
    • Producer – Eric Mistler
    • Cinematography – Jean-Francis Gondre
    • Film – Mariette Lévy-Novion
    • Executive Producer – Martine Cuisinier
    • Sound – Mike Scarfe (MHA Audio)
    • Special Effects – Terry Lee (lightning)
    • Visual Effects – Klauss Blasquiz (graphics) and Jacques Dimier (animation)
    The Classic Line Up
    1. "Live Wire" - 5:23 (1975)
    2. "Shot Down In Flames" - 3:18 (1979)
    3. "Hell Ain't a Bad Place to Be" - 3:54 (1977)
    4. "Sin City" - 3:52 (1978)
    5. "Walk All Over You" - 2:30 (1979)
    6. "Bad Boy Boogie" - 11:08 (1977)
    7. "The Jack" - 5:21 (1975)
    8. "Highway to Hell" - 3:10 (1979)
    9. "Girls Got Rhythm" - 3:09 (1979)
    10. "High Voltage" - 5:27 (1975)
    11. "Whole Lotta Rosie" - 4:41 (1977)
    12. "Rocker" - 8:57 (1975)
    13. "Let There Be Rock" - 7:17 (1977)
    ------------------------------------------------
    Well the Acdc album by album thread has inspired me to revisit the Let There Be Rock movie.

    This is prime period Acdc for me and they always put on a good rock show back in the day. I already know some of the drawbacks with this particular video, and the main one is the interruptions. Whenever I have watched it I cut out early because of all those damn interruptions and shortened songs to insert talking of general BS, and that is my biggest grievance with any concert video that does that.... I don't care about all that junk, give me the damn concert, and if you want babble and redundant footage put it in a bonus disc ...
    Anyway, that is that off my chest.

    Still available new
    Amazon $13 https://www.amazon.com/Ac-Dc-There-Rock-BLU-RAY/dp/B00519VVBW

    There is also a two disc set
    Amazon from $17 https://www.amazon.com/AC-DC-Limited-Collectors-Blu-ray/dp/B004LWZWEC
    The bonus disc features
    Loud, Locked & Loaded: The Rites of Rock: Seasoned rockers, actors and journalists recollect their rite of passage as early witnesses to the raw, bone rattling rock of AC/DC.
    AC/DC: The Bedrock of Riff. No one has mastered the basic DNA of Riff Rock as successfully as AC/DC. Explore Angus and Malcolm Young’s telepathic groove and the four-on-the-floor swing of Phil Rudd.
    Angus Young: A True Guitar Monster. Angus Young’s transformation from diminutive schoolboy to raging rock monster electrifies the masses. Find out what makes this time bomb tick.
    Bon Scott: The Pirate of Rock ‘n’ Roll. Bon Scott was the ringleader of the AC/DC circus, balancing his screaming sexuality with a rakish charm. Get a glimpse into the life of a classic Rock 'n' Roll pirate.
    AC/DC: A Rock Solid Legacy. From bar band to arena rock, AC/DC stuck to their guns and shot their way to the top. Fellow rockers and journalists chart AC/DC’s ascent into the Pantheon of Rock Gods in rock ‘n’ roll history.
    The 6 - Song Specific Interviews

    So we start with roadies setting up, and we're in a 4/3 square screen.
    After just under 2 minutes a narrator starts giving us some statistics.
    We see the trucks on the road, and the narrator lists cities where the tour is going.
    Back to the roadies setting up.
    At about 4:45 we see Angus and Malcolm turning up backstage.
    At about 6:15 we see Malcolm swig a beer and put on his trusty black tshirt.
    Just about 7 minutes we get more footage of the band, and a bit of chat about ducking drum stick and such.
    Then we get the titles come up, and they are a little cheesy, but probably state of the art at the time.
    Some guitar underneath.. fades
    Crowd noise... 10 minutes in. We finally get the show start with Live Wire ... the video should have just been the guys walking out with subtitles, and straight into it.

    The video quality is good and clear, but not amazing. I think it is shot on film, and I am not sure that it underwent any major clean up, but it's solid and clear.
    We have a dts hd 5.1. The audio is all up front with the surrounds in ambience mode. What we do get with the dts master audio is a nice sub track that bring out Cliff's bass and Phil's kick nicely.... on the level, it is definitely worthwhile.

    Live Wire, Shot Down in Flames, Hell ain't a Bad Place To Be and Sin City get a straight run with no interruptions.
    The performances are excellent, and that's what I'm here for.
    Angus always was an interesting performer and his energy is seemingly limitless. Bon is the other focal point strutting around in his spray on denim jeans and no shirt.
    The concert footage is well shot, and we don't get the rapid fire edits so popular today.
    The guys put out a solid wall of sound, and at this stage are tight as a snare drum's skin.
    After Sin City we move to Bon and he's asked about the third world war...
    We get Phil hooning around in a sports car, and Walk All Over You starts up. Cliff is in a biplane as a passenger, and they are racing each other.
    The plane lands, car parks and Cliff gets in.
    Then we get Bon standing on a frozen lake... the the at the lead break Walk fades out and we switch to Bon back in his bed talking about how he first saw the band.
    Then we talk to Phil talking about his broken hand, and watching the band and enjoying it.
    Malcolm and Angus don't say much...
    We finally get back to the stage, and Angud is playing a solo. The way he does this is always cool, he really knows how to get the crowd revved up.
    Bad Boy Boogie fires up.
    Angus plays one note for longer than just about reasonably should but it is nuanced and effective. Then we get the Angus take on blues.
    The rhythm section just keeps pumping along, Angus put his guitar down and does a little strip tease performance.
    Angus struts around like a dork lol the crowd is loving it. It is somewhat unusual for a rock show, but Angus gets on the drum riser and flashes his ass after taunting the crowd a bit. Struts over to his guitar and lays down a nice lead break to the still pumping rhythm section, and Bad Boy Boogie rockets back into full stride.

    This is Acdc, no fancy stage set, no fancy lights, just the regular old fashioned stage lights, and bare stage with just the guys and their gear.
    Then we move into She's Got The Jack. It's a cool groove, always was, but it has probably worn slightly thin on me over forty plus years of hearing it.
    Cliff and Malcolm do the walk up to their mics sing the chorus and walk back.
    This is where the song always still entertains me though, Angus is just such a good rock guitarist with a blues tinge.
    The crowd sings the chorus and we move into a bit of Bon and Angus interplay with vocals and guitar, and Angus tips into it again. Cliff and Malcolm walk up to sing again, and all is good in the world.

    Back to Bon in bed, and we see the boys playing soccer, drinking beer. Meanwhile talking about Malcolm.
    Then Malcolm tells us writing is easy peasy. Bon says he just writes words, and has no idea about music.
    We launch into Highway To Hell.
    Then we launch into Girls Got Rhythm.

    One of the things live about these guys that always amuses me. Cliff and Malcolm just stand either side of the kit, walk forward for backing vocals, and walk backwards into place, essentially leaving the stage for Angud and Bon to do their thing.

    Angus take another little solo, and we launch into High Voltage.
    There a few shots of the audience, but when you see the glimpses they're rocking.
    Bon gets the crowd to do the call and response vocal "high". Angus does another nice lead break as the band chug away behind him.

    We move to Angus writing at the desk ... no he's drawing one of his little devils.
    We move to Bon signing autographs.
    We get a short interview with Bon and he talks about going from the chauffeur to the singer.
    Then we get the guys messing with champagne bottles.

    Whole Lotta Rosie, such a great rock song.
    Angus has to change guitars and we get a lead break with no strap, a roadie puts the strap on him while he is slashing away, and then his perpetual bounce machine storms away again.
    Then we get the TNT album classic Rocker, played at breakneck pace.
    I don't think there is any guitarist as entertaining to watch as Angus.
    We see Angus getting dome oxygen at the side of the stage... not surprising. He launches into a lead break, jumps on a roadies shoulders and they set off into the crowd, how his lead doesn't get unplugged I'll never know.
    Rocker is going so fast now it is barely recognisable, and we punch into a big finish.
    Angus winds up on top of the speaker stacks and does another solo.
    Does his little harmonic minor run with one hand.
    Then moves into a call and response with the audience.... they all know what to do.

    With a pretty poor edit we move into Let There Be Rock.
    I'm pretty sure this was still the concert favourite at the time.
    We plough through it beautifully, and Angus runs every last drop of sweat out of himself to bring the show to the big climax
    We are left with a concert still and the message on screen "to Bon"

    This cuts aren't as bad as I thought, and only one song gets spoiled with an edit missing a stack of it out.
    So on the whole this is probably the best footage we will get of the Bon era live, and it is very good. I certainly hope one day we get a re-edited version that is just the music, and some songs not originally used, but it is unlikely. there is probably a copyright on the movie that would make editing it illegal.

    Anyway this is a great bunch of live songs, mixed with some eventually reasonably interesting intermissions, but a complete uninterrupted show would be a lot better.
     
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  19. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product

    Ultravox - Return to Eden

    [​IMG][​IMG]

    Still available new from about $15 on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Return-Eden-Ultravox/dp/B0039P5LKM

    I just have the straight dvd.

    Astradyne
    Passing Strangers
    We Stand Alone
    Mr X
    Visions In Blue
    The Thin Wall
    I Remember (Death In The Afternoon)
    Rage In Eden
    Lament
    One Small Day
    All Stood Still
    Your Name (Has Slipped My Mind)
    Vienna
    Reap The Wild Wind
    Dancing With Tears In My Eyes
    Hymn
    Sleepwalk
    The Voice

    Hey @riskylogic , I haven't checked if you have this yet, and I apologise, but all the Ultravox talk on the Rush thread made me want to watch this. If you do have this, you can pick two of my surround albums to run through ... sound fair?

    I don't know whether anybody really knows these guys in the US, I know a lot of folks like The John Foxx era, and it is good, but for me the Midge Ure era was something very cool. A unique sound and delivery and four very solid synth pop albums - Vienna - Rage In Eden - Quartet - Lament. Hard for me to pick a favourite, but all very good albums if you like the bands take on synth pop.

    In 2008 the band got back together and did a tour and made a new album a few years later and all that groovy stuff.
    The 2008 tour was one of those showcase an album tours, and here we got Rage In Eden complete, with some greatest hits to top it off.

    • Chris Cross – bass, synthesisers, backing vocals (1973–1988, 2008–2017)
    • Warren Cann – drums, percussion, backing vocals, occasional lead vocals (1974–1986, 2008–2017)
    • Billy Currie – keyboards, viola, violin, synthesisers (1974–1988, 1992–1996, 2008–2017)
    • Midge Ure – lead vocals, guitar, synthesisers (1979–1988, 2008–2017)
    Anyway we have been doing a Rush album thread and it was mentioned several times how much the band liked Ultravox, and it just made me want to revisit this dvd.

    We have a Dts 5.1 soundtrack, so let's see if they use it.

    We start with a brief back stage thing, and roll onto the show.
    We get a synth click in the left rear, and the electric piano comes in up front.
    The we get the bass and drums and that beautiful lush ultravox synth.
    Billy Currie hits the violin and we have a really solid instrumental opener. Nice sound. The 5.1 is solid, not crazy but the fields are being used.
    The audience are obviously really pleased the guys are back at it, and it sounds great.
    The picture is wide screen and really nice.
    We get some nice surround effects from the lead synth.
    We also have real drums. Which is always better in my book.
    So that was Astrodyne the opening instrumental.

    Passing Strangers. All the boys are looking old, but listening, you would think it was still the eighties.
    Midge sounds excellent, and he is playing his Dancing With Tears On My Eyes guitar.
    It sounds like we have a synth on either side.
    Drums and bass solid up front.
    As always Midges guitar sounds very good. He did play with Thin Lizzy? on a tour apparently.
    A lot of blue stage light, and blue is the hardest video to compress for disc and often fizzes out on playback but it looks good, very clear picture.

    We Stand Alone and the blend of instruments sounds great. The surround mix is actually very good.
    The guitar is more prominent than I remember it being on albums but it all sounds excellent.

    Mr X comes in with the synth bass and the melody synth, and drummer Warren Cann provides the narration. This track has the drum machine being operated by Cann, but it is totally in context with the song.
    Midge is on the synth for this track and Billy Currie pulls the violin out again.
    Excellent.

    Visions on Blue is a great track. Another atmospheric synth and piano tune.
    Midge stands at the mic without an instrument. Very effective, even with the drum machine. The vocals are excellent.
    Midge is on the synth now as the sound fills out beautifully.
    We end with a minimalist keys and vocals. Excellent.

    The Thin Wall is a great track, that I believe was a single. Again the guitar adds to this track nicely.
    It's actually a really nice 5.1 mix
    Warren gives us the backing vocals here. He must be itching to get back on his kit.
    Midge can still sing up a storm. Great stuff.
    Midge gives us a really nice piece of textural guitar. Billy is back on his violin. I never realised these guys were so musically talented, I thought they just made good synth pop songs.

    I Remember is a moderate to uptempo synth pop track that had a great vocal melody.
    Again Ure really gets the vocal spot on, the guitar adding a lot to the performance and Billy Currie is really excellent with his synth work.
    Midge rocks a really nice lead break.

    Rage In Eden the title track, closes out the album showcase section. We have a solid bass and drums. Billy is back on violin, and Midge is adding some nice guitar chords. The guys have arranged this very well musically, and they are carrying it of beautifully live.

    Lament was the first album I got by these guys and I thought it was great, and bought the rest.
    The mix and arrangements are really very good. This is bringing back some memories... yea I'm old, so what :)
    Midge plays the xylophone parts on the synth. Billy Carrie's the melody and chords on the synth. Warren is playing the drums with the drum machine extras.
    Midges Carrie's the vocals off beautifully.
    Chris Cross is foing a great job on the synth bass and bass, but he is like the foundation the guys are building on, and not a lead player.

    One Small Day opens up with that great guitar lick and we rock out a bit again.
    Chris is back on real bass, and these guys are really kill it. Midge sound like a young man again, great vocals and all round great performance from the band.
    Midge pulls some nice squeals out of his guitar, and then we break down to the stomping and clapping of the crowd, move back into the song.

    All Stood Still and we get some really nice synth sounds in the rears. This is an excellent concert, mix, video and audio.
    Nice lead break from Midge. Billy gives us dome nice synth stuff, then we get a crescendo of sound and move into the last verse. Awesome version of a great song.

    You Name is a song I am not familiar with, I assume it is from later on.
    Nice atmospheric start.a really nice minimalist synth ballad track.
    Nice electric piano with a little tremolo on it.
    Stays beautifully atmospheric from start to finish.

    Vienna. This song was huge in Aus and Europe, not sure about the US, a wonderful song.
    Wonderful atmospheric synths and Midge holding centre stage a wonderful vocal.
    Again a really nice 5.1 for a concert dvd.
    We move to the instrumental break and Billy pulls out his violin again. Then rushes to the keys to play that wonderful piano part.
    Absolutely wonderful that these old boys carry this off so well live

    Reap the Wild Wind is one of my favourites.
    Warren in back on real drums Chris is back on real bass. Billy's beautiful synth line sit in there as well and Midge hits the main vocal beautifully again.

    Dancing With Tears in my Eyes was pretty big in Aus, and I reckon it is a marvelous song. It is full of the fear of nuclear holocaust that was the eughties.
    It is obviously a stretch but Midge absolutely kills the vocal and the whole thing comes across really well.
    He nails the guitar lead break and hit the vocals like it is child's play. Wonderful. Billy adds some really nice lead synth at the end, and with a key modulation it lifts again.
    Wonderful finish. Top class... for a synth band these guys make a great rock band.

    Hymn is another great song. I'm loving this. Thanks for the thread @riskylogic .
    We get the crowd singing on along. Then we burst into the track with a key modulation. The real drums really add to this.
    Great performances all round. This is top class. The audience takes a chorus really well.
    A key modulation up and this really knocks it out of the park.
    The guys are all smiles, and why the **** wouldn't they be. Awesome stuff.
    Set closer and it's obvious why.
    Obviously also, the crowd want more

    Sleepwalk. Big sting pop hit. Great track.
    Another great vocal and an adrenaline filled track. Pulsing relentlessly.
    This all brings back great memories.
    Billy plays a beautiful lead synth.

    The Voice is another marvelous track that will close us out here.
    Synths all round but real drums pumping this along. Great track, and a great track to close the show.
    We break to straight drums and bass and a great synth filling the surround field

    Wonderful performance.
    In reflection of the Monument show we get everyone on snare to finish ... f'n awesome.

    This is a fantastic disc. For some reason way better than I thought it was. The playing is tight, the arrangements are great, the performances are great, and for a concert dvd the 5.1 is really very good.
    I highly recommend this one.

    Rush Album by Album, Song By Song

    Ok you can say that's the whole show, but you miss the mix. It you like this, get the disc, it's great..
    @c-eling have you got this mate, I don't know why, but I feel you would love it ... forgive me if I'm wrong... I love it.





     
    JulesRules, riskylogic and c-eling like this.
  20. c-eling

    c-eling They're made of light,We never would have guessed

    Great price Mark :)
    never thought to check them out live!
    I only have the old US disc, great album! :)
    [​IMG]
     
    mark winstanley likes this.
  21. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product

    Worth checking them out mate. Vienna, Rage, Quartet and Lament are all excellent albums
     
    c-eling likes this.
  22. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product

    That is modified from the original album too I just noticed
     
    c-eling likes this.
  23. c-eling

    c-eling They're made of light,We never would have guessed

    I know later additions added bonus tracks, are the mixes used different?
     
    mark winstanley likes this.
  24. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product

    sorry. this is the whole show... beer fingers

     
  25. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product

    Sorry it's the same ... I'm not functioning really well, at the moment lol
    I think the concert through me off because they are ordered differently ... and then there's the beers ... those 10% beers are dangerous
     
    c-eling likes this.

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