Hard Vision |
January / February 2009Mushroomhead | The Meatmen | Kraftwerk and The Electronic Revolution | John Mayall's Bluesbreakers | Martin Atkins | Johnny Guitar Watson | Nashville Pussy | Long John Baldry | Yes | Ghosts of Pirate Island | I Was a Teenage Mummy | Desperately Seeking Paul McCartney | Pigface | The Damage Manual | Dark Funeral | Black Metal Satanica | The Beatles Mushroomhead If one didn't know any better...one might think Mushroomhead is a comedy act...especially after watching this release. "Volume 2" features a good two hours of random, off stage footage of the band having fun. That's right...FUN...and it's funny to watch. I think this is the first metal DVD that actually made me laugh and...in this case...that's NOT a bad thing. They say that life on the road is tough. Maybe so. But, Mushroomhead seems to be having a lot of fun out there. Okay, sure, there's the occasional auto accident. Well...maybe I should say tour bus accident. But, with the camera rolling...they make light of the situation. I guess they just made the best out of a bad situation. No harm in that. Let's see...what else...they shoot some serious lookin' guns and blow stuff up, there's weed, they pee in garbage cans, they drink a lot and, of course, there's women who are nice enough to show the band some boobs. They wouldn't be a metal band if they didn't throw some titties on here. You get that...and so much more. By the time you get to the end of the DVD...it's almost like you know the guys on a personal level because that's what they seem to share here...their personalities. No huge rock star ego here. Just a bunch of guys out to have a good time. Of course, what would a music video be without music? They throw in some live footage and a video here and there. It's a highly entertaining viewing experience...even more so if you're a Mushroomhead fan. http://www.mushroomhead.com THE MEATMEN I saw The Meatmen several times at City Gardens back in the 80's and this DVD brought back some killer memories. The Meatmen were a hardcore band that took no prisoners with their music and their lyrics. This DVD has lots of old cool footage of the band from back in the day and the quality is even pretty good for today's standards. The band played no frills hardcore punk with Tesco Vee leading the way on vocals. Over 15 tunes and some interview footage made this a delight to watch. This is only Volume one as Tesco has promised more to come in the future. I for one can't wait. Info: http://www.mvdb2b.com KRAFTWERK AND THE ELECTRONIC REVOLUTION I am no fan of this whatsoever, but I watched this with an open mind. Now I still don't like the band and I admit I didn't watch the entire thing as it clocks in at 3 hours, but from the parts I did see, and I did watch more than a few minutes, this is easily one of the most extensive DVD's I have seen since I watched them Violence DVD a few years back. This goes through the history of the band and the roots of their style of music. There is interviews with ex band members and you get lots of footage to boot. Let put it this way, if your a fan of the band, this is something you can't live without. It was put together magnificently. Info: http://www.mvdb2b.com JOHN MAYALL'S BLUESBREAKERS This was filmed way back in 1987 in some small smoke filled bar it looks like. I like some blues music and this was very good due to the fact it wasn't just a bunch of jamming and there was some singing and the songs had some melodies and the like. The camera work isn't bad and the band sound tight and play the songs quite well. The singer has a sort of gruff voice, but fits the style of music the band is playing. The guitar work is fantastic and the sound is pretty good as well. A good solid release of blues rock that would please any fan of the genre. Info: http://www.mvdb2b.com Martin Atkins Martin Atkins (who has played in PIL and NIN, among others) did something rather interesting-he went to China to check out the music scene in Bejing, and made his visit into a documentary film. Martin managed to hook up with a number of bands, who play a variety of musical styles-some punk rock, some goth, some who invent styles of their own, by mixing modern music with traditional Chinise music. He compared the music scene in China to that in America and the West in general, and said the Chinise scene reminded him of the old punk/new wave scene in London and New York in the late 70s and early 80s. An interesting comparison. He also said that a Bejing club called D-22 is picking up where CBGB's left off. Martin worked with several bands, produced their music, and even managed to sign some. He said signing them was a bit difficult because the Chinese musicians are hesitant to trust anyone from outside the Bejing scene, but he managed to convince a few of the bands in the end. It was interesting to hear these bands and see Martin work and interact with them. It was truly East meeting West, and showing that there really wasn't a whole lot of difference. Everyone loves the music, and rock and roll reaches all four corners of the globe. One might not expect there to be a rock scene at all in a country like China, but there seems to be a very active one. With the help of people like Martin Atkins, some of these bands might get some exposure in the West. Martin also pointed out some of the similarities between China and America, focusing on one thing in particlar-Starbucks! Bejing has its own Starbucks, and Martin seemed a bit distressed at this. At one point he says, "It seemed like Starbucks manipulates the media as much as the government...Starbucks of the Chinese government, name you poison!" Then he gags! All kidding aside, this is a fascinating DVD. This is the first look I ever got inside the Chinise rock scene and it sure was interesting. The seem to have some good bands. As cliche as this may sound, this again shows that music is an international language. Rock on China, and don't let those commies bring you down! If they do, go grab some Starbucks, LOL! Some videos by the featured bands are included as bonus features, so you get a sample of their music. JOHNNY GUITAR WATSON This bored me to tears. This was some bad jazz music. The songs just dragged on and there was no meat, no hooks, no nothing that made me interested in this guy's music. I like some jazz music, but this didn't have anything that appealed to me. The camera work is good and this was recorded back in 1993 at some jazz festival, but to my ears and eyes I didn't hear or see anything of value with this DVD. Info: http://www.mvdb2b.com NASHVILLE PUSSY This is what rock n roll should be. This is the perfect modern dirty, down home, ass kickin, take no prisoners rock n roll band. Over 20 songs played down and dirty with a boogie edge the way rock n roll should be. The camera work is excellent and the band sound tight as balls and even though I had only heard a few songs prior, now I am easily a fan of this band. You also get a bunch of bonus features including some other live stuff, interviews, etc. If your a fan of this band, this is easily a must have. This is rock n roll played to perfection. Excellent DVD. Info: http://www.mvdb2b.com LONG JOHN BALDRY This was another bore to me. This is blues music and this didn't do a thing for me. The songs just dragged on and his voice was gruff and I couldn't get into it at all and I thought his voice was awful. The songs lacked any kind of punched and dragged along like a snail. This was filmed at the same place as the other DVD from above and this was filmed in 1987 and the footage doesn't look too bad 20 years later. If this had gone on much longer I would have been fast asleep. Info: http://www.mvdb2b.com YES This was so long they had to use 2 DVD'S. For good reason with some of the song lengths this band has ha ha. Anyway this band has been around for a long time and what we have here is a 2003 video from the bands 35th anniversary World Tour. You get footage from 2 different shows across the sea and there is some added stuff that only appeared before in edited form. The band sound tight as balls and the camera work is incredible on this puppy. The band rip through some of their best known tunes such as: I've Seen All Good People, Roundabout, etc. I was never a huge fan of the band, but in the last few years I have had a deeper admiration for them and some of their music. This clocks in at about 200 minutes so anybody that buys this well be getting more than their moneys worth. This also features the 'classic line-up" and since they are presently not together, you get to see this band do their thing and on this they do it quite well. Any fan of classic rock needs this in their DVD collection right now. Info: http://www.mvdb2b.com GHOSTS OF PIRATE ISLAND Regain Records goes off into the horror movie biz and they have a bunch of hot girls go to an island to film a reality show. Some of the acting is pretty bad, but you get smoking hot chicks running around almost and sometimes nude and blood and gore and as a horror fan that is all I can ask for. Neat film and some of the acting will have you laughing as well. Info: http://www.regainrecords.com I WAS A TEENAGE MUMMY DVD This is 2 mini movies rolled into 1 and the 1st is called I Was A Teenage Mummy which is a spoof of all those early bad 50's horror movies. A crazy student kidnaps a hot girl and they decide to get even with those who teased them. The acting is total cheeze and the storyline is almost kiddie like, but this was kinda cool in its own way. You also get 2 other bonus mini movies, The Obitrons, which was pretty bad, and also Hot Rod Hearse, which was kinda short, but a funny garage band tale as they get kidnapped by aliens and then get revenge and then go into the Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame. Info: http://www.ghostlimbfilms DESPERATELY SEEKING PAUL McCARTNEY This was a kinda funny little flick about a female reporter some 40 years ago asks Paul McCartney on film if he has any plans for marriage and replys to her, Only if you'll marry me" and now 40 years later Ruth Anson (the reporter) seeks out Paul to find out to find "closure" and she goes in search of Paul. She tries to crash the Grammys, interviews a porn star, tries to find out where he lives, etc. Does she ever find Paul and get to ask him that burning question? I won't reveal the ending, but this was a neat little light hearted film that had me laughing more than a few times. Info: http://www.mvdb2b.com Pigface This is...by far...the best tour documentary that I have ever seen. Seriously, most people think life on the road is all fun and games. It's the old sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll routine. I've seen that story told a number of times and...to be honest...that's what I expected to see this time around. However, this release is a little more down to earth. Of course, you get to see the magical madness of a Pigface show and what have you. But, there's a more personal side to be seen as well. You get to see more of who these people are. I think Cliff Sieloff brought a lot of personality into this release. You get to see these people for who they really are. Plus, you really get to see what actually goes into makin' a tour happen...all the hard work. Financial decisions that have to be made and what not. Drama and how it's dealt with. There's also some personal stuff that's mentioned. It's just...in a word...brilliant. Not at all what I thought it would be. You should have a lot of respect for the band after viewing this release. That's what I got out of it. You always hear talk of how a band might go that extra mile for the fans. Well, "Free For All" shows you just how far Pigface was willing to go and how much work they really put into it. They're quite inspirational if you ask me. That's why I would recommend this release to anyone who would care to listen. It's a perfect 10 as far as rock 'n' roll documentaries go. Well worth checking out. http://www.pigface.net THE DAMAGE MANUAL I had never heard of this band or project before. The band play industrial metal with a bit of a techno edge to it. It hits hard, very hard. Sort of like Godflesh and Ministry. The really cool thing about this DVD is they show you the making of one of the bands albums. Really cool footage that shows people how music is made and how a release comes together. Trust me there is a lot of work involved and this shows you visually just how a record gets done. You also get some live footage from the band as well. This was a way cool release and even though I am not a huge fan of the band, some of the stuff I did like and the making of the record footage is awesome. Info: http://www.mvdvisual.com DARK FUNERAL This is a 2 disc DVD from this black metal band. It contains 2 discs from 2 different shows and on each disc you get some extra bonus stuff from other tours that the band did. The band sound as tight as tight spandex from the 80's on these discs. The band just shred through the tunes on both discs with the fury of a 100 miles and hour fast ball. The South America show on disc 2 is the highlight for me. The fans are totally into it and I know extreme metal fans down there and in places like Mexico, the fans are extremely nuts. If you have never seen the band live, this is the next best thing and next time they do tour, do yourself a favor and go witness the onslaught for yourself and Satan will be proud you did. Info: http://www.regainrecords.com BLACK METAL SATANICA I was around when this crazy stuff was going on and if you weren't, then have a seat and put this on and your world will be turned into murder, church burnings and Satan. This takes you back to when black metal was first formed, but focuses mostly on the Norway scene where churches were getting burned, people were blowing their brains out and people got stabbed and died. Me I thought some of this stuff was way on the extreme and 2 people are dead and one is still in jail and I am sure he regrets what he did. If he isn't he is even a bigger idiot than I thought. This sent chills down my spine as I can recall all this stuff and it was kinda fascinating going back once again and re living all this crazy stuff. Info: http://www.mvdb2b.com The Beatles It's been over forty years since the Beatles released their legendary album and accompanying movie, "The Magical Mystery Tour". This DVD gives us the inside story on that Magical Mystery Tour. It features interviews and commentary from many people who involved with the tour and film, from legendary musicians and people who worked closely with the Beatles, to ordinary folks and fans who just happened to be there when the movie was being made, and were lucky (or unlucky, depending on what happened) enough to get a piece of the action. They discuss it from its origins to its completion, giving the complete story. Paul McCartney came up with the idea as a way of keeping the band together after the death of Brian Epstein. Paul was afraid the band would drift apart when their famed manager had died, so to prevent that from happening, Paul came up with the idea of the Magical Mystery Tour, even though the Beatles had decided not to tour anymore. Paul's idea was a success, as was the tour itself. The whole thing is chronicled in this DVD. The whole film was totally spontanius, filmed with no script, just as it happened, as the Beatles traveled through England on the tour. Kind of a "day in the life" (no pun intended) kind of thing. There are many funny, entertaining, and interesting stories. Many wild shennanigans happened on the Magical Mystery Tour, including the Beatles' tour bus getting stuck on a bridge and causing a gridlock! There was never a dull moment. Many people, who were much younger at the time, are interviewed, and they all have their own stories to tell, about how the Magical Mystery Tour touched their lives and/or their careers. There are even excerpts of interviews included, that were conducted at the time, with the Beatles and others. The Beatles were the biggest musical sensation (or sensation of any kind) at the time, so of course there was a lot of reaction from fans wherever they went on this tour. The Beatles always caused a stir anywhere they went. One particular story that stood out for me was, when the Beatles were filming in the Bahamas one time in the 60s, they discovered a cabin on the grounds they thought was abandoned, but turned out to be filled with sick, starving people. They lived inside that cabin in filth, and the Beatles and their crew were shocked. Later that day, they were invited to have dinner with the country's president, who lived in an absolutely luxurious palace. This disgusted John Lennon even more, that the leader of the country could live like this while other citizens lived in horrible conditions. John asked the president about this, and the president responded by saying he did his work voluntarily and was not paid. John clearly found this hard to believe. The next day, the media viciously attacked the Beatles, printed newspaper headlines that the Beatles had insulted the country's president. This experience ended up being an inspiration for the Lennon song "Imagine". Whether you're a Beatles fan or not, this DVD is a fun and interesting look at the Magical Mystery Tour, the Beatles, and the whole era it took place in. |