Hard Vision |
November 2006Black Label Society | John Welton & Geoffrey Downes | Nuclear Assault | Little Steven | Cutting Crew | Style Council Black Label Society A double shot of Black Label Society...you can't go wrong with this one. I can't remember why, but, I watched this release backwards and I would suggest you do the same. It gives it a much better feel in my opinion. Went with the videos of "Suicide Messiah," "In This River" and "Fire It Up" first. "Suicide Messiah's" a great song...and there's a "making of" at the end of the clip, which was kind of fun to watch. "In The River" was a touching tribute to Dimebag Darrell. It's enough to make even the strongest headbanger shed a tear or two. Well done, Zakk. Well done. "Fire It Up" kind of brings Megadeth's "Peace Sells" video to mind. Up next was a 50 minute "backstage" pass into the world of Black Label Society. You get to see Zakk workin' out with his kid, he's jammin' on the tour bus, going to get beer...there's plenty of beer. The band is sittin' backstage at various locations...drinkin' beer, hangin' out...it's just plain old life on the road. This was a rather entertaining feature. But, the best is yet to come. You've seen the band off stage. Now, throw in disc one and watch what they do on stage...it's fucking mind blowing. They rip and tear through a sixteen song set that's filled with plenty of beer drinkin', hell raisin', Black Label Society rock 'n' roll. With a lot of the live performance releases that I've seen, I usually say something about how it's the next best thing to actually being at the show. However, in this case, I'm not so sure...and I say that because, through the entire, explosive show, there's a ton of special effects to be seen, which makes your viewing pleasure all the more entertaining. Whoever put this thing together deserves a whole hell of a lot of praise. It's just fantastic. There's also an additional four song performance (London) that's pretty much the same. Once you start watching...you can't stop. But, then again, who would want to? I've got quite a few music DVD's in my personal collection. But, I must say, this is one of the all time best that I've ever seen and, believe me, this one is worth watching on a regular basis. A must have for any Black Label Society fan. No exceptions. http://www.ZakkWylde.com John Welton & Geoffrey Downes This is the way to make an acoustic DVD. The songs are strong and powerful in their stripped down form and the performance itself is visually entertaining. That's probably because this was recorded for a television broadcast, as the title would suggest. But, it doesn't matter as long as it holds your attention, which this release manages to do and considering the fact that it's a twelve song performance, that says a lot. There's a lot of good material to be heard/seen here. The obvious choice for a stand out track, at least for me, is "Heat Of The Moment." I actually like the acoustic version better than the original. Besides an amazing performance, there's a rather casual and informative interview with John Wetton & Geoffrey Downes. There's some behind the scenes footage as well, which was interesting to watch. Although, to be honest, it could've been a little longer. I got the impression that it was included on this release as an after thought. All in all, if you're a fan of John Wetton & Geoffrey Downes, you should be pleased with this release. It's a treat for your ears as well as your eyes. http://www.locomotiverecords.com Nuclear Assault This is one amazing DVD. I have always been a huge fan of the band and own all their cds, except for the later ones and this DVD is jammed back with over 3 hours of material with the classic line up. You get like 6 different concerts, including some stuff from way back when, interviews, videos, unreleased songs, etc. The video for "Long Haired Asshole" is a must see. The main concert footage looks like it was recorded in a medium sized club and the boys tear through a set of all the classic material. There is a also a slideshow set to the "Survive" demos release. This is by far one of the best DVD's I have ever watched. Info: http://www.screamingferret.com Little Steven Little Steven is best known for being the guitar player in Bruce Springsteen and also for having that underground radio show he does. Well when he is not with Bruce I know he has released a series of solo records and here is a concert taped way back in 1987. The concert footage is done well ands is good quality and you also get an interview with the man. Little Steven's music is best described as down and dirty rock n roll with a bit of blues to it, at least in my opinion. It is different from Bruce that is for sure. While I am not heard much of his music, in this concert, Little Steven lets it all hang out and delivers quite a nice set of music and I was not bored while watching this on my couch. This was a nice little blast from the past of 80's music. Info: http://www.mvdb2b.com Cutting Crew I can't believe someone took the time to put out a Cutting Crew DVD. I mean, really, the only song most people really care about is "I Just Died In Your Arms Tonight," which was a pretty cool tune if I do say so myself. Hell, I'll be honest with you, I heard that song on the radio and I liked it enough to actually go out and buy their album. It wasn't too bad. At the time, I thought they were a 2nd rate version of Duran Duran. Remember, this was back in 1985. So, that was the opinion of a teen who was more into the whole glam/hair metal scene. Anyway, this concert comes from a German television show. So, you know it's gonna be a good quality show. You're just not getting the full Cutting Crew concert experience because, unfortunately, it's only an eight song performance. But, look on the bright side...you get some of the Cutting Crew's best material, which inclueds "Fear Of Falling," "I've Been In Love Before," "One For The Mocking Bird" and, of course, "I Just Died In Your Arms Tonight." So, it's a nice, quick blast from the past for those of you who might have been into 80's pop music. Also featured on this release is a five minute interview with Nick van Eede and Kevin Scott Macmichael which, to be honest, was kind of a pain in the ass to watch. Because of the language difference, you've got one voice speaking in English and another voice talking in German. Now, I usually complain about having to "read" anything on the television. But, in this case, I think sub-titles would have been a much better choice. But, then again, it's only a five minute interview and, it's not like you're not learning anything new about the band. You can find more information on them by doing a quick search on the internet. Besides, the concert more than makes up for it. http://www.ARD-VIDEO.de Style Council I love a lot of that pop, new wave, sometimes obscure, one hit wonder kind of music of the 80's. Although, not everything that was released during that time was worth checking out...at least in my opinion. Even though I actually remember hearing The Style Council, they weren't a band that got me excited back then and their music certainly doesn't do anything for me now...and sitting through this half hour plus a few odd minutes concert performance wasn't exactly a pleasant viewing experience for me. I think this is one for the hardcore fan...if there is such a thing. Of course, this is was some sort of television program in Germany, if I'm not mistaken. So, the quality is really good. The performance itself was recorded in Hanover back in 1987 and, by the look of the audience, they had a rather large following back then. Those people might wanna pick this one up. You know...honestly...I don't see this release being a huge seller. But, I could be wrong. It's happened before and I'm sure it will happen again. Anyway, if The Style Council is a band that would float your boat in this day and age, click on the link below to pick up a copy for yourself...and, yes, "Money Go Round" and "Shout To The Top" are featured at the tail end of the program. That should excite some of you. |