Hard Vision |
December 2006Blind Faith | Robert Plant | David Bowie | Bob Dylan | Radiohead | Joy Division | Nirvana | The Rolling Stones | Wake Up Screaming BLIND FAITH This was an awesome DVD. I have never heard of this band and just from reading the bio I knew the band was going to be special. It features Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker and this was from a show they did in NY in front of over 100,000 people. The band sound tight as balls and they rip through a set of psychedelic rock n roll that will trip your brain. The also do a cover of The Rolling Stones, "Under My Thumb." For being shot in 1969 the quality is quite good and comes across great on DVD. The late 60's and early 70's produced some of the best rock n roll ever and this is the 1st time this is on DVD, so take advantage and buy this band. My lighter is up and flicking. Info: www.blindfaithdvd.com Robert Plant and the Strange Sensation Rounder Records/Zoe Vision have released the first ever DVD by Robert Plant. This DVD features Robert Plant and the Strange Sensation featuring music from Plant's illustrious solo career and Led Zeppelin. Many of you may have caught the one hour performance which just recently aired on PBS as part of the Sound Stage Series. I did not. My sister and nephew watched it and said just how wonderful it was. When talking about it to a local musician/record store owner , he sort of cringed and told me how Plant's band did a wonderful job of hacking up the Zeppelin classics we've all come to love. So I started this DVD not knowing what to think. So I clear my mind, pop the disc in and sit back to enjoy. First off, wow!!! Hats off to director Joe Thomas. The sound and footage on this disc are amazing. Second off, second off?!? Anyways, wow!!! What a great performance by Plant and his band Strange Sensation. It's not the longest of shows, but those familiar with Sound Stage know that they are meant to play for only an hour. This disc does have a couple bonus tracks added at the end. As for the overall review going in with some saying yea and some saying nay? It is a little of both. Plant show's that he still has got it. Always an excellent vocalist. Where the nay-sayers may come in is on the Zeppelin tunes of course. But what I witnessed is not a hack job by the band, but different versions (musically) of these songs. And that in it self is superb on the part of Mr. Plant. He knows as well as anybody else that no band of musicians, no matter how talented can pull off a Zeppelin set and be taken seriously. Why even attempt it? Here they are for the most part tuned down versions focusing around the vocal talents of Plant. I was highly impressed on that fact. I'm sure you will be too. They do pull off a balls out version of 'Whole Lotta Love' to close the show. So in short, the first ever Robert Plant DVD release is a great one. It does only consist off the setlist that is below. No extras, interviews, or four hours of filler. Just the show. That's it. But that's all that is needed here. Great job to all those involved. Especially Robert Plant and the Strange Sensation. Simply captivating. SET LIST: No Quarter, Shine It All Around, Black Dog, Freedom Fries, Four Sticks, Tin Pan Valley, Gallows Pole (my favorite), The Enchanter, Whole Lotta Love Bonus Songs: Hey Joe, Girl From The North Country DAVID BOWIE This DVD includes some live stuff and interviews with journalists and the like from across the pond. I will say this about Bowie, he is original and there is nobody else like him. You never knew what you would get from him and he has led from what I read and saw on this DVD a quite wild life. It clocks in at over 2 hours and you get a very different feel for the man as some of the stuff these guys say. I didn't know a lot of the stuff they talk about and I do like some of the Bowie stuff from the 70's and I don't like the stuff from the 80's. This focus's on his 70's stuff and also has a quiz, in which i got no answers right ha ha. This would be a must get for the serious Bowie fan. Info: http://www.mvdb2b.com BOB DYLAN Okay...here we go again...yet another unauthorized documentary on Bob Dylan from Joel Gilbert and Highway 61 Entertainment. This one, as you can tell by the title, covers the 1966 World Tour, when Bob Dylan decided to "go electric" and he pretty much pissed off a lot of people. I view this release the same way I viewed "Bob Dylan World Tours 1966-1974." I kind of zipped through it because it wasn't really something that caught my attention. This main focus of this release are the home movies that Dylan drummer Mickey Jones took while on tour. Interesting footage for the Dylan fan, you can be sure. But, for me, this one simply seemed to lack any real excitement. A lot of talking, a lot of details. Yawn. You pretty much have to be a Bob Dylan fan to care about what these people are saying and a fan is something I'm not. Sorry...I like what I like, you know? The one thing that I thought might be interesting is the whole "Judas/play f#@%ing loud" segment." Unfortunately, that didn't deliver for me. I mean, okay, so someone called Bob Dylan "Judas" and the F-word was said. Do we really need to spend any amount of time trying to figure out who said it? It might have been Bob Dylan, it might have been a roadie. Who cares? Someone blurting out the F-word during a gig, at least to me, is a small blip in a rather lengthy career. It's a moment that I don't believe demands an explanation. But, then again, director Joel Gilbert seems a bit obsessed with anything and everything that's even remotely related to Bob Dylan. So, I can understand where he's coming from in that respect. Other features include interviews with Charlie Daniels, soundman Richard Alderson, Johnny Rivers, Trini Lopez and, of course, Mickey Jones. Again, I believe this is a release for the hardcore Dylan fan and that's pretty much all I have to say on the subject. My suggestion, especially if you're not familiar with the Highway 61 Entertainment DVD's, check out the one where Bob Dylan found God and decided to go gospel. That one was actually rather good and, even though I'm not a fan, I was rather fascinated with that one. RADIOHEAD I was never a Radiohead fan and I watched some of this I still don't see what all the fuss is/was. This band play a blend of bad techno/alternative music and while I have no idea how many records this release sold, I found the music boring back and then and still do now. I guess if your a fan of the band you might want it. Info: http://www.mvdb2b.com Joy Division: Under Review Don't care much for the band or their music. But, this look at Joy Division's somewhat brief career was actually a rather interesting and entertaining viewing experience. I think that's mainly due to the fact that the people who offer their thoughts/opinions on the band seem to enjoy what they're talking about and they give you a little more than the standard "blah, blah, blah" kind of interview. This 70 minute documentary includes some rare performance video of the band, as well as some of the other groups who were popular at the time and/or had some sort of influence on the band. Although, you don't quite get the full clip of whatever it is they're showing, it should be enough to satisfy the average Joy Division fan. Bonus features weren't really much of a bonus. You get a quiz, which I didn't even bother with, a brief bio on each of the people who offer their opinion on the band and an interview with the late Ian Curtis, which I thought would be interesting. However, it's not a face to face interview. You get to hear his voice and there's a lot of noise in the backround, like the interview was done in a crowded room or after a gig or something. It doesn't really matter though because, like I said, the main program was entertaining and that's the most important thing, especially since that's the reason why you'd purchase this release to begin with. NIRVANA I always like Nirvana and when they were selling millions upon millions or records I still like them for sticking to their guns. The band wrote some of the catchiest tunes I have ever heard and 'Nevermind" is one of the greatest albums ever. This isn't about that release, but about "In Utero" This includes an interview with the bands original drummer and a former girlfriend of kurt and produced of the bands "Bleach" which is another amazing piece of work. The interviews didn't bore me and also includes some studio stuff of this missed band. If your a fan of the band, this is a cool piece you'll want. I enjoyed every second. Info: http://www.mvdb2b.com THE ROLLING STONES This is really old Rolling Stones footage and this is the story of the band from the get go and only up till 1966. Some really old footage of the band is included on here in this 90 minute documentary. You get commentary from several people back in the day like Chris Welch who was an editor for NME back in the 60's and one of the bands old bodyguards as well. Let me put it this way if your a fan of this band and there are tons and the band is still going strong today, you will really love this DVD as it is all old stuff from the band and it traces the origins of the band and stuff, which I found really cool and interesting and considering I was 1 years old in 1965, I chuckled at some of the old clothes and hairstyles. No website info provided...sorry WAKE UP SCREAMING I am not a fan of this style of music, but the documentary was big time interesting to me about life on the road. They show clips of lots of bands and all the other activities that this tour every year offers. It offers lots of different things, booths and stuff besides just the bands. You get to follow the tour as it travels across America and stuff. You get to see just what bands have to go through to put on shows and all the bullshit they put up with. You also get concert footage and interviews with over 20 bands as bonus material. This is one cool DVD if you want see what live on the road is like and it is not all a bed of roses. Info: |