100 DVD Reviews in 100 Days

[gamrrpol]

Artist: Marillion
Year: 1982
DVD: Recital of the Script
Visuals: 3
Audio: 3.5
Performance: 4.5
Setlist: 4.5
Overall: 4

This is a wondrous document for anyone who is a fan of Fish-era Marillion. You get a complete rendition of the prog clasic Script For A Jester's Tear at a time when Marillion was still a (relatively) underground phenomenon in England. You see a band that is just starting on its path to glory and a singer bent on proving he's at LEAST as good as Peter Gabriel.

The strength of this show is the music. Script is absolute genius from beginning-to-end. Featuring sprawling epics like the title song, The Web and Chelsea Monday, the band unapologetically embraces all the indlugences of classic prog: long songs with complex arrangements, extended solos, unusual time-changes. At the center of it all is Fish's poetic lyrics that in my opinion are as rich and vivid as any ever written. The show's highpoint is the emotional climax of the heart-wrenching Forgotten Sons.

Yes, Fish is a bit of a wanker on stage, so full of himself you half expect him to literally explode on stage. Unfortunately the cameramen seem to think he's the only thing worth watching so you don't get too many shots of the band, even when they're engaged in a long instrumental section. Thankfully, Fish isn't the fat, bloated, bald embarrassment he later became and makes for an interesting showman.

The band itself is, as expected, spot-on throughout. All exhibit the mastery of their instruments so readily evident on their early material. A major bonus is that in addition to the Script songs you get a complete rendition of Marillion's earliest epic The Grendel (one of their most unappreciated masterpieces).

For a show shot almost 30 years ago the visuals are quite good, as is the sound. Camerawork is about the only complaint as there are some odd choices. Still, if you're a fan of early Marillion this is an absolute must-have and if you enjoy 80's ear prog it's also a must-have.

Forgotten Sons

[jim0wheel]

Please continue to update this! I have taken inspiration from this post and decided to do some reviews of my own! Awesome-sauce.

[gamrrpol]

Please continue to update this! I have taken inspiration from this post and decided to do some reviews of my own! Awesome-sauce.

Haha....thanks.....ask and you shall receive. I've just been uber-busy lately and haven't had much free time.....but as of today I'm back.

[gamrrpol]

Artist: Dream Theater
DVD: Metropolis 2000: Scenes From New York
Year: 2000
Visuals: 3
Audio: 3.5
Performance: 4.5
Setlist: 5
Overall: 4

On the one hand, this is an awesome DVD. It's the first DT DVD to just capture the band playing, without incorporating music videos, interviews and other uninspiring material. Second, it captures the band on one of their most historic nights, when it played Scenes From A Memory in its entirety and then added another 100 minutes of their best material. Included were a couple stage actors and a full gospel choir. Third, as with most of their shows, the band is simply fantastic (that is really what I think) throughout.

So, what's not to like? Well, first, the visual presentation comes straight from Apple Pro Tools. Effects are used sporadically throughout and they just look amateur and cheesy. This was, in fact, Mike Portnoy's first attempt at video and you can't really fault him but it's telling that later DVDs utilized the talents of professional video editors.

Second, singer Jame LaBrie was still suffering from long-term throat problems and just sounds kinda meh (as he did for about 10 years worth of live shows before finally getting his voice back around 2005). Otherwise, the band is practically flawless, with the exception of Mike Portnoy's horribly out-of-tune warbling that absolutely ruins a key dramatic moment in A Change of Seasons.

Third, the sound is not surround sound. I'm no audiophile, but pretty much all DVD's recorded this millennium feature surround sound, so it's a bit disappointing this one doesn't.

Finally, the entire show is not included, with about 40 minutes left out. While you still get almost 2 hours of show it would have been nice to have the entire concert in its entirety.



Obviously, what's left is of very high quality. The 75-minute presentation of SFaM is the main attraction, with highlights galore. Seeing the band perform the incredibly challenging instrumental Dance of Eternity is spell-binding, as is the finale Finally Free, when the band surrounds Portnoy as he unleashes his furious, skin-pounding skills. However, it is the epic presentation of the ballad Spirit Carries On, featuring an uplifting chorus from a gospel choir, that is most memorable.

Beyond SFaM, you get about a half dozen classic DT numbers. Included is the complete A Mind Beside Itself trilogy of Erotomania / Voices / The Silent Man. Finally, the 2+ hour show seems to end on with a full 15-minute version of Learning to Live. The long outro seems the perfect way to end the show but fans get the ultimate surprise when the band returns for an Encore and performs their (IMO) best piece of music ever, the 25-minute epic A Change of Seasons.

In total, the setlist represents the absolute best that DT had to offer as of 2000....and since they haven't (IMO) been as good as they were on ACoS or SFaM since, this is the best they have. An absolute must-have for DT fans and fans of progressive metal....and worth checking out if you enjoy good musicianship.

Finally Free

[gamrrpol]

Artist: Dream Theater
DVD: Live at Budokan
Year: 2004
Visuals: 4
Audio: 4
Performance: 4.5
Setlist: 3.5
Overall: 4

This had the potential for a truly great DVD. A complete 3-hour performance from the legendary Budokan. Unlike many shows, where audiences are crazed, the Japanese sit respectfully, enjoying artists plying their trade. It's an interesting dichotomy.

Because DT is a technically proficient group of musicians, this kind of setting is appropriate. And the band delivers, ripping through a career-spanning (at the time) set, complete with extended jams and extended medleys.

The sound is solid throughout and the visuals, for the most part, are beautiful. DT's live DVDs employ some of the best editing and camerawork you will find. They allow the viewer to watch the performers with extended shots and many close-ups focused on the actual guitar playing, keyboard playing and drumming. The only real drawback is an odd lighting choice where singer LaBrie is illuminated from below....it creates a distracting shadow and makes his appearances seem odd and unappealing.

As with other DT DVDs, the band itself is unbelievably tight, demonstrating maximum chops throughout. However, LaBrie's voice is still suffering here and he just sounds weak throughout much of the show but especially the set's first two songs, where he audibly struggles.

The real weakness, here, however, is the setlist. Five songs spanning almost 60 minutes are featured from Train of Thought; of these only the excellent As I Am are "great" DT songs. The 17 minute In The Name of God features DT wankery at its worst with Petrucci and Rudess seeming intent on proving how many notes they can play in the shortest amount of time.

The clear highlights of the show are the previousy-mentioned opener As I Am; a 20-minute version of Beyond This Life that features a brilliant, extended drum-and-keyboard semi-improv; a superb version of the underrated Trial of Tears and a must-be-seen-to-e-believed 15 minute "Instrumedley" that covers the amazing instrumental portions from their most challenging songs.

Otherwise you get unsatisfying fragments of Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence and a lot of dense, wanna-be Metallica material from Train of Thought (if you're a fan of that album, this DVD is for you, but I consider it one of their worst efforts).

So....a well-produced DVD, a band that nails its except for some poor vocals and a mediocre setlist. Not the best DT DVD available.

Beyond This Life - pt.1
Beyond This Life - pt.2

[gamrrpol]

Artist: Dream Theater
DVD: Score - 20th Anniversary
Year: 2006
Audio: 5
Visuals: 5
Performance: 5
Setlist: 4.5
Overall: 5

It's virtually impossible to think this DVD could be done better. it captures Dream Theater on one of their legendary celebration shows where all the stops are pulled out; many long-time DT fans consider this the best show the band has ever performed.

The event is captured in glorious hi-def detail and 5.1 surround sound and PCM stereo. The high quality of the sound and images is matched by the band's performance. As always, Portnoy, Petrucci, Rudess and Myung are simply amazing on their instruments. However, this time James LaBrie's voice is back for the first time in about 10 years and viewers no longer have to cringe knowing he's about to flub a key high note. In total, you simply won't find a stronger technical performance.

The setlist is another highlight, though I have a few personal qualms. The set covers the band's history, including such treasures as Another Won (not played in almost 20 years) and the stunning Raise The Knife (a 10-minute opus not included on Falling Into Infinity). Deep cuts from early albums such as Under A Glass Moon (Images & Words), Innocence Faded (Awake) are sweet surprises.

Of course the most noteworthy part of the show is the second half, which features the "Octavarium Orchestra"; a full 25-piece orchestra that accentuates the band's performance. While it is a nice feature, and adds some texture, the truth is most of the time their contributions are buried under the sheer volume of the band itself. (This is true of virtually every orchestra-backed rock show).

Still....you get almost three hours of DT playing a stunning array of hits, deep cuts and magestic epics. My only setlist complaint is the two epics are Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence and Octavarium. Both are solid pieces and have some highlight moments. In totality, however, I find both to be less than some other DT pieces. SDOIT, IMO, suffers from not having an overall point; it's essentially a series of vignettes about people going crazy. Compare that to the focused, poignant, heartfelt story found within A Change of Seasons. As for Octavarium, the opening five minutes is nothing more than Rudess noodling on his Continuum (or whatever it's called) and then the songs drags another five minutes before finally getting interesting. I would have much-much preferred A Change of Seasons than either of these two.

But that's a pretty minor quibble....overall this is one of the best live-music DVDs available. Recommended for just about anyone.

The Root of All Evil

[gamrrpol]

Artist: Dream Theater
DVD: Chaos in Motion
Year: 2008
Audio: 4
Visuals: 3
Performance: 5
Setlist: 4
Overall: 4

First, you need to know a couple things about this DVD. The quality of the video is sub-par for a modern-day DVD. DT have proven they know how to create an extremely high quality DVD so it must have been a choice on their part to use raw footage. Quality varies from high-quality bootleg to high-quality, modern-day recording.

Second, unlike their three previous DVDs, which showed a concert from beginning to end (or practically so) this one cuts away to interview segments and other useless stuff between songs.

Third, this isn't one show but clips from a number of different show, which explains the varying quality of the video.

For some people, including me, that's usually a deal-breaker and makes the DVD unwatchable. But somehow, I'm able to overlook that on this particular DVD. It's probably because I really like live DT and this captures, song-for-song, a show I caught of theirs in Chicago.

The strength of the show is the band's performance and the setlist. By now you should know you're going to get a technically spellbinding performance from the band and they don't disappoint. John Petrucci in particular seems to cover all ground, ripping off eye-popping solos then setting moods with subtle ambiance then chugging away with intricate power chords. He's outstanding throughout.

There are a number of songs that I love here, but many DT fans don't share my feelings. For instance, I consider the epic In The Presence of Enemies to be superior to both Octavarium and Six Degrees of Innocence; so the inclusion of a complete, unfragmented version here is a highlight for me. Other similar songs are Lines in the Sand and a mesmerizing almost-13 minute version of Surrounded.

Finally, I have to give DT credit. Despite this being their fifth official DVD, and each clocking in at over 2 hours, there's virtually no overlap between any of them. Each one contains something like 90% unique material not to be found on any other DT DVD. That doesn't happen by accident and it's value is noteworthy when you look at bands like U2 and Rush who have the same 10 songs on seemingly EVERY one of their DVDs.

Can't recommend this for anyone other that pretty devoted DT fans.

Forsaken

[gamrrpol]

Artist: Dream Theater
DVD: Images & Words Live in Tokyo / 5 Years in a Livetime
Year: 1992 - 1996
Visuals: 3.5
Audio: 3.5
Performance: 4
Setlist: 3.5
Overall: 3.5

This is a compilation of DT's first two video releases, as such I'll treat them separately.

I&W Live in Tokyo consists of 8 songs recorded during their I&W tour from their Tokyo show. These songs are all done well and it's interesting to see a young (and very glam-looking) DT with Kevin Moore on keyboards. The sound quality is not the greatest and the visuals look as if they're taken from a television feed. Still, it's the band playing some of their early material and before they became so well known. The good stuff includes an extended To Live Forever than includes snippets of songs-to-come like Lines iin the Sand and a stunning guitar solo from Petrucci. Absent, however, is Learning to Live, Metropolis Pt. 1 or any hint of A Change of Seasons. Unfortunately, these 8 songs are broken up by official videos and others non-concert material that I could wholly live without.

Once in a LiveTime is a bit meatier but still suffers from choppiness and incompleteness. Here, the live songs are taken from a number of different concerts. So we see portions from the famous Ronnie Scott covers show (with guest appearances from Steve Howe of Yes and Steve Rothery and Steve Hogarth of Marillion). We get an acoustic standout (Cover My Eyes), more covers and a grab-bag of material from Awake and Falling Into Infinity.

The quality of the visuals and sound are good but not great. The performances do not live up to DT's usual high standards (this was when Portnoy was at his worst as far as drinking during shows and the band was on the verge of breaking up); they're not bad, they're just not as good as usual. Highlights include a complete version of Voices, the haunting Speak To Me and an extended medley featuring DT songs Metropolis, Peruvian Skies and Learning to Live as well as portions of Enter Sandman and Siberian Khatru.

All in all, the fragmented, disjointed nature of this DVD makes it less than the sum of its parts. Still, in total, it's almost two hours of live material, captured in the early days of the DT odyssey and for that reason, it's worth checking out by any DT fan.

Under A Glass Moon - Live in Tokyo
Peruvian Skies - 5 Years in a LiveTime

[gamrrpol]

Artist: Triumph
DVD: Live at the US Festival
Year: 1982
Visuals: 3
Audio: 3.5
Performance: 4.5
Setlist: 3
Overall: 4

The third concert I ever saw was in 1980 and was a twin-bill featuring UFO and Triumph. Ever since, I have been an avid fan of both bands. And I've never really understood why Triumph has always been considered a C (or even D-) list band. For the late 70's and early 80's they produced some of the best melodic hard-rock of the era. Yeah, the vocals were weak, and they became somewhat predictable, but Rik Emmett simply kicks butt on guitar and many of the songs were great.

So I was very happy when we were finally able to get a live DVD of the band...ANY live DVD. Better yet, it captures the band (almost) in their heyday. For those unfamiliar, the Us Festival, though forgotten by most now, was a MAJOR event when it occurred. A 3-day festival that drew something like 2.5 million people....day two is infamous as it featured one of the greatest heavy metal lineups ever assembled: Quiet Riot, Motley Crue, Ozzy Osbourne, Judas Priest, Triumph, Scorpions and Van Halen (all arguably at the zenith of their popularity).

So...what do we get. Well, it's a standard Triumph show without the usual lightshow and lasers. Basically, it's an excuse to watch Rik Emmett demonstrate his considerable guitar chops. There's live renditions of hits like Magic Power, Lay It On The Line, A World of Fantasy and Never Surrender. There is of course Rik's extended solo during Rock & Roll Machine. I'm not usually a fan of 10 minute guitar solos but Emmett covers such wide ground and uses so many different styles of playing that it's an enjoyable musical piece. Too bad it's marred by the bizarre decision to cut away to an interview in the middle of his solo.

In general, the camera work and editing is pretty good for something almost 30 years old. Triumph never sounded great in concert but you can hear the instruments well. The short duration (barely an hour) is another negative as the band barely touches on its extensive catalog.

I have to comment on the crowd....which is unarguably the most embarrassing rock audience I've ever witnessed. Bad haircuts, bad clothes, unrelentingly white....and the worst dancers in the history of mankind (who dances to heavy metal anyway?). It reminds me why I was so "anti-style" when I was a teen in 1983. What's worse, is this DVD shows more crowd shots than just about any other...it's really hysterical.

Anyway, if you enjoy Triumph, this is a must-have..and if you don't it has no interest.

Magic Power - sound and image are a bit out-of-synch on this; not that way on the DVD.

[gamrrpol]

Artist: The Who
DVD: The Kids Are Alright
Years: 1964 - 1978
Visuals: 3.5
Audio: 3.5
Performance: 4
Setlist: 5
Overall: 4

Many consider this to be the definitive rock-n-roll documentary that set the standard for what a rock'n'roll film should be. I am not one of them. I consider this to be another in a long line of R'n'R films that splice together a bewildering array of television appearances, live clips and promo vids. The difference between this one and many others is the band is legendary, the songs are classics and the performances are strong throughout.

On the one hand, TKAA covers virtually the entire Keith Moon-era of The Who. Early, black & white television appearances capture the band's early mod era. Various live clips from the late 60's clearly demonstrate the band's reputation for ferocious live shows was well-earned. Live clips, live-in-the-studio videos and miscellaneous pieces from the 70's show the band as they morphed into middle age, lost some of their tightness and came together one last time to make great music.

Altogether, it is a reasonably comprehensive yet brief document of The Who. As a live DVD, however, it ends up being a disjointed product leaving the viewer wishing for more of the good (powerful versions of Young Man Blues, Substitute; a complete version of A Quick One While He's Away; a brilliant live-studio version of Who Are You and the legendary versions of Baba O'Riley and Won't Get Fooled Again) and less of the not-so-good (a fragmented version of Sparks and Roadrunner, interview clips, a lip-stynched Tommy Can You Hear Me and other television shots).

If you're unfamiliar with The Who, this probably isn't a bad way to introduce yourself to them. If you are familiar with them, this probably isn't a bad way to get to know them better. And if you're a big fan, then you already own this. Overall a good historical document, but a wanting live DVD.

Won't Get Fooled Again