100 DVD Reviews in 100 Days

[gamrrpol]

Artist: Fantomas / Melvins
DVD: The Fantomas/Melvins Big Band
Year: 2008

Visuals: 2
Editing: 3
Audio: 4
Performance: 3
Setlist: 2
Overall: 3

If you're a fan of either Fantomas of Melvins you know this show is NOT going to feature a greatest hits list of the two bands. Neither Mike Patton nor Buzz Osbourne has ever shown much interest in pandering to the masses. Expect the unexpected should have been the modus operandi of anyone attending this show or picking up this DVD.

And right from the beginning, it's clear the band has no intention of providing a straight-forward rock show. It begins with a slow, repeating drum beat that goes on.....and on....and on. For about eight minutes...as if teasing and tempting the audience to get frustrated. From there, it's a smorgasbord of insane technical freakouts, sound experiments, improv call and response sets and general musical mayhem.

In fact, there are only about a half dozen "songs" on here, though the band does manage to get around to playing such recognizable favorites as Hooch, Cape Fear and Spider Baby. In short, it's a mish-mash of craziness that only the devoted will truly enjoy. Make no mistake, this is not for the light of heart.

While no individual is the star of the show, Mike Patton does take ring-leader status. He "sings" most songs, though he spends as much time contributing vocal "instrumentals" as actually singing. He advanced vocal structures can sometimes amaze but just as often annoy. His call and response improv with the dual drummers is impressive if not all that enjoyable to listen to.

It's obvious these are all outstanding musicians hellbent on being artists, damn the reactions. Unfortunately, that doesn't make for the most compelling show. It's herky jerky throughout with no flow, just random jolts of mayhem. The relatively amateurish video doesn't help matters, as you can never get a sense of who's where or where the music is coming from. Add some ill-advised editing and the whole ends up being less than the individual pieces.

I've always admire but Buzz and Patton, and there are things to like here. But overall it left wanting something a little more structured with a view towards the overall aesthetic as opposed to a long list or random pieces.

If you're a fan of avante-garde noise or arty music, this might appeal to you. For anyone else, it's highly unlikely.

The Bit

[gamrrpol]

Artist: Faith No More
DVD: You Fat Bastards / Who Cares a Lot Greatest Videos
Year: 1990

Visuals: 2
Editing: 3
Audio: 4
Performance: 3
Setlist: 3
Overall: 3

First, let me break this up into two things: one is the live show and the other is the music videos. Normally I dismiss videos as uninteresting and don't even discuss them. However, Faith No More have a number of interesting videos, and their presence here actually enhances this DVD. The rest of this review, and the ratings above, reference the live DVD.

In my opinion, this DVD came out just before Faith No More transformed from amateurish Red Hot Chili Peppers wannabes to dynamic, well-rounded musical force. Mike Patton, in particular, was still singing with a constant high-pitched drone, and had not developed into multi-talented vocal force he later became.

Which makes this live show underwhelming. The band is competent enough, but Patton's vocals seem one-dimensional. In addition, he's always been a less-than-pleasing frontman, not the least bit interested in "entertaining" a crowd. He's often smug, arrogant and bratty. Him farting into a mic is simply not very interesting to me.

Having said all of that, there are a lot of great songs here. Pretty much all of The Real Thing is here...with excellent renditions of the title cut, From Out of Nowhere, Zombie Eaters and the outstanding instrumental Woodpecker from Mars (the show's highlight).

The band itself is top-notch throughout, as they were always a formidable musical group. The visuals are pretty poor, even for 1990, and overall this is a sub-standard presentation.

I would so gladly trade this for a show when the band was touring either Angel Dust or, even better, King For A Day. I saw them on all three tours and by KFaDay they were so wide-ranging and dynamic, able to play any kind of music and Patton able to sing it capably. Here, they're almost a generic, one-trick pony.

Overall, this show doesn't do the band justice and only hints at what they were capable of. Only for the devoted Faith No More fan.

Woodpecker From Mars