Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 25th, 2003
You don’t necessarily have to be a fan of Big Beat or Electronica music to enjoy this DVD, but it probably helps. Luckily for me, I’m a fan of the genre, and I’m an especially avid fan of Norman Cook, A.K.A. Fatboy Slim. He is an artist that has an uncanny appeal to young and (hip) old alike. Even still, I had my doubts about just how interesting it could be to watch other people dancing and having a good time, while a DJ spins records.
Lucky for me, this DVD follows the same “just have fun” attitude that ...ook’s music does, providing a truly entertaining disc. It’s one thing to think about a large number of people going to a free concert on the beach, it’s another to hear that there were about 250,000 people there. It’s still another thing to see it yourself, and actually try to wrap your brain around the scene. A quarter of a million people, on an average day, meet at the beach at sunset for no reason at all, except to dance and be happy. Wow. This is really cool stuff.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 24th, 2003
The biggest band in the world did something completely revolutionary on their 2001 tour… they took a step back.
In the eighties and nineties, U2 was a band that became big. Huge. Their shows grew from arenas to stadiums, incorporating massive special effects, a giant lemon-shaped disco ball, and the largest video screen ever. As the productions grew, however, so did the costs, until the band was barely breaking even on the road, despite enormous audiences and absurd ticket prices. After some time off and a...new album, the band returned to the arenas where they first hit it big. This DVD set features the Boston, MA show from the Elevation tour in its entirety. The performance is not only fantastic, but completely honest and real. It is, as the saying goes, all that you can’t leave behind.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 22nd, 2003
Go up front and live with one of music’s fasting rising young stars. Then follow her behind the scenes and find out what she is like in real life.
Video
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 17th, 2003
Just before the release of their eponymous second album, Portishead gathered at the historical Roseland Ballroom for their first ever performance in New York City. The band brought a film crew along for this special concert. It was a show that featured not only the first performance of much of the new album, but also the added attraction of playing with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. The result is a brilliant and haunting presentation of all things Portishead. This legendary disc should be required viewing for ...ll fans of trip-hop, and for film students everywhere.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 28th, 2003
British Television has always done a good job of showcasing music with variety programs. The Old Grey Whistle Test is probably the best of these and over its 16 year run featured some of the most influential bands in the history of rock and roll. We are treated to 28 live performances by huge bands like U2, REM, The Police, Bob Marley and Bruce Springsteen as well as riveting performances by the likes of The Dammed, Tom Waits and Iggy Pop. This is a great disc for any rock and roll fan especially if you grew up in th...s era.
Audio
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 28th, 2003
Ronnie James Dio was at one time the leader singer for Black Sabbath after the departure of Ozzy Osborne. He went on to form his own band and they are still together making albums and touring, this is a show from the Roseland Theater in December of 2002. From a musical standing this is an old school 90’s metal band that are just as much about show as they are about the music, having said that the band is very tight and sounds very good. Musically, well it is up to you to decide if you like it or not but, on a perform...nce level they are very solid.
Audio
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on August 12th, 2003
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on July 6th, 2003
When one thinks of the “Golden Age” of rock, the middle sixties to the middle seventies, a cornucopia of big name, big time acts usually surfaces in discussion. The big three, of course: The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and Led Zeppelin. Some impressive but undoubtedly second tier acts follow: The Who, Cream, Black Sabbath. Solo acts like Bowie, Elton John, Marvin Gaye and Jimi Hendrix stand out. One musical act that seems to get lost in the glare of these musical supernovas was a pair of soft-spoken, poetic friends ...rom Long Island, New York: Simon and Garfunkel. Though their light didn’t burn as brilliantly as The Beatles, or as long as The Stones, Simon and Garfunkel belong in the stratosphere of singer/songwriters, right alongside Lennon / McCartney and Paige / Plant. In their relatively short time together, they authored three of the top fifty songs in the history of recorded music: Bridge Over Troubled Water, The Sound of Silence, and America. That’s leaving OUT big time songs like The Boxer and Mrs. Robinson, both of which are probably in the top 100.
They were the band for the Greenwich Village crowd, the new beatniks, smoking pot in tiny jazz bars, listening to poetry and playing bongos, not quite hippies but not exactly all-Americans, either. Simon and Garfunkel had an intimate, intelligent brand of music, whose gentle melodies and striking lyrics really struck a chord with the bohemian set, and spread, grass-roots style, to liberal arts college crowds, radio stations, eventually enjoying low-key but widespread popularity. For a myriad of reasons, though, the pair decided to part ways, much to the disappointment of their fans. Paul Simon went on to a highly successful solo career for more than two decades…Garfunkel basically turned into a punchline. Ten years after they split, Simon and Garfunkel gave their fans exactly what they wanted: a reunion.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 8th, 2003
Synopsis
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on September 11th, 2002
Synopsis
I'll confess, I saw Maiden myself, lo these many years ago on their Powerslave tour, so I was sort of partial to this disc. The big favourites ("Number of the Beast" and "Run to the Hills" among them) are present and correct. As with all concert films, there are only so many ways of filming largely motionless people and making them look interesting, but the main point is the sound, when you get down to it.
![U2 - Elevation Tour 2001 - Live from Boston [Region 2] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/u2-elevation-tour-2001-live-fro-large.jpg)
