What music DVD are you currently enjoying

[16hz lover]

Blue Man Group DVD I've fallen in love with Venus Hum and the song I Feel Love...I just love the percussion in that DVD, has the capability to crack drywall.

[bigburner]

Jeff Beck - "Performing This Week: Live at Ronnie Scott's" (2009)

Fantastic!

I acquired this DVD three weeks before the official release date (31 March) via Basement Discs in Melbourne, Australia.

A couple of months ago I reviewed the TV broadcast of this show. The DVD has a lot more songs than the TV show and some very interesting interviews in the Extras section.

The sound quality, picture quality and camera work are all exceptionally good.

This one will be hard to beat for best DVD of 2009, although I have high expectations of the forthcoming Wilco DVD "Ashes of American Flags".

Nigel.

[DelRay]

Watched Neil Youngs "Heart Of Gold" DVD.

[wkhanna]

I rented that a while ago from Netflix, absolutely phenomenal!
You remind me that I need to buy it!

[bigburner]

The Old Grey Whistle Test, Vol. 1

This is an old favourite that never disappoints. It is a BBC production filmed in the early 1970s mainly. John Lennon is amazing, sitting there in his New York studio. Emmylou Harris and Bonnie Raitt both look young enough to be my daughter. Bill Withers is exquisite, sweating away in his orange polo necked jersey. His bass player sitting in an armchair is so cool. Little Feat - well, what can I say? Lowell George footage is so rare. It's all good!

Alice Cooper, Under My Wheels
Elton John, Tiny Dancer
Curtis Mayfield, We Gotta Have Peace
Randy Newman, Political Science
Bill Withers, Ain't No Sunshine
Rory Gallagher, Hands Off
Bob Marley & The Wailers, Stir It Up
Roxy Music, Do the Strand
The Edgar Winter Group, Frankenstein
Captain Beefheart, Upon the My O My
Little Feat, Rock 'n Roll Doctor
John Lennon, Stand By Me
Lynyrd Skynyrd, Freebird
Emmylou Harris, Amarillo
Bonnie Raitt, Too Long at the Fair
Tom Waits, Tom Traubert's Blues
Talking Heads, Psycho Killer
XTC, Statue of Liberty
Blondie, Presence Dear
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, American Girl
The Police, Can't Stand Losing You
Bruce Springsteen, Rosalita
Iggy Pop, I'm Bored
The Specials, Message to You Rudi
The Damned, Smash It Up/I Just Can't Be Happy Today
The Ramones, Rock 'n Roll High School
U2, I Will Follow
REM, Moon River/Pretty Persuasion

Nigel.

[Chris D]

Wait, Nigel, ALL those performances are on that one DVD? If so, that would be amazing!

[bigburner]

Wait, Nigel, ALL those performances are on that one DVD? If so, that would be amazing!

Yes, they are all on Volume 1 which comprises two discs.

The Old Grey Whistle Test was a BBC TV show that was broadcast in the UK in the 1970s and 80s. All of the recordings were made in a TV studio by BBC technicians.

Many musicians were bewildered/amused by the fact that they were expected to play live at 10 o'clock in the morning in a small room to an audience of four men wearing white lab coats. Most musicians didn't usually get out of bed 'til midday.

Every musician of that era wanted to appear on The Old Grey Whistle Test so they always put in a top effort. You won't find a half-hearted performance on any of the three DVDs in the series.

For their trouble the musicians were paid the princely sum of £15 ($40). John Lennon requested a box of English chocolates instead of the £15 fee because he couldn't find that brand in New York. The contract was duly altered. The Lennon recording was one of the few made outside of the BBC's London studios.

A highlight of all the The Old Grey Whistle Test DVDs is the high quality audio, video and camerawork. That's the Beeb for you.

Nigel.

[Alloroc]

It's an awesome collection - if buying, it's worth getting the full collection with volume 1, 2 & 3.

The beauty of this collection is that many of the acts were unknown or just emerging when their performances were recorded. And as Nigel points out, the quality is top notch.

One other feature on this DVD set is the great Bob Harris - the host! Nice!

I became aware of the ogwt in the late 70's - it was a staple in my house.

The current music show on the beeb is Live, with Jools Holland. A number of DVDs have been released and are a must have too, imo.

[bigburner]

One other feature on this DVD set is the great Bob Harris - the host! Nice!

"Whispering" Bob Harris they called him.

[Alloroc]

"Whispering" Bob Harris they called him.

Indeed!

Oh, got Leonard Cohen live in London over the weekend. Not watched it yet - will do so over next weekend, tho'.

[bigburner]

Here's the Bill Withers track: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIdIq...eature=related

and the John Lennon one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjDYLSzJPko

Nigel.

[bigburner]

Indeed!

Oh, got Leonard Cohen live in London over the weekend.

I can't wait to watch it. Well perhaps I can wait until I return from Oz.

[Alloroc]

I can't wait to watch it. Well perhaps I can wait until I return from Oz.

I saw the same show in Dublin last summer and to say it was amazing is a huge understatement. He's back again for two shows in July - and I have my tickets lined up and ready to go.

I know he was down your way a couple of months back - did you get to go?

[bigburner]

Yeah, and I know you're all hanging out for the Little Feat one so here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihp5drRiLIE

[bigburner]

I know he was down your way a couple of months back - did you get to go?

Sadly no due to some foolish bankers in America.

[Chris D]

I checked Amazon, and the Grey Whistle Test DVD's (and CD's for that matter) are all out of production.

[Alloroc]

Get 'em here.... going fast! The complete collection seems a steal at that price.

http://www.bbcshop.com/browse/musicdvd?ex=co_wizr-locayta&collate=ivtype&collate=pdxtgenre&collate=brand&collate=pdxtlanguage&collate=pdxtlevel&collate=pdxtclassification&collate=price&fieldinvt=type&termtextinvt=invt&typeinvt=exact&fieldpcatid=pcatid&typepcatid=exact&termorder=invt%3Apcatid&template=wz_locayta&pagenum=1&perpage=10&threshold=0&spellcorrect=1&datasource=bbcen&setpagenum=1&termtextbrand=Old%20Grey%20Whistle%20Test&typebrand=exact&fieldbrand=brand

[Johnloudb]

I tried the BBC shop. And when I tried to place the order they said:

"That country is not available for delivery."

I find this interesting since they included the United States in there list of countries to send to, when I set up my account with no problem. :Z

[Chris D]

And wouldn't it be region 2?

[Johnloudb]

Maybe that's it ... though, an Oppo will play region 2 discs.

[bigburner]

I tried the BBC shop. And when I tried to place the order they said:

"That country is not available for delivery."

John, that's the price we pay for living in the colonies.

Nigel.

[Chris D]

Hehheheeeee... that made me laugh. Yes, I guess we all are colonies, huh?

[HDBLU]

Am listing to

[Johnloudb]

My dad showed up the other day with Jeff Beck - Live at Ronnie Scott's on Bluray. I hadn't bought the DVD yet but was very glad to see this. It's DTS Master Audio, at least it says that on the Bluray box.

Since I don't have surround sound, I set my bluyray disc player to down mix to Rt/Lt (right/left) instead of stereo. It sounded much better this way, I thought. Maybe that preserves the high resolution sound? I agree with Nigel's comments on this disc - very nice, excellect sound quality too.

Edit: Okay, upon further review, I need rephrase comments. It's not "very nice" it's Totally Freaking Awesome!
:T

[bigburner]

John,

I just read your post and I'm in the middle of watching Jeff Beck - Live at Ronnie Scott's on DVD. That's Totally Freaking Coincidental, particularly as I just responded to your other post!

Nigel.

PS That concert is still "Best DVD of 2009" so far for me.

[bigburner]

Carl Perkins & Friends - "Blue Suede Shoes" (2006)

This DVD is a wonderful piece of music history. It is a recording of a 60 minute TV show featuring Carl Perkins, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, Dave Edmunds, Rosanne Cash and others. It was recorded live at London's Limehouse Studios in 1985. The show was George Harrison and Ringo Starr’s first reunion performance since the 1970's.

Carl Perkins, who died in 1998, was one of the prime movers behind the rock-and-country blend of music known as rockabilly. He was the composer of "Blue Suede Shoes" and other classics, as well as a highly influential guitar player.

All of the musicians clearly enjoy themselves and the music is of a very high standard.

Sound and picture quality are more than acceptable for a 1985 recording.

Nigel.

[bigburner]

Widespread Panic - "Live from Austin, TX" (2008 )

This DVD was recorded on 31 October 2000 at Austin City Limits. The show was part of Widespread Panic's first tour without founding guitarist Mike Houser, who died later that year from pancreatic cancer. The band includes David Schools on bass, John Hermann on keyboards, Todd Nance on drums, and Domingo Ortiz on percussion. Listed as a special guest — and now the band's other guitarist — George McConnell was making his first appearance with the band on this tour. Incidentally I've seen David Schools on a couple of Warren Haynes (Gov't Mule) DVDs recently and he is an excellent bass player.

I had no expectations of this DVD because I don't know Widespread Panic well. However I thoroughly enjoyed it as did the audience who were on their feet dancing and swaying for the whole concert.

The audio and video are OK without winning any prizes.

Nigel.

[bigburner]

Zappa Plays Zappa (2008 )

Zappa Plays Zappa (“ZPZ”) is the name of a band led by Dweezil Zappa who is the eldest son of the late composer and musician Frank Zappa. Dweezil’s aim is to present a wide variety of songs from Frank’s voluminous catalogue in a serious, often note-perfect context for new generations of music lovers. Frank Zappa wrote a total of 57 albums, with another 22 posthumous albums to his credit, so Dweezil has a lot of material to choose from.

I saw ZPZ at Byron Bay last week. I was hugely impressed. All of the musicians were top notch. As one of my companions remarked “these guys didn’t come up through garage bands; they’ve all had serious musical training”. The Byron Bay concert featured a high proportion of Frank’s earlier, experimental material. It was complex and demanding, some of it too demanding for me. I prefer Frank’s 1973 – 1979 period, which I find more accessible. This period includes more conventional rock than his experimental period, but still with plenty of humour. The DVD features a balanced blend of material including many songs from my preferred 1973 – 1979 period, aided of course by the beverage of my choice and a comfortable chair, all in the privacy of my own sitting room. Ah, home DVDs!

Some background to the band... After taking more than three years off to study the physical performance and technical compositional techniques of his father, Dweezil began his search to create a band that could "accurately execute Frank's music in the most authentic way humanly possible." Rather than creating what he called a "circus" of Frank's former band-mates, Dweezil decided to look further afield and subsequently personally selected members of the ZPZ septet after an arduous set of auditions. The process typically involved them having to transcribe assorted Frank Zappa pieces and then play their specific parts while accompanied only by Joe Travers on drums. Travers is also the Zappa Family Trust archivist, which meant that he was intimately familiar with the various distinct periods of Frank's music.

After the dust had cleared, the core of the band – which debuted in 2006 with shows in Europe, Canada and the US – looked like this:

Dweezil Zappa (lead guitar, vocals)
Joe Travers (drums, vocals)
Pete Griffin (bass, vocals)
Jamie W. Kime (guitar, vocals)
Aaron Arntz (keyboards, trumpet, vocals)
Scheila Gonzalez (saxophone, flute, keyboards, vocals)
Billy Hulting (mallets, percussion & manic ranting)

The DVD was recorded at their 21 December 2006 show at the Roseland Theater in Portland, Oregon and the following night at the Paramount Theater in Seattle, Washington. The following artists were invited to guest on these shows:

Steve Vai (guitar)
Terry Bozzio (drums, vocals)
Napoleon Murphy Brock (vocals, sax, flute)

The first copies of the DVD were sold at ZPZ’s Paris concert on 5 October 2007. The official release date for the DVD was 29 April 2008.

Disc 1

1 Andy
2 Call Any Vegetable
3 Tell Me You Love Me
4 Florentine Pogen
5 Cosmik Debris
6 I'm the Slime
7 Pound for a Brown
8 Don't Eat the Yellow Snow
9 St. Alfonzo's Pancake Breakfast
10 Father O'Blivion
11 Inca Roads
12 Eat That Question
13 I'm So Cute
14 Tryin' to Grow a Chin
15 Punky's Whip

Disc 2

16 Black Page #1
17 Black Page #2
18 Regyptian Strut
19 Peaches en Regalia
20 Montana
21 Village of the Sun
22 Echidna's Arf (Of You)
23 Zomby Woof
24 Black Napkins
25 The Torture Never Stops
26 Oh No
27 Son of Orange County
28 Trouble Every Day
29 Sofa

The bonus material includes an 11-minute interview with Dweezil where he explains his objectives and inspirations with ZPZ. The hi-def video on the DVD is excellent and the 48KHz/24-bit audio soundtrack is well mixed and mastered. The camera work is superb.

Nigel.

[bigburner]

Michael Franti & Spearhead - "Live in Sydney" (2005)

These guys were playing at Byron Bay but I didn't go to their show because it was too packed and Sonny Landreth was playing in another tent. Based on this DVD I didn't miss too much. Sort of reggae meets rap meets 70s disco meets Paul McCartney. It's pretty harmless but nothing special. The audio (DD 2.0 only) was very ordinary. It sounded like a 160 kbps MP3 recording. I put the Zappa Plays Zappa DVD on immedately afterwards to make sure my ears weren't faulty and they weren't. ZPZ sounded like I was in a different universe. In fact the whole performance was in a different universe.

Nigel.

[bigburner]

Eric Clapton - "Nothing But The Blues"

A masterpiece!

In late November 1994, movie director and blues music fan Martin Scorcese filmed a documentary on guitarist Eric Clapton, who was touring the United States with his “Nothing but the blues” show. Scorcese recorded interviews with the musician on why the blues genre had influenced him so much, as well as two complete shows from the tour at The Fillmore in San Francisco.

The results of Scorcese’s work were aired once on PBS television stations in the United States, but have never been seen since, until this DVD. The video for the DVD is taken from a rare Warner Music promotional video and the audio has been re-mastered from the original master tapes. This film provides a lasting chronicle of one of Clapton’s most critically-acclaimed tours.

My rating – Video 4/10; Audio 7/10; Content 9.5/10. I have never heard Clapton play better (apart from the "Sessions for Robert J" DVD and there may be others but my memory is failing slightly...).

Sadly you can’t buy this one folks, which is a shame because masterpieces are rare.

Nigel.

[Burke Strickland]

Speaking of Martin Scorsese and music videos, here's one you CAN buy (and should if you like music, which you probably do, as a reader of this thread):



As you probably already know, The Band shares the spotlight at their farewell concert after almost a decade and a half on the road with many of the other luminaries of popular music at the time this was filmed. With the awesome assemblege of talent this concert brought to one stage, everyone -- both on stage and in the audience -- seemed to be having a great time. The performances are memorable and for some of the artists, not their most well known work, but perhaps even more interesting and entertaining because of it.

While I certainly enjoyed the DVD of this concert, the BluRay is even better. Even though the picture is clearer where the original elements allowed it to be, that really doesn't matter much in the smoke-filled venues where this takes place. The people still look a lot younger (maybe about 30 years younger) :>) than they would today and their hair is still pretty long by today's standards. WIth the clarity of BluRay, you might even be able to count the strands. But I didn't watch this to count strands of hair. :>)

What does matters most about this BluRay release over the DVD is the sound. They say at the beginning to play this one LOUD and that is supported by crystal clear sound which suports cranking up the volume without losing clarity. Before BluRay, this concert never sounded this good at home. Some of the interview segments still sound like they were recorded at the bottom of a barrel, but apparantly that is inherent in the original recording, and I typically skip past those anyway (after the first viewing). It is the remarkable concert footage that keeps me replaying this disk. I'll bet you'll want to listen more than once, too!

[Hammie]

I have been really enjoying my Nine Inch Nails: Beside You in Time Blu-ray.

[bigburner]

Speaking of Martin Scorsese and music videos, here's one you CAN buy:

Burke, it has been a while since I watched this one, so your post is a timely reminder.

I'm pleasantly surprised to hear that the Blu-ray version has such good sound as I believe that the original was recorded in stereo (33 years ago).

With the wonderful PQ of Blu-ray, I bet that the lump of cocaine stuck in Neil Young's nose was nice and clear!

Since watching "Nothing But The Blues" I have pondered why it was never released on DVD. Perhaps the video wasn't good enough because the original was produced for American television? Perhaps Martin Scorcese didn't want it to inhibit sales of his 7 DVD series "Martin Scorsese Presents the Blues" which covers some of the same ground but in a more condensed form? I think that the former is the more likely explanation.

I will watch Eric Clapton's performance on "The Last Waltz" with great interest. In 1976 I believe he was still taking heroin quite heavily.

Nigel.

[Alloroc]

One of my absolute all time favourites! I'll have to get the bluray. A stand out moment for me is Van the Man performing Caravan - well not just the performance but the brown spangly suit he wore!

[1oldguy]

That is sad about not being able to buy the Clapton DVD.I was so ready to call and get it ordered.I am a huge Clapton fan.

[bigburner]

One of my absolute all time favourites! I'll have to get the bluray. A stand out moment for me is Van the Man performing Caravan - well not just the performance but the brown spangly suit he wore!

I've now watched this twice in two days. I just had to see it again to catch the finer points. I saw the whole film in a new light after not watching it for two years. I have a lot more experience of music DVDs now than I did two years ago. The camera work and picture quality are outstanding - a real lesson for the idiots who direct a lot of music DVDs. I thought that the sound quality was good but perhaps a little on the thin side for a concert recording. However it had good dynamic range and was otherwise well mixed. Musically there were lots of highlights. Levon Helm's drumming and singing were excellent. Dr John's piano was wonderful. Joni Mitchell sang beautifully. Paul Butterfield played a mean blues harp. "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" performed by The Band was outstanding. Yes, it's great music DVD alright.

Nigel.

Van's clothes were rather odd weren't they? Bob Dylan took the prize for the silliest hat.

[bigburner]

That is sad about not being able to buy the Clapton DVD.I was so ready to call and get it ordered.I am a huge Clapton fan.

1oldguy, you have a PM.

Nigel.

[Gump]

That is sad about not being able to buy the Clapton DVD.I was so ready to call and get it ordered.I am a huge Clapton fan.

Think the Eric Clapton/Steve Winwood Madison Square Garden DVD is due out later this month (May 19th?-ish). Looking forward to that since they're appearing here in Az. in June and I have tickets in hand...it'll be a nice preview.

[bigburner]

Gump, buying the Clapton/Winwood DVD is a dead cert for me. After seeing them perform together on the Crossroads 2007 DVD and reading the reviews of the MSG concert I predict it will be fantastic.

You are very fortunate to be able to see them live!

Nigel.

[TommyV]

Beth Hart - "Live at Paradiso"

Thanks for this! I watched it last night and was blown away. When the menu first popped up I was like "oh crap some chick screaming for two hours". Once the show started, I was immediately captivated. What a treat watching this was. I even watched the rockumentary.

PQ was not that great IMO but I am getting so spoiled on Blu-ray and HDTV so no biggie. I ended up watching it in stereo using Dolby PLII Music. I may have to watch again in the surround mix to see how good a job they did on that. I really love the way I have my PLII Music setup though.

BTW I love this thread!

Beth Hart - "Live at Paradiso" (2005)

This is probably the most intense performance that I have seen by any musician ever.

That’s a big call I know. So what do I mean by intense? I mean that Beth Hart is either so high on life or amphetamines that she delivers the performance of her life. In the process she holds her devoted audience in the palm of her hand.

There are numerous examples that I could give you of her extreme behaviour, but this is a family forum folks so you’ll have to use your imagination.

The important thing about this concert is that the music – in particular her singing – is of the very highest quality. Her behaviour just makes her musical performance all the more amazing.

In case you are wondering, I loved the concert and I couldn’t give a rat’s arse about the non-music aspects that I have mentioned above.

The concert was recorded in May 2004 at the Paradiso, which is one of Amsterdam’s most beautiful concert halls.

The band comprises:

Beth Hart – Guitar, Piano, Vocals
Tom Lilly – Bass
John M Nichols – Guitar
John Nyman – Drums

The sound quality, picture quality and camerawork are all excellent.

One tiny criticism: if I was the mixing guy I would have raised the lead guitar slightly higher in the mix. I presume that this was done deliberately in order to highlight the main instrument, which is Beth’s voice. Fair enough.

Nigel.

[TommyV]

Seal Soundstage Blu-ray

I picked up Seal Soundstage that I saw mentioned in this thread (I did not even know this was released!). I am a HUGE Seal fan. It was a little odd hearing him do Motown. I personally don't think it suited him all that well but some of the songs worked. I would rather see him do an acoustic set of his original songs.

The bonus tracks were amazing! It seems they clipped some of those. I wish I had the full version of the Seal original tracks.

PQ was very nice. Audio good as well.

[TommyV]

My other favs in my collection are the NIN: Beside you in time (HD DVD) and Dave Mattews & Tim Reynolds (Blu-ray). Both concerts are monumental. I have probably spun these discs more than any other in my movie collection.

[bigburner]

John Butler Trio - "Rockpalast 2005"

Just when I thought that I was over being astonished by new music I watched this DVD and was astonished by the wonderfulness of these musicians and their music.

The John Butler Trio is an Australian roots/jam band. The band comprises:

* John Butler - vocals, guitar (centre in photo below)
* Shannon Birchall - bass, backing vocals (right in photo below)
* Michael Barker - drums, backing vocals (left in photo below)

This concert was recorded on 9th March 2005 at the Harmonie Bar in Bonn, Germany as part of the Rockpalast Crossroads festival.

The John Butler Trio have played at the Byron Bay music festival for the last three years that I've been there and I haven't got around to seeing them. That's weird...

Nigel.

[impala454]

Does anyone have a recommendation for some Jazz, Blues, or Big Band SACD or DVD-A that has some prominent trombone in it? I really love brassy bands or even sax heavy bands.

[Ray Tremblay]

Blue October-Argue With A Tree :T