Written by Fantasma el Rey
When Charlie Brown and the rest of Charles M. Schulz' Peanuts gang hit television for the first time in December 1965, Vince Guaraldi’s music was their theme. As A Charlie Brown Christmas animated our comic friends, Guaraldi’s music further brought life to those characters. Schulz and Peanuts had been ruling comic strips since 1950 and now with Gauraldi’s help they began a successful run with T.V. specials. Now available from Concord Music is Vince Guaraldi’s Peanuts Portraits.
Vince Guaraldi had his own style of jazz by the time he ran into the Peanuts gang. His cheerful piano, plucky bass and steady, easy-does-it brush drumming with slight Latin overtones were mellow, cool and very playful. All those elements made up his signature sound and would breathe further fantastic life into the characters we all love and know so well.
The eleven-track set kicks off with the very familiar “Linus And Lucy,” which has become the "Peanuts" theme song over the years. This catchy little ditty was based on the Van Pelt siblings. His blue blanket always at his side, Linus is most known as Charlie Brown’s best friend. Meanwhile Lucy is a “fuss budget” who constantly refers to Charlie as a blockhead and swipes the football as he attempts to kick it.
Cool, jazzy blues plays a major part in these portraits. “Sally’s Blues” is a playful, mellow blues named after Charlie’s baby sister and long admirer of Linus. Good ol’ Charlie Brown is himself represented in two blues pieces, both variations of “Charlie’s Blues.” The first is “Blue Charlie Brown (Version #2),” which is a bit slower than the slightly more upbeat “Charlie’s Blues,” presented here in a variation of the original version.
Two other girls in the "Peanuts" gang are represented on disc here as well in “Peppermint Patty” and “Frieda (With The Naturally Curly Hair).” “Peppermint Patty,” the tomboy of the bunch who fancies Charlie, is captured here in the dreamy tune of here own name. “Frieda” is a lively run that illustrates the bounce in the natural curls of a little girl. An odd note is that while Frieda the character had a relatively short life in the comic strip her song clocks in at the longest at just over six minutes.
Rounding out the tracks are “Joe Cool,” “Schroeder” and “Little Birdie.” “Joe Cool” is the up-tempo horn-filled rant about Snoopy, the mischievous beagle loved worldwide, in one of his classic roles. “Little Birdie” features Guaraldi on vocals and is a funky jam centered on Snoopy’s friend the little yellow bird, Woodstock. Then we have “Schroeder,” a beautiful piano piece that no doubt the character himself would have played on that toy piano of his with ease and grace.
Closing the CD are two Gauraldi tracks played by George Winston, “The Masked Marvel” and another version of “Linus And Lucy.” “The Masked Marvel” is another tune Guaraldi put down with Snoopy in mind and is playing in the background when Snoopy licks Lucy’s face to win a wrist-wrestling match.
Peanuts Portraits also contains great liner notes filled with info on the music and the classic character that inspired the songs. A great CD with great music from the man who captured the Peanuts gang like no one but Schulz did.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Texas Tornados - Esta Bueno!
Written by Fantasma el Rey
The Texas Tornados have touched down for the first time in over a decade and the result is Esta Bueno! Surviving members Flaco Jimenez and Augie Meyers have teamed with the son of Doug Sahm, Shawn, and have managed to keep the Texas Tornados' Tex-Mex flame burning bright. The new album boasts five previously unreleased Freddy Fender songs and the last vocal recording by Doug Sahm, which keeps the album popping with the original Tornados' flair.
The original line-up of Doug Sahm, Freddy Fender (both sadly gone from this world), Flaco Jimenez, and Augie Meyers come about in early 1990. The band's brand of Tex-Mex music was catchy, quirky and all-out fun. Sahm and Meyers had been playing together since their days in Sahm’s Sir Douglas Quintet, a Chicano-flavored counter to the British invasion. Fender was long known for his Mexican/American rock ‘n’ roll and country hits while Jimenez had been turning out conjunto hits on his accordion for decades.
The “old guys in the street” earned a Grammy in 1990 for best Mexican/American performance and continued until the passing of founder Doug in 1999. In 2006 Freddy Fender also passed but all the while Shawn was preparing to put something together by the remaining members. So fours years and many hours of fine-tuning later, we have the finished, fantastic result that is Esta Bueno!
The album opens with “Who’s To Blame, Senorita” a tune by Shawn and Doug that carries the vibe of the Tornados' early hit “Who Were You Thinking Of,” with more polished-sounding harmony vocals and lead by Shawn. Listen closely to the end of the song and you can hear a nod to the Sir Douglas Quintet in the organ. The song selection by Shawn is perfect as the album eventually closes with the last recording by his dad, “Girl Going Nowhere.” It's a beautiful ballad filled with strings as well as the classic vox organ and Doug’s plaintive, Chicano-flavored vocals.
Freddy Fender's five songs are classic Fender, Chicano rock ‘n’ roll with Texas roots. His “If I Only Could” sounds like a classic 1950s grinder and clocks in at just over three minutes. Horns and piano à la the Fats Domino band abound as Flaco cuts through with his accordion to remind you that it’s a Tex-Mex tune, and you should grab your girl and dance! Fender shows his rockin’ fun side with the instant classic “They Don’t Make ‘Em Like I Like,” which highlights the Tornados' comic side. This track is Fender’s look at the modern girl from a 1950s kid’s viewpoint. The song is total fun and stays clear of being offensive; never losing the fact that it’s a joke and the band is having a blast.
“Ahora Yo Voy” is an all-Spanish tune that has Fender and the boys in rockin’ tribute to the Sir Douglas Quintet. In a way, the tune is a true tribute to the missing founding members and a great choice to include on the disc. “Another Shot Of Ambition” is a song Fender has cut on a previous album but Shawn had the “old guys” spin it Tornados' style and gave it new life. The sensual salsa track “Llevame,” written by guitarist Louie Ortega is Fender’s final performance on the album and he nails it with his passionate vocals.
Augie Meyers lends a hand with his fine writing turning in the hard rocking tunes “My Sugar Blue,” “Velma From Selma,” and the title track “Esta Bueno.” Augie’s lighthearted comic gift shines through on the latter two. The kicker on “Velma” is how Augie can sing about getting his ass kicked by his girlfriend’s father in perfect harmony and timing. Like a true Mexican corrido, he can sing of tragedy and violence and make it seem a fun, rockin’ good time. “Esta Bueno” is three and a half minutes of laugher at the pain of Augie’s eating too many powerful jalapenos that come back to get him in the “end.”
Flaco Jimenez not only provides the kick-ass accordion throughout Esta Bueno! but also turns in some fine vocals to boot. Taking leads on Doug’s “Chicano” which the two had originally recorded back in 1973. Flaco’s broken English is perfect as he sings the verses in both English and Spanish. Flaco’s second turn at the mic is the wonderful duet with Augie, “In Heaven There Is No Beer,” which finds Flaco tearing the house down with that accordion of his.
For forty solid minutes, Esta Bueno! brims with all the life and love that the Texas Tornados bring to anything they play. The vocals from our missing friends, the humor from a prolific pen, and the energy from the accordion make this a perfect fit into the Texas Tornados' catalog. Each original member’s style shines bright throughout the CD. Shawn Sahm has done a wonderful job taking the production reigns and has turned out an album that would have made his dad and Freddy Fender proud. Fans of the Texas Tornados won’t be let down at all by this one.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Elvis Presely - Elvis 75: Good Rockin' Tonight
Written by Fantasma el Rey
Elvis Aron Presley would have been 75 years rocking on January 8th 2010 and to celebrate RCA has issued Elvis 75: Good Rockin’ Tonight through their Legacy series. The four-disc box set contains 100 songs from Elvis’ hit-filled career, spanning 1953 to1977. The set is a good overview of Elvis’ music and includes well-known hits and some album cuts that many folks may have never heard or knew existed, all remastered for superior sound. An 80-page booklet provides photos and track information that make the set an even better chronicle of the work put out by the “king of rock ‘n’ roll.”
Disc one covers the years 1953-57 and looks at his early rockabilly days and rise to all out rock ‘n’ roll star. We get some of his first recordings on the Sun label, which saw Elvis lay down some killer rockabilly versions of blues and country classics, “That’s All Right,” “Blue Moon Of Kentucky,” and “Good Rockin’ Tonight.” Disc one then moves into his early records for RCA and covers his frantic rock ‘n’ roll hits like “Jailhouse Rock” and “I Got A Women,” and the tender ballads “I Was The One” and “Love Me Tender.” Elvis began to record original material on RCA with help from the team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller as well as Otis Blackwell among others. Well covered ground here for most fans but some may have never heard “My Happiness,” the tune Elvis says he made for his mama. Disc one also gives us a taste of the gospel songs Elvis loved all his life, such as “(There Will Be) Peace In The Valley,” and includes his holiday classic “Blue Christmas.”
Disc two takes us from 1958 to1962 and provides big hits from solid rockers, “Hard Headed Women” and “Little Sister” to rocking ballads “Return To Sender” and “(Marie’s The Name) His Latest Flame.” These are the years that produced the heartfelt love songs we know so well, “(Now And Then There’s) A Fool Such As I,” “It's Now Or Never,” and “Can’t Help Falling In Love.” Elvis also covered “Reconsider Baby” and “I Feel So Bad,” good blues/R&B tunes that show his continued interest in what other artists put out. Some songs not heard so often are the doo-wop inspired “Thrill Of Your Love” and “Doin’ The Best I Can,” the rocking “Judy,” the quiet “There’s Always Me,” and the “Suspicion”-like “Pocketful Of Rainbows.” Some nice gems mixed with major hits make this disc enjoyable.
Disc three spans 1963-69, the years that Elvis spent concentrating on making silly movies instead of turning out solid music, but some of those movie tracks stand out and are included here, “Bossa Nova Baby” from Fun In Acapulco and of course “Viva Las Vegas.” Lucky for us, Elvis 75 avoids too many soundtrack songs and instead pulls tracks that were buried on those albums or released as B-sides. Bob Dylan’s “Tomorrow Is A Long Time” stands tall as does Elvis’ version of Chuck Berry’s “Too Much Monkey Business” and covers of “Guitar Man” and “Big Boss Man.”
The last half of disc three highlights the strong material that came from Elvis’ ‘68 Comeback Special and the albums he made in ‘69, where his focus was turned back to music. His song selection took a more somber tone and shows more depth than the throwaway stuff he’d done for films. Songs like “If I Can Dream,” “Memories,” “Don’t Cry Daddy,” and “In The Ghetto” announce that the artist is growing and his vocals are getting stronger. His songs “Stranger In My Own Home Town,” “Kentucky Rain,” and “Only The Strong Survive” carry a Memphis soul vibe complete with horns, solid drums, and thick bass lines.
Disc four, 1970-77 takes us through Elvis’ live recordings and right up to his last hurrahs before his sad passing in August of ’77. Swamp rock crept into his songs alongside the Memphis soul around this time too as “Polk Salad Annie” and “Promised Land” display. From “I Just Can’t Help Believing” and “An American Trilogy” we get just a taste of the kinds of songs he was doing in his live act and the kind of stage show he put on and the humor he possessed. “Always On My Mind,” “T-R-O-U-B-L-E,” and “Way Down” represent the kinds of rock that an Elvis album consisted of at that time. “The Fool,” “Funny How Time Slips Away,” and “Steamroller Blues” display the fact that Elvis never lost or strayed too far from his country or blues roots.
The last two tracks represent the parody the man became on one hand and his lasting power and influence on the other. The sadly operatic “Unchained Melody” brings to mind every jumpsuit-clad, bad, fat Elvis impersonator that would spring up to pay “tribute” to the fallen king. To counter this “A Little Less Conversation” the JLX remix proves that the world still loves Elvis and that his music will last as that mix became a worldwide hit in 2002, over twenty years after his death.
Most everyone knows Elvis’ general story and history: the poor country boy who became “king” of a new music genre that set the world on fire in the mid 1950s. His distinct looks, generosity, and the controversy he stirred with his hips is legendary and well documented as is his music in more in-depth, multi-disc sets but here we have a chronological breakdown of the songs that stand out the most and represent his career best.
From his early primitive, greasy rockabilly to his over-the-top operatic vocals Elvis 75 has it all for you to sample and decide which phase of the man’s career you like best. Elvis may not have written his songs but the songs he selected fit him well as he made them his own and he could speak through them, whether rockin’ hard or pining for his love. He’s our raucous party buddy, wise old pal offering advice, and a friend that picks us up when we’re down. Listen again and you can hear the distinct vocal phases and hear the punk kid become a strong, powerful-voiced man in whose music and sincerity we find comfort, hope, and inspiration.
Friday, November 27, 2009
Norah Jones – The Fall
Written by Fantasma el Rey
Norah Jones has thirteen new songs to offer on her latest release The Fall, which marks a change in direction for her and features a different sound as she works with a new cast of musicians. Norah plays more guitar on her fourth album and less piano, but fear not, her vocals remain as beautiful and sexy smooth as ever. One more change is that Miss Jones’ hair is now short, but again she remains stunning, which goes to show that new looks, sound, and musicians can’t take away from true brilliance.
“Chasing Pirates” opens with synth vamps, mellow bass and guitar, a steady drum snap, other percussion, and the Wurlitzer swirling in the background. The mix of instruments with Norah’s sublime vocals and lyrics has me reeling and lost instantly in the eerie, dreamlike darkness. The lyrics are great and illustrate how one text message can send the mind spinning: “In your message you said/ You were going to bed/ But I’m not done with the night/ So I stayed up and read/ But your words in my head/ Got me mixed up so I turned out the light/And don’t know how to slow it down/ My mind’s racing from chasing pirates.” The lyrics move on and there’s “an ambulance scream,” “impossible schemes,” and drowning insanity, back to mind racing, chasing pirates, a line which is delivered masterfully by Norah. There’s also the slightest Caribbean feel, like Blondie’s “The Tide Is High,” slowed to a crawl and buried in the sand so its barley audible.
“Even Though,” “Light As A Feather,” and “Young Blood” continue down the road of darkness set up by “Chasing Pirates.” The bass lines and drums remain a steady, driving factor and can be related to certain gothic, new wave sounds of the early- to mid-1980s. Norah’s lyrics shine and along with the music remain a bit heavy even as she has some writing help from Jesse Harris (“Even Though”), Ryan Adams (“Light As A Feather”), and Mike Martin (“Young Blood”). “Young Blood” contains great lyrics about gunning down werewolves, “Our fears are only what we tell them to be,” and “Young blood/Young bones/Old ghost,” not in that exact order but strung together well and in a way that makes them work wonders.
“I Wouldn’t Need You,” “Waiting,” “You’ve Ruined Me,” “Stuck,” and “Tell Yer Mama” break things up a bit. They have that country vibe Norah has displayed here and there on her past recordings. “Wouldn’t Need You” finds Norah’s piano work brought to the front and tells of how if she could do certain things on her own and feel a certain way on her own she “wouldn’t need you.”
“Waiting” finds her doing just that, wondering why and will she ever learn and will waiting at all ever get “you” to return. “Stuck” brings in some scratchy, heavy electric guitar and the play of the bass, piano, and string synth remind me, in a slight way, of the chorus to Lou Reed's “Satellite Of Love.” Call me "crazy," but I hear it.
“Tell Yer Mama” finds Jesse Harris and old friend Richard Julian helping with the songcraft on this mid-tempo country romp. The bass thumps out solid plunks as the drums pound an Indian bop hop beat. The clavinet provides an interesting sound twist to this tale of someone who just can’t see that the girl is waiting for him to come around.
“It’s Gonna Be” is the thunder-and-lighting track as its three minutes of heavy, rumble drums; thick bass grooves; mean guitar; and a “tuff” sounding Wurlitzer set the stage for Norah’s assertive vocals. She pushes you back telling how its gonna be: “Aim at the ones who’ve really hurt us/ They should be arrested for murders.”
“Back To Manhattan” and “December” are the jazzy/country tunes that could have been pulled from her previous recordings. “Manhattan” is a quiet piece about going back to something or someone you’d thought you could simply ride away from. “December” scales things back more as this one is only played with acoustic guitar, some light programming and synth, and of course Norah’s piano and sublime vocals.
“Man Of The Hour” is the album closer and finds Norah alone at the piano telling of her “man” of the hour: a dog. After listening to this witty little ditty, it makes you wonder and rethink the focus of some of the others songs' lyrics. Then there is the album cover with her in a furry-looking wedding gown with a top hat and a Saint Bernard at her feet while the CD insert has her in the same dress surrounded by dogs.
Norah Jones’ The Fall is mostly set to a different pace for her. Some fans may be a bit taken back at first, but Norah is the same talent overall and can still make you think and sing along with her poetry and wit set to wonderful music.
Norah Jones has thirteen new songs to offer on her latest release The Fall, which marks a change in direction for her and features a different sound as she works with a new cast of musicians. Norah plays more guitar on her fourth album and less piano, but fear not, her vocals remain as beautiful and sexy smooth as ever. One more change is that Miss Jones’ hair is now short, but again she remains stunning, which goes to show that new looks, sound, and musicians can’t take away from true brilliance.
“Chasing Pirates” opens with synth vamps, mellow bass and guitar, a steady drum snap, other percussion, and the Wurlitzer swirling in the background. The mix of instruments with Norah’s sublime vocals and lyrics has me reeling and lost instantly in the eerie, dreamlike darkness. The lyrics are great and illustrate how one text message can send the mind spinning: “In your message you said/ You were going to bed/ But I’m not done with the night/ So I stayed up and read/ But your words in my head/ Got me mixed up so I turned out the light/And don’t know how to slow it down/ My mind’s racing from chasing pirates.” The lyrics move on and there’s “an ambulance scream,” “impossible schemes,” and drowning insanity, back to mind racing, chasing pirates, a line which is delivered masterfully by Norah. There’s also the slightest Caribbean feel, like Blondie’s “The Tide Is High,” slowed to a crawl and buried in the sand so its barley audible.
“Even Though,” “Light As A Feather,” and “Young Blood” continue down the road of darkness set up by “Chasing Pirates.” The bass lines and drums remain a steady, driving factor and can be related to certain gothic, new wave sounds of the early- to mid-1980s. Norah’s lyrics shine and along with the music remain a bit heavy even as she has some writing help from Jesse Harris (“Even Though”), Ryan Adams (“Light As A Feather”), and Mike Martin (“Young Blood”). “Young Blood” contains great lyrics about gunning down werewolves, “Our fears are only what we tell them to be,” and “Young blood/Young bones/Old ghost,” not in that exact order but strung together well and in a way that makes them work wonders.
“I Wouldn’t Need You,” “Waiting,” “You’ve Ruined Me,” “Stuck,” and “Tell Yer Mama” break things up a bit. They have that country vibe Norah has displayed here and there on her past recordings. “Wouldn’t Need You” finds Norah’s piano work brought to the front and tells of how if she could do certain things on her own and feel a certain way on her own she “wouldn’t need you.”
“Waiting” finds her doing just that, wondering why and will she ever learn and will waiting at all ever get “you” to return. “Stuck” brings in some scratchy, heavy electric guitar and the play of the bass, piano, and string synth remind me, in a slight way, of the chorus to Lou Reed's “Satellite Of Love.” Call me "crazy," but I hear it.
“Tell Yer Mama” finds Jesse Harris and old friend Richard Julian helping with the songcraft on this mid-tempo country romp. The bass thumps out solid plunks as the drums pound an Indian bop hop beat. The clavinet provides an interesting sound twist to this tale of someone who just can’t see that the girl is waiting for him to come around.
“It’s Gonna Be” is the thunder-and-lighting track as its three minutes of heavy, rumble drums; thick bass grooves; mean guitar; and a “tuff” sounding Wurlitzer set the stage for Norah’s assertive vocals. She pushes you back telling how its gonna be: “Aim at the ones who’ve really hurt us/ They should be arrested for murders.”
“Back To Manhattan” and “December” are the jazzy/country tunes that could have been pulled from her previous recordings. “Manhattan” is a quiet piece about going back to something or someone you’d thought you could simply ride away from. “December” scales things back more as this one is only played with acoustic guitar, some light programming and synth, and of course Norah’s piano and sublime vocals.
“Man Of The Hour” is the album closer and finds Norah alone at the piano telling of her “man” of the hour: a dog. After listening to this witty little ditty, it makes you wonder and rethink the focus of some of the others songs' lyrics. Then there is the album cover with her in a furry-looking wedding gown with a top hat and a Saint Bernard at her feet while the CD insert has her in the same dress surrounded by dogs.
Norah Jones’ The Fall is mostly set to a different pace for her. Some fans may be a bit taken back at first, but Norah is the same talent overall and can still make you think and sing along with her poetry and wit set to wonderful music.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Billy Idol - In Super Overdrive Live
Written by Pirata Hermosa
This Blu-ray is from a concert that aired on the TV series Soundstage and was filmed at the Congress Theater in Chicago. Starting off with the song “Super Overdrive” from his most recent album The Devil’s Playground, you immediately can tell something doesn’t sound right. Normally from a live concert you’d hear comments about poor sound quality, but during this performance it’s the exact opposite. The sound is way too good and sounds overly processed. Idol is known for being somewhat of a punk rocker with a bit of gravel to his voice, but right from the beginning the voice and music sound way too smooth. These songs need to sound a little dirty and feel a little bit rawer than the over-polished sound that comes through.
His guitarist, Steve Stevens, plays perfectly throughout, and after watching him play you’d think he was born with a guitar in his hand as he makes it look so effortless. The only thing negative about Stevens’ performance is that he doesn’t get to showcase his musical talents enough.
The show is pretty bare-boned. Billy Idol’s costume changes consist of him taking off one layer of clothing at a time. The lighting is pretty simple, and there isn’t a lot of banter with the crowd. It’s also strangely edited and it feels like large chunks are missing. It’s pretty noticeable when after performing “Eyes Without a Face” he comes back onstage wearing a jacket and shirt again.
Choosing “Kiss Me Deadly” by Generation X as the final song seems like a really odd choice to end the concert on, but if you continue to watch after the song when he is waving to the cheering audience, suddenly his clothes are changed back to what he was wearing during “Ready Steady Go” and it becomes obvious that this wasn’t really the last song he performed but just the order that they decided to put it on the Blu-Ray.
The concert is presented in 1080i High Definition Widescreen 16x9 with a 1.78.1 aspect ratio and is of exceptional quality. Unlike a normal concert, nothing is lost in the dark areas of the stage. You can see the drummer in the back as if he was up in the front, and you can even read some of the dials and settings on the amps and racks in the background.
Audio is in LPCM Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1, and DTS HD Master Audio. This is one of the best concerts I’ve ever heard. The music comes at you from all directions. It has an excellent blend of all five musicians and allows you to be able to hear each one individually while not overpowering anyone else.
There are no special features or commentary on the disc.
The set list includes:
Super Overdrive
Dancing With Myself
Flesh For Fantasy
Touch My Love
White Wedding
Scream
Eyes Without a Face
Cry
Blue Highway
Ready Steady Go
Rebel Yell
Kiss Me Deadly
This Blu-ray is from a concert that aired on the TV series Soundstage and was filmed at the Congress Theater in Chicago. Starting off with the song “Super Overdrive” from his most recent album The Devil’s Playground, you immediately can tell something doesn’t sound right. Normally from a live concert you’d hear comments about poor sound quality, but during this performance it’s the exact opposite. The sound is way too good and sounds overly processed. Idol is known for being somewhat of a punk rocker with a bit of gravel to his voice, but right from the beginning the voice and music sound way too smooth. These songs need to sound a little dirty and feel a little bit rawer than the over-polished sound that comes through.
His guitarist, Steve Stevens, plays perfectly throughout, and after watching him play you’d think he was born with a guitar in his hand as he makes it look so effortless. The only thing negative about Stevens’ performance is that he doesn’t get to showcase his musical talents enough.
The show is pretty bare-boned. Billy Idol’s costume changes consist of him taking off one layer of clothing at a time. The lighting is pretty simple, and there isn’t a lot of banter with the crowd. It’s also strangely edited and it feels like large chunks are missing. It’s pretty noticeable when after performing “Eyes Without a Face” he comes back onstage wearing a jacket and shirt again.
Choosing “Kiss Me Deadly” by Generation X as the final song seems like a really odd choice to end the concert on, but if you continue to watch after the song when he is waving to the cheering audience, suddenly his clothes are changed back to what he was wearing during “Ready Steady Go” and it becomes obvious that this wasn’t really the last song he performed but just the order that they decided to put it on the Blu-Ray.
The concert is presented in 1080i High Definition Widescreen 16x9 with a 1.78.1 aspect ratio and is of exceptional quality. Unlike a normal concert, nothing is lost in the dark areas of the stage. You can see the drummer in the back as if he was up in the front, and you can even read some of the dials and settings on the amps and racks in the background.
Audio is in LPCM Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1, and DTS HD Master Audio. This is one of the best concerts I’ve ever heard. The music comes at you from all directions. It has an excellent blend of all five musicians and allows you to be able to hear each one individually while not overpowering anyone else.
There are no special features or commentary on the disc.
The set list includes:
Super Overdrive
Dancing With Myself
Flesh For Fantasy
Touch My Love
White Wedding
Scream
Eyes Without a Face
Cry
Blue Highway
Ready Steady Go
Rebel Yell
Kiss Me Deadly
Thin Lizzy - Are You Ready?
Written by Pirata Hermosa
Thin Lizzy was a hard rock band formed in Ireland in 1969 and fronted by Phil Lynott, one of the few black lead singers/bass players/songwriters to succeed in that genre. The band recorded several albums before they broke out big in the United States with their album Jailbreak in 1976 that included two of their biggest songs, “Jailbreak” and “The Boys Are Back In Town”
The lineup changed several times during their career and for this particular concert performance in Loreley, Germany in 1981 and shown on the country’s Rockpalast television show, the lineup included: Lynott, Scott Gorham and Snowy White on guitars, Darren Wharton on keyboards, and drummer Brian Downey.
Unfortunately, like many other Thin Lizzy concert videos the recording quality is poor. It’s too bad, because they are all really good musicians. The dueling lead guitar sound is the trademark of the band and both guitarists play amazing solos in every song. Most of the songs are very bluesy and tend to be longer than average, giving each member of the band an opportunity to display their chops.
While the audio quality suffers, so does the video. One of the cameras gives you rippling lines that run horizontally up and down the picture, reminiscent of the bad signals that would constantly occur before cable television. The stage is also poorly lit and the lighting crew seems to have trouble moving the spotlights around.
You can also see in their performances and style that it’s right before the heavy metal explosion of the ‘80s. There’s a little bit of leather and choreographed movements, not a lot, but just enough to make you wonder what they would have become if Phil had not died in January of 1986 at the age of 36. It’s also interesting to see an audience that is so reserved and so calm.
While this may not be a DVD for someone who has never heard of them before, the sheer number of songs they perform and the lack of other material out in the marketplace make it worth getting your hands on.
There are no special features on the DVD
The set list is as follows:
A re You Ready?
Genocide
Waiting For An Alibi
Jailbreak
Trouble Boys
Don’t Believe A Word
Memory Pain
Got To Give It Up
Chinatown
Hollywood
Cowboy Song
The Boys Are Back In Town
Suicide
Black Rose
Sugar Blues
Baby Drives Me Crazy
Rosalie
Desaster
Emerald
Thin Lizzy was a hard rock band formed in Ireland in 1969 and fronted by Phil Lynott, one of the few black lead singers/bass players/songwriters to succeed in that genre. The band recorded several albums before they broke out big in the United States with their album Jailbreak in 1976 that included two of their biggest songs, “Jailbreak” and “The Boys Are Back In Town”
The lineup changed several times during their career and for this particular concert performance in Loreley, Germany in 1981 and shown on the country’s Rockpalast television show, the lineup included: Lynott, Scott Gorham and Snowy White on guitars, Darren Wharton on keyboards, and drummer Brian Downey.
Unfortunately, like many other Thin Lizzy concert videos the recording quality is poor. It’s too bad, because they are all really good musicians. The dueling lead guitar sound is the trademark of the band and both guitarists play amazing solos in every song. Most of the songs are very bluesy and tend to be longer than average, giving each member of the band an opportunity to display their chops.
While the audio quality suffers, so does the video. One of the cameras gives you rippling lines that run horizontally up and down the picture, reminiscent of the bad signals that would constantly occur before cable television. The stage is also poorly lit and the lighting crew seems to have trouble moving the spotlights around.
You can also see in their performances and style that it’s right before the heavy metal explosion of the ‘80s. There’s a little bit of leather and choreographed movements, not a lot, but just enough to make you wonder what they would have become if Phil had not died in January of 1986 at the age of 36. It’s also interesting to see an audience that is so reserved and so calm.
While this may not be a DVD for someone who has never heard of them before, the sheer number of songs they perform and the lack of other material out in the marketplace make it worth getting your hands on.
There are no special features on the DVD
The set list is as follows:
A re You Ready?
Genocide
Waiting For An Alibi
Jailbreak
Trouble Boys
Don’t Believe A Word
Memory Pain
Got To Give It Up
Chinatown
Hollywood
Cowboy Song
The Boys Are Back In Town
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Monday, November 2, 2009
John Denver - Around the World Live
Written by Hombre Divertido
On October 13th Eagle Records released what is being heralded as the definitive John Denver DVD Release. “Definitive” is one way to describe it. “Eclectic” is another, and “excessive” is also an option.
Consisting of four live concerts, “Thank God I’m a Country Boy” live in Australia 1977, “Rocky Mountain High” live in Japan 1981, “Country Roads” live in England 1986, and “Solo Acoustic Show” live in Japan 1984 as well his Farm Aid performances from 1985, 1987, and 1990 and two documentaries, Earth Day 1990 and Day at Bighorn (1972), the collection has 592 minutes of material on five discs.
Around the World Live is definitive in that it spans more than ten years of live performances. It is eclectic in that it includes such things as the Earth Day documentary, which may have been one of Mr. Denver's passions, and is briefly hosted by him, but it really has little to do with him, and the material is outdated. It is excessive in its repetitiveness. The collection includes no less than six performances of “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” and numerous performances of other Denver Classics as well.
Though it is interesting to watch how the technology to film a concert advanced over the years, eventually the footage becomes more enjoyable to listen to, rather than to sit and watch an incredibly talented man stand in front of a microphone and strum his guitar over and over. The concert from Australia in 1977 is awkward from the opening where it fails to properly capture Denver’s introduction, and remains awkwardly filmed throughout. As technology improved over the years, so does the footage of the concerts.
The documentary Day at the Bighorn lends the most insight into Denver, his personality, and his passion for animals and the great outdoors, but it is clumsily edited, and generally results in poor storytelling.
The gem in this release is the acoustic performance in Japan from 1984, as it truly displays the immense talent and vocal range of Denver.
The sound quality of all segments is excellent, and most of the footage looks great if you are so inclined to watch all of it.
Recommendation: Around the World Live seems thrown together, as the Earth Day documentary seems out of place. A documentary on John Denver’s life would have made for the perfect conclusion to the story attempted to be told here. Even the addition of the made-for-television movie Take Me Home: The John Denver Story from 2000 with Chad Lowe as Denver, would have made for a more well-rounded release. The true fan may enjoy sitting and watching all of this, but most will simply enjoy listening to some of it.
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