Description

ELVIS BY THE PRESLEYS, a new entertainment special that will feature a collection of new, intimate interviews with his former wife, Priscilla Beaulieu Presley, and their daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, includes exclusive, never-before-seen television performances, photographs from the Presley Estate archives and Presley family home movies.

In the special, Priscilla and Lisa Marie speak with unguarded candor about their lives with the legendary Elvis Presley and offer an intimate look at their family and private life. Rare interviews with Elvis's first cousin, Patsy Presley Geranen, and Priscilla's parents, Ann and Paul Beaulieu, are also featured.

Vintage, never-before-seen performance footage will be interwoven with photographs from the Presley Estate archives and press coverage of Elvis over the years. Private home movies of the Presley family illustrate and illuminate his story with vivid detail, honest insight and great warmth. Different aspects of Elvis's life, including his tours, his time in Hollywood and his home life, are depicted with the insight that only his family can bring. His career ups and downs, his kindness and generosity and his human frailties are all brought to light as well as a reflection on his place in entertainment history and his enduring legacy. ... Read more

Reviews (17)

The Humanizing Of The King
There is probably no single entertainer in our American culture that has been profiled more in recordings, TV specials, books, etc. than Elvis Presley, the undisputed King of Rock And Roll.In fact, the amount of Elvis literature over the years would probably fill an entire bookstore.Much of it, of course, is quite tawdry and has almost always focused more on the King's many eccentricities than the fact he had a life and that he touched millions.

But ELVIS BY THE PRESLEYS is a different matter altogether.For this time around, we get to a much deeper side of Elvis through the people that knew him best, including former Memphis Mafia member Jerry Schilling, and most especially Elvis' wife Priscilla and daughter Lisa Marie.All here testify to the kind of person that the press constantly ignored while he was alive, and still do even close to twenty-eight years after his untimely demise at age 42.Through home movie footage of him, and the time he met his future wife Priscilla while stationed in Germany during his Army years, we see Elvis still as the King until the bitter end, but also the human being he always tried to be first and foremost.

We see his explosive entry onto the American scene in the mid-1950s.We witness his return from Army life.We witness his struggle with all the formulaic B-movies the Colonel forced him to make in the 1960s at the expense of making real recordings or far superior films.We see his extraordinary comeback of 1968.And at the end, of course, we see a very unhealthy-looking Elvis in the late spring of 1977 nevertheless giving everything he has left in him onstage, putting his own stamp on "My Way."

Both Priscilla and Lisa Marie are very candid but unsensationalistic in the way they describe the problems Elvis had, both with the Colonel's often questionable business decisions (made at the expense of Elvis' health and creativity) and his struggle with prescription medication, a struggle that he sadly lost.But they also hold Elvis in the highest regard, as a great husband and father, and a tireless giver who never stopped giving and who never stopped caring.I had the utmost respect for Elvis before, as the greatest pop music icon America has ever had.After ELVIS BY THE PRESLEYS, I have an even greater respect for him as a human being.It is high time that the world know the human being that the King really was.

finally....
have seen many "ELVIS" biographies and "secrets of...". however, this one coming from the only 2 surviving women in his life that matter, priscilla and lisa marie, has the ring of authenticity to it.saw the broadcast and will definitely buy the dvd.however, what about the previous movie w/john rhys meyers?he looked more like ELVIS than any of the other men who've played him over the years, but the dude can't dance.for my money, the best of all the ELVIS bios is still the first, featuring kurt russell.no one's done it better and captured the personality, as well as the moves.when will this classic be released on dvd?i've been waiting forever(or at least since 1979) for this one!

O.K. , but....
This is another creative way of making money. Same old story with same old stuff except for a few home movie clips which were shown over and over again. The documentary is mostly about the "Elvis-Priscilla" times. Maybe you (not me) might like to know the fact that Elvis & Priscilla once used LSD or that he would not make love to her anymore...blah...blah...blah...

I wish for a documentary by Scotty Moore or the other musicians that toured and recorded with Elvis during the early years. That's what I am interested: the young, the energetic and creative ELVIS.

Can't Help Falling in Love with Elvis!
What a wonderful tribute! I have loved Elvis since the age of 5 (my age, not his)and it has been a love affair that has never diminished even after 40 years.I was lucky enough to spend 8 days in Memphis last year and seeing the home movies during the special was surreal as I had just been in those rooms! The holiday dinner was touching. I have seen Priscilla talk about Elvis several times, and each and every time I listen to her I truly believe she still has a great amount of love for him. The companion book and CD are fabulous additions to the entire experience- I think that this type of documentary was long overdue and I for one am grateful that is was put out on DVD so quickly, but I also think that a VHS edition should also have been made available as some people still have a VCR and have not converted to DVD- Everyone should have the opportunity to see this poignant view of the King!

Elvis's family talks about life with him
I taped this special when it aired last Friday, and I finnaly got to see it yesterday. And I can't believe that it has been released on dvd already, and it should be bound to be on vhs too. That had to be either same time, or quicker time then when the Freinds series final arrived on dvd. Elvis Presley's ex-wife Priscilla Presley reminisces about her life with Elvis Presley. Also featured is their only daugther Lisa Marie, along with Priscialla's step father and mother Paul and Ann Beaulieu, and one of his best friends also talks during this special, but this especily minus other of his freinds like Charlie Hodge, and Joe Esposito. If you love the king, this migth be a dvd to add to your colelction, but please check it out first before you add it on. Elvis Presley, his father, and Elvis' manger Tom Parker, are seen on and heard on tape. I just and laways have to wonder what happened between Elvis and Hollywood, after he returned from the army, since before he left that he had 3 dramas, and his first movie which was a western, before he got stuck doing this musical comedies, and very rearely had a drama since. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

Released in conjunction with a two-disc deluxe edition of Elvis: Aloha from Hawaii, the three-disc deluxe edition of Elvis's '68 Comeback Special is another incredible treasure trove of footage documenting a high point of the King's career and a milestone of televised musical performances.Taped and broadcast in 1968 after Elvis had seemingly abandoned live performing in favor of a movie career, the '68 Comeback Special was a remarkably intimate show, Elvis singing his old songs on a small stage, often alone, surrounded on all sides by a rapt audience.The show's numbers fall into three general categories: the black leather stand-up shows, in which Elvis performs solo on stage; the black leather sit-down shows, in which Elvis jams with former bandmates Scotty Moore and D.J. Fontana and others; and big production numbers, often overdone and now looking as dated as any other 1960s variety show.

In addition to the complete, uncut TV special (with the bordello number that was deemed too daring for TV), this DVD set includes both of the original stand-up shows and both of the original sit-down shows (the first was released mostly complete as One Night with You), and multiple takes of numerous production numbers.The numerous glitches and stumbles of the production numbers have limited replay value, but the complete stand-up and sit-down sessions are like gold for those who couldn't get enough of them during the 73-minute television special.Decades after the original telecast, Elvis has made another comeback.--David Horiuchi ... Read more

Reviews (46)

Absolute Must Have!
This three dvd set is amazing! You get to experience all four live NBC studio performances. (The 2 complete sit down jam sessions and 2 complete stand up performances) The highlight of the first stand up performance is when Elvis asks for his electric guitar, starts strumming the blues riff to "Baby What You Want Me To Do" and all of a sudden, the house band joins in for a smoking jam session! Elvis, being a total Rock Star, in black leather, playing lead guitar in an unplanned blues jam! How cool is that! Most people don't realize that Elvis is actually a descent guitar player. The sit down performaces clearly prove this. Elvis plays Scotty Moore's electric guitar throughout most of the two shows, while the other guys play "unplugged". Other highlights include the extra, unused footage to the production numbers. You get a sneak peek of serious flirtation between sexy actress/dancer Susan Henning and Elvis. (Something was going on there!) Seven hours of historic Elvis at his coolest!

Sensational!
Sensational is the word that comes to mind while browsing through the new "Elvis - The '68 Comeback Special (Deluxe Edition DVD)". This 3-disc set assembles all the footage related to the famous '68 Comeback Special. A great deal of the material shown is released here for the first time in its entirety, or released for the first time pure and simple.

While some parts, delightful as they are, will definitely be for Elvis fans only (the takes and raw components of the production numbers on disc 3), the bulk of this set is essential watching for any rock enthusiast - the two sit-down shows, the two stand-up shows, and the adapted NBC TV special as it was originally aired on December 3, 1968, represent not only some of Elvis's finest moments of his whole career, but are nothing less than some of the most exciting rock gigs ever filmed. Watching these shows now, in great remastered sound (there's choice between Dolby stereo and Dolby 5.1) and unseen picture quality, and realizing that they have been in the vaults for more than 35 years, one can but wonder why it took them so long to release them. In his emphatic effort to reinvent himself, Elvis continually transcends the limitations of space and time, revealing along the way as only he could what rock 'n' roll is all about - and we have a true classic performance on our hands.

You can now watch some 7 hours of it. Not to be missed.

(In the European issue of this set "It Hurts Me" has been erroneously left out on the Original Broadcast Version of the Comeback Special.)

If You Only Get One Elvis DVD, This One Should Be IT!!
This DVD shows Elvis at his Best! You can just see the music flowing through him by watching his face and his whole body. Then, you have an insight into why his voice has so much strength and feeling. You can listen to and enjoy cds and albums, but you don't get the total picture until you see him sing. It's like going to a live Elvis concert in the comfort of your living room, with the ability to play it over and over.

This is the one to have!! I'm writing this having watched ONLY ONE of the three included dvds. If this first dvd was the only one in this package, it would have still been well worth the price.

Personally, I like the unedited 'sit-down' and 'stand-up' performances BETTER than the edited, packaged TV Special. But, it's all here, allowing you to pick and choose your own favorite cuts.

Buy It!

Great but lacking
I purchased this DVD to get a complete copy of the show, But this set is still missing parts. In the Guitar Man
production It Hurts Me is still missing from this disk but list it on the package as being there. I was not happy when I found this out. It is not the complete package it is made out to be.
I will copy my Laser disc version to DVD, This will be the only way to ever get the complete show.

A TRAP in order to get your money
I am giving one star because this DVD is not what they advertised: ..."everything in its complete, raw form". It is missing the production "It Hurts Me"... And yes, it hurt me when I found out after expending too much money for it.

This is the 3rd time it happens. The people behind the Elvis Enterprises are dishonest and they are laughing at us, in order to get the money. Next time, I will not rush and buy the next Elvis product on Ebay for a lot less money.

In the "68 Comeback Special" you will see a gorgeous, energetic, Elvis; specially when he is singing with his original small group. It is a little bit annoying the full band that he uses for other songs. The horns are too loud and harsh. I agree with Paul McCartney when he said that Elvis was better with a small band than with a full orchestra ...and definitely I agree with Scotty Moore when he stated... "68 Comeback Special: A Farewell Performance" ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

Accompanied by a menagerie of products, Ken Burns's expansive 10-episode paean, Jazz, completes his trilogy on American culture, following The Civil War and Baseball. Spanning more than 19 hours, Jazz is, of course, about a lot more than what many have called America's classical music--especially in episodes 1 through 7. It's here that Burns unearths precious visual images of jazz musicians and hangs historical narratives around the music with convincing authority. Time can stand still as images float past to the sound of grainy vintage jazz, and the drama of a phonograph needle being placed on Louis Armstrong's celestial "West End Blues" is nearly sublime.

The film is also potent in arguing that the history of race in the 20th-century U.S. is at jazz's heart. But a few problems arise. First is Burns's reliance on Wynton Marsalis as his chief musical commentator. Marsalis might be charming and musically expert, but he's no historian. For the film to devote three of its episodes to the 1930s, one expects a bit more historical substance. Also, Jazz condenses the period of 1961 to the present into one episode, glossing over some of the music's giant steps. Burns has said repeatedly that he didn't know much about jazz when he began this project. So perhaps Jazz, for all its glory, would better be called Jazz: What I've Learned Since I Started Listening (And I Haven't Gotten Much Past 1961). For those who are already passionate about jazz, the film will stoke debate (and some derision, together with some reluctant praise). But for everyone else, it will amaze and entertain and kindle a flame for some of the greatest music ever dreamed. --Andrew Bartlett ... Read more

Reviews (118)

The Best Series on Jazz, Despite Its Flaws
I am a jazz musician, son of a jazz musician, am conservatory trained, and this series stands toe to toe with the best lectures by the best music historians and music theory experts I have studied with. If Ken Burns chose to follow a the pillars of jazz in depth rather than give ten minutes to every musician to come along in the past hundred years, we are better for it. If you want ten minutes on each musician, read liner notes. Mr. Burns series will be remembered precisely because it does go into such depth. Bird, Duke, Pops and Dizzie do not come clear to you without much study. We should be grateful for the fact that this series is anything but shallow. It is true to the art. If this series, because of such depth, asks more of viewers than they want to give, then let such viewers only seeking entertainment seek that. Americans, everything is not entertainment.

Jazz itself, from its outset and to this very day, asks more of you than any other music. A series about it should do no less.

This series is not perfect. Jazz is also imperfect. As Thelonius Monk said, there are no wrong notes. So are there no bad jazz documentaries, as long as they are unflinching, whole, and about the forces that shaped the music. This one is. It's only real flaw is that it is too in love with its own story and the music. That is entirely forgiveable.

If you have any interest in jazz, buy or rent this series and watch each one like a student, and learn in wonder at the extraordinary music brought to us by African Americans. It is one of the glories of American culture, and of the world, and we should join Ken Burns, his historians, critics and musicians in joyously celebrating the collective creation of the geniuses that graced our land in the past 100 years.

"History," "Documentary," "Theory of" are not in the title.
The negative reviews of this series assume that Burns is compiling a documentary, writing a historical survey, or undertaking some theoretical analysis of jazz. Burns is above all a biographer. His primary interest is in the life of a particular artist, solider, athlete, explorer, etc.: the overall trajectory of their lives--the choices they make, the risks they are or aren't willing to take, their sufferings in the face of prejudice, misunderstanding, and failure--and how the individual life fits within the larger social context. Hence his emphasis on annecdote, personal letter and photograph, character analysis, and why he has baseball players and actors and club owners as well as scholars and musicians commenting on these people. And why he traces the entire career of someone like Louis Armstrong or Billy Holiday, rather than devoting more time to contemporary muscians whose story it is still too young to be told. Everything else is secondary to this main concern, and to miss this focus is to miss the point of all Ken Burns' documentaries. To grasp it is to experience life within a wider, wiser, almost epic, context. The so-called jazz expert who is miffed over some apparent omission, or overemphasis, or seeming bias, is like the librarian who has all the books catalogued and all the facts at their fingertips but can't see that they might refer to something outside the four walls of their narrow expertise.

Provides a very useful orientation
Jazz is a relatively recent interest for me--maybe half a dozen years. I'd learned about scattered fragments of jazz, but never developed a systematic understanding, a clear orientation--though a couple of times I'd tried: I bought Gary Giddons' "Visions of Jazz," for instance, which is very good but just didn't capture my imagination.

Ken Burns' "Jazz" gave me what I've been wanting for years--a clear, evocative, comprehensive way into the genre as a whole.

Okay, it may not be the last word on the history of jazz. Yeah, some things really irritated me--like the slighting, mentioned by many, of Bill Evans, and the excessive excision of many white musicians to make the generally accurate point that jazz springs more from the experience of Black Americans. (Hint to Burns: You make your argument stronger by showing how apparently contrary data fit, not by leaving them out.) But over all, I found this a very helpful overview. And I enjoyed getting to know the biographies of, and the personal relations among, the players.

You won't likely get such an orientation from buying a few of the original CDs *instead* of the "Jazz" series. Few of us have the ears or training to discern what's taught in this series. You'd be highly unlikely to realize that, for instance, what was new with Be-Bop is improvising on the underlying chord changes rather than the melody. You'd really have to be perceptive and paying attention to notice what distinguishes Kansas City jazz from New Orleans jazz from New York jazz from West Coast jazz. And *no* album can place *itself* in history. For instance, you cannot learn from listening to an album featuring Coleman Hawkins-or Charlie Christian or Kenny Clarke--that *before* that album people played very differently. In short, you'd have to be far better trained musically and far more observant than most of us are, and listen to dozens (if not hundreds) of albums, to learn what this series teaches.

As I watched over a period of a couple of weeks, I bought several of the CDs that Burns produced to survey the music, and I found them very instructive. No, as listening experiences, they're not as good as some of the various albums on which the cuts originated. But that's not the point: They are very good ways to get an overview, to get oriented, to know where to go next.

After seeing this series and studying the accompanying CDs, when I go into the music store and start perusing the jazz disks, I find that I recognize a whole lot more and can surmise a whole lot better what's what and what would interest me. For instance, tonight I saw "From Spirituals to Swing," a three CD set of Carnegie Hall jazz concerts in 1938 and 1939. A month ago, the list of personnel would have meant near-nothing to me--I probably wouldn't have even known what I was looking at, and I doubt I would have looked at the thing for more than thirty seconds. Now, though, I studied and comprehended the personnel and got all excited--"This I gotta hear." So I bought it, and it's great.

Now, isn't that reason enough to recommend this series?

That the overall interpretive framework of the series may need correction is not a trenchant criticism, in my opinion. To get a comprehensive understanding of anything, you have to start with *some* systematic framework, which you can then modify, maybe even refute, as you encounter further data. Logically, the first such framework you acquire has to come from someone else, unless you are a genius of extremely wide learning.

No, Ken Burns' "Jazz" isn't the only guide to jazz you'll ever need--as others have noted, some of the omissions are glaring. But it's fine place to start.

If you really want to get a sense of jazz, this is an excellent investment, in my opinion. Yeah, it's pricey--but cheaper than, say, an adult education course on jazz appreciation at your local community college (if you include texts and other supporting material). And if you don't want to spend the money--well, you can hint real hard to your significant other that you'd like it for your birthday or Valentine or some such thing.

Postscript: I almost didn't buy this because of the characterization of Wynton Marsalis's role by several other reviewers here. I'd never much liked his music--it always seemed too cerebral, almost architectural, for my tastes--chilly, not very visceral. (That's just my personal taste--I also find most of Ella Fitzgerald--except her duo wok with Armstrong--a bit emotionally distant, unlike Sarah Vaughan or Billie Holiday or Carmen McRae or many others.)

I was skeptical about any documentary that made Marsalis the central story teller.

Well, two things: (1) He just isn't the central story teller here. He does not have anything approaching the majority of commentator air time. It is certainly true that he plays a role analogous to Shelby Foote's in "The Civil War"--he is a unifying presence, especially in the early going and toward the end. This is just good film making--to establish "characters" whose presence throughout helps give unity to the piece. (2) I really liked Wynton in this documentary. He came off as much earthier, more laid back, mischievous, funnier and more fun, than I ever would have imagined. And he is really quite illuminating, especially when he explains various musical concepts--like the "Big 4." (I went back and listened to "Thick in the South," thinking maybe I'd like his music more now. Nope. Still feels too thought-out, too chilly, to me. Oh, well.)

Could have been so much better
I guess it says something that I have gone back and watched Burns' "Civil War" documentary more than a dozen times since I first saw it, and have only watch "Jazz" once since the first time. The Civil War documentary certainly is rife with factual inaccuracies but by & large gets the essential story of the conflict right. "Jazz," on the other hand, treats its subject as though the last 40-50 years never happened. It is as though the Civil War documentary would have lingered over the years 1861-1863 incessantly, then sped through the last two years ("Oh yeah, there were a couple of battles, Atlanta burned, Lee surrendered, the war was over. The end." Something like that) as though they didn't matter.

As I found the documentary going into its umpteenth hour and we STILL weren't out of the 1930's yet, I had a bad feeling about where this was going. You would have thought that Louis Armstrong had been annointed as the Jazz Pope and he ruled over the world of jazz for 40 years. In his proper context, Armstrong is very important, but Burns seems positively fixated on him. He dwells on every facet of Armstrong's upbringing & early career. Unless he planned on making a 60-hour documentary, there was no way Burns could hope to do justice to the more recent history of the genre, and sure enough he basically hits the fast forward button once the be-bop era is coming to a close.

Personally, I cannot stand fushion jazz, but nonetheless some mention needs to made of a style that was dominant in jazz for almost as long as the swing style, for crying out loud. Also, relying almost exculsively on Wynton Marsalis (doing his best impression of a crochety old man on his front porch, railing at a world that has passed him by) really was not a good idea & imbues the entire documentary with a hopelessly retrograde flavor.

I watched it once, and came away disappointed. I watched it a second time, hoping that I could find more to appreciate, but only found that it continued to disappoint. I don't know if it merits any future viewings, and that is indeed a shame, because it is a subject that deserves better treatment than this.

Excellent for what it is
It's surprizing how vociferously some "snobs" condemn "Jazz" simply because it's not as comprehensive as they seem to think it should be. From reading these reviews you would think Ken Burns is a half-step above a holocaust-denier for not including Roland Kirk or Eric Dolphy. "Jazz" is a wonderful, inspiring and, yes, traditional look at the art form. Newcomers shouldn't be dissuaded because it's not as complete as it should be. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

Far superior to any previous home-video version, the huge deluxe edition of Elvis: Aloha from Hawaii captures over four hours of footage from the King's historic televised concert from January 1973.The main concert is presented in its entirety for the first time since its original worldwide satellite telecast, and reedited to remove the now-dated split-screen "montage" look.But that's not all--as a prelude to the concert, the first disc includes 17 uncut minutes of the "Elvis arrives" footage (only 2 minutes of which appears in the concert film) followed by the complete rehearsal concert that took place two days before the telecast.This rehearsal, which was released separately on video as The Alternate Aloha Concert, is rougher than the official show, but more relaxed and often more satisfying musically.

Leading off disc 2 is footage of five songs ("Blue Hawaii," "Ku-U-I-Po," "No More," "Hawaiian Wedding Song," and "Early Morning Rain"), including multiple takes, recorded after the performance, four of which ("No More" was the exception) were incorporated into the American television special that was shown a few months after the live telecast. Those four songs are not included in the uncut version of the concert on disc 1, but the original version of the American television special is also on disc 2 so you can watch the concert the way you've always watched it for the sake of nostalgia, or you can compare it to all the other pieces you've seen and decide which you like better.Either way, Elvis: Aloha from Hawaii is an embarrassment of riches that's rivaled only by its companion release, thethree-disc deluxe edition of Elvis's '68 Comeback Special.--David Horiuchi ... Read more

Reviews (91)

Elvis' spectacular Aloha from Hawaii concert!
The picture quality and sound are excellent; second only to his performance. All available footage is presented from the original broadcast version through the complete rehearsal concert and a newly re edited version. It also offers the complete arrival footage. However, I do think that it would have been more entertaining to edit the arrival footage before each of the concerts and then offer the full 17 minute arrival sequence separately if one wishes to view the entire arrival.I also feel that the "delux" booklet ought to have contained far better Quality photos then what is offered. A few of the photos look worse than the typical bootleg versions. Japan offered high quality pictures with song lyrics with their LP releases 20 years ago! It is a shame BMG/RCA has chosen to skimp on the budget; their is absolutely no reason for bad quality photos. The sound and DVD picture quality is excellent and the Aloha delux set makes for a wonderful gift.

Incredible! Elvis at his very best!!!
I love this concert! I watch it once a week, it's wonderful! here's the list of tracks, that way you'll know what you're paying for.

1. See See Rider
2. Burning Love
3. Something (he did this better than the beatles!!!)
4. You Gave Me A Mountain
5. Steamroller Blues
6. My Way (I love the way he did this)
7. Love me
8. It's Over
9. Blue Suede Shoes
10. Hound Dog
11. What Now My Love
12. Fever (the way he preforms this song is so great! it's the one part in the video that I can't wait to see!)
13. Welcome To My World (he sung it beautifully)
14. Suspicious Minds
15. I'll Remember You
16. Long Tall Sally/Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On
17. An American Trilogy (whenever he sings this song, he gives me chills!)
18. A Big Hunk O' Love
19. Can't Help Falling In Love

If you're someone who wants to see this, but not sure weather you should buy it or not, get it!! it's great! as far as I know, you won't be sorry! I wasn't!

Take care,

A 14 year old die-hard Elvis fan from VA

For Elvis diehards, fascinating scraps and a so-so concert
BMG continues to sweep out the Elvis vaults for any unused tidbits from The King's glorious career, some of the packagings more exploitive and demeaning than others. This DVD collection is one of the better efforts, though it's definitely for diehards and Elvis completeists only. The 1973 Aloha concert is certainly well-known, having been rebroadcast many times and long available on home video (along with the rehearsal show two days earlier). Here the two shows have been recut and remastered, discarding the outdated 1970s edits and block montages. This is the jumpsuited, gilded, self-parodying Elvis most imitated by the legion of Elvis impersonators. It's an Elvis a long way from The World's First Atomic-Powered Singer of the 1950s who was so coarse and unwieldy that he couldn't be kept in the TV frame. Here Elvis seems to be auditioning for The Lawrence Welk Show. He's more Liberace, Perry Como and Don Ho than The King Of Rock N Roll. It's Elvis the Commericial Artist, running through his standard Vegas lounge act without too much enthusiasm, the drug abuse beginning to take its toll.
Most fascinating in the DVD collection, I believe, is Chapter 1 of the first DVD, titled "Elvis Arrives and Greets Fans." It's over seventeen minutes of raw footage sloppily shot, without reflectors, by a single camera in the harsh midday Hawaiian sun. Bits of this footage would eventually be cobbled together for broadcast with travelogue shots of the islands and a soundtracked Elvis singing "Paradise, Hawaiian Style." The broadcast version creates an excitement--the screams were definitely overdubbed--totally absent from the clumsy raw footage.
A rather small, almost entirely Caucasian crowd was apparently goaded away from their beach blankets to witness The King's arrival by helicopter. It's a pop-music version of Der Fuhrer descending through the clouds to 1934 Nuremburg in "Triumph Of The Will." Only this was hardly a wild, out-of-control crowd panting to meet its demigod. This would be a far cry from The Beatles in New York or even Elvis' own frenzied past receptions. This was a stone-faced, bemused, disinterested bunch of people who seemed embarrassed to be standing there. The director has to exhort the crowd "You can do better than that" to get any kind of response. The camera pans about desperately seeking any usable footage. A few tourists liven up a bit when the camera dollies right in their faces; in fact, some these shots were falsely inserted AFTER Elvis arrives in the broadcast segment.
The helicopter finally sets down and the cabin door opens. Elvis gets out and gives a gyrating hula girl greeting him a cruel, mocking glance and briskly walks away. (This was edited out of the broadcast.) Elvis begins working the crowd, sticking out his hand, searching for the few excited middle-aged women who drape leis around his neck. In fact, the crowd looks about as excited as if the vice-chair of the Honolulu Beautification Committee had arrived to lecture on trash disposal. There's a lot of confusion with the video crew as well, who bark about commands and trip over wires.
While this hastily assembled photo op seems more a debacle than anything else, it does highlight something very fascinating. Elvis was a star, and became a legend, not only because of his glorious, one-of-a-kind voice. Elvis stuck out in a crowd, really stuck out, even outside of carefully controlled studio conditions. Director John Waters once remarked that a true star was a person you'd never run into in everyday life. Thus Elvis. Better-looking, more graceful, more original, more identifiable than the rest of the crowd on the beach combined. A man apart. Don't you wish he were still around??

Great Dvd!!!!
I highly recommend using Amazon for the site to buy it from because from beginning to end is top notch service & shipment!
PLUS if you buy this & another DVD...you could qualify for free shipping & also if you buy from other sites...they tax you like Walmart.com...Amazon is about to be my only source for dvds...I do use Borders and Walmart.com but Amazon has slowly creeped up there to be my main source because they email you for future releases...even dvds not even available for pre-order yet!

Elvis was and still is the king as shown in Delux edition!
Elvis's spirit is as alive as ever and one only needs to see this dvd and sit back, take a deep breath and not expect the corndog image bared on Elvis throught his career and behold a man who cold look right through you, sing to your soul and put you under his spell.

Speaking of wich, you realize that 4 hours worth of this treatment would proabably seem to put ya to sleep and if it does, dont watch it in a moving autombile ok, you have to catch all the hidden things Elvis is sining about, and it's really like the game "clue", we get to see Elvis grow up but still show us that rock is not just about going nuts,although he proabably did right after, you can tell.

Yes,the 68 special (delux), thats the way it is special edition
and this beautiful concert (s) is not just for fans, but show's what rock could be and contains things we need in rock today if you dig deep enough, so for all you cocky know it all musicians and music lovers out there who dont know_ _ _ _ about Elvis beyond side burns, fat and a thin lipped snarl grunting, better get their head out of the sand and see an actual person instead of lore, and he was not fat, ever, everybody made him bigger than he was, he always had class and didnt die on donuts, and who cares how he died, I mean really, can you predict if you are gonna be dead on the toilet? If Elvis had a choice on where to leave earth, I hardly think he would have chossen the bathroom, so please, from 1954 to 1977 Elvis had his up's and low's but he had twice the up's and even in the end, just study him and youll see how everybody's wrong, there's 900,000,000 fans that are right, Elvis is the king and the sooner you all end the debate, the sooner you can stop living in denial and I'm a big Aerosmith and Metalica fan. ... Read more

Amazon.com

A thrilling and often beautiful concert sitting unseen in a vault for a number of years, Lucinda Williams: Live from Austin, TX is the Louisiana-born singer-songwriter's complete, pre-edited performance from a 1998 appearance on Austin City Limits. With its 16 well-chosen songs, largely culled from Williams's most rewarding material since the 1980s, Live is indispensable for longtime fans and a great introduction to her unique artistry for the uninitiated. Williams's deceptively plain-spoken, sometimes conversational lyrics about losses and passages and elusive touchstones of happiness are marvels of instant resonance, transcending minimalist imagery and fragmentary refrains. Surrounded by a small, guitar army and sometimes hypnotic rhythm section, Williams fills out "Metal Firecracker" with a vintage folk-rock sound, raises the extraordinary "Drunken Angel" and "Greenville" to new heights, and delivers--with a voice as lovely as a bell--a stirring performance on "Sweet Old World." Lest we forget her appreciation of the Doors, "Joy" brings the show to a head with its gritty, shamanic blues and evocative promises ("I'm gonna go to West Memphis and find my joy") that make one want to jump with excitement. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Excellent Performance! -- DVD lacks features
I would have loved to give this DVD five stars, but there are no features on it, meaning there are no backstage interviews, or option for Widescreen, etc. And yes I know it was recorded at Austin City Limits for TV in December 1998, and actually the sound quality is excellent just as the photography is of high quality.
It's a basic Lucinda Williams concert and she plays 16 of her until then created songs. Her voice to her songs, as well as her band, who are all top-notch professionals, are just phenomenal, but her stage presence is sometimes not easy on the eyes. It took full 6 songs til' the first few smiles came across as Lucinda just stood there without much action as if she was in some sort of pain and she sang her songs. Her guitarist Kenny Vaughan was more lively and added extra juice to her performance. Also, one of her guitarists looks like Eric Clapton, although it's not Clapton, and he too also plays pretty good, and that was a nice little touch on the side.
Her live performance on this DVD sounds very similar to her studio version of the songs and at the end Lucinda delivered an extended version of "Joy" and an abbreviated version of "Can't Let Go." I think the studio version of "Can't let go" was much better on the album (Car Wheels on a Gravel Road), and it would have been nice if they had extended "Can't let go" instead of "Joy", but that's probably a matter of taste.
Since it's the only DVD of Lucinda Williams out there, it is a "must" for every Lucinda Williams collection; and I also recommend her new and first live CD (2 CDs) "Live at the Fillmore" which is really excellent as it was recorded in November 2003, although the CD is a little bit on the edge side, but the "Fillmore CD" is a great CD.

It's goosebump time again!!
This DVD is a must have for any Lucinda fan.She is truly awe inspiring as a live performer and this concert is no exception.The rendition of the song "Joy" is well worth the price of the whole DVD.It is quite rare to find a performer who sings with such raw passion and intensity.I find myself transported to another dimension when she sings, bringing an almost primordial, gutteral wail into her voice.It really is a treasure of a show that has at long last been released for all to enjoy!!I am an artist who listens to a lot of music in my studio, but when I first heard this concert I dropped my brush and just sat there in rapt goosebumpy awe. (...)

Enough to feel heartbroken already
Heartbroken and I only watched - Lucinda's Live DVD - once - is even better than I already thought it would be! Great sound, this is how surround should sound, in my humble opinion. Followed by a great (musical) performance by a great band. About the songs; well uh...just got overwhelmed, starting with Pineola and unfortunately it had to come to an end after Can't Let Go. So theonly sane thing to say to any real musiclover: ....buy her CD's First..., no, no, get this DVD first and it will be a matter of course!!
You deserve her, honestly! "Jo(y)in"!

Lucinda Williams DVD
I've been a fan for a few years and at first was disappointed when I saw the concert was recorded in 1998. But what a surprise. This show is superb! Huge band that's extremely tight; the guitars really sync together. The 5.1 mix is perfect. And they played all my favorites. I just wonder why she waited 6.5 years before putting this out. Certainly worth the wait, however.

Great to see her live at last
I give this dvd five stars because Lucinda's music is awesome. I got it because I had never seen her perform before, she doesn't come over to play here in Ireland, at least I never seen her here. It is a bog standard live concert with absolutely no frills, I was a bit disappointed there was nothing extra, no interview or back chat with her, so maybe its only worth four stars but the music is great so I give it five.
I just luv that upbeat version of Lake Charles, and yes this dvd looks a far far better buy that that double cd which looks sort of weak.
She is playing across the water in England in July, so who knows if she goes there maybe she could make it across to Ireland sometime. I'll give her a place to stay!
John ... Read more

Reviews (291)

'The Rocky Horror Show' Movie
There is one reason why everyone should see "The Rocky Horror Picture Show": it is the best cult film ever made. There are also three reasons why everyone should want to watch it: 1) It is one of the only 'R' rated musicals in existence. 2) It has strong science-fiction overtones. 3) It is very funny. The movie starts Barry Bostwick and Susan Sarandon (before they were stars) as the recently engaged Brad and Janet. However, they are upstaged in nearly every scene by Tim Curry who plays Frank N. Furter, the mad doctor. The cast delightfully performs many memorable songs including "Over at the Frankenstein Place" and, of course, the "Time Warp". To fully enjoy RHPS, one must not be closed minded or the picture could prove to be quite offensive. Don't think it's gratuitously violent- it isn't. Merely, the situations the characters find themselves in could shock or appall overly sensitive viewers. If you think you won't enjoy RHPS, going to a midnight screening might be your best bet. The live audience participation will guarantee you a good time, despite your opinion of the actual film. So overall, RHPS is quite a good adaptation of Richard O'Brien's original concept, which always honors its roots on the stage.

DVD = Perfect format to truly experience "Rocky" at home
I loved going to "Rocky Horror" when I was in college, but watching on home video just wasn't the same. I'm probably committing heresy but there's a reason why this sci-fi, horror, B-movie satire, rock musical didn't really make it big until theaters started showing it as a midnight movie and fans started attending in costume and talking back to the screen. The 25th anniversary DVD, with several audience participation options, really is the next best thing to being there.

For the uninitiated, "Rocky Horror" tells the story of two clean-cut American youths, uptight Brad Majors (Barry Bostwick of "Spin City") and Janet Weiss (Susan Sarandon of "Dead Man Walking") whose car breaks down on a dark, deserted road in the middle of a storm--the classic beginning to many horror movies--and who seek help at a nearby castle. Castles, as Rocky fans know, don't have phones! What this castle has instead is a cross-dressing mad scientist Frank-N-Furter Tim Curry, in perhaps his finest performance), two very creepy servants, Riff-Raff (Richard O'Brien, who wrote the musical) and Magenta (Patricia Quinn), and various other hangers-on, including lovers Columbia (Little Nell) and biker Eddie (Meat Loaf). Brad and Janet walk in on a party celebrating the creation of Frank-N-Furter's muscle-bound boy-toy "Rocky." Bed-hopping chaos soon ensues, until the servants reveal their true identities and take control.

Punctuating this wacky plot are some of the wildest rock-musical songs ever written. In addition to the classic "Time Warp," there's O'Brien's salute to cult-classic B-movies, "Science Fiction Double Feature," Meat Loaf's "Hot Patootie," and Sarandon ode to sexual self-discovery, "Toucha Toucha Touch Me!"

So much for the "Rocky virgin" portion of the review... What makes the DVD so exceptional is the chance to experience "Rocky Horror" at home nearly like you would in the theater. The DVD has the option of turning on the audience screen comments as well as another option for viewing members of the Rocky Horror Fan Club performing select scenes before returning to the main movie. For those less familiar with audience participation, the DVD can prompt when to throw toast, toilet paper, rice, etc., light a match, put your newspaper on your head, etc.

The second disc contains fascinating interviews with cast members, where fans can find out about their reaction to starring in this cult classic. Meat Loaf's description of not realizing what "Rocky Horror" was going to be about and running out of the theater when Tim Curry entered wearing fishnet stockings, spiked heels, a merry widow, and a leather jacket and singing "Sweet Transvestite" is hysterical. Patricia Quinn talks about how her fondness for the opening song, "Science Fiction Double Feature" made her want to take the role even though she hadn't read the rest of the script. What? Don't remember Quinn singing that number? In the stage versions she did, but the song got reassigned in the film version--and Quinn makes her feelings about that QUITE clear. Sarandon makes the interesting observation that "Rocky Horror" probably kept a lot of art house theaters in business over the years, since they could count on good revenue from the midnight movie, even if the latest regular-hours offering flopped. In Bostwick's interview, however, the actor sounds a bit like William Shatner giving his anti-Trekkie diatribe on "Saturday Night Live."

The only disappointments on the DVD are that the outtakes really aren't that interesting and actor bios aren't provided. I would have liked to see what else the "minor" cast members did after Rocky, but that information is limited to a few lines in the companion booklet. Also, some of the audience-participation comments are nearly impossible to understand because fans are talking over each other. But then that's part of the modern-day theater experience. Even Sarandon noted in her interview that talking back to the screen has gone from the more unison catechism approach to a loud free-for-all.

What seemed so risqué and shocking a few decades ago seems much more innocent today, but it was great when it all began and it's still great! If you've never ventured into the theater to experience "Rocky Horror," this is the best way to experience it at home.

Mesmerizing film.
This is a very outrageous movie. The rock is the background to tell us a horror movie but also spiced with sex , ransvestism and above all a splendid tribute to the movies specially King Kong .
One couple strands in an old house full of weirdos . This movie (here between you and me)could have inspired for Tim Burton in Beetle juice .
In this decade there were great visuals films too . Sherman built a magnificent story absolutely free , intelligent and sarcastic, irreverent and bitter . You might state that Fellini's influence (dressed of english manners and clothes) is present all along the film .
Inmediatly after its release this one acquired the status of cult movie.

The original is still the best!
Don't bother with the play, or the music from the play. The original is still the best. Nobody can fill the shoes of Sarandon, Curry, etc. They originated the roles and have been associated with them for far too long for anyone else to come in try to change them so many years later and attempt to redo them. Stay with the best.

Those Gold Shorts!
Ahhhhh...Rocky had such a lovely outline showing in his gold lame shorts. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Tastefully designed for both beginning and advanced home-theater enthusiasts, the AVIA Guide to Home Theater is a terrific gateway to system set-up and integration--perfect for either planning or upgrading your home-entertainment system. AVIA, which was written by David Ranada of Stereo Review's Sound & Vision, takes full advantage of the nonlinear DVD-Video format. It lays out simply and clearly the basics of home theater: source components, video setup, and audio setup. Its seven chapters range in topics from home-theater components to viewing environments to system tools, and the disc features a host of professional-quality test signals for complete system calibration. Handy "hot buttons" give more depth on a range of subjects for those who want it. The disc gives insufficient weight to the importance of audio cable (and it recommends optical digital connections over the better-sounding coaxial type), but by and large AVIA is a trustworthy and extremely informative presentation. --Michael Mikesell ... Read more

Features

• Tutorials on home theater basics

Reviews (39)

Decent, but not for digital TV
I purchased Avia over Video Essentials. I own a Hitachi Ultravision Digital Television driven through a Sony surround sound system. I was concerned with fine-tuning the TV. I ran through the DVD and found the explanations and menus rather simple and easy to follow. Unfortunately, the only aspects of the DVD truly useful with my TV were the color intensity and tint. The settings for these were very close, but I did adjust them a bit. The built-in Magic Focus and what Hitachi refers to as AI (artificial intelligence) color actually do a rather good job at setting the television to optimal performance. The real advantage to the DVD was to motivate me to experiment with the settings of the television ... like turning off Noise Reduction while viewing a DVD and turning of the AI color setting. I'm not sure the DVD was really worth the money, but I am pleased with the final results. However, most of these I could have obtained without the DVD. I did purchase an audiometer to run through the pink noise signals provided on the DVD and made some very minor adjustments. I do not feel my money was wasted, as I will loan the DVD to friends who will be able to make more use of it, as they do not have high-end digital televisions. I cannot vouch for the usefulness of the DVD with lower end tubes, but I suspect it will be very useful.

A must buy.
This disc does a great job taking you through both the audio and video setup steps for your home theater.

The dvd menus are layed out nicely, allowing you to quickly navigate to the setup procedure that you want to perform.

The disc includes red, green, and blue plastic filters for use in calibrating the color level, which turns a job that used to be guesswork into a quite accurate yet easy procedure, all without lots of scientific test instruments.

The instructions are a extremely easy to follow. Each video setup section starts out with a description of what you are going to see and how you are going to adjust your video controls to make the correct settings, then shows the real test patterns. When done, you simply move on to the next chapter and continue the process.

Overall, an outstanding dvd -- Highly recommended.

REVIEWERS CREDIBILITY
Hey Marc Evans. How can we take your review seriously when you don't even know the right form of a word to use. It's waste of time not waist of time. At first I thought it was a typo but you made the mistake twice. First learn the english language, then tell us which DVD not to buy.

Excellent
This dvd provides you with the tools to really fine-tune your home theater system, just like the "New Sex Now" dvd provides the tools to fine-tune your sex-life. Both are entirely worth it.

A good primer and guide
I found the set up and instructions to be clear and easy to understand. The tests are workable but not completely intuitive. You need a good eye and a certain amount of patience to properly set your system up with this DVD. That being said, in the end I found that I needed to further adjust a few parameters by eye to suit my own preferences.

Not perfect...but a worthwhile product. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Directed by Sidney Lumet (Serpico) and penned by Joel Schumacher (Batman and Robin), this lavish 1978 adaptation of the Broadway hit The Wiz was the biggest production filmed in New York City up to that point, utilizing the newly revamped Astoria Studios and locations around the city. Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Nipsey Russell, and Ted Ross (reprising his Tony-winning role as the Lion) star in this Academy Award-nominated musical for the whole family.

The Wiz is probably the grandest take on L. Frank Baum's classictale The Wizard of Oz.Theproduction team created sets with a sense of urban magic and spectacle: a New York subway station literally comes to life, and the massive plaza between the World Trade Center towers is transformed into the Emerald City, featuring nearly 400 dancers with three costume changes. Like all good musicals, the Quincy Jones arrangements are highly hummable long after viewing (especially the funky "Ease On Down the Road" and the inspirational "Brand New Day"). In an era before MTV, the camera stays nearly stationary as Ross and Lena Horne vocally soar through their numbers. Their stage-like performances successfully make the leap to film, making The Wiz a testament to their singing talents and star presence. The then-thirtysomething Ross raised some eyebrows playing the traditionally teenaged Dorothy, but she and her supporting cast (including Richard Pryor as the Wiz) carry the tunes with an infectious verve that will appeal to folks of all ages. --Shannon Gee ... Read more

Reviews (120)

What Can I Say.....
Oh boy, where to start? This seems to be one of those movies where you either hate it or love it. This update of The Wizard of Oz, while for years vilified, has seemed to have gathered a cult classic-like following in recent years. It bears little resemblance to the 1939 Judy Garland masterpiece, or even for that matter, to the Broadway musical upon which it was based. The original musical was light and entertaining, inspirational and fun. This 1978 motion picture is a pretentious adaptation tht simply tries too hard. the film-makers turned the simplistic story of a young girl lost in a strange land into an overly glitzy, glamorous, and gaudy film. Despite this, there are some awesome moments in this movie, most notably: the stunning New York City visuals, great performances by Mabel King as the Wicked Witch and Ted Ross as the Cowardly Lion, wonderful music, and impressive and incredibly choreographed dances. However even that can't save the movie. It still manages to fall flat, not living up to the promise, vision, or scope of the simple story upon which it is based.

Unbelievably Fun
Boo, hiss to all the naysayers of the one and only 'Wiz'. A few of my friends got together at the DVD store the other night and out of all the available titles settled on this one, primarily for nostaligic reasons. Once we got home and popped it in, well, it was more than just simple sentimentality that carried us off to another world. This musical is awesome. The story is timeless, the songs are unforgettable and the widescreen transfer is excellent. One only wishes for more goodies on the disc.

I often scratch my head at why Sidney Lumet directed this, but knowing that he is one of the top five directors ever who understands New York City, it now makes perfect sense. The location shots are amazing, especially with the massive Albert Whitlock visuals. And as hard as it may be to watch Diana Ross play a 24 year old single woman, she achieves it with simple gestures and that pure, honey voice.

It's a huge treat to watch this movie and I look forward to repeat viewings.

THE WIZ....HAS SOUL!!!
The Wiz music will always be a classic. This is my only reason for buying this movie. It was definetly a 70's show. I was confused about certain scenes in the movie. For example, why did Aunt Em start singing "The Feeling We Once Had" to her daughter instead of Dorothy. And how did the Scarecrow know to signal Dorothy to destroy Evilene. The choreography and the music was great. Good for children to see!

BLACK PEOPLE, BUY THIS FOR YOUR KIDS!!!!
A MUST for every black child to see!! This is OUR classic production. Many great actors/actresses were young budding talents when they performed in the Wiz. It's great to see them then & know them now. My kids enjoyed the music & loved the dancing.

You should see the Whiz all over my tape!
this movie was okay, but all admit it was a disapointment. lookit dorothy with this afro, and this obese aunt em, god! you people have distoryed this tape! well hey the lion-- is lioney, the scarecrow dosen't sound like a girl and the tin mans chipper. except for the fact that they had good songs, and singers and all that other junk. the effects were sort of lacking, but hey-- it is not bad. its okay, but it is not that great, seriously people. this 3 star rating suits it. ... Read more

Reviews (405)

Baby Mozart has saved my sanity
I had picked up various Baby Einstein tapes while pregnant but didn't expect to use them until my son was closer to a year old. I also never intended to encourage TV watching. At around 5 months, however, and before his eyes even seemed to focus on the TV, I popped in the Baby Mozart tape in a moment of extreme fussiness and frustration. He was immediately mesmorized. He is 8 months old now and will not sit still for any TV show or video EXCEPT for Baby Mozart. He stops crying, whining, or whatever else he is doing and stares in awe throughout the entire video. He even gets mad if you walk in front of the screen while it's playing! There are times I rewind it and play it again and again until I get the dishes done and order restored. My son is captivated (and hopefully learning something) and the music is delightful enough not to have (yet) grated on my nerves. I highly recommend this video to any parent. Of the other tapes: Baby Beethoven is also a good choice for infants, but has an irritatingly long introduction that loses Baby's interest before the action begins. Baby Doolittle seems like the tape my son will love next.

Gladly recommended with only one caution "just in case."
My grandson was 6 months old when started watching Baby Mozart. He was fascinated from the start. I was glad I held him in my arms to move to the music and share the video with him, though, because the lizard hand-puppet that appears at one point and sticks his red tongue out in fun, and the barking dog puppet scared him. They startled him and he cried every time they appeared and made their abrupt gesture and/or noise, but, because I was holding him, he was quickly soothed. Subsequently, when I knew they were coming, I made a point of saying hi! and waving hi! to them and petting them after they made their sounds and we could get closer to the screen, so he got over that just fine. He is totally absorbed by the video, and the one time he watched it from his play seat rather than my arms, I found him craning his neck and leaning way over completely drawn in. I can't help but wonder a bit, however, why this couldn't have been done with the original musical instruments as opposed to the "baby-friendly" instruments employed here.

A must have for colicky babies!!!
I recently purchased the Baby Mozart video for my daughter who is 2.5 months old and has an extreme case of colic. NOTHING would calm her down - I mean nothing. However, she just LOVES this video. I put it in while she is in the middle of one of her screaming fits and within 3 minutes she is glued to the screen smiling and cooing. I don't know what it is but she truly adores this video. The only thing is I wish it was a little bit longer - it only runs about 30 minutes and that is barely enough time to do anything around the house. I would highly recommend this video to any parent who has tried it all with no success for a colicky baby. It just might save your sanity like it did for me!!!

Wondering what's next?
The series is very interesting and I'm wondering if more kids videos are on the way. My children are 6 and 3 and like watching these and other videos again and again.

It amzes me that this video gets so many rave reviews
I give three stars only because it does come in handy if you need to occupy your infant for thirty minutes, and the video is at least age appropriate for infants...I would much rather have a one year old watch this than a faster paced cartoon. We received this video, Baby Einstein and Baby Bach as a gift and I was not impressed with any of them, although, as I said, they did once in a while come in handy. I do highly recommend some of the newer BE series videos...we got Baby Van Gogh and Baby Doolittle Neighborhood Animals when my daughter was a baby and they are so much better because they use puppets and have a theme and some structure. I never understood the "video board book" concpet of watching the video as an activity with your child...I much preferred looking at picture books when my children were infants. ... Read more

Description

In 1964, the Beatles had just recently exploded onto the American scene with their debut on "The Ed Sullivan Show." The group's first feature, the Academy Award-nominated "A Hard Day's Night," offered fans their first peek into a day in the life of the Beatles and served to establish the Fab Four on the silver screen, as well as to inspire the music video format.Songs: I'll Cry Instead, A Hard Day's Night, I Should've Known Better, Can't Buy Me Love, If I Fell, And I Love Her, I'm Happy Just to Dance with You, Ringo's Theme (This Boy), Tell Me Why, Don't Bother Me, I Wanna Be Your Man, All My Lovin', She Loves You. ... Read more

Reviews (264)

Wonderful Film with FABulous Extras
This is one of the great films from the 1960s and should be seen by everyone at least once during their lifetime.

The film has held up very well and the editing still looks innovative nearly 40 years later. One thing that is very noticeable with this set is that the music has been digitally remastered and the sonic quality of the songs is markedly different from the dialogue in the rest of the movie.

The extra disc provides a lot of insight into the making of the film and the whole Beatles scene. Everyone from Richard Lester to the tailor and hairdresser on the film talk about their memories. Klaus Voorman gives an interesting interview where he shows drawings that he made during the early years of Beatlemania. There is also a documentary on the first disc that repeats clips from some of the interviews on disc 2 but most of the insights are unique to this special.

Despite the fact that there is a lot of bonus content, even more would have been appreciated. While there is an interview with the man who designed the film's movie poster, an actual gallery of posters and lobby cards would have been appreciated. It would have also been appropriate to include theatrical trailers for the film. This set does include DVD-ROM content but I did not have access to it so perhaps these things are located there.

Other things that could've been added to disc 2 include deleted scenes shown in "You Can't Do That! The Making of 'A Hard Day's Night'" and the "I'll Cry Instead" intro that was added to the film when it was re-released in the 1980s. Richard Lester's "Running Jumping Standing Still" film should have also been included since it's mentioned so much on the DVD.

For fans of 1960s cinema or the Beatles, this set is a keeper. Here's hoping "Help!" gets similar treatment someday.

Fab -- A very clean old movie
"A Hard Day's Night" makes most critics' best-ever lists. It's widely considered an electrifying mix of great music and hip comedy, both a time capsule of the swinging '60s and a timeless entertainment. Roger Ebert calls it "one of the great life-affirming landmarks of the movies."

Respect hasn't led to respectful treatment. Legal wrangling followed "A Hard Day's Night" throughout its home video life, resulting in oddities like the "tribute to John Lennon" musical prologue tacked on for VHS. The first DVD version, from MPI in 1997, disappeared after a few months of distribution.

Here, finally, is an up-to-date rendition worthy of the film.

"A Hard Day's Night" looks and sounds about as good as could be expected. The carefully lit black-and-white images should please most viewers -- even though they're on the flat side, with persistent minor speckling. The stereophonic songs swing as they must, smoking the tracks on Capitol's (shamefully outdated) soundtrack CD. (The MPI video had significantly worse sound but deeper contrasts.) Try this: Put on the Capitol version of "Tell Me Why" and then play the movie version. Perhaps Capitol can tell us why they continue to sell 15 year old Beatles CDs.

The film, shot in 35mm, is presented in widescreen, letterboxed with a ratio of about 1.66:1, enhanced for 16x9 televisions. The spiffed-up audio comes via Dolby Digital, with the musical numbers in stereo.

The first disc contains the movie as well as "Things They Said Today," a new promo film that gives the big picture. The second disc is all interviews, arranged by category (cast, crew, etc.).

Martin Lewis, a Beatles historian and pal to most of the filmmakers, conducted 30 video interviews for the package. They include key players -- Martin, director Richard Lester, United Artists exec David Picker, cinematographer Gilbert Taylor ("Star Wars") and Beatles publicist Tony Barrow -- as well as those who were just lucky to find themselves working on a film project "at the center of the universe."

The reminiscences get infusions of energy from upbeat clips, some amplifying the talkers' points and others making Beatle-esque visual jokes. The production was extensively filmed and photographed, with hours of that material first seen in this collection. The interviews are tightly edited, surprisingly focused and often a great deal of fun. It becomes clear that contributing to the film profoundly changed the lives of most of these people.

Seriously Lacks Originality
An overrated band starring in an overrated documentary. I was under the impression that the goal of a film such as this was to convey a sense of time and place, and realism, but apparently the cliched "flop tops" couldn't be bothered for that. In 90 minutes, these third-rate musicians skip a television rehearsal almost ruining the entire program, neglect responding to fan mail, harass their manager, harass young women, harass old women, harass the police, encourage school drop-out, endanger the elderly, and let's not forget play horrible generic pop music (which is obviously lip-synched, completely destroying any realism the director might have been going for). I'm surprised they weren't arrested, seeing as how all of their deeds were caught on film. If anyone had a Hard Day's Night from this film, it was me from the nightmares I had after seeing it. God bless Aaron Carter - now there's a candidate for a documentary!

An Original
This could have been a "B" movie exploitation film of a short lived pop group. Instead, it turned out to be the precursor to MTV and music videos, shows what made the Beatles so much fun and manages to play a few of their great tunes at the same time. The plot is minimal, consisting of the Beatles entourage getting the Beatles to a live television show on which the Beatles are to perform. Nearly from the beginning to the end, the Beatles are chased by pimple faced young teens, the police, their handlers, and everyone else. And throughout the film, Paul's grandfather, played by William Brambell (a very clean old man), keeps stirring up problems.

The nominal plot allows the Beatles natural likeability to shine. This film established the personas of the individual Beatles (as portrayed to the media) -- Paul -- straightforward and good natured, John -- incessantly sarcastic, George -- subtle with a dry sense of humor, and Ringo -- quiet, shy and introspective. The movie is irreverent, inventive, funny, droll, deadpan, filled with non-stop movement, and some great, if dated, rock-n-roll! A wonderful film showing the exuberance of youth, the innocence of an earlier time, and Beatlemania in all its glory!

The DVD's extras include interviews with about everyone still living who participated in the film except the surviving Beatles. While it is nice to have all of the insiders reminiscing about the film, it would have been nice to hear from some of the Fab Four.

Movie is great but extra features aren't that spectacular
A Hard Day's Night is a GREAT movie and the DVD does help with the quality of the film. However when i bought this i thought possibly some of the extra features would contain interviews with the Beatles and so on. THERE WERE NONE..But since the movie is great and so is the quality i would still recommend buying it. ... Read more

Product Description

**************PLEASE NOTE - BE AWARE THAT ONLY ORIGINAL DVD'S SHOULD INCLUDE A BOOKLET INSIDE. BEFORE PURCHASE ASK A SELLER ABOUT IT. STAY AWAY OF BOOTLEGS ****************************************************************************************PULSE DVD was originally scheduled for Christmas release in 2000, but was "bumped" from release indefinitely, and remains unavailable anywhere in DVD format. Oddly, the title was issued as a limited edition DVD (playable on any US DVD machines), and is now OUT OF PRINT. ************Song List: 1. SHINE ON YOU CRAZY DIAMOND. 2. LEARNING TO FLY. 3. HIGH HOPES. 4. TAKE IT BACK. 5. COMING BACK TO LIFE. 6. SORROW. 7. KEEP TALKING. 8. SPEAK TO ME. 9. BREATHE. 10. ON THE RUN. 11. TIME. 12. THE GREAT GIGIN THE SKY. 13. MONEY. 14. US AND THEM. 15. ANY COLOR YOU LIKE. 16. BRAIN DAMAGE. 17. ECLIPSE. 18. ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL. 19. ONE OF THESE DAYS. 20. WISH YOU WERE HERE. 21. COMFORTABLE NUMB. 22. RUN LIKE HELL . Recorded at Earls Court Arena, London, England. Including Slide Show of David Gilmour and BOOKLET. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY ON POOR QUALITY COPIES
The DVD for sale on Amazon market place are just COPIES, poor quality, the image is just " Good ", but the sound is TERRIBLE, if you use a high quality equipment you will notice all you can hear from surround channels are NOISE, altough it says Dolby Digital 5.1, WAIT UNTIL THE OFFICIAL RELEASE OF THIS DVD,
The CONCERT is one of the best I've ever seen, but I was so upset about this DVD, that I couldn't enjoy it.
THE CONCERT IS FIVE STARS,
The DVD version on Market Place is ONE STAR,
Imagen this DVD on a high quality version, even better with Dolby Digital EX or DTS ES, it would be AMAZING:

IF YOU SEE IT, BUY IT!
Absolutely stunning, literally mind-boggling visuals. The cameras swoop around and yet always seem to be pointing at the right member of the band (or the backup singers) at the right time.. David Gilmour's guitar playing.. well what can you say? He can make those strings sing, soar, weep, moan, and ring like no one since Jimi.. and he does it with such a totally effortless look on his face.. there are few guitar players on this planet who can equal him..
For a bit of fun - compare how Floyd looks today with how they looked in their 20s on the Pompeii Video.. these are guys in their fifties who are obviously having so much damn fun doing what they do, and they do it so well, like they can read each other with a simple glance across the stage.. Richard Wright and Nick Mason, while overshadowed by Gilmour's up front stage center star presence, are equally masters of their instruments..

Limited Edition Import,No BookletW/ Imports.No Bootleg
This DVD was originally scheduled for Christmas release in 2000. Was "bumped" from release indefinitely,and remains unavailable anywhere in DVD format.Oddly ,the title was issued as a Limited Edition DVD, All Region, Import, No Booklet, No Insert, does not make this dvd a bootleg as written on this page. DVD is Out of Print. Unbelievable, is all I can say after viewing this Pink Floyd concert.I highly recommend it.If you are a P-F Fan you will love it. Import, Booket, Insert, or not. I am Happy I found it on Amazon. The sound and dvd are excellent.5.1 surround sound.To my knowledge after researching, This Pink Floyd DVD is more than likely thier last really great! Live Recorded Concert. Running Time Approx 2 Hrs.

ExcellentLimited EdImport Dvd, Pressed,Dual Layer
My wife bought me a P-F dvd for my birthday.I wanted it for so long.Did not want to spend a lot of money for the dvd.Also many reviews on this page.Saying it was no good bad picture, Audio. I played my P-F dvd I was in the concert.Was excellent In picture, audio,took me way back to the 90's.When the concerts were real.Had all the strobe lights lazers colors,smoke,This was no bootleg as others have said they got.It was the real thing.An import I agree but no bootleg.Understand this dvd will not be available in the US.From information received.Awesome I have mine.My wife Bought from a seller on Amazon.

Obvious Bootleg
I will enjoy sending this info to Pink Floyd's Production company.Obvious booteg from the VHS copy.A gift from my wife and she spent way to much.Do not buy from vs44124@sbcglobal.net
There are no copies that were limited released.This comes out for real in the fall of this year. ... Read more

Reviews (144)

The greatest Rock N' Roll Film of all time.
From start to finish this film captures everything that is, or was, rock n' roll.You have Blues with Muddy Waters, Eric clapton and Paul Butterfield.You have Rockabilly with Ronnie Hawkins. You have Countryfied rock with Neil Young ,Joni Mitchell and Emmylou Harris. Then there is the soul of The Staple Singers and Van Morrison.The singer/songwriting of Neil Diamond.Last but not least, Bob Dylan.Who shows up at the end of the movie to put it all together with the stars of the show, THE BAND.All the styles mentioned above can be found in any given BAND song. I highly doubt that if you are reading this that you are unfamiller with the music of The Band. MArtin Scorsese does a great job of capturing the raw emotion that could take place at a real rock n' roll show. I could go on forever, but I won't. The main reason I'm writng this is to say that Robbie and Mr. Scorsese are finally getting together to work on the DVD Version of this fantastic document. No word on when it is to be released, but I will be one of the first persons to buy a copy and you should be too.

ONE WORD - AWESOME
This film's music has had a lasting effect on me from when I first saw it with my father at the movie theater as a young teenager, through the time I could not wait to get back to the states from my summer vacation to listen to the LP again, to this day as I order the DVD.

A few highlights; 1. Rick Danko's soulful and honest singing of "It Makes No Difference", "Stagefright" and many others. God bless his soul. 2. Levon Helm's "americana personified" singing on "The Night They Drove Ole Dixie Down" and his perfect drumming. 3. Dylan's God-like presence and powerful performance. 4. Vann Morrison's deep and electrifying performance that raised the hair on my arms. 5. Neil Young's sincerity with a haunting behind the scenes Joni Mitchell singing "Helpless, Helpless". 6. Clapton showing his usual class by letting Robbie outduel him in their guitar solos. 7. Robbie Robertson's guitar on Van's song "Caravan" and many others. 8. Garth Hudson's unique keyboards and Richard Manuel's spirited piano and singing.

[Forget] the imperfections, this is a musical masterpiece, showcasing many of the greatest musical talents of the last 40 years. The Band are simply one of the greats of all time. John X. Condos

Presentation overshadows music
I must say I'm not a huge fan of The Band, but I like "Before the Flood". However, I was amazed at how poorly The Band played, and sang even worse, in this, their farewell concert. It is hard to believe they had played together for 17 years.

Even the guests, such as Bob Dylan, seemed to use their worst voice. Only Eric Clapton was really any good, though Van Morrison was acceptable. Otherwise, fairly embarrassing musical performances. At the end, *everybody* is onstage singing "I Shall Be Released" - killing an otherwise nice song.

Obviously Scorsese got all the good film people and photographers to work on the project, and it was well done. So well done that the presentation outshines the music.

There are some nice extras, including multiple commentaries. Hard to recommend it unless you are truly a Band fan.

Not bad for a fiver
I got this DVD at my brother's recommendation for a fiver in Heathrow Airport, and it was good value at that. Good American music and a very well shot concert movie (well, it is Scorsese!) The interview sequences are intersting and as a Chaucer fan I delighted at the intro to the Canterbury Tales being read out. I was unfamiliar with the group's music before seeing this, and whilst they aren't a patch on Creedence Clearwater Revival I still admire their music. An interesting insight to a little segment of rock history.

when the best rock band and movie director collide ...
It's a worn-out formula nowadays. Bob Dylan did it, Chuck Berry did it, and Luciano Pavarotti does it all the time. They also do it every time somebody dies, and in this case you don't even have to be a musician. Yeah, I'm talking about that dreary event, the celebration concert with guest musician buddies. But there are exceptions to the rule, and this is definitely the case here.

To celebrate that they were quitting the 'god---n impossible' life on the road after 16 years, The Band gave a farewell concert in San Francisco, on Thanksgiving Day, 1976. To join them, they invited artists who represented the rich and varied array of styles that went into their musical melting pot: Rock'n' Roll, Blues, Folk, New Orleans R'n'B, Country, Gospel, Rockabilly ... who would sing their own numbers backed up by them. They, noblesse oblige, brought in their first mentor, Ronnie Hawkings, a man who sure knows how to entice a teenager into joining a rock'n'roll band, and Bob Dylan, of course, (who had just released Blood on the Tracks and Desire), Joni Mitchell (The Hissing of Summer Lawns and Hejira her most recent albums), Neil Young (Tonight's the Night and Zuma were his latest solo efforts), Muddy Waters (who would release Hard Again, his best late day work the following year), and many, many more I have no space here to mention. All top-notch and in their musical prime. Well, and Neil Diamond.

The result was a concert that can only be described as dazzling and magical. The Band do ecstatic versions of some of their best songs and the guest appereances are also amazing, Van Morrison does what's probably the best version ever of Caravan, Muddy Waters proves why he is the M-A-N, chile, The Staple Singers send a shiver up your spine that can rend you comatose for life, and Robbie Robertson and Eric Clapton bring the house down with their scorching six-strings and then they burn the ruins to ashes. All this just to quote a few. But I have a minor complaint here, the movie only features one song (The Shape I'm in) sung by Richard Manuel, one of the most soulful and moving singers that ever walked the face of the earth. This gives the newcomer a somewhat off-balanced account of how vocal duties were shared in The Band, as one can deduct that Levon Helm sang almost everything with a little help from his friends Rick and Richard. And Levon is darn good, but Richard is the shhh ....sheer top of the heap.

Casting these trifles aside, the movie is a masterpiece. Direcrted by a Martin Scorsese in a state of grace (those were the days of Taxi Driver and Raging Bull), and beautifully darkly photographed by Michael Chapman (Taxi Driver, Raging Bull), Michael W. Watkins (later X-Files direcror and producer), and Vilmos Zsigmond (Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Deer Hunter, Heaven's Gate), this was to be more than your average rock concert documentary.

The filmmakers were set on an ambitious goal, to show what it is and what does it feel to play great music. And they achieved it in such a way that we mere mortals get to feel what it is to be up there on the stage, enraptured, playing that great music to an enthusiastic and receptive crowd. The featurette that is one of the DVD bonus add-ons shows how Scorsese had these sheets of paper with the lyrics of each song to be played written down in one column, the main moments of each performance in another (when a singer would join in the chorus, or the guitar solo was to begin, or a special part of the lyric would be sung, etc), and the camera shots and movements for each moment in a third column. This is called making the best of the means of your art instead of just doing anything that would do, and it shows on the screen in a way that leaves you breathless. Watching Scorsese frantically directing the movie like a tightrope walker with no net to fall down on must've been worth another documentary. They had only one take for everything, mind that, and I guess that's what might have attracted such a brave and audacious director as Scorsese: Jumping into the unstopping swirling midst of life and trying to extract art out of it with just spotlights and cameras. Souns enticing, isnt't it? And for no money nor any promises of getting more you-know-what than Frank Sinatra. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Always absorbing and frequently brilliant, Leonard Bernstein's TheUnanswered Question is a very lucid and convincing discussion of music'shistory and forms, with particular emphasis on modern music. It addresses theaverage intelligent listener who is not musically trained but wants to know whatmakes music work--what is meant, for example, by "tonal" and "atonal." Itrequires some concentration, but Bernstein, a superb teacher, keeps technicaljargon to a minimum, illustrates what he means with musical examples andgraphics, and repeats key points.

Delivered in 1973, the talks were transcribed for a book, but in it Bernstein insists"The pages that follow were written not to be read, but listened to," really anendorsement of the video edition. The talks are, in fact, performances.Television was always kind to Bernstein; he had magnetism and knew how to useit. To illustrate various points in his analyses, he plays the piano frequently,sings occasionally, and conducts significant works of key composers: Mozart,Beethoven, Berlioz, Wagner, Ravel, Debussy, Ives, Mahler, and Stravinsky.

Bernstein traces the development of music from its origins to the 20th-centurystruggle between tonality (championed notably by Stravinsky) and atonalism(represented mainly by Schoenberg). The last two talks, devoted to thesecomposers, are particularly enlightening, but all six are outstanding. He arguespersuasively that humans are born with an ability to grasp musical forms, andthat rules of musical syntax are rooted in nature--in mathematically measurablerelations between tones and overtones.

These talks are a key document. They coincide chronologically, as cause and/orsymptom, with the movement of America's leading composers back fromSchoenbergian forms toward a tonal orientation. Bernstein predicts and promotesthis movement, which is still in progress. He is clearly an advocate oftonality, but he discusses atonal music with sympathy and understanding. --Joe McLellan ... Read more

Reviews (9)

I'm glued to the screen
All technical and musical matters have been discussed by other reviewers, so I'm just going to say that this collection of lectures is a delight to watch and listen. Some of them run nearly 3 hours, but I never become bored of them. Bernstein, with his contageous energy, enthusiasm and excellent communication skills, shares his views and thoughts with such pleasant ways; it is just irresistible. Just to prove my point, my husband, who has no musical background and had no idea what the maestro was talking about when he watched the first lecture with me, gave a delightful cry of amazement each time Bernstein demonstrated on the piano. Needless to say, he was glued to the screen and watched it till the end without a hint of boredom.
The lectures are highly intellectual, and to understand what he's talking about, you need musical background, but even if you don't understand at all, it is still very enjoyable.
Humphrey Burton writes in his Bernstein's biography that Bernstein was having such good time being with young people at Harvard, he kept on delaying and delaying to complete these lectures. You can see that the maestro enjoys so much sharing what he knows with not only Harvard students but with all the world. His theme is universality of music and brotherhood of human kind through music. Some of his thoughts and ideas are so very unique and different; they amuse me at the same time make me think.

Even though the questions are not all answered (the more he talks, the more questions arise, I have to admit), his spirit is well delivered, and that alone makes this DVD a treasure worth having.

The theory of everything
Its quite interesting that in the late 20th century, there was a progresive tendency to look for a number of grand schemes, many of which would be familiar to you guys, perhaps some of which would not be. One obvious example is that tremendous effort to find an underlying theory of physics which would combine relativity and quantum mechanics - another are more obscure attempts to reconcile set theory with certain models within category theory which had been giving trouble to a certain set of number theoretians - etc, etc.

But the human dimension to this appeared, almost as one man in the form of Chomsky. His book, "Aspects of the theory of Syntax" was the tip of the iceberg of a huge number of papers published on the deep structure of language while he was working at MIT. This appeared to offer clues as to aspects of the structure of ANY human language, an utterly amazing claim. Some of his later works give clues to the possible existence of a universal paradigm for language which has massive implications for people in so many disciplines, I couldn't begin to enumerate.

This all started, by the way, on the route to attempting the final cataloguing of the North American indian languages, some of which had only one remaining speaker. The task was huge and unapproachable until Chomsky evolved a system for abbreviating certain grammatic structures, which, to his surprise, evolved into a powerful predictive theory.

Anyone exposed to this at the time would have been impressed, but what was to follow was even more amazing. Chomsky's ideas swiftly melded with other theories of semantics and syntax transformations in different fields, and became de-rigeour for many PhDs in computer science and anthropology, uniting what was up until that time two very, very different disciplines. Citations to his work began to appear everywhere, and in the most amazing places.

An illustration of what was to follow THAT is basically contained here. no less, a unified theory of language and music!

[You ought to get this - it is undoubtedly a brilliant scholarly work in any case, even if you don't concur with Bernstein on all points - and few would exactly agree with him on all, nor, importantly, would you need to, to benefit from this.]

The argument presented is quite intuitive, but is nontheless compelling. Music is shown as being a byproduct of our humanity, extended from need in whatever form, as an infant, or an adult, from utility into sophisticaion, and finally inspiration. Bernstein makes sure the listener is in no doubt that there is something way, way beyond necessity in our provision for the experience of music. His explanation of the physics of music is flawless, and ... awe inspiring. And, watching the man traverse this enormous gap between logic, physics, liguistics, and the unnameable majesty of Beethoven and Debussy (both of which he performs as a conductor, and is moved greatly and visibly) is utterly breathtaking. I would doubt that anyone watching his exposition of the 6th would be any less moved in this way.

Apart from any of this, Bernstein entertains enormously. There are parts of his explantions that truly defy you not to laugh. He has an honesty and self effacement that is quite unusual, this comes out particularly in his efforts to sing, which he pokes quite a bit of fun at. It's obvious how passionately his audience is involved. (He describes at length a discussion with a student after one lecture in the next one - and its clear that both student and teacher really have learned quite a bit but have obviously been a little combatative, at least, at first)

From there on, you might care to differ a bit. The history of the 20th Century is described rather neatly as the showdown between Schoenburg and Stravinsky, two schools of thought, two very different philosophies. He enters this very complex consideration fairly gently. I agree with his approach - and understanding of the environment of the early 20th century is essential if one is to understand its music - and so he described Debussy, who is ... sort of.. at the end of the Waagnerian era, stretching ambiguity and tonal resources to the uttermost. Can one go further? Yes indeed, and here we have the entry of the Viennese school of 12 tone technique, illustrated with Schoenburgs six little piano pieces. But oddly enough, Bernstein shows very clearly that the appearance of 12 tone technique is not unequivically Schoenburgs' alone, but appears in the guise of mists and mirages in Chopin, Wagner, even Beethoven, but grasped once and for all by Schoenburg.

Given another five or so lectures, one might imagine that one could explore the use of bitonality, not just in the context of the Rite of Spring (which is most EXCELLENTLY explained), but the mid century English composers, who use this technique. Such people as Holst, Grainger, Williams, Strauss, and of course, Britten. But there isn't time. The end point of these complications is the resolution into a robust defence of neo-classicism, such as the ebony concerto, and of course, Oedipux Rex. But I think that this is a sad way to end - Rex is a sombre, hard work, and doesn't quite illustrate the end that either Schoenburg or Stravinsky seem to have unknowingly appointed for that part of the 20th century. In this, Bernstein may have overlooked that really recent developoments in Europe, that of an emerging new impressionism (even, perhaps, Romanticism), exemplified by Xenakis, Maderna, Berio, and others, who in some sense share some parts of both ends of the bipolar world which was the basis for all this in the middle part of that century.

All this is debatable. For instance, not a mention is given to either those very radical spirits like Varese, who seemed to eschew both ends equaly - or those, like Sibelius, Delius or Neilson, who didn't seem to mind either way, and continued to write what is now known as the mid century symphonic repertoire.

That is a long, long story, and could form the basis of a lot of commentary. Where, for instance, is Shostakovich in all this? Or Bartok, for that matter? I think this is all dealt with elsewhere, but I would have given a great deal to have seen these composers discussed at length.

But this set of lectures is so valuable as a signpost, I would never do anything other than highly, highly recommend it.It's absolutely magnificent.

In some ways brilliant, yet the sum isn't up to the parts
This series of talks presented by Leonard Bernstein at Harvard in 1973 has many fascinating components, but the overall thesis seems like an argument in search of a point. Bernstein is always interesting and enthusiastic in these sorts of things, but he also tends to ramble and drag in everything but the kitchen sink in order to buttress his points. He attempts to connect his musical theory of "innateness" to the development of speech patterns--unnecessarily in my view, and the connection is never really fully explained. In the end he concludes the 20th century characteristics in art--of irony, existentialism, and self-reference--are a result of the horrors of modern times, of the Holocaust, the two world wars, and the nuclear age. It's a premise put forth in his "Age of Anxiety" Symphony and I didn't buy it then either. Never does he explain *why* one leads to the other, he just seems to assume the relationship is evident. And, I hate to appear to be upstaging Bernstein, but I think I have a simpler and easier-to-defend thesis (and it's not my original idea, either).

I agree the modern artistic age is characterized by irony, references (self and other) and a revisiting of the old in new clothes. However, I don't see any link to the "horrors of the 20th century" as to why we can't directly say "I love you" when we mean "I love you." Rather, I think the reason irony and assorted deconstructionist techniques sprang up in the 20th century is because we finally had the history and the heritage for them to exist and make sense. Musical language was direct in Mozart's time, in Bach's time, in Beethoven's time, because they were inventing it. By the time we reach Mahler, it is fully developed and we find ourselves in the process of "deconstructing" it (or he did). Before that time, there wasn't the heritage and history *to* deconstruct. To make my point, jazz, despite coming of age in the ashes of World War I, didn't become ironic and deconstructionist through the first half of the 20th century, until the 1950s. Its deconstruction was borne not from any of the horrors of the Holocaust or the atom bomb, but from its own accumulation of tradition and technique. Ditto the cinema. In short, you can't deconstruct until the construction is complete.

So Bernstein's argument, in my view, doesn't hold water, but is the very sort of Romantic and poetic vision that appeals to him. (On another documentary I have, he waxes poetic on the anguish and turmoil trapped in the person of Gustav Mahler while never bothing to back up his thesis with a shred of documentary evidence.) However, while I don't agree with his conclusion, the journey he takes to get there is fascinating, filled with analyses of such landmark works as Mozart's Symphony No. 40, Beethoven's Pastorale Symphony, Wagner's Tristan and Isolde, Berg's Violin Concerto, and Stravinsky's Le Sacre, just to name a few. Also, his discussions of tonality, the "Circle of Fifths" and the evolution of Western harmony are fascinating. There's a certain amount of annoying preening--there are times when he's really milking his little Harvard audience for applause, and you'd think that by that point in his career he wouldn't need it--but this is easy to overlook. The video is clean and the audio is quite good for the time. Overall this is a set worth getting, despite my reservations about Bernstein's overall argument and his attempts to strengthen it by linking it to linguistics, a melding I think is artificial and unnecessary. (It reminds me of early jazz scholars trying to make their work appear more solid by forcing analogies between jazz and classical music.) I do recommend this set, but beware Lenny's excessive Romanticisms!

This is awesome...
This lecture series is great for all levels of music lovers, from the beginner to the expert, because of the broadness of material covered. Bernstein is captivating, the lectures are wonderful. It is a delight. You will want to have been there, that is for sure. Recommended highly.

Wow.
I originally viewed these lectures on vhs, and found the content very interesting, and the resolution adequate, but the dvd version is very crisp, visually.

Content - 5
Video/Audio - 5 ... Read more

Amazon.com

By any rational measure, Alan Parker's cinematic interpretation of Pink Floyd: The Wallis a glorious failure. Glorious because its imagery is hypnotically striking, frequently resonant, and superbly photographed by the gifted cinematographer Peter Biziou. And a failure because the entire exercise is hopelessly dour, loyal to the bleak themes and psychological torment of Roger Waters's great musical opus, and yet utterly devoid of the humor that Waters certainly found in his own material. Any attempt to visualize The Wall would be fraught with artistic danger, and Parker succumbs to his own self-importance, creating a film that's as fascinating as it is flawed.

The film is, for better and worse, the fruit of three artists in conflict--Parker indulging himself, and Waters in league with designer Gerald Scarfe, whose brilliant animated sequences suggest that he should have directed and animated this film in its entirety. Fortunately, this clash of talent and ego does not prevent The Wall from being a mesmerizing film. Boomtown Rats frontman Bob Geldof (in his screen debut) is a fine choice to play Waters's alter ego--an alienated, "comfortably numb" rock star whose psychosis manifests itself as an emotional (and symbolically physical) wall between himself and the cold, cruel world. Weaving Waters's autobiographical details into his own jumbled vision, Parker ultimately fails to combine a narrative thread with experimental structure. It's a rich, bizarre, and often astonishing film that will continue to draw a following, but the real source of genius remains the music of Roger Waters. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (323)

Same as the last DVD release but still a great film
If you are a fan of this film, as I am, please note that this release is an exact duplicate of the last DVD release but with new packaging.The documentaries are worth the price of the disc alone, as they are excellent.A great transfer of a great film.

As a side note to "Der Kommissar", the last I heard, we have freedom of speech in this country.So, I am mentioning your "review" in my own and there is nothing you can do about it.I could care less if you are a "top reviewer" or not - never presume to tell me what I can or can't do again.Who the hell do you think you are?

New but....whats new?
I did notice a clearer picture overall when comparing it to the first DVD release, since it does say high definition. As far as audio is concerned...havent ran it on a legitimate 5.1 or better system to compare the audios...email me if anyone knows if this new version is remastered, again?

jorgejz@bellsouth.net

Greatest Rock Movie Ever!!!
Pink Floyd is the greatest band ever and the wall is one of their best albums. The movie is not for everyone though. If you don't like Pink Floyd then you probably won't dig the movie. But if you like Pink Floyd, you will definetly like the movie.

Respectable
I am a long-time fan and follower of The Floyd, their music has touched me in a way that no other band has. My favorite works by them are Dark Side, Animals, and Meddle. The Wall is an amazing story more than it is an album. Although it is great, it is not really a Floyd album to me, because it lacks the greatest asset that floyd has to offer: the epicly symphonic pieces of rock music. (excepting Comfortably Numb). The album was made to be listened to by yourself in a dark room. The story is meant to be composed by you, in your head. It is supposed to be meaningful to you in your own head. You deserve to have your own interpretation of it. The Wall is a good movie by movie terms, but it goes against everything that the Wall stood for. The album is ofcourse, asking for a movie like this, but it is much better for the movie to just be in your head, not spoonfed to you by the screen. If you want the quintessential Floyd movie, sync up the Wizart of Oz with Dark side of the Moon, and you will see the Floyd for what they really are.

A horrible disappointment and mangling of The Wall
I just watched this movie this afternoon for the first time and I was truly stunned and blown away with how absolutely abysmally horrid this movie is.What makes it truly unbearable is that in addition to just being a bad movie in the first place, the actual music of The Wall is distorted and re-recorded in such a horrible way -- for example, the actor who plays the teacher says "Stand still, laddie!" instead of the original recording, and says it very badly and unconvincingly. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Equal parts punk and psychedelia, the Flaming Lips emerged from Oklahoma City as one of the most bracing bands of the late 1980's. The Fearless Freaks documents their rise from Butthole Surfers-imitating noisemakers to grand poobahs of orchestral pop masterpieces. Filmmaker Bradley Beesely had the good fortune of living in the same neighborhood as lead Lip Wayne Coyne, who quickly enlisted his buddy to document his band's many concerts and assorted exploits. The early footage is a riot, with tragic hair styles on proud display as the boys attempt to cover up their lack of natural talent with sheer volume. During one show, they even have a friend bring a motorcycle on stage, which is then miked for sound and revved throughout the performance, clearing the club with toxic levels of carbon monoxide. Great punk rock stuff. Interspersed among the live bits are interviews with the band's family and friends, revealing the often tragic circumstances of their childhoods and early career.

By the time the film reaches the late '90s, Coyne's band has witnessed a number of personnel changes, most notably the introduction of drummer and multi-instrumentalist Steven Drozd. It's here that the Flaming Lips begin their ascent into greatness. Fueled by the alt-pop hit "She Don't Use Jelly," the band enters an era of intense experimentation, conducting a symphony for car stereos in a parking garage, releasing a 4-disc album meant to be played simultaneously, and embarking on the creation of their first masterpiece, The Soft Bulletin. Sadly, Steven Drozd's demons keep pace with the band's success. In an incredibly heartbreaking scene, Drozd talks frankly about his addiction while preparing to shoot heroin. Fortunately, Drozd kicks his habit as the Lips enter the studio for their follow-up, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, and the film ends with the band enjoying widespread acclaim as they deliver one extravagant show after another. There are some conspicuous absences in this tale, notably their weird and lucky break appearing on '80s teen drama Beverly Hills 90210 and their tour as openers and backing band for Beck. The bonus disc includes some cool outtakes and performances, but unfortunately none of the band's vibrant music videos. -- Ryan Boudinot ... Read more

Reviews (7)

The Lips, but.........
I'm fairly new to the Lips.I started about two years ago with "Bulletin" and was blown away!In my research, I found "Transmissions" and "Clouds", and was equally thankful that I had discovered my new favorite band.These albums, plus a couple of select tracks off "Yoshimi" provided pure musical, mystical satisfaction.Note:I really didn't care for stuff older than "Transmissions".

I waited anxiously for this DVD release.The history presented of the Lips is interesting, Although, I was somewhat disappointed.

The lack of a music video compilation and concert footage of some of their best stuff like "She don't use Jelly" and "The Gash", plus other favorites proved disappointing.

In a nutshell, this is a documentary without music to support it.

P.S.I'm listening to "Clouds" as I write this review.Outstanding!!!

P.S.S.The Toronto Rocks DVD has exactly what I was looking for in "The Fearless Freaks" DVD!

A Must See For Any Flaming Lips Fan
just got the DVD in the mail yesterday and immediately watched the entire thing. Wow, I knew The Flaming Lips were a very unique band, but Fearless Freaks makes you appreciate them that much more. All the guys come across so sincere in their desire to push themselves and their vision. Some parts of the movie are really intimate and it even gets emotional in some parts. Director/friend Bradley Beesley created a beautiful view into the world of Wayne and the gang. Excellent.

I sat down with this last night....
and being a longtime Lips fan, and being from Oklahoma City, I was not disappointed. However, I did get the feeling of "is that it?" at the end of the film. I think I may have felt this way because of the build-up that this film has gotten from the music press. I did like the fact that most of the film takes place in OKC, which it should. To outsiders, it shows just how phenomenal it is that the Lips come from 13th and Blackwelder, or is it McKinnley? I can't remember. Another nice touch is the unreleased music featured in the film; especially "The Captain". I could not believe it when this song was left off of the Soft Bulletin. I have heard that it may be one of the bonus tracks on the reissue 5.1 surround sound edition. There really is nothing to dislike here. The Flaming Lips are forever underdogs, and the film captures this sentiment and makes the viewer subconsciously submissive to it.

More live footage please
The documentary was done well, as it pretty much told the Flaming Lips story and gave the viewer plenty of insight into the bands personality and dynamics. What was lacking was good live music in the documentary. I'm comparing this to the PavementSlow Century dvd where they'd pull away and show some awesome clips of the band playing live, and let the song play through. On disc two you do get a small section to chose some live songs from. Also, there were no music videos on this documentary which was also kind of dissapointing. It would have been nice to watch those, especially since part of the emphasis of the documentary is how Wayne and his friends enjoy making film. So I found it weird that the only example of this work was just the documentary itself. My favorite part of the documentary was the parts that covered the earlier parts of the bands career. There are definitely two types of fans that like early Lips music, and the later studio sythesized stuff. Being a noise freak, I like the old stuff better. There was some good footage of the band playing on stage with fire on a cymbal which looked completely bizarre and looked incredibley dangerous. While watching I couldn't help thinking about the Great White concert in Rhode Island. There was also a weird part about the Fearless Freaks, which was a weird mixture of drugs, sports, and violence. You also get a bit where Wayne talks about his old job working at Long John Silvers. This was the type of bizarre insight and footage I expected from this film.

I will add this as well, there is an entire cult of Wayne out there that really enjoys his candor and sort of droll sense of humor. This film delves into that towards the end. You witness his feelings on life, death, and his appreciation of fake blood. He after all is often described as being an overgrown child. You also get isnight into his love of making film with his lifelong friend and neighbor from Oklahoma. The parts about the martian movie made me scratch my head. From a documentary view point it was good insight into a strange project, but the premise itself just seemed super hoaky. It honestly looks like one of the most ridiculous films ideas I've ever seen. I like the guy though, and I hope he is able to pull it off.

All in all not a bad thing for Lips fans. When compared to other great music documentaries like the Wilco film or the Pavement dvd this one fails in terms of actually representing the bands music. The music is brief, and is talked over. This is a shame because the Lips built their legend on their incredible live shows, and in particular their performances in records stores shortly before Ronald left the band and with their performances on the 2nd stage of Lollapalooza. Surely there must be some footage of this stuff out there, and it amazes me that it wasn't utilized in this film. The other thing that blew my mind was that this documentary just glosses over the Soft Bulletin which is a symphonic masterpiece. What you get instead is a bunch of their personality which after a while gets a little too self indulgent. It gets to the point where they have to show Steven Drozd shooting up, which in my opinion was carried way too far, but also let you know that the documentarian had pretty much full access to film the band. In this Film you get to see disturbed family members, the messed up neighborhoods they live, the impoverished life style the band had to endure to make it, the bands wives, their parents, and pretty much Wayne's happy level of acceptance of everything that is. That pretty much is the crux of the film.

The best I've seen in quite some time...
I saw a screening of it last night...it is quite good...the first half is fun and very interesting...then takes it to another level...great footage of the band...old and new...I walked in there thinking Wayne Coyne was a very interesting fellow...I had no idea...I highly recommend this to any flaming lips fan...but I also highly recommend this to anyone...it's that good. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The vintage concert footage alone makes Festival Express a memorable and worthwhile endeavor, offering scintillating performances by Janis Joplin, the Band (their rollicking version of "Slippin' and Slidin'" is particularly mind-blowing), the Grateful Dead, Buddy Guy, and others (remember Mashmakhan?). In 1970, during the heyday of the rock festival, promoter Ken Walker decided to organize a traveling musical revue, bringing the mountain to Mohammed, as it were. In five days' time, the festival played in three Canadian cities with the entire conglomeration traveling, playing, and getting smashed together the whole way. Nearly as rewarding as the live performances are the candid scenes of the train ride itself, an endless jam session and party during which musicians of all shapes and sizes let their hair down--musically and otherwise. The contemporary interviews with Walker and some of the surviving musicians aren't particularly noteworthy, except as a way to prove that it all actually happened. Walker comes off as a hero in the film: he treated the musicians like royalty and insisted that the train roll on even though he was losing his shirt. (His financial failure is a large reason why this material stayed in the vaults for so long.) Perhaps the most remarkable scene is an off-the-cuff, LSD-fueled train jam featuring Joplin, the Band's Rick Danko, and the Dead's Jerry Garcia playing the old chestnut "Ain't No More Cane." Danko is so obliterated that even Janis has to ask him if he's OK--when Janis is worried about your state of mind, you must be pretty messed up. --Marc Greilsamer ... Read more

Description

DVD Contents:
1. Here Come The ABCs/John and John Say Hello
2. Alphabet of Nations
3. E Eats Everything
4. Flying V
5. I Am A Robot
6. Q U
7. Go for G!
8. Pictures of Pandas Painting
9. D&W
10. Fake-Believe
11. Can You Find It?
12. Introducing the Vowel Family
13. The Vowel Family
14. A to Z
15. Letter/Not a Letter
16. Letter Shapes
17. Alphabet Lost and Found
18. ICU
19. I Am A Robot (type B)
20. Introduction to Who Put The Alphabet in Alphabetical Order?
21. Who Put the Alphabet in Alphabetical Order?
22. Rolling O
23. L M N O
24. Introduction to C is for Conifers
25. C is for Conifers
26. Fake-Believe (type B)
27. A to Z (type B)
28. D is for Drums 29. Introducing Z Y X
30. Z Y X
31. Goodnight
32. Clap Your Hands (Bonus track)
33. Here In Higglytown (Theme to Higglytown Heroes Bonus track)
34. Violin (Exclusive Amazon.com track)
35. Stalk of Wheat (Exclusive Amazon.com track) ... Read more

Reviews (44)

I love this DVD!
My daughter received this DVD for her first birthday and we all love it.The entire family will enjoy watching the animated videos and puppets that sing.The songs are so catchy as well!I find myself singing them while out or at work.My daughter gets excited every time I turn this DVD on.I highly recommend this DVD for all parents.It's more entertaining then some of the other children's DVDs out on the market.

Drives me Nuts but my 3 Year Old Loves It!
Warning: If you are an adult, this DVD will eventually have you drooling and babbling incoherently. The songs are the type which will have you in the loony bin if you listen to them often enough!!!

We bought this DVD along with the Audio CD, which my son asks for it every time he gets in the car. Luckily for the 2 Johns of They Might be Giants, my opinion counts for little! (See warning above!)

And now for a more important opinion (My sons)...The songs are undoubtedly intelligent, and my 3 year old son has learned to say his ABCs like a first grader, thanks to the catchy tunes and crazy "videos". My son has learned a great deal from this DVD, including new words like "conifer" and "gyroscope", and dozens more. It is very well made, and I would guess it would be a hit with any toddler or small child.

In conclusion, this video and the whole TMBG concept of giving kids fun and challenging new ideas and ways to learn their alphabet has been great for my son. I just wish he's let us shut it off once in awhile!!!

F is for favorite
As in my daughter's video. This is obviouslythought out and crafted so well, not with just cutsie singy songs, but actual rythmic, well played songs than an adult may listen to if the words were more adult oriented!

These are new songs for children, easy to sing along with, and songs that don't just deal with the alphabet in alphabetical order, but cleverly and very joyfully explain how some letters need to work together. For example the song QU descirbes the two letters as best friends, swinging on swings and eating pizza, playing music and spelling words. Pictures Of Pandas Painting Penquins has a trippy beat and great artwork, shows sequence in words and itmakes me laugh to hear my two year old running around singing "Skateboards... skateboards".

Just fun and whimsical and the music is actually good, which may show as an introduction into good music as well as the ABC's.

Fun tuneful DVD for kids, wish it had more variety.
My 3 yr old daughter can't get enough of this DVD!She wants to watch it over and over again. Fortunately the DVD loops automatically. The catchy zany signature TMBG tunes translate well into kids music.The DVD has a variety of different kinds of music, so I was a little disappointed that the DVD didn't have much variety in its videos.

The graphics and animation on this DVD are pretty low budget, and feature a lot of cut-out graphics. The DVD starts out well. The beginning song "Alphabet of Nations" seems very well suited to cut-out graphics. "E eats everything" wouldn't work well except with cutout letters and it's one of the best videos on this DVD. The Pacman scene or I should say "Z eats Es" at the end is hilarious.Flying V features the "shaky" animation of Asterik which cleverly illustrates the song. "I am A Robot" has pretty forgettable and poor cutouts.I think it's supposed to be cutouts drawn by a kid. However I can stand it, because next comes a video both my daughter and I particularly enjoy. "Q U" features TMBG wearing Q and U over their heads walking around NYC.But I was disappointed there were very few live action sequences for the main ABC DVD unless you consider puppets as live action. The "intro" features two cute puppet Johns aka TMBG. And I enjoyed the puppets in "Who Put the Alphabet in alphabetical order?"

"Go For G" features funny stylized graphics and great pictures of kids for the adjectives.Then my attention begins to wander, because many of the following videos like "Pictures of Pandas Painting" try for clever graphics with poorly drawn black and white cutouts and just fail.And for an adult, seeing cutouts for most of the videos gets boring and repetitive.My daughter seems to have no complaints and the DVD's for her, so I give it 4 stars.

My attention briefly returns to watch "Letter Shapes", which has some great visual and live action jokes. And I also watch "Alphabet Lost and Found" one of the best songs on the DVD whose cutouts have characters with wonderfully expressive faces full of dismay at losing their letters.Sometimes I watch "LMNO" whose combination of photos and animation reminds me strongly of Sesame Street, a good thing.

It's worth buying it on Amazon for the extra content."Clap Your Hands" is one of the best songs TMBG has written for kids.The video itself has some of the worse graphics with weird bunnies who don't even stomp their feet and have bodies that resemble bulbs of garlic. If the goal was to save money, I don't understand why they didn't just use the animation they had from the No! CD.However "Violin" has some funny live action sequences of TMBG singing into the mike and one of them is dressed as a bear. "Stalk of Wheat" also consists TMBG singing into the mike."Here In Higglytown" is basically straight from the Higglytown show on the Disney channel.

Must Have for Hipster parents
Any parent trying to hang on to an ounce of hipness needs this DVD.This is not your typical toddler fare.My 4 yr old is beyond learning his ABC's but loves this movie.It's close to perfection in the visuals and tones/words/assimilation used for toddler/pre-school age.

The songs are set to video likened to Sesame Street, but much cooler and weirder.They give letters actual personality that your little one will eat up!Very visually pleasing.Sometimes, I actually feel like I am watching what a toddler would dream.Admittedly, there are two songs I find down right weird (vowels and alphabetical order), but my son loves them.

Side note:I bought No! when released and I was disappointed.The songs were hip, but not singable for toddlers.This DVD has some songs from that CD plus many new songs.The music combined with video makes all the difference. ... Read more

Amazon.com

This laid-back, live, intimate session featuring Eric Clapton's bluesy guitar playing is quite enjoyable--if a bit limited in scope. With little lighting and frills and a small group backing him up, Clapton picks up his acoustic guitar and leads the listener downmemory lane. Clapton is clearly on his best behavior as he engages in minimal small talk with his audience and lets the music speak for itself. The erstwhile Yardbird and former member of Cream and Blind Faith riffs through some dozen-plus songs including "Before You Accuse Me," "Tears in Heaven," "Walkin' Blues," "Alberta," "San Francisco Bay Blues" (in which Clapton thankfully cuts loose a bit), and his great hits "Layla" (written for his ex-wife, Patti Boyd Harrison) and "Old Love," a standard that garnered big applause. But the simple set and sparse stage can barely contain the energy that fills the arena when Clapton launches into "Rollin' and Tumblin'," a raucous, rousing bit of blues that Clapton is certainly still up for. This video is primarily for Clapton's most ardent fans, providing some heartfelt, soulful instrumental prowess in addition to an aging British rocker singing the blues as well as a white guy can. --Paula Nechak ... Read more

Reviews (14)

Songs are great, video encoding was done so-so
I'm a fan of Eric Clapton. The latest "with friend" concert DVD is well done. For this one, it's also a classic but if you own the latest gadgets (DTS, DRC TV, etc), then... probably could wait for a DTS version :)

Unplugged - plug it in!
A must have for fans and non-fans alike! The music is phenomenal, classic Clapton. For you guitar players out there, this is an exceptional learning tool. Trying to figure out those intricate licks that the sheet music leaves out? Watch the DVD in slow motion, see all the hand positions and picking,again and again as needed until you master these songs! An excellent addition to any guitar players list. 3 thumbs up!

SIMPLY, THE BEST!
Back in 1997, when dvds were introduced into the US market, "Eric Clapton - Unplugged" was one of the first ones on the shelves. And, there can be no doubt why. This is a gem, among gems. Knowing, the immense notoriety this performance has gained, it's funny to think EC originally didn't want to release it, because he thought that his fans would not take to it. He said that he always enjoyed playing these classic, blues numbers on his acoustic guitars at home, but never realized that other people would find them of interest. Well, being that this is probably, the most popular 'Unplugged' performance from the series, I guess he was wrong. In fact, this is what inspired him to take on his next project, "From The Cradle". As good as this dvd is, I hope that Warner/Reprise will see fit to release an updated edition, which adds a DTS track, as well as extras, that include the MTV interview and unreleased tracks, such as, "My Father's Eyes" and "Circus". Both of those tracks were reworked and released on "Pilgrim", but the original, raw, acoustic versions are priceless! Incidentally, I was wondering if anyone else noticed they reversed the names of his backup singers in the band section?? Yes, Tessa is the caucasian woman. Duh!! I hope, for their sake, they corrected this on later editions! Anyway, go out and get this one. You won't be sorry!

ERIC CLAPTON UNPLUGGED IS GREAT
WOW, eirc clapton is G-D...WOW, he is the greatest guitarist ever. Unplugged is awesome, clapton is amazing in concert. BUY THIS DVD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Very educational
I got this DVD for educational purposes. Even though I really love EC's unplugged album, it's so much better watching him perform.

Where can I find a tabs for the unplugged album exactly as he plays on this DVD? The tabs I have supposedly is the accurate transcription...the Hal Leonard one (not the easy one). But it's different from the way he plays on the DVD. I play the DVD in slow motion and try to see how he does it. It's great.

They do show a lot of close up shots of him playing, but I wish there were more. And I want to hear him playing solo more :) Not a duet and not with piano accompaniments etc..

The quality isn't that great, akin to that of a video tape. Minus 1 star for the quality. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Although it could have been twice as long, this double-DVD set effectively captures over three hours of highlights from one of the most comprehensive and diverse collection of guitarists ever assembled for a single event. Recorded over three days in June of 2004 to benefit Eric Clapton's Crossroads Center in Antigua (as do the sales of this set), the show is not surprisingly heavy on the rootsy blues and country that comprise Clapton's primary inspirations. But it also includes folk (James Taylor), gospel (Robert Randolph & the Family Band), fret-shredding rockers (Steve Vai who delivers a dazzling performance), jazz (John McLaughlin), and, most interestingly, Indian classical music (a stunning piece from Vishwa Mohan Bhatt).

Most compelling are the rare and sometimes unusual collaborations. Joe Walsh and Taylor clown around on "Steamroller Blues," and Booker T. & the M.G.'s back both Joe Walsh on a rollicking "Rocky Mountain Way" and Los Lobos' David Hidalgo tearing into a sizzling "The Neighborhood." Clapton and J.J. Cale share the stage as do Clapton and Carlos Santana, and a show-stopping blues summit with Robert Cray, Jimmie Vaughan, Hubert Sumlin, B.B. King, Buddy Guy, and Clapton is a treat for all involved.

There are some shortcomings. The event isn't presented in chronological order--different stages, days, and backing bands are shuffled with Clapton's own set scattered throughout--ZZ Top's closing is a bit anticlimactic, and there are many omissions due to time constraints. But every act rises to the occasion, and this expertly recorded and shot DVD gives the viewer a front-row seat to a once-in-a-lifetime experience.--Hal Horowitz ... Read more

Description

It’s always been quite rare to see AC/DC - unless you go to their concerts. Television appearances, and later music videos, have always been a necessary evil to this band of nononsense rockers. Consequently, only their early years were documented on television - mostly in Australia and Europe - and when the time came to switch to promotional video clips, the band always made their own and gave them the appearance of a live show. But they’ve also never wasted an opportunity to make a big statement with their clips. From singer Bon Scott dressing like a school girl (to Angus Young’s school boy) and smoking(!) on their first major television appearance, to the giant rocking spectacle of the "Big Gun" video (with guest appearance by Arnold Schwarzenegger), AC/DC has always been larger than life and their timeless brand of rock and roll has been as big on screen as it has off. Now for the first time Epic Records is proud to announce the first ever compilation of AC/DC videos from all parts of their storied career. Starting in 1975 on Australian TV’s Countdown show through the Spanish TV clips filmed just ten days before Bon Scott’s death - the first great era of the band is chronicled on Disc One. Disc Two starts with the promo videos for Back In Black (several never before available) and sees many of the 80’s and 90’s clips on DVD for the first time. This is truly a monumental collection of clips from one of the world’s greatest bands - all completely remastered for DVD with the same care as the Epic CD remasters and the Live At Donington DVD. ... Read more

Reviews (47)

A MUST!
This dvd collection is a MUST for any AC/DC fan, new or old.As an old fan it was great to see a collection put together with both frontmen.Watching the videos in order gave me even more appreciation for a band that has never given into different musical trends.Their formula worked and I think this band deserves to be recognized for their body of work.I hope they decide to put up another addition to this collection for the last fifteen years that are not included here.

Also, you cannot beat the price for this two disc collection, so go out and purchase it!

You Can't Ask For Anything Elese!!!!
This is well......UNBELEABLE!!!!!!!!I can't really say anythihg elese.You'll know what I mean when you see it.This contains 40 viedos from 1975 to 1990.There is no other AC/DC viedo set on the market,plane and simple!!

Are you ready for a good time?!
After picking up this DVD this weekend, I have come to realize that Bon Scott is sorely missed today by me. I never had the chance to see him and AC/DC live, but all singers need to take a look at his performance on this DVD. The way he stands and sings, Bon had the posture down. While the footage is kinda choppy, the sound is great on a surround sound system. The first disc is all Bon from the early beginnings. "Baby Please Don't Go" shows the world that AC/DC, even in the early days, could rock the crowd.
The 2nd disc is from the Brian Johnson era. Most people only know AC/DC from Back in Black. If you are a fan, its important to know the band from both versions. Most people don't like the "Fly on the Wall" videos, but it was a product of the times. I remember watching the old VHS version and the album is not up to par with Back in Black or For those about to Rock, but its still required listening. The two clips from the latter album, Let's Get it Up and For those about to rock are good, but I can remember seeing a live clip for Put the Finger on You which is not here. Also a clip of Guns For Hire is not on there either. Other clips didn't make it on there from the Johnson days. Oh well, now if they just release Let there Be Rock on widescreen DVD, my collection will be complete.

Priceless DVD of AC/DC's Visual History.
"Family Jewels" is more than a DVD from AC/DC.For the diehard fan, it's an answered prayer.Here, we get the entire visual history of the band separated by two discs: the first DVD features the early stuff with original lead singer Bon Scott (this year, by the way, is the 25th anniversary of his death) and the second features current lead singer Brian Johnson.While both discs are great, my personal favorite is the one with Bon Scott. We get a slew of live performances and promotional clips; the best among the bunch are "It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock and Roll)," "Let There Be Rock," "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap," and "Jailbreak."The majority of these clips are rarely shown (at least in America), so it's great that they appear on this collection.The Brian Johnson disc covers the band's videos from 1980 to 1990, starting with their breakthrough smash "Back in Black."The lighting is pretty bad during these particular videos, but it's still a treat to watch the band rip through classics like "Hells Bells," "Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution" and "What You Do For Money Honey."Other clips of note include "Who Made Who," "You Shook Me All Night Long" (the song was released in 1980 but the video came out in '86 for the "Maximum Overdrive" movie), and the videos from the unfairly maligned "Fly on the Wall" LP.The picture quality, however, is a mixed bag.Many of the earlier clips have bad lighting, print flaws, and scratches.This isn't a big deal with me.What's important is that the sound quality is top notch, and you can feel the music project right out of your speakers.So, if you're even remotely interested in AC/DC, you need to pick this bad boy up.The excellent sound quality, the slew of video clips, and the relatively low price make this collection a winner.

Excellent Collection of AC/DC Music Videos
I couldn't wait to buy this and the first day it came out I went straight to get it. Watching the first disc made me saddened that Bon died only ten days after the Highway to Hell video but those were 20 unforgettable music videos of his day. Disc 2 was great as well and I'm suprised not that many people liek Fly on the Wall. AC/DC is a band that I hope lives forever and this masterpiece shows the timeline of the band. From the cover version of Baby Please Don't Go to Are You Ready this is one AC/DC DVD you won't want to forget. I was so amazed that Bon came right back on tune after being knocked over during Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap.

The only question I had was that the band put out some music videos for Ballbreaker and Stiff Upper Lip that weren't on it but that just means that they'll make another DVd full of AC/DC goods. Great fun for any AC/DC fan and it's worth the "Dirt Cheap" price that it costs. ... Read more