Film Junk » Music DVD Review

The Complete Monterey Pop Blu Ray Review

Jay C. — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 17:55:10 +0000

I’ll just come clean right off the top here and admit that this was my first time watching D.A. Pennebaker’s Monterey Pop and although it’s definitely a great film, it’s probably my least favourite of the three big music festival documentaries to come out of the late sixties/early seventies. There’s something about the grandiose cluster-fuck nature of Woodstock that appealed to me — along with the split screens of course — and Gimme Shelter’s cynicism was the perfect end to the short lived era of ‘Peace and Love’. I think the thing that drops Monterey Pop down a notch or two is the fact that it’s too devoted to the performances; an accusation that is obviously a personal one, as I would imagine most people watching this film are hoping for exactly that. Perosnally, I’m more interested in the logistics of the festival and the people who attend it, and although the film does touch upon this, it’s so secondary that it takes up a fraction of the already short 79 minute running time. Monterey Pop does boast some now classic performances that aren’t short in theatrics. There’s the iconic image of Jimi Hendrix lighting his guitar ablaze on stage and of course, Pete Townshend destroying his Gibson as the Who annhialate the unsuspecting audiences ear drums, sending chunks of instruments hurdling towards the crowd. It all adds up to a sold concert film that just doesn’t do much to subvert or transcend the subject matter, but definitely sets the groundwork for others to build upon. Criterion has given Monterey Pop the full HD treatment with a faithful transfer, remastered Dolby Digital and DTS-HD Master audio and a load of supplemental materials. Fans of Criterion’s past releases will be pleased to hear that the D.A. Pennebaker supervised digital transfer retains its filmic qualities with a fine sheen of grain and no unnecessary artificial digital enhancements. Really a great package overall. Of course, if you end up picking up the The Complete Monterey Pop Festival box set, you’ll also get an additional blu ray disc including the short films ‘Jimi Plays Monterey’ and ‘Shake! Otis at Monterey’, both of which have also been remastered in HD. This is a must have for documentary fans and classic rock aficionados.

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Nardwuar the Human Serviette

Jay C. — Sun, 12 Mar 2006 19:53:01 +0000

If thereâ€™s one high school memory I havenâ€™t blocked out of my mind, itâ€™s the time me and my friend Wes were hanging out in the A/V room in the library watching a VHS cassette compilation of short videos/interviews put together by a guy calling himself Nardwuar The Human Serviette. I remember watching these post-Tom Green antics, most notably Nardwuar getting healed by televangelist Ernest Angley (and then proceeding to ask him if he knew how to cure the summertime blues) and thinking it was the crazies shit Iâ€™d ever seen. The video also served as my introduction to garage rock, starting with Nardwuarâ€™s own bands The Evaporators and Thee Goblins, and branching off into The Smugglers, The Hi-Fives, The Gruesomes, and so on. Now, almost ten years later, Nardwuar has compiled some of his best moments (with a little help from Much Music) onto a double disc DVD collection appropriately titled: Nardwuar The Human Serviette! Anyone whoâ€™s purchased anything released by Nardwuar knows to expect ridiculously long liner notes and major bang for your buck, and this DVD definitely doesnâ€™t disappoint. The first disc contains Nard Wars 1&2, two Much Music specials dedicated to the best of Nardwuarâ€™s interviews. Youâ€™ll find such classic moments as Nardwuarâ€™s impromptu interview with Michael Moore, a pre-show interview with Destinyâ€™s Child and Gwar, and Nardwuar vs. Marilyn Manson. The second special is pretty interesting, dedicating the entire hour to Nardwuarâ€™s pre-interview preparation routine before interviewing Snoop Dogg for the third time. Disc two features the raw versions of many of the interviews featured in the heavily edited Much Music specials. The highlights being Nardwuar vs. Wesley Willis and his interview with DC legend Ian MacKaye. The raw footage is a great look at how Nardwuarâ€™s knowledge of music (especially Canadian garage rock) seems to win over his interviewees between moments of seemingly pure annoyance. (See Nardwuar vs. Henry Rollins) Although Nardwuar comes off as somewhat of a â€˜characterâ€™, the DVD liner notes written by Dave Watson, long-time friend of Nardwuar and writer for some Vancouver newspaper called The Georgia Straight, tell of Watsonâ€™s first time meeting Nardwuar and explain that although his personality isnâ€™t an act, â€œThere is a difference between the guy when heâ€™s on-air and when heâ€™s not, but itâ€™s not a night-and-day difference. More like a 1pm/3pm thing.â€ Another great addition to this collection is the complete Evaporators videography and live footage of both The Evaporators and Thee Goblins/Skablins/Disgoblins. Although the footage is pretty much shot on a home video camera, itâ€™s still fun to watch Nardwuarâ€™s live antics accompanied by some great rock and roll. Also, watch for some commentary tracks sprinkled throughout the disc, including a track featuring CBC Radio personality and Smugglers front man Grant Lawrence, and Canadian heavy metal legend THOR. Overall, this disc is well worth the plastic itâ€™s printed on. My only complaint would be the number of classic interviews which were left off of this release. But even though the disc focuses on the Much Music era of Nardwuarâ€™s interviews, itâ€™s still a great collection. Doot Doola Doot Dooâ€¦go buy it.

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Tom Green – Prepare For Impact

Goon — Thu, 08 Dec 2005 03:32:20 +0000

Tom Green - Prepare for Impact (CD/DVD) (Sony Music Canada) Spacejunk is a Tom Green friendly zone, friendlier than most places. I've always taken him not as a comedian, but an entertainer, hell, performance artist, who I happen to find funny more often than not. Tom Green isn't considered as cool as he once was, thanks to some very angry critics (and others so deprived of irony they take anything someone says or does at face value, assuming a person is just crazy or desperate for attention), but I don't care. Tom's my boy. So... bias alert. But a rap album? I think most people know by now Tom Green was a member of a rap group in his youth known as Organized Rhyme, who were nominated for a Juno award thanks to the strength of their single "Check the O.R.". They were a group that honestly enjoyed rapping, but at the same time weren't really meant to be taken seriously. Tom's love of rap made its way into segments on the Tom Green Show and also materialized in a little heard album released under the name MC Face, which had a number of entertaining songs about killing baby seals and bragging about how cool Glenn Humplik is. With MC Face, Tom amped up his obnoxiousness and purposely fell into some rap clichÃ©s, not as mockery, but just to have fun. With this album, produced by Mike Simpson of the Dust Brothers (who became friends with Green doing the score for "Freddy Got Fingered"), Tom is now somewhere in between the excess of MC Face and the innocent fun of Organized Rhyme. Not that there's isn't tonnes of swearing to be found here, but its never as obnoxious or outrageous to me as MC Face. The songs though, with beats taken care of by Simpson, pull the project musically above both of those (though I'd still have to put some of MC Face's songs above any of the ones here if I had to pick faves). They're catchy, cute and stupid songs about teachers sucking, dissing celebrities, Hooters, and just being an idiot. Juvenile as it is to keep the 'bum is on your lips' stuff up in 2005, they're obviously done with enough care that this shouldnâ€™t be considered a novelty record or a comedy record, but one that just flirts with it an awful lot... I guess Tenacious D or Liam Lynch would be the best comparison. So itâ€™s a fun record that I'm enjoying. I don't know how much repeat value it will have for me, especially considering I'm actually kind of picky with the rap music I do like. Which is what makes including a DVD such as wise move on Green's part. While for example, the Roots or the Dillinger Escape Plan, will waste plastic with a DVD with almost no content, Green has provided a 45 minute tour documentary and music videos, including Organized Rhyme's "Check the O.R.". The doc is... OK. It's a tour documentary so you shouldn't expect a bunch of Tom Green Show style moments, though there are a few to be had. In between short clips of his performances on stage we see a lot of skateboarding, hanging out and interaction with people on the street as Green promotes to the media and goads passersby into coming to the show. An accompanying commentary track is actually Green looking directly into the camera at you as a TV screen behind him plays an earlier cut of the documentary. It starts out with a lot of 'ums' and 'ahs' but Green settles in quick enough, giving the full story of his intentions with the rap album, how it came to be, and even candidly talking about his weight gain over the last few years. I've always liked Green's commentary tracks - he's honest, and since he's always been putting himself into situations where he's had to just keep talking he's well prepared for DVD tracks. What I like most about Green these days is that despite the fact that he seems to have mellowed out some, despite the fact that aging and Leno appearances have made him less edgy, is that he's continued to be obsessively dedicated to his fans. Whether it be posting his phone number on his website or the free shows at Hooters, Tom Green is the very rare celebrity who really does seem to consider his fans as his friends, who does everything just to make them happy. I hope that whether or not this album is a success, Tom won't stop that open connection which keeps him relevant and more enjoyable to his fanbase. - Goon

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Devo – Live 1980

Jay C. — Wed, 23 Nov 2005 04:41:22 +0000

Early last year, I had the pleasure of speaking with a very smart man named Michio Kaku. As it turns out, Kaku is a professor of theoretical physics at the City University of New York, and has written many books based on his studies. One interest of his involves the theory of time travel. Is it really possible to go BACKWARDS in time? If so, where would you go? Who would you meet? Most people say they would visit their relatives, see the dinosaursâ€¦that is all bullshit. Me and Kaku both agree that if time travel were possible, we would go back to 1980 and see Devo in their prime. After a string of middle of the road Devo DVD releases, Spuds around the world are finally getting what they deserve; Devo circa 1980, performing to a crowd of naÃ¯ve new wavers who still associated their music with Brian Eno and David Bowie rather than Kate Hudson. This is Devo as they are NOT to be remembered, an energetic blend of new wave and nerd that sincerely expressed the punk rock ethics that the Sex Pistols packaged and sold as a fashion statement only a few years earlier. While Sid Vicious faked the bass and Jonny Rotten snarled and spit, Devo created strange and intelligent art, pioneered the music video, and wrote some great music. While watching this DVD, you really have to take into consideration the fact that this was shot in 1980, so the video and sound is not the best. With that said, the quality actually sort of adds to the experience. The Beatles will always be remembered in black and white while Devo will forever exist on Beta. From what I can tell, the footage is taken from two separate concerts, shot with multiple cameras and edited together in a sometimes annoying â€˜cut on the rhythmâ€™ fashion. The extras on the disc are a little light, but do include a couple of rare clips of Dove, Devoâ€™s own opening act. The best part of this disc is the song selection. Thereâ€™s the typical: Whip It, Jocko-Homo, Satisfactionâ€¦and then thereâ€™s some pleasant surprises: Snowball, Itâ€™s Not Right, Swelling Itching Brain. Some highlights include energetic renditions of Gut Feeling and Come Back Jonee, in which Mark Mothersbaugh showcases his skills as a front man, crawling around on the stage in an outfit that most people wouldnâ€™t be caught dead in. The disc itself is double sided, containing a CD audio version of the entire show on the opposite side. This is a great bonus, but Iâ€™ve had some trouble with the disc playing in certain CD players. I can only imagine that seeing or hearing Devo in the late seventies for the first time could only be compared to the early days of film. People scattering as a projected image of a train raced towards them. A technology so new and exciting that it confused or frightened most audiences. Devo, Iâ€™m sure, confused the hell out of many people. Their music was new and exciting and influenced numerous artists over the years. The pioneers who got scalped will hopefully begin to get the recognition they deserve now that they have Swiffer on their side.

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Devo – Live in the Land of the Rising Sun

Jay C. — Tue, 02 Aug 2005 05:00:00 +0000

Devo - Live in the Land of the Rising Sun (DVD) I’m not exactly sure what sparked the recent bombardment of live Devo DVDs. Maybe Mark Mothersbaugh’s involvement with Wes Anderson’s films has renewed people’s interest in the new wave pioneers? After all, they practically invented the music video with their unusual imagery, so it only makes sense that their contribution to music history be given the digital treatment it deserves. Or maybe Rhino is cashing in and milking the band for all they’re worth? Whatever the reason, as a hardcore Devo fan, I’m not complaining. (Although maybe I should be.) "Devo: Live in the Land of the Rising Sun" is the second live Devo DVD released in the past two years. This one catches up with Devo on their 2003 tour of Japan. A crowd of rabid young fans welcomes the now 50-something band to the stage, chanting their name. Somehow I doubt the band gets the same reaction in North America. For some reason it seems Devo may fit in to the Japanese culture a bit better then they do on this side of the world where "Whip It" has turned into "You can Swiffer!" and Devo are remembered by forty-somethings as the one-hit-wonders in weird yellow suits. The concert itself is great quality, shot with multiple cameras. The track list dips into Devo’s greatest hits, including the mandatory “Whip It” and “Girl U Want”, with “Blockhead” and “Gut Feeling” among some of the pleasant surprises. The band themselves still know how to entertain, but as expected, the energy is not as consistent as their earlier days. Throughout the performance, they slowly rip apart their yellow jumpsuits piece by piece, revealing another iconic Devo costume underneath. Musically, there’s no real surprises. The songs are played note for note and pretty much match the tempo of their recorded counterparts. The best part of this DVD is the ‘Devo in Japan’ featurette, a short documentary following Devo through the packed subway system and into some of Japan’s unusual shops. More interesting though, is an interview with Japanese new-wavers and Devo fanatics The Polysics. They discuss how Devo influenced their careers and changed rock and roll forever. As it turns out, Devo are actually fans and speak of passing the torch to their worthy Japanese clones. Outside of the documentary, fans are treated to a clip of Devo performing ‘Gut Feeling/Slap Your Mammy’ during a 1980 performance. This is the energetic and spastic performance footage that I was looking for. (and will be getting this year when yet another Devo live DVD is released, this time covering a 1980 performance). -- Jay C.

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Iggy Pop! Live San Fran 1981 (DVD)

Sean — Sun, 22 May 2005 05:00:00 +0000

Iggy Pop! Live San Fran 1981 (DVD) If you're a fan of rock and roll, then you must at least appreciate the contributions that Mr. Iggy Pop has made over his illustrious career. From his early days of mayhem in The Stooges, to his successful solo albums, he has always brought a lot of energy and just a bit of insanity to his music. His live show is, of course, where this could be seen the most. Now Target Video has given us an opportunity to see Iggy on stage in the prime of his career with "Iggy Pop! Live San Fran 1981".
This DVD contains a concert from 1981, during a tour in support of his solo album "Party". His bandmates at the time included Blondie drummer Clem Burke and guitarist Carlos Alomar (a future member David Bowie's band). Of course, the performance is pretty much everything you would expect from Iggy Pop. He prances around on stage wearing a garters and stockings, looking simultaneously dazed and maniacal. The sound quality is quite good, although Iggy's vocals are sometimes a little hard to discern in the mix. The video is also decent, and the erratic lighting from the venue washes the band in interesting colours, from pink to green to orange.
The set list includes a lot of songs from "Party", but also a good variety of songs from his other earlier solo albums as well. Yes, there is a performance of "Lust For Life", the song that became a mega-hit thanks to the movie Trainspotting. There are no extra features on the disc unfortunately, but I'm not sure any supplementary materials are really necessary here. -- Sean

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Public Enemy – It Takes A Nation: The First London Invasion Tour 1987 (DVD)

Sean — Sun, 22 May 2005 05:00:00 +0000

Public Enemy - It Takes A Nation: The First London Invasion Tour 1987 (DVD) Back in the late 80's, Public Enemy became one of the most influential and well-known rap groups of all-time. Chuck D, Flavor Flav and Terminator X brought politics and social consciousness to their music while still retaining danceable beats and clever rhymes. They also shocked many early concert goers with their stage show that included S1W (Security of the First World) members wearing military fatigues and carrying machine guns. But despite the controversy, they were pioneers in many ways and Chuck D in particular remains an active and important music personality today. (Flavor Flav, on the other hand, recently appeared on the reality show The Surreal Life... 'nuff said.) "It Takes A Nation" is a DVD release that covers the band's first visit to the U.K. as part of the Def Jam tour, headlined by L.L. Cool J and Eric B and Rakim. An entire concert from London is included on the disc, as well as a "movie" that features interview footage mixed with clips from the live performance. The show took place in 1987, just prior to the release of their groundbreaking album "It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back". As a result, the majority of the songs are culled from their first record, "Yo! Bum Rush The Show". Songs like "Too Much Posse" and "Public Enemy No. 1" are still classics, and it's interesting to note the song "Raise The Roof", which was very ahead of its time. Perhaps the most interesting performance is an early rendition of "Bring The Noise", which clearly set the crowd off despite the fact that the song had yet to be released. The video quality is not that great, and looks like it was a direct dub of an old VHS tape, often with fuzzy lines cutting across the screen. The interview stuff is not as interesting as it should have been either, as most of it seems to be goofy backstage footage of Flava Flav being his usually lunatic self. Thankfully, the DVD does have an audio commentary track with Chuck D, which gives more of a rational explanation of the history of that tour and perceptions of the band at that time. I would have much preferred an actual documentary about the band, but at least this has a fair bit more content than your average live music DVD. Strangely, the band seemed to be lip synching on some songs, and later on we see an argument between Flavor Flav and Terminator X about that very issue. For Public Enemy fans this is a must-buy, although for casual P.E. listeners it may not have much resonance -- especially considering the fact that their most well-known songs from Fear Of A Black Planet and later albums are not here. (There are however a couple extra songs included in bonus footage from a more recent show in Australia, including "Can't Truss It".) Public Enemy are a interesting band that deserve to be more fully documented at some point. This is by no means a definitive look, but at least it's a start. -- Sean

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Dead Boys – Live! At CBGB 1977 (DVD)

Sean — Sun, 01 May 2005 05:00:00 +0000

Dead Boys - Live! At CBGB 1977 (DVD) Isn't punk rock dead? If it wasn't dead years ago, it certainly must be by now. It's kind of funny how people used to complain about Epitaph, Fat Wreck Chords and the So-Cal movement as being an insult to punk rock, because in comparison to bands like Blink 182 and Sum 41, who have since completely turned the genre into a Teen Beat magazine centrefold, most of those bands really were "keeping it real". And maybe it's just because I didn't grow up in that era, but the original late 70's punk movement never really appealed to me even after the fact. There were a few stand out bands like The Clash who really did have an effect and who innovated with their music, but most of the bands just seemed silly and childish. Much like the music of the 80's, all this stuff now looks cartoony and laughable in retrospect. The Dead Boys were a part of the New York CBGB punk rock scene in the late 70's, and although some may argue this, they were essentially second or third stringers as far as punk rock goes. Their most well-known song was probably "Sonic Reducer", but aside from that they only released 2 albums and failed to make a major impact. "Dead Boys Live! At CBGB 1977" features what is probably the only official released live footage of the band on stage. It is a show from back when they were "in their prime", so to speak, and as such will probably be a valuable treasure to hardcore punk fans. To the rest of us though, this DVD is probably not worth more than a passing glance. The performance features 10 songs in total at a running length of 29 minutes -- a damn short set by most standards, even for a punk band. Opening with "Sonic Reducer" and ending with "Search & Destroy", the show is, for the most part, a blur of grainy video, guitar feedback and snotty punk rock antics. Lead singer Stiv Bators writhes on the ground, spits on the camera, pours beer down his pants, and wipes his nose with a piece of bologna before eating it. How's that for social commentary? The sound and video are piss poor quality (I don't understand why they bothered including a 5.1 surround mix considering the source material), but I guess it's forgivable considering that it's from 1977... and this is punk rock after all. It's definitely makes the DVD feel authentically shitty. Surprisingly, the audience is pretty tame throughout the show as well, which makes the band seem even more ridiculous. You get the impression that it's the first time a lot of these people are seeing the Dead Boys, and maybe the show was recorded prior to the release of their debut album. By the end of the show, they do seem a little more worked up though. The DVD also includes some band interviews and a funny promotional clip for the band, as well as bonus live footage of The Steel Tips, and a short commentary from the director talking about his thoughts on the band. Dead Boys Live! At CBGB 1977 is something that old school punk rock fans will probably drool over. If you're a fan of the band, this is probably the best chance you'll have to see what their shows were really like back in the day. For anyone else though, this is a pretty uninteresting and budget DVD and I can't say it did much to convert me into a "Deadhead". -- Sean

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Leatherface – Boat In The Smoke (DVD)

Sean — Fri, 18 Mar 2005 05:00:00 +0000

Leatherface - Boat In The Smoke (DVD) England's Leatherface have been making music together since the late 80's, but it wasn't until after they had broken up and reformed again in 1998 that most people (particularly in North America) began to take notice. A split CD on BYO Records with Hot Water Music and a U.S. tour gained the band a dedicated following, and now on the heels of their most recent record "Dog Disco", the band has released a DVD courtesy of U.K. video label Punkervision. "Boat In The Smoke" consists primarily of a live performance recorded in March 2004 at Camden Underworld. The band plays a variety of songs spanning their entire discography (16 songs in all), although the largest selection of songs comes from Dog Disco. The crowd seems to be set off most by the older material though, such as Horsebox's "Sour Grapes" and Mush's "Dead Industrial Atmosphere". Also included as part of their encore is a rendition of "You Are My Sunshine", and I am happy to see that the whole ironic punk rock cover trend is still alive and well 10 years later. It's clear that Frankie Stubbs and co. are a little bit older than a lot of today's young pretty boy pop-punk rockers (the very definition of grizzled veterans in fact), and their music sounds appropriately a lot rougher and more unkempt too. The band's style of raw yet melodic old school punk rock puts them somewhere between Social Distortion and Avail. Stubbs' gravelly voice sounds like he just finished eating a broken beer bottle before hitting the stage, and for viewers who have never heard the band before, it may wear on them enough to turn it off within the first few minutes. Shot on digital video, the picture quality is decent, and the action is captured from a variety of angles. Unfortunately, the low light environment sometimes results in grainy video, and for the most part the band is always bathed in red stage lights making it not the most visually pleasing thing to watch. But hey, this is punk rock right? It's supposed to be messy... I guess. At least the sound recording is good, so there's nothing to complain about there. In addition to the Camden show, there are 7 songs from a 2001 show in Sunderland. The sound quality and video quality for these songs are definitely a lot lower than the main feature, but the band plays with a little more urgency and spunk. An interview with Frankie Stubbs is also included on the disc, clocking in at just under 30 minutes in length. He sits in his backyard and talks a lot about the current state of the punk rock scene, and also the history of the band and how they got their start. I'm sure Leatherface fans will find this to be a nice little bonus even though he is rather quiet and soft-spoken. In the end, this is a DVD made by and for fans of Leatherface. It is what it is. Personally, I don't consider myself a fan of their music and I can't say this DVD has changed my mind. As far as music DVDs go, it's a little below par in terms of the quality and variety of material, but it is an independent release for a punk rock band so I guess you can't expect much more than this. If you like the band then I'm sure this is an essential disc, although I would imagine it's not a very good substitute for actually being at a Leatherface show yourself. -- Sean

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Scissor Sisters – We Are Scissor Sisters And So Are You (DVD)

Goon — Fri, 18 Mar 2005 05:00:00 +0000

Scissor Sisters - We are Scissor Sisters, and so are you (DVD) One problem with listening to literally hundreds of albums a year is that some very choice music isn't going to get the proper amount of time it needs to reveal itself to you. As it goes, when I heard the Scissor Sisters' self-titled debut disc early last year, I immediately thought of them as a genuinely unique and energetic group, but at the same time I was somewhat disappointed. Having heard their single "Comfortably Numb" prior to hearing the rest of the CD, I expected and maybe even at the time actually wanted the band to be much more of a novelty group then they were. You couldn't compare their Pink Floyd cover to anything other than actual 70's disco, whereas the rest of their material mostly lives in the same world, an obvious worship of Elton John, Robbie Williams, and David Bowie. At the time I guess this is not what I wanted. When their new DVD was recently released to worldwide acclaim, I took the time to go back and give their recording another chance, and I am very glad I did, as the Sisters are much more subversive and noteworthy, frankly important, to modern music than I had given them credit for the first go-round. With this new-found fandom I jumped on the chance to pick up the quite low-priced (12 dollars) DVD. It is in one word: packed. Capturing a full 16:9 widescreen performance from Brighton, a 30 minute band documentary, and all of their music videos (except for Filthy/Gorgeous, which isn't a big deal since that video isn't so great), this DVD is an exceptional production. Even the DVD menus are great. Live, the band have a distinct personality, both as individuals and as a band as a whole. This is rare these days and is great to see. Jake Shears is a hell of a frontman, queer as a three dollar bill and so fabulous you have to say it with a gay accent to really get the point across. There is an interaction and love for the the crowd that feels sincere and has earned them an excellent reputation for their shows, which comes across even through the disc, thanks to a variety of shots throughout the stadium and backstage. Unlike other music DVDs out there lately, this would never pass as a bootleg. The audience is amazingly devoted to this band. The band come across as much huger than they actually are, the show has a Big Event feel. It feels like watching a U2 show, like a Super Bowl halftime show (albeit one that would never get past the censors), everyone is so wild. The fans know all the words, sing along to everything (but thankfully, it doesn't drown out the music at all), and during the slower numbers you can actually see audience members wiping away tears. The songs of course are top notch, blue-chip pop music. Catchy as hell, the concert just flies by with furious energy, and we are as well treated to some of the Sisters' b-sides in the show, along with all the hits such as "Laura", "Mary" and "Take Your Mama". There is an encore where the stage fills with a sea of bizarrely costumed characters to match the intensity of "Music is the Victim". You will wish you were there. The live show is so good, the music videos seem poor in comparison, which is a feat because their videos are more creative than most. There are two versionsof "Laura", the conceptually smart undersea disco adventure for "Comfortably Numb" and the 'so intentionally cheesy even the Darkness are jealous'vid for "Take Your Mama". The band documentary is 30 minutes long and good, and takes you through the band's entire history, including each band members modest beginnings, which includes some very rare and definitely previously unseen footage of Shears, Babydaddy and Ana Matronic robot dancing - badly - in a small gay club talent show. The band members are quite likable, however Ana Matronic can be a little overbearing, although that seems to be her designated role in the band. This DVD is even better and more essential for fans than the album, and ranks as among the best music DVDs I've ever seen. Recommended to watch after Hedwig and the Angry Inch for one hell of a Gay Old Time. -- Goon

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The Pixies (DVD)

Sean — Tue, 04 May 2004 05:00:00 +0000

The Pixies (DVD) I was a little hesitant to buy this DVD since the Pixies have always had a certain aura of mystery about them, at least to me anyways. You rarely see pictures of them anywhere, and information about the band was generally hard to come by for a long time, considering that they were only together for 5 years or so and never really had much commercial success. Suddenly, with the new Pixies reunion and subsequent "re-marketing" of the band, there has been a plethora of new merchandise finding its way onto store shelves and a real surge of exposure for them. In a way, it has changed the whole feeling of the band, but I can't say they don't deserve all the newfound interest. It's always seemed that the Pixies were an acquired taste, and it only took North American audiences 15 years to catch on. While they never did sell many records, the Pixies influence has undeniably been felt in the music world. You can draw a direct correlation between them and Nirvana, as Kurt Cobain was a huge Pixies fan and many people have noted that Smells Like Teen Spirit is a borderline Pixies rip-off. This new DVD is perhaps the most intimate look at the band that has ever been available, so it's a perfect time for people to discover this long underrated rock foursome. The main subject of this DVD is the live concert from Town & Country Club in London from 1988. The time of this particular tour was right after the release of Surfer Rosa and captures the band early on at what may have been the most exciting point in their career. They look incredibly young and are clearly having a lot of fun on stage, something that apparently wasn't seen much during their later tours. The selection of songs is great, from well known favourites like "Where Is My Mind?", "The Holiday Song" and "Gigantic" to more raw, anguished scorchers like "Something Against You" and their cover of The Beatles' "Wild Honey Pie". It really would have been nice to get a taste of the band's later material as well, but what can you do? I usually prefer live video compilations that compile songs from different concerts as it can get monotonous after a while watching an entire set from the same camera angles on the same stage. It's a poor substitute for actually being at the show, let's put it that way. Still, the video quality and the sound quality are fantastic on this DVD... even a Dolby 5.1 mix is included. The camera work is well done and the annoying "shaky" effects are kept to a minimum. You can't ask for much better than that. To sweeten the deal, the other features on the DVD are more than just second-rate filler. All 7 of their music videos are included. They are admittedly a little sketchy, but there's something about them that captures that uncompromising and unpredictable energy that the Pixies were known for. If you've seen the two videos that were included on the CD-ROM for the Pixies B-sides album, the additional videos on this collection aren't any better in terms of quality. Although some of them do convey the abstract and generally weird nature of the band, they also (like many videos from the 80's) seem pretty cheesy by today's standards because they fiddle with low grade video effects. The video for "Velouria" deserves mention as it is possibly one of the worst and simulataneously best music videos I've ever seen. It is a single 3 minute long shot of the band running across some rocks in slow motion set to the soundtrack of the song. Utterly inexplicable, and yet... so very Pixies. On the other hand, the video for "Alec Eiffel" (with the band performing amidst a wind tunnel) or "Dig For Fire/Allison" (featuring the members riding in motorcycle sidecars to a stadium gig) aside from the grainy film quality are still interesting and passable nowadays. The "On The Road" 30 minute featurette contains behind the scenes stuff with the band on tour in Europe. It has bits and pieces of them travelling, talking, rehearsing and playing throughout many cities. It was all filmed by crew member Myles Mangino, giving it a very personal home video feel at times. Interesting viewing. "Gouge", on the other hand, is a 50 minute documentary boasting interviews with a ton of big name artists (most of which are British, proving once again how much more of an effect the Pixies had in Europe). People like Thom Yorke, David Bowie, PJ Harvey, Bono and members of Bush, Blur, Travis and much more all confess their love of the Pixies -- not in a kiss-ass kind of way but rather with an honest attempt to deduce what it was about the band that made them so special. Most agree that the band defies categorization and had a ton of talent, but they each had their own favourite Pixies moments and personal observations about the band. It was also brought up that they invented the whole "soft to loud" dynamic that so many bands use nowadays. One annoying thing about this segment is that they mix in large amounts of footage from the same concert found elsewhere on the DVD. It would have been nice to get some different recordings to go with the documentary, or even to just omit them entirely. Still there are a lot of cool tidbits found in here. There are clips of recent interviews with the band members (although Kim Deal is notably absent) which do add to an understanding of their history. Although it does lift the veil of mystery from the band to a certain extent, in the end I think it gives a greater appreciation for them. If you're a Pixies fan you won't be disappointed with this DVD collection. The price is pretty reasonable and the full concert alone makes it worthwhile, but there's enough cool extra content to make it something you'll be watching over and over again for years to come. -- Sean

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The Aquabats – Serious Awesomeness (DVD)

Sean — Sun, 30 Nov 2003 05:00:00 +0000

The Aquabats - Serious Awesomeness (DVD) If you know The Aquabats, then you know that this is one band that was long overdue for a DVD release of some sort. I say this because they are so much more than just a band. Their live performances involve all kinds of theatrical interludes such as skits, on-stage battles, wrestling matches, small-time fireworks and pyrotechnics, video displays, and more. In order to experience The Aquabats fully, you absolutely need the visuals to go with the music. So when I heard that Fearless Records was putting out a double-disc Aquabats DVD I knew this would be a sight to behold. The main feature on these DVDs is a full live concert recorded earlier this year in Pamona, CA. The show was recorded in digital video from a variety of angles, and while the quality is certainly not at a "professional" level, it puts you on stage with them from a perspective few people have seen. Although it was a recent concert, the 12 song set list for this show covers a lot of their older ska material, as well as some of the new wave/synth driven songs found on their latest 2 records. You do get new songs like Pool Party and Giant Robot Birdhead, but at the same time old school songs like Play Dough and Martian Girl, so it's a pretty good cross-section of stuff. The crowd at this show seemed to be a little rambunctious and generally non-attentive to the band. Throughout the performance there was always at least 1 or 2 kids parading around on stage like fools then diving back into the crowd. Although The Aquabats "do it for the kids", they did seem a little annoyed that even when there was no music playing people were more interested in stage diving than the on-stage theatrics. For this concert, the main foe that they faced off against was one of the most sinister of all -- a slimy record exec who tries to convince them to sign to his record label. Of course, when they don't agree to his terms a huge fight ensues between The Aquabats and his minions (including the Powdered Milkman, oddly enough). The coolest thing about these battles are the new "commercial breaks" they decided to insert in between the onstage fights. You'll have to see it to understand what I'm talking about. The second disc contains "Sweet Clips That Rip", in other words more live performances from a variety of shows over the years. You get to see the impressive array of costumes they've gone through (I think I counted at least 8 different incarnations of their outfits though I'm sure there's more), and many of the different baddies they've defeated, from Dr. Space Mummy to El Demonico to "a tough looking street gang". The selection of songs here is pretty similar to the concert on the first disc, and while it would have been nice to get a bit more variety there are still some cool surprises like a cover of The Ventures' surf classic "Journey To The Stars". Interesting note: in some of these older performances their drummer is none other than Travis of Blink 182 fame. How he could go from The Aquabats to Blink is one of the great mysteries of our time, although the fact that he is too "punk" to wear his mask onstage is the first hint that maybe he didn't really belong here. In addition to all of the live footage, you also get the Super Rad music video (an absolute classic), and an older, very DIY-looking video for the song CD Repo Man. Perhaps the coolest thing on the entire DVD is a featurette of sorts entitled "A Band Called The Aquabats: A Sweaty History Of Rad-Ness". This consists of more live footage edited together with little skits, interviews and TV appearances from over the years. It is hilarious and fascinating, and at 20 minutes it is just not long enough damnit! I want more, more, more!!! I guess this is my only real complaint about this DVD: I was hoping for a bit more extra stuff aside from the music. Whatever happened to the cool Aquabats TV show demo that is available on their website? I guess maybe someone else owns the rights to that, but it really would have been a stellar addition to this package. The DVDs have a cool home-made style to them, from the cartoony artwork to the DVD menus, etc. The menu setups are a little sloppy (they don't always have navigation back to the main menu) and also the video and sound quality are a bit of a mixed bag but overall nothing is glaringly sub par. For a compilation like this it's all to be expected, and it adds to the charm of the work. The Aquabats: Serious Awesomeness is simply a must own DVD for fans, and for anyone else it serves as proof that contrary to popular belief, they are not simply a "gimmick" or "joke" band. This 2-disc set is a testament to the overwhelming creative output that this band has put forth. If only every other band on the planet could be as entertaining and downright fun as The Aquabats, we'd all be much better off. Then again, the fact that they are such a rarity in the music world simply gives even more reason to admire these guys. They really are superheroes for our time. -- Sean

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