The Who - The Kids Are Alright (Special Edition) Review

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(More customer reviews)After having seen several other major DVD opportunities get squandered (The Beatles's HARD DAYS NIGHT leaps to mind), it is an utter delight to watch/listen to this DVD. It is great on several levels: the original film was one of the best collections of live performances in the history of rock, the reissue has dramatically improved the look and sound of the film, and the Special Edition extra disc includes some truly wonderful features. This ought to be the model for all future reissues, such as when/if they reissue the Rolling Stones's TWENTY-FIVE BY FIVE.
Only a couple of years ago I was trying to explain to my daughter that in the sixties and seventies, the Who were full-fledged members of the rock Pantheon, as revolutionary and crucial as the Stones, the Beatles, or Led Zeppelin. For some reason, they went into a bit of a decline in the general musical consciousness (I found kids my daughter's age might not know of them at all, whereas they knew the other aforementioned bands quite well). Thanks to some timely re-released and a tragic tour that saw the death of John Entwhistle, their star truly seems to be on the ascendant again. This album is crucial for proving what all of us at the time knew: the Who was without question one of the very greatest live bands of all time.
The Who was an amazing band, full of paradoxes. Roger Daltrey was one of the great front men in the history of rock, and Pete Townshend a crack songwriter and arguably the most entertaining to watch guitarist of all time. Yet, the lead instruments in the band, almost unique in rock, were Keith Moon and his maniacally abused drum kit and John Entwhistle's bass, both of them among the top two or three of all time on their instruments, if not the best. They were a great rhythm section, but they jointly tended to take over the songs musically, unlike Charlie Watts and Bill Wyman for the Stones, who were content to stay rock solid in the background. Live, they were amazing, with Daltrey marching in place, swinging the mike around like David about to use his sling against Goliath; Pete Townshend dancing disjointedly around while doing his famous helicopter chording of the guitar; Keith Moon playing as if he were on eight different drugs, tossing his drumsticks ten and twenty feet in the air; and amid it all, like the quiet in the eye of the hurricane, John Entwhistle standing stock still, motionless except for his hands moving up and down his bass, playing the instrument better than anyone else ever had, or perhaps has since.
The film begins with a bang, with a famous appearance on The Smothers Brothers Show (an awesome show because it was so amazingly subversive, with Tom and Dick acting like total squares, but in reality leftists who loved exposing the public to acts like Lenny Bruce and Mort Sahl, and bands like The Who and Cream). Unlike Ed Sullivan, Tom and Dick truly loved these bands, and the opening number/skit, a rollicking version of "My Generation" (with Roger Daltrey suffering so badly from a faux upper-induced stammer that was a badge of their identification with the amphetamine-crazed Mods that one isn't certain he is going to be able to finish each line). Each number brings new revelations or refreshes old memories. For instance, in "I Can't Explain" from SHINDIG! Keith Moon is sporting a T-shirt with a bull's eye on it, a full decade before Richard Hell would achieve notoriety in New York for wearing one when he was still with Television.
The numbers included in the film are both wide-ranging and representative. I suppose any Who fan will find many of their own favorites missing, but no one can complain that the numbers focus too much on one phase of their career. The selections are extraordinarily well balanced. One of the more poignant features is the fact that the performance of "Won't Get Fooled Again," which was performed specifically for the film so that they could have one really good performance on film of one of their most famous numbers, was the last time the Who ever performed in their original line up; Keith Moon would die only three months later.
The extras disc is truly worth having, with a feature on the restoration of the movie, and nice items like a tour of the Who's London, an interview with Roger Daltrey, and, my favorite bit, interesting versions of "Baba O'Riley" and "Won't Get Fooled Again," that features only John Entwhistle's bass and visuals. There is no question about it: the guy could play bass.
All in all, one is going to come across very few music DVDs quite this good. I highly recommend it.

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The Original Director's Cut, digitally remastered in Hi-Definition and remixed in 5.1 & DTS Restored to the original "Director’s Cut" length of 109 minutes. Almost 100 minutes of never-before-seen multi-camera angle footage. Completely re-mastered in Hi-Definition and 5.1 surround from the original film elements and multi-tracks. Presented in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.1:85. Packed with a 32 page collectable booklet. Commentary by Director Jeff Stein. Ultimate edition also includes: Multi Camera Angles - An extremely rare feature that is almost 100 minutes and featuring as many as 6 angles including a Pete cam, a Roger cam, a Moonie cam and an Ox cam. Making of the DVD - 40 minute feature offering an in-depth look at how the film was restored.Audio Comparison - This 8 minute feature provides a direct side-by-side comparison of the before and after audio. Video Comparison - This 6 minute feature provides a direct side-by-side comparison of the before and after so people can see what they’ve been missing all these 24 years! The Ox - A very special audio feature allowing the user to select an isolated audio track of legendary bassist John Entwistle. The Who's London - An interactive feature offering the viewer a video tour of Who landmarks. Trivia Games - Questions to test your knowledge with a prize of a newly mixed 5.1 rendering of the album version of "Who Are You" playing a video light/slide show and a long lost recording of Ringo Starr. English Subtitles - Figuring out the lyrics the band is singing is one thing, but deciphering what they say while screaming over each other is a whole other puzzle.

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Frank Zappa - Baby Snakes (1979) Review

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(More customer reviews)Frank Zappa, New York, Halloween ...... Bozzio, Belew, Bickford ....... how many more reasons could a person need to desire this majorly non-boring round thing????
The DVD release of Baby Snakes is a cause for celebration, both for long time fans and novices who are just discovering FZ - for the latter in particular, who never got the chance to experience the Zappa performance spectacle.
At its core, Baby Snakes is a concert film, but it is also a keen insight into the man's creative mechanism, a free association style that embraced all manner of media in addition to music. A prime example is the generous screentime given to clay animator Bruce Bickford, with whom Zappa had worked with on a video project for PBS around 1975. Bickford creates erotic nightmares in clay and on film while Zappa prods him on in metaphorical abandon, the result complimented by jarring sound design created spontaneously by Zappa and his cohorts in the studio. We also witness FZ rehearsing his bandmates, creating on the spot extraveganzas with Roy Estrada and a gas mask, spying on the backstage cavortings of musicians and crewmates, possibly developing new theories and creative concepts from witnessing the bizarre goings on ......
Ultimately, in the course of its 2.75 hours' length, Baby Snakes evolves into a relentless live assault, a labor of love dedicated to the appreciative crowd of New York's finest crazy persons, who are also afforded ample screen time. We learn the History of the Poodle (God's 3rd mistake), witness a debut performance of "I Have Been In You", observe monster drummer Terry Ted Bozzio in a Speedo transform himself into the devil for the number "(Mammarian Protuberances) 'N' Beer", enjoy featured vocal performances by keyboardist Tommy Mars (Pound for a Brown), guest stunt guitarist Adrian Belew (City of Tiny Lites), and even FZ's bodyguard Big John Smothers (Muffin Man), witness the onstage flogging of unwitting audience members with a real leather whip ("This is Halloween, we don't **** around!!") and of course the recommended diet of Frank's own searing guitar work. A truly priceless moment in the film is Bozzio's drumming/vocal performance on the epic finale "Punky's Whips"; if only they gave Oscars for best supporting musical performance in a documentary.
As for the DVD package itself: It is presented as a case study of People Who Do Things That Are Not Normal, complete with file folder bearing the official seal of the Department of Entertainment Security containing typewritten documents, photographs, trade reviews and other critical evidence. The transfer effort is admirable, though the film does show its age in some sections, graininess and a true live mix (not the "enhanced" type that Zappa favored on many audio releases) which at times loses definition. That's rock 'n roll. Due to compression and encoding issues associated with DVD production, the actual volume level is fairly low; this can of course be resolved by cranking your receiver, but you better be riding the levels when you push that menu button! These are minor quibbles in light of this significant video chronicle of the man Frank Zappa, who wrote, produced, directed, scored (duh) and largely financed the original film into existence back in 1979.
The result the closest we've got to a legacy to a creative mind like few others .... watch him work, watch him play, listen as he has his say ("The important thing about this instrument is the way the air smells as it comes out of these holes"), see the Läther Band onstage, venting Warner Brothers rage ..... and don't forget to vote.
We will never forget you, Frank.

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The Doors (15-Year Anniversary Edition) (1991) Review

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(More customer reviews)'The Doors' were one of the greatest rock and roll bands of the sixties and the quintessential California group of the decade. They so embodied the West Coast counterculture experience that viewing this biographical film about Jim Morrison and The Doors also provides a fascinating view of the cultural and spiritual forces that drove Jim and that entire generation to challenge the status quo of the American mainstream.
What exactly is the true story of the life and death of Jim Morrison? Is it the story of one of the many rebellious young adults of the time who in looking for an alternative way of living got lost along the way in the drugs, alcohol and sexual freedom that so dominated that culture? Or is Jims' story a deeply mystical tale announcing the rebirth of ancient shamanism into the collective consciousness of the twentieth century? The story of someone chosen by the spirits to bring the 'old ways' to a new generation looking for something to fill the spiritual void brought about by the loss of belief in the Christian God?
Director Oliver Stone has played the mythmaker to perfection in this amazing film providing us with the unique experience of entering into the American Dreamtime. Layering mundane worldly events intermitently with glimpses of the psychic, shamanic forces motivating those events we are given the opportunity to chose for ourselves what level of reality we are willing, or ready to accept. A truly remarkable accomplishment.
As for the performance of Val Kilmer as Jim Morrison, it couldn't have been better. His ability to capture both the physcial appearance and dark persona of the legendary rock star so completely is beyond extraordinary. Without question Val was born to play this role.
Did Jim really believe he was the "Electric Shaman" called by the spirits to open the "Doors of Perception" to a sleeping world? Was he Dionysus reborn, here to use his suggestive music and lyrics to arouse his followers and bring to fruition his new 'Rites of Spring' with "Golden copulations in the streets of L.A." More likely he was playing the part of the mischevious Indian 'Trickster' leading us once again in the wrong direction. Maybe it's just like his Mother said long ago while the old Indian lay dying along the roadside in the California desert. "It's just a dream Jimmy, that's all it is."
So relax, show no fear, "Kiss the Snake" and enjoy the ride!

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Jim Morrison (Val Kilmer), one of the most sensual and exciting figures in the history of rock and roll, explodes on the screen in THE DOORS, the electrifying movie about a time called the sixties and a legendary outlaw who rocked America's consciousness - forever. Meg Ryan, Kevin Dillon, Kyle MacLachlan, Frank Whaley and Billy Idol also star.

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A Perfect Circle - aMOTION (with CD) Review

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(More customer reviews)Following up just two weeks after A Perfect Circle's election day release, "eMOTIVe," another release, "aMOTION" comes our way. Basically what this set consists of is almost every scrap of extra APC material. The disc is nine tracks full of remixes, some old, some new. The DVD consists of all of the band's music videos up to now, some we've seen a million times, and others that either didn't air, or were never released. First off, the remix CD. Great choice, as A Perfect Circle seem to have some of the most tasteful remixes of any band out there. A great bulk of the songs were remixed by Danny Lohner and some have either appeared on various soundtracks or on import CD-singles. Probably one of the most note-worthy moments is the "Constantly Consuming" remix of "The Hollow," which isn't so much a remix, as it is a reinterpretation, as done by former bassist (who is still working with the band) Paz Lenchantin. That's right folks. She provides all of the music on this version and even sings it herself. The "Tilling My Own Grave" remix of "Weak & Powerless" is another great one. It definitely "rocks" up the original version (don't get me wrong, the original is untouchable) with some help by Lohner and born-again Limp Bizkit guitarist Wes Borland (you may remember it from the "Underworld" soundtrack). The DVD portion is quite a treat as well. Not only are all the music videos here, but we get a live performance of "The Noose" (my favorite song from "Thirteenth Step") which is very entertaining (they need to put out a live DVD, hint hint), plus four different versions of the video "Blue," all fan-made. Both versions of "The Outsider" video are present, edited and unedited. Don't get too excited though, as the unedited cut doesn't feature nudity, just a long intro to the video -- although, everyone seems to hate the Bikini Bandits idea so much, so who cares, right? Well, they make another appearance in "Thinking Of You," so get used to it. "Counting Bodies Like Sheep To The Rhythm Of The War Drums" is an all animated video that contains some very strong anti-Bush imagery, that I haven't seen (probably for many good reasons) aired anywhere. Maynard and Billy each have their own commentary for the videos. Maynard comments on all of them, and gets into the more intellectual side of the meaning of each song and video, while Billy gives us the more straight-forward story, and sadly, only appears on a handful of the videos. So overall, it's a great package. You have to really appreciate the band and what they do to appreciate this. To those who love to scream "Sell-out," I ask you this question: If they are selling out, why are you buying? Get over yourselves. They make incredible music, and at the end of the day, that's all that matters. And good for them for giving us so much material to tide us over until the next album, which will probably be a long time coming.

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The Moody Blues - A Night at Red Rocks with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra (1992) Review

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(More customer reviews)Moody Blues fans have long enjoyed and admired the group's unique ability to capture visual imagery in music. In this respect, Live at Red Rocks is a crowning achievement.
The beautiful Red Rocks Amphitheater provides a uniquely appropriate setting for the Moodies' haunting blend of rock melodies and classical accompaniments. The video does an excellent job of incorporating the scenery into the musical flow of the presentation.
Several facets of this production are noteworthy. The film masterfully captures the interplay between the band and the audience, long one of the group's touring trademarks. It also does a wonderful job of documenting the three generation span of Moody Blues enthusiasts, scanning the attendees to reveal middle aged grandparents in casual clothing, twenty-something hippee wannabees, and some fully involved pre-teens, all lost in the rapture of a major Moodies event.
Viewers with a good ear will notice that many of the vocals have a slightly strained quality, not sounding quite as good as one might expect from the likes of Hayward, Lodge and Thomas. This is because Justin was fighting a nasty case of laryngitis the night the video was filmed. Even with that disadvantage, the music still manages to be far beyond ordinary.
So far as the music, the normal repertoire is here. Standard stage versions of classics like Nights in White Satin, Lovely to See You, Story in Your Eyes and their traditional closer, Ride My SeeSaw are included. A true highlight is a magnificent version of New Horizons, powerfully enhanced by a dynamic orchestral background score.
When all is considered, A Night at Red Rocks is a true five-star experience. Don't miss it!

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The Doors Collection (Collector's Edition) (1985) Review

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(More customer reviews)"The Doors Collection" is the best audio/visual source about the band available. It is a stunning, exciting collection of the best of The Doors on film. It is the best Doors DVD out there and a must for big fans, rockers and anyone barely aquainted with the music who wants to know more. All the three segments are excellent documents of The Doors and their hypnotic music and the dynamic persona of Jim Morrison. It is clear from what you see here that he was poet, rock star, artist and genius. The first segment, "Dance On Fire" has some great material. There is the music video for "Break On Through" which is stylish and has aged well, in fact, I saw it air on MTV a few nights ago. There is also the neat video for "People Are Strange" and the legendary performance of "Light My Fire" at the Ed Sullivan Show. The video for "The Crystal Ship" is dreamy, romantic and hypnotic, with a real feel for the song which showcases some of Morrison's best poetry. The performance of "Love Me Two Times" for Danish television is especially entertaining and cool, with Jim all in leather reciting some poetry before breaking into one of their best blues tunes. The video for "Moonlight Drive" is interesting with Jim sporting some black shades and Robby Krieger doing some dreamy slide guitar. The "Roadhouse Blues" footage is especially fun with shots of some wild concert moments and Jim doing a Dionysian dance as images flash by. The second segment, "Live At The Hollywood Boal" is a nice document of The Doors in concert. They performance some of their best songs like "Backdoor Man," "Light My Fire" and "Whiskey Bar." The best performances are those of "When The Music's Over" which is epic and "The End" which is hypnotic. The final segment, "The Soft Parade" is an interesting look at The Doors as the end was coming closer. The beginning features a montage cut to "The Changeling" and shows Morrison and the band in a "superstar" tone. The interview they give is fascinating, especially when Jim predicts advancements in musical technology with incredible precision. The performance of "The Soft Parade" is better than the album version while footage of the band recording "Wild Child" is fun and interesting, not least because it's a great song. The bonus features in the DVD are also great. The commentary by the band members is funny and fascinating with lots of cool facts. Robby Krieger's new version of "The End" rocks while Ray Manzarek's student films are interesting to watch. The memorabilia section is especially fun and interesting, they even show ticket buts. John Densmore's one-man play is really silly and frankly, boring and uninteresting. It's annoying to hear him sing the songs because frankly, he can't sing. All in all, "The Doors Collection" is the best Doors visual collection. It's exhilarating, fascinating, visually alluring and filled with great music and poetry. It shows how there are certain things as timeless music and artists. Though The Doors music and lyrics are kept alive and well by newer bands (Creed, STP, The Cult), nothing beats the originals. The Doors were the first rock band to mix music with poetry and explored dark realms and set in motion things in rock n' roll that we are still living through. This DVD is a great document of how they did that.

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Rush - Replay (1989) Review

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(More customer reviews)Rush Replay should be one of the best DVD concert releases of the Summer. (Technically very late Spring). This 3 DVD/1 CD box set will include the DVD versions of "Exit... Stage Left," "Grace Under Pressure," and "A Show of Hands." The CD in the box set is the unreleased soundtrack CD of the "Grace Under Pressure."
Before Rush Replay all three concerts were on VHS. These were extremely hard to get your hands on. Now, thanks to Alex Lifeson and Mike Fraser, you can enjoy these classic concerts in 5.1 surround sound and remastered visuals.
Exit... Stage Left:
The first DVD in Rush Replay is "Exit... Stage Left," which was filmed at The Forum in Montreal, Quebec. Anyone who owns the Exit... Stage Left CD knows how totally awesome the concert was. The CD and the DVD are radically different though. Lets look at the track listing of each.
Exit... Stage Left CD:
1. The Spirit of Radio (Not on DVD)
2. Red Barchetta
3. YYZ
4. A Passage To Bangkok (Not on DVD)
5. Closer To The Heart
6. Beneath, Between, and Behind (Not on DVD)
7. Jacob's Ladder (Not on DVD)
8. Broon's Bane (Not on DVD)
9. The Trees
10. Xanadu
11. Freewill
12. Tom Sawyer
13. La Villa Strangiato (Not on DVD)
Exit... Stage Left DVD
1. Limelight (Not on CD)
2. Tom Sawyer
3. The Trees
4. Instrumental (Not on CD)
5. Xanadu
6. Red Barchetta
7. Freewill
8. Closer To The Heart
9. YYZ
10. Finale: By-Tor and the Snow Dog/In The End/In The Mood/2112 Finale (Not on CD)
So in the end, the major songs missing on the DVD are, The Spirit of Radio, A Passage To Bangkok, and La Villa Strangiato. But in return, you get Limelight and the Finale.
Grace Under Pressure:
Out of the three concerts in Rush Replay, Grace Under Pressure is the only one without a live CD. (The CD as I mentioned earlier is part of Rush Replay). This DVD was filmed in 1984, at the Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, Canada. Here is the DVD track listing:
1. The Spirit of Radio (A great song)
2. The Enemy Within "Part 1 of Fear"
3. The Weapon "Part 2 of Fear"
4. Witch Hunt "Part 3 of Fear"
5. New World Man
6. Distant Early Warning
7. Red Sector A
8. Closer To The Heart
9. Melody: YYZ/The Temples Of Syrinx/ Tom Sawyer
10. Vital Signs
11. Finale: Finding My Way/In The Mood
So Grace Under Pressure contains an unreleased version of The Spirit of Radio, the Fear trilogy, and two melodies. Also included in Rush Replay will be a CD with those ten songs.
A Show Of Hands:
Of the three DVDs, this is the longest one, nearing 85 minutes. It was filmed in late April 1988 at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, England. Unlike Exit... Stage Left, the A Show Of Hands DVD is similar to the CD version. Here is the A Show Of Hands DVD track listing:
1. The Big Money
2. Marathon
3. Turn The Page
4. Prime Mover
5. Manhattan Project
6. Closer To The Heart
7. Red Sector A
8. Force Ten
9. Mission
10. Territories
11. The Rhythm Method (Drum Solo)
12. The Spirit Of Radio
13. Tom Sawyer
14. Finale: 2112/La Villa Strangiato/In The Mood
So A Show Of Hands contains 8 songs from "Power Windows" and "Hold Your Fire." Closer To The Heart, Tom Sawyer, 2112, and In The Mood are on all 3 DVDs. Rush Replay also will also include mini reprints of the original tour booklets from the three concerts.
In the end, you get Exit... Stage Left, Grace Under Pressure, A Show Of Hands, the Grace Under Pressure CD, and three mini reprints of the tour booklets for a list price of $40. That's a great deal for three classic Rush concerts and a Rush concert CD soundtrack.
If you enjoy Rush Replay than you will also enjoy Rush In Rio and R30.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Note: This is my updated review as of June 13, 2006. The previous part was my review as of April 17, 2006, before Rush Replay had been released.Rush Replay was released today and all I can say is, "It's excellent." It's been a long two months of waiting, but the waiting was rewarded.
First, let me talk about the Exit... Stage Left DVD. Limelight, Tom Sawyer, and The Trees start the DVD off, followed by Xanadu. Xanadu, on this DVD, is a classic. Because of advancements in technology, all Neil has to do nowadays is hit a MIDI trigger and the chime or bell sound is created. Here however, you get to see him running through the wind chimes, or hitting the bells. It's more realistic than he does on R30. Plus, both Alex and Geddy are using double necks, adding even more realistic sounds.
Another thing I missed to point out in April was that `Closer to the Heart' is different on the DVD than it is on the CD. Not much different, but a little.
The finale of `By-Tor/In The End/In The Mood/2112 Finale' is also a good melody.
For my mini-review of the Grace Under Pressure Tour, I'll start off with the Fear Trilogy live. This was the only tour, along with the Power Windows Warm-Up Tour, that featured the entire fear trilogy. Second, you get an awesome version of New World Man, instead of the Rush In Rio version. The YYZ/The Temples Of Syrinx/Tom Sawyer melody is approximately 9 minutes, 41 seconds long. The only song shortened in the melody is YYZ, which is cut down about a minute. Then you have Vital Signs, so, again, you don't have to listen to the Rush In Rio version.
The Grace Under Pressure Tour Soundtrack is the bonus CD. If you buy Replay at Best Buy, then you also get Limelight (Exit... Stage Left version), Closer To The Heart (Exit... Stage Left version), The Spirit Of Radio (A Show Of Hands verson), and Tom Sawyer (A Show Of Hands version) on the end of the soundtrack. (Note: When importing the bonus CD into your computer, the track listing, artist, album name, etc. will not come up, so be prepared to type them in.)
My notes for A Show Of Hands are as followed, Manhattan Project and Force Ten are awesome. I had been waiting to see Manhattan Project live for a long time. Later in the DVD are The Spirit Of Radio and Tom Sawyer, along with a 2112/La Villa Strangiato/In The Mood finale. Most of the A Show Of Hands DVD is excellent.
Also, all three tour books are great. The best on is the Hold Your Fire tour book with Neil's story "Fireworks (The making of Hold Your Fire)".
In the end, Rush Replay is just what I expected back in April, awesome. Everything from the remastered visuals to the remastered audio is excellent. Rush Replay is highly recommended for any classic rock fan.

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The Flower Kings: Instant Delivery (2006) Review

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(More customer reviews)Having grown up on Genesis and Rush (with a healthy helping of Kansas / Jethro Tull) during the late 70's and early 80's, Marillion (ably supported in my collection by Simple Minds, Big Country, Waterboys and U2) in the Mid 80's and King's X / Dream Theater in the 90's, the mid to late 90's were a time of "resurgence of "Prog Rock" with Spock's Beard and these guys, The Flower Kings.
This is the Double Live DVD / CD Set from their Tilburg/Holland show on April 19th, 2006 in support of the "Paradox Hotel" Double CD.
The band ... Roine Stolt (Vocals, Guitar), Hasse Froberg, (Guitar, Vocals, Percussion), Marcus Liliequist (Drums), Jonas Reingold (bass, guitar, bass pedals), Tomas Bodin (keyboards), put on a tremendous show. It is clear that they are confident in support of one of their best studio CD's ever (9 of the 17 tracks come from "Paradox"). I think whenever a band is super confident of their latest album (think Genesis "Duke", Rush "Moving Pictures") the show is superb and contains a bulk load of material from that album.
The band, have, to me, never sounded so passionate and energized. The opening track, "Paradox Hotel" absolutely rocks and the next three tracks effortlessly weave into one another and are stunning performances ("Hit me with a hit" (also from Paradox"), "Last minute on Earth" (from "Rainmaker" (`01)) is a stellar version, much better than the studio version, "Eyes of the World" (from "Stardust We are" ('97)) picks up midway thru the song and is brilliantly performed. Next up is "Jealousy" (from "Paradox"), a great version of "If God is all alone" (from "Paradox"), a tremendous instrumental (the drums and Bass are fantastic) "Pioneers of Aviation" (from "Paradox"), a well played 10 minute version of "Love Supreme" ("Adam and Eve" ('04)) with Disc (CD and DVD) One closing out with a tremendous 20 minute version of "Truth will set you free" ("Behold the future" ('02)).
Disc Two starts with the brilliant guitar workout "Touch my heaven", the Pink Floydish "Mommy leave the light on" (think "Mother" from "The Wall"), "End on a high note" (this version is 10 out of 10 - stunning a real classic and "Life will kill you" (all from "Paradox" ('06)). The set closer is a ripping version of "I am the sun" ("Space Revolver" ('00)). The first of three encores follows "Blade of Cain" ("Adam and Eve" ('04), and "King's Prayer" ("Space Revolver" ('00)including the "Hey Jude" sing a long with the crowd) and 10 minute version of "Stardust we are" ("Stardust we are" ('97).
2 ½ hours of great music and so many highlights with the band's overall approach (having a great time and letting go more than I've ever heard them before), there's a real chemistry on stage and it comes thru in the music.
The "Wow, that really blew me away" moments for me were ...
Paradox Hotel / Hit me with a hit / Last Minute on Earth / Eyes of the World (These opening four really rock) / Pioneers of Aviation (for Drums / percussion / bass work - brilliant) / Love Supreme / Truth will set you free / Touch my heaven / End on a high note / I am the sun / King's Prayer / Stardust we are... including the "We want more" cries from the crowd together with the pleas for "Stardust" where Roine says.... "You're right, Stardust you are... and ... Stardust you'll get!" and the crowd go crazy! The crowd even get to sing a couple of versus of Stardust with the FK's as backing band!
Oh yes the picture / sound of the DVD. Superb. It's not spectacular it's just very clear and crisp, superbly produced.
The Music though is the key here (If I could find a way to rip DVD audio tracks onto a CD / MP3 player and play them in my car, I'd just buy the DVD only, until then it's both formats and it's the car where I do most of my listening. These CD's have been on high rotation since I got them, the performance is just so good).
All `n' all totally exceeded my expectations. A very passionate, highly energized performance with superb song selection (only "Eyes of the World", "Stardust we are" and "Truth will set you free" have appeared on previous live releases ("Eyes" and "Stardust" (10 minute version) on "Alive from Planet Earth" ('99) and "Stardust" (full 26 minute version) and "Truth will set you free" (full 31 minute version) on "Live Recordings - Epics" (CD), "Meet the Flower Kings" (DVD) ('03).
This music as with much of Flower Kings output over the years is right up there with .... (to think of a few) ...
- Caravan, "For Richard" (live Version from "New Symphonia" 1974) (original 1970).
- Emerson Lake and Palmer, "Tarkus" (title track from "Tarkus" 1971)
- Yes, "Close to the Edge" - (title track from "Close to the Edge" 1972).
- Jethro Tull, "Thick as a Brick" (Live version from "Bursting Out" 1978) (Original 1972).
- Genesis, "Suppers Ready" (Live version from "Seconds Out" 1977) (Original 1972).
- Gentle Giant "Octopus" (Live version from "Playing the fool" 1976) (Original 1972).
- Mike Oldfield, "Tubular Bells", (Live Version on "Exposed" 1979) (Original 1973).
- Pink Floyd, "Darkside of the moon" (1973)
- Elton John, "Funeral for a friend / Love lies bleeding" (from "Goodbye Yellow brick road" 1973)
- Lynyrd Skynrd, "Free Bird" (Live version from "One more from the Road" 1976). (Original 1973).
- Rush "2112" (from 2112, 1976).
- ELO, "Concerto for a rainy day" (Side three of "Out of the Blue" (1977).
- Supertramp , "Fools Overture" (1977).
- Rush, "Cygnus X-1" from "Hemispheres" (1978).
- Tangerine Dream, "Tangram Part 1" (Title track from "Tangram" 1980).
- Alan Parsons Project, "Turn of a friendly Card" (Title track, all of side two (1980).
- Frankie goes to Hollywood, "Welcome to the pleasuredome"
(title track from "Welcome to the pleasuredome" 1984).
- Marillion, "Misplaced Childhood" from (1985).
- Queensryche "Operation Mindcrime" (Live version from 1991). (Original 1988).
- Jane's Addiction, "Three Days" from "Ritual de Habitual" (1991).
- Dream Theater "Learning to Live" from "Images and Words" (1992)
- Dream Theater, "Scenes from a Memory" from (1999).
- Spock Beard, "At the end of the day" from "V" (2000).
- Spock's Beard, "The Great Nothing" from "V" (2000).
- Tool, "The Grudge" from "Lateralus" (2001).
- Transatlantic, "All of the above" (Live version from 2001 in Europe). (Original 2000).
- Transatlantic, "Stranger in your soul" (Live version from 2001 in Europe). (Original 2001).
- Transatlantic, "Duel with the devil" (Live version from 2001 in Europe). (Original 2001).
- Flower Kings "The Truth will set you free" from "Behold the Future" (2002).
- Neal Morse "Testimony" from (2003).
- Green Day "Jesus of Suburbia" from "American Idiot (2004).
Further thought would no doubt reveal more than these classics. Music, that to me, pushes the musical boundaries in terms of complexity yet still rocks with an abundance of melody and harmony, a difficult thing to accomplish without 100% dedication to create something new, endless practice and commitment.
For me "Alive from Planet Earth" was a great snapshot of their pre-millennium period of music, a lot of fun and high energy. "Live Recordings - Epics... Meet the Flower Kings" ('03) was just that "The Epics", classics with extreme technical skills on show with a "jazz" undertone, stunningly brilliant and perhaps a more "serious" Live album.
With this latest one there is a real sense of pride of their latest studio album "Paradox Hotel" (certainly 4 of my favorite tracks here ("Hit", "Pioneers", "Heaven", and "High Note" are from "Instant Delivery" alone). There is an energy / passion and sense of fun that accompanies this release all the way thru.
In recent years newer bands such as Flower Kings, Spock's Beard, Muse, Gomez, Mercury Rev, Elbow, Coldplay, Evermore, and The Flaming Lips (from "Soft Bulletin" (1999) onwards) have held my interest, together with any new releases from Dream Theater, Marillion and Rush. This Flower Kings release is a classic.
If this sounds remotely like your sort of music, then go for it. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did, it's really a great show.
Certainly one of my favourite live albums over the last 35 years (here are some of my other favourites)...
*** Some of my favourite Live albums over the past 35 years ...
- "How the West was won" from Led Zeppelin (1972)
- "Made in Japan" from Deep Purple (1972)
- "Yessongs" from Yes (1973)
- "Welcome back my friends" from ELP (1973)
- "Too late to stop now" from Van Morrison (1974)
- "On your feet or on your knees" from Blue Oyster Cult (1975)
- "Live in London" from Bruce Springsteen (1975)
- "One more from the Road" from Lynyrd Skynrd (1976)
- "Frampton comes alive" from Peter Frampton (1976)
- "Live Bullet" from Bob Seger (1976)
- "Seconds Out" from Genesis (1977)
- "A Live Record" from Camel (1978)
- "Bursting Out Live" from Jethro Tull (1978)
- "Two for the Show" from Kansas (1978)
- "Playing the fool" Gentle Giant (1978)
- "Waiting fro Columbus" from Little Feat (1978)
- "Strangers in the Night" from UFO (1979)
- "Live Rust" from Neil Young (1979).
- "Paris" from Supertramp (1980).
- "Exit...Stage left" from Rush (1981)
- "Under a blood red sky" from U2 (1983)
- "Stop making sense" from Talking Heads (1984)
- "Live in the city of Light" from Simple Minds (1986)
- "Live adventures of the Waterboys" from the Waterboys (1986)
- "Operation Livecrime" from Queensryche (1991)
- "Without a safety Net" from Big Country...Read more›

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The Flower Kings, the band around mastermind Roine Stolt,prove live to be a musical adventure in a class of their own. There ishardly a band that celebrates classic progressive rock as they do, as theyclearly rejoice in their own playfulness and technical refinement. Theirlatest entry, the double DVD Instant Delivery, gives a full taste of theirgrandeur, recorded live in Tilburg/Holland on April 19th, 2006.

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Dream Theater - Score: 20th Anniversary World Tour Live with the Octavarium Orchestra (2006) Review

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(More customer reviews)As the previous reviewers have stated, this particular show was absolutely amazing! As a fan of the band since 1989 and having seen 37 DT shows to date, this show tops them all and I am proud to say that I was there!
However, unlike those previous reviewers, I've actually managed to get a copy of this DVD ahead of time, and after watching it, I can say for certain that this DVD *is* DT's best yet! Mike Portnoy pulls out all the stops in making sure that this DVD tops everything else they've done thus far. The picture quality is gorgeous - better than Live at Budokan, if that can be believed. I was told by someone who worked on the project that extra attention was put in the details to ensure that every single frame was perfect, and it shows! The sound itself is also a thing of beauty - even the stereo mix is not the traditional AC3 encoding, but rather the superior PCM encoding. The actual mix is very well done by Michael Brauer and is balanced nicely, allowing each of the musicians to shine throughout. It is quite evident that every bit of space on the DVD was used.
I won't go on about the actual songs themselves, as you can read many reviews of the actual show to learn about them. However, I would like to point out that while the song selection is not to everyone's taste (as is evident from the other reviews), Mike Portnoy continues to give the fans the most bang for their buck by not having the same songs on every DVD like many other bands do - the only "overlapping" songs on this DVD compared to their previous DVDs are some parts of the song Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence (as found on Live at Budokan), The Spirit Carries On and Metropolis pt. 1 (found on Scenes From New York) and Under a Glass Moon (on Live in Tokyo).
One other thing to add is that seeing the orchestra perform with the band is absolutely stunning - something to behold and the final song (Metropolis pt. 1) proves this beyond a shadow of a doubt.
The second DVD showcases 3 bonus tracks (Another Day, The Great Debate and Honor Thy Father) which are taken from older shows; they are nice to have to round out the collection, but it should be noted that the picture and sound quality are not to the same standards as on the first DVD. Still their inclusion is worth having seeing as live performances of these songs have previously been unavailable on DVD. Also on the second DVD is the animation that was played during the song Octavarium, so if you happened to miss watching it during the show you were at, now you'll have the chance to watch it in full.
The best part of the second DVD has to be the documentary showing the history of the band from the days of being at Berklee School of Music up to the present day. Definitely a good look into DT's history, and a great companion to the book that Rich Wilson is writing on DT (www.dreamtheaterbook.com). My only real complaint on the documentary is that it isn't long enough, but surely Rich's book will fill in many of the stories and details missing in the documentary.
All in all, this release is definitely a labor love for the fans. No DT fan's collection will be complete without it. Also, both the show itself and the documentary serve as a great way to introduce DT to those who are just beginning to learn about them. I give this DVD the highest recommendation I possibly can! Stop reading these reviews and buy this thing - you won't regret it!!!

Click Here to see more reviews about: Dream Theater - Score: 20th Anniversary World Tour Live with the Octavarium Orchestra (2006)

This DVD features the grand finale concert of the "20th Anniversary Tour", recorded live at Radio City Music Hall on April 1, 2006. Disc One is footage of the concert, and Disc 2 includes bonus features. Track Listings: The Root Of All Evil [Set 1] I Walk Beside You [Set 1] Another Won [Set 1] Afterlife [Set 1] Under A Glass Moon [Set 1] Innovence Faded [Set 1] Raise The Knife [Set 1] The Spirit Carries On [Set 1] Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence: [Set 2] I. Overture [Set 2] II. About To Crash [Set 2] III. War Inside My Head [Set 2] IV. The Test That Stumped Them All [Set 2] V. Goodnight Kiss [Set 2] VI. Solitary Shell [Set 2] VII. About To Crash (Reprise) [Set 2] VIII. Losing Time/Grand Finale Vacant [Set 2] The Answer Lies Within [Set 2] Sacrificed Sons [Set 2] Octavarium: [Set 2] Intro [Set 2] I. Someone Like Him [Set 2] II. Medicate Me [Set 2] III. Full Circle [Set 2] IV. Intervals [Set 2] V. Razor's Edge [Set 2] Encore: Metropolis [Set 2]

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