Les Miserables - The Dream Cast in Concert (1998) Review

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(More customer reviews)Words fail me when I try to describe this video. Les Miz is a glorious play, what with the genius of Boublil & Schonberg. I didn't think I would much enjoy this video because of its lack of actual set & acting and also the few short pieces cut. But it still blew me away. Best of all was the cast. It truly was the definitive edition.
Colm Wilkinson is just the perfect Valjean. His voice has such emotion & resonance to it. And he has such a strong presence as an actor.
Philip Quast was another excellent performer. I've once heard his voice described as "flinty" and I think that that's a good word for it. He really portrays Javert with such coldness, he makes the character quite vivid.
Ruthie Henshall's Fantine is one of those rare performances in musical theatre which simply cannot be surpassed. Henshall's voice is so stirring, heartbreaking, reverberating, deep, chilling, and beautiful. Her "I Dreamed a Dream" is excellent!
Michael Ball's Marius needs to introduction. He's THE Marius, what else is there to say? His voice so, so powerful and he sings with such heart. His "Empty Chairs At Empty Tables" is truly captivating.
Michael Maguire's Enjolras is often criticised. Yes, this wasn't the best performance he probably could have given and he did miss a few notes. But he still has a great voice. People argue that Anthony Warlow is a better Enjolras. While I agree that Warlow has the vocal edge, there's something in Maguire's performance that makes him so much like Enjolras and just so perfect for the part.
Judy Kuhn's Cosette was the one performance which I can say is good but not great. She didn't strike me the first time I heard her, though she has grown on me. She does have a lovely voice, but I just don't go for the whole "ringing soprano" thing. In fact, almost all Cosettes & Christines and the like in general just annoy me. I think Kuhn sounded better as Pocahontas.
Hannah Chick's little Cosette was SO adorable! She didn't miss a note during "Castle On A Cloud" which she just sang so sweetly. At the same time, she didn't seem to overact the sweetness, which I've seen all too many Cosettes do. And the way she kept singing after the stage light explosion was very professional.
And Adam Searles, gotta Love him. Similar to Maguire, I have heard Gavroches with better voices that Searles but he just has the part of Gavroche down so well. He just has the perfect street-wise, smart-aleck attitude perfectly.
I was shocked as to how many people disliked Lea Salonga's Eponine. Even more shocking was how people insisted that Frances Ruffelle was much better. I think Salonga was THE most phenomenal singer of the night. To me, Ruffelle sounds terrible! Many have called Salonga too "bitter" or "angry" but Eponine is a bitter, angry character! Salonga sings with such force, and at other times (e.g. "A Little Fall of Rain") with such sad sweetness. Her "On My Own" was so excellent that watching it is an intense experience. I could barely tear my eyes from the screen the first time I saw her sing it. I think there is no question that she's THE definitive Eponine. 'Course that's just my opinion.
All in all, this was the greatest performance of Les Miz I have ever seen!

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The 10th anniversary of the international musical sensation Les Misérables is celebrated in this 1995 concert at London's Royal Albert Hall. The all-star cast features Colm Wilkinson (Valjean), Ruthie Henshall (Fantine), Michael Ball (Marius), Judy Kuhn (Cosette), Lea Salonga (Eponine), Philip Quast (Javert), and Alun Armstrong (Thenardier).Favorite songs from the Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg score include "Who Am I?", "I Dreamed a Dream," "Master of the House," "One Day More," "Do You Hear the People Sing?" and "Bring Him Home."

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Shakira: Live & Off The Record Review

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(More customer reviews)As a gentleman with a bit of grey in my hair, I've been privileged to have seen almost every major act that came down the road. I saw this concert at another stop on the tour, and I must say I was completely and breathlessly KNOCKED OUT by Shakira's performance, on every professional and ethereal level. The atmosphere in the arena was as highly charged as I've ever experienced, and her entrance as you'll witness on this disc was dramatic, mysterious, sensual and almost otherworldly. When those lights hit the snake and the opening chords of Ojos Asi were struck... and as she began to move... and as she seemed to float forward to the mike... I'll tell you, it was a life moment, I'll never forget it. It was genuinely surreal. What was SO incredible, however, was that by the time the song was about to end and we had seen her movement, heard her voice, and felt the powerful and exotic wall of sound reduce to a simple violin phrase, the crowd was almost silent, as though dumbstruck. Few entrances and opening numbers have ever left me speechless... but this did. As to the DVD, it's A+ in every regard except for being the single most poorly edited video I've ever sat through. A blind editor would have done a better job. Otherwise the show is great, sound is great, camerawork when left alone for more than one second is good (this speed freak MTV five shots a second nonsense must end!), this woman has perhaps the most beautiful face since Bardot and she moves like an opium dream. Buy it and see why Britney and Christina cut their tours short - they obviously watched this DVD!

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No Description AvailableNo Track Information AvailableMedia Type: DVDArtist: SHAKIRATitle: LIVE & OFF THE RECORDStreet Release Date: 03/30/2004

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Styx - Return to Paradise (1999) Review

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(More customer reviews)This DVD, bought last year, was my first music/concert video purchase. It was a good choice and led to about 30 more purchases over the last 6 months or so. The video is clear, camera work is good and the sound is great. I was using an old Dolby Pro-Logic setup when I bought this but have since upgraded to a full DD 5.1/DTS home theatre system. This DVD sounded really good with my old system but, in comparison, sounds awesome now. In this concert (the songs are listed somewhere else on this page so I won't repeat them), Styx performs most of my favorites and the band is tight. I saw them live in Houston back in the 80's and again this year at the Rodeo in the Astrodome - not a good venue for concerts. But this live concert on DVD is better in many respects since you get to see the band close-up and the sound is almost as good as being there, if you have a good sound system. Also, I think the current Styx lineup misses something without the great voice of Dennis DeYoung. So, if you like the original Styx lineup, this is the DVD to get. Also, if you like to see closeups of the musicians when they are playing, the camera work with respect to that is fairly good. I've seen better on other DVDs but you do get some shots of JY and Tommy doing the riffs from some of the classic Styx hits.
I would say this DVD a must-have for STYX fans and very entertaining for anyone else who likes "middle-of-the-road classic rock" (i.e. somewhere between "soft rock" and "heavy metal"). I give it 5 stars based on 1) video and camera work, 2) 5.1 sound track and 3) the fact that I've always liked Styx's music and most of my favorites are on this DVD.

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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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Where the Wild Things Are (2009) Review

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(More customer reviews)I know others will go deep with analysis of this product, so I will just state what I think is the most important element. This show seems to have been edited by someone who is not only aware of this type of music, but also a fan. I cannot handle nonstop 2 second cuts to every camera view that I could care less about. The days of the frantic MTV style video presentation are OVER. This DVD is perfect in that aspect, when Steve is going for the "part", you WILL get to see it. And there is also just the right amount of effects and movement to keep it interesting & fresh. Any musician who actually cares about the music, should pay attention to "Where the Wild Things Are" and use this as a reference point for any Producer or Director who will be in charge of presenting an artists true vision in the arena of concert recording. For me: The Perfect Concert DVDHUNT4MUSIC

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Where The Wild Things Are is a 2 DVD set recorded live and filmed in high definition at the State Theatre in Minneapolis, MN during Steve Vai s recent SoundTheories Tour. Where The Wild Things Are features a world-class group of musicians, unlike any other band Steve has ever assembled. -Two DVDs containing nearly 3 hours of Steve Vai in concert, along with cool bonus footage that includes exclusive interviews with Steve s band members and Steve s viral hit promotional video for the Jemini distortion pedal.-The highly anticipated follow-up to his Visual Sound Theories and multi-platinum Live At The Astoria DVDs.-Special digipack and accompanying 20 page booklet, featuring beautiful live photo spreads from the tour.-DVD contains both 5.1 and stereo mixes, and a commentary track featuring Steve and some of his band members.-13 Grammy nominations, including 3 wins.

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Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) - Out of the Blue: Live at Wembley (2006) Review

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(More customer reviews)The original release of this program, first on cable and VHS and then on DVD, featured an altered audio track in which tracks from the "Out Of The Blue" album were dubbed over the live performances. This gave rise to unfair claims that ELO lip-synched their concerts. However, this new remaster restores the live sound as heard at Wembley that night--and proves that the overdubs were unnecessary. Some of the video effects are cheesy by today's standards, and the band does use some pre-recorded effects and string augmentation (NOT vocals or principal instruments), but on the whole, this is a great document of a fine LIVE band at its commercial peak.

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Throughout their career, Electric Light Orchestra gained a deserved reputation for creating spectacular live shows and this reached its pinnacle with the "Out of the Blue" world tour in 1978. This special edition presents the concert from London’s Wembley Arena in DTS and Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, and the highest quality PCM stereo for the first time, all newly re-mastered from the original tapes. With a tracklisting that includes classics such as "Mr. Blue Sky", "Livin’ Thing", "Sweet Talkin’ Woman", "Telephone Line", "Wild West Hero", "Roll Over Beethoven" and many more, this is the definitive edition of the ultimate Electric Light Orchestra concert.Tracklisting: 1) Introduction 2) Standin’ In The Rain 3) Night In The City 4) Turn To Stone 5) Tightrope 6) Telephone Line 7) Rockaria! 8) Wild West Hero 9) Showdown 10) Sweet Talkin’ Woman 11) Mr. Blue Sky 12) Do Ya 13) Livin’ Thing 14) Roll Over Beethoven

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