Thomas The Tank Engine And Friends - The Early Years (3-Disc Set) Review

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(More customer reviews)Before I begin, let me just say that Cloudy Harpe's review is wrong. This DVD is NOT a compilation of the first five Thomas tapes released in America, but is actually a compilation of all twenty-six episodes from Series 1. "Whistles and Sneezes," "Gordon Takes a Dip," "Down the Mine" and "Thomas's Christmas Party are on this DVD; "Double Trouble," "A Cow on the Line," "Old Iron" and "Thomas Comes to Breakfast" are not.
But anyway...if you don't already own this, go out and buy it now. It is, quite simply, the best Thomas DVD available. This episodes are from the good old days when Thomas was about trains and railways instead of friendships and morals.
What's even better is that the episodes are all narrated by the one and only Ringo Starr, and are in their original British format. Words and phrases like "trucks," "guard" and "Fat Controller are all intact (though the latter phrase might prove offensive to some over-protective parents).
The special features are not so good, however. They're rather poor-quality, and are narrated by the dreadful Robin Smith, who gives his characters awful voices and always sounds far too cheerful. But don't be put off by this; the rest of the DVD is fantastic, and something that every Thomas fan will love.
Buy it.

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For the first time ever, all of the original 26 episodes of "Thomas & Friends" are together in this must-have three DVD disc set! Collectors and new fans of Thomas will love taking a journey back in time to experience Thomas from the very beginning. Join Thomas as he meets Gordon, Percy, Henry, Edward and all of his favorite friends on the island of Sodor for the very first time. Disc 1 and Disc 2 are loaded with 13 episodes each. Narrated by Ringo Starr, both parents and kids alike are sure to love every fun-filled minute. All-new features, activities and educational games await discovery on Disc 3, including commentary from Sir Topham Hatt, a read-along story and much, much more!

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Classic Albums: John Lennon - Plastic Ono Band (2008) Review

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(More customer reviews)The 'Classic Albums' series document the making of seminal pop albums
(Paul Simon's 'Graceland', Bob Marley's 'Catch a Fire', Fleetwood
Mac's 'Rumours', to name but a few of the previous releases) through
interviews with participants and associates and the playing of master
tapes (more on that later). This new 52' feature documents the making
of John Lennon's first 'proper' (i.e. accessible to the public at
large) studio album, 'John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band', recorded in the
fall of 1970 and released in December of that year.
Although light on the rare video side of things - there appears to be
no available footage of the sessions, so the producers have collected
little-seen (but previously circulating) clips of John attending the
Alexandra Palace psychedelic event in London (29 April 1967) and
sequences from the BBC '24 Hour' documentary (shown on 15 December
1969) -, the real treat for Beatles videos collectors are
previously-unseen excerpts of John and Yoko's appearance on
'Parkinson' (17 July 1971) which, to my knowledge, haven't been seen
since the original transmission. Other clips from that show have been
included in various programmes over the years, notably 'Imagine'
(1972) and 'Imagine, John Lennon' (1988) but the ones on this DVD are
different.
We also get new interviews with people involved in the making of the
album (Yoko Ono, Ringo Starr, Klaus Vormann, engineers Phil McDonald
and John Leckie), music critics (Jann Wenner, who interviewed Lennon
at length in December 1970 for 'Rolling Stone,' and Richard Williams),
the man responsible for inspiring the album (Dr. Arthur Janov,
proponent of the primal scream theory, whose seminar John and Yoko had
attended in the summer of 1970), Beatle historian Mark Lewisohn
(author of the superb 'The Beatles' Recording Sessions' and 'The
Complete Beatles Chronicles'), as well as Elliot Mintz, who was not
involved with the album at all. My impression is that the latter's
inclusion is due to the fact that he appears to be groomed, as Yoko's
PR man, to take over as guardian of John's legacy the day she passes
away. Here's someone else who'll be ready on day one...
But the main drawing point of this DVD, and what makes it in my
opinion an essential addition to any Lennon fan's collection, is the
playing of the original multitrack tapes at Abbey Road by the
engineers who worked on the album. As they isolate various tracks, we
get to hear John's spine-chilling voice on its own or the various
instruments on the - very spare - backing tracks (which usually
consisted simply of John on guitar or piano, Ringo on drums and Klaus
on bass).
We also get shots of various EMI Tape boxes, indicating the precise
recording dates of various songs on the album. Up until now, the only
known session date for a particular song was 9 October 1970, John's
30th birthday, when he recorded 'Remember'. Here are the dates we now
have:
26 Sep 1970: 'Mother' (take 61 -- possibly an in-joke, as this was the
first day of recording), 'Working Class Hero' (takes 1-9)
27 Sep 1970: 'God' (takes 1-2 of an alternate, acoustic guitar-based
version), 'Well Well Well' (takes 3-4)
30 Sep 1970: 'Hold On' (takes 1-6)
7 Oct 1970: 'Look at Me' (take 1), 'God' (takes 1-8 of a remake, still
guitar-based)
9 Oct 1970: 'Remember' (takes 1-4)
17 Oct 1970: 'Mother' (possibly a vocal overdub session)
24 Oct 1970: 'Mother' (another possible vocal overdub session)
There is another session sheet, but the date is cropped out in the
documentary. On that unspecified date (probably late September), they
recorded 'Isolation' (takes 24-29) and 'Well Well Well' (takes 5-6 of
a remake).
In addition to the 52' documentary, there's 35' of bonus
footage. On many DVDs, this is filled with boring stuff
considered not good enough to be included in the main feature. Here,
though, it's simply more great isolation mixes, two clips from John's
1972 concert at Madison Square Garden ('Well Well Well' and 'Mother'),
and the 'holding up signs' version of 'Instant Karma!' (broadcast on
'Top of the Pops' on 19 February 1970) in pristine quality.
* Spoiler alert! Don't read any further if you want to be
surprised by the musical contents of this DVD! *
The multitracks played are:
- a mostly complete 'Remember' (with some stop-and-starts and a recent
clip of Klaus playing the bass line at home) and an earlier (fun,
faster) take, which was partially released on 'John Lennon Anthology'
in 1998. This multitrack mixdown starts earlier, though.
- isolated tracks of 'Well Well Well', 'Working Class Hero', 'God'
(the released version and an alternate, acoustic guitar-based take),
'Mother', 'Isolation', 'Love.'
Bamiyan
Beatles on DVD

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"John Lennon / Plastic Ono Band" was John Lennon's first solo studio album after the break up of The Beatles. Both John & Yoko had been undergoing primal scream therapy in the lead up to the recording of the album and both this and Yoko Ono's companion album ("Yoko Ono / Plastic Ono Band") were deeply influenced by their therapy. This latest addition to Eagle's acclaimed Classic Albums series explores the creation of this groundbreaking album through new interviews, archive footage and detailed analysis of the original multi-track masters. Interviewees include Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono and bass player Klaus Voorman.TRACK LISTING: Features excerpts from: Mother - Hold On - Isolation - I Found Out - Love - God - Working Class Hero - and more...

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The 4 Complete Ed Sullivan Shows Starring The Beatles (2010) Review

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(More customer reviews)If you're here looking at this DVD chances are the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show is meaningful to you. This is ground zero for modern Rock music, sure Elvis popularized Rock `n Roll, but this is where everything switches from singles to Albums and later to an Art form. The performances speak for themselves; the Boys are in fine form and in spite of the antiquated, very primitive sound system they sound great. This new version of the Beatles on Ed Sullivan DVD has been improved, the picture is brighter and a bit more clean, the 5:1 surround sound is quite good. If you're playing this through a surround sound system, the subwoofer handles the bass parts very nicely with little or no audible rumble, the vocals are clear and the overall presentation is quite remarkable especially considering the circumstances. A must buy for anyone of a certain age who wants to bask in the glory of the old days, and for newcomers who want to see what the fuss was all about. If you have the original SOFA release and you don't have a surround sound sytem, the old version will suffice, if you've got the Surround Sound, then spring for the new one, it's worth the investment. You shoulda been there.

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THE 4 COMPLETE ED SULLIVAN SHOWS STARRING THE BEATLES,DIGITALLY REMASTERED AND INCLUDING SOME PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED MATERIAL, TO BE ISSUED ON DVD BY UNIVERSAL MUSIC ENTERPRISES When The Beatles stepped onto Sullivan's New York stage on Sunday, February 9, 1964, to make their American TV debut, 86 percent of all TVs on at that hour--73 million Americans--tuned in. It was the most-watched program in history to that point and remains one of the most-watched programs of all time. Nearly 50 years after the four landmark live performances of The Beatles on "The Ed Sullivan Show," those legendary appearances with newly remastered audio and carefully restored video will finally be made available worldwide on home video through a major distributor. The 4 Complete Ed Sullivan Shows Starring The Beatles will be released September 7, 2010. The 4 Complete Ed Sullivan Shows Starring The Beatles was produced by SOFA Entertainment. "We used the full extent of today's technology," says Andrew Solt, Executive Producer and CEO of SOFA Entertainment. "The quality is better than it ever was, in fact, better than when the shows aired, especially visually. For example, the February 16 performance was from Miami's Deauville Hotel, not from a studio. The quality of the tape image was very fragile. We went back and improved it frame by frame." With a running time of more than 250 minutes, The 4 Complete Ed Sullivan Shows Starring The Beatles presents those shows uncut, including not only all of the other performances but also all of the original commercials. Also included is The Cast of Oliver! (featuring a young Davy Jones) singing"I'll Do Anything For You."The audio is available in both mono and a 5.1 remix. In addition, the new DVD set has been augmented with approximately 13 minutes of additional footage.

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Caveman (1981) Review

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(More customer reviews)Everyone has a favorite "stinker" in their home video collection, and this is mine. My girlfriend thinks I'm nuts. My friends cringe and turn the other way whenever I mention it. And my family offers me "special medication" if I try and get them to watch it...again.
But what can I say; I love this film. It's banality, shallowness, and out-and-out unscientific approach to modern man's changes and discoveries throughout the eons is just hilarious to watch. It's a ridiculous film, and so should be watched with that in mind. Why?
The story is about Atouk played by former Beatle master Ringo Starr, who is kicked out of his caveman tribe by the muscular and massive chief Tonda (probably lineman John Matuszak's only role on film, I'd guess) because he's in love with the chief's woman, Lana (a VERY busty Barbara Bach).
Once out on his own, Atouk begins to make new friends. They include Lar (Dennis Quaid), Tala (Shelley Long), Gog (Jack Gilford), Ta (Cork Hubbert), and a gazillion others. Among this rag-tag grouping comes the ability to stand up straight, how to cook a dinosaur egg, how to kill a rather large dragonfly by using someone's face (my favorite part in the film...but I felt bad for Dennis Quaid), the discovery of fire, music, drugs, homosexuality, and weapons, and just about a million years of evolution and discovery all wrapped up in one short, foolish film.
So call me a moron. Go ahead, it's okay. But this film is a great no-brainer, laugh-a-minute flick.
Now I'll go grunt in the corner for while...

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Ex-Beatle Ringo Starr, Dennis Quaid, Barbara Bach and Shelley Long band together in a hilarious love story for the ages'the stone ages! With an all-star cast and fun special effects, this cult comedyclassic is a "cheery, playful" (The New York Times) romp through BC that "aims for belly laughs and gets them" (Variety)! Prehistoric life is tough for poor, lovesick Atouk (Starr). As the smallest and weakest caveman of his tribe, he is unable to win the heart of the beautiful Lana (Bach) and is banished from the cave by Lana's mate, Tonda (NFL star John Matuszak), the hulking chief of the tribe. Forced to wander the ancient wilderness, Atouk meets a variety of unlikelyallies who, after hearing his story, want to help him get back in with his clan. And before Atouk knows it, he's the chief of his own tribe of misfits! Leading his rag-tag band of oddballs into battle, Atouk has one mission in mind: to knock Tonda off his throne and carry Lana away by her hair!

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