DVD SHORT SCALE: DVD reviews in 200 words or less
By Rachel Heisler
DVD review: Elvis Presley: Destination Vegas (Weinerworld)
Rating: 1 out of 5 geetars
Destination Vegas is clearly not one of the best Elvis Presley documentaries to grace the sale racks. While it’s toted as “the first and definitive documentary to tell the story of Elvis’s residency in Vegas, a town that was to become synonymous with him,” this DVD is more a brash, fast-moving, 80-minute overview of his history and career that doesn’t, in fact, hardly delve into his time spent in Las Vegas. On the contrary, anyone with an even small amount of Elvis knowledge will find themselves familiar with the information dished out here.
Included on the unofficial film are about 100 wonderful pieces of never-before-seen private footage, and a great feature are a few full-length music videos of some of his most popular songs. However, the commentary is biased and at many times harsh and unforgiving, which detracts from the material as a whole.
Anyone wanting to purchase a documentary that’s chock-full of detailed information about The King should look elsewhere. This is a DVD for the new Elvis fan, one who just wants to know the most basic of facts and doesn’t mind being told when Elivs was good and when he was bad.
DVD review: Jethro Tull Live At Montreux 2003 (Eagle Eye Media)
Rating: 4 out of 5 geetars
Live At Montreux is the perfect DVD for any Tullhead collection. Nineteen songs are included, such as “Some Day The Sun Won’t Shine For You,” “Beside Myself,” “Fat Man,” “Nothing Is Easy” and the ever-loved “Aqualung,” and spans the five-decade-long career of the British band. Frontman and one of the world’s most favorite flautists, Ian Anderson, is humorous and chatty with his anecdotes, and puts on a wildly energetic performance, and lead guitarist Martin Barre steps up in his own original songs, like “Empty Cafe.” The audio and visual qualities are about as good as you can get on a DVD, and fans will appreciate the close-up shots of band members.
The DVD comes with a booklet that covers the group’s history, and a two-disk CD of the same material as featured on the DVD has also been released. If you can’t live without these classic live hits in your car, it’s probably best to shell out the extra dough and grab both.
DVD review: Bob Mould Circle of Friends (Trixie)
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 geetars
Bob Mould may best be known for fronting the band Husker Du, but his career continued after with the band Sugar and much-loved solo recordings. On Circle of Friends, Mould is joined by Brendan Canty (Fugazi), Richard Morel (Morel) and Jason Narducy (Rockets Over Sweden), and they present 23 songs and pre-show interviews. The live concert was filmed at the 9:30 Club in Washington, DC, on October 7, 2005, and is Mould’s first fully authorized live concert release.
Songs are pulled from a number of Mould’s past CD, including Husker Du’s Candy Apple Grey, Zen Arcade and Flip Your Wing, Sugar’s Copper Blue and solo albums Body of Song and Workbook. His hyper, punk-infused alt.rock that dominated his early years is nicely offset with his more mature later works. Either or, Mould’s voice and passionate demeanor are in full swing from first song to last, and his introspective nature is at the forefront of the music.
Circle of Friends rocks in the most gorgeous of ways, and though it’s a must-have for die-hard fans, it’s a must-have for anyone who knows good music when they hear it. Mould will release a new studio album on Anti Records in January 2008.
