Wednesday, October 19 2011
He Performs This Way: ‘Weird Al Yankovic: Live! - The Alpocalypse Tour’
"Weird Al" live is as great a concert spectacle as you will ever see. If for some reason you can't make it, this DVD will do nicely in its place.
Tuesday, October 18 2011
‘Nirvana Live at the Paramount’: Stand Near This Fire
Nirvana were always like some neighborhood kid's angsty little brother: loud, intense, and thoroughly unguarded even as wise-ass irony leaked through the veneer.
Thursday, October 13 2011
When Cool and Not Cool Collide, You Get the Tepid ‘Jimi Hendrix: The Dick Cavett Show’
Jimi is great as usual, but this DVD -- not so much.
Sunday, July 24 2011
‘Deep Purple: Phoenix Rising’: A Far Cry from Peak Purple
Jon Lord and Glenn Hughes recall Deep Purple's slow decline and sudden fall.
Sunday, July 17 2011
Lots of Talk, Little Action in ‘Neil Young’s Music Box: Here We Are In the Years’
Neil Young’s Music Box: Here We Are In the Years is an unauthorized documentary DVD in which music critics discuss Neil Young's musical influences, as well as his ongoing influence on his peers and musicians that have come in his wake.
Tuesday, July 12 2011
A Document Good Enough to Eat: ‘Bob Dylan: The Other Side of the Mirror’
The film showcases several songs from each year, both from the festival’s daytime workshops and nighttime concerts, and the music is often as startling as Bob Dylan’s physical and charismatic alterations.
Tuesday, June 28 2011
‘Spectacle with Elvis Costello: Season Two’ Gives Us Shows Worth Rescuing From a Fire
In Season Two of his interview-and music shmoozefest, Elvis Costello reveals his inner cheese.
Monday, June 20 2011
‘Primal Scream: Screamadelica Live’: the 1991 Performance In Its Entirety
History suggests that there was something here, something, indeed, to write home about, something that made those in the UK so mad for Primal Scream.
Tuesday, June 7 2011
‘AC/DC: Let There Be Rock’: The Working Class Ethic, Amplified
AC/DC revitalizes the sounds of working-class life through their music, unleashing and claiming the vitality that capitalism normally disciplines and harnesses for the benefits of the bosses at the expense of the workers.
Sunday, June 5 2011
Pure Imagination in ‘Brian Eno: 1971-1977: The Man Who Fell to Earth’
This doc provides a look at one of the most exciting figures in rock music at his creative peak. So, how is it that it is so painfully dull and free of insight?
Friday, June 3 2011
Something a Little Bit Different: ‘David Byrne: Ride, Rise, Roar’
David Byrne's theme of human optimism in the face of the dread inherent in an increasingly impersonal world continues -- a theme becoming more relevant with each passing decade.
Thursday, May 26 2011
Louis Prima: In Person! His Wildest Performances 1936-1973
From early short subjects to appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show and The Dinah Shore Chevy Show, this is nearly 40 years of exclamatory madness.
Wednesday, May 11 2011
Wheedle’s Groove: Seattle’s Forgotten Soul of the 1960’s and ‘70s
This winning documentary sheds a light on a part of Seattle's musical history that probably very few residents of Seattle knew very much about.
Thursday, April 28 2011
Sweet Mercy: ‘An Evening with Frank Zappa, The Torture Never Stops’
There has never been a rock artist like Zappa. Who else could combine Spike Jones and Stravinsky? Who else saw themselves as both Monty Python and Duke Ellington?
Wednesday, April 27 2011
‘The Lucksmiths: Unfamiliar Stars’ Is a Fun and Fitting Sendoff for this Hardworking Band
The Lucksmiths might remain unfamiliar stars, but this DVD more than makes the case for renewed appreciation.
Wednesday, April 13 2011
‘Heaven 17 Live at Scala’ Gives Us Those Chilly-Cum-Funky Electronic Tunes
In the early '80s, it was possible for England's postpunk pioneers -- New Romantics, Rude Boys, and assorted other malcontents -- to imagine themselves the center of the media universe.
Tuesday, April 12 2011
‘Stan Kenton: Artistry in Rhythm’ Doesn’t Swing, It Blasts!
A super-informative look at a great jazz bandleader, arranger, composer and educator. I was surprised by how ferocious and dynamic Stan Kenton's music is, both in the sense of a dynamo and in its rhythmic structure.
Thursday, March 31 2011
‘Steve Reich: Phase to Face’ Suffers from Restraint
Do you hear that? It's the sound of the surface barely being scratched over Steve Reich's career.
Tuesday, March 22 2011
‘Heart: Night At Sky Church’: Praise the Rock ‘n’ Roll Goddesses
I love it when a famous band kicks into a famous song live. No matter how many times I’ve heard the song before, when that first familiar beat, note or riff rings out, I feel an indescribable sense of elation.
Tuesday, March 15 2011
Depeche Mode Rewind: 30 Years at the Edge’ Succeeds Only in Misleading
A documentary about one of the most compelling bands of the '80s is unworthy of its purported subject.
