(amazon.com)
Freddie Mercury
The Great Pretender (DVD)
Eagle Vision
By David Chiu
One of the greatest singers in rock and roll history, Queen’s Freddie Mercury lived life to the utmost heights through his trademark extravagance and flamboyance. But offstage, Mercury was very private and shy– as told in a new documentary about the singer directed by Rhys Thomas. View full article »
(Eagle Rock Entertainment)
Pink Floyd
The Story of Wish You Were Here
Eagle Rock Entertainment
By David Chiu
After making probably the most commercially and artistically successful album of all time, how does a band live up to that for the next record? In the case of Pink Floyd, the result was 1975’s Wish You Were Here, the follow-up to the mammoth record Dark Side of the Moon. View full article »
(amazon.com)
Queen
Days of Our Lives (DVD)
Eagle Vision
By David Chiu
There have been several documentaries about Queen in the past, but this latest one, Days of Our Lives, is perhaps the best one and certainly the most thorough to coincide with the band’s 40th anniversary. View full article »
Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson’s VISION
MJJ Productions/Epic/Legacy
By David Chiu
Other than his music, the essential medium to really understand the impact of Michael Jackson is the videos (or as this new DVD set more artistically refers to as short films. Whatever the term you choose to prefer, it is extremely hard to separate the man from the groundbreaking (and sometimes controversial) videos he made—it’s been engrained in the minds and hearts of generations weaned from MTV. View full article »
Rush
Classic Albums: 2112 and Moving Pictures
Eagle Vision
by David Chiu
Rush has the distinction of having two albums spotlighted on the excellent Classic Albums series, and they are undoubtedly special and crucial to the band’s history. “2112,” first released in 1976, has a sci-fi/Ayn Rand-influenced storyline in the epic title track, highlighting the theme of the individual and society. The album was a turning point for the band at a time where they had to deliver on a hit album (following the disappointing Caress of Steel) or face being dropped by their record label. It was a huge hit and set the wheels in motion for the blockbuster Moving Pictures, released five years later. It found Rush steering away from the sidelong album track and towards more shorter, cohesive and accessible songs. It yielded three songs that have gone onto become rock classics: the signature “Tom Sawyer,” “Red Barchetta” and “Limelight.” All the music from both 2112 and Moving Pictures highlight the dynamic and powerful musicianship of guitarist Alex Lifeson, singer/bassist Geddy Lee and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart. The three principals and producer Terry Brown are interviewed for the program to reflect on the making of the albums and the stories behind the songs. The special highlights what makes this Canadian rock band so unique and will probably add fuel to the fire about getting Rush inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The Rolling Stones
Stones In Exile
Eagle Rock Entertainment
The Doors
When You’re Strange: A Film about The Doors
Eagle Rock Entertainment
Review by David Chiu
Two documentaries on two of the greatest rock bands in history have been recently released–one focusing on a classic album, the other a searing portrait of a group with a legendary, mythical singer.
Stones in Exile comes on the heels of the recent reissue of the Rolling Stones’ classic 1972 opus Exile on Main St. But the documentary is more than just the making of the record per se– it’s about the circumstances that brought about its creation. View full article »
Black Sabbath
Classic Albums: Paranoid
Eagle Vision
by David Chiu
Black Sabbath: Paranoid is the latest installment of the fine Classic Albums documentary series, which spotlights on the story behind a classic rock album. And certainly Paranoid is a worthy subject for discussion being that it remains one of the most–if not the–influential heavy metal albums of all time. Featuring recent interviews with the original members of Sabbath–Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward–and associates, journalists and admirers (among them Black Flag’s Henry Rollins), the documentary focuses on the making of the album and the stories behind the songs. Given the reputation of Sabbath as purveyors of stoner metal and the dark arts, it’s sometimes easy to forget the message of Paranoid, part of which is a provocative protest against the Vietnam war (“War Pigs”) and drugs (“Hand of Doom”). And underneath the slabs of thunderous metal (“Paranoid”) reveal a quieter side of the band, as in the case of the trippy ballad “Planet Caravan.” It puts into perspective how outsider this band was compared to their contemporaries, which probably explains why Sabbath is legendary. As the album turns 40 this year, this excellent documentary gives the appreciation and due that Paranoid deserves–of course, Sabbath’s loyal fan and supporters already knew this.
AC/DC
Backtracks
Columbia
By David Chiu
When you get down to it, this 2-CD collection of studio and live rarities is really for the fan who has or nearly has every thing recorded by the veteran rockers. Admittedly the songs here on this set doesn’t drastically depart from anything stylistically we’d expect from Angus Young and company, which is essentially bone-crunching hard rock. More than half of the studio rarities on Disc 1 is devoted to the Bon Scott era with a mix of swaggering rock (“R.I.P.”); a ballad (“Love Song”); and a slow blues number (“Crabsody in Blue”); the rest is blistering hard rock from Scott’s successor with the menacing vocals Brian Johnston (“Down on the Borderline,” “Love Gun”). The live rarities portion consists of staples such as “Back in Black” (recorded live in ’81), “You Shook Me All Night Long,” “Highway To Hell” and “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap” from ’77 featuring Scott. The DVD disc consists of (cheeky) promo videos from 1993 to 2008 (“Hard As a Rock,” “Safe in New York City,” “Rock and Roll Train”) as well as some bonus clips such as “Jailbreak” and “You Shook Me…”). All in all, Backtracks puts everything out there for AC/DC completists.
Jethro Tull
Live at Madison Square Garden 1978
Capitol/EMI
By David Chiu
If you were too young to see Jethro Tull in their ‘70s heyday, this latest DVD/CD set highlighting their 1978 Garden performance is the closest thing possible. As shown here in the DVD portion of the set, it isn’t your typical performance as it was originally broadcasted internationally for television. The concert actually started with the first three songs, which is only represented in the audio portion of the DVD, then followed by the actual TV broadcast, and then goes back to the audio-only performances of the final three songs once the broadcast was over. Even Tull frontman Ian Anderson’s admits in the sleeve notes that the whole set-up seemed a bit unconventional. Regardless, the band was still at their progressive rock glory performing both popular tunes like “Aqualung” and “Locomotive Breath” and then-new songs like “Heavy Horses” and “No Lullaby.” Visually and musically the band was electric highlighted by Anderson’s campy yet energetic stage presence. This new release will probably only appeal to die-hard Tull fans but it’s entertaining if you love that era of bombastic rock.
Roxy Music
The Story of Roxy Music: More Than This (DVD)
Eagle Vision
By David Chiu
There is no question of how influential Roxy Music was and still is to so many artists including Duran Duran, Chic and Scissor Sisters. This wonderful documentary makes clear of the genius and legacy of Bryan Ferry and company through their innovative music and artistic sensibilities. Featuring recent interviews with Ferry, guitarist Phil Manzanera, saxophonist Andy Mackay, keyboardist Brian Eno and others, More Than This traces the band’s evolution from futuristic-looking art rockers to New Romantic hit-makers in songs such as “Re-make/Re-Model,” “Mother of Pearl,” “Love is the Drug,” and “Jealous Guy.” And while Roxy made great music that bridged glam, punk and New Wave, they also brought a visual style to rock, as evident on their cover albums featuring those gorgeous cover models. And as fans wait for that reunion album, More Than This also shows footage of the band in the studio recording it. Sprinkle in some testimonials by Duran Duran’s John Taylor, Siouxie, Chic’s Nile Rodgers and Sex Pistol Steve Jones, and you have a wonderful look back at a pioneering band.
