"A true Tour De Force", Machines, Mics, it's Masterful!
348729
What more can be said?  Biafra and Jourgensen.  It's like milk and cookies!!
3468690
When I purchased this marvelous disc from Amazon, the customer ratings stood at 22 five-star raves and two equivocal three-star posts that focused on alleged audio deficiencies. Perhaps an average run-of-the mill surround sound system registers defects, but I can attest that the recording sounds fabulous on a state-of-the-art stereo rig. Needless to say, sound technology has developed considerably since - of all people! -- famed director Henri-Georges Clouzot ("Les Diaboliques" and "The Wages of Fear") filmed this in 1967. Still, it is damned good, with virtually no audible distortion and a tremendous dynamic range. I was delighted! It's always fun to watch the pompous but brilliant von Karajan, and the now legendary soloists are fabulous - especially Fiorenza Cossotto. Despite that disturbing whoop of a slur Leontyne Price often made, she is at her glorious best; Giaurov is superb; and Pavarotti never sounded as wonderful as he did in his youth. Clouzot's filming is exemplary and the 4:3 video image is quite clean and clear.
3466316
Great performance!  Good to listen to,  no matter what you're doing!
4824546
This CD is jaw-dropping! Hearing 5 guys play music like this is astonishing! Compare this talent to any other group and Dream Theater will blow them away.  To really appreciate this masterpiece, an understanding of  music and knowledge of all its complexity is beneficial. Yet those who do  not fit into this category will still love every minute.  Not only does the  music blow you away..the storyline accompanying it is also  well-written..the style of the stanzas...the mystery it leaves the listener  to decipher..all truly adds to the hard work and thought put into this  album.  "Scenes From a Memory" (Metropolis Pt. II) continues the  story left off from its predecessor, Metropolis Pt. I, which was on DT's  1992 release, "Images and Words".  This isn't some "oh i bet  i can play that" album that any garage band could replicate..this  takes chops! Each member owns their instrument...dominates it.  Mike  Portnoy's "head shaking" drum patterns, John Petrucci's  "eye-widening" guitar solos, John Myung's blazing bass licks,  Jordan Rudess' complex, yet melodic piano wizardry, and James LaBrie's  breath taking vocals all make this piece of art a must for any music lover,  not just the progressive rock audience.  Fans of Pink Floyd's "The  Wall" will certainly appreciate "Scenes From a Memory".  Albums of this caliber are few and far between.
4339716
The stagecraft is perfect. The band is beyond rockin'. It's hard to keep from dancing. The sound and video is great. Seu Jorge and company play up-to-date Brazilian soul music - Indio, Bahia, northwest, Rio, every style - carnival & afro samba, ballads, bossa nova, reggae, jazz and rock crossover - they've got it all. I've been a fan of Brazilian music for many, many years, as well as Jazz, Classical, and just plain rock/indie/soul/whatever, and this is darn near my favorite concert I've ever had the pleasure to enjoy! Thank you Seu Jorge!!!
2120415
Absolutely the very best ever recorded, and that is saying a LOT, since there are many, many fine choices. In fact, this entire Ring set is outstanding in every way. The orchestral playing is fresh, dramatic, humanistic, and is strictly five star. The singing is absolutely the finest of any recording available. The acoustics are subperb. Barenboim's interpretation is a big surprise, deeply penetrating, thoughtful,  poetic and yet quite forceful. Regardless of how many recordings of this part of the Ring, or any other part you have, this set will surpass anything else you have. Hands down, an artistic an engineering achievement beyond comparison.
4828883
This is my FAVORITE concert DVD, and I own a few!  I crank this up while I'm cooking so I can saute and hop around the kitchen at the same time! I crank it up while I'm dressing for a night out.  It puts me in "the mood" for fun or for romance.  I play it when I see company coming up the drive.  I play it for my intellectual friends and for my darling space cadets.  I play it for visitors I don't know at all.  If they nod favorably, I know I'm going to like them.  If they don't say a word, they can go home any time.  I blast it on the outdoor speakers while bathing my vingtage T-Bird or digging in the flower beds.  Every time I watch it I notice intimate vignettes and special interactions between Roy and this jamming stellar cast that I hadn't picked up on before.  Black and white photograpy is a stroke of genius that augments the pure powerful impact of this legendary superstar's remarkable talents.  Added visual cool is achieved through a clean Art Deco theme that carries from the stage backdrop down to the lights on the tabletops.  Trust me, this stuff is GOOD!
1454786
Steve Wilson did an outstanding job on the Jethro Tull and King Crimson albums, and I can't get enough listening to A Passion Play, Minstrel In The Gallery and Red. But my new favourite "ear soothener" is YES' Progeny. Absolutely amazing! I was expecting a somewhat cleaned up version of Yessongs, but this blows everything away! The song selection is well rounded up, but I miss "Starship Trooper". Also, I would have loved to hear Bruford's live drumming on this nearly perfect audio job, but then again it covers the Close To The Edge Tour and by then Alan White had assumed the drumsticks. The sound quality of this newest release is so clean and well balanced that it (just like Brian Kehew states in the booklet), truly puts you in the front seats of those Oct/Nov concerts! What a privilege! You feel Wakeman's keys coming through and actually hear every single instrument he is operating. Howe's guitar work hits all the spots and Squire's bass, although loosing a little bit of power, ties everything together. The vocals are right in your face and centered so well, it is almost organic! All remasters should be handled like Progeny, and a lot of people out there should learn from Mr. Kehew and Steve Woolard!
2146693
This concert DVD is one of the best things I have ever seen.  The camera work is perfect and there is good visual work with the video lightshow.  The setlist is basically perfect with maybe one exception. SetI  Bertha//Cold Rain and Snow//Red Rooster//When Push come to  shove//Masterpiece// Birdsong//Music never stopped  Set II Hell in a  Bucket//Uncle John's//Terrapin (2 tracks)// Drumzspace//Other 1//Wharf  Rat//Throwing Stones// Not Fade Away//E:Knockin' w/Neville's. So as you can  see the song selection is meaty and Jerry's face is HUGE!! This one is a  must purchase and other bands such as Phish, Dave Matthews, and Widespread  Panic should start makin' em like this. Enough said
681601
Not even the word "epic" can fully describe this poignant, masterful, and talented work of audio art. Hailing from Sweden, Sharlee D'Angelo, Alexi Laiho, Jesper Str&ouml;mblad, and Ronny Milianowicz -- some of  the most talented musicians to date, join forces with the unparalleled  female vocals of Euro-reknowned Kimberly Goss to create this collage of  gothic-spiced Melodic metal that will give you shivers from start to  finish!(which actually spans *10* tracks, not four) The intensity of her  words amplified by the intensity of the unmatched guitar riffs/solos and  driving percussion is sure to turn some metal-heads in your direction with  a few "Woah, who is that?!". I guarentee once you hear the  guitar/percussion solo in Warrior Princess, the mournful organs in Beware  the Heavens, and the dirge-like vocals in Razor Blade Salvation, you'll be  *salivating* for more!
(Kim, Alexi, Ronny, Sharlee, Jesper: if you're  reading this, there is none higher than you guys! YOU RULE!)
139757
Joe Bussard has accomplished what I can only dream of doing: assembling a record collection of hard to find yet quality music; and in tremendous proportions at that! With roughly 25,000 78rpm records of early jazz, blues and country in his collection, Joe truly deserves his place as a curator of very good music that has sadly been neglected and cast aside. Indeed, we wouldn't have much of this type of music at all had it not been for Joe whose passion for music led him on countless road trips, going from house to house, sometimes with a friend, and simply asking "Do you have any records?"

The documentary on Joe goes along in a smooth way, allowing Joe plenty of camera time to tell his own story which he does quite well. We hear from a friend or two and his daughter, but the spotlight remains on Joe as it should. Joe's face absolutely lights up like a little boy's when he listens to his records; and he starts to move along with the music as he hears it, too. Now that's a man with sensitivity and passion!

In addition, we also learn about Joe's own record label and his brief stint as a radio station operator and DJ even though he didn't exactly have his paperwork in order!

The stories about how he collected records so inexpensively in the 1950s and 1960s are fascinating; and moreover we get home made footage of what the neighborhoods and rural areas looked like as Joe drove his car into towns, cities and very countrified areas. Joe was truly in the right place at the right time; nobody anticipated that this type of music would be valuable someday; perhaps not even Joe himself! When you look at the size of his collection in his basement, you instantly realize that this is on a museum-size scale and Joe deserves recognition for saving this music so that younger artists today can hear it and learn about the development of music especially in the African-American communities of the South back in the day.

The DVD comes with another documentary that covers very similar ground but it does flesh out our understanding of Joe and that's grand. There are other extras, too.

Desperate Man Blues is a must-have for any true music fan out there. I marveled at Joe's collection and his hard work tracking down all these records is remarkable, to say the least. He saved this music from the flames and the garbage disposal; and that's most beneficial for music aficionados.
4572236
I had high hopes for this DVD set when I ordered it, and have been satisfied more than I imagined possible. The audio and visual are masterful, and the camera angles are diverse, capturing the whole range of elements of this amazing performance. The veteran Pink Floyd members and associated band on stage mesh perfectly. The mix of songs on DVD one is great, from the ethereal start with Shine on You Crazy Diamond to the amazing jam with an old classic to conclude it. The full performance of Dark Side of the Moon on the second DVD is exceptional in all regards, and the encore quite memorable. What a finish with Run Like Hell! The set, lights, effects, pigs, and airplane all captivate and mesmerize. This is a DVD set that one can watch repeatedly and enjoy each time, and the extras are quite good as well. If your Pink Floyd experience has been based solely on vinyl and CDs, this DVD set will elevate it and enrich it immensely.
3132639
The quality and skill put into this self recorded and distributed album never ceases to amaze me.  With the musical, engineering and production skills and vision of guitarist Sean Wolcott, insanely musically talented Craig Curran on drums and bass and toped off on vocals by Tim Wilson.

This album is a fine mesh of rock, accented by the occasional electronic tweak, backwards guitar and other manipulated samples/recordings, sampled and layered vocals, guitar through a Leslie speaker cabinet,  and other such unique musical treats.

The range on the album is pretty exceptional too, from the instumental (unless you count sampled vocal choirs) and more electronic "One Last Time" to the sweet build up throughout "For This Departure" (one of my favorites) to the catchy "What Once Was" or the rockin' "Unwelcome Distraction" from which the lyrics the album gets it's name.

This album is quite layered and an audial sensation, I highly recomend picking it up.

They are have a new album in the works and you can find out more about them at:  [...]
3747012
Having previously owned this DVD, I ordered three more Concerts (Live). I just purchased my first VIDEO and I felt from the beginning, I had front row seats to the most unbelievable concert I have ever seen! It was magical! All with their own style and magnificent voices was a vision to behold! From the onset, it was obvious, The conductor and all Three Tenors were not only at their best vocally, but along with the audience, you FELT the enjoyment of their singing!!This video is a 'must-have'! I was mesmerized from beginning to end!! Bravo!!!
2827705
I wore out my vinyl copy of "Live at Jimmy's" and feared that the CD would not live up to my expectations!  I WAS ENTIRELY WRONG ON THAT ASSUMPTION!  This recording is thrilling, tight, and sonically brilliant!  The ensemble is challenged with some of the most technically demanding riffs that are usually only attempted by soloists, but each section steps up big time!  And as for Ferguson, his spectacular artistry soars to indescribable heights to the delight of an electrified crowd that isn't lost on this incomparable performance of a lifetime!  This set belongs in EVERY music collection!!!
2891207
I have all of DM's live performances on DVD and this one is certainly among the best.  You can tell by the energy of the crowd and DM's mesmerizing performance that they were truly on it these nights in Barcelona.  It is really remarkable that DM can go to literally any country in Europe, North America, Asia, and Australia and command a crowd like this everywhere they go.  It shows that Depeche Mode is a global mega-phenomenon that transcends genres, cultures, and even generations.
1518602
Excellence sound... true THUMP and BOOM this thing creates... superb live sound manipulation, modular synthesis if you want to use it, an incredible library of sounds (always updated!) if you don't. Endless fun and a great sequencer with live recorded automations with the twist of a button!