DVD-A

Roy Orbison and Friends – Black and White Night (2004) [DVD-Audio ISO]

DVD-A By admin · May 19, 2019 · Comments off

The best-recorded Roy Orbison live disc ever issued, taken from the soundtrack of the HBO concert from the 1980s with VIP guests like Bruce Springsteen and Elvis Costello. This was a sort of magical video, and the performances are splendid, along with the good feelings involved. On the other hand, the performances are extremely reverential to the established studio versions of the songs (all of the hits are here), and intended to mimic them, so this isn’t quite the same as a live album as it would have been done back when. The pity is that neither Monument nor MGM ever taped any complete concerts by Orbison from the 1960s, and all that remains are TV appearances from Europe. (more…)

Rob Thomas – Something To Be (2005) [DVD-Audio ISO]

DVD-A By admin · May 18, 2019 · Comments off

Since Matchbox Twenty is a faceless group, recognizable for its hits rather than its image, it’s easy to assume that the band is nothing more than a solo project in disguise for its frontman, lead singer and chief songwriter Rob Thomas (who should not be confused with Rob Thomas, the creator of UPN’s 2005 cult TV series Veronica Mars). Not only is he prominent in the band’s videos and press, but he scored the biggest hit of his career with “Smooth,” a song he penned and sung for Santana’s 1999 comeback, Supernatural. Even though Matchbox Twenty’s 1996 debut, Yourself or Someone Like You, was a big hit and spawned four radio hits, “Smooth” was bigger than any of them, making Thomas famous, if not exactly a star. Instead of striking out for a solo career in 2000, he returned to his band, releasing Mad Season that year and More Than You Think You Are two years later. While both records had different moods — the former was polished and radio-ready, the latter hit a little harder — both found Thomas working as part of a unit, not as a flashy frontman. This may have illustrated how Matchbox Twenty worked as a band; in particular, More Than You Think You Are sounded like the work of a driven, cohesive unit, even the songs weren’t quite up to snuff — but they also had to sound a little workmanlike, and certainly not the product of the savvy cross-cultural crossover creator of “Smooth.” Given the relatively lackluster reception of More Than You Think You Are, the timing was right for Thomas to launch his official solo career in the spring of 2005. It was time to give his music a new coat of paint, similar to how “Smooth” spun his career in a different direction, and that’s exactly what his solo debut, Something to Be, is: a slick new variation on Thomas’ signature sound.

(more…)

Refused – The Shape Of Punk To Come (2004) [DVD-Audio ISO]

DVD-A By admin · May 18, 2019 · Comments off

Many who listen to this album will say “Hey, this isn’t punk” after not finding the power chords and I-IV-V structures that they associate with poppy skatepunk bands like NOFX and Lagwagon, but this is what revolution is all about — taking an industry of specifications and expectations and turning it fully on its head, yet holding on to some semblance of what once was. Refused are pure innovation and passion spouting Nation of Ulysses-esque doctrine while fusing together the bite and flavor of fist-raised, Dillinger Escape Plan-style hardcore with ambient textures, jazz breakdowns, and other such deviations. Choppy, beautiful movements, choked thoughts, and feelings of elevation — this is what punk is all about, although to the common ear it may not sound like it, and that is precisely one of the reasons why it is so potent. [In 2010, Epitaph reissued a Deluxe Version of The Shape of Punk to Come in a three-disc set, complete with a bonus live CD and a DVD documentary.] (more…)

Rabih Abou-Khalil – The Cactus Of Knowledge (2001) [DVD-AUDIO ISO]

DVD-A By admin · May 18, 2019 · Comments off

Rabih Abou-Khalil’s ninth Enja release features one of his most expansive lineups to date — 12 pieces in all, including oud, brass, woodwinds, cello, and percussion. It’s quite a departure from 1999’s austere Yara. Here the tempos are bright, the unison lines darting and difficult, the improv heated, the tonal combinations ever-changing. Heavy-hitting jazzers dominate the band roster, including Dave Ballou and Eddie Allen on trumpets, Tom Varner on French horn, Dave Bargeron on euphonium, Antonio Hart on alto sax, and Ellery Eskelin on tenor sax. Gabriele Mirabassi’s clarinet gives the music an almost klezmer-like sound at times (a tantalizing instance of Jewish-Arab reconciliation). The gorgeous booklet includes a prose poem by Gamal Ghitany (printed in English, French, and Arabic), as well as a series of campy band portraits and a full transcription of track number five, “Oum Saïd.” Looking over the score, one gets some sense of the rhythmic complexity Abou-Khalil is dealing with (try counting in 6+5+5+3/16, for instance).

(more…)

R.E.M. – Out Of Time (2005) [DVD-Audio ISO]

DVD-A By admin · May 18, 2019 · Comments off

The supporting tour for Green exhausted R.E.M., and they spent nearly a year recuperating before reconvening for Out of Time. Where previous R.E.M. records captured a stripped-down, live sound, Out of Time was lush with sonic detail, featuring string sections, keyboards, mandolins, and cameos from everyone from rapper KRS-One to the B-52’s’ Kate Pierson. The scope of R.E.M.’s ambitions is impressive, and the record sounds impeccable, its sunny array of pop and folk songs as refreshing as Michael Stipe’s decision to abandon explicitly political lyrics for the personal. Several R.E.M. classics — including Mike Mills’ Byrds-y “Near Wild Heaven,” the haunting “Country Feedback,” and the masterpiece “Losing My Religion” — are present, but the album is more notable for its production than its songwriting. Most of the songs are slight but pleasant, or are awkward experiments like “Radio Song”‘s stab at funk, and while this sounds fine as the record is playing, there’s not much substantive material to make the record worth returning to. (more…)

R.E.M. – Monster (2005) [DVD-Audio ISO]

DVD-A By admin · May 18, 2019 · Comments off

Monster is indeed R.E.M.’s long-promised “rock” album; it just doesn’t rock in the way one might expect. Instead of R.E.M.’s trademark anthemic bashers, Monster offers a set of murky sludge, powered by the heavily distorted and delayed guitar of Peter Buck. Michael Stipe’s vocals have been pushed to the back of the mix, along with Bill Berry’s drums, which accentuates the muscular pulse of Buck’s chords. From the androgynous sleaze of “Crush With Eyeliner” to the subtle, Eastern-tinged menace of “You,” most of the album sounds dense, dirty, and grimy, which makes the punchy guitars of “What’s the Frequency, Kenneth?” and the warped soul of “Tongue” all the more distinctive. Monster doesn’t have the conceptual unity or consistently brilliant songwriting of Automatic for the People, but it does offer a wide range of sonic textures that have never been heard on an R.E.M. album before. (more…)

R.E.M. – Automatic For The People (2002) [DVD-Audio ISO]

DVD-A By admin · May 18, 2019 · Comments off

Turning away from the sweet pop of Out of Time, R.E.M. created a haunting, melancholy masterpiece with Automatic for the People. At its core, the album is a collection of folk songs about aging, death, and loss, but the music has a grand, epic sweep provided by layers of lush strings, interweaving acoustic instruments, and shimmering keyboards. Automatic for the People captures the group at a crossroads, as they moved from cult heroes to elder statesmen, and the album is a graceful transition into their new status. It is a reflective album, with frank discussions on mortality, but it is not a despairing record — “Nightswimming,” “Everybody Hurts,” and “Sweetness Follows” have a comforting melancholy, while “Find the River” provides a positive sense of closure. R.E.M. have never been as emotionally direct as they are on Automatic for the People, nor have they ever created music quite as rich and timeless, and while the record is not an easy listen, it is the most rewarding record in their oeuvre. (more…)

Porcupine Tree – Lightbulb Sun (2008) [DVD-Audio ISO]

DVD-A By admin · May 17, 2019 · Comments off

Some older fans looked askance at Lightbulb Sun, feeling it was verging on overt commercialism (and admittedly, the near power ballad solo on “Where We Would Be” is a bit odd!). Then again, given Wilson’s own explorations of avant-garde pop with No-Man, who’s to say why a slightly more radio-friendly stance can’t work? “Shesmovedon” may have been a single, but there’s no question who wrote and performed it — the elegant cascade of backing vocals on the chorus shows that much. Certainly Wilson hasn’t turned into Max Martin or anything — it’s still very much Porcupine Tree, in its lyrical turns of phrase and general sense of exploration. One of the best tracks on the album is the brilliantly titled “Four Chords That Made a Million,” a barbed cut on some unnamed “emperor in new clothes” beset by a “moron with a cheque book.” The lead riff is a majestic hit of flange and feedback, while the hints of sitar and Indian percussion give the song even more attractive heft. But there’s a definite bent towards calmer art pop throughout Lightbulb Sun — those who preferred the sheer surge of Stupid Dream will find this album tamer in comparison. Still, it’s hard to resist the beautiful, understated tension about a fractured friendship or relationship on “Feel So Low” or the gentle, string-touched roll and build of “The Rest Will Flow,” flat out two of Wilson’s best tunes anywhere. Those who prefer the lengthy explorations won’t be disappointed, though — “Hatesong” unfolds its sharp message over eight minutes and the string-swept, slow time explosion of “Russia on Ice” over 13. Slyest title of the bunch — “Last Chance to Leave the Planet Earth Before It Is Recycled,” which samples the videotape made by the leader of the Heaven’s Gate cult before its mass suicide in 1997. (more…)

Porcupine Tree – In Absentia (2003) [DVD-Audio ISO]

DVD-A By admin · May 17, 2019 · Comments off

Continuing in the growing commercial vein of their previous releases, Porcupine Tree’s In Absentia may be the most accessible release to ever spew forth from the group. Rolling electronic percussion blends with simple and solid live drumming to provide an understated backbeat as perennial Tree leader Steven Wilson pastes his complicated pop over the proceedings. Wilson’s ability to bury his layered vocals in mountains of spacy electric guitar without drowning out his fragile lyrics is still a valued feature of the music, and the rare moments of clarity that his vocals display are breathtaking in their power. A reliance on a somewhat gothic heavy metal sound makes for some bizarre moments, especially when held up against his gentler material. The best example of this is the chugging “Wedding Nails,” which recalls Dream Theater in its grandiose scope without utilizing the same sort of technical wizardry. But Wilson manages to bridge the gap between the various genres he utilizes, creating an environment where his haunting melodies could take a drastic turn at any minute. Porcupine Tree also continue their Radiohead fascination, although the influence is much less direct than on their last few efforts. Instead, it comes through at odd intervals, like the moments of sparse instrumentation on the otherwise lush “Heartattack in a Lay By.” Sonically gorgeous and deceivingly complex, In Absentia has the most immediate appeal of anything Wilson has released under this moniker up to this point. By keeping the songs at manageable lengths and avoiding the avant-garde electronica flourishes of the band’s early days, Porcupine Tree has grown into a fully realized pop group without cutting any of the elements that also make them an important force in the neo-prog movement. (more…)

Pink Floyd – The Wall (1979) [DVD-AUDIO ISO]

DVD-A By admin · May 17, 2019 · Comments off

The Wall was Roger Waters’ crowning accomplishment in Pink Floyd. It documented the rise and fall of a rock star (named Pink Floyd), based on Waters’ own experiences and the tendencies he’d observed in people around him. By then, the bassist had firm control of the group’s direction, working mostly alongside David Gilmour and bringing in producer Bob Ezrin as an outside collaborator. Drummer Nick Mason was barely involved, while keyboardist Rick Wright seemed to be completely out of the picture. Still, The Wall was a mighty, sprawling affair, featuring 26 songs with vocals: nearly as many as all previous Floyd albums combined. The story revolves around the fictional Pink Floyd’s isolation behind a psychological wall. The wall grows as various parts of his life spin out of control, and he grows incapable of dealing with his neuroses. The album opens by welcoming the unwitting listener to Floyd’s show (“In the Flesh?”), then turns back to childhood memories of his father’s death in World War II (“Another Brick in the Wall, Pt. 1”), his mother’s over protectiveness (“Mother”), and his fascination with and fear of sex (“Young Lust”). By the time “Goodbye Cruel World” closes the first disc, the wall is built and Pink is trapped in the midst of a mental breakdown. On disc two, the gentle acoustic phrasings of “Is There Anybody Out There?” and the lilting orchestrations of “Nobody Home” reinforce Floyd’s feeling of isolation. When his record company uses drugs to coax him to perform (“Comfortably Numb”), his onstage persona is transformed into a homophobic, race-baiting fascist (“In the Flesh”). In “The Trial,” he mentally prosecutes himself, and the wall comes tumbling down. This ambitious concept album was an across-the-board smash, topping the Billboard album chart for 15 weeks in 1980. The single “Another Brick in the Wall, Pt. 2” was the country’s best-seller for four weeks. The Wall spawned an elaborate stage show (so elaborate, in fact, that the band was able to bring it to only a few cities) and a full-length film. It also marked the last time Waters and Gilmour would work together as equal partners. (more…)

Pink Floyd – The Dark Side Of The Moon (2011) [DVD-Audio + Audio-DVD]

DVD-A By admin · May 17, 2019 · Comments off

Pink Floyd – The Dark Side Of The Moon
Artist: Pink Floyd | Album: The Dark Side Of The Moon | Style: Art Rock, Progressive Rock | Year: 2011 [1973 original] | Quality: DVD-Audio (MLP 5.1 96kHz/24Bit, MLP 4.0 96kHz/24Bit, MLP 2.0 96kHz/24Bit) + Audio-DVD (Dolby AC3 5.1, Dolby AC3 4.0 (~448 kbps, 640 kbps), LPCM 2.0 ~1536 kbps) | Bitrate: lossless | Tracks: 10 | Size: ~5.79 Gb + 2.15 Gb | Recovery: 3% | Covers: in archive | Release: rip and authoring of BluRay (Immersion Box – Disc 5) © Pink Floyd Music Ltd. | EMI Records Ltd. (50999 029431 2 1) + original Audio-DVD (Immersion Box – Disc 3) | Note: Not Watermarked

By condensing the sonic explorations of Meddle to actual songs and adding a lush, immaculate production to their trippiest instrumental sections, Pink Floyd inadvertently designed their commercial breakthrough with Dark Side of the Moon. The primary revelation of Dark Side of the Moon is what a little focus does for the band. Roger Waters wrote a series of songs about mundane, everyday details which aren’t that impressive by themselves, but when given the sonic backdrop of Floyd’s slow, atmospheric soundscapes and carefully placed sound effects, they achieve an emotional resonance. But what gives the album true power is the subtly textured music, which evolves from ponderous, neo-psychedelic art rock to jazz fusion and blues-rock before turning back to psychedelia. It’s dense with detail, but leisurely paced, creating its own dark, haunting world. Pink Floyd may have better albums than Dark Side of the Moon, but no other record defines them quite as well as this one. (more…)

Philip Glass – Koyaanisqatsi (2001) [DVD-AUDIO ISO]

DVD-A By admin · May 16, 2019 · Comments off

Parodied more than once, derided, blessed, hailed as a wonder, and decried as a travesty, this (abbreviated) soundtrack is capable of generating fascination and annoyance, often simultaneously. The truth is that this isn’t merely minimalism — it’s expressive minimalism, with some impressive nuances. Given the space to breathe, the music here is breathtaking, and becomes even more so when properly linked, in its full form, with the film’s visuals. The later Powaqqatsi did not live up to the first film in either a visual or musical respect. (more…)

Phil Kline – Around The World In A Daze (2009) [DVD-Audio ISO]

DVD-A By admin · May 16, 2019 · Comments off

DVD-Audio release, total Content: 110 min. NTSC format, All Region. “Leading new-music composer Phil Kline debuts a major work on this new surround sound DVD. Heard here for the first time, this 65-minute studio composition was commissioned by Starkland to premiere on this high-resolution surround-sound DVD. Daze is Kline’s longest work and biggest commission to date. Daze is also likely the largest work so far commissioned for a high-resolution surround-sound recording. Performers include the uber-cool Ethel string quartet and violin virtuoso Todd Reynolds. Surround-sound tracks place listeners inside wondrous boombox choirs, an ethereal Ethel string quartet, a weird madrigal, hyper-dense bells (hundreds of thousands at one point), richly mournful multi-tracked vocals, soaring violinistics, and an immersive environment of 15,000 African gray parrots. The release also offers a second Extras DVD with a composer-produced music video and a 30-minute interview with Kline and John Schaefer. The custom 5″x10″ digipak includes a 24-page booklet. The two DVDs contain a total content of 110 minutes. This release follows Starkland’s groundbreaking surround-sound Immersion DVD, now recognized as the first commissioned high-resolution surround-sound recording. Immersion won praise from Sound & Vision, Stereophile, Billboard, etc. and was the #1 best-selling DVD-Audio at Amazon for nearly a year. The main disc offers Daze in several formats for various home playback setups: the standard Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, DTS 5.1, and high-resolution audiophile DVD-Audio, as well as a stereo version. Playback of the Daze music is accompanied by over 80 images shot by Kline.” (more…)

Paul Winter Consort & Friends – Silver Solstice (2005) [DVD-AUDIO ISO]

DVD-A By admin · May 16, 2019 · Comments off

A live recording of the 25th annual Winter Solstice concert from Paul Winter and a remarkable cast at St. John’s Cathedral in New York. It’s become a vital seasonal tradition, with music spanning the globe (and the addition of a DVD in the package), from gospel to the Balkans, Irish to new age. In many ways it defies description, being so eclectic. Yet at the same time maybe it’s one of those you-had-to-be-there things, since, on disc at least, it becomes something to be admired rather than emotionally involved with. The quality of the musicianship is never less than brilliant — Winter attracts the highest caliber of performer — but at the same time there’s a slight sense of blandness about it. “Sound Over All Waters,” for example, is a moving gospel piece, but here it comes across more Whitney Houston than Mahalia Jackson — a quavering voice doesn’t equal emotion, no matter what the pop divas say. The live context takes away much of the subtlety, unfortunately, and you’re left more with performances than intricate pieces of music. However, that said, it has a power. (more…)

Paul Gilbert – Alligator Farm (2001) [DVD-AUDIO ISO]

DVD-A By admin · May 16, 2019 · Comments off

Guitarist Paul Gilbert continues to refine his peculiar Elvis Costello/Cheap Trick/Mr. Big/Racer X experiment that he introduced on King of Clubs. The odd mixture of styles is centered around his much-heralded guitar technique, which is prevalent throughout the session but rarely overused. His affinity for strong pop songs complete with catchy choruses prevents the session from being just for guitar fanatics. Songs such as the Green Day-influenced “Better Chords” and other pop numbers such as “Individually Twisted” (released as a single) and “Cut, Cut, Cut” demonstrate his ability to pen clever lyrics and adequately serve as a lead vocalist. There is plenty of frenetic fretboard work here, too, with selections such as “Let the Computer Decide” and “Attitude Boy Will Overcome” conjuring up memories of his early Racer X days. “Koto Girl” and “Whole Lotta Sonata” also feature some of the creative and adventurous guitar playing that he has become famous for. While this recording requires a unique taste, there is no mistaking that Gilbert is thoroughly enjoying himself on this energetic session. Of note, this recording was also released in the DVD audio format. (more…)