Editorial Review

After achieving stardom by taking over the lead vocals of Genesis from Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins released his first solo album, Read more

Features

• Color
• Dolby
• NTSC

Reviews (14)

Great DVD, and not expensive
This is a great look at Phil's first album.A really good example of how documentaries on classic albums should be done.First of all, points for which album was chosen.The easy choice would have been "No Jacket Required", but obviously this album was the better choice considering, A) First solo album, and B) Wide range of material, from R&B to jazz-tinged, Motown and Philly soul to the Genesis-influenced "In the Air Tonight".This album was a bit of a gamble, there was some risk involved, and that makes it a much more interesting album to cover than "No Jacket Required".Phil had no idea that this album would be as successful as it was, so it's even more fun to watch what went into writing the songs, what inspired them, and getting musicians' opinions on the music.I was lucky enough to get it used for $4, but its price new was just $10 where I bought it.Fans of Phil and Genesis should hunt down this disc.If you are familiar with "Face Value", you will NOT be sorry.Lots of Phil footage, and generous coverage with Hugh Padgham, too.Very informative.I won't give away anything, buy I'll bet you'll watch this and think, "I didn't know that" at least once.

Another wonderful DVD from the Classic Albums series!
This is a documentary (documentary being the key word here) that provides insight into the making of Phil's first solo release, Face Value.That means you'll be hearing from Phil, Hugh Padgham, Ahmet Ertegun and quite a few of the musicians involved in the creation of this outstanding album.For true fans of the music, and especially for musicians, this "behind the mixing board" type documentary is awesome!It's full of absolutely fascinating and entertaining commentary about how the songs were written, arranged, recorded, produced...basically how the entire album came together, from Phil's ideas and demos all the way through to Hugh's wonderful engineering techniques.It's a real treat to hear from the people directly involved (especially a lot of the musicians, like Tom Tom Washington and L. Shankar and Alphonso Johnson) talk about how such a great album is made.There's some un-released concert footage and short clips, but the real meat of the DVD (like all of the Classic Albums series) is the story you'll hear about the music.Being a musician, this type of documentary is very entertaining and informative for me...I own a few of the other DVD's in the Classic Albums series (Steely Dan - Aja, Fleetwood Mac - Rumours, and Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon) and those are also very good, but Face Value is one of my favorite recordings.It's really great that producer Nick de Grunwald and director Jeremy Marre went through the trouble of tracking all the people down involved in the making of Face Value and getting their stories for us to enjoy.

a little flawed & on the short side but overall pretty great
With its combination of deep emotions, eclecticism, & just-plain terrific songwriting, Phil Collins' 1981 debut solo album "Face Value" is one of the greatest albums of all time--in other words, it's certainly deserving of its place in the "Classic Albums" video/ DVD series.For the most part, this is a priceless documentary that gives you a terrific look at the making of the "Face Value" album as well as some other goodies.Phil, sometimes alone, and sometimes with assistant producer and engineer Hugh Padgham, dissects many of the songs from the album, and you get to hear some stuff that didn't end up on the album such as Eric Clapton's dobro playing on "The Roof Is Leaking" and Phil's early demo of "I Missed Again".The DVD features interview segments with many of the people involved in making the album including Shankar (violinist), Louie Satterfield (trombonist), Tom Tom Washington (who arranged the horns), Arif Mardin (who did the string arrangement for "If Leaving Me Is Easy"), and of course, Phil's long-time co-hort Daryl Stuermer; there's also Alphonso Johnson who discusses the sly bass guitar hook he came up with for "This Must Be Love".In addition to this, there are also bits from Phil's manager Tony Smith, his Genesis bandmates Mike Rutherford & Tony Banks, the legendary co-founder of Atlantic Records Ahmet Ertegun, and former Virgin Records managing director Simon Draper.Phil is in typically great form on this DVD, full of his usual wit and intelligence, and you get segments of him on the drums as well as at the piano where he performs part of the extremely personal "Please Don't Ask" which, somewhat ironically, ended up on Genesis' 1980 "Duke" album and not on "Face Value".What makes this DVD even sweeter is that it has some actual footage from the original recording sessions which is a lot of fun to see.This DVD really makes it clear that, aside from simply being a brilliant artist, Phil was really a musician's musician which makes it all the more ironic that he's earned the level of scorn over the years that he has.On the downside to this video/ DVD, several songs from the album--"You Know What I Mean", "Thunder and Lightning", and "I'm Not Moving"--aren't even mentioned; this is probably in part because these tracks are presumably not among Phil's favorites, something he hints at near the end of the DVD.Also, there's a painfully and mind-bogglingly slow live version of "If Leaving Me Is Easy" from 1985 that gets spliced in among the discussion of the track, and it's THEN followed by a straight-through version of that same performance which goes on for over 7 minutes and isn't even over when it gets cut off on the DVD--this seems like a clear attempt to pad the video/ DVD to reach the hour mark.So, there are some gripes here, but it's still a must-have for any genuine Phil fan--if you can pick this DVD up for under $10, it's a great deal. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Adult Contemporary    2. England    3. Music Video    4. Music Video - Pop/Rock    5. Performance    6. Pop    7. Pop/Rock    8. Rock    9. Soft Rock   

Features

• Color
• Compilation
• NTSC

Reviews (1)

Good Intro to Barbershop Video
Barbershoppers will see many familiar folks on this video, and people newto barbershop will get an idea of how innovative the art form has become. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Documentary    2. Performing Arts - Concerts    3. Pop    4. Pop Vocals    5. Special Interest   

Editorial Review

Phishheads may be hard-pressed to define what they love about theiridols, the Vermont-based jam band Phish, but they know it when they see it--and hear it.And Read more

Features

• Color
• NTSC

Reviews (59)

Trey Excellente!!
This is a fantastic DVD that gives you a taste of the wonderful world of Phish.I don't understand the statements of some reviewers saying that Todd Phillips hates Phish.He did a freakin' movie about them for cryin' out loud.And a pretty damn good one.Trey dominates much of the footage because (guess what Phish fans)...He dominates the band.I've seen and read countless interviews, and generally he's the one who has the most to say.It's not his out-of-control ego, he just happens to be more verbose than the other 3 guys.And he is also the primary songwriter of the band and the obviuos "ringmaster" of the group in their live performances.I miss Phish just as much as the next guy, but enough with all this Trey-hating.He is a BIG part of what made Phish so special (and may again.)
Really Does Not Do the Band Justice
I bought this video a long time ago, and immediately sold it on ebay.I watched it again recently, and still do not like it.Why?As many reviewers have stated it is the Trey show.However, I really wonder if it was Trey's ego that took over the movie, or whether the other band members didn't like doing a movie?I say this becaue Fish stated in an interview that at first he was for the movie and then changed his mind and didn't want to do it.Maybe the rest of the band didn't like how it was produced.So instead of scrapping the movie, Trey jumped and tried to complete it.To save face for the band?However, if Trey (and his ego) took over the movie, then I think offers some explanation of why the band split.
Bittersweet Motel
This video shows the true character of the members of the band.The video shows a lot of behind the scenes type footage including interviews, conversations and candid footage from the road.The mixture of these elements mixed with the raw live footage exposes the reallity of the bands personality come to life.This is the best video for people who don't know a lot about phish and want to understand the legendary phenomena. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Documentary    2. Music Video - Pop/Rock    3. Performing Arts    4. Pop    5. Rock   

Features

• Color
• NTSC

Subjects:  1. Documentaries    2. Kids & Family    3. Music & Art    4. Music & Musicals   

Features

• Color
• NTSC

Reviews (5)

See the Forefathers of Drum and Bass
If you are into drum and bass than this should be required viewing. Superfunk
when goldie and henry fonda rode those go carts while humming "halber mench" i nearly lost my mind.. i love it when the metlaheadz crUe whip out the casio sk5's and have a drum and bass off with the laser sounds andlion roars..the metalheadz collab with They Might Be GIants and Posion wasNutzz2 thumbs way up PIECe DogZZ

Pretty useless, but is a treat for the eyes and ears
As a longtime d&b head, dj, and lover of all things Metalheadz I'm going to have to say that this video is pretty superficial and useless.It provides little insight into the "actual" scene, or the"actual" process of making the music.Basically it's a longadvertisment for Goldie and his label-mates (nice to see everybodynonetheless).The editing and presentation is superb however.Thesoundtrack is nice too, but a bit of a no-brainer considering they just ranthrough the Platinum Breakz compilations track by track.Eye-candy andear-candy to the last, and is sure to satisfy any d&b aficionado withtime on their hands (I'd rather go to the club than watch TV though).Thepointless go-cart scene made me cringe (I'm sorry but Randall scares me),but the football scene was good for laughs.I honestly wouldn't considerthis a "movie", or even a "documentary".Think of itas shameless self-promotion for a record label that truly diserves topromote itself shamelessly.Read more

Subjects:  1. Documentary    2. Movie   

Features

• Color
• HiFi Sound
• NTSC

Reviews (5)

Ehhhh
This is more of an interesting thing to watch, but it has things you can find almost anywhere. Bike stunts, snowboard stunts, skateboarding, etc. It never hurts though. The cream of the whole movie though, is a "music video" type thing for Mota. That's one of my favorite things of all time. This is probably only for somewhat diehard fans, but maybe not.

Extreme Americana... Music and Sports... Nothing Fake Here!
If you love extreme music and extreme sports, you'll love this video. None of the people in this video are risking life and limb in an attempt to be cool. These red-blooded Americans live like there is no tomorrow, simplybecause they can. You'll want to see this one over and over.

PUNK WILL NEVER DIE!!!
i saw this video man this is a very kick ass video if you like theoffspring you should get this.. it shows cool sk8ers and surfers and bikers its very funny too!!! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Music Video - Pop/Rock    3. Pop    4. Post-Grunge    5. Punk Revival    6. Rock   

Features

• Color
• NTSC

Reviews (1)

PRETTY TYPICAL
ITS LIKE THE SAME AS EVERYTHING ELSE--NOTHING NEW-- ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Documentary    2. Movie    3. Music Video - Soul   

Editorial Review

Culled from rare black-and-white footage from the early to mid-20thcentury, this excellent anthology showcases a number of gems from the best andbrightest female vocalists in America. There's the radiant "Empress of theBlues" Bessie Smith in her only recorded film appearance singing "St. LouisBlues." The gospel great Sister Rosetta Tharpe delivers a down-home version of"That Lonesome Road," which is contrasted by jazzy and sassy Dinah Washington's"Lean Baby." The immortal Billie Holliday's touching 1957 TV performance of"Fine and Mellow," recorded with saxophonists Lester Young, Coleman Hawkins, andGerry Mulligan two years before her death in 1959, is the finest clip in thiscollection. From Ethel Waters and Sarah Vaughan to Lena Horne, Ida Cox, andPeggy Lee, this set shows why women have been the standard bearers of theAmerican vocal tradition. Read more

Features

• Black & White
• Compilation
• HiFi Sound
• NTSC

Reviews (6)

Good additional material for class
I have to agree with one of the earlier reviewers:the complete "videos" on this tape are fantastic, but the narrated voice-over (delivered in a near-monotone) during the opening bits isn't of much use.Still, I use portions of this tape in my Jazz History class, and at least the narration backs up the info that students are given in their textbooks.In all, I like certain clips in here better than the Burns "Jazz" anthology simply because they ARE complete.

Buyer Sings the Blues
The songs may be "complete" as the DVD claims, but what isn't mentioned is the inane narration over the beginning of just about every clip on the disk, which spoiled much of the enjoyment for me. I bought the DVD for the Connee Boswell clip (love those Boswell Sisters), but after the narration there's just eighteen seconds of the song left. By the way, even accounting for the age/rarity of the clips, the quality of them often leaves something to be desired, as well.

THESE LADIES WERE THE PIONEERS.
They had prepared the way for so many female singers of today. Billie Holiday, Bessie Smith, Dinah Washington, Peggy Lee, Sarah Vaughan, Lena Horne, Ethel Waters, and many more. With the stars that are jam packed inside this video, makes the video worth seeing. So if blues and the ladies that sing them interests you, then by all means, take advantage of this must see video; you'll be glad you did. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20's    2. 30's    3. 40's    4. Blues    5. Classic Female Blues    6. Classic Jazz    7. Jazz    8. Jazz Collections    9. Music Video    10. Music Video - Jazz    11. Performance    12. Pop    13. Standards    14. Swing   

Features

• Classical
• Color
• NTSC

Reviews (1)

Not the Best
This video offers a wonderful glimpse of Van Cliburn's magnetic personality, despite a crazy cameraman. Most of the video does not even show Mr. Cliburn playing the piano, and when it does you can't see anything but his face. The camera only shows his fingers at the easiest parts of a piece (most of the time) and shows his face (at EXTREMELY close range) the rest of the time. And not even his whole face, at that - it's more like his eyes and nose. Which is not why I bought this video - I wanted more to see his incredible hands. Read more

Subjects:  1. Chamber Music & Recitals    2. Classical    3. Classical Artists    4. Music Videos - Classical   

Features

• Color
• NTSC

Reviews (14)

Not even worth 1 star
If the shoddy look of this DVD doesn't convince you of the poor quality of this video, maybe all the negative reviews will.This is an unofficial video that features a few fan interviews, a few minutes of biographies on the Dixie Chicks, and a bunch of useless fluff to fill the other 40 minutes (which isn't to say that the entire video isn't fluff).It looks like an 8th grade film project that someone started the night before it was due. DO NOT BUY THIS
This is not even endorsed by the Chicks.No music on it. Very borning.Waste of money.If you need the Chicks on DVD,buy the evening with the Dixie Chicks worth the $$$.

Chicks do not rule
Did not enjoy the DVD at all.Very disappointed. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Country    2. Pop   

Features

• Color
• NTSC

Reviews (6)

Cradle Of Filth Best Damn Band
Great Movie Must Have For All Cradle Of Filth Fans

LOTS OF BLOOD AND EXPLICIT CONTENT
I managed to order this vhs used and in excellent condition for a reasonable price.This is now a rare and OOP video and ideal for the hardcore-COF fans.Take note that this is extremely explicit with lots of blood and female nudity, so I do not recommend to the younger fans(please be at least 18 or have parental consent).If you don't have this already I recommend it to you, but good luck fishing for it because there are mostly used copies available for purchase; they sell fast!

Quality Family Entertainment
I got this a long time ago when it was first released. Both vers9ions of From the Cradle to Enslave are great. (...) I heard this video got banned from MTV. The song is underrated. A lot of fans don't like ir for some reason. IMHO, it's one of their best songs, lyrically dealing with end of the millenium tensions. Before the E.P. came out, this is what you had. The making of has a lot of nudity, if you have a goth chick fetish. Otherwise, it can be boring, but it's cool seeing how they did some of the effects. The music video is a lost artform. Every day hundreds of thousands of teeny boppers request videos from their favorite cheesey fake boy bands and girl bands. I'm a male and never once did I buy into Britney Spears, proudly I might add. Cradle of Filth are the best modern metal band and the world's best black metal band. The concert footage is nice, too, if a bit short of only four songs. If you like Cradle of Filth, you shouldn't be without this. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Britain    2. Death Metal/Black Metal    3. Goth Metal    4. Heavy Metal    5. Music Video    6. Music Video - Pop/Rock    7. Performance    8. Pop    9. Rock   

Features

• NTSC

Subjects:  1. Documentaries    2. Music & Musicals    3. Music Documentaries    4. Television & Documentary   

Features

• NTSC

Reviews (2)

Land of Smiles
Very Dissapointing: A must see for any traveler going to Thailand.
This is a great video and will give you a great idea of what to expect to see while you travel.It is beautifully filmed and includes many images of the citys, towns and country side of Thailand.It also will give you and idea and flavor of what to expect from the food. Be prepared for the subtle but different tastes and ingredients of real Thai food.I really enjoyed watching the movie and learned a lot from it.I would highly recommend anyone interested in know more about Thai culture to purchase and watch the tape several times before traveling there. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Documentaries    2. Music & Musicals    3. Music Documentaries    4. Television & Documentary   

Features

• Black & White
• Color
• NTSC

Subjects:  1. Music Video - Jazz   

Features

• Collector's Edition
• Color
• NTSC

Reviews (1)

Worst video quality ever
I bought this, incredibly excited to have finally found something about the Last Poets.When I put it in the VCR, I found all but 2 minutes of it unwatchable.The interview takes place back stage while a performance is going on and nobody has a mic.The result is, you cannot hear the interview; only see people talking.The video quality is poor to say the least.Many home videos have better quality.Read more

Subjects:  1. Documentaries    2. Music & Musicals    3. Music Documentaries    4. Television & Documentary   

Features

• Black & White
• Color
• NTSC

Reviews (1)

Atmosphere is Everything
Cutting to the chase, I'm going to have to dispense with the thesaurus here and say that this beautiful film should be in the collections of every Jazz fan.A portrait of the great Charlie Parker that pulls no punches.I'm not sure how others will sum up the whole of its parts, but in addition to the story of Bird's life, I feel it is also a realistic, lovingly prepared portrait of New York City as well.Highly recommended. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Documentary    2. Movie   

Features

• Black & White
• Classical
• Color
• NTSC

Reviews (1)

"Wanda Landowska and the Revival of the Harpsichord"
Needless to say I was very excited about the production of this video because it was based almost entirely upon my Ph.D. dissertation!I am featured in the documentary about six times in my red vest and white blouse talking about Landowska and her amazing feats as the story is woven in and out around that.I think that Attie, Goldwater, and Pontius did an excellent job with the historical footage and with getting Denise Restout to cooperate.Read more

Subjects:  1. Classical    2. Classical Artists    3. Documentary   

Features

• NTSC

Subjects:  1. Documentaries    2. Music & Musicals    3. Music Documentaries    4. Television & Documentary   

Editorial Review

New experience indeed. Cirque du Soleil's Read more

Features

• Classical
• Color
• NTSC

Reviews (13)

Very entertaining!
The clown routine had me laughing until it hurt! The rest is just amazing. You will really enjoy it.

Good show, but not the best of Cirque
This is some of the early work of Cirque du Soleil, which for a diehard fan may hold them enraptured for the entire show.But for most people, I think this will prove to be a pale comparison to some, most, or all of the newer shows such as Quidam or Dralion.But if you want to see how it all started, be sure to check out Nouvelle Experience, which was filmed in 1990-1991 and was one of the earliest Cirque shows, and is one which is no longer running.
Good Show
You have to remember that this was not filmed for DVD. This show was filmed for VHS and was released first on VHS in 1991. So that's why it looks kind of dark and has not that many angles. The show is excellent. An earlier review mentioned there being a "high bar" act in this show, but there isn't. This DVD is great to have because this show is no longer performed live. All of the music from the great CD is in this live recording. I had seen "Nouvelle Experience" live, three times and this is the best version of it.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Movie    2. Musicals & Cast Recordings    3. Performing Arts - Concerts   

Editorial Review

It is almost a quarter of a century since Maria Callas died. But theyears have done little to diminish interest in this most iconic of divas. Thedebate surrounding the real quality of that voice continues to be fanned by herdevotees and detractors, intermittently reaching fever pitch with the arrival ofanother biography or the commercial release of a newly discovered liverecording. Tony Palmer's 1987 film portrait, now available on DVD, towers overthe bulk of contributions to the Callas industry because it manages to be bothpassionate about its subject and objective about the forces that shaped a greatmusical talent and then left it in ruins. Read more

Features

• Color
• NTSC

Reviews (4)

Maria Callas - La Divina: A Portrait
I especially liked the approach in this film showing Callas the artist and Maria the woman. This theme carries throughout this wonderful Portrait. There is so little footage of this greatest Soprano of her Century, that every morsel is welcomed. Excerpts from her opera performances worldwide show off her professionalism and talent. A Greek Tragedy that even Euripides would have appreciated, yet the tragedy is ours for the loss of this talented Diva at her age of 53. Callas the artist so talented and Maria the woman, so beautiful yet so vulnerable.

not just for La Divina fans
Pretty good documentary on Callas phenomenon. One certainly gets an idea of what it was all about. A bit too much of shallow psychology (Maria the artist, Maria the woman), but all in all it works. Even though there is much overlap with another documentary (Callas - Life and Art) this one is definitely better executed and gives more. If you want just the art part get Hamburg or Paris recital DVDs.

Diva Of Divas.
I, admittedly, am not an opera expert, by any stretch... I've seen a number of productions, enjoyed the spectacle, the talent, but don't know a mezzo from a matzho. But everyone knows Maria Callas. The first time I saw a film of this Anna Magnani with a voice, I was transfixed. I became intrigued with the legend, so I bought this video. I have re-watched several times, and I found it to be informative and revealing. She has been dissected almost more than any public figure,"the greatest", "the worst", "tempermental" ...etc.., they're all here. There are interviews with people from the very beginning of her career, when the ugly-(very large)duckling had few admirers. From her first singing teacher and a fellow student, who, upon first hearing the young Maria sing, says "my own mouth fell open", in awe, from Franco Zeffirelli, who worked with and adored her, from her friends, her "swan" period, her "tantrums", her scandalous affair with and betrayal by Onassis, her decline, her public humiliation by talentless, envious critics who weren't fit to wipe her feet, her lonely end. "Those whom the Gods love, they also destroy"...It offers a candid look at the greatest opera legend ever, who left in her wake detractors, yes, but also many who said seeing and hearing her was a once in a lifetime exposure to an almost supernatural talent..."possessed", as Signore Zeffirelli describes her here. I found this over-all very pleasing, it helped me to understand and better appreciate the woman who revolutionized an art form, and who many consider to be the greatest artist of this century.This film helps explain the continuing fascination. There was only one "La Divina".Long may she live. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Documentary    2. Movie    3. Performing Arts    4. Performing Arts - Opera