|
| |
PETER GABRIEL VIDEO
REVIEWS |
|
VIDEO
RATING SYSTEM |
|
***** |
An
excellent video. Strong effort from beginning to end! A must own! |
|
**** |
A
very good video. A few low points but, overall, a decent effort.
Recommended. |
|
*** |
A
good video. Several weak points detract from the release, but it's still
worth owning. |
|
** |
A
mediocre video. Unless you're a real fan, you might not like this
release very much. |
|
* |
A
poor video. Stay away from this one unless you are a hardcore fan! |
|
|
|
|
Peter
Gabriel - Secret World Live DVD (2003) |
|
|
WOG RATING:
****
Released in March 2003, Secret World Live has the distinction of being the first
Peter Gabriel concert on the DVD format. Similar to Genesis' The Way
We Walk DVD, expectations were reasonably high. Knowing that this
DVD was being issued by Universal/Geffen in the U.S., Gabriel's label, I
certainly was not expecting the wealth of extras that were featured on The
Way We Walk, which was done directly with Genesis' involvement. What
did come as a very pleasant surprise, however, was that Universal didn't
simply transfer the video to DVD format throw it in a box and be done
with it. What I found was a well produced video package with some decent
extras.
Here are my overall thoughts on this product: |
VIDEO:
The concert featured is from Modena, Italy on Gabriel's 1994 European
Tour. While the video quality is very good, I would expect nothing less
since the footage is less than a decade old. Still, the images are sharp
and the coloring is excellent. There are a few moments were the picture
is a bit grainy, but that has nothing do do with the transfer to DVD
(the original video from the '90s looked the same way). The menus are animated,
and they
are easy to use. On a high-end television, the stage lights, musicians
and audience appear in rich accurate tones. This video has been
digitally enhanced for widescreen television in a 16:9 anamorphic
format.
As with the original video release, I was always impressed with Director
Francois Girard's blending of images from the jumbo-tron screen and the
actual performing of the musicians. This works especially well on songs
like "Digging In The Dirt" and "Across The River."
AUDIO:
The audio is digitally remixed for standard stereo, DTS, and 5.1 surround sound.
The standard stereo version is very close to that of the
original video release.
That being said, the 5.1 surround sound track and the DTS are simply
amazing! It almost rivals the fidelity of the Genesis DVD, The Way
They Walk, which is still one of the best sounding 5.1 DVDs I've
heard. You definitely do not get the full DVD experience with Secret
World Live if you only listen to this DVD in standard stereo... God
bless technology!
EXTRAS:
Time Lapse
This is time lapse footage of the stage set up, concert, and stage
tear-down on Berlin, Germany. It's kind of cool to see once, but if
you've seen time lapse photography before, it's nothing to write home
about.
Behind The Scenes
This is a bonus featurette that is presented in full-screen format. The
mini-documentary of the tour includes an exclusive period interview with
Peter Gabriel, footage from the concert, and some great behind the
scenes footage that takes you backstage (and under it as well)! In
the interview, Gabriel talks about the stage set-up, the concepts, and
the band. There aren't any major revelations about the tour or the Us
album discussed, but it was interesting to watch just the same.
"Quiet Steam" Gallery
This bonus feature is a montage of photos from the Secret World Tour. It
includes the "Quiet Steam" remix of "Steam" playing
in the background. The remix was included on the original
"Steam" CD single, but its nice to see that the effort was
made to incorporate a somewhat rare, non-album track for the fans who
might not already have it.
Growing Up Live 2002/03
This is a short teaser for the Growing Up Tour. It features an interview
with Gabriel about the stage concepts, the band, and so on. It has some
cool slips from the 2002/03 tour, which serves as a nice introduction to
the Growing Up Live DVD which came some time later. Like the Time Lapse footage,
this isn't something you'll watch over and over again. I did, however,
enjoy showing this to people to demonstrate to them what they missed by
not buying tickets when the show came to town in 2002.
PACKAGING:
No corners were cut here! A beautiful 14-page full-color booklet
accompanies this release. The booklet is filled with pictures from the
tour and tour/personnel information. A very nice addition to the
package!
THE COMPATIBILITY ISSUE:
I was surprised to see that the U.S. version of Secret World Live
is an all-code/Region 0 NTSC DVD. This means if you live in a country that
can play the NTSC video format, the U.S. version will play on your home
system. It will, of course, also play on your personal computer if you
have a DVD-Rom drive regardless of the country you live in.
MY CONCLUSION:
Overall, I was impressed with the DVD reissue of Secret World Live.
The record company could have easily transferred this video to DVD with
no extras, and I'm sure no one would have complained. Granted, some of
the extras are not necessarily worth revisiting again and again, I still
think they are worth owning for the most part. I would have enjoyed a
commentary track by Peter Gabriel and Robert Lepage, but all things
considered, this reissue does not disappoint. This
was a great first DVD release for Peter Gabriel, and I look forward to
many more to come!
CLICK HERE TO ORDER PETER GABRIEL'S SECRET WORLD LIVE DVD (NTSC)! |
CLICK
HERE TO RETURN TO THE REVIEWS
INDEX.
|
