|
| |
|
GENESIS
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! |
|
|
|
|
Genesis
- The Way They Walk DVD (2001) |
|
|
WOG
RATING: ****
Scheduled for release on November 26, 2001, The Way We Walk (TWWW)
has the distinction of being the first Genesis concert on the DVD
format. That being said, expectations are high. Especially, with the
hype around getting Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford, and Tony Banks back
together to dish out some fresh commentary on the show, not to mention
the technological break-through of adding multiple camera angles as
chosen by the viewer. After weeks of waiting (courtesy of the recent
terrorist attacks and Anthrax mail scares in the U.S.A.), my promotional
copy finally arrived from the fine folks at Gut Vision, the
manufacturers of the DVD.
Here are my thoughts on this product:
|
VIDEO:
Despite what you may have read elsewhere, the video quality is
surprisingly good. The images are sharp and the coloring is excellent.
The menus are animated and, while they are a little basic looking, they
are easy to use. On a high-end television, the stage lights, musicians
and audience appear in rich accurate tones. At times, the picture is a
tad dark, but this is a concert video after all, and that has nothing to
do with the film's transfer to the DVD format. The video is maintained
in the original 4:3 screen configuration and is not available in a
widescreen presentation.
AUDIO:
The audio is available in both standard stereo and 5.1 surround sound.
The standard stereo version is moderately better than that of the
original 1993 video release, but the improvements are almost
unnoticeable. That being said, the 5.1 surround sound track is
incredible! It is, by far, the best sounding live audio (fidelity-wise)
I've ever heard for Genesis or on virtually any concert DVD for that
matter. The surround sound is so lavish and crisp, you really tend to
almost lose yourself in the video, which is something I can't say about
the old VHS version. In fact, if I had a few drunken idiots
yelling, "Play 'Invisible Touch!!!'" when the "Old
Medley" starts and spilling beer on me while I watched this DVD, it
would be just like being at the concert!
EXTRAS:
Multiple Camera Angles
For me, one of the more exciting features of this DVD was the ability to
select from multiple camera angles while watching the performance. In
addition to the main view (which appears to be the same as the original
VHS release), on most songs, the viewer can choose between two or three
other camera views. This is definitely a cool feature, but if you think
that you'll be able to watch one band member through the whole show (eg.
you're a keyboard player and you just want to watch Tony Banks) you will
be disappointed. This is not possible, but you can obviously watch more
of certain members as the camera angles permit. Another major
disappointment is that the drum solo (a.k.a. "The Drum Thing")
with Chester Thompson and Phil Collins is only available from the main
vantage point. So, you can't flip to watch different angles at all
during this performance. Still, over all, I thought this bonus footage
was a welcomed addition, and if certain angles were not filmed or
mastered for video release, you certainly can't fault them for not
including something that they don't have!
Commentary With Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks
I had heard that the commentary tack wasn't that stellar before my DVD
even arrived in the mail. After listening to it, I can tell you that
these people were being incredibly kind. It is without question one of
the worst commentary tracks I have ever heard! With the possible
exception of the guys goofing on each other and some comedic anecdotes
by Phil, this track is severely lacking. Despite the scattered failing
attempts of Nick Davis and Tony Smith to spark some interesting dialog
between the band, very little is shared. So, if you were hoping that you
would hear some interesting comments about this concert, the We Can't
Dance Tour, about specific songs they played, or backstage antics,
you can forget it. You're not getting it here. As I said, there are a
few chestnuts of funny banter and chit-chat, but that's about it. As a
fan, I was certainly hoping for more in this area. Hopefully, if they do
any more commentary tracks on future DVDs they will come in prepared to
share a little more insight about things.
Period Interviews
As a nice added bonus, the DVD features interviews done with Phil, Mike
and Tony at Earl's Court prior to the concert. The DVD viewer has to
read the question from a menu and then press play to hear the answer.
This isn't a major hassle, but it is a little annoying. I suppose, the
band would have had to pay the interviewer had they included them in the
final package, so this was a way of avoiding that. Who knows?
Slide Show
Each DVD offers a slide show of rare pictures from the tour. While
viewing the slide show on DVD 1, you can hear an instrumental version of
"Way of The World" in the background. On DVD 2, an
instrumental bed of "Living Forever" is playing.
Original Tour Program
Another great touch on this DVD is the addition of the tour booklet on
video. I've never seen a band do this before, and it's an excellent
idea. I hope Genesis does similar reproductions on future DVD reissues.
THE COMPATIBILITY ISSUE:
Compatibility is no longer an issue if your country's video format is
NTSC or PAL since both will be available for sale, but if you live elsewhere where these formats don't
work (like in countries who use the SECAM video format, for example),
this section is for you. The two versions of this DVD that are being released are Region 0 (which
means that they can be played in any region on the planet as long as you
can utilize the PAL or NTSC formatting). The promotional copy shipped to
me was in the NTSC/Region 0 format, so it worked perfectly here for me
in the States.
MY CONCLUSION:
The Way We Walk is an excellent first outing into the DVD world
for Genesis. The 2 DVD set offers plenty of extras and certainly shows
the band's commitment to releasing a quality product. Despite a few weak
points, I don't think any Genesis fan will be disappointed with this
release. In fact, most will find that it exceeds their expectations in
most regards.
To purchase the reissued
Pioneer
pressed NTSC/Region 1 DVD (playable in North America) click here.
|
|
Genesis
- Songbook DVD (2001) |
|
|
WOG
RATING: ****
A documentary on Genesis was probably not the first thing that fans had
hoped to get on DVD. Still, promise of an updated and seemingly complete
video biography on the band was a welcomed item. Particularly, when it
features new interviews with every member of the band in addition to
Chester Thompson, Daryl Stuermer and Bill Bruford who toured with the
Genesis. Combine that with the news of the inclusion of the first new
performance from Tony Banks, Phil Collins and Mike Rutherford in a
decade and, suddenly, this video release takes on a whole new level of
interest. The "angle" of this video was a slightly different
approach from your traditional biography. On Songbook, more
emphasis is placed upon the band's favorite songs and why these tracks
have a special place in Genesis history. Still, how does Songbook
stack up against the old Laserdisc and VHS documentary, A History?
Read on and find out!
|
VIDEO:
The animated menus are really clever and extremely well done. As you
might expect, since most of the interview footage is new, the video
quality is generally superb. Some of the archive footage is less than
perfect, but that has more to do with the age of the clips than it does
with the transfer to DVD. The one piece of archive footage that is in
surprisingly bad quality is the music video for the song
"Misunderstanding," which is extremely grainy. I find this
completely puzzling since the music video has been released on video in
the past and appears in mint condition. There are plenty of awe
inspiring clips (both audio and video) in this documentary including
vintage live black and white video from 1970. Plus, it marked the first
time that North American fans could see a snippet of the "Not About
Us" music video from Calling All Stations, which was
released as a single, but completely ignored by music video channels in
this part of the world.
Not surprisingly, the information discussed in this documentary is
fairly common knowledge for the most part. There are a couple of
interesting factoids, but I'd rather not say what they were since, in my
opinion, that would take a lot away from someone who watches it for the
first time. Interview segments with Steve Hackett, Anthony Phillips and
Ray Wilson are very limited. The funniest moment is the caption under
Ray Wilson when it lists him as a "Musician" and not as
"Former Genesis Vocalist." I'm sure Ray found that a little
offensive, but at least they let him speak (albeit briefly)!
AUDIO:
The audio is presented in Dolby Digital Stereo and in Dolby Digital 5.1
surround sound. The sound quality over all is very good, but as this DVD
is primarily interviews, I would say that the fidelity of the video is
probably par for the course when compared to other DVDs. Where the 5.1
surround sound really sounds excellent is on the new performances by
Collins, Banks and Rutherford, which to me is clearly the highlight of
this video.
EXTRAS:
Deleted Scenes
Included as an added bonus, Songbook features deleted interview
clips with Phil Collins, Steve Hackett, Chester Thompson, Daryl
Stuermer, and more. For the most part, the deleted footage talks about
when various people joined the band (in whole or in part), including
Phil Collins, Steve Hackett, Chester Thompson, Daryl Stuermer and Bill
Bruford. Also included is talk about "The Lamb Lies Down On
Broadway", "Firth of Fifth" and writing "Supper's
Ready." Most importantly; however, is the addition of new live
material including Steve Hackett's new version of "Horizons",
Collins and Banks performing "Afterglow," and Collins, Banks,
and Rutherford performing "No Son of Mine" and "Follow
You Follow Me."
COMPARING A HISTORY TO SONGBOOK:
Personally, I thought the old documentary had a lot of really good
material that was not included here, including some fantastic archive
clips, but both are outstanding over all. Since the old biography only
went up to about 1993, Songbook is obviously a more complete
story. Where A History really shined was briefly incorporating
the member's solo efforts and how they became part of the whole Genesis
mythos. Still, in a way, it's like comparing apples and oranges. Songbook
takes a different approach, and certainly offers some excellent footage
that A History neglects. It's like reading two different books on
the same subject. If they are well done, they compliment each other
nicely, but they are not definitive individually.
MY CONCLUSION:
The Genesis Songbook is an excellent documentary on the band.
Although some issues are overlooked, it is as detailed as can be
expected in a short biographical film. This package offers a nice
overview of the group's career with some excellent archive footage to
satisfy the fans (or leave the fans licking their chops, depending on
how you look at it). The reuniting of Collins, Banks and Rutherford to
perform new semi-unplugged versions of old favorites makes this DVD a
must own for any fan, despite the fact that some songs are interrupted
with dialog and alternate footage.
CLICK
HERE to purchase the Region 1/NTSC version of the Genesis
Songbook DVD! |
CLICK
HERE TO RETURN TO THE REVIEWS INDEX.
|
