Artist: The Rolling StonesTitle: Some Girls Live in Texas '78
Worth buying: Yes
You might be interested in this DVD if you like: The Rolling Stones, Gram Parsons, Mick Taylor
Tell Me More: Although The Rolling Stones burst on the scene in the early 1960s and achieved legendary status during the 1980s, I have always believed the band's greatest work spanned the 10-year-period from 1969 to 1978. The newly-issued Some Girls Live in Texas '78 captured the band just weeks after the release of their final tour de force, Some Girls.
In a loose and freewheeling performance of 17 songs, singer Mick Jagger and company delivered a blistering set featuring most of the highlights from "Some Girls" (a rowdy "Respectable," disco-tinged "Miss You" and R&B-flavored "Beast of Burden"), as well as gems such as Chuck Berry's "Sweet Little 16" and rocking versions of the Stones' own "Brown Sugar" and "Jumpin' Jack Flash."
What about the packaging: A colorful and informative 8-page booklet accompanies the concert DVD.
Get Some Girls on DVD here
Artist: Deep Purple
Title: Deep Purple with Orchestra: Live At Montreux 2011
Worth buying: Yes
You might be interested in this DVD if you like: Deep Purple, Rainbow, Steve Morse, Black Country Communion
Tell Me More: There have been a few examples where bands performing with a full orchestra are effective, with performances by the Moody Blues and Metallica being obvious examples. But often times the approach is nothing more than a silly gimmick that does little to lift the material.
Deep Purple with Orchestra: Live At Montreux 2011 is definitely no gimmick. Released as a two-disc CD, as well as on DVD and Blue-ray by Eagle Rock Entertainment (Nov. 8, 2011), this 115-minute concert ranks alongside Bad Company's Live at Wembley and Sigur Rós' Inni as one of my favorite live collections released on DVD this year. This performance celebrated the legendary hard rocking quintet's expansive catalog with reworked versions of "Highway Star," "Knocking At Your Back Door," "Perfect Strangers," "Hush" and "Smoke On The Water." Indeed, the DVD/CD features a setlist of hits and highlights reflecting the band's full history. The highlights come fast and furious, from a Middle Eastern-flavored "Rapture of the Deep" showcasing the fusion between band and orchestra to the British blues of "When A Blind Man Cries" with vocalist Ian Gillian mining Paul Rodgers territory and oft-heard "Smoke On The Water" using the symphonic scope of the orchestra to infuse the classic with something new.
The sound and camera work on this release is incredible; hard rock fans will be thrilled.
What about the packaging: The DVD comes with a colorful 4-page booklet that includes in-depth notes about the band's ties with the Montreux Festival.
Artist: Sigur RósTitle: Inni
Worth buying: Yes
You might be interested in this DVD if you like: Sigur Rós, Jónsi's Go, Radiohead
Tell Me More: Few modern-rock acts to emerge since the early 1990s have been able to craft music that is as original as it is beautiful. But like England's Radiohead, Iceland's Sigur Rós has found its own little niche in the sonic universe, a place where lush symphonic textures, intense live performances that feature singer Jónsi attacking his electric guitar with a violin bow and additional otherworldly sounds please audiences looking for something to call their own.
Inni, a three-disc collection featuring a concert DVD (also available on Blu-ray) on one disc and two audio CDs, was recorded and filmed over two nights at London's Alexandra Palace in late 2008.
What about the packaging: This release is available in several configurations. I have reviewed the version that features a 75-minute concert on DVD and double CD collection.
Artist: Rory GallagherTitle: Irish Tour '74
Worth buying: Yes
You might be interested in this DVD if you like: Ten Years After, Humble Pie, Joe Bonamassa
Tell Me More: One of the most significant musical currents of 2011 was the renewed interest in Rory Gallagher, who was only 47 when he died due to complications from a liver transplant in June 1995. RollingStone.com recently ranked the Irish blues-rock great 57th on its widely-discussed list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists Of All Time, with the relatively-unknown Gallagher positioned in front of more famous axe wielders such as Robby Krieger (#76), Slash (#65), Johnny Winter (#63) and Robbie Robertson (#59).
Eagle Rock Entertainment has been at the forefront of the celebration, having issued restored and re-mastered versions of his celebrated catalog.
Irish Tour '74 is a two-hour DVD (also available on Blu-ray) that truly captures what made Gallagher so special. On stage he was a fiery presence as he sang and played high-powered electric guitar or acoustic blues with equal fervor, able to get young audiences to their feet with Springsteen-like command. Off-stage he was articulate and focused on his passion for the music and the relationship an artist forges with their fans that is as much about life as it is the power of music.
What about the packaging: The DVD version comes with an informative booklet that folds out as a poster.
Robert Kinsler December 2011
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