Journey: Live In Manila (2009/Eagle Blu-ray w/2 CD Set)/Justin Hayward: Live In Concert At The Capitol Theatre (2016/IM3 Global/MVD Visual DVD)/Michael Schenker's Temple Of Rock On A Mission: Live In Madrid (2015/Inakustik/MVD Visual 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray)/Motown 25: Yesterday, Today & Forever Box Set (1983/Time Life/Star Vista 6-DVD Set Version)/Presenting Princess Shaw (2015/Magnolia DVD)/Toto: Live At Montreux 1991 (Eagle Blu-ray w/CD Set)/The Tubes: The Musikladen Concert 1981 (Radio Bremen/Sireena Records/MVD Visual DVD)

4K Ultra HD Picture: B Picture: B-/C/#/C+/C+/B-/C+ Sound: B (CD set: B-)/C/B-/C+/C+/B-/C+ Extras: C-/C-/C/A-/C-/C-/D Main Programs: C+/B-/B-/B/C+/C+/B

Our latest set of music releases includes our first 2160p 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray concert, an expanded DVD box of a classic music event, additional concerts by well-known key acts in the business and a new emerging talent...

Journey: Live In Manila (2009) is one of the two groups in this reviews that we have remarkably never reviewed before. Original lead single Steve Perry may be gone, but he's not forgotten, despite it being a good few years ago depression and personal conflict with the band led to his exit. Neil Schon has done what he could to keep them together, hitting gold on the Internet finding an uncanny singer of their hits named Arnel Pineda. He could hit much of Perry's range and heights, so he became their new lead singer and is featured here.

The songlist includes..

Intro Medley: The Journey (Revelation)/Majestic
Never Walk Away
Only The Young
Ask The Lonely
Stone In Love
Keep On Runnin'
After All These Years
Change For The Better

Wheel In The Sky

Lights
Still They Ride
Open Arms
Mother, Father
Wildest Dream
When You Love A Woman
Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)
What I Needed
Edge Of The Blade
Where Did I Lose Your Love
Escape
Faithfully
Don't Stop Believin'
Any Way You Want It
Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'
Turn Down The World Tonight
Be Good To Yourself
Credits: The Journey (Revelation)

Good as this can be, Pineda may sound good, but he seems rushed at times not sounding like he believes what he is singing or feeling it. Maybe it is because it was an early show, the band coasted on his novelty and he was just getting adjusted, but it is an uneven show overall saved by its energy and an enthusiastic audience. Thus, it is for the curious only.

Counting the CDs or not, a booklet on the concert is the only extra.

Justin Hayward: Live In Concert At The Capitol Theatre (2016) is the latest concert film from the lead singer of the great, legendary band The Moody Blues (see much more of them elsewhere on this site) and follows the Blu-ray release a few years ago of his Live At The Buckhead Theater, Atlanta: Spirits... Live (2013) release we reviewed at this link...

http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/13022/The+Buddy+Holly+Story+(1978/Sony/Columbia/Tw

The track listing this time out includes...

Tuesday Afternoon
It's Up To You / Lovely To See You
In Your Blue Eyes
The Western Sky
You Can Never Go Home
Watching And Waiting
I Dreamed Last Night
One Day, Someday
The Eastern Sun
December Snow
What You Resist Persists
Your Wildest Dreams
Forever Autumn
Question
Nights In White Satin
I Know You're Out There Somewhere

Blue Guitar (bonus track)
Who Are You Now (bonus track)
The Wind of Heaven (bonus track)

This is about up to the last release but I liked that one marginally better. Fans will not be disappointed and Hayward's voice is still there, but for new audiences, I would choose the other release (or if you can, the 5.1 Super Audio CDs of classic Moody albums we reviewed elsewhere on the site). Not bad here at all, though.

Michael Schenker's Temple Of Rock On A Mission: Live In Madrid (2015) is the latest of three concerts we've covered, but this time, it is our and one of the first-ever concerts in the 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray format. An Inakustik production issued by MVD Visual, it joins these earlier shows we covered at these links...

2004 DVD concert

http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/1683/Michael+Schenker+Group+-+World+Wide+Live+200

2010 Blu-ray/DVD concert

http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/10461/The+Michael+Schenker+Group+%E2%80%93+The

About on par with the 2010 show, the track listing this time is...

1. Ocean Odyssey - Intro
2. Doctor Doctor
3. Live and Let Live
4. Lights Out
5. Where the Wind Blows
6. Natural Thing
7. Before The Devil Knows Your Dead
8. Victim of Illusion
9. Lovedrive
10. Coast To Coast
11. Vigilante Man
12. Rock My Nights Away
13. Saviour Machine
14. Too Hot To Handle
15. Only You Can Rock Me
16. Lord Of The Lost And Lonely
17. Rock You Like A Hurricane
18. Rock Bottom
19. Horizons
20. Attack Of The Mad Axeman
21. Communion
22. Blackout

Not everyone will necessarily like the music, but this is (even with flaws) going to be 4K demo material for a while, so don't be surprised if you see it down the line unexpectedly at some point. It is as good an introduction to the band as there is right now too.

A booklet on the concert is joined by a Soundcheck Sketches and Outside the Theater featurette on the 4K disc as the only extras.

The Motown 25: Yesterday, Today & Forever Box Set (1983) expands the fine 3-DVD set we covered a little while ago by doubling the discs and adding a few booklets with far more extras. We covered the smaller set at this link...

http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/13061/La+Bamba+(1987/Sony/Columbia/Twilight+Time+L

As relevant as ever, Motown (as I expected) went all-out archiving that night. If you love music like I do, seeing all the new footage and archive footage finally revealed is just mesmerizing and never quits being entertaining.

The extras on the first 3 DVDs remain the same. DVD 1 adds a "Yesterday · Today · Forever" Production Roundtable featuring Smokey Robinson and Duke Fakir (Four Tops), Otis Williams (The Temptations) and Executive Producer Suzanne de Passe, taped at the location of the original concert, the Pasadena Civic Auditorium and "Signed, Sealed, Delivered - The Making of Motown 25", which tells the behind-the-scenes story of the making of the program, and offers new insights into the rise of Motown and its roster of super stars. DVD 2: REHERSAL offers "What's Going On: Marvin Gaye" rehearsal, the second part of the Motown 25 Performers Roundtable and DVD 3: THE REUNION adds a the final part of those roundtable interviews, the featurettes "Dancing In The Street: History of Motown" & "Reach Out I'll Be There: The Temptations & The Four Tops" and over 25 exclusive interviews with performers and crew, including Claudette Robinson (The Miracles), Martha Reeves (Martha & the Vandellas), Smokey Robinson, Nelson George, Gloria Jones, Adam Ant, Ashford and Simpson, Buz Kohan (Head Writer), David Goldberg (Executive in Charge of Production), Mickey Stevenson (Former Head of A&R/Songwriter), Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis (Songwriters/Producers) and more. This better 6-DVD set has two box-sized books on the classic broadcast, both really well done, then the last 3 discs are all extras.

New to us are DVD 4: HISTORY with a Songwriters Roundtable (from 1983) featuring:
Mickey Stevenson, Former Head of A&R/Songwriter, Motown Records; Norman Whitfield, Lamont Dozier, Eddie Holland, Harvey Fuqua, Brian Holland, Ron Miller, Songwriters and Producers, Motown Records, Featurette: Dancin' in the Streets: The History of Motown and Exclusive Interviews with Norman Whitfield, Songwriter and Producer (from 1983), Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, Eddie Holland, Songwriters and Producers (from 1983), Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson, Songwriters, Motown Records, Gloria Jones, Songwriter, Motown Records, Shelly Berger, Manager/Former Motown Records Executive, Mickey Stevenson, Former Head of A&R/Songwriter, Motown Records and Suzanne Coston, Producer, Motown 25. DVD 5: LEGACY includes a Stevie Wonder Rehearsal, four featurettes: You've Really Got a Hold on Me: The Miracles, My Guy: Smokey Robinson, I Heard It through the Grapevine: Motown Sound and Motown 25 Reboot: The 5.1 Surround Sound Mix. You also get exclusive interviews with Smokey Robinson, Iris Gordy, Former Motown Records Executive, Adam Ant, Performer, Motown 25 and Russ Terrana, Former Motown Records Engineer. Finally, DVD 6: THE PEOPLE with more exclusive interviews, including Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Producers, Nelson George, Writer & Music Scholar, Ruth Adkins Robinson, Writer, Motown 25, Buz Kohan, Head Writer, Motown 25, David Goldberg, Executive in Charge of Production, Motown 25, Janie Bradford, Songwriter/Motown Records Employee, Don Waller, Author, George and Jolene Schlatter, George Schlatter Productions, Michael Lovesmith, President/COO, West Grand Media, Rick Ludwin, Former Head of NBC Specials, Michael Black, Former ICM Agent and Tony Jones, Former Motown Executive.

A highly collectible, archival set, this is THE version of Motown 25 to own!

Ido Haar's Presenting Princess Shaw (2015) gives us the era after Motown in full swing, Hip Hop and the Internet, where a young woman who starts posting her singing might just be on track to surprise commercial and critical success. Samantha Shaw is the title singer in this documentary of talent coming out of the most unexpected places, living in a tough neighborhood and working hard personally and financially just to survive. When not getting into the bells & whistles of digital video, this is a good, if inconsistent character study and maybe the first chapter of a big success to come. Wirth a look if you're interested, don't be surprised if we hear more from Shaw soon.

Deleted Scenes, a trailer and new Interview with Shaw are the only extras.

Toto: Live At Montreux 1991 is the oldest concert from the hit band we've seen on Blu-ray yet, issued by Eagle, whose issued all the previous releases we've covered as follows...

2003 Blu-ray concert

http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/4583/Toto+-+25th+Anniversary+Live+In+Amsterdam+(2

2007 Blu-ray concert

http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/9316/Toto+%E2%80%93+Falling+In+Between:+Live+(Ea

2014 Blu-ray concert

http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/12765/The+Cars:+Heartbeat+City+(1984+Music+Videos

This ties the 2014 release as the best show of the four, though none of them seems to have fully captured the band for me for whatever reasons. Being the oldest, it is closest to their hits period and the original line-up. The songs performed this time around include...

On The Run

Kingdom of Desire

I'll Be Over You

Africa

Jake To The Bone

Red House

Rosanna

I Want To Take You Higher

Not bad and worth a look and listen, fans should be more pleased than most, but not a bad release at all. Counting the CD or not, a booklet on the concert is the only extra.

Last but not least is The Tubes: The Musikladen Concert 1981, before their commercial compromise with their pop hit ''She's A Beauty'' (including its overplayed music video), this is loaded with their more challenging early music (think DEVO) as they play the following...

1. Ouverture
2. Matter Of Pride
3. TV Is King
4. Think About Me
5. Talk To Ya Later
6. Sport Fans
7. Amnesia
8. Mr. Hate
9. Attack Of The Fifty-Foot Woman
10. Smoke (La Vie En Fumer)
11. Mondo Bondage
12. Don't Want To Wait Anymore
13. Power Tools
14. Business Dance
15. Don't Slow Down
16. Sushi Girl
17. Tubes World Tour
18. Let's Make Some Noise

It reminds one of how great the Punk and New Wave movements really were, with this recoding doing a surprisingly good job of capturing how exciting this time and this band in particular were. A nice surprise to have it on DVD and an excellent intro to the band, even non-fans should take a look.

There are sadly no extra.

I will start on the picture quality by saying all seven visual recordings are shot on video, but from the old analog tapings to the newest 4K recording here, all have some detail issues, motion blur and other minor issues. The 2160p HEVC/H.265 (no HDR) 1.78 X 1 Ultra High Definition image on Temple is the best performer here, but the flaws are a bit of a disappointment being we've seen several 1080p HD recordings on standard Blu-ray with more consistency. Still, it also shows the promise of 4K Blu-ray concerts to come. Still, some of this can look very good.

Not helping either the older HD recordings on Journey or Toto is that they are both 1080i 1.78 X 1 digital High Definition images and not 1080p, though so many concerts (from Rock and Soul to Classical) are 1080i, so now they will start looking even a bit more dated (as expected) versus even a flawed 4K disc. Color is decent in both cases here too, but even now, the Toto 25th Anniversary Live In Amsterdam Blu-ray (see link above) is better than both of these Blu-rays and could compete with Temple at times.

The 1.33 X 1 analog color shoots on Tubes (in PAL analog) and Motown (in NTSC analog) are fine color-wise, but Tubes is a bit rougher despite being shot on a slightly sharper video format a few years before. It does not have the controlled circumstances Motown has for its taping and both seem to have been transferred as well as they could be. Expect analog videotape flaws including some video noise, video banding, (telecine flicker in a few older Motown clips) and cross color.

So you'd think the anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image on Shaw and Hayward would easily surpass both, but Shaw has location video and mixed internet video in its editing all over the place, while Hayward is overall softer than expected and usual in a way that surprised me.

In the audio department, Temple offers a Dolby Atmos 11.1 lossless mix that can sound good, but also often sounds like doing 12-tracks was an afterthought, so only have so many expectations of demo immersion moments (the Roger Waters: The Wall concert Blu-ray has a better 11.1 mix) as the soundfield is not consistent, so the DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless mixes on Journey and Toto can more than compete with as well mixed and presented as they are. Their music is also here in PCM 2.0 16/44.1 Stereo CDs, but Journey is inferior to the DTS Blu-ray and Toto can just compete with its DTS Blu-ray sound.

All the DVDs offer lossy Dolby Digital 5.1, save Tubes only offering PCM 2.0 Stereo, but despite some sonic flaws and limits, all sound good except Hayward, also here in lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo that sounds a bit better which has some kind of mixing issue that might be holding back the soundmaster. We'll have to see if this changes if a Blu-ray version is ever issued.

- Nicholas Sheffo