Jan Akkerman – Live (DTS)
Picture: C+
Sound: B Extras: C+ Main Concerts: B
A former member of Friendship Sextet in the 1950s, then
1960s bands like The Hunters and Brainbox, Jan Akkerman established himself as
one of Germany’s leading Rock guitarists.
A terrific new DVD simply entitled Jan Akkerman – Live features
two concerts and a nice set of extras showing off his skills today with a set
of solid band members to back him up solo.
The acoustic Viersen set runs 34 minutes and offers
the following tracks:
1) Streetwalker
2) Tommy (not
affiliated with The Who’s rock opera)
3) My
Pleasure
4) Am I
Losing You
Then the electronic Leverkusen set goes on for an
even longer 44 minutes and offers:
1) My
Pleasure
2) Am I
Losing You
3) Central
Station
4) Heavy
Treasure
5) Pietons
& Hocus Pocus
6) Tommy
The Hocus Pocus is the legendary hit by the band
Focus, but this version does not add the yodeling, and is amusingly smart
enough to note that on the track listing.
The performance itself is amusing in how different it is from the
original, but still sounds like the song.
Both concerts are taped in professional PAL video, with the first shot
in 2001 in the 1.33 x 1 aspect ratio.
The later was also shot in 2001, but carries a 2002 date on it and is
framed at a letterboxed 1.78 X 1 frame, but both are still virtually the same
in picture quality and detail. The
detail is limited and color is muted in the darker parts of the frame, but both
have their visual performance moments.
The sound on the DVD is available in Dolby Digital 5.1 and
2.0 Stereo with Pro Logic surrounds, but the DTS 5.1 blows them both away, with
terrific clarity and music detail more than up to bringing these great concert
moments alive. The interview would seem
like the only extra from the menu, but it includes more music performances and
that includes music improvisations. The
interview is as smart as the music and all of Jan Akkerman – Live made a
fan out of me.
- Nicholas Sheffo
