Under Review series: The Byrds (Double
Set)/Neil Young 1976 – 2006/Van Morrison 1964 – 1974 (MVD/Chrome
Dreams DVD)
Picture:
C+ Sound: C+ Extras: C Documentaries: B- each
The Under Review series continues to be one
of the most prolific of any music documentary series ever made. Rarely disappointing and often making you
wish it could go on longer, but they are able to license the music in virtually
all cases and leave no stone unturned.
For a change, I figured that we would group together three like titles,
all of whom are artists from the counterculture era in the late 1960s that left
permanent, indelible marks on world music.
The Byrds set is longer than most DVD
releases in the series, but sticks with the band only to the end of their Columbia
Records years, skipping the infamous 1973 reunion album on Asylum Records that
no one seems to like. It paints Dave
Crosby as wilder than you might expect considering the sympathy he has received
in recent years, shows the rise of the band, its experimental period where it
took a dip and its final comeback before falling apart in a way they were never
able to really repair.
I still
think 8 Miles High is their peak, no
matter the psychedelic label and the idea that they may have been the
originators of Country Rock a stretch.
Still, the research and interviews are first rate and it is a good set.
The Neil Young installment covers the end
of his original cycle of popularity, an experimental period where he famously
clashed with David Geffen when he ran Geffen Records and his big recent
comeback where he returns to what seems like familiar territory, yet offers
much more than a retread. What I liked
about the program is it shows how uncompromising he always has been and will
be, which has made him one of the music industry’s all-time survivors. The Geffen Years finally get the credit they
deserve and despite the controversy, Trans
may prove ultimately how he was just more than a
Rock/Country/Pop/Counterculture artist no mater how much some critics would
like to write it off as his answer to Lou Reed’s infamous Metal Machine Music. With
music as bad as it is now, his legacy is greater than ever.
The Van Morrison installment shows why he
is an artist to be reckoned with and even goes back to his early days with the
band them. It is easy to forget for too
many that he did amazing albums and was not just a singles’ artist who has
nearly been trivialized with the media obsession of mocking the 1960s. Astral
Weeks is considered a masterwork to this day and in this age of brainless,
ultra-low quality MP3s, the album is getting lost in the shuffle. This installment ends when he decides to take
a break, ending his first unb4eleivable cycle of artistic and (fortunately)
commercial success.
The 1.33
X 1 image on all three releases can have letterboxed moments, but looks good
and all offer great interviews to go along with the generous selection of
archival stills, video and film footage.
The Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo on all three releases is good as usual on
these collections, but none are audiophile quality either. Fortunately, many of Young’s albums have been
issued in DVD-Audio editions, while several Super Audio CDs were issued of The
Byrds early works. Wish Morrison would
get the same treatment.
Extras on
Byrds includes text contributor
bios, text on John York, Gene Parsons’ demonstrating the String Bender and
Jerry Cole Recalls with stories on Phil Spector, Charles Manson and others. Young
has a tough quiz and text contributor bios.
Morrison has a tough quiz,
text contributor bios and Stories On The
Road by Jim Rothermel interview segment.
For more
on these artists, try these links:
Byrds Greatest Hits Super Audio CD
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/6801/The+Byrds+Greatest+Hits+(1967/Supe
Neil Young – Heart Of Gold (Documentary DVD)
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/3835/Neil+Young+-+Heart+Of+Gold+(DTS
Van Morrison – Live At Montreux
1980/1974 DVD
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/4631/Van+Morrison+–+Live+At+Montreux
- Nicholas Sheffo
