Iggy & The Stooges – Escaped Maniacs (MVD Visual/Charly DVD Concert Set)
Picture:
C Sound: B- Extras: B- Concert: B-
It has
been a while since we have seen any Iggy Pop material on DVD, but each release
is surprisingly good and Escaped Maniacs
is no exception. This time, we get
another concert and even more interview material. For our previous Iggy coverage, try these
links:
Live In San Fran 1981
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/2181/Iggy+Pop+-+Live+San+Fran+1981
Live In Detroit
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/919/Iggy+&+The+Stooges+-+Live+In+Detro
The set
is extremely similar to the Detroit concert and is a later performance, though
this on is from Lokerse Freestern, Belgium, recorded August 6th,
2005. Iggy is still remarkably in top
form long after so many other rockers (Punk and otherwise) have become stale,
boring, bored and even pointless. The
set with little variation, includes:
Loose
Down On The Street
1969
I Wanna Be Your Dog
T.V. Eye
Dirt
Real Cool Time
No Fun
1970/Mindroom (medley)
Fun House
Skull Ring
Dead Rock Star
Little Doll
I Wanna Be Your Dog (reprise)
The
performances are good and Iggy Pop’s ability to sing and perform are hardly
diminished from the early days. The one
variation we get is two different camera angles, which ends up being more of a
gimmick than an effective idea applied. The
anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image for the concert is taped and comes in
two versions accessible by the angle button.
The second angle is the normal concert footage without color-gutting or
dumb camera angles, which is all you get with the first angle in the worst
footage of Iggy Pop & Company around.
It was simply a bad idea. Stick
with the second angle.
The Dolby
Digital 5.1 is fairly good, a bit better than the Dolby 2.0 and just passes
muster for having a good soundfield, though some might find the bass-heavy side
a problem. For us, it seemed to fit the
music.
Extras
include a CD-case sized booklet inside the DVD case with quotes and other
information on the band, DVD 1 adds Ron & Scott Asheton interviews and DVD
2 adds DVD-ROM goodies (stories and printable text), a retrospective of Iggy
Pop’s career with several interviews by him & other vintage footage and Pop
interviewed by Esther Friedman.
The
Target DVD is still my favorite of the three, but this is an ambitious set and
could be subtitled “everything you \wanted to know about Iggy Pop and…”
Well, you
know the rest.
- Nicholas Sheffo
