Earth, Wind & Fire – Live In Japan (Eagle DVD/CD Set)
Picture:
C Sound: C+/B- Extras: D Concert:
C
We have
had mixed experiences with Earth, Wind & Fire on home video, with a good
feature film and a few previous concerts that had mixed results. Live
In Japan was taped in Japan in 1990 and Eagle has decided to issue it in a
DVD/CD set. From the tour to support
their Heritage album, they play
classics like Getaway, After The Love Is Gone, Let’s Groove and That’s The Way Of The World, but the concert is very awkward and I
never bought it.
The rush
through the material reminded me of this 1982 concert Eagle issued on DVD:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/6873/Earth,+Wind+&+Fire+In+Concert
However,
I thought this was even more muddled and never added up, which is a shame
because I like the band and they are a real band, still surviving after all
these years. Yet, it is a disappointment
in both formats and the playback here is also a problem.
The 1.33
X 1 is soft with some serious reproduction issues, bad Video Black (even for
analog NTSC videotape) and other flaws that make the performance muddier. The DTS 5.1 and Dolby Digital 5.1 mixes are better
than the Dolby 2.0 Stereo, but not by much, which extends to the PCM 16/44.1
Stereo on the CD. This was just not
recorded for the best fidelity. The only
extra includes the usual paper pullout with an essay Eagle tends to add to all
their releases.
For a
better concert that plays back better, try this link:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/7200/Chicago+and+Earth,+Wind+&+Fire
- Nicholas Sheffo
