Backbeat Vol. 1 (Punk Rock video magazine)
Picture:
C+ Sound: B- Extras: D Program: B-
After
music and television segments of the DVD market turned out to be a boom like
never before, a few labels have tried out the idea of a magazine on video. Playboy and Penthouse notwithstanding, the
idea has been to literally offer a magazine-like format. Backbeat
Volume 1 (2003) offers some very rare footage of bands being interviewed
and sounding smart. Often, these bands
are not talked to and then they talk at the camera or not at all. This is a nice change of pace.
The
earlier part has an interview followed by a music number, then it goes into
concert footage and even behind the scenes segments as the following line-up
demonstrates:
1)
HOT
WATER MUSIC interview
2)
Free Radio Gainesville
3)
ALL
interview
4)
Carnage
5)
ARMSTRONG
interview
6)
Alone
7)
THRICE
interview
8)
Betrayal Is A Symptom
9)
NERF
HEARDER footage/interview
10) Mr.
Spock clip
11) WARPED TOUR 02 with: HOT WATER MUSIC
12) FLOGGING MOLLY Drunken Lullabies
13) MXPX My
Life Story
14) LAGWAGON Violins
15) NOFX A
Perfect Government/Quart In Session
16) PUNK ROCK KARAOKE
17) THE SPITS Tired & Lonely/Saturday
Night
18) FABULOUS DISASTER interview
19) Down
The Drain
20) AVAIL interview
21) Model
22) BONUS FOOTAGE: DIVIT/THE NERVE AGENTS/AMERICAN
NOTHING/AFI
The band
names are in bold. This is a good,
diverse line-up- within the genre and fans should be most satisfied with what
is offered here.
The full
frame analog video is limited in fidelity, but passable. Much of this is documentary-like, but feels
more like a TV series that should be on the air and is not. The sound is available in Dolby Digital 2.0
Stereo with surrounds or Dolby 5.1 AC-3 with a mixed amount of varying bass. The 5.1 is much better in clarity for some reason,
where the 2.0 feels flat. There are no
extras to speak of, because everything is treated like a magazine section.
Whether
2004 will bring a second edition or not is not known, but this is not badly
done at all and may even inspire more such DVDs. You get 140 minutes of material, so thats
not bad either. With all the films, TV
and outright music programs in the format, this might seem like a niche
unlikely to grow, but if it is done as well as Backbeat, the industry could be in for another pleasant surprise.
- Nicholas Sheffo
