U2 - Best of 1990-2000 (2002) Review

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(More customer reviews)Quick Overview: This DVD is both an excellent survey of U2's music during the past decade and a fascinating anthology of music videos, both conceptual and performance. Musically, it contains all of the songs from the regular release of the CD "U2: The Best of 1990-2000", with the exception that "For the First Time" is replaced by "The Fly". In addition, it contains seven bonus tracks, songs lamented by many for not being included on the CD. Cinematically, it boasts both performance and conceptual videos of varying quality; with the inclusion of intriguing director commentaries, many of the videos merit multiple viewings. Alternate videos for "Even Better Than The Real Thing", "One", "Stuck in a Moment...", "Staring at the Sun", and "Numb" are provided to yield a total of 28 music videos for 23 songs. As a special treat, three documentaries are included. All in all, this is an amazing DVD.
Details, Shot One ("Conceptual Videos"): The most successful conceptual videos are "Numb" (Godley version), "Please", and "If God Will Send His Angels". The "Numb" video bluntly demonstrates the cause of The Edge's numbness--it's also quite funny and disturbing. "Please" and "If God Will Send His Angels" are probably my favorites. Bono's performance in "Please" is poignant, and the gimic employed by Corbijn works well here. The use of split screen and altered film speed in "If God Will Send..." effectively communicates that awful out-of-sync feeling of being alone among people, even among friends.
"One" deserves special mention. Three videos were made for this. Pellington's version, employed in concert, emphasized buffalos, images of which adorn both the CD and DVD; sadly, this video was NOT included on the DVD. The other two videos are here, and they are interesting. Corbijn's version is notable for having Bono's father playing a major role; in addition, you get to decide which member of U2 would make the most attractive woman--I don't think it's Bono.
Details, Shot Two ("Performance Videos"): What would U2 be without footage of them on stage? Many of these videos, including conceptual ones, feature perforance footage. Some, like "Gone" and "Mofo", are essentially concert videos; I prefer watching these songs on the Zoo TV and PopMart videos. Others, like "Even Better Than the Real Thing", "Mysterious Ways", and "Staring at the Sun", utilize novel filming techniques to
bolster the song's mood or message. Some are more successful than others. For example, at first boring, the strange effects in "Staring at the Sun" (Scott version) become almost revelatory at the end. In "Please" and "One", expressions on The Edge's face at key points of the video are very telling and make the inclusion of performance footage mandatory.
One Drop of Sad: These are minor quibbles. 1) Navigation is sometimes frustrating. You click on the director's name and you get either the video OR the video with commentary. If you click on the triangle beside his name, you definitely get commentary. If you have the same trouble, keep trying; eventually, you will get the straight video. 2) With "Mofo", I had to try accessing the video several times before I heard the soundtrack. "Mofo" was the only video with which I had this problem. 3) Although the box claims subtitles in five languages, I did not find Japanese subtitles actually provided for the songs I checked, and I checked most of them. 4) Some songs, like "Beautiful Day" and "One", had alternate videos. It would have been nice to have ALL versions. (This is a BEST OF anthology, so maybe they only included the best of the alternates?)
Extra Tidbits: The DVD booklet provides interesting, albeit short, notes on each song. The DVD package provides storage space for the U2 The History Mix DVD, that came with the special edition of "The Best of 1990-2002" CD.
In Summary: This is an outstanding DVD. It contains most, arguably the best, of the singles from 1990-2000 with their videos, all of which contain something of at least passing interest and some of which are very powerful. The director commentaries are fascinating and provide valuable behind-the-scenes information. The documentaries are a nice addition. I highly recommend "U2: The Best of 1990-2002"; it's one of the best DVDs I've bought this year.

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U2 Live at Red Rocks: Under a Blood Red Sky (2008) Review

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(More customer reviews)It's hard to believe it's been over 20 years since "Blood Red Sky" was filmed. As a couple of other people have posted who were there, it was an amazing event. It felt historic even at the time.
Although the weather is exactly why it's so dramatic with the fog and steam, the entire show was very nearly cancelled because of the conditions. Like one guy mentioned, it was about 35 degrees out at Red Rocks that night, after a full day of cold drizzling rain.
I was the music editor of the local alt.weekly paper at the time, and had been in on some meetings announcing the filming. Barry Fey, the concert's promoter, had been a very early supporter of U2 and booked them into a small 1400-seat theater in Denver when they first toured the US for "Boy." So they liked Fey and wanted to work with him for this Red Rocks gig.
Unfortunately it got cold in the days before the concert. They actually did officially cancel it -- both The Alarm and U2 agreed to play a second, make-up concert the next day in a local arena (DU, I think, or maybe Regis University). But they decided to do the Red Rocks performance anyway because they'd invested so many thousands of dollars for the shoot -- the pyrotchnics (there are normally no fires atop the dramatic sandstone rocks around the stage!), the camera equipment, the technicians.
I'm sure if the filming hadn't been planned, the performance would have been cancelled in a second. I don't remember if the show as sold out (I kind of doubt it), but in the 9,000-seat amphitheater, only about 3,000 people showed up for the filming. The movie does a great job of making it seem like a full house.
It's to Bono and U2's credit that they came out roaring, and to all music fans' benefit that this performance was caught on camera.
I alternated between the 5th row in the middle and the 2nd row over to stage left, and was in awe of what was going on on the stage. U2 simply took it over and made it their own showcase gig, as if they were playing an audition for entrance into heaven. Everything was (I'm sure) unscripted, including the bit with the flag and bringing the girl on stage. It was all natural, just like the setting.
This was just at the point, as some writers have mentioned, where the band was evolving from cult status to superstardom, and they were just hitting their stride.
One thing, though: their performance was hot, but not hot enough to help you forget the cold -- I froze my butt off that night!
As for why no DVD, I wonder how much of it is because of licensing and ownership rights. I don't even know if TTS, the Denver-based production company that managed the shoot, exists anymore. So I wonder who owns the rights to the film.
Perhaps U2, and maybe they don't want it on DVD ultimately because of the made-for-TV audio and video quality.
I happened to stumble on this series of reviews and I'm glad I stopped to read everyone's comments. It brought back a lot of memories, and made me want to root around my basement for my promotional copy of the film from TTS!

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Item Name: Live at Red Rocks [Remastered]; Studio:Island

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Red Hot + Blue: A Tribute To Cole Porter (2006) Review

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(More customer reviews)What a terrible shame the quality of this DVD is gastly. Why on EARTH, with such spectacular performers and rare videos, could they not have got up off their lazy a---s and digitally remastered this? Why? It's blurred, and the contrast is terrible. The ONLY clear thing (besides all their effort put into the fancy MENU (!) is the bonus footage of marvelous Annie Lennox taken from television. It appears to be from a master tape--unlike the company's own videos!
I was SO looking forward to seeing Sinead O'Connor and Annie Lennox with brilliant color and clarity--only to see it worse (and I kid you not) than the VHS quality. What's the point of putting something on DVD if it isn't any different in quality than the VHS, which can be found for a few bucks online or in any used video store? If you were to record your VHS version on to a blank DVD+R, you would have exactly what is available here. This was an important project, so I am shocked. I hope this helps save you money and especially disappointment.
A NOTE: The CD (not the DVD) is beautifully remastered and is included in this package. If you are strictly into the music (CD) and not interested in the videos (DVD), this product will be worth it for you. If you were hoping for newly remastered video clips as well, you will be considerably disappointed.

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The wildly successful Red Hot + Blue project, featuring such world-class artists as U2, Annie Lennox, Tom Waits, and Sinead O’Connor, and such acclaimed directors as Wim Wenders, Alex Cox, and Jonathan Demme, is finally being released with the care that it deserves. Originally issued in 1990, the Red Hot + Blue: A Tribute To Cole Porter album created massive media attention for AIDS relief and became the first release in a 15-album series. An eclectic musical homage to the legendary songwriter Cole Porter, it went platinum, spent 24 weeks on the Billboard charts, and generated $3 million dollars for AIDS charities worldwide, but its companion piece, a VHS collection of music videos, was somewhat relegated to the shadows. That changes with the 2-disc Special Edition package of Red Hot + Blue, which contains all the music videos on a DVD and the album, complete with a much-needed remastering, on a CD, both in the same package. DVD Program Listing: 1. David Byrne-Don’t Fence Me In 2. Neneh Cherry-I’ve Got U Under My Skin3. Jimmy Somerville-From This Moment On 4. Jody Watley-After You, Who? 5. Salif Keita-Begin The Beguine 6. Erasure-Too Darn Hot 7. Sinead O’Connor-You Do Something To Me 8. The Jungle Brothers-I Get A Kick Out Of You9. The Neville Brothers-In The Still Of The Night 10. k.d. lang-So In Love 11. Les Negresses Vertes-I Love Paris12. Aztec Camera-Do I Love You? 13. Debbie Harry & Iggy Pop-Well, Did You Evah! 14. Lisa Stansfield-Down In The Depths 15. Kirsty MacColl & The Pogues-Miss Otis Regrets / Just One Of Those Things16. Tom Waits-It’s All Right With Me 17. U2-Night And Day 18. Annie Lennox-Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye19. Bill Irwin-Comedy Sketches 20. Annie Lennox-Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye (Live on VH1 Honors) Plus bonus remastered CD with the same tracks in a different running order

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The Duets (2008) Review

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(More customer reviews)I was surprised how the voices of these popular singers blended so beautifully with Pavarotti's opera-trained voice. The arrangements are all beautiful. Cheryl Crow and Celine Dion's duets with Pavarotti display standing-ovation talent! You cannot go wrong with this fascinating blend of voices from different genres (rock, country, easy listening, etc.) We absoultely loved it!

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LUCIANO PAVAROTTI was the rare artist who could easily bridge the divide between classical and popular music. Together with an impressive roster of the best-known names in rock, pop and jazz, Pavarotti entertained millions of people around the world with his "Pavarotti & Friends" concerts. This release is the first time that these tracks have been brought together in one album! Rarely has such a glittering array of singing legends from such varied genres been brought together at one time--on both DVD and CD! Featuring Bryan Adams, Andrea Bocelli, Bon Jovi, Bono/The Edge/Brian Eno, Mariah Carey, Eric Clapton, Sheryl Crow, Celine Dion, The Eurythmics, Elton John, Lionel Richie, Frank Sinatra, Sting and Zucchero.Featured Guest Artists: Bryan Adams
Andrea Bocelli
Bon Jovi
Bono
The Edge
Brian Eno
Mariah Carey
Eric Clapton
Sheryl Crow
The Eurythmics
Celine Dion
Elton John
Lionel Richie
Frank Sinatra
Sting
Zucchero

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Shakespeare Was a Big George Jones Fan: Cowboy Jack Clement's Home Movies (2007) Review

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(More customer reviews)Shakespeare Was a Big George Jones Fan: Cowboy Jack Clement's Home Movies
I had the opportunity to record at Clementvision studios @'89 or so with Chance Martin who was executive producer of the old Johnny Cash show on ABC. Chance appears on this DVD as the voice of Shakespeare. Engineer David Ferguson whom i worked with on those sessions also appears.
This DVD brought back a lot of memories and gives a good insight behind the scenes with some of Nashvilles heaviest hitters. Also on this DVD is a rare glimpse into a side of Johnny Cash that was seldom scene by the general public. It is said that "Cowboy" was able to bring out the funny and whimsical side of Johnny that a lot of people didn't get to see. This is a MUST for any real Johnny Cash fans.

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: He's been a producer to Elvis Presley and U2, an Arthur Murray dance instructor, best friend to Johnny Cash, Sam Phillips' right-hand man, a U.S. Marine, a slasher-film producer, and he discovered Jerry Lee Lewis, Charley Pride and Townes Van Zandt. This off-the-wall feature about legendary Nashville record producer/performer/artist Cowboy Jack Clement tells the story of his amazing career via home movies longtime friends Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, John Prine, Bono and many more. Riding the trail between Monty Python and Blazing Saddles, this film inspires with lessons of creativity, mortality, and the risk and glory of a self-made life. Featuring his very close friends Johnny Cash, Bono, Waylon Jennings and Charly Pride. Includes never before seen footage and commentary of legendary artists such as Elvis Presley, Kris Kristofferson and George Jones. Bonus features include a commentary with Cowboy Jack & Alamo Jones.

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U2 - Zoo TV, Live From Sydney (2006) Review

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(More customer reviews)Well, I've never actually SEEN this show, but I've heard it. During the Zoo TV era, U2 reinvented themselves (not the first time, nor would it be the last) and it turned a lot of those "I used to listen to 'War' all the time in college" fans off to U2 and created comments like, "they haven't done anything good since 'Joshua Tree'." I don't see why. The Zoo TV era, whose music included Achtung Baby and Zooropa, is some of the best U2 ever. Now if only a Popmart DVD would be released...
Here's what's on the DVD from DVDTown.com (which I think was taken from the U2 site):
Synopsis
Filmed at the Football Stadium in Sydney, Australia, in November 1993. As well as the legendary live show, now digitally remastered, the new release comes with a bonus DVD of live tracks, mini-documentaries and the inimitable `Video Confessional'.
Disc One
* Show Opening
* Zoo Station
* The Fly
* Even Better Than The Real Thing
* Mysterious Ways
* One
* Unchained Melody
* Until The End Of The World
* New Year's Day
* Numb
* Angel Of Harlem
* Stay (Faraway, So Close!)
* Satellite Of Love
* Dirty Day
* Bullet The Blue Sky
* Running To Stand Still
* Where The Streets Have No Name
* Pride (In The Name Of Love)
* Daddy's Gonna Pay For Your Crashed Car
* Lemon
* With Or Without You
* Love Is Blindness
* Can't Help Falling In Love
Disc Two
Bonus Tracks
* 1. Tryin' To Throw Your Arms Around the World
* 2. Desire
* (both taken live from the Zoo TV Special, Yankee Stadium,New York, 29th and 30th August 1992)
* 3. The Fly
* 4. Even Better than the Real Thing
* (both taken live from the Stop Sellafield Concert, G-Mex Centre, Manchester, 19th June 1992)
Documentaries
* A Fistful of Zoo TV
* Zoo TV - The Inside Story
* Trabantland
Extras
* Video Confessional
* Numb Karaoke

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1. Opening Track 2. Opening Sequence 3. Zoo Station 4. The Fly 5. Even Better Than The Real Thing6. Mysterious Ways 7. One 8. Unchained Melody 9. Until The End Of The World 10. New Year's Day 11. Numb 12. Angel Of Harlem 13. Stay (Faraway, So Close!)14. Satellite Of Love 15. Dirty Day 16. Bullet The Blue Sky17. Running To Stand Still 18. Where The Streets Have No Name19. Pride (In The Name Of Love) 20. Daddy's Gonna Pay For Your Crashed Car21. Show Me The Way To Go Home 22. Lemon 23. With Or Without You24. Love Is Blindness 25. Can't Help Falling In Love

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U2 - Zoo TV Live from Sydney (Limited Edition) (2006) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is U2 at their creative highpoint. Zoo TV was far ahead of it's time, and is captured very well on this release. Disc 1 is the same as the 1994 VHS release. The video has been cleaned up to todays DVD standards, and is worth getting for that alone. However, the sound has been upgraded as well, and will not disappoint.
The sound is available in Dolby Digital 2.0, Dolby
Digital 5.1, and DTS.
Extra Disc:
'Tryin' To Throw Your Arms Around The World' (4:19) is an edit of several concerts from the ZooTV Tour.
Bonus track 2 is 'Desire' (5:18) from the well-known 'Zoo TV Special' filmed in New York's Yankee Stadium, recorded to promote the ZooTV-Tour.
The Fly' (4:37) and 'Even Better Than The Real Thing' (4:23) are recordings from the Stop Sellafield Concert from 19 June 1992 in Manchester. Both songs have only recently been released on the single for 'City Of Blinding Lights'.
Documentaries:
'A Fistful of Zoo TV' (7:50) is an edit of various scenes from the ZooTV era, while a text tracker informs about the materials used for the stage, PA and
so on. Brief snippets of Mr. MacPhisto are included in the mix, as well as a reference to the ZooTV Confessionals, which are another extra on the DVD.
Zoo TV - The Inside Story (4:11)
Brian Eno and The Edge explain how the idea for ZooTV developed from the video for 'The Fly'.
Trabantland (7:45)
This is the story of the 'Trabbie' and U2's love for it during the time. Paul McGuinness, Anton Corbijn, Bono and others comment.
Extras::
The 'Video Confessional' was located within the
standing area of the stadium shows, and fans were invited to 'confess' - the results being broadcast onto the big screens during the encore break of the show.
This extra is an edit of people from all over the world.
Numb Karaoke (4:13)
A special version of the 'Numb Video Remix' to sing along to! Edge's voice has been cut from the mix, while Bono's (and Larry's) vocals remain in the background.
DVD-Rom:
Inserting DVD 2 into your PC or Mac gives you access to the CD-Rom Extras. These contain two screen savers and four background pictures for different screen
sizes.
Easter Eggs:
One of the Easter Eggs is the 24-minute documentary about U2's history, as originally featured on the 'Achtung Baby - The Videos, the cameos and a
whole lot of interference from ZOO TV' video release under the name
'Interference'. Another Easter Egg is a video (1:15) with pictures about nuclear weapons
and war. More interesting is the third video (4:16) showing a sped-up version of the setting up and taking down of the ZooTV indoor stage.
***Update on easter eggs***
Try this:
EGG #1)
While you are in the Main Menu on the second disc,
move the cursor onto "Extras".
Using the arrow keys on your DVD remote press "right" once (nothing will
happen) and then press "down" once.
This highlights the ZOOTV logo at the top of the tower.
Hit "enter" on your remote and it will take you to a screen with ABORT
written on it.
Slowly hit the numbers 2, 7, 1, 1 using your DVD remote (make sure your
pause between each number) and the egg will start. (27/11 was the day of the show: Nov. 23rd)
This egg shows the assembling of the ZOOTV stage/the show/and taking down
the stage in fast-forward with "Some days are better than others" as a
background song.
EGG #2)
Go to the "Documentaries" menu on the second disc.
Click on "Play all" and fast forward through everything, including the
credits.
When it gets back to the menu, move the curser down to "Subtitles".
Once your cursor is on "Subtitles" press "Down" once (the cursor will not
move) and then press "Left" with the arrow keys on your DVD remote.
A small symbol of an O with a line through it appears in centre screen.
Press "enter" on your remote and you'll get the 25 minute documentary "Interference", which includes "The History Mix"
EGG #3)
Go to the "Extras" menu on the second disc.
Scroll down the menu until you select "DVD credits".
Press "down" and then "right" using the arrow keys on your DVD remote.
A small symbol of an O with a line through it appears in centre screen. Hit "enter" on your remote and it will take you to a screen with ABORT written on it. Slowly hit the numbers 1, 9, 9, 3 using your DVD remote (make sure your pause between each number) and the egg will start. (1993 was the year of this show) This egg is about 1 minute long and is a montage of atomic-bomb themed warning drills.

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Disc One1. Opening Track 2. Opening Sequence 3. Zoo Station 4. The Fly 5. Even Better Than The Real Thing 6. Mysterious Ways 7. One 8. Unchained Melody9. Until The End Of The World 10. New Year's Day 11. Numb 12. Angel Of Harlem13. Stay (Faraway, So Close!) 14. Satellite Of Love 15. Dirty Day 16. Bullet The Blue Sky17. Running To Stand Still 18. Where The Streets Have No Name 19. Pride (In The Name Of Love) 20. Daddy's Gonna Pay For Your Crashed Car21. Show Me The Way To Go Home 22. Lemon 23. With Or Without You24. Love Is Blindness 25. Can't Help Falling In LoveDisc 21. Tryin' To Throw Your Arms Around The World2. A Fistful Of Zoo TV 3. Desire 4. Zoo TV - The Inside Story5. Trabantland 6. The Fly 7. Even Better Than The Real Thing8. Video Confessional 9. Numb 10. DVD-Rom 11. DVD Credits 12. Houston Timelapse13. Abort Sequence 14. Rockumentary

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