BluRay Music Video Poll Peter Gabriel - LIVE IN ATHENS 1987 [BluRay Video]

QuadraphonicQuad

Help Support QuadraphonicQuad:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Rate the BluRay Video of Peter Garbiel - LIVE IN ATHENS 1987

  • 7:

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 6:

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 5:

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 4:

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 3:

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 2:

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 1: Poor Surround, Poor Fidelity, Poor Video

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    17

JonUrban

Forum Curmudgeon
Staff member
Admin
Moderator
Since 2002/2003
Joined
Mar 2, 2002
Messages
17,681
Location
Connecticut
Please post your thoughts and comments on this BluRay Video release from EAGLEVISION. (n):phones(y)

An earlier discussion on this title can be found here: https://www.quadraphonicquad.com/forums/showthread.php?17858

Peter Gabriel live in Athens 1987.jpg
Peter Gabriel live in Athens 1987 Back.jpg
 
This is a trifecta - great content, mix and fidelity - you can't beat this at the price. Not only do you get the corrected "Play" DVD in DTS 24/96 but you get this wonderful live concert which shines on Blu Ray.
 
This is a trifecta - great content, mix and fidelity - you can't beat this at the price. Not only do you get the corrected "Play" DVD in DTS 24/96 but you get this wonderful live concert which shines on Blu Ray.

What he said.
Seeing PG in his prime is also very neat with getting this release.
Great set list and PG does some crowd surfing as well. Hope we get a few more important releases of great artists like this one.
Give this one a 9.
 
My review is in the thread that Jon referenced in the 1st post. This is definitely a 10 for me. The sound is impeccable; few discs I've ever heard can match the low end this one puts out- and it's not slam, the bass is full and rounded. The more I listen to this disc, the more I like it. The setlist is fantastic- so great to hear early PG- and the arrangements generally improve upon the studio versions. The Family and the Fishing Net is mesmerizing- right now my fave track. If you like PG at all, this is a must-have. Fantastic band, playing great songs, with impeccable SQ and great cinematography. PG has always been very theatrical. His later shows incorporated more and more stage-craft and props; while this show has some great effects (mostly creative use of lighting), the theatrics are created much more simply, but shine nonetheless.
 
I echo all the above. It's a great concert movie with some great extras in the form of a DTS'd 'Play' DVD. Having seen Peter live on Monday night, on his 'So' revisiting "Back to Front" tour, I can safely say that he is still as good as he was in 87 and when the BD for this tour comes out, I think it'll be up there with this one :)

I know some people got upset that this wasn't included as part of the £100 box set (that only included the DVD and access to a few HD clips by way of downloads), but at £17.99 (and I know it can be had cheaper elsewhere), this is worth every single penny.

A clear 10 from me.
 
This really is a super set! The Blu-Ray audio is incredibly tight and focused. I picked up Play-The Videos years ago and could never find a copy with a corrected DTS track (although frustratingly trying!) until now. The sound is wonderful. Really glad I picked this up! (y)
 
Pros

01. The quality of the audio ( a direct and mixed feed from the board) perfectly represents the late 80's Gabriel. The chorused guitars of David Rhodes JC-120's is thick with texture and aural sheen and Levin's percussive spikes shine in the mix. While not a particularly jaw dropping 5.1 mix, the audio is solid.

02. This is Gabriel riding his largest commercial offering, and the band (and ecstatic crowd) are clearly enjoying themselves.

03. This show is a beautiful document of a live performance, and not an excuse for a director to show off quick cuts and/or ill conceived video effects. The post production's visual restraint, particularly for this era, is admirable.

04. A very solid Blu Ray interface.

Cons

01. The clear vocal overdubbing, either from other shows or studio, is very disappointing. While it does not ruin the performance, the overdubs and layering do create a false sense of "authenticity".

02. FILE UNDER SUBJECTIVE: I am 48 years old and was a huge fan of Gabriel and early Genesis. I've seen every one of his tours. He was a major part of my musical education in the 80's. I still adore the man.

But...I am saddened that this is the tour that was documented this expertly, primarily because it is So where Gabriel stripped away many of the odd- ball /strange qualities of his persona, opting for other modes of expression that I, ultimately, find pedestrian. The pop culture 80's were, in many ways, an absolute nightmare of aesthetic choices, and this video represents them all.

Many hail this band as Gabriel at his "tightest", and I agree, they are almost retentive, but also I lament many of the musical choices made: from Levin's ridiculous "Funk Fingers" to Manu's insistence to put drum fills, well, everywhere. This is the tour where Gabriel brought on the cheese. I don't begrudge him his success (for it was So that changed everything for him) but I do lament many of the musical choices he made and the directions he took. It's a selfish, and a bit unfair criticism to be sure, but music (in many ways) is a selfish experience. I didn't hate So, but this performance reminded me why I didn't like it.

The performance is also ripe with silly dancing, that is now cringeworthy and embarrassing, and some truly awkward choreographed interplay between the musicians. Also, if one can find a more horrific version of "Games Without Frontiers" I'd like to hear it.

Conclusion

So yeah, take this review for what it's worth. If you are a die hard Gabriel fan, this is probably the best live document of 80's era Gabriel that exists, and , on those terms alone, is worth the ticket price. His voice here (studio overdub or not) is in fine form, and the band is unique and very solid.

But, if like me, So was the beginning of the end of your love affair with the mans music, this Blu-Ray will be nothing but a sad reminder of what went wrong. This Blu-Ray should be called Gabriel's Growing Pains, for it exists in a strange in-between place of his older work and his then new "confessional" self (and heavy handed modern productions). While I was hoping that any exposure of 80's Gabriel would make me happily nostalgic, this transitional performance only tarnished my memories.

But that's ok! I can just put on his 3rd album and all is right with the world again!

Oh well, this wine did not age well in my cellar. Shit happens!

6 of 10
 
01. The clear vocal overdubbing, either from other shows or studio, is very disappointing. While it does not ruin the performance, the overdubs and layering do create a false sense of "authenticity".

I dimly remember reading long ago--and have no idea where--that filming continued for a day or two after the actual shows. It's possible that what looks like overdubbing is actually lip-syncing for the sake of getting a good visual shot accompanied by what was once genuine live audio.

On the "Stop Making Sense" commentary track, Tina Weymouth says there are shots in the movie that are out of sync not due to overdubbing or later miming but because in a few cases the images are from one night while the audio is from another.

Whatever the cause, I agree that it's distracting and question whether it was really necessary.
 
The Secret World show is exactly the same, vocally. Doesn't seem like a single second is live audio. I treat it as an extended music video and enjoy it that way.

Funnily, as Peter gets older, the vocals seem liver- the "Growing Up" DVD is much better in this respect. Hope that comes out on Blu-Ray one day!
 
I was about to give this a 10 due to it probably being the best sounding recording from 1987 ever but then I read these posts and started to really become distracted by the over-dubbing of the vocals which I hadn't payed much attention to before.

When I first heard this I was like, wow, that's a phenomenal recording for 1987 technology but now that I'm viewing it again I realize that basically half of it is "fake". I basically should have known nothing that pristine could have ever been laid down live.

Crazy side note: Martin Sorcesse was executive producer
 
Last edited:
"Corrected" DTS on the PLAY THE VIDEOS ?

I have that original DVD -- bought for next to nothing at a going out of business sale (all too common with music shops :( ). Sounds fine to me, but I'd be interested in knowing what had to be fixed? Been a long time since I looked at it. . . .
 
"Corrected" DTS on the PLAY THE VIDEOS ?

I have that original DVD -- bought for next to nothing at a going out of business sale (all too common with music shops :( ). Sounds fine to me, but I'd be interested in knowing what had to be fixed? Been a long time since I looked at it. . . .

there is a version that plays -20dB DTS (not sure if that number is exactly correct) for the entire disc and you can barely hear it.

I thought my receiver was broken and had to eventually look at my channel levels and the web to figure out the problem.

They corrected that issue on the second version but now my second version plays at normal DTS levels but has an error in the menu where when you try to select tracks past the first screen it gets stuck into a weird loop of never ending stuttering "clay".

really a shame because it's one of my favorite discs

I'm digging in the dirt
to find the places I got hurt
 
I was about to give this a 10 due to it probably being the best sounding recording from 1987 ever but then I read these posts and started to really become distracted by the over-dubbing of the vocals which I hadn't payed much attention to before.

When I first heard this I was like, wow, that's a phenomenal recording for 1987 technology but now that I'm viewing it again I realize that basically half of it is "fake". I basically should have known nothing that pristine could have ever been laid down live.

Crazy side note: Martin Sorcesse was executive producer


there is a version that plays -20dB DTS (not sure if that number is exactly correct) for the entire disc and you can barely hear it.

I thought my receiver was broken and had to eventually look at my channel levels and the web to figure out the problem.

They corrected that issue on the second version but now my second version plays at normal DTS levels but has an error in the menu where when you try to select tracks past the first screen it gets stuck into a weird loop of never ending stuttering "clay".

really a shame because it's one of my favorite discs

I'm digging in the dirt
to find the places I got hurt

so I finally got around to voting this. I gave it a 9+

If you haven't heard this, run, trample like the buffalo you are, and acquire because it's that good.
 
I can't bring myself to purchase this after shelling out quite a bit of money for the laserdisc back in the day. The dubbed vocals were so distracting it was laughable. It sounded amazing on LD so I'm sure it sounds great in BD. . .
 
I can't bring myself to purchase this after shelling out quite a bit of money for the laserdisc back in the day. The dubbed vocals were so distracting it was laughable. It sounded amazing on LD so I'm sure it sounds great in BD. . .

It finally fixes that weird tape speed issue that briefly mars "In Your Eyes" on the Japanese LD.
 
Back
Top