Roy Orbison

[MCunningham]

Some thirty-seven years ago, I heard the song Oh Pretty Woman for the very first time. That recording would forever influence my taste in music. Over the years since that distant night, Roy Orbison has always remained one of my favorite music artists.

Since Jon volunteered me as moderator of this forum, I decided that Roy Orbison would be the subject of my first review. "Roy Orbison And Friends: A Black And White Night" is a fantastic concert video of Roy and "Friends" doing what they all do best. These friends are a dream band of backing musicians and vocalists that include Bruce Springsteen, Jackson Browne, Elvis Costello, KD Lang, Bonnie Raitt, Jennifer Warnes, T-Bone Burnett, JD Souther and Tom Waits among others. The concert is performed on the art deco stage of the since-demolished Coconut Grove in downtown Los Angeles, and is filmed entirely in black and white, is full frame and offers outstanding contrast.

Run time is 64 minutes and covers 17 of Roy's great recordings. As you can guess by the listing of the all-star cast that appears above, the performance is stellar. It like having a video version of Roy's greatest hits, the bonus being that this live performance is marvelously captured in both 5.1 DTS and Dolby Digital surround sound. Roy himself sounds as powerful as ever, his soaring falsetto voice cresting as dramatically as it did on the original studio versions recorded so many years ago.

The 5.1 sound mix itself is very well done, something that seems to be the exception rather than the rule on most DVD-V titles. The mix puts the listener on stage with the band with instruments, vocals and (between tracks) the crowds mixed into the surrounds. In terms of capturing the performance and the intimacy of the space, it really shines.

I played both the DTS and the DD soundtracks and have to say that I much prefer the DTS version for it's finer resolution of sonic detail. Roy's voice was much more natural in the DTS soundtrack, as were the backup vocals by KD Lang, Bonnie Raitt, and Jennifer Warnes. These backing vocals filled the room and floated there in the DTS version.

The concert itself flows extremely well with absolutely no wasted time. One of the great highlights of the concert is an extended jam session version of "Ooby Dooby" with Roy, Bruce Springsteen and James Burton (with his psychedelic paisley Telecaster) trading guitar licks.

The concert was performed in 1987 less than a year before Roy's untimely death of a heart attack in 1988. First aired on Showtime and released a short while later on VHS, it only became available on DVD in 1998. The inclusion of the surround soundtracks make this the ultimate edition and a very worthwhile addition to any Roy Orbison or 5.1 surround sound fan.


Tracklist: 1. Only the Lonely 2. Dream Baby (How Long Must I Dream) 3. Blue Bayou 4. The Comedians 5. Ooby Dooby 6. Leah 7. Running Scared 8. Uptown 9. In Dreams 10. Crying 11. Candyman 12. Go, Go, Go (Down The Line) 13. Mean Woman Blues 14. (All I Can Do Is) Dream You 15. Claudette 16. It's Over 17. Oh Pretty Woman


Next Time: Smokey Robinson-Standing Room Only

 

[The Quadfather]

I concur! I have the Orbison disc. I once put it on and turned on the TV set. All my friends were in the next room playing cards. These folks are not audiophiles or quaddies, they're just plain old Georgia rednecks. Slowly at first they all migrated into the quad listening area and started watching! We spent the rest of the evening watching concert videos. The Roy Orbison disc has absolutely no interruptions in the music program. This is a fine example of what a music concert video should be.

The Quadfather

 

[JonUrban]

I agree! This is a great DVD, and the DTS track is a winner!
Nice to see Bruce having a good time, as well as everyone else.

:-jon

 

[quadtrade]

Hey guys,
the first thing searched for on any 5.1 mix is to see if Elliot Scheiner has done the mix. He fell in love with this surround idea when he was employed to do the Steely Dan remixes way back when at DTS. Elliot is one of the few who seems to really understand the combination of ambience and entertainment as a package. He just did the Queen title too, which we hope DTS gets close to finding distribution so it can go out. Ta

 

[MCunningham]

I agree, but it would be nice if they listed his credit on the outside of the case rather than the inside. BTW, DTS Entertainment has acquired a new distributor, Navarre Entertainment Media. NEM will distribute Valley's titles under the Valley Entertainment identity and its sub-labels DTS Entertainment, Hearts of Space, AudioQuest, Honest Gold, NYNO and RGB. (The Fabulous Thunderbirds, a DTS Entertainment release, is now out thanks to this new arraignment. Like the Queen release, it was being held up due to the loss of distributor.)

In addition, I've already come across a review of the new remixed version of the Queen DVD-A and it was a verrrry good review. Glad they went back and got it right. Apr 30 should be a solid release date for it.

 

[whitebomber]

Bought this the other day after reading these postings. What a great show! I think it's the best DTS I have to date. My wife and I have always been big Roy fans, so this is outstanding.

I also find that the intimate nightclub setting and B&W filming just really make it that much better. I was initially bummed when I knew it was in B&W but after I started watching it, I quickly found myself thinking it added to the enjoyment. We particularly enjoy watching the Pretty Woman performance and the solo guitar duel between Springsteen and Burton.

 

[JonUrban]

For those interested, it's also available now in HD-DVD. I have one coming for evaluation. This surround title is now available in almost every surround format of the 2000's!

PS - How about that thread starter! Where are you Mike?

 

[Chris Gerhard]

For those interested, it's also available now in HD-DVD. I have one coming for evaluation. This surround title is now available in almost every surround format of the 2000's!

PS - How about that thread starter! Where are you Mike?

Jon, this one has been available in DVD-V DTS and Dolby Digital, SACD, DVD-A and now HD DVD. I don't know the Image Entertainment plans, but I bet it will see a Blu-ray release. There are probably other surround titles that have received so many releases in so many different 5" shiny disc formats, but I can't think of one off hand.

Chris

 

[PossumPete]

If it comes to Blu-Ray, it will be the 4th time I've bought this title! B&W never looked so good. I have the version with the SACD. If the HD-DVD Fire Sale starts up, I'll pick this up as my first disc and not worry about the Blu. Roy is the definition of timeless. We miss you, buddy!

 

[EMB]

It's really a shame Roy passed on when he did, at the peak of a new resurgence in his popularity. He was still hot and vital and cookin', and unlike other all-star tributes, this one really works because everyone involved not only loved the guy, but had material to challenge them and make them play their very best. Although I think it's still a bit too tightly edited, and there are too many different shots within the same song, listening to this without the video reveals just how good the mix really is(and yes, it's rare that a previously issued video in Dolby Surround winds up in real 5.1, rather than altered for 5.1).


Enjoyable as this one is, I'd still like to see Sony tackle the Monument multitracks, which still exist. A 4.0 mix would be the most sensible thing, although even then, some of them may only be 3-track, kinda limited but would be fun to hear.



ED