MCunningham
Well-known Member
- Joined
- Mar 2, 2002
- Messages
- 196
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
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