Into the Blu

I can’t say that I am all that familiar with the Sheryl Crow catalog and have never seen her live in concert. However, what I have heard on record, a little as it has been, I have liked, from her debut hit All I Wanna Do (has it really been 17 years, Holy Cow Batman!) to the other hit I am familiar with, Strong Enough. So, when I got the chance to get a copy of her latest concert release on Blu-ray, I figured I would give it a look to check out more of her music and her live chops. Continue Reading

With all the so-called “Bieber-fever” going on, it was inevitable that the token feature film would debut. Here it is, 104 minutes of fan service for those still fawning over his one and only album (no remixes and acoustic version don’t count in this case). Continue Reading

I know there are some of you out there that hate Billy Joel, well, his music anyway. In fact, a very good long time friend of mine does and I just don’t get it. I have been a fan of Billy Joel’s music since I first stumbled across him, literally, back in April 1972. I was a freshman in high school at the time and a budding audiophile who had just discovered the sonic splendor of music on FM radio. I was tuning up the dial and found myself on WMMR in Philadelphia who was about to broadcast a new artist named Billy Joel, who was performing songs from his new album, Cold Spring Harbor, about to hit record stores. Continue Reading

One of the often far too overlooked aspects of the Blu-ray disc format is the audio. The video is great and all with those beautiful 1080p images but the audio is just as good, giving us the opportunity to experience at home, audio that is bit for bit identical to the studio master. While that is great for films, it is probably even better for music lovers, as it provides a way to get audio in the home that is identical to the studio tape for the first time. As a life long audiophile, I find that fantastic. While there are very few if any strictly audio Blu-ray releases around, there are quite a few Blu-ray concert discs available. Continue Reading

When I think of the very top tier in regards to audio and video quality on Blu-ray, I can’t say that shows produced for television come to mind. However, the subject of this review is a made for television production and a tribute show to boot. However, unlike most TV productions I have seen, it features video, audio, production and performances that are nearly perfect. The video is superb, the audio sublime and the performances exceptional. The subject of this review is Sondheim! The Birthday Concert produced my WNET in New York for PBS.

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History has a funny way of repeating itself, especially when it comes to battles over the popular music of the day. When I was a kid, I remember my parents would complain about the music we were listening too, how it paled in comparison to the music of their youth, namely Count Basie, Benny Goodman and Duke Ellington just to name a few. They did have a point as that music, now referred to as American Classical music, has surely stood the test of time and has a prominent place in my music collection.

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Well, it is October so it must be time for the release of new Christmas Music. After all, why wait until after Thanksgiving when you can get all the Christmas stuff into the stores now. The first of the new Christmas music releases is in and it is Michael McDonald This Christmas Live in Chicago. I missed this show when it ran on PBS’ Soundstage last year and as a fan of his music, I thought I would give it a spin. I am glad I did. Continue Reading

Most of my exposure to Janeane Garofalo has been to her appearances on politically tinged TV talk/news programs along with her appearance on the final season of 24. While I was aware of her short lived career as a radio talker on the now defunct Air America network.When I had the opportunity to request a Blu-ray review copy of one of her concert performances, I decided to give it a look to see what all the fuss is about. Was it worth it? Only if you are a fan. Continue Reading

I guess I am dating myself a bit here by admitting that the Rolling Stones were the hottest thing when I was in high school. It was back in the early to mid 70′s when the band was at its best live, earning the moniker, “The Best Rock n’ roll band in the world”. I guess it was fitting to take a look at this release which features the Stones right in the midst of their heyday, 1972, during their tour of the US to promote their recent LP release, Exile On Main Street? Were they as good as many remember? Continue Reading

As a long-time listener to Elvis’ music, I was extremely excited to view the Golden Globe winning film, Elvis on Tour.  Furthermore, Elvis earned his great reputation as a live artist, and I was greatly looking forward to seeing the type of legendary performer we no longer see.

However, I did go into this with some trepidation, as this was not the Elvis of “Comeback Special” fame – this was the jumpsuit-cladded, sideburn-toting, kung-fu kicking Elvis of the 1970’s.  Was there still enough charisma and talent left to carry a whole concert film, or was this the pale echoes of a once legendary performer?  Continue Reading

Needless to say, the death of Michael Jackson created a media maelstrom. It didn’t take long before the rumors and rampant speculation began over the cause of his death. Had he been ill? Were drugs the cause? If so, what kind? One couldn’t turn on the TV without finding coverage of his death. The only way to escape it was the keep the TV off, or so it seemed. Continue Reading

The Montreux Jazz Festival is arguably the finest music festival in the world. It has always been a dream of mine to attend the festival and hopefully, one day, I will be able to do so. However, with Blu-ray, with its high definition picture and lossless multichannel audio capabilities, we now have the technology that can transport us to a concert venue without us ever having to leave the couch. How successful this experience is in our home depends, in part, on the quality of the video and audio on a given disc, which can vary widely from release to release. The question to be answered today is how successful Eagle Vision’s Carlos Santana Presents Blues at Montreux 2004 is in being able to transport us to Montreux. The short answer, pretty darn good. Continue Reading