First Guilty Pleasure DVD review Published - Page 21

loaferman61 · 13 Oct 2012, 17:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wario

just watched an audience recording of took the words. they cut a part where he goes "I wanna hear you sing so loud that Melbourne will shut the F***K up!" XD

The version of TTW on the CD is edited perfectly. Been playing it more than anything else. Love it. The whole CD sounds great. I only skip SITS sometimes.

*AndyK* · 13 Oct 2012, 20:03

We've been a little busy recently, but on a road trip yesterday finally got round to listening to the live CD (The DVD is yet to come!).

The new arrangements to the songs are awesome, especially AFL which we both fell in live with ... the first listen was nearly a traffic stopping moment! If we'd had this live version with that intro a couple of weeks ago, someone may have been making an entrance to a different tune!

LucyK! · 13 Oct 2012, 21:40

What he said!

The CD is definitely a bonus to the DVD, so having not watched the DVD yet it seemed a bit random - 2 out of 3, Boneyard then finished seemed strange but I'm sure once we've watched the DVD it'll feel a lot more "together".

Pleasantly surprised with the CD I must say! Enjoyed having Time Warp with him not having done that on the UK HCTB tour, Los Angeloser was brilliant as ever, Bat was outstanding...

On a personal note I was surprised to thoroughly enjoy the violin solo in 2 Out Of 3...I used to play violin, it's an instrument I fell in and out of love with and generally I don't enjoy solos like that, but that was wonderful, and really took the song back to it's country roots (I was reminded of Jim's country version of it on Classic Albums).

As Andy said though...Anything For Love....my God! I was driving and how we didn't crash is beyond me, there really were cries of "OMFG" when that came on. Absolutely STUNNING. Shockingly good!

tonyloaf · 13 Oct 2012, 23:54

Agreed!

anotherday · 14 Oct 2012, 07:07

Wow. I'd love to own this DVD NOW! Is the US getting the same version the UK got? Or would it be wise to try and "import" it?

BostonAngel · 14 Oct 2012, 07:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by anotherday

Wow. I'd love to own this DVD NOW! Is the US getting the same version the UK got? Or would it be wise to try and "import" it?

The UK version has the CD with it as well. As far as I know, the US version doesn't include that. In my opinion the UK import is the best value from what I have heard. I don't own it yet so I can't say from personal experience. Most everyone has given it very positive reviews.

Evil One · 14 Oct 2012, 17:36

This package really is a mixed bag. Some thoughts in no particular order:

The band is amazing and probably the best Meat's ever had. Justin especially stands out.
Meat seems to be enjoying himself and looks much healthier than on the last DVD.
Meat's vocals are mixed much too low. At times it is difficult to make him out which is odd as his vocals are (mostly) much better than I was expecting. There are a few shaky moments during Anything For Love and Two Out Of Three, but on the whole Meat does a good job apart from one song - on Hot Patootie he is not good at all.
Rock And Roll Dreams is definitely the highlight of the concert. Dave Luther's sax during the ending is tremendous.
I still don't like the Hang Cool songs, but Meat sings two of them well.
I like the new intro to Anything For Love and hope this current band gets to do the whole song for the next DVD.
Stand In The Storm is jarringly different from the rest of the DVD. I might be wrong, but I suspect a lot of studio material was used for this song.
Boneyard and Freebird are decent, but Meat's done much better encores.
The way naughty words are edited from Paradise is ridiculous.
Ginny has a great body, but the way her arse is put into shot as Meat introduces Patti annoys me.
Paul and Randy's solos are both lovely, but I think one is enough.
The CD seems a bit half-arsed.
But not as half-arsed as the documentary. It feels cheaply made and poorly edited. And as Wario has pointed out, the use of camera audio is not acceptable. And the subject matter doesn't really interest me.
All those gripes aside, this DVD is actually very good and I give it 4/5.

Or I would do if it wasn't for two glaring problems.

The picture quality is very poor. It's too dark and pixelates far too frequently. It's a really shoddy effort that shouldn't happen with today's technology and the DVD loses a point for this.

The audio mix is bizarre. The ridiculous echo effect used on Meat's vocals throughout is incredibly distracting. I can only assume it was used to make it harder to tell which bits have been rerecorded. The beefing up of backing vocals is equally distracting. Had Paul used this style of production on Hell In A Handbasket then I would possibly be claiming that album as the best thing ever, but here it is out of place and ruins the product. Which is a shame, as those two points aside I think Paul's done a very good job. Another point lost for the audio.

So my overall score is sadly 2/5 which is frustrating as there is much to like about this DVD, but I cannot overlook two major problems. Hopefully Meat has one more DVD left in him and it will turn out better. Just keep Paul away from sound effects and keep Concert One away in general.

melon · 14 Oct 2012, 18:10

Re the picture quality, its not the DVD, I just watched it again on my tv in my bed room, and its much clearer!

Sent from my HTC Incredible S using Forum Runner

Evil One · 14 Oct 2012, 18:17

It is the DVD. I've tried using various combinations of players and display equipment and always with the same result.

PanicLord · 14 Oct 2012, 21:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by Evil One

It is the DVD. I've tried using various combinations of players and display equipment and always with the same result.

Picture quality is excellent on mine. Wonder why it is so different for different people?

Vickip · 14 Oct 2012, 22:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by PanicLord

Picture quality is excellent on mine. Wonder why it is so different for different people?

It's excellent on mine too ... and I was wondering exactly the same thing

dukesofhazard · 14 Oct 2012, 22:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by PanicLord

Picture quality is excellent on mine. Wonder why it is so different for different people?

Different combinations of DVD players, Tvs, connections etc.

Picture wasn't great on my 47 inch tv through my PS3, but that's set up for blu-rays rather than DVDs - I'm sure if I fiddle with the settings I could make it better.

Still hoping that the murmurs of a blu-ray release in Australia (or anywhere!) are true though!

Evil One · 14 Oct 2012, 22:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by dukesofhazard

Different combinations of DVD players, Tvs, connections etc.

Then why do other DVD's played on the same system look perfectly fine? It's more likely that either A) Some people's eyesight is going and they can't see the errors or B) Some of the DVD's are faulty.

melon · 15 Oct 2012, 01:07

Tv colour settings?

All I know, is that one one of my TVs its blurry, on my other its fantastic. To me that says its not the DVD.

Sent from my HTC Incredible S using Forum Runner

Mr. Happy · 15 Oct 2012, 03:09

I just watched the documentary for the first time. One thing in particular that stood out to me:

"There were people around us that were holding people back, and at some point we had to lose those people. When we lost them, a whole different colour palette opened in the Meat Loaf world."

I'm more interested than ever in exactly what happened with said people.

robgomm · 15 Oct 2012, 11:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by Evil One

Then why do other DVD's played on the same system look perfectly fine? It's more likely that either A) Some people's eyesight is going and they can't see the errors or B) Some of the DVD's are faulty.

As a few people have said the picture is bad now i think it's possible there may have been a batch of faulty dvd's that didn't record so well perhaps. This is a real shame if that's the case.

robgomm · 15 Oct 2012, 11:14

Going back to the show itself, i think that version of rock n roll dreams is worth the price of the dvd alone! And i'm warming to the new version of anything for love because of Meats great vocals during that song

Evil One · 15 Oct 2012, 11:28

Did Paradise flow straight into Boneyard on the night or was there originally a bit of crowd cheering that has been edited out?

melon · 15 Oct 2012, 15:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by robgomm

As a few people have said the picture is bad now i think it's possible there may have been a batch of faulty dvd's that didn't record so well perhaps. This is a real shame if that's the case.

That doesn't explain why mine is blurry on one TV and great on another

Quote:

Originally Posted by Evil One

Did Paradise flow straight into Boneyard on the night or was there originally a bit of crowd cheering that has been edited out?

No, that's how it went.

glamourgirl · 15 Oct 2012, 16:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by robgomm

As a few people have said the picture is bad now i think it's possible there may have been a batch of faulty dvd's that didn't record so well perhaps. This is a real shame if that's the case.

Might be. Mine seems pixelated on my computer and tv too, and there is an odd bluish tint sometimes. I still enjoyed the dvd for the most part. Not crazy about strings in Meat's music; I prefer the arrangements on the MMW tour. Overall, I thought the concert was a good effort, but the documentary was poorly done.

loaferman61 · 15 Oct 2012, 17:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by robgomm

As a few people have said the picture is bad now i think it's possible there may have been a batch of faulty dvd's that didn't record so well perhaps. This is a real shame if that's the case.

I got one that freezes and skips. It plays fine for about the first half. A replacement has been sent. The only other flaw I see is too much blue lighting and a bit dark in spots. I can barely see the Alice in Wonderland characters during "Paradise" for example.

glamourgirl · 15 Oct 2012, 18:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by robgomm

And i'm warming to the new version of anything for love because of Meats great vocals during that song

The intro to AFL can be done either way for my taste, but the duet part is stellar. I love Patti and Meat's vocals at the end.

Cherry.Loaf · 15 Oct 2012, 22:11

AFL is easily my favourite on the DVD; which is really odd as I don't tend to listen to it often but the intro is so beautiful and enchanting I can't stop listening to it!

Evil One · 15 Oct 2012, 23:53

I forgot to mention that the arrangement of You Took The Words is top notch. Hopefully Meat keeps doing it this way when he does the whole of Bat 1, but brings back the second verse. Two Out Of Three on the other hand would be better with a Paul/Randy guitar duel in the middle.

chairboys · 16 Oct 2012, 11:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by Evil One

Two Out Of Three on the other hand would be better with a Paul/Randy guitar duel in the middle.

I didn't want to be first to say that, so I shall endorse your view and be the second!

14 Oct 2012, 17:36	#507
Evil One Mega Loafer Join Date: 15.01.2007 Posts: 5,192	This package really is a mixed bag. Some thoughts in no particular order: The band is amazing and probably the best Meat's ever had. Justin especially stands out. Meat seems to be enjoying himself and looks much healthier than on the last DVD. Meat's vocals are mixed much too low. At times it is difficult to make him out which is odd as his vocals are (mostly) much better than I was expecting. There are a few shaky moments during Anything For Love and Two Out Of Three, but on the whole Meat does a good job apart from one song - on Hot Patootie he is not good at all. Rock And Roll Dreams is definitely the highlight of the concert. Dave Luther's sax during the ending is tremendous. I still don't like the Hang Cool songs, but Meat sings two of them well. I like the new intro to Anything For Love and hope this current band gets to do the whole song for the next DVD. Stand In The Storm is jarringly different from the rest of the DVD. I might be wrong, but I suspect a lot of studio material was used for this song. Boneyard and Freebird are decent, but Meat's done much better encores. The way naughty words are edited from Paradise is ridiculous. Ginny has a great body, but the way her arse is put into shot as Meat introduces Patti annoys me. Paul and Randy's solos are both lovely, but I think one is enough. The CD seems a bit half-arsed. But not as half-arsed as the documentary. It feels cheaply made and poorly edited. And as Wario has pointed out, the use of camera audio is not acceptable. And the subject matter doesn't really interest me. All those gripes aside, this DVD is actually very good and I give it 4/5. Or I would do if it wasn't for two glaring problems. The picture quality is very poor. It's too dark and pixelates far too frequently. It's a really shoddy effort that shouldn't happen with today's technology and the DVD loses a point for this. The audio mix is bizarre. The ridiculous echo effect used on Meat's vocals throughout is incredibly distracting. I can only assume it was used to make it harder to tell which bits have been rerecorded. The beefing up of backing vocals is equally distracting. Had Paul used this style of production on Hell In A Handbasket then I would possibly be claiming that album as the best thing ever, but here it is out of place and ruins the product. Which is a shame, as those two points aside I think Paul's done a very good job. Another point lost for the audio. So my overall score is sadly 2/5 which is frustrating as there is much to like about this DVD, but I cannot overlook two major problems. Hopefully Meat has one more DVD left in him and it will turn out better. Just keep Paul away from sound effects and keep Concert One away in general.

15 Oct 2012, 03:09	#515
Mr. Happy Guest Join Date: 13.02.2010 Location: Posts: 736	I just watched the documentary for the first time. One thing in particular that stood out to me: "There were people around us that were holding people back, and at some point we had to lose those people. When we lost them, a whole different colour palette opened in the Meat Loaf world." I'm more interested than ever in exactly what happened with said people. Last edited by Mr. Happy; 15 Oct 2012 at 03:15. Reason: Was still watching it as I wrote this, and was answered by the time I finished.

13 Oct 2012, 20:03	#502
AndyK Relentless Join Date: 21.11.2003 Location: Over the top..... seeing what's on the other side Posts: 18,694	We've been a little busy recently, but on a road trip yesterday finally got round to listening to the live CD (The DVD is yet to come!). The new arrangements to the songs are awesome, especially AFL which we both fell in live with ... the first listen was nearly a traffic stopping moment! If we'd had this live version with that intro a couple of weeks ago, someone may have been making an entrance to a different tune!

13 Oct 2012, 21:40	#503
LucyK! The Monster Is Luce Join Date: 14.04.2002 Location: Posts: 7,547	What he said! The CD is definitely a bonus to the DVD, so having not watched the DVD yet it seemed a bit random - 2 out of 3, Boneyard then finished seemed strange but I'm sure once we've watched the DVD it'll feel a lot more "together". Pleasantly surprised with the CD I must say! Enjoyed having Time Warp with him not having done that on the UK HCTB tour, Los Angeloser was brilliant as ever, Bat was outstanding... On a personal note I was surprised to thoroughly enjoy the violin solo in 2 Out Of 3...I used to play violin, it's an instrument I fell in and out of love with and generally I don't enjoy solos like that, but that was wonderful, and really took the song back to it's country roots (I was reminded of Jim's country version of it on Classic Albums). As Andy said though...Anything For Love....my God! I was driving and how we didn't crash is beyond me, there really were cries of "OMFG" when that came on. Absolutely STUNNING. Shockingly good!

13 Oct 2012, 23:54	#504
tonyloaf Metal Head Join Date: 15.05.2006 Location: Brighton Posts: 2,398	Agreed!

14 Oct 2012, 07:07	#505
anotherday Super Loafer Join Date: 12.10.2012 Posts: 802	Wow. I'd love to own this DVD NOW! Is the US getting the same version the UK got? Or would it be wise to try and "import" it?

14 Oct 2012, 18:10	#508
melon Long Distance Loafer Join Date: 17.07.2007 Location: Perth, Australia Posts: 4,586	Re the picture quality, its not the DVD, I just watched it again on my tv in my bed room, and its much clearer! Sent from my HTC Incredible S using Forum Runner

14 Oct 2012, 18:17	#509
Evil One Mega Loafer Join Date: 15.01.2007 Posts: 5,192	It is the DVD. I've tried using various combinations of players and display equipment and always with the same result.

15 Oct 2012, 01:07	#514
melon Long Distance Loafer Join Date: 17.07.2007 Location: Perth, Australia Posts: 4,586	Tv colour settings? All I know, is that one one of my TVs its blurry, on my other its fantastic. To me that says its not the DVD. Sent from my HTC Incredible S using Forum Runner

15 Oct 2012, 11:14	#517
robgomm Mega Loafer Join Date: 22.10.2006 Location: Hemel Hempstead, UK Posts: 1,671	Going back to the show itself, i think that version of rock n roll dreams is worth the price of the dvd alone! And i'm warming to the new version of anything for love because of Meats great vocals during that song

15 Oct 2012, 11:28	#518
Evil One Mega Loafer Join Date: 15.01.2007 Posts: 5,192	Did Paradise flow straight into Boneyard on the night or was there originally a bit of crowd cheering that has been edited out?

15 Oct 2012, 22:11	#523
Cherry.Loaf Los Angeloser Join Date: 02.04.2010 Location: Bristol Posts: 1,072	AFL is easily my favourite on the DVD; which is really odd as I don't tend to listen to it often but the intro is so beautiful and enchanting I can't stop listening to it!

15 Oct 2012, 23:53	#524
Evil One Mega Loafer Join Date: 15.01.2007 Posts: 5,192	I forgot to mention that the arrangement of You Took The Words is top notch. Hopefully Meat keeps doing it this way when he does the whole of Bat 1, but brings back the second verse. Two Out Of Three on the other hand would be better with a Paul/Randy guitar duel in the middle.