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James Brown: Live at the House Of Blues
List Price: Unknown [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie:
An outstanding performance from James Brown at the House Of Blues that includes:
Get Up Offa That Thing, Gonna Have a Funky Good Time, Living in America, Popcorn, Soul Power, Soul Man, I Got the Feeling, Hot Pants, Try Me, Prisoner of Love, Georgia on My Mind, If I Ruled the World, Why Don't You Do It Right, Papa's Got a Brand New Bag, Funk on a Roll, I Feel Good, Payback, Papa Don't Take No Mess, Please Please Please, Sex Machine.
The DVD
VIDEO: The video quality for the performance is very good, but not without some flaws creeping in now and then. Sharpness is very good, and detail is, as well. The only thing I really noticed was some pixelation in trace amounts visible on occasion, but I didn't really find this distracting. Colors are bold, bright and solid. Aside from a few little bumps, this is definitely a strong presentation. The presentation is letterboxed at about 1.85:1 and it is anamorphic.
SOUND: I actually listened to the performance twice through and found that I ran out of time to write the review the first day I had the DVD. I listened to it again the next day before writing the review. It's a fantastic recording of a fantastic performance; certainly one of the best DVD concert presentations I've had the pleasure of listening to. According to the back of the box, "the audio track was recorded and mixed in surround sound utilizing Sony's digital audio consoles and digital 48-track, 24-bit recorders for premium quality sound."
Premium quality sound it certainly is, with a great balance between the instrumental work of Brown's great backup band and his wonderful vocals; neither overshadows the other or gets more focus than the other. The band simply rocks and their work never becomes muddy; each of the instruments is clear and allowed to shine. And, of course, Brown's vocals are delivered perfectly, and all are completely clear. Surrounds are mainly used for crowd noise; I never felt that they were overused, but there were a couple of times where I would have liked their use to be taken down slightly to keep the focus on the front. This is a very minor complaint, though.
As with almost all recent Image Entertainment releases, both Dolby Digital and DTS audio is included for the presentation, and both sound good. The DTS version does add noticable warmth, clarity and richness in comparison to the Dolby Digital version, but both versions are still pleasing to listen to. I certainly felt that the general quality of the audio is remarkably smooth and natural, not sounding thin for a moment, and never did it become the least bit tiring to listen to. I felt like I was front row for all the excitement at this great show.
MENUS:: A nicely animated main menu with song clips playing in the background.
EXTRAS:: Two songs from the opening act featuring Tomi Rae as well as an 11-minute interview with the producers that's very interesting. The producers chat about their thoughts on high-definition and surround sound as well as their thoughts on why James Brown was a great choice to capture on this new equipment. I was a little dissapointed that the interview is held outside the truck that holds all of the recording equipment. I would have liked to have been taken on a tour of what it takes to capture a performance like this one. Still, the thoughts of thr two producers are quite interesting and informative.
Final Thoughts: If you're a James Brown fan you're in for a treat here - the video and especially audio quality are very good here, and most importantly, this is an outstanding performance from James Brown. Jumping around the stage like a whirlwind, this is a performance of incredible energy and intensity. A very, very nice concert DVD. Recommended.
Performance:A
Video Quality:A-
Sound Quality:A
Extras Quality:B
An outstanding performance from James Brown at the House Of Blues that includes:
Get Up Offa That Thing, Gonna Have a Funky Good Time, Living in America, Popcorn, Soul Power, Soul Man, I Got the Feeling, Hot Pants, Try Me, Prisoner of Love, Georgia on My Mind, If I Ruled the World, Why Don't You Do It Right, Papa's Got a Brand New Bag, Funk on a Roll, I Feel Good, Payback, Papa Don't Take No Mess, Please Please Please, Sex Machine.
The DVD
VIDEO: The video quality for the performance is very good, but not without some flaws creeping in now and then. Sharpness is very good, and detail is, as well. The only thing I really noticed was some pixelation in trace amounts visible on occasion, but I didn't really find this distracting. Colors are bold, bright and solid. Aside from a few little bumps, this is definitely a strong presentation. The presentation is letterboxed at about 1.85:1 and it is anamorphic.
SOUND: I actually listened to the performance twice through and found that I ran out of time to write the review the first day I had the DVD. I listened to it again the next day before writing the review. It's a fantastic recording of a fantastic performance; certainly one of the best DVD concert presentations I've had the pleasure of listening to. According to the back of the box, "the audio track was recorded and mixed in surround sound utilizing Sony's digital audio consoles and digital 48-track, 24-bit recorders for premium quality sound."
Premium quality sound it certainly is, with a great balance between the instrumental work of Brown's great backup band and his wonderful vocals; neither overshadows the other or gets more focus than the other. The band simply rocks and their work never becomes muddy; each of the instruments is clear and allowed to shine. And, of course, Brown's vocals are delivered perfectly, and all are completely clear. Surrounds are mainly used for crowd noise; I never felt that they were overused, but there were a couple of times where I would have liked their use to be taken down slightly to keep the focus on the front. This is a very minor complaint, though.
As with almost all recent Image Entertainment releases, both Dolby Digital and DTS audio is included for the presentation, and both sound good. The DTS version does add noticable warmth, clarity and richness in comparison to the Dolby Digital version, but both versions are still pleasing to listen to. I certainly felt that the general quality of the audio is remarkably smooth and natural, not sounding thin for a moment, and never did it become the least bit tiring to listen to. I felt like I was front row for all the excitement at this great show.
MENUS:: A nicely animated main menu with song clips playing in the background.
EXTRAS:: Two songs from the opening act featuring Tomi Rae as well as an 11-minute interview with the producers that's very interesting. The producers chat about their thoughts on high-definition and surround sound as well as their thoughts on why James Brown was a great choice to capture on this new equipment. I was a little dissapointed that the interview is held outside the truck that holds all of the recording equipment. I would have liked to have been taken on a tour of what it takes to capture a performance like this one. Still, the thoughts of thr two producers are quite interesting and informative.
Final Thoughts: If you're a James Brown fan you're in for a treat here - the video and especially audio quality are very good here, and most importantly, this is an outstanding performance from James Brown. Jumping around the stage like a whirlwind, this is a performance of incredible energy and intensity. A very, very nice concert DVD. Recommended.
Performance:A
Video Quality:A-
Sound Quality:A
Extras Quality:B
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