by Chris Cooper

Magnetic Movements On-Line 

Hello again

At the end of the year and we are playing catch up again. Only this time we seem to have located a few quite old ones that have escaped the net. I am also going to make mention of the new compilations that seem to be flying around. So take a seat and look at these babies. (Makes your eyes go red just thinking about them!)

29-04-1994
D3 A87 S7 H8 F7 I BC6
CHAMPAIGN, ILLINOIS                                                                                                  99.00

Jokerman / Lay Lady Lay / All Along The Watchtower / Disease Of Conceit / Tangled Up In Blue / Watching The River Flow / Mama You Bin On My Mind / Masters Of War / Don’t Think Twice / Its Alright / God Knows / I And I / Maggies Farm / Ballad Of A Thin Man / It Ain’t Me Babe

This is mostly steady and clear view, but unfortunately as you can see too dark. Add to that this is one of those experimental gigs he refers to in “Chronicles” this night Bob has decided he would extend and raise the notes at the end of each song. Shame it does not work! Best avoid all in all.

05-07-1998
D5 A8 S7 H8 F8 I BC4
ROME, ITALY                                                                                                                  93.00

Gotta Serve Somebody / Man In The Long Black Coat / Cold Irons Bound / Born In Time/ Can’t Wait / Silvio / Rank Strangers To Me / Desolation Row / One Too Many Mornings/ Tangled Up In Blue / Make You Feel My Love / Til I Fell In Love With You/ It Ain’t Me Babe / Love Sick / Rainy Day Women / Blowin In The Wind

Four years have gone by, we’re in ’98 and a much better film this. Bob’s in good form and quite relaxed, As you can see this one gets close enough to be interesting and has a few unusual live songs for flavour also. A bit of a mystery as to why this has not surfaced sooner, but its here now, so go find it.

02-07-04
D4 A8 S7 H7 F8 I SR2
STRA, ITALY                                                                                                                    87.00

Cold Irons Bound / If Dogs Run Free / Most Likely You’ll Go Your Way / Make You Feel My Love / Just Like Tom Thumbs Blues / Seeing The Real You At Last / Standing In The Doorway / Honest With Me / I Believe In You / Forever Young / Summer Days / Like A Rolling Stone / All Along The Watchtower

The last film is from but a few months ago. This ones a bit unsteady and part of the screen is usually blocked by the dreaded heads. Fortunately, whilst they are often on the screen they are not usually in front of our man but either side of him. It makes a curiously pleasant framing. There aren’t so many films these days so I would recommend this, though of course I cannot claim it’s a great film.
 

Now really that should be it. But two other things are worth mentioning and they are pretty opposite, Little and Large, Good and bad etcetera etcetera. Lets go large first:
 

Those watchdog people have placed all the better known tv footage together on 6, yes SIX DVD set called (here) Telecasts. It was a good idea, the packaging is pleasing to the eye an all that, (though the price is harder on the purse) The claims made of this (on the packaging) and by those that have not seen it that it’s the best source for all this stuff. So lets put the record straight here.

The bulk of this material is not new to dvd, and in many cases is available in better quality elsewhere. The menu system is a nightmare. It has simply been adapted from the Sony D300 standalone dvd recorder menu. So what’s wrong with it? (1) The index sheets list the songs but the videos list the dates. Whats more each song has separate listing making very long menu’s up to 7-8 pages each dvd. If you select a song it plays it and then returns you to the menu. You cannot simply start playing partway thru. So if you watched Sat Nite Live 79 this way you would have to go thru the menu 3 times, once for each song. If you use the play all option there are sizeable disruptions between songs of the same session. That’s if the session fits on a disc, in several cases things are split over 2 dvds.

So with all the moaning why mention this here?? Because the set does feature some entirely new material, and pretty essential it is two.

DISC ONE has two rather grainy outtakes from Don’t Look Back: Its All Over Now Baby Blue and All I Really Wanna Do and both are great, complete performances the last track on this disc and the first two on DISC TWO give us the complete World Of John Hammond in great quality (only 2 tracks circulated as good as this before). The recordings of Nashville 78 and Sat Nite Live 79 are the best I have ever seen. You can say the same about all of the ’84 footage on DISC THREE also. DISC FOUR has the best Letterman Rehearsal footage you can get as is the Tokyo 86 Raw footage, some of which is also new to circulate. Though sadly DISCS FIVE & SIX offer nothing new, or improved. There is certainly enough to warrant attention here, but what a shame that it does not live up to the boast.

By contrast THROUGH THE YEARS LIVE is superb, ok its nothing new. A compilation of various tracks, most with redubbed stereo sound. All great audience films, with a terrific menu that not only gives the lineage of each song but also shows you a sample of the song selected in the menu. If you want a sample of the tours, look no further.
Now this the way DVDs should be made.

Till Next Time