This DVD lifts up my heartI saw this film originally on TV and because of the reviews on this site I have not bought this DVD.I have now taken the plunge and bought it and I have been filled with exactly the same joy I felt when I first saw this film.I was not conscious of anything being out of sync but only of the unique opportunity to watch JT and his band rehearsing and to see a really relaxed artist at home produce magical music.I don't write reviews on Amazon and have no plans to do so in the future- but this DVD made me love James Taylor all over again 30 years after I first heard Mud Slide Slim and I guess I just got older with him - and lost my hair too - he is a mellow man and a true superstar.
Very interesting DVD, a must for JT fans.Let me start this review with the good points before my critical ones.
This DVD has a unique feel about it, in that essentially you're not really watching a concert with raptuous applause after songs, instead you're watching the rehearsals in an awesome looking barn. It reminds me of a similar video by sting in which you saw the process before a tour, except this JT DVD is more mellow and chilled out. The performances are top notch JT in his heyday (some would argue) and in usual circumstances you'd have the same reaction as being at his show...deafly silence as you watch the genius playing and then a gasp at the end as you realise how good his songs are!
However (here comes that bad point!, like one previous reviewer pointed out...i cannot stress just how bad the editing is! I read the previous customer review and wondered if it was someone being a little bit picky, but he was spot on in that the video edits run slower than the audio.
For example the songs in which there are lots of cuts to different camera angles are bearable because every shot starts in time. The problem is in certain songs which rely on one main camera shot for a considerable length of time... the video starts in time but quickly begins to slip more and more out of time with the audio.
I still liked the DVD but i thought it important to back up the original reviewer in warning people about the editing issue...if you're a fan, grab it - if you're looking to watch JT for the first time, buy "live at the Beacon", "Pull Over" or "One Man Band"!!!
Nice performance but sound problems ?I am a huge fan of James Taylor and want to give five stars for
this particular concert. As two other critical viewers has noticed
there is indeed a synchronistic problem.
It is difficult to overlook it and it is very irritating.
Maybe I am a perfectionist but it is a pity because as I have told
you in the beginning this concert is great !!!
JJames TTaylor oout oof ssyncAny one who likes James Taylor will enjoy the relaxed yet beautifully crafted performance by him and his backing musicians on this DVD. The interviews and balanced mix of songs are hugely enjoyable. Unfortunately the audio track is noticeably out of synchronisation and this can detract from the final product. This is noted on the JT website but remains uncorrected by Sony who issue this DVD. Buy it, listen to it and try not to let this visual imperfection annoy you.
Huge disappointment for a real fanI don't usually bother to review the things I buy, but this DVD cries out to have a warning attached. I'm a long standing fan of James Taylor and have every CD he's made. I was really looking forward to watching this but it was agony. Maybe it was just my copy, but the audio dubbing was way off for most of the recording. It was like watching a foreign film dubbed into English. The sound quality was awful, too. It isn't recorded in surround sound so it took a lot of fiddling with my system to make it worth listening to, but even then I felt that a CD would have delivered more in the way of sound. Had the sound quality and dubbing been any good, the DVD would be superb, and even with the problems, I watched it anyway, but I was really disappointed by this DVD.
Hide Reviews