Jeff Beck’s new Live at the Hollywood Bowl is a straightforward, no-frills concert movie that offers the opportunity to see the guitar master do what he’s been doing for over 50 years. Joined by a number of guest vocalists, Beck runs his impeccable band through 21 tunes spanning his entire career. The film keeps the focus firmly on the music,...
DVD Review: Michael Jackson: Searching for Neverland
Lifetime has a reputation for having produced some pretty terrible music biopics, among them Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B, Whitney, and Britney Ever After. Let it be known here and now: Michael Jackson: Searching for Neverland breaks the trend with an engrossing depiction of the final three years in the life of its subject. Director Dianne Houston and screenwriter Elizabeth...
Book Review: Maximum Volume: The Life of Beatles Producer George Martin, The Early Years 1926-1966 by Kenneth Womack
Kenneth Womack has plenty of credibility as a Beatles scholar. Having previously authored several books about the band (among them The Beatles Encyclopedia: Everything Fab Four and Long and Winding Roads: The Evolving Artistry of the Beatles), Womack has most recently tackled a subject surprisingly shortchanged over the years. While always covered as part of the Beatles’ overall story arc,...
Album Reviews: Barbez with Velina Brown – For Those Who Came After: Songs of Resistance from the Spanish Civil War – Plus Jerry Yester, Ryan Koenig, May Erlewine
Wars don’t produce a heck of a lot of good but one positive thing they have delivered is music. Conflicts ranging from the American Civil War to World War II have resulted in a ton of memorable songs; even the Vietnam disaster gave us Country Joe’s “I Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin’-to-Die Rag.” And then there was the Spanish Civil War, which began in...
Music Blu-ray Review: Madonna – Rebel Heart Tour
From Eagle Vision comes a must for Madonna fans, Rebel Heart Tour—a live concert film documenting the controversial 2015-2016 tour seen by over a million attendees. The show features most of the songs found on Madonna’s most recent album, Rebel Heart, so don’t expect a ‘greatest hits’-style show. That said, don’t fret if you’re not familiar with her new work...
DVD Review: Designated Survivor – The Complete First Season
Disney-ABC Domestic Television’s political thriller series Designated Survivor got off to a slightly uneven start in its first season. The premise brims with potential: an act of terrorism destroys the U.S. Capitol Building during a State of the Union address, wiping out the President and the majority of his cabinet, leaving the “designated survivor” to be sworn in as Acting...
Blu-ray Review: The Lion King – The Signature Collection
Great news for Disney animation fans who missed the 2011 Blu-ray release of The Lion King, which has been long out of print. The Oscar-winning classic has emerged from the Disney vault and is currently available as part of the Signature Collection. The film is one of the studios final traditional, hand-drawn animation masterpieces and was in fact selected for...
Album Review: Jan & Dean – Filet of Soul Redux
Though never on a par with the Beach Boys, Jan & Dean had their moments. This wasn’t one of them. In fact, my first reaction when I heard Filet of Soul Redux echoed the famous opening line of Greil Marcus’s review of Bob Dylan’s Self-Portrait: “What is this shit?” Then I noticed that the CD label itself says, “Filet of...
The Who to Release Tommy: Live at the Royal Albert Hall – October 13, 2017
Eagle Rock Entertainment has a treat in store for fans of The Who with Tommy – Live At The Royal Albert Hall, arriving on multiple formats October 13, 2017. The concert, recorded in April 2017, will be available on Blu-ray, DVD, double-CD, and triple-LP. The concert is centered on a performance of their classic album Tommy in its entirety—a first...
Music DVD Review: Change Begins Within: A Benefit Concert for the David Lynch Foundation
Yes! Finally, the 2009 Change Begins Within: A Benefit Concert for the David Lynch Foundation arrives on DVD via Eagle Rock Entertainment on September 1, 2017. It’s not the complete show, which was a fundraiser intended to benefit (as the DVD’s title makes plain) the David Lynch Foundation. This 86-minute programs omits some key moments (you didn’t think Sheryl Crow...