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Twin Town High (vol. 8) |
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'Round the Dial: Music DVD Roundup
Wednesday 20 December @ 19:01:41 |
  by TOM HALLETT
The clock is ticking, time is whizzing forward like an out-of-control greyhound after that meatless, robotic rabbit, and it’s only a few weeks ‘til Round The Dial’s official "Best Of 2006" list comes out. Along with the few reviews I have left here tossed around the ol’ desk, I noticed an ever-growing stack of rock ‘n’ roll DVDs I’d never gotten around to taking a peek at. It’s become somewhat of an annual tradition for me to throw out three or four of these a year, but seems it’s been awhile, so this close to the holidays seems as good a time as any for Round The Dial’s DVD Picks.
What with the snow pilin’ up outside and the price of gas rumored to be on its way up again, I couldn’t think of a better stocking-stuffer for the lazy music fan (maybe it’s YOU! I freely admit to it, myself.) to fully enjoy the season than being able to catch one of these classic outfits on the big-screen.
Me, I’d enjoy watching Sarah Silverman (you can catch THAT video at cracked.com along with a plethora of other silly holiday entertainment.) shove the milk and cookies right past Kris Kringle’s (or, as she refers to him in the song, “Herr Klaus!!”) skanky, crumb-filled facial hair. Bah, humbug! Music’s the only thing worth spending money on anyway, and if I hear one more Christmas song I’ll be on Fox-TV’s “Cops Christmas Special.” OK, I’ve ranted on enough here. Onward ...
ROUND THE DIAL’S DVD PICKS
“Not A Photograph: The Mission Of Burma Story”
2006
Elemental Productions
For a band that only released one full-length album, an EP and a few singles, Boston post-post-punk trio Mission Of Burma have certainly left an indelible impact on modern rock ‘n’ roll. Originally formed in 1979 by axeman Roger Miller, drummer Peter Prescott, and bass-maestro Clint Conley as a fiercely independent American answer to noise-rockers like Wire and Gang Of Four, the band caught the right ears and eyes and, for a few wild years, ruled the indie scene.
 This rock-doc includes tons of rare interview footage, lots of great live moments and a smattering of deep-seated indie-road-rock wisdom that every band plotting world domination should pay close attention to. Thanks to former/current manager Mark Cates, this project is out and ready for consumption by the luckily informed and the curious alike.
Though they broke up in 1983 and went on to various careers (which you’ll find out about here, including the shocked reactions of many of their more recent co-workers), that old adage about every audience member going home from every show and starting a band just like them might be just as true here as it was originally about the Velvet Underground, if one digs deep enough in the 45s bin of just about any local indie record shop in America.
MOB were a bit of a shock to the commercial rock fan audience who ruled the record stores and concert arenas of the day--shockingly loud (Miller actually suffered lifelong hearing loss and was thereafter forced to wear shooting range earmuffs on-stage), ruthlessly honest and mind-blowingly candid (for the times), band members figure they alienated at least three-fourths of their audiences when they first started playing.
This DVD is the result of the one-fourth who stayed for the entire gigs, and grew up hearing ““Academy Fight Song,” “That’s How I Escaped My Certain Fate,” and “Einstein’s Day” while their schoolmates were knockin’ out Knack covers and trying in vain to grow Bon Jovi hairstyles.
Bottom line, the band were finally convinced by fan/compatriot urging and the tireless, damn-the-torpedoes pleading of original manager Mark Cates to reform in 2002 and give fans one last blast of the kind of loud, proud, true punk spirit that drove them to mythical status in the first place. “Not A Photograph” isn’t the greatest musical companion for folks new to the band--that would be the A Gun To The Head: A Selection From The Ace Of Hearts Era compilation--but taken alone by long-time fans or alongside that comp, it’s the closest thing to being there you’ll probably ever get.
Influenced as much by free jazz and pop-garage nuggets as they were by The Ramones and those aforementioned post-punk outfits, MOB’s sound has a special quality to it that’s both timeless and refreshingly new upon each listen, as evidenced by the loving testimonials from fans (including such unlikely MOB-heads as Moby), critics (including Jim Sullivan), manager Mark Cates and excellent liner notes from Michael Azerrad.
“Not A Photograph” is a remarkably-produced, intelligent documentary of a band who are not only going to go down in history as a vital part of the post-punk revolution, but an important part of the ongoing battle this country is engaged in to continue to enjoy the freedoms and rights we fought so hard for in the first place--as evidenced by the huge flag proudly adorning drummer Prescott’s kit: “NO NEW MCCARTHY ERA!!” Great stuff, available at notaphotograph.com.
Bad Brains
“Live @ CBGB’S 1982”
2006
MVD Visual
This DVD captures this seminal guitar rock outfit live in their prime, wherein they play a positively brutal Christmas Eve show back in 1982, during the rule of the ancient, evil dragons who’ve risen up to once again (hopefully) cause a whole new generation of kids to dig into this music and spit it right back up at the appropriate parties.
 Led by charismatic (and enigmatic--an educated, well-spoken wordsmith one moment, a raging, angry rock outcast the next) and highly energetic singer H.R., Bad Brains ruled the East Coast club scene long before anybody outside of it caught wind that there even was a scene. Of course, as most “scenes” go, this one was about over before that happened, so that makes this gig even more of a genuine wonder to kick back and enjoy.
H.R. was known for walking out onstage and howling, “If you came to rock and roll, you came to the right place!!” and this footage proves he meant every goddamn word of it. Running through a list of must-hear classics like “Big Take Over,” “Banned In DC” and “Riot Squad,” this informative and ear-shattering collection also includes rare interviews from 1982 and a bonus audio track of “I And I Survive.”
The best part of catching classic, rare footage like this is being able to put yourself in the position of just having walked into the club as the band takes the stage, forgoing all the checking in and waiting around hoopla, and just being able to kick back and take in the action going on both in and around the band.
Imagine that you’d never heard of them, and walking in expecting to see some dope-addled, lame punk-pretenders (remember, most real punk fans considered the movement long over by 1982) stumble around the stage, you instead find four black guys deftly balancing punk, reggae and raw garage rock with highly intelligent, genre-confounding lyrics.
That feeling is captured expertly here, as you watch H.R. and his crew absolutely shred the stage, not even vaguely aware that they’re influencing generations of music fans to come after, from Public Enemy to Bad Religion, simultaneously combining a note-perfect professionalism with a down-and-dirty thrash that has a roomful of (mostly) young people absolutely mesmerized by the sights and sound. If you weren’t there (and most of us weren’t), here’s your chance to relive one of music’s genuine treasures on DVD and find out for yourself why they’re still considered one of the era’s most influential bands. Cruise to badbrains.com for tons more info.
Bob Dylan
“1966 World Tour”
2006
Highway 61 Entertainment
 OK, so this one’s been floating around out there for ages--but there are a few new additions and updates that make this a must-have for Dylan nuts and, despite the original 8mm footage having no sound (Agghhh--that STILL kills me!), at least this time producer/directors Joel Gilbert and Mickey Jones include background music from the tribute band Highway 61 Revisited. And they’re actually not too bad--it beats trying to synch up some old audio recordings or imagine what the Band and Dylan sounded like at the peak of their collaborations here.
Jones, who was the drummer for the ‘66 tour that found Dylan going electric (and spawned the now-infamous shout, “Judas!”), has been hawking this video for some time now, but there are some interesting new interviews from Dylan collaborator Charlie Daniels (who appeared on Bob’s Nashville Skyline, Self-Portrait, and New Morning albums, as well as on a live appearance Bob did for the Johnny Cash TV show), some quotes from the band’s soundman, Richard Anderson, and new updates from Jones himself.
Exclusives to this version include tour documentaries of Dylan and The Band from Australia and Europe, photos by Barry Feinstein, and rare footage of The Beatles, Johnny Rivers, Trini Lopez and Chuck Berry from the early ‘60s. As frustrating as it is not having an official soundtrack with this release, it’s still worth checking out if you’ve never seen it or find some of the new additions appealing. An undeniable treasure, a slice of rock ‘n’ roll history, and one heck of a stocking stuffer. Give it a whirl at musicvideodistributors.com.
The Pixies
“loudQUIETloud: A Film About The Pixies”
2006
Stick Figure Productions
They may not always have been bosom buddies onstage (hell, seems they still aren’t--the title of this video record of their 2004 reunion tour doesn’t just refer to their sound, but how LOUD the quiet was between the respective band members when they weren’t onstage), but in the end, who really cares? The Pixies are simply one of the best bands ever, and this gracious peek inside of their private lives is a rare and priceless piece of their history, whether you just discovered them or were at one of their first, unpaid Boston gigs.
Back in 1986, when Black Francis, Kim Deal, Joey Santiago and David Lovering formed The Pixies, their musical middle finger reached far past the college-radio fans they usually played for. Little by little, the world sat up and took notice, not really realizing what they’d had with this outfit until their break-up before the middle of the next decade.
Despite the sometimes unbearably uncomfortable interaction between the members on this latest tour (lots of finger-tapping on tables, smoking furtively in hallways, and downcast glances), the liner notes get it right on the money when they claim the band communicates perfectly onstage, with their music and their songs and their inner-most eccentricities uniquely combined. If you made the reunion tour, you probably remember feeling just as electrified by “Caribou” as you were the very first time you heard it, and seeing/hearing it from this perspective is, honestly, an experience every serious music fan should have.
“I don’t even feel like we broke up!” cracks Black Francis, and sure enough, the deeply-ingrained, mind-boggling combination of deep-seated professionalism, fuck-it-all ‘tude, and down-to-earth wit and humor that’s made this quartet such an enigmatic yet universal outfit still slays even the most jaded critic in the audience at their various gigs.
While it’s true that some of the members (OK, maybe all of them) suffered through their own personal and professional tribulations between their breakup and this reunion, at least Lovering had the sense of humor to call the tour “The Pixies Sell Out,” not because they wrote a hit for Britney Spears or backed Radiohead on an ill-conceived single, but because their reunion shows literally did sell out within minutes of their announcements.
This live tour documentary (replete with hilarious scenes of Black’s phone interviews with clueless journalists hungry for dirt) captures a group of individuals who absolutely, positively shine together musically, and the fact that they don’t have diddly-squat to say to each other in the “Green Room” matters not a whit when it comes down to what the fans came for--that spine-tingling, goose-flesh-inducing blast of Truth that hits a music lover when they hear what they know in their hearts is The Real Thing.
“loudQuietloud” stands as a worthy testament to a band who have touched countless lives, changed the face of rock ‘n’ roll forever, and continue to harbor a strange yet touching loyalty to a worldwide group of fans who are unswerving in their belief in this outfit’s lasting impact on rock ‘n’ roll as an art form and universal means of communication on a generation raised on distancing itself from others, whether by societal pressure, social disorientation or electronic gadgetry.
With new fans discovering (and falling in love with) the band daily, there’s no better time than now to hip the music-lover in your life to this informative, inspiring rock doc/reunion tour. And throw in the albums Bossa Nova, Doolittle, Come On Pilgrim, and Surfer Rosa just for aural backup. Highly recommended. Zip over to musicvideodistributors.com and see for yourselves!
That’s it for me this week, ya yahoos. Tune in again next time ‘round for one more week of reviews before I get to that long-awaited Best Of 2006 column. Til then--make yer own damn news.
If you have local music news/gigs/events/CDs you’d like to see mentioned in this space, or you’d just like to finally find out why the monkey’s gone to heaven, send replies to: Tmygunn77764@yahoo.com. ||
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