frank johnson—March 5, 2013
than the welcome back, or Live at the royal albert hall. Again, go for content, excellent video, sound is great! Nice to see different material here in the last 90's ELP show, in front of a (what I suspect) was primarily a canadian jazz crowd.Looked to me like the crowd was in to it! Would again, highly recommend to any existing ELP fan.Not truly as representive to a new fan as welcome back DVD would be ,which showcases ELP from the early years, to the amped up brainsalad years, and a glimpse of a more conservative, with class ELP on the works tour with the orchestra. Buy it, it sounds good,looks good. Shame that a few low reviews got at the beiginning, if you read this far-you will not be dissapointed. Read more
Giovanni - Rome—October 26, 2009
Ciao to everyone . When I was only 13 , I really bumped into aKeith Emerson and Nice's 45 RPM disc. The next natural step was to buy my first ELP long playing disc . That was BRAIN SALAD SURGERY .What a surprise was to listen a different kind of music from what had always been for me. Now , more then 30 years went away but to see and listen who was one of the most important progressive rock band , is always a big pleasure , even if it's only on a dvd . Here , the musicians play really with a big transport . Finally , a good concert and a good DVD . Bye bye Giovanni - Rome Read more
P. J. Huizinga—March 4, 2011
In itself a wonderful registration of what must have been an awesome show. With the exception of "Tiger in the spotlight" which is too silly to talk about, the set list is exactly what you'd expect. And after 25 or so years, ELP is still a great and very professional band (even though they - once again - appear not to be talking much to one another). Plus: This may be the only chance to see a Moog #1 synth live in action. With the promise of crisp pic and audio. And the pic quality is very good indeed. Minus: I have an issue with the audio mix, though. The rear surround speakers are way too loud and drown out the front speakers including Greg's vocals. And the bass guitar is hardly audible - you would be forgiven for believing this is a synth & drums outfit. My subwoofer didn't even kick in. I found myself downgrading to the PCM stereo mix to improve my listening experience. That is not what you'd expect from a HD-Master sound track. Read more
Thomas D. Green—February 8, 2007
ELP, what an awesome trio,I've followed their music since 1970's and I was astonished at how well these guys can still perform. Really, it's absolutely unbelievable. When they were in their 20's they had the energy and now. I'm a pianist, love jazz, classical, hard rock, acid rock and I guarantee, there's not a group alive that can duplicate what this most talented group can do. And only a trio. Simply amazing. If you've read the complete idiot at the top of this board, I'm so, so sorry that they allowed uneducated idiots to write that crap, that idiot probably thinks that Ludwig Van Bethoven was a tiny figure in music also. ELP, where did they get their talent? I saw them live in Tucson, Az in 1975, 4th row center debuting Brain Salad Surgery and I'll still never, ever forget that show. Thank god for bringing this group together. Read more
Zeek the Geek—June 19, 2011
I have been a serious ELP listener since I bought their first LP, and have purchased several DVD's of their performances from the 70's, only to be disappointed by the abysmal sound and video quality. So I was glad to see that a stage performance was available in Blu-ray and 5.1 surround. I was also happy to read mostly glowing reviews of the disc on the Amazon site. So I bit, and now have my own review to offer. I agree with most other reviewers that this disc was better than expected, but not all that you would like it to be either. My personal take in this disc: Performance=4, Picture=4, Sound=3. I feel that considering their age (and mine), ELP gave a fine show. Energy and musicianship is about as good as you can expect. The disc showcases some of the best material of their career, especially those from ELP(first), Tarkus, Trilogy, Pictures, and BSS. However I have a hard time appreciating the selections from the later, and justly unsuccessful, LPs after BSS. On the production quality side, this is certainly not the "technical audio and video gem" opined by another reviewer. It is a Montreux Jazz Festival Production, with post at their own facilities. I checked with other web reviews of the disc to confirm my conclusions about audio quality, which are: - Greg Lake's vocals are pretty badly buried in the mix, not center channel as you would expect, but disembodied in the L, R, and surrounds. Thankfully his guitars are well presented, especially the acoustic. - Keith's keyboards are well recorded and mixed. No complaints except: why didn't he use his original Moog more than he did? - Carl's drums are "all there", but not up front in the mix like they should be in a power-trio. The snare and kick come through alright, but high-hat and cymbals are weak. The drum mix just does not have the impact it should. - I'd be willing to bet that this was remixed from stereo to 5.1; that would explain some of the above weaknesses. The DVD format was new in 1995, and 5.1 mixes did not show up on it until 1997. The original production from 1997 might have been mixed to stereo only, and the original multi-tracks not used for remixing when the DVD was finally produced in 2004. The quality of the video is good, but not great as Blu-rays go. It is 1080i rather than the preferred 1080p. According to the credits, it was "recorded in HI Definition", and downconverted. This implies the early Sony HD1280(?) system was used. I saw no evidence of film grain or motion artifacts that would indicate transfer from film. In general, color and sharpness is good, and the editing did not get in the way of my enjoyment of the performance. It was thankfully free of MTV-type production frenzy. In summary, if you love ELP, you will like this blu-ray better than the other available performances on disc. Some of those look more like documentaries or even newsreels. Read more
C. Messina—December 25, 2010
If you're an ELP fan, and I one of their biggest fans, this DVD will help you remember the days when rock ROCKED! This DVD has excellent video and audio, no weakness in either. The program gives a full overview of the masters of Classic / Jazz & Rock fusion that is ELP. While I would have loved to have full versions of Tarkus, Pictures at an Exhibition and Karnevil 9, the time allowed me to enjoy one of the best groups ever. Don't pass on this DVD at a great price. Read more
