The Richard Thompson Band - Live At Celtic Connections Blu-ray Review

Written by General Jabbo

Richard Thompson’s most recent studio album, Dream Attic, was recorded live in front of a series of American audiences before being taken out on the road. On the subsequent tour, a Glasgow, Scotland date at Celtic Connections was filmed, comprising The Richard Thompson Band’s first-ever Blu-ray release, The Richard Thomson Band – Live At Celtic Connections.

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Styx: The Grand Illusion • Pieces Of Eight Live Blu-ray Review

Written by General Jabbo

The trend for classic rock acts over the last decade or so is to revisit a classic album in its entirety live. Everyone from Cheap Trick to Aerosmith to Bruce Springsteen has done it, and the shows have usually been well received. Styx has joined their ranks, performing not one, but two of their most famous recordings, The Grand Illusion and Pieces Of Eight on the new Blu-ray, Styx: The Grand Illusion • Pieces Of Eight Live.

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Queen: Days of Our Lives Blu-ray Review

Written by General Jabbo

Before Queen released their first album in 1973, the late Freddie Mercury already had lofty ambitions for his musical career, telling friends he wasn't going to be a pop star, he was going to be a legend. He was right, and more than 40 years later, we are still talking about Queen. To celebrate their 40th anniversary, the BBC ran a two-part documentary mixing old clips and recent interviews with guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor. Those make up the Blu-ray Queen: Days Of Our Lives.

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Doors — Mr. Mojo Risin': The Story of L.A. Woman DVD Review

Written by General Jabbo

By the end of 1970, The Doors were done as a live act. Jim Morrison still had the legal ramifications of the Miami incident hanging over him and the band played what was to be their last concert with him that December in New Orleans. They weren't done as band, however, retreating to the studio to cut their legendary L.A. Woman album. The story of that record and the tumultuous times it was created in are documented in Doors ­— Mr. Mojo Risin': The Story of L.A. Woman.

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Godzilla (1954) The Criterion Collection DVD Review

Written by General Jabbo

In 1954, Japan was still reeling from the effects of the World War II atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and, more recently, from the H-bomb testing being done in the Pacific Ocean. Director Ishiro Honda played upon the Japanese people's fears and created a monster that represented the evils of nuclear weapons. That monster was Godzilla — or Gojira, as it was originally named. Godzilla has spawned nearly 30 sequels and become one of the most well-known characters in cinematic history. Now the original Japanese film and the 1956 American version, Godzilla, King of the Monsters, have been reissued as The Criterion Collection.

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Elvis Presley - Elvis Country (Legacy Edition) CD Review

Written by General Jabbo

In 1970, Elvis Presley was arguably at the peak of his second great period. He was still riding high from the success of the '68 Comeback Special, and his 1969 album, From Elvis In Memphis, had freed him from the second-rate movie soundtrack songs he had been forced to record for too long. On top of that, he had made a triumphant — and long overdue — return to the concert stage. Presley was back on top and needed to make another big musical statement to maintain his momentum.

In the summer of 1970, Presley and his band went in the studio for some of the most fruitful sessions of the legendary singer's career. The songs culled from these sessions were enough for three albums: Elvis: That's The Way It Is, Elvis Country (I'm 10,000 Years Old) and Love Letters From Elvis with the latter two collected on the new CD Elvis Country (Legacy Edition).

Like From Elvis In Memphis, 1971's Elvis Country found the singer revisiting his roots, putting his touch on twelve tracks covering virtually every style of country. The album opens with "Snowbird," a then-recent hit for Anne Murray," that featured Presley delivering a gentle vocal against guitarist Harold Bradley's electric sitar.

"Tomorrow Never Comes" combines the bolero rhythm of Glen Campbell's version with a similar vocal to B.J. Thomas' version. Presley gives an impassioned performance, ending with a big, dramatic note. Presley revisits his Sun roots with a blistering cover of his old label mate, Jerry Lee Lewis' "Whole Lot-ta Shakin' Goin' On," attacking the song with an aggressive vocal. Lewis' famous piano has been replaced by James Burton's sizzling guitar in this version.

Presley offers a poignant, understated vocal on Willie Nelson's "Funny How Time Slips Away" and uses the lower registers of his voice to great affect on "The Fool." The band goes up-tempo on "It's Your Baby, You Rock It," a song that would not be out of place stylistically on From Elvis in Memphis.

For fans that may not know, the original album featured snippets of the rollicking "I Was Born About Ten Thousand Years Ago" interspersed between every track to tie them together. This is the way they are presented here as well. Some fans like this, others find it annoying. The songs have appeared elsewhere without these snippets, but not in the same sound quality that mastering engineer Vic Anesini has delivered here.

The problem with including Love Letters From Elvis in this collection is that it is not as strong an album as Elvis Country, which ranks among his very best. That's not to say the album doesn't have its merits, however.

The album opens with the title cut, which Presley had previously released in 1966. This is a newly recorded version, however, and in the same key with a similar arrangement. Presley gives a fine performance on this tender ballad.

"Got My Mojo Working/Keep Your Hands Off Of It" finds Presley and his band in fine form in this energetic studio jam. It's an intense track and would not be out of place on Elvis Country. Likewise, the laid-back country of "It Ain't No Big Thing (But It's Growing)" would also be at home on that album.

"Cindy, Cindy," a gritty rocker evoking the spirit of Presley's younger days is an exciting track that shows the singer could still rock out with the best of them while Presley's powerful vocal drives the pop-tinged "Heart Of Rome" — a track that would have suffered in lesser hands — to great heights. Still, adult contemporary tracks such as "Life" and "This Is Our Dance" drag the album down, preventing it from reaching the heights of its predecessor.

The CD features a number of bonus tracks of singles from the period, including the excellent "Where Did They Go, Lord" and the ballad "Rags To Riches." Both songs feature the King in fine voice. A few singles were missed however and, unlike From Elvis In Memphis (Legacy Edition) none of the mono single mixes were used either. There would have been room to include these songs in the collection. Still, the pluses outweigh the minuses here.

Elvis Country (Legacy Edition) is a must-own, if only for disc one, but there is some fine music on disc two as well. Presley was still in shape, singing well and delivering quality material. It wouldn't last, but the King at his peak is tough to beat.

Article first published as Music Review: Elvis Presley - Elvis Country (Legacy Edition) on Blogcritics.

The Love We Make DVD Review

Written by General Jabbo

When the tragedy of 9/11 occurred, Paul McCartney was sitting in an airplane on the tarmac at JFK airport. He could see the smoke coming from the towers. As the day rolled on and it became clear these were no accidents, McCartney decided he needed to do something to give back to the city and country that had given him so much. McCartney called upon his celebrity friends and organized The Concert for New York City. The events leading up to the concert were captured on film by Bradley Kaplan and Albert Maysles (who, along with his brother, famously filmed the Beatles on their first trip to the United States) and make up the basis of the documentary, The Love We Make.

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