The Classic Albums series is in need of a boost.
This is a documentary that could have been twice the length that it was because of the fact that the subject matter seems so interesting and so vital to a lot of music fans. I think that any production company or individual who is intending to put together a music documentary needs to first view the recent George Harrison film "Living in the Material World" as an example of what can be done with the format. I believe that if a person, a place, or a record album are interesting enough to have its story told on film then it should be told for all its worth. Don't cut corners, don't omit, and don't edit out whole blocks of subject matter because of time or budget "restraints". Don't sell the art, or the audience, short.
In the case of the Classic Albums take on Peter Gabriel's "So" you have yet another production from Eagle Rock/Isis Productions that leaves the viewer wanting more. There are some glaring omissions in terms of the cast of characters. Most notably a handful of...
Interesting review, great footage, great interviews...but where is the Blu?
The interviews take a great in-depth look at each song from So, from Peter, other musicians, editors, collaborators, producers, etc. In fact, I loved that there were no interviews (as is common on VH1 and every other station nowadays) from comedians and "celebrities". Someone cares what the guy from Full House thinks of Sledgehammer? Anyway, not in this review thankfully. These interviews lend great hand to the understanding of this album, and why it took a full year to complete.
There is also great footage of videos and concerts, which are essential to a review such as this. However, there is where this Blu-Ray falls flat. While the quality of the interview segments are perfect, the quality of the non-interview footage is VHS quality. I literally have better quality footage in my personal collection of this same material. Not getting better sources is corner cutting that is unacceptable when offering a Blu-Ray. While I understand this old footage won't look perfect, it was...
The album that too over a year to produce get's "Cassic Albums" treatment; DVD has 35 minutes of bonus footage
My fellow reviewer, Khonsu, has written a fairly lengthy, and detailed, review of this "episode" in the ongoing "Classic Albums" series of documentaries from Eagle Vision, each of which concentrates on the individual songs on a classic album, so I won't repeat what he has written but - hopefully - add to the info he has provided.
First, I have to admit that I like Peter Gabriel and his music but I can't say I'm a compulsive fan. I find the Classic Albums series informative and helpful since it helps me understand all the work - in this case over a year - to put a single 45-minute album together. Using new interviews with many involved in the project - most importantly the artist, the producer and the sound engineer - plus archival "music videos" to cover the album in under an hour (these were made for broadcast on VH1 before home video release), I learn a lot. The interviews, other than those noted above, depend- of course - on access to them. In this case we get Laurie...
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