DualDisc Reviews
Fleetwood Mac: Live at the BBC – Danny Kirwan, Peter Green, Jeremy Spencer, Guitars and Vocals; John McVie, Bass; Mick Fleetwood, Drums – Silverline DualDisc
A mixed bag with variable sound quality, though DVD-A included; no videos of the group
Published on July 26, 2005
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Fleetwood Mac: Live at the BBC – Danny Kirwan, Peter Green,
Jeremy Spencer, Guitars and Vocals; John McVie, Bass; Mick Fleetwood,
Drums – Silverline 284508-2 – DualDisc incl. DVD-A audio (two disc
set), 109 min. **:
The Fleetwood Mac lineup presented here in these BBC studio recordings from 1967-1971 represents to many die-hard fans the only truly worthwhile version of the band, and bears little resemblance to the pop superstars the group would evolve into during the height of the Buckingham-Nicks era a decade later. Their live shows under leader Peter Green were the stuff of legend and influenced countless legions of future blues-rockers. Having never heard these recordings, I was pretty excited to see how the DVD-Audio medium (via DualDisc) would serve these archival performances – unfortunately, it's a pretty mixed bag of results. [For our review of the original DVD-A-only disc in 2003 Go Here.]
You can sense Peter Green's legendary stage presence throughout these performances – his incendiary guitar style ignites originals like Rattlesnake Shake and Green's signature tune, Oh Well. Hard-edged covers also abound, from the likes of blues legends Elmore James, Robert Johnson and Little Willie John. Green's guitar playing throughout is truly remarkable, and his rough-hewn vocals add significantly to Fleetwood Mac's blues credentials. Too many acid trips contributed to his tragically rapid descent into madness, and robbed the music world of a towering talent and true guitar genius.
On the downside, for every two really great blues numbers or Green original, there's a fifties-bopper, sock hop oriented cover or original from second guitarist Jeremy Spencer. Not that these tunes are so very bad, but they're just not in keeping with the bluesy spirit of the rest of the performances, and serve as a great distraction. How he stayed with the band for five years, I'll never know.
Sound quality is also quite variable, ranging anywhere from reasonably acceptable to pretty raw. Switching between the CD layers and DVD-Audio or Dolby Digital surround mixes only yielded slightly perceptible differences – the original tapes must be in pretty poor condition. While there's no video present on these discs, at least they do offer a DVD-Audio layer (no hi-res stereo, though), which is more than many DualDiscs can boast. And once again, the mix is listed as 5.1, but there's no sub material present, which is a real shame, because it would have anchored the sometimes shaky sound significantly. Although the packaging lists Artist Photos among the bonus materials, I couldn’t get any DVD player in my house or my computer to display them. Although there's much excellent material here to capture the attention of blues and Mac fans alike, the limited extras and highly variable sound quality definitely make this one a try-before-you-buy.
Tracks: Rattlesnake Shake; Sandy Mary; Believe My Time Ain't Long; Although The Sun Is Shining; Only You; You Never Know What You're Missing; Oh Well; Can't Believe You Wanna Leave; Jenny Lee; Heavenly; When Will I Be Loved; When I See My Baby; Buddy's Song; Honey Hush; Preachin'; Jumping At Shadows; Preachin' Blues; Need Your Love So Bad; 18 others.
-- Tom Gibbs
The Fleetwood Mac lineup presented here in these BBC studio recordings from 1967-1971 represents to many die-hard fans the only truly worthwhile version of the band, and bears little resemblance to the pop superstars the group would evolve into during the height of the Buckingham-Nicks era a decade later. Their live shows under leader Peter Green were the stuff of legend and influenced countless legions of future blues-rockers. Having never heard these recordings, I was pretty excited to see how the DVD-Audio medium (via DualDisc) would serve these archival performances – unfortunately, it's a pretty mixed bag of results. [For our review of the original DVD-A-only disc in 2003 Go Here.]
You can sense Peter Green's legendary stage presence throughout these performances – his incendiary guitar style ignites originals like Rattlesnake Shake and Green's signature tune, Oh Well. Hard-edged covers also abound, from the likes of blues legends Elmore James, Robert Johnson and Little Willie John. Green's guitar playing throughout is truly remarkable, and his rough-hewn vocals add significantly to Fleetwood Mac's blues credentials. Too many acid trips contributed to his tragically rapid descent into madness, and robbed the music world of a towering talent and true guitar genius.
On the downside, for every two really great blues numbers or Green original, there's a fifties-bopper, sock hop oriented cover or original from second guitarist Jeremy Spencer. Not that these tunes are so very bad, but they're just not in keeping with the bluesy spirit of the rest of the performances, and serve as a great distraction. How he stayed with the band for five years, I'll never know.
Sound quality is also quite variable, ranging anywhere from reasonably acceptable to pretty raw. Switching between the CD layers and DVD-Audio or Dolby Digital surround mixes only yielded slightly perceptible differences – the original tapes must be in pretty poor condition. While there's no video present on these discs, at least they do offer a DVD-Audio layer (no hi-res stereo, though), which is more than many DualDiscs can boast. And once again, the mix is listed as 5.1, but there's no sub material present, which is a real shame, because it would have anchored the sometimes shaky sound significantly. Although the packaging lists Artist Photos among the bonus materials, I couldn’t get any DVD player in my house or my computer to display them. Although there's much excellent material here to capture the attention of blues and Mac fans alike, the limited extras and highly variable sound quality definitely make this one a try-before-you-buy.
Tracks: Rattlesnake Shake; Sandy Mary; Believe My Time Ain't Long; Although The Sun Is Shining; Only You; You Never Know What You're Missing; Oh Well; Can't Believe You Wanna Leave; Jenny Lee; Heavenly; When Will I Be Loved; When I See My Baby; Buddy's Song; Honey Hush; Preachin'; Jumping At Shadows; Preachin' Blues; Need Your Love So Bad; 18 others.
-- Tom Gibbs
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