Allan Taylor, Live In Belgium, Blu-ray + DVD, (2007/2009)
Allan Taylor: vocals & guitar
Studio: Stockfisch Records SFR 357.7062.2
Producer: Gunther Pauler
Video: 1.78:1 for 16:9 color, 1080i HD
Audio: Blu-ray: DTS HD Master Audio 5.0, Uncompressed PCM 5.0, PCM Stereo
DVD: DTS 5.0, Dolby 5.0, PCM Stereo
Extras: None
Length: 85 minutes (same for both versions)
Rating: ****
A few years back, Gunther Pauler began putting together material for a documentary surrounding the work of singer/songwriter Allan Taylor, one of the marquee performers on his Stockfisch Records label. Among the footage being considered for inclusion were several tracks from a live concert that Pauler had shot in 2007 in Belgium that featured Allan Taylor playing solo with only his guitar for accompaniment. He was so impressed with Allan’s performance, that Stockfisch decided to release the concert in its entirety, and this excellent two-disc package offers the show in both Blu-ray and DVD formats, which is great for those who haven’t yet adopted the higher-resolution option. Other than the choice of audio options, the program content on the two discs is identical, and the concert was arranged by Allan Taylor as a sort of audio travelogue of his journey as a performer, and includes songs from throughout his career. Taylor is a superb vocalist, guitarist and storyteller, and he’s also quite an articulate speaker, and offers really interesting and informative spoken intros to almost all the songs that offer significant insight into his compositional process and the deeper meanings of many of the songs.
The concert environment here is a very dark one, and Allan Taylor is spotlighted such that he’s about the only thing visible in the entire field of vision. With a dark image like this one, the Blu-ray’s higher resolution offers much more detail and greatly improved contrast over the standard DVD – although at first glance, there didn’t seem to be all that much difference between the two. Repeat A/B’ing between the two sources, however, clearly revealed the Blu-ray’s superior retrieval of detail; you could see much more (in terms of fine detail) of Allan Taylor and his guitar on the Blu-ray, whereas they were both more obscured by the DVD. That’s not to say that the DVD’s no good; it really does offer a fairly good image, despite its limitations, and is good to have, especially for those who haven’t taken the Blu-ray plunge yet. And the same can be said for the audio content of the DVD; while the DTS and Dolby surround tracks are quite good, the DTS HD Master Audio track on the Blu-ray version is much more seamless and natural sounding in its overall presentation than the standard DVD. The sound quality of the music presented here easily rivals that of Allan Taylor’s recent SACD disc, Leaving At Dawn – in a word, typical Gunther Pauler/ Stockfisch excellence.
Allan Taylor is really great storyteller, and his eye for detail helps to lift his songs far above the ordinary. He’s also an exceptionally talented guitar player with a mastery of a variety of techniques that never fails to delight and entertain the listener, and there are plenty of good close-up shots of his intricate finger work on the fret board. Stockfisch’s website shows a link for the upcoming documentary film about Allan titled The Endless Highway – it’s scheduled for release sometime in the fall, and will also be available on Blu-ray disc. My bet is that if it’s anywhere nearly as fantastic as this release, it’ll also be a must have. Highly recommended!
TrackList: Brighton Beach; The Stranger; Running On Dreams; The Traveller; The Morning Lies Heavy; The Veteran; Back Home; Win Or Lose; Los Campaneros; Colour To The Moon; The Beat Hotel; Crazy Amsterdam; Kerouac’s Dream; Some Dreams.
— Tom Gibbs
