Studio: Decca/Universal
Video: 1.78:1 Widescreen Enhanced
Audio: DTS 5.1, DD 5.1, DD Stereo
Extras: Videos (Breeze On By; Whenever You’re In Trouble), Behind
The Scenes for Breeze On By Video, Interview (6 min), Edinburgh Diary
(25 min), Photo Gallery, Bonus Tracks (Flower of Scotland/Red Rose;
Never Gonna Say Goodbye)
Length: 91 minutes
Rating: *** (but **** for fans of Donny)
I can (somewhat) embarrassingly admit to having been a big Donny &
Marie fan when I was six years old, but what about now? Looking
at the crowd who attended this concert seems to give a clue to who
Donny’s fans are these days—almost entirely women, and middle-aged at
that. This concert was filmed at a sold-out show that took place
at Edinburgh Castle in Scotland, July of 2004. The look of the
video is excellent and there aren’t a bunch of crazy cuts—cuts every
few seconds, so the viewer won’t get dizzy. Watching Donny
reminded me of what a New Kids on the Block reunion concert would sound
like. There is a good share of R&B covers along with some
older pop tunes that made Donny popular. At first there was some
surprise on my part that the singing wasn’t all that bad, but as the
concert wears on his voice gets a little strained. In another
time he might have been a Frankie Avalon clone—just listen to “Puppy
Love.”
Sound quality is okay with better quality on the voice and slightly
less on the band. Most of the sound is up in front with crowd
noise in the surrounds. The concert begins in the later part of
the day and closes in the night time. The lighting is impressive,
but not really noticeable till it begins to get dark. There is a
screen behind the stage that is put into constant use and also shows
some of Donny’s videos as a child and younger man. At one point
in the concert he is joined by his two sons (one on drums and the other
on guitar) to perform one of the tunes. The music as a whole
would be perfect on an Easy Listening station, although some might make
it near Hit Radio.
“Breeze on By” is Donny’s take on the classic George Benson tune
“Breezin’,” but adds his own lyrics. A video is available to
watch (in 2.35:1 ratio!) and is a bit silly. (It has Donny
standing/sitting around two fans while a reel to reel plays in the
background.) There are two bonus tracks that must have been the
encore at the concert. The last song of the night, “Never Gonna
Say Goodbye,” is worth watching as it is a solo performance with Donny
playing piano and singing—and it isn’t half bad! The interview
covers topics of working on the album, writing songs, kids, the
recording process, and fans. The Tour Diary is more extensive and
covers the earlier part of the day through setup and pre-concert to the
moment Donny steps on stage. If you’re a Donny fan (and you know
who you are) then you are likely to highly enjoy this disc. For
anyone else you might find yourself wandering into weenie-ville and
possibly liking it.
Songs included: Could It Be I’m Falling In Love; Seasons Of Love; Puppy
Love; In It For Love; Keep Her In Mind; Any Dream Will Do; Don’t Dream
It’s Over; This Is The Moment; Soldier Of Love; Whenever You’re In
Trouble; Go Away Little Girl; Too Young; Young Love; The Twelfth Of
Never; Love Me For A Reason; What I Meant To Say; Would I Lie To You;
Shoulda Known Better; Breeze On By; Immortality; Crazy Horses; Flower
of Scotland/Red Rose; Never Gonna Say Goodbye.
-Brian Bloom
