Carcinoid Movie Reviews

The Beatles were the most successful rock and roll band of all time, and one of the best, too. In my opinion, the best member of the band was lead guitarist George Harrison. This guy could not only play the guitar better than any other musician of the day, but he was also an excellent songwriter. Sadly, on November 29, 2001, Harrison died of brain cancer. A year later, many of his close friends got together and put on a concert in his memory - appropriately called the Concert For George. Another year later, the concert has arrived on DVD and CD! Read on for my review of the Concert For George.

PROS:
-The obvious pro about this compilation is simple - it's the famous artists who got together to make this concert possible. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, former-ELO frontman Jeff Lynne, Billy Preson, Eric Clapton, George's old Beatles comrades Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, George's son Dhani, and a number of others have all gathered together to pay tribute to their fallen friend.

-Some of these performances are nothing short of excellent. The highlights of the show, in my opinion, are the following - A version of My Sweet Lord featuring Billy Preston on lead vocals (this guy can sing just as well as he can play the piano), A version of the highly-underrated I Need You by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, A version of the Ringo Starr/George Harrison collaboration song Photograph sang by Ringo, a killer take on the Traveling Wilburys classic Handle With Care, and a version of While My Guitar Gently Weeps featuring Eric Clapton on lead vocals (for those of you who don't know, Clapton played the guitar solo on the original 1968 version of the song - though the "white album" liner notes don't credit him.)
-A number of lesser-known artists get a chance to shine in this concert - Proof that George was an inspiration to so many people.

CONS:
-I like Ringo's version of Honey Don't, but it's out of place here since it's not a George Harrison song.
-Too many instances of forgotten lyrics. The versions of While My Guitar Gently Weeps and Here Comes The Sun featured here both feature at least one forgotten lyric. Fortuately, this will be unrecognizable to the casual Harrison fan. Likewise, this ISN'T a big enough problem to dock the release's score.
-I was really hoping for Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and Dhani Harrison to have larger roles.

OVERALL:
-If you were a fan of Harrison, this is an excellent tribute to him and his music. Normally tribute concerts are very hit and miss, but this one is excellent through and through. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED TO ANY FAN OF HARRISON.

SIDE NOTE: You'll find this in your local store's George Harrison section, not the Various Artists section.

I am so Happy that Eric Clapton was the "music coordinator" because the concert runs so smoothly and sounds really amazing. After watching it through I realized something which most people would probably disagree but after McCartney comes out, he tries to "steal" the show (as he always tries to do)...but because the band is so "solid" by this point...he doesn't get anywhere, and he almost takes a "backseat" as a one of the performers, instead of being "the Main Performer".
Overall I really enjoyed this DVD...it would have been nice for Joe Brown (ukelele player) to cover some of George's Brainwashed Uke stuff...or even have Dhani sing a song.

Good Stuff!!!

As a huge fan of The Beatles, as well as well as his solo endeavors, I have been following George Harrison's career for some time. He was truly a gentle and inspired soul who opened my mind to higher spiritual pursuits.

This production is a success on many levels. It is an excellent concert featuring several of rock's legends. It is brilliantly produced, and is somewhat reminiscent of The Concert for Bangladesh. The spiritual/musical current of the sixties and seventies is brilliantly preserved with 21st century technology and precision.

This gathering of friends is NOT one of mourning, but rather, it is a celebration of the life, music, and spirit of George Harrison.

George Harrison lives on through his friends, his family, his fans, his music, and most importantly, his spirit!

GEORGE, MAY YOU FIND PEACE AT THE LOTUS FEET OF LORD KRISHNA.

HARE KRISHNA!

johnboye777@yahoo.com

I really enjoyed the concert and the all access movie scenes. Selena para siempre!

Attention All Selena Fans!:
What are you waiting for! Get up and rush yourself to get a copy of Selena LIVE The Last Concert DVD! This material lasted eight long years until final release. This stunning performance will indeed take your breath away. Today it is shared by her family to all existing fans, it would be unfortunate not to see the greatest talented performer and singer of all time giving her best! From a mix of Disco music, to Tejano hit songs, Selena entertains more than 64,000 fans in the Houston Astrodome on 2/26/95. By viewing this footage of a young beautiful talented woman, anyone can experience the magic that those fans of attendance did. So do not miss out on watching this piece of work, for you will miss out on the greatest concert ever held in history!

Selena looks like an Angel in her last concert. It makes me feel like i'm there. I can watch her everynight and never get sick of the video. She will live on forever. This is a MUST own for all Selena fans.
Selena, Rock The Heavens Like You Did The Earth...!

When I first heard Mario Frangoulis, I was amazed at his range, strength, power and ability to interprete his music so beautifully. When I saw this live performance I realized why he possessed those things.

He is a charasmatic, experienced performer that feels the music, the lyrics, each note in his heart, mind, and soul. He has the perfect blend of natural talent and learned technique. His ability to properly translate lyrics into 5 languages is amazing and he proves he can sing anything! He's opened a whole new musical world for me and started me on a path into classical/opera music.

The DVD is set in beautiful Thessaloniki, Greece and has a wonderful orchestra and choir supporting Mario. The addition of his special guest, Justin Hayward (from the Moody Blues) on the classic song, Nights in White Satin is such a treat! It's lovely to see the diverse audience in Greece show such love and respect for not only their own countryman, but also Justin Hayward.

Don't think twice about buying this DVD. You'll never tire of watching Mario as he sings the hand-picked beautiful songs from his cd.

Sometimes I Dream is a perfect blend of classical/opera and popular - just as The Moody Blues accopmplished in the 60s with Days Of Future Passed. The setting of Thessaloniki in Athens blended history with modern culture. And the appearance of Justin Hayward brought chills. Bravo!

It is the best CD/DVD that I ever heard. The voice, the arrangements, the chorus. Simply fantastic !! I heard it for the first time while flying overseas. It was dark in the airplane and the sound that I heard was like nothing that I had heard before.
I had a tough time trying to remember the spelling of his name but in today's world you can find everything in the internet,and so I did find him.
This DVD, as well as the CD in my car, has given us many pleasurable hours of listening.

Good luck to Mario on his future CD's.

I am a big fan of Judy Garland, and this is one of my favorite Judy films, even though this was made in 1985, long after she passed away. Hosted by Judy's daughter, Lorna Luft,this movie overviews her career from 1951-1969, also known as "The Concert Years", and shows performances from The Judy Garland Show, The London Palladium, Carnegie Hall, and The Palace. They show parts of scenes from her movies, including "A Star is Born" and "Till the Clouds Roll By", but the film is mostly highlighting her concerts and TV years; not her movie career. (Extra on the DVD includes the A Star is Born premiere) The affection for her three kids are indeed shown in this film; performing with Liza at the London Palladium, and singing to her younger children, Lorna and Joe, on her TV show is also a great part of the film. Some other stars that shared the stage with her in this movie are Tony Bennett, Barbra Streisand, Ethel Merman, Bob Newhart, Danny O'Connor, and of course Liza Minnelli. Some musical highlights are "The Man that Got Away", "Ol' Man River", "Battle Hymn of the Republic" (on her show after JFK was assassinated), "Happy Days Are Here Again/Get Happy" (with Streisand), "Chicago", "Smile", "Get Happy", "You Made me Love You", "The Trolley Song", "For Me and My Gal", "Swanee", "San Francisco", and many others. And of course, her signature "Over the Rainbow" is there, filmed from her 1955 TV special, and the only existing film of Judy as she performed her song for hundreds of concerts; sitting on the edge of the stage, singing her heart out, tears on her cheeks, in her "little tramp" outfit. Extras are commentary by friends and family such as Sid Luft, Lorna Luft, Joe Luft, Tony Bennett, Mort Lindsey, and others. This is definitely a must have for any Judy Garland fan.

There are no words adequate to express the thrill of watching this DVD. Every song a winner, beautifully arranged and performed. Incredible guests. And above all, the most stirring rendition of "The Battle Hymn Of The republic" ever recorded.

Living in Europe, I had to buy a special DVD player in order to watch this, and it was worth every cent. This is a must have for any Judy Garland fan.

When I saw this show on PBS back in '85, I didn't have a VCR, and after I got one, I looked forward to the day when the show would be made available on tape. When it finally did become available, I was pretty ticked to find out that a third of it had been cut (who knows why).

When the DVD came out, I was a bit reluctant to buy it because it was so inexpensive. I figured that all that had been done was to transfer the tape to DVD. But, for the money, why not? Tapes don't last forever. So I went ahead and gave it a shot.

I am both surprised and pleased, therefore, to announce that the DVD is in fact the complete broadcast, just shy of 90 minutes, not just a transfer of the tape, which is only 59 minutes, and the quality is everything you'd expect from a DVD.

Understand, though, as has been noted in other reviews, that this is called The Concert Years for a very good reason: the emphasis is on Judy's concert performances, not her movie roles. Therefore, there are very few movie clips. Likewise, this is not a biography, though there is a fairly liberal sprinkling of biographical material along with archival footage that you probably will not have seen elsewhere (such as her first appearance on film at age 7).

Unfortunately, very little was filmed of her concerts. It is amazing to me that, given the popularity of TV by the mid-fifties, it never occurred to anybody to capture some of these performaces, not just on television, but on broadway (imagine having a professional film of the Carnegie Hall performance). Therefore, the "concert" footage used is mostly from her television show which, granted, did try to recreate to a large extent the concert experience and did run during the middle of her concert years.

However, with only a couple of exceptions, whoever put this together exercised excellent judgement and chose those performances which show Judy at her best, e.g., Ol' Man River, Chicago, Smile, As Long As He Needs Me. And, yes, the DVD is worth buying just to get her "little tramp" performance of Over The Rainbow, performed in concert.

The point of the whole thing is to show how Judy performed in front of a live audience, and the DVD does just that.

This is the real deal, all almost-90 minutes of it. And there's stuff here you won't find anywhere else. Highly recommended.

This is the big one, the greatest and most commercialized three tenors concert. For someone not farmiliar to opera, this is the one too get. it has all the brodway punch mixed with old-style opera in a fun manner which will entertain you to the core. This is one of the last times to hear the three while they were still singing standard opera reperitoire in their increasing Age.
Domingo is in fabulous voice again. To me, he is the clear best in this concert. He gets all the best reperitore and he is in good vocal condition. It is a dark silky voice, darker even then the '90 concert. At 54 he is still able to deliver a knokout version of Vesti la Giubba, which is acted and sung in a most thrilling and convincing manner. His Granada is the best it gets. He sings this song like no other, you will be thrilled as the audience goes crazy throuought the song. Once in a while you will be mystyfied at how he is able too sing so gloriously with his tounge lodged in the back of his throat, but that only adds to his mystique.
Carreras is no longer the tenor he once was, but he makes up for it in passion. His first two songs are both duds as he yells through the prayer from Le Cid and mispronounces his way through "With a Song in My heart." After the first medley, however, he seems ready for buisiness as he gives a knockout tu ca nun chiangne, (despite it being sung at fortissimo). E Lucevan Le Stelle is interesting, but not impressive. He gives a tear-jerking interpretation but his pianissimo at "Discolea dai veli" sounds like a head voice or falsetto whereas if you heard this Aria 10 years ago he would blast away at it. For carreras this concert is of interest as one of the last times he ever sings italian Opera before lightening his reperitoire. I would refer people stunned by this diminished, wobbly carreras to his new Golden years Cd which perserves his career in much better voice.
Pavorotti is in excellent voice. His reperitoire selection is a bit boring though. his Porqouoi Me Revellier is the highlight. Why he sang Ave Maria I will never understand, but whatever. His performance in the medleys in extremely lively and funny showing his full talents. Domingo picks more exciting reperitoire.
The medley is, i think, the highlight in the history of the three tenors. Every song is fresh and exilarating. Domingo in "Those were the Days" was the highlight along with Carreras's characature's in Marchiare.
The encores were amazing, with domingo once again a highlight with his hyjinx.
overall this is the concert for newcomers to the three tenors and opera, as it is a glitzy rout through opera and broadway.

Having previously owned this DVD, I ordered three more Concerts (Live). I just purchased my first VIDEO and I felt from the beginning, I had front row seats to the most unbelievable concert I have ever seen! It was magical! All with their own style and magnificent voices was a vision to behold! From the onset, it was obvious, The conductor and all Three Tenors were not only at their best vocally, but along with the audience, you FELT the enjoyment of their singing!!This video is a 'must-have'! I was mesmerized from beginning to end!! Bravo!!!

I love this DVD!

Performed in Los Angeles in 1994 and of course features Jose Carreras, Placido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti. Zubin Metha conducts the Los Angeles Philharmonic. The camera angles are well placed, the switching is done appropriately and the editing has resulted in a beautiful production.

What I liked about the overall performance was the obvious magical chemistry that seemed to bind the performers, orchestra and audience from the very beginning. Early on, the singers must have gotten the unmistakable feeling of having the audience in the palm of their hands.

On an individual basis the whole night featured one great performance after the other: each tenor got to show off his unique voice and talent. One got the distinct feeling that a competitive atmosphere started to develop as the tenors seemed to try to outdo one another with each successive piece of music. The result was nothing short of a spectacular evening of entertainment. Who won "the battle of the Tenors" is a purely subjective matter: but I have my own winner (which I'll keep to myself)

It appeared that the best time was had by the conductor Zubin Mehta: how could you not be enjoying yourself conducting a world renown orchestra and three of the worlds greatest opera singers before an enthusiastic and receptive audience. What more would it take to make one happy? Precious little I think!

All and all, a must have DVD for any opera fan. This concert will be remembered for a long time to come and deservedly so.

Back in the days when Johnny Carson still hosted the "Tonight Show," Rockapella made a quick appearance - I've been hooked ever since.

Unfortunately, I've only had the privilege of seeing them four times to date in person. But, aside from the (standard practice for any in-concert recording, of course) editing out of all the between-song patter, this DVD is a great substitute for all those shows I've missed over the years.

If you've never had the opportunity of seeing these five guys on stage, I highly recommend picking up a copy of this disk. The kind of smooth, together harmonies they generate is phenomenal. Every voice in this group is a standout - and they each get to show off at least once on lead, including the amazing spit-maker, Jeff Thacher (his "drum solo" is still an unbelievable part of the show).

One last incentive, for anyone who missed them in performance up until now, is that this DVD includes the inimitable Mr. Barry Carl who has now retired from Rockapella. His remarkable Julliard-trained, three-cellars deep bass voice and fantastically entertaining facial expressions will be sorely missed.

I bought this DVD last year before I had the chance to actually see Rockapella live in concert. It is a great DVD that showcases their vocal talents and provides the opportunity for those who do not live near a venue that brings in the band to see them perform (I had to go to the east coast for that). The songs sound great, and you can experience just how talented these singers are...no instruments or pyrotecnics to cover up any flaws.
My only complaint (and this comes after seeing the guys actually live), is that this seems to be a "sanitized" version of a performance. Most of the personality has been surgically removed. You can't tell what a sweet, nice guy Kevin is, what a mischievious sparkling personality Elliott has. And the witty repartee that takes place between the guys during a performance, most especially from Bear (Barry Carl - who retires July 14th from the group...bummer), is what makes a Rockapella concert such a MUST SEE experience. Too bad the editors made the decision to cut it this way.
This is still the most watched DVD in my house, and probably always will be. But it is no substitute for witnessing a concert in person. Run, do not walk, to the venue nearest you and see these guys. I guarantee you will be glad you did.

If you like close harmonies but can't stomach boy "bands," you'll get into this mature-sounding quintet. Kevin Wright and Scott Leonard, the tenors, have beautiful, clean voices. Elliot Kerman's steady baritone and bassman Barry Carl are there to back it all up. And vocal percussionist Jeff Thacher has an entire drum kit in his vocal chords. These guys are amazing.

Hearing them is an experience in itself. Watching them do their thing is even better. I wish this DVD would have kept more of the between-song chatter, which can be really funny, and shows the good rapport the band has with the audience. (They did keep Barry's famous "Corny solo" speech!) My only other complaint is that Scott gets too much camera time. While I'm sure his many, many female fans don't mind, Jeff is really more fun to watch. Mostly because you're sitting there saying "How *does* he do that?"

Minor complaints, though. This is a band that truly loves what they're doing, which comes across in moments of humour in the fan-favourite "Zombie Jamboree" and the poignant "People Change." Other highlights include a flirtatious "Pretty Woman," Barry getting way looooow on "16 Tons," and Jeff's drum solo during "Carmen Sandiego," unfortunately trimmed down from the version on the CD. But the best is "Zombie Jamboree," with complete with Barry's fake Jamaican-accented introduction and some cute choreography.

When Rockapella comes to your town, check them out. Until then, this will hold you over.

This is a great DVD if you love the music that Windham Hill was producing in the 80s. Where else can you watch Michael Hedges performing Aerial Boundaries, or William Ackerman performing with an accompanying lyricon, along with Shadowfax and Scott Cossu performing their original compositions? Michael Hedges was the Paganini of the acoustic guitar. Nobody ever did more than he did to redefine the instrument and explore its possibilites. Unfortunately for me, the video of him performing Aerial Boundaries was somewhat disappointing in that you can't make out what his hands are doing through half of it. Obviously the producers weren't considering aspiring guitarists when they edited this video. And since Michael was tragically taken away in an auto accident in 1997 we will never have a video of him teaching his pieces and his unorthdox but brilliant style.

The biggest complaint I have for this DVD is the lighting and videography. Too often the camera catches the subjects in the shadows, or a glare coming from the lights reflecting off of the instruments, or a haze created by the lighting of the stage. Also, there are some puzzling shots of the landscape surrounding the outdoor theater. Still, the performances are well worth the price of the DVD as they capture a moment in time when "New Age" music came into its own.

This DVD would be worth buying if all it had was the Michael Hedges performances. However, the other artists turn out unique and delightful music. Hedges steals the show, and as a guitarist, the chance to see him performing visually is priceless. Wonderful music and an amazingly helpful tool when deciphering Hedges' complex creations.

I remember it clearly - it was 1987 & i was browsing in a Blockbuster waiting for my laundry to finish next door. There was this amazing guitar playing & when i looked up at the TV monitor this guy just blew my mind! Michael Hedges was a one of kind guitar player who changed everything. Tune into his spirit in this video & you'll understand what i'm talking about.

This DVD of the Callas 1959 Hamburg concert must be bought if you know people -- specially your children -- who never saw Callas on stage, and all they know is that La Divina sang a touching aria featured in the sound track of the film Philadelphia. As is known, even the most adoring critics of Callas write that she was "divine", despite the terrible aspects of her singing, specially her disastrous high notes! The fact is that Callas was a rather good mezzo-soprano who insisted in offering her own version of coloratura operas, such as Lucia de Lammermoor, until Dame Joan Sutherland came along and set the record straight!
One of the most repeated fables is that the Callas live recordings are wonderful, because it was the adrenalin of facing a public that made her so dramatic and exciting to hear, whereas in studio recordings, with no public, the excitement was not present and only the defects in her voice were noticeable!
Well, watch and listen to this live concert. After her voice cracks in the top High C of the very second piece (recitative of Lady Machbeth's opening scene), you will discover that the adrenalin is there, alright! But not on her, on you! You become so nervous that she will not make the next notes, that when she does get to the end of the arias, after quite a few screeches, you jump up and applaud, just by being relieved of the tension! Something like seeing your team, after a poor day in the field, finally score the tying point at the very last second of the game.
By all means, buy this DVD to show to your juniors and then give them Renata Tebaldi CDs and Mirella Freni DVDs if they want an operatic education.

HOPEFULLY, Shes' looking down at all of this frenzy and enjoying quite a giggle or two!

Utter meshing with orchestra, conductor, audience [and the occasional rose bouncing off her 'do']. Not just the vocal fireworks [recording quality is not too bad] but it's the person or the acting of the person, that slight little headtwinge ala Carmen ... waiting to break into a flamenco perhaps? The utter versatilityof this splendid artist .... NO it's not just the voice [there might have been 'others'] but it is the personality and her splendid acting ability.

She's very timeless on this one - and connects instantly ... quite a must for the aspiring actor, actress ..... or just the bored housewife, wanting a slight mid-afternoon escape into Her world.

Thank God for these old recordings!

{Around today? There'd be NO competition}

If her voice ever conquered you, the image will do more! She is not only a soprano with supreme teceniques, but also a prima dona living in every characters she sings through her dramatic make-blelieve artistry. Without any knowledge of the lyrics, you understand the characters and the whole story behind them through the gestures and the facial expressions she made while singing in vivid emotions. You will never know Callas fully enough without seeing her singing. A Must-Have for Callas fans, and, of course, for those who didn't understand yet to aprreciate this prima dona of the last century.

This is an entertaining concert. It is filmed outdoors and the scenery is spectacular.

I give it a 4 not a 5 since Aselin's voice is still developing. Her voice is often raspy. I expect it will improve in the next couple of years.

I first saw Aselin Debison on PBS and fell in love with her voice and stage presence. I immediately got on the net and found out more about this little songbird from the north. I now have both the CD and DVD "Sweet is the Melody" and share them with friends to let them know about this up and coming talent. The CD is very easy to listen to and all the songs are well chosen. The DVD has many features and is good fun. All her neighbors and friends at the concert obviously love her and enjoy her music, as do I. Highly recommend this DVD!

This DVD is played nightly at my house, no joke. My entire family enjoys the songs and voice of this very talented little girl. If we were movie producers, we would have "Out of the Woods" in a heartbeat. Aselin is not only talented, but she seems to be a very normal child, she's not cloyingly sweet, like a lot of other young performers. In a word: Outstanding!

Hot damn, the boys are rollin' on this DVD!! This DVD blows the band's other two releases out of the water. I love the shots were you see even the police officers gettin' funky. How can you help yourself?! The groove is just too contagious. Rock n' Roll!

Much better than the Folsom Field DVD imho. It captures the feel of the concert wonderfully and Dave is very animated during this concert. Lots of long outros to songs and just a great feel all around on this DVD. I would say this is better than Listener Supported, but I love the intimate feel of that DVD. If you're even a remote fan of DMB, get this DVD!

I went to the concert in Antioch, TN for the 2nd straight year. If you haven't gone to a Dave concert, you haven't lived. Anyways, this DVD is quality material. For those of you who didn't like how the camera would focus on the crowd for a while, you'll probably like this one better. There is a little documentary-type feature where it shows them setting up the stage and whatnot...I rate this DVD an A+!