From the excellent new Dick Cavett series of DVD's comes a new release: THE DICK CAVETT SHOW-THE RAY CHARLES COLLECTION. While the previous release from Shout! Factory (ROCK ICONS) had a wide array of musical guests; the legendary Ray Charles is showcased on this new 2-disc set. Sure, the musical segments are great including "Georgia On My Mind", "Eleanor Rigby" and "America the Beautiful" among the 14 performances. But it is the personality of Ray Charles that shines in this set and his openness in talking about any subject that Cavett brings up is truly fascinating and endearing. Added together, the interview segments almost consist of a mini-biography of Charles as he talks about: his blindness, growing up, his kids, life on the road, etc. And Charles had CLASS, at one point stating, "The fans know I wont do anything in bad taste." He also mentions the "only problem I have with television" being the sound quality of TV performances, complaining that "I sell sound, I don't sell sight." I also found it curious that when Charles was asked if he could get his sight back, he would only want it back for a day! When talking about his feelings on music and the power of music, he ironically states that music is "The only thing that wont get you killed". Charles also made it a regular part of his appearance on the show to do a duet with Dick Cavett on the song "Am I Blue" - usually with Cavett failing miserably, yet being hysterically funny on vocals. Dick Cavett seemed to bring out the best in his guests and THE RAY CHARLES COLLECTION is an excellent example of the sheer quality of the Cavett show, not only musically, but also socially.
Thank god for South Park! Especially in this politically correct day and age when common sense goes out the window, South Park helps one keep his sanity by stating the blatantly obvious. The mixture of children ("out of the mouths of babes…") and comedy in a cartoon format is a blessing to South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, who tackle even the most controversial subjects including: time-sharing scams, animal rights, trailer-trash daytime talk shows, A.I.D.S., the 'war' on drugs, child abductions and the re-release of films by directors who change them for 'the better'. It is this last subject that is one of the most hilarious episodes in this set, with a scathing parody of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg and their obsession with re-making their classic films (Star Wars, Close Encounters) with new special effects. The boys of South Park are incensed at the viewing of one of these "new" films and decide to take action. As their scathing remarks often hit the bull's eye on stating the blatantly obvious, one of the boys says, "You didn't see the Beatles re-make the White Album every few years." Pure genius! Also, the popularity and importance of the series is shown as it might have had something to do with the non-appearance new-edition of Raiders of the Lost Ark as previously announced before this episode originally aired! This 3-disc set contains all seventeen episodes of South Park's sixth season. Included are fascinating commentaries by Parker and Stone, giving great insight into the inspiration behind each episode. If you have ever wondered what inspires some episodes (like I have), this set is a must-have. Since the series always deals with current events there will never be a shortage of material. With the dumbing-down-politically-correct hysteria in America taking precedence over common sense, South Park is a necessity for society. South Park is the "truth detector" for American society!
The year 2004 was a very special year for two spectacular events that you would never thought would happen in the world of rock and roll (and both happened to occur in London at the Royal Festival Hall). First was the much-publicized performance of the historic Smile album by Brian Wilson (which was 37 years in the wait). The second, while maybe not as earth-shattering as Smile, was nonetheless important: a reunion show of the New York Dolls, including all the surviving band members David Johansen, Sylvian Sylvian and Arthur "Killer" Kane. While the film "Beautiful Dreamer" chronicled Brian Wilson's final supremacy over his musical-demons, "New York Doll" has a similar story theme in that is shows the ultimate vindication of Arthur Kane over his own fears and doubts about the very influential (yet not financially successful) New York Dolls. NEW YORK DOLL documents Arthur "Killer" Kane's journey from near obscurity to this historic reunion. You almost get an aura of sadness from the quiet spoken Kane as he talks about the financial fame that the New York Dolls quite never achieved, his failed marriage, his paranoia and jealously about David Johansen's post-Dolls success, and finally his library job for the Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (which he had to take the bus to!). But then news of the reunion show arrives and it seems like almost a justification to Kane of all that he has gone through, to finally get acceptance for his work. While it is the ultimate realization of that golden rock and roll dream for Kane that makes the film so touching, there is the air of sadness as Kane died not long after the reunion show. While this film is both touching and sad, you leave the theater knowing that Kane left this world a much happier man than before the reunion. This film truly shows the power of rock and roll and that it truly CAN heal!
When it comes to the Beatles, you would have thought that everything worth being released on video or DVD has been released…but this is not so. "The Beatles: From Liverpool to San Francisco" shows that there is still rare TV appearances and interviews with the Fab Four to be found. When I first got this DVD and read that it contained newsreel footage, I thought it would be a rehash of segments that I had seen over and over again. Imagine my surprise when I not only saw new footage, but also saw some filmed footage that I had only seen previously in picture stills (not knowing that there was video for these). The narration of this DVD, along with the newsreel footage, makes it a sort of cross between 1984's "The Compleat Beatles" video (narrated by Malcolm McDowell) and 1986's "Fun With the Fab Four" video. It is priceless to see Lennon wearing a top hat in the band's 1964 Christmas message, as well as his "You've got a lucky face" literary acceptance speech. However, there is the absence of the much-seen, yet historic first of the Beatles on film at the Cavern Club in 1962 performing "Some Other Guy" (but maybe since this was a documentary-only, not music, the song rights couldn't be secured). The real part of this DVD that makes it a Beatles-must-have is the bonus footage that covers the "Beatles bigger than Christ" saga including very interesting interview with Tommy Charles (the DJ of WAQI in Birmingham, Alabama). Also included are interviews at a record store with eleven youths, only one of which actually understood what Lennon actually said in the correct context of his original interview. While you might see some other cheap Beatle rip-offs on the DVD aisle of your local entertainment mega-store, "The Beatles: From Liverpool to San Francisco" is an entertaining surprise that is worth seeking out by Beatles fans.
"The Right Spectacle: The Very Best of Elvis Costello" is one of those DVD sets that doesn't make you feel ripped-off if you own the older video collection. I already owned 1993's "The Best of Elvis Costello and the Attractions" - and while all of these are included on the new DVD, there are enough bonus and extra goodies to make this a necessary purchase for Elvis Costello fans. First off, it adds many videos that weren't available on the VHS video release, such as "Veronica" and "This Town" (where else can you see Elvis Costello dressed up as Satan?). It is great to revisit such video classics as "Pump It Up" and "Radio, Radio" - both of which haven't seemed to age badly, unlike other videos from the late '70s new wave age of early videos. What is especially cool about this DVD is that it includes commentary from Elvis Costello himself for each video, often with humorous reminisces about the filming and concept behind each. If the videos themselves weren't enough, there are 68 minutes of archived television footage (but alas, not his legendary appearance on Saturday Night Live). It is amazing how young he looks his early television rendering of "Alison". This is definitely rock video done right in the DVD format!
Body Count blazes though a set plagued with equipment/sound problems in this DVD of their performance at the 6th Annual Smokeout festival. Camera angles and production values on this DVD are excellent; making sound problems during body count's set all the more inexplicable. Despite sound problems during their performance, body counts play classics such as "KKK Bitch" , "Cop Killer", "There Goes the Neighborhood", and "Drive By" with as much conviction as they did in the 1990's. Twenty years into the game, Ice-T remains one of the most no bullshit MC's to front a band. Body count also teases their audience with a new song "|End Game " from a yet to be released album called "Murder for Hire". If nothing else, this DVD is worth the price of admission for the news that Body Count is not yet down for the count. Recommended for fans of Body Count. Not recommended for pussies.
As a teenager in 1979 when THE WARRIORS was first released, I wasn't aware of the movie until the media reported the rumors about the supposed gang violence at the screenings. Growing up in a small town near San Antonio, Texas of course the movie was BIG. I had to wait until we got cable in 1980 to view it, but it still made an impression, especially with its combination of comic-book/western/fantasy gang violence. Those who complained that it would incite violence simply didn't understand the fantasy theme of THE WARRIORS: it wasn't meant to be real. I mean, really...how many gangs would dress up in baseball uniforms, wearing KISS-like makeup? Walter Hill based The Warriors on the novel by Sol Yurick, which itself was based on the Greek "Anabasis," which describes an army of Greek soldiers caught behind Persian lines that have to battle their way back to the sea. The movie plot revolves around a gang called the Warriors from Coney Island, who are invited to a huge New York area gang rally in the Bronx, where Cyrus, the leader of the biggest gang the Riffs is trying to consolidate all the gangs to control New York City itself. Cyrus gets assassinated at the rally and the actual assassin Luther fingers the Warriors for the crime. The rest of the movie is the adventure of getting from the Bronx back to Coney Island while being totally unarmed (gangs being unarmed was a condition of the rally). Plus, the Warriors have every New York gang looking for them. The leader of the Warriors, Cleon (Dorsey Wright who also played 'Hud' in the movie version of "Hair" - whatever happened to him?) gets killed early in the movie at the gang rally. Thus the leadership of the Warriors falls to Swan (Michael Beck). The abrasive member Ajax (James Remar) challenges Swan's leadership until he is arrested halfway through the gang's journey. While titled, "The Warriors - The Ultimate Director's Cut", this DVD has NO director's commentary! In the "Introduction by Director Walter Hill", Hill explains that he doesn't really like 'director commentaries' for DVDs - hence there is none for this DVD release. Although that is usually my favorite part of a re-release on DVD, there are plenty of other "extras". This edition includes the use of comic graphics to introduce each section and act as transitions between scenes. There are 4 featurettes about the film, with explanations of how the film came about, how the comic-book aura entered the picture (because they weren't allowed to use just black and Hispanic gangs), present-day interviews with the cast members (many who look so old now - can't believe this movie came out so long ago), how they came up with the costumes for each gang, and how they filmed in New York City. And, Orson Wells was originally to do the narration! Also a little bit of music trivia: I thought that Joe Walsh had written "In the City" alone. But, he co-wrote the song with Barry De Vorzon, who did the original musical score for the film. The film version of "In the City" is a different version from the Eagles version on their 1980 THE LONG RUN album. Watching the movie 25 years after I first viewed it made me realize a few things. The film's soundtrack was "cutting edge" at the time, using mostly synthesizer led instrumentals - what you would normally find in sci-fi movies. Now it simply dates the film in a charming sort of way. And while the film was controversial when it first came out, it is not really that violent compared to today's films. A quarter century later, THE WARRIORS emerges as an entertaining, comic-book fantasy piece of the American culture. Definitely worth the watch especially if you want to see two great catch-phrases of pop culture: “can you dig it?” and “Warrior’s…come out and play-e-aye.”!
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"The Dick Cavett Show - Ray Charles Collection"
"South Park: Season 6"
"New York Doll"
"The Beatles: From Liverpool to San Francisco"
"The Right Spectacle: The Very Best of Elvis Costello"
"Smoke Out presents Body Count featuring Ice-T"
"The Warriors Ultimate Director's Cut"