BORN TO BOOGIE is a deluxe 2- DVD of the restored 1972 film by Ringo Starr (for Apple Films), which chronicled glam rocker Marc Bolan T. Rex at the height of "T. Rectasy" in England. I'm just curious how Sanctuary got the rights to this film, since Apple Records is notoriously stingy with all their products! The film combines live footage with "fantasy sequences" and in-studio jams with Ringo Starr and Elton John. Sound familiar? Robert Plant and Jimmy Page of Led Zep must have seen this film, because their SONG REMAINS THE SAME film from 1976 cops this idea, using the same techniques of mixing concert footage with fantasy sequences. However, while the Zeppelin film just plods along, BORN TO BOOGIE actually has some interesting moments! Some of the scenes are eerily reminiscent of MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR (which is not surprising since Ringo directed!), such as one scene out in the English countryside on some sort of landing strip with Ringo dressed as a mouse! (Similarly, the MMT "I Am the Walrus" scene had the Beatles in a very similar location, with John dressed up in a walrus outfit!) The best of the fantasy scenes is the tea party, complete with a vampire, nuns and a string quartet who back Marc Bolan on a great acoustic medley of his hits (Filmed at Tittenhurst Park - Lennon's former home and pictured on the HEY JUDE album cover). Another highlight is the studio scenes where T. Rex is jamming with Ringo and Elton John on "Children of the Revolution" - brilliant song and great "video"! Two things immediately come to mind when viewing this DVD. First, Bolan was the consummate performer with pure stage presence - he struts, interacts with the audience and plays tambourine on his guitar. When watching Bolan live, you see the template for the prototypical arena rocker of the '70s. While he is now categorized as a "glam rocker", he is basically just rock 'n roll. His moves and attitude would later be emulated by about every rock arena act of the '70s, such as Frampton. Secondly, the quality of his songs is amazing…it is interesting that "Bang A Gong" was the only American hit he had! The advent of the DVD makes it a great time to be a rock fan, especially with deluxe DVD's that hold much more than videos used to! The bonus footage on this DVD includes: a documentary on Marc Bolan, a documentary on the restoration of the film, and a full Marc Bolan T. Rex concert. BORN TO BOOGIE is a unique portrait of a rock legend that we lost way too early as Marc Bolan died - not of drink or drugs, but in an unfortunate car accident!
Looks more like some punk club in New York than a TV show in Croatia. Nonetheless, the band rips through some of their best material giving us a taste of what a Kevin K show is all about. They go through “What It Takes”, “Melody” and “How I Feel” before Kevin proclaims his undying love for Jennifer Love-Hewitt and proceeds to sing “Love”, the song he wrote for her. They finish up the set with “Do You Wanna Kiss” and “She”. Rock N’ Roll the way it should be played.
This DVD collects all of Devo's music videos except "Are U Experienced" (excluded for legal reasons; see the Devo interview in this issue for further details). Also included is archival footage of Devo's first performance at Kent State University, live footage from a performance at the Crypt 1977, and Devo performing campfire sing along music under the pseudonym "dove". Additional features include photo clips of devo memorabilia, blurry/rushed excerpts from Mark Mothersbaugh's book "My Struggle", text stories outlining the Devo's bizarre (devolved?) path from a college musical art prank to major label new wave pioneers, and most (but not all) of the video intros from Devo spokesmen "General Boy", "Booji Boy", and the anti-devo corporate rock big wig "Rod Rooter". Devo's message oriented videos hold up well despite being shot on a smaller budget than most video shoots today spend on catering. On a shoe string budget, Devo gleefully ridicules mankind's naive notions of progress and freedom. Videos such as "Beautiful World" and "Freedom of Choice" are more honest and pack more of a message than a hundred VH1 sensitive, singer-songwriter "political" videos. Lest anyone think Devo are sneering elitist social critics, Devo willingly displays their own de-evolution with the less than stellar videos "Disco Dancer" and "Post Post-Modern Man"; two songs that provide a video lesson in "what happens when your record label doesn't give a crap your band". For those spuds that just "don't get it", the DVD also features audio commentary by the band explaining the de-evolutionary message behind each video (along with other amusing anecdotes). This DVD, however, isn't quite "complete" as the live footage from the Devo VHS "The men who make the Music" as well as some of the intro footage from the Devo VHS "We're all Devo" didn't make the cut. Still, "The Complete Truth About De-Evolution" is complete enough for any spud.
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Marc Bolan T. Rex "Born To Boogie"
Kevin K and the Real Kool Kats "Varazdin, Croatia June 2, 2005"
Devo "The Complete Truth About De-Evolution"