Barclay James Harvest – Berlin: A Concert For The People (1980/Eagle DVD)
Picture:
C+ Sound: C+ Extras: C Concert: C
When you
hear about Rock groups mixing that genre with Classical Music, you usually
think of Progressive Rock bands like Yes or Emerson, Lake & Palmer, but Barclay James Harvest (formed in 1966)
is more of a Pop and Folk band that seems to weave Rock and Classical here and
there, so that is why they would never be considered Progressive Rock and that
is why they are not that memorable in their concert DVD Berlin: A Concert For The People which was taped back in 1980 as
the Cold war was about to heat up.
First,
the songs performed are as follows:
1)
Berlin
2)
Loving
Is Easy
3)
Mockingbird
4)
Sip
of Wine
5)
Nova
Lepidoptera
6)
In
Memory Of The Martyrs
7)
Life
Is For Living
8)
Child
Of The Universe
9)
Hymn
The vinyl
album version was first issued in 1982.
As well intended as it was and historic as it might be, I was only so
impressed. Decent at best, they are an
acquired taste for those who might like Bread, ABBA and The Carpenters, but I
was just not that impressed, even as a time capsule. However, the filmed bonus footage dubbed Time Honoured Tales (a 1975 promo film
with what amounts to some Music Videos) is more interesting with clips
including Moongirl, One Night and Beyond The Grave. It shows
the band in its best light and offered more than the concert, which is still
ambitious, but only ultimately for the curious.
This is at least a well made DVD.
The 1.33
X 1 image videotaped image may have some analog tape errors (cross color,
softness, staircasing, aliasing) in places, but looks good overall, but the
filmed bonus footage (shot in 16mm) is a little smoother, even when the color
is not 100%. The DTS 5.1 on the concert
can only do so much for the older audio, so it is only a shade better than the
Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 Stereo options.
The filmed extras have aged audio, but it is no worse.
- Nicholas Sheffo
