Fulvue Drive-In.com
Current Reviews
In Stores Soon
 
In Stores Now
 
DVD Reviews, SACD Reviews Essays Interviews Contact Us Meet the Staff
An Explanation of Our Rating System Search  
Category:    Home > Reviews > Disco > Dance > Country > Pop > Concert > Horror > Rockabilly > Punk > Ska > Surf > Musical > Brit Pop > In The Good Old Summertime (1949/MGM/Warner Archive Blu-ray DVD)/In The Heights (2021/Warner Blu-ray)/Supergrass: In It For The Money (1997/2021 BMG CD Set)

Disco 75 (2021/Cherry Red Records U.K./Robinsongs CD Set)/Dolly: The Ultimate Collection (1987 - 2020/lite blue set/Time Life DVD)/Horrorpops: Live At The Wiltern (2020/MVD/Cleopatra Blu-ray w/DVD & CD)/In The Good Old Summertime (1949/MGM/Warner Archive Blu-ray DVD)/In The Heights (2021/Warner Blu-ray)/Supergrass: In It For The Money (1997/2021 BMG CD Set)



Picture: X/C+/B+ & B-/B/B/X Sound: B-/C+/B+ & B-/B-/B+/B Extras: C/C/D/C/C+/B Main Programs: B-/B-/B/C+/C+/B-



PLEASE NOTE: The In The Good Old Summertime Blu-ray is now only available from Warner Bros. through their Warner Archive series and can be ordered from the link below,



Here's a new set of music releases, including some rarities worth knowing about...



Disco music has been stereotyped, trashed and become one of music's guilty pleasures, but in real life, few actually know what it it save the later big hits before the genre imploded by 1980 (pushed along by right-wingers attacking it, but that's an essay for another time.)


The idea of the discotheque was around since the 1960s, but the music genre as we know it came out of three places, Florida (the Latino influence), Europe (especially Germany, where electronic music was on the rise in its own special way) and New York City, which was also giving early birth to Punk and what we now know as Rap and Hip Hop. Disco's story is a bit more complex and a new CD compilation set called Disco 75 (2021) helps set the record straight and to prove my point, look at the contents of the 3 CDs below.


Of the 55 songs below from the first full tear of the genre in action, only 6 were huge pop hits (a few did better on the Soul chart and the Jackson Five song was a minor hit pop, but 4 weeks #1 on the dance chart) so you can start to see it was a trend coming from all over the place. Also, since some slang was specific to that seen, as well as some hits with similar titles, you may easily mistake some of the songs below for others you actually have likely never heard. See as follows...


DISC ONE:

  1. SHIRLEY (AND COMPANY) - SHAME, SHAME, SHAME

  2. MOSES DILLARD & The Lovejoy Orchestra - THEME FROM LOVEJOY

  3. HERBIE MANN - HI-JACK

  4. DORIS DUKE - A LITTLE BIT OF LOVIN'

  5. BLACK STASH - MIGHTY LOVE MAN PT. 1

  6. GENYA RAVAN - FEEL THE NEED IN ME

  7. THE KAY-GEES - GET DOWN

  8. ARMADA ORCHESTRA - COCHISE

  9. AVERAGE WHITE BAND - PICK UP THE PIECES

  10. HAROLD MELVIN & BLUENOTES - BAD LUCK

  11. GENE PAGE - SATIN SOUL

  12. JESUS ALVAREZ - QUEEN BEE

  13. SELDON POWELL AND CO - MOR SHAME PT. 1

  14. MAJOR LANCE - DON'T YOU KNOW I LOVE YOU

  15. FRANKIE VALLI - SWEARIN' TO GOD (extended version, Patti Austin on backup)

  16. DIONNE WARWICKE - TAKE IT FROM ME

  17. RHYTHM MAKERS - ZONE


DISC TWO:

  1. SEEDS OF THE EARTH - PLANTING SEEDS

  2. DE-LITE-FUL - FORGET THAT GIRL

  3. CHUCK JACKSON - LOVE LIGHTS

  4. CALENDAR - HYPERTENSION

  5. RETTA YOUNG - (SENDING OUT AN) S.O.S.

  6. BATAAN - THE BOTTLE (LA BOTELLA)

  7. DEREK MARTIN - BEAUTIFUL WOMAN

  8. SYLVIA - PUSSY CAT

  9. THE JACKSON FIVE - FOREVER CAME TODAY (remake of Supremes hit)

  10. CROWN HEIGHTS AFFAIR - DREAMING A DREAM

  11. BROTHER TO BROTHER - LET YOUR MIND BE FREE (VOCAL)

  12. BROTHER TO BROTHER - LET YOUR MIND BE FREE (INST)

  13. THE REFLECTIONS - THREE STEPS FROM TRUE LOVE

  14. THE RIMSHOTS -7-6-5-4-3-2-1 (BLOW YOUR WHISTLE)

  15. MOMENTS AND WHATNAUTS - GIRLS (FRENCH VERSION)

  16. PAT LUNDI - PARTY MUSIC

  17. MFSB – SEXY

  18. PEOPLES CHOICE - DO IT ANY WAY YOU WANNA

  19. ESTHER PHILLIPS - WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY MAKES

  20. BANZAI - CHINESE KUNG FU

  21. THE GLITTER BAND - MAKES YOU BLIND


DISC THREE:

  1. AL MATTHEWS - FOOL

  2. UNIVERSAL MIND - REACH OUT FOR ME (the Bacharach/David classic)

  3. ULTRAFUNK - STING YOUR JAWS - PART 1

  4. KC & THE SUNSHINE BAND - THAT'S THE WAY I LIKE IT

  5. ARMADA ORCHESTRA - FEEL THE NEED IN ME

  6. JOHNNY OTIS - JAWS

  7. DISCO TEX & THE SEXOLETTES - GET DANCIN'

  8. OSCAR TONEY JaR - CHICKEN HEADS

  9. THE O'JAYS - I LOVE MUSIC

  10. THE SOUL TRAIN GANG - SOUL TRAIN ''75''

  11. JIMMY JAMES & THE VAGABONDS - I AM SOMEBODY

  12. THE WHISPERS - IN LOVE FOREVER

  13. BENNY TROY - I WANNA GIVE YOU TOMORROW

  14. THE SALSOUL ORCHESTRA - CHICAGO BUS STOP

  15. JUGGY MURRAY JONES - INSIDE AMERICA

  16. ARCHIE BELL & THE DRELLS - LET'S GROOVE

  17. DOOLEY SILVERSPOON - LET ME BE THE NUMBER 1 (LOVE OF YOUR LIFE)


Many of these songs never charted, but were big crowd-pleasers at the actual discos that were starting to pick up in popularity, so it is a rare chance to hear these key track indeed.


Sylvia, Dionne Warwick (she was spelling her name with an 'e' at the end at this time, so that is no typo), The Whispers, Benny Troy, Chuck Jackson, The Salsoul Orchestra and MFSB are among the acts here that were certainly NOT one hit wonders and the notion of the novelty record was alive at the time and common, so you can see that reflected in the songs as well. What struck me most were that some of the hits sounded older than later disco because they were still being recorded like late 1960s/early 1970s R&B records, but with more of a beat that increasing became the signature of the genre. That debunks this myth of sudden phony, overly clean-sounding Euro production with pseudo-sophistication.


However historically significant and this set is (a few more sets for the next few years are planned, so I cannot wait to see the song picks for them) we get a time capsule very much worth a listen to, no matter your final reaction. History was being made and I bet many of the artists here did not even know what we were soon in for. Definitely worth a good hear and the informative booklet is a plus.



Now that the full set of Dolly: The Ultimate Collection has been issued, one of the four inner DVD sets (the one for 1987 - 2020 with a lite blue background) is being issued separately to promote the larger set we reviewed here:


http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/15806/Dolly:+The+Ultimate+Collection+(1967+-+2019/D


It is a good starter for those more interested in the later part of her still-in going career and the videos are a plus for all fans, but I would just say put out the extra bucks and get the whole set. Still, now you can sample part of it just the same.



If you are a fan of music that fuses several different genres including horror, rockabilly, punk, ska, surf, and stage theatrics then you will enjoy the Danish punk based band, Horrorpops, and this special live album that features their full concert, Live at the Wiltern (2020), on Blu-ray, DVD, and CD in this exclusive set from Cleopatra Entertainment.


Led by Patricia Day and Kim Neckroman, Horrorpops also features Henrik Stendahl and Geoff Kresge. This wild band is pretty interesting and definitely worth checking out if you're unfamiliar. This is their first full length album in over twelve years.


Track List:

1 Intro

2 Julia

3 Thelma & Louise

4 Kool Flattop

5 It's Been So Long

6 Hit N' Run

7 Dotted With Hearts

8 Baby Lou Tattoo

9 Freaks In Uniforms

10 S.O.B.

11 Undefeated

12 MissFit

13 Everything's Everything

14 Psychobitches Outta Hell

15 Girl In A Cage

16 Ghouls

17 Walk Like A Zombie

18 Miss Take

19 Where They Wander


It is worth your time for something different, unless this is your kind of music in the first place.


Robert Z, Leonard's In The Good Old Summertime (1949) is a Technicolor, musical remake of the Jimmy Stewart drama/comedy The Shop Around The Corner (reviewed on a great Warner Archive Blu-ray elsewhere on this site) and was later remade as the odd Tom Hanks film You've Got Mail (proving the early dangers of the Internet being annoying) but this version has Van Heflin in Stewart's role and Judy Garland as the love interest, exchanging letters to each other without knowing it.


They also land up working in the same shop that sells novelties, et al, but do not get along. Heflin is not bad here, but even if I could recast him with an actor from the time I think might work better, it would not matter because it is not as good a telling of the story as the Stewart version. Though having Buster Keaton in the film is a real coup, the best part are the musical numbers with Garland in top form. It is ultimately the best reason to see the film and tolerate its down and obvious points, whether you have seen the other version or not. Nice to have it restored as well as it is here too.



Jon M. Chu's In The Heights (2021) is the feature film version of Lin-Manuel Miranda's first stage musical hit before Hamilton, a boy meets, loses, gets gal story that takes place in Washington Heights (though if it were Jackson Heights, many would not notice the difference) and is a mixed bag of some great musical sequences, nice acting moments and other acting moments that are more plain. None of the songs stuck with me, but some were better than others.


Anthony Ramos is the convenience store owner looking to have a happier life when a beautiful gal (Leslie Grace, a stunning new talent just picked to be the new Batgirl!) might help him find his way. There are some good jokes and good in jokes here and there, but the film has this problem of not totally making the transition from the stage to the freedom of the big screen, which happens to many such films. The rest of the cast is also decent and filled with potential new stars (made me think of Spike Lee's School Daze (1988, reviewed elsewhere on this site) in high energy musical sequences with persons we do not see enough of on any screen.


However, the one thing that also keeps this film from being better is the framing of some of the musical numbers. The film is shot in a widescreen scope frame, versus the square block style of older musicals, music videos and live TV. The choreography here is often impressive and even fun, but the director and cinematographer make a common mistake of not pulling the camera out far enough for us to see all the action as you would in the likes of Grease (1978, now out in a stunning 4K disc we highly recommend) and that hurts the performances and films momentum.


Mind you, widescreen musicals did not arrive until Oklahoma! (1955) was the first major 70mm film and the studios started making them in CinemaScope and with 4-track magnetic stereo (the 1954 A Star Is Born with Judy Garland one fo the best early examples) an d this is a mistake some scope musicals make. On his audio commentary for Finian's Rainbow (1968, reviewe4d on Warner Archive Blu-ray elsewhere on this site) no less than Director Francis Coppola admits he did not pull the camera out enough when filming an early sequence with no less than the ultimate star of the film musical and his lead for that film, Fred Astaire.


The result is the impact of the overall film is hurt and holds it back from being a better film. The makers were thinking big screen, but not big enough in this way, but maybe next time. You'll; note the sequences that have the wider, longer shots (like the early beauty salon sequence) work better as a result. Otherwise, not bad.


Jimmy Smits and Marc Anthony also star.



Finally, we have an album by an underrated band. Supergrass: In It For The Money (1997) has been reissued as a 3-CD set with the original album remastered and the two extra discs have a ton of extra tracks. Only the band's second album, they had a huge hit off of their debut album with the pop ''Alright'' that is still getting played and licensed all over the world. Ironically, it was the last single from the album. They could have continued in that direction (Spielberg saw the music video and wanted to give them a TV show in the Monkees mode off of it) and that could have worked. However, though it was not necessarily a big-hit (or one-hit wonder) that could kill their career before it started, they tried for a more serious direction.


Here's are the tracks in the set...


CD1: In It For The Money - 2021 Remaster


  1. In It For The Money (2021 Remaster)

  2. Richard III (2021 Remaster)

  3. Tonight (2021 Remaster)

  4. Late In The Day (2021 Remaster)

  5. G-Song (2021 Remaster)

  6. Sun Hits The Sky (2021 Remaster)

  7. Going Out (2021 Remaster)

  8. It's Not Me (2021 Remaster)

  9. Cheapskate (2021 Remaster)

  10. You Can See Me (2021 Remaster)

  11. Hollow Little Reign (2021 Remaster)

  12. Sometimes I Make You Sad (2021Remaster)


CD2: Research & Development - Studio Extras & B-Sides


  1. Susan (AKA Going Out)*

  2. Melanie Davis

  3. Can't Dig It (AKA G-Song)*

  4. Late In The Day (Demo)*

  5. Get Away (AKA Richard III)*

  6. Charles II *

  7. Sun Hits the Sky (Monitor Mix)*

  8. It's Not Me (Original)*

  9. Silver Lining*

  10. Cheapskate (Monitor Mix)*

  11. In It for the Money (Monitor Mix)*

  12. Hollow Little Reign (Guiro Mix)*

  13. Tonight (Monitor Mix)*

  14. You Can See Me (Demo)*

  15. Sometime We're Really Sad (Edit)*

  16. Sometimes I Make You Sad (Guide Vox)*

  17. Nothing More's Gonna Get in My Way

  18. We Still Need More (Than Anyone Can Give)

  19. Don't Be Cruel

  20. 20ft Half

  21. The Animal


CD3: Product Placement - Live Recordings


  1. Going Out (Opera House, Toronto, Sep 11, 95)*

  2. Melanie Davis (Lowlands Festival, Netherlands, Aug 25, 96)*

  3. G-Song (Rehearsal cassette recording, Jun 18, 95)*

  4. Hollow Little Reign (O2 Academy Islington, London, Jun 01, 2004)*

  5. In It for the Money (Rock City, Nottingham, Jan 18, 98)*

  6. Cheapskate (Rock City, Nottingham, Jan 18, 98)*

  7. Mansize Rooster (Rock City, Nottingham, Jan 18, 98)*

  8. Richard III (Rock City, Nottingham, Jan 18, 98)*

  9. You Can See Me (Rock City, Nottingham, Jan 18, 98)*

  10. Late in the Day (Rock City, Nottingham, Jan 18, 98)*

  11. Alright (Rock City, Nottingham, Jan 18, 98)*

  12. Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In) (Rock City, Nottingham, Jan 18, 98)*

  13. Lose It (Rock City, Nottingham, Jan 18, 98)*

  14. Sun Hits the Sky (Rock City, Nottingham, Jan 18, 98)*

  15. Going Out (aborted) (Rock City, Nottingham, Jan 18, 98)*

  16. Caught By the Fuzz (Rock City, Nottingham, Jan 18, 98)*

  17. Going Out (Rock City, Nottingham, Jan 18, 98)*

  18. Strange Ones (Rock City, Nottingham, Jan 18, 98)*

  19. Lenny (Rock City, Nottingham, Jan 18, 98)*

  20. Sometimes I Make You Sad (Paradiso, Amsterdam, Oct 08, 97)*


* unreleased


The Supergrass trio line-up as of this album was Gaz Coombes, Mick Quinn and Danny Goffey, sporting some chemistry and proving that though they were not Blur or Radiohead, they were more formidable than their megahit might allow and certainly far more authentic than the extremely overrated Oasis. No song particularly stands out for me here (I have heard all the hits before) and they can play as well as they can sing, which is good. However, they still do not totally establish themselves as a stronger entity, something that did develop in the follow-up albums.


Sure, they could have got away with an album of songs trying to recreate the success of ''Alright'' and other hits from that first solid album, but the spirit and attitude that made them great in their debut actually survives here in tact, so they did not sell out to do what they did here. (Even the music videos for the singles on this album are as good as the last, which you can see on line or in a long out of print DVD, videos so good they deserve a Blu-ray or even 4K disc release!) Thus, this album deserves to be celebrated as much of it works, still works and holds up, give or take some small spots I never bought. Hope all their albums get this treatment eventually.



Now for playback performance. The Horrorpops concert is presented in 1080p high definition with a widescreen aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and a fine sounding, lossy 5.1 Dolby Digital surround mix. The program is professionally filmed and edited and captures the program well. There's also an anamorphically enhanced, standard definition DVD included of the same program in a more compressed video and lossy audio presentation. The CD has PCM 2.0 16/44.1 Stereo that fares a little better than the Dolby.


The Dolly DVDs repeat the mostly 1.33 X 1 presentations, though newer works are in 1.78 X 1 and all in lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono and later, Stereo, which can be in anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 framing. Color is as good as it can be for old analog or low-def digital video and for the DVD format.


The 1080p 1.33 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer on Summer rarely really shows its age, and the film was shot in three-strip Technicolor, so it looks good and often reflects what a 35mm dye-transfer print of the film should look like,. Director of Photography Harry Stradling, Sr. (My Fair Lady, The Pirate, Easter Parade, Hello Dolly, A Streetcar Named Desire, several Hitchcock films) more than delivers a great look for the film. Framing is impressive, especially for the musical numbers. Unfortunately, the DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 2.0 Mono lossless mix is not always in prime shape, with a few more age and slight harmonic distortion problems than expected, but it has been restored as well as possible.


The 1080p 2.35 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer on Heights can look good, but some shots look better than others, though they may resolve better on the 4K edition we expect to see later. It does have the full, lossless Dolby Atmos 11.1 (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 mixdown for older systems) sound mix the 4K has and the best theatrical presentations offered. This mix is much more like it and the best sound on this list of any release.


The PCM 2.0 16/44.1 Stereo sound on the CDs are not bad, but Disco has some copies that have distortion, slight warping and background hiss on certain tracks, meaning those songs need more restoration ASAP. Every track on Supergrass sounds fine and has been nicely remastered, so much so that I wish a Blu-ray with 5.1 or 11.1 mixes were included.


Extras on Horrorpops are completely absent unless you count the DVD and CD, while the CD sets include nicely illustrated booklets and Dolly a paper pullout of the contents, including listing a few interview extras and music videos on the discs, whether you count the latter as extras or not is again, up to you. Summertime adds a vintage video introduction to the film by Garland scholar John Fricke, two Technicolor live-action Traveltalks shorts on Chicago and a few Original Theatrical Trailers.


Heights adds Digital Copy, while the disc adds a Sing-A-Long piece and a Making Of featurette.



To order the Warner Archive Blu-ray In The Good Old Summertime, go to this link for them and many more great web-exclusive releases at:


https://www.amazon.com/stores/page/ED270804-095F-449B-9B69-6CEE46A0B2BF?ingress=0&visitId=6171710b-08c8-4829-803d-d8b922581c55&tag=blurayforum-20



- Nicholas Sheffo and James Lockhart (Horrorpops)

https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/



Marketplace


 
 Copyright © MMIII through MMX fulvuedrive-in.com