Elvis Costello & The Imposters – Club Date: Live In Memphis (Blu-ray)

 

Picture: B     Sound: B     Extras: B-     Concert: B

 

 

Elvis Costello is on a roll.  When I first reviewed Elvis Costello & The Imposters – Club Date: Live In Memphis on DVD, I wondered if it would be strictly a Country-genre concert.  With Emmylou Harris, that seemed even more so.  However, Costello uses Country as only a starting point and the resulting concert is one of the best we have seen lately, especially one taped in HD.

 

Now, Eagle Vision has issued the program as one of its first Blu-ray concert releases.  Since it is so good, consistent and has a length that was never a problem, it makes sense that this would be part of their first wave of HD releases.  My previous review can be found at:

 

http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/2182/Elvis+Costello+&+The+Imposters+-+Live+In+Memphis+(DTS)

 

 

I enjoyed it a little more here since the picture was clearer, which is always good so the viewer can enjoy more and work (as in straining) less to take in how good it is.  The 1080i 16 X 9/1.78 X 1 digital High Definition image was good on that DVD, but is that much better on this Blu-ray, which is one of the nicest HD concert shoots of a good few dozen we have already covered on standard DVD on this site.  Though this format does 1080p, it is more of a pleasure to sit through despite minor definition and color limits.  The sound formats (PCM 2.0, Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS 5.1) are the same as the previous discs, with the DTS again sounding the best, so much so that I am surprised that this is not in DTS HD.  The DTS here is a tad better than the DVD.

 

Of the initial five releases, this is second only to the Pat Metheny Group as the best title so far from Eagle.  With their catalog of HD programs with high fidelity multi-channel sound, this is only the beginning, making them the company to beat for music on HD.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo