Dead Boys – Return Of The Living Dead Boys –
Halloween Night 1986 (MVD DVD)
Picture: C- Sound: C Extras: C Concert: B-
The Dead
Boys are such a great, authentic, original Punk Rock act, that no less than
Joey Ramone introduced them when they reunited in 1986 reunion concert at The
Ritz in New York and that concert was barely taped. Now, the footage has been recovered and is presented
in the new DVD release Dead Boys –
Return Of The Living Dead Boys – Halloween Night 1986.
Impressive
as ever, the band played for a thankfully longer set than they did for their
great 1977 CBGB concert, which we reviewed at his link:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/1654/Dead+Boys+-+Live+At+CBGB+1977
This
time, they play for over 63 minutes and include 17 songs, bookended by two performances
of Sonic Reducer. For whatever time they were apart, they still
had what made all the chemistry that made them great to begin with. For all the Punk bands now who seem more like
a fashion statement instead of being about music and having something to say,
Dead Boys were ahead of their time and these various new releases seem long
overdue.
The 1.33
X 1 image was shot on what looks like an old consumer VHS camcorder with plenty
of flaws and blur throughout. We are
lucky the tape survived at all. Both Dolby
Digital 5.1 and 2.0 options are available, but the old slowly taped magnetic
track on the videotape is aged and has its share of backgrounds hiss and
distortion, though the 5.1 was a bit better.
Extras include a Good Morning
Youngstown segment that includes an interesting Music Video for Sonic Reducer. That could have almost been the title of this
disc.
- Nicholas Sheffo