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Category:    Home > Reviews > Concert > Rock > Rock Opera > Counterculture > The Who At Kilburn: 1977 (Image DTS DVD Set)

The Who At Kilburn: 1977 (Image DTS DVD Set)

 

Picture: C+     Sound: B     Extras: B+     Concert: B-

 

 

Note: This has also been issued in the Blu-ray format as well, but this was so strong a collection, we wanted to get the review out as soon as possible on DVD.

 

 

The Who in its original configuration is fast becoming the most underrated of the powerhouse Rock Bands from the genre’s classical era.  Fortunately, there has been no shortage of great material arriving on DVD and the latest release offers the band at its peak with Keith Moon on drums.  As I watched The Who At Kilburn: 1977, I realized how bad drumming has become in the Rock music, all music and thanks to things like sampling and drum machines.  This new set from Image Entertainment actually offers two classic concerts with Moon, the late John Entwistle, Roger Daltrey at his peak and the ever-underrated Pete Townshend.

 

The tracks for this concert, one of Moon’s last, include:

 

1)     I Can’t Explain

2)     Substitute

3)     Baba O’Riley

4)     My Wife

5)     Behind Blue Eyes

6)     Dreaming From The Waist

7)     Pinball Wizard

8)     I’m Free

9)     Tommy’s Holiday Camp

10)  Summertime Blues

11)  Shakin’ All Over

12)  My Generation

13)  Join Together

14)  Who Are You

15)  Won’t Get Fooled Again

 

 

There is no doubt the band was at the peak of their powers and no one could have ever imagined Moon would be gone within a year, then the band would call it a day in 1982 albeit temporarily.  They are very good here and as formidable as you could imagine, but it had been a while since they had released a studio album and some of the performances are not the best they ever staged.  However, it looks and sounds really good for its age and brings back how important they were, yet the second concert included as a bonus far outshines this one.

 

From an amazing performance live in 1969 from the London Coliseum, here is the band at a time when they were so at their peak, that they could go a few rounds with The Beatles, Yes, The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin and actually be the greatest Rock Band alive.  If the 1977 concert is good, this one is nothing short of incredible, taken from surviving film and audio recordings of the appearance.  Chris Stamp and Kit Lambert, who worked closely with the band at the time, capture the energy and spirit that made Tommy an all-time smash and by this time, the world and the audience was finally catching up to its brilliance.

 

The main concert includes:

 

1)     Heaven & Hell

2)     I Can’t Explain

3)     Fortune Teller

4)     Tattoo

5)     Young Man Blues

6)     A Quick One While He’s Away

7)     Happy Jack

8)     I’m A Boy

9)     There’s A Doctor

10)  Go To The Mirror

11)  I’m Free

12)  Tommy’s Holiday Camp

13)  See Me, Feel Me

14)  Summertime Blues

15)  Shakin’ All Over

16)  My Generation

 

 

In addition, there is a bonus performance of A Quick One While He’s Away and best of all, an amazing full-length performance of Tommy that has all the power of the album.  For the record, the Rock Opera’s songs include:

 

1)     Overture

2)     It’s A Boy

3)     1921

4)     Amazing Journey

5)     Sparks

6)     Eyesight To The Blind (The Hawker)

7)     Christmas

8)     Cousin Kevin

9)     The Acid Queen

10)  Underture

11)  Do You Think It’s Alright?

12)  Fiddle About

13)  Pinball Wizard

14)  There’s A Doctor

15)  Go To The Mirror!

16)  Tommy Can You Hear Me?

17)  Smash The Mirror

18)  Sensation

19)  Miracle Cure

20)  Sally Simpson

21)  I’m Free

22)  Welcome

23)  Tommy’s Holiday Camp

24)  We’re Not Gonna Take It

25)  See Me Feel Me/Listening To You

 

 

It is an incredible show and no Rock band ever came up with a work that is the equal of Tommy as a concept or groundbreaker, though it is hard to compare to the likes of Sgt. Pepper for instance, since it is a more abstract concept work and the band never played it live.  Tommy is something very special and a masterwork of 20th Century music.  Any serious fan should have this version and the Deluxe Edition CD Set with 5.1 SACD Universal Music issued a few years ago and is still out there if you look hard enough for it.

 

 

The anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image in both concert cases are from film elements, but the Kilburn footage is the main program because it is in such good shape, though the Video Black on this DVD is an issue.  We look forward to seeing the improvements Blu-ray could bring, while the 1969 footage has its share of flaws and damage, plus times the audio being recorded was messed up, with audio drops or someone knocking out a cord when the concert could not be stopped.  For a fan like myself, they are minor as compared to seeing the band as an unstoppable force of nature.  With all that said, this is the best Who on DVD yet, even though the Live At The Isle Of Wight Festival 1970 DTS DVD also includes a great (and higher fidelity playback version) of Tommy at full length.

 

The sound in all cases is best in DTS 5.1, though lesser Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 mixes are also included.  Even in the 1969 footage, the DTS yields more audio quality than its Dolby variants.   For more of The Who on DVD and SACD, try these links:

 

Original 1968 Tommy album as Deluxe Edition CD Set with 5.1 SACD + Live At The Isle Of Wight Festival 1970 DTS DVD

http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/1923/The+Who+-+Tommy+SACD

 

Live At The Isle Of Wight Festival 1970 DTS DVD reissue review

http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/5933/The+Who:+Live+at+the+Isle

 

Tommy/Quadrophenia Concert DVD

http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/3113/The+Who+-+Tommy+&+Quadrophenia

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo


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