3-LockBox
01-14-2005, 02:33 PM
First off, I'm probably not one to read for a real DVD review. Unless the video quality is really crappy or something, I'm not going to give it much notice. I'm more concerned with the sound quality and so far, I've not heard any that sucked in that reguard. I haven't been blown away by any special features either, and that brings me to Deja Vroom.
This disc features a few of the songs with different view angles. One of the songs, Vroom, has up to 7 angles, or in this case, points of reference. Each band member gets an up close and personal treatment, with his instrument emphasized in the sound mix. Very clever. Also, there is an interactive section that gives the viewer a chance to hear 21st Century Schitzoid Band, where you can mix and interchange the rythm sections, solo, and vocal sections from previous lineups of King Crimson, to "produce" a unique version of the song 21 Century Schitzoid Man. But talk about schitzoid, a lot of bandwidth is taken up by 'documentation' (yeah, they expect you to read your TV!) concerning Fripps legal battles over artistic domain, as well as his rebuking of certain critics over the years. I might would rather have heard an interview, or seen an old TV apperance or something, but that was a little too self serving for me.
Performance wise, I liked this a lot. Perhaps 'live' is the best way to enjoy this material, because there is a lot going on to keep you occupied. Songs that fall flat for me on CD, like Talking Drum, Thrak and Coda Marine 475, are infinitely more interesting, seeing the band perform them as well as hearing them. Its a better way to appreciate Fripp's twin engine approach, which didn't seem to translate very well on CD. But here, it makes the show. Good track list too, which is why I chose this disc in the first place, with its generous mix of '70s and '80s material. But having seen this, I will be looking for the latest one, Eyes Wide Open.
This disc features a few of the songs with different view angles. One of the songs, Vroom, has up to 7 angles, or in this case, points of reference. Each band member gets an up close and personal treatment, with his instrument emphasized in the sound mix. Very clever. Also, there is an interactive section that gives the viewer a chance to hear 21st Century Schitzoid Band, where you can mix and interchange the rythm sections, solo, and vocal sections from previous lineups of King Crimson, to "produce" a unique version of the song 21 Century Schitzoid Man. But talk about schitzoid, a lot of bandwidth is taken up by 'documentation' (yeah, they expect you to read your TV!) concerning Fripps legal battles over artistic domain, as well as his rebuking of certain critics over the years. I might would rather have heard an interview, or seen an old TV apperance or something, but that was a little too self serving for me.
Performance wise, I liked this a lot. Perhaps 'live' is the best way to enjoy this material, because there is a lot going on to keep you occupied. Songs that fall flat for me on CD, like Talking Drum, Thrak and Coda Marine 475, are infinitely more interesting, seeing the band perform them as well as hearing them. Its a better way to appreciate Fripp's twin engine approach, which didn't seem to translate very well on CD. But here, it makes the show. Good track list too, which is why I chose this disc in the first place, with its generous mix of '70s and '80s material. But having seen this, I will be looking for the latest one, Eyes Wide Open.