Quote Originally Posted by Swish
P.S. I was fortunate enough to see Weather Report, with Jaco, Wayne Shorter, Joe Zawinul, and Peter Erskine, in State College PA back in 1980. It was fantastic.
I have the WR DVD of them live at Montreux, and it's pretty frickin' great. It's loaded from a drummer's perspective, as Alex Acuna (drums) and Manolo Badrena (percussion) are on FIRE, and the drums are loud in the mix. I guess this is Jaco Strappo's second live gig with them, and while he's kinda sloppy on his solo. it's amazing to see him as young as he is.

I know for a fact that YECH loves this DVD as well, as there's a (very) lingering shot of Zawinul's hands on the keys, and below that is his crotch in all its majesty. Guess they didn't wear underwear in them days

Review from Amazon: For many of us Weather Report fanatics this is the Holy Grail of WP live videos. If you're like me, you already own a bootleg of this show. I have two, the second being slightly better in quality to the first, with even a hand held audience camera (horrible quality) filling in Dr Honora ex Causa/Directions tune which was missing from the television broadcast from whence the bootleg was born.

But this is a whole other level of quality. The good folks at Eagle Vision should be commended for taking the original filmed concert and lovingly restoring it to its full length. Even more impressive than the crystal clear video and continuity is the superior sound. We are given no less than three formats to choose from, Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS(!) and PCM stereo. The DTS sounds great on my system, putting this outstanding performance under an aural magnifying glass. One can hear so many details that the first viewing/listening was startling, even though I have viewed the bootleg countless times. The PCM stereo version is also superb-encoded as it is @48k and 16 bit, it surpasses CD specs and sounds it too, considering the 1976 concert quality source. I should note that the balance of the band is a little off at the beginning, but quickly adjusts to a satisfactory mix for most of the show. Overall , the bass is a bit weak and the percussion a little too forward for my tastes, but its close enough to not get in the way of really enjoying the music.

As for the performance, well, if you don't know why WP was considered such a big deal ,this document should convince you of their importance in modern jazz history. This was before they played the big concert venues and added all the lights and smoke. This is not a show band: this a seriously committed group of players who came to blow the walls off the hall. And blow the walls off they do. Presented with this 'take no prisoners' attitude, even the somewhat restrained Montreux audience is visibly moved to standing applause by the end.

This is the Heavy Weather band before Heavy Weather. (But listen: Zawinul was messing around with the Birdland lick at the beginning of ex causa-and isn't that the bass riff from River People that jaco's playing in Gibraltar?) The material ranges from early Zawinul (ex Causa) through Black Market. The intensity and focus never wavers for an instant, even in the introspective moments. It's fascinating to watch these younger incarnations of the legends we know today. This younger Zawinul, whose stage persona is not known to be particularly engaging, is postively (dare I say it?) gleeful at times. He even smiles on several occasions. Wayne is ever the enigmatic poet, rarely coming up for air to peer out at the crowd. This was Jaco Pasorius' second live gig with the band, and he seems to be out to prove himself to the Big Boys. There are no shennanigans and no grand standing on this set-Jaco's not playing to the crowd- he's clearly here to make music.

Another delight of this set is the spirited interplay between percussionist Manolo Badrena and drummer Alex Acuna. They smile,cajole and even playfully taunt one another,constantly upping the excitement on stage. They are a pleasure to watch. Their enthusiasm and good natured comradery adds to the overall good vibe of the performance. This band is having fun.

I noticed Amazon has lowered the price from the $14 I paid for my copy. Honestly, it would be well worth the price at twice the price. This is a long sought after gem. Don't miss it.