From May 24th – May 30th – G3 Concert, Joe Satriani, Metallica & Van Halen
G3 – Live in Denver
If musical notes were gold nuggets, then King Midas would look like a pauper next to Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, and Yngwie Malmsteen. Performing both individually and together in this 112-minute concert, the three hard rock guitarists prove their virtuosity beyond a doubt; despite the obvious antecedents, including Jimi Hendrix (they play both "Little Wing" and "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" during the "G3 Jam" session that comes at the end) and Eddie Van Halen, all three play with the kind of swiftness, precision, and overall technical proficiency that very few others can match. Yet the non-stop, high-volume speed riffing (Malmsteen is the most egregious when it comes to playing notes for notes' sake, but all three are culpable) eventually proves to be a whole lot of sound and fury..
Joe Satriani – Live in San Francisco
Joe loves playing guitar. He loves playing it so much that watching him live becomes a wonderful treat. He lets his fingers surf and fly at the same time on the fretboard. The visuals are amazing. The production is raw and no silly editing is done to the live show. Overall, the performance has all the ingredients that make for a superlative rock 'n' roll concert: well over two hours of music, tight playing, enough variation on the songs to make them "live" without losing the essence of the music, varied camera views and expert sound mixing. "Big Bad Moon" features Joe singing and playing a harmonica that doubles as a slide. For the most part, the camera work is very good. Lots of angles are available both from the boom-mounted unit over the audience, and a few hand-held "roamers." The vast majority of the time, what's on the screen is exactly Joe's playing posture and fingering are highlighted 80% of the time, as it should be. Seeing the cameramen moving around all over the place was a little distracting at times, but not enough to damage the video presentation. It speaks the universal language.....music.
Metallica - Metallica
This is an excellent album, featuring some of the best songwriting Metallica has ever done. "Enter Sandman," "Wherever I May Roam," and "God That Failed," despite being slower and more groove-oriented than the band's earlier work, feature the same heavy riffs and heavier rhythms that have always been a feature of Metallica's music. The band goes introspective with "Unforgiven," and proves that they can write a ballad with "Nothing Else Matters," which succeeds better than one might expect. Overall, this is a high-energy album despite its laid-back approach.
Van Halen – Right Here, Right Now
A mix of several concerts and some brief interviews prove as a live bind, their sound is incredible and all four of their solos are absolutely wonderful.
On May 31st & June 1st – Santana, Eagles & Lenny Kravitz
Santana – Supernatural
Up to this microphone steps Carlos Santana and coolly lets fly with the soothing sounds of a guitar that exist on a different plane of existence and seems to sing a song all of its own. Santana's cool guitar work gets the attention it deserves and comes across clean and natural and oh so......smooooth.
Eagles – Video Shuffle
Watch Don Felder, primary guitar soloist and co-writer of Eagle’s hit song “Hotel California” in a back-to-back Eagles Video Shuffle.
Lenny Kravitz – Lenny Live
Instead of treating this as the same old concert video, treat it as a rockumentary. It starts out looking like a live concert but you quickly learn that it is a movie about Lenny and his music. The concert footage is fantastic and the behind the scenes stuff is interesting. You definitely get an idea of the frustration Lenny has with the music industry. Don’t miss his onstage fro and Craig Ross's huge white man's fro, and when they start rockin with their two screamin guitars, you cant ask for better Lenny Kravitz.
Vh1 Gods of Guitar – May 3rd – May 9th – Clapton, Gilmour, Floyd & John Mayer
Eric Clapton – Live in Hyde Park
Eric Clapton has achieved the seemingly impossible, becoming more popular in his most recent 10 years on stage than in his first decade in the spotlight. His 1997 Live In Hyde Park DVD documented a triumphant concert of the previous summer that followed his massive "Tears In Heaven" hit a few years earlier. This is classic rockin' and guitar-wailin' blues-is-king Clapton, from new versions of his Derek and The Dominos' "Layla" and "Have You Ever Loved a Woman" to Cream's "White Room" and "Badge" to his solo hit of Bob Marley's "I Shot the Sheriff" to B.B. King's "Every Day I Have the Blues." Added to the original home video's lineup is Clapton's rendition of the Muddy Waters electric blues "Hoochie Coochie Man" and the blues standard "It Hurts Me Too," which Clapton reprised on "From the Cradle".
David Gilmour in Concert - Live at Robert Wayatt's Meltdown (2002)
Freed from the shackles of what Pink Floyd has become, David Gilmour sounds positively liberated on his live DVD David Gilmour in Concert.Gilmour has unearthed rarely performed gems and obscure covers, and has re-invented overplayed classics. The result is breathtaking. His take on Syd Barrett's seminal Terrapin is pure magic, and Dick Parry's sax solo on Shine On is a freeform revelation. It's this sense of experimentation that has been missing from Gilmour's repetoire since he and the Floyd recorded Dark Side. He's even managed to take his latter-day Floyd tunes into exciting new directions. Take High Hopes for example, what once sounded somewhat inflated and bombastic confined to its awkward Floyd-by-numbers construct, has now taken on a more stripped and organic flavor. Even his lyrics play better without the baggage of the brand name.
Much of the beauty of the performances is in the rawness of the sound; often times you can hear each finger slide down the fret, each bend of the string. It's a clear and pristine recording to be sure, but it's not sterile and perfect, it's live, alive.
Pink Floyd - The Making of The Dark Side of the Moon
The DVD itself is a fascinating look into the making of the Dark Side of the Moon album, track by track. All four members are featured in extended interviews giving their memories of making what would become one of (if not THE) greatest rock albums ever recorded. Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Nick Mason and Richard Wright are interviewed about the writing and recording process, which was truly a band effort. There is concert and studio footage, video clips and original demo recording sessions. Interesting sidebars include the commentary by engineer Alan Parsons and cover artist Storm Thorgerson, whose concept is a defining moment in the merging of art with music. Highly Recommended to any classic rock fan, but an absolute must for Pink Floyd diehards.
John Mayer – Live in Georgia
John Mayer who many consider reminiscent of a young Clapton, considers himself a guitarist rather than a singer. To watch him live in concert is to experience Electric – Blues, Blues –Rock, Acoustic – Rock, Soul – Rock, Blue – Eyed Soul all in one.
From May 10th – May 16th - Hendrix, Knopfler, Zeppelin & Deep Purple
Jimi Hendrix - Video Shuffle
Let the greatest guitarist of all time take you on a musical journey with a Video Shuffle of back-to-back Jimi Hendrix songs.
Mark Knopfler - A Night in London
The backbone of Dire Straits is fully exposed in this very intimate and well edited video of Mark Knopfler live in London. It's not rapid fire editing style, instead the pace follows the colorful and amazing complex artistry of Mark Knopfler and the volumes of musical originality he somehow stores in his head and brilliantly funnels through his guitar and voice.
This cat can play that guitar. His precision and delivery is razor sharp, his vocals are husky and full of mood, and the wide range of musicians he has surrounded himself with are the cream of the crop. The third act slows a bit, the bouzouki, pipes and whistle and can lull one into a light comfortable nod, but before you start to snore Mark rips open a classic Straits tune to fire things back up. I'd put this in the classics vault, a must have.
Led Zeppelin - Video Shuffle
Let Jimmy Page take you from the 'Stairway to Heaven' and then transport you to 'Kashmir' with a back-to-back Led Zeppelin Video Shuffle.
Deep Purple - Live in California '74'
Purple re-formed without Ian Gillian and bassist Roger Glover and put a set together for the somewhat famous California Jam. Newbies Glenn Hughes and David Coverdale fill in nicely, but do not have the stage presence of Gillian and Glover. Ritchie Blackmore, however, is in fine, angry form as he rips through the mostly new setlist laying to waste the crowd of shirtless hipsters.From the catalogue they only chose "smoke on the water" which Coverdale sings as well as Gillan, and the show ends like an Apocalypse with fire, Blackmore breaking about five guitars against the speakers, and playing the strings with the floor and the feet.
From May 17th – May 23rd - Greatest Guitar Songs (featuring tracks from all the greatest Guitar gods)
Vh1 transports you to guitar heaven with tracks from the greatest Gods of Guitar. From ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’, ‘Black Magic Woman’ to ‘Hotel California’, Vh1 lines ups the greatest guitar Riffs, Licks & Solos back-to-back in a video shuffle of the Greatest Guitar Songs ever.
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