Replay the Past

A year or so back, I spent the summer working away down in Edinburgh. There I was late one night, sitting amongst the days rubble, tucking into my carry-out (Indian) and as usual watching some TV before crawling into my sleeping bag. In walks the house's owner, let's call him Brian (for that's his name) "What on earth are you watching ?" I'd found the only 50+ male in the country that couldn't recognise 'Casablanca', but I let it pass for then out came "Why are you watching that, it's in B & W ?" I could have given him a lecture on the history of cinematography, but decided it wasn't worth the bother, if such a nominaly intelligent, well educated guy could come out with such inanities, well...
Long before todays all-singing, all-dancing digital video cameras, (the ones that'll even go to the gig for you if you ask them nicely enough), before even the video tape cameras, ( and I still miss the warm colours they could produce) there was the good old 8mm cameras, reels that only lasted a few minutes, frame rates approaching 60/min and needing a bank of floodlights before even a shadow would register on the film. But despite all their drawbacks a (pitifully) few intrepid souls tried to catch some odd bits of concerts with them. Here's a DVD dedicated to some of these pioneers.
Saramonies Of The Horsemen (I suppose it sounded good at the time) 20minutes of Chicago '74, chunk of Bob, chunk of The Band, then back to Bob again. Just priceless, close shot from the floor, Bob & Co towering above you, (as it should be ?) Soundtrack dubbed on of course, but what else would you expect.
On the otherhand, at the start of the Unknown '78 footage, you'd wish that they had used dubbed sound, but it does improve, a bit..
'79 & '80, approaching more familiar times, familiar shots, OK they're all chopped up, and a lot of the sound is dubbed on, but just to see them is reward enough. If you don't expect perfection, you won't be disappointed.
If I'd to guess I'd say it's not been compiled from the original tapes, but they can't be that far from the masters, they just don't have that many-copied look.
The Brians of this world wouldn't even consider watching this; Me ? I've sat through it again and again, which is a lot more than I can say about a good few (most ?) of the DVDs on my shelves.
An unreserved 5 stars.

I found this dvd really enjoyable. Thanks kindly to BlackCat for passing it along to me. It may not be the best dvd to introduce someone to Bob Dyaln, as it is basically a compilation of 8mm home videos, but maybe it is. The quality on most of the footage is not pristine, but it is a glimpse into what it may have been like to be in the audience at some of these legendary shows.

The 74 footage is rough at best, and the audio doesn't always sync up so perfectly. Some of the audio on some of the clips could be from alternate sources, but they appear to be the right songs. I appreciate the better quality audio dubbed in, as it makes up for the loss of quality in picture. It still works, it's still bob, and the audio matches the period. Some of the audio through this dvd definately matches the video sources.

The audio from the footage of the 78' chapter is fast, but still oddly enjoyable all the same, only lasting 4 1/2 minutes. Kind of like the " Chipmunks " doing " Like A Rolling Stone. "

I have many many hours of footage of Bob on VHS as well as DVD and there were quite a few clips in this dvd I have never seen before, and we all know how fun that is. The 80' San Francisco footage has a clip of a nice duet on piano with Bob and Clydie King(?) sitting, singing and playing next to each other on the piano bench.

The Salem footage only has highlights of songs lasting a few minutes at best, but the audio and video is not bad at all, and pretty rare in my book. If you're a fan of the song " Solid Rock, " like myself, than this dvd will be a treat, as the song makes many appearances in the 79-80 footage.

Some people would see the beginning of this dvd and say, what a pile of crap, but it has been well authored with menus, and showing some scare gems of some rare footage. Open your mind and appreciate the fantastic legacy and memories of these tours. Don't be fooled, get in the right mood, and sit back and enjoy a great night of Bob TV. Thanks to all those who continue to make this site the fantastic resource and community it has proved to be. Peace.