DVDylan ID: D124
Recording type: Audience
City/Venue: Brixton Academy, London, UK
Date: Thursday, 30th March 1995


Trying to review this dvd is a good example of how subjective these reviews can turn out..The picture is'nt the sharpest,there's very little panning of the band-just Bob,filmed from the left I think(although occasionally JJ or Tony will wander into Bob's space,or he theirs and the camera will follow..) And yes it's very dark( although I think this gives the atmosphere a really mysterious feel).
Inspite of all this the Spring '95 tour was one of the great ones and the show captured here is a very good example of the tour:Bob in great voice,good humour and very cool stage moves..we're still a couple of years away from the wobbly legs and creeping up to the mic routines!!
The show starts a little slow but the run of songs from a perfectly phrased "Every Grain Of Sand" to a beautifully tender "Love Minus Zero.." is perfection..And you really do have to hear the harmonica on "Mr Tamb. Man" shame first Bob's head! and then the picture (momentarily) is lost during this song..Things tail off a little in the 2nd electric set but the performances are never less than good..
Maybe not a film for everyone but for the hard-core it is well worth having..I find it makes great,late night viewing..not so good during daylight hours..but that's just me!Ta again 'T.U.I.D'.

Reviewed by Bobfan1 on 03rd May 2006

Watched this this afternoon and was pleasantly surprised how much i enjoyed it.
Never been to keen when Bob does his impression of Adam Sandler in the wedding singer and stands at the mike singing away but on the whole very enjoyable.
Visually not brilliant, a little dark in places, picture lost for a short while in one place.
Sound wise excellent i watched the upgraded hi-fi version and this was very good indeed.
Favorite tracks, all were good but particularly enjoyed - Jokerman, Positively 4th Street, Masters of War, LMZ - NL and although song not one of my favourites and not performed very well it was good to see Elvis (That's Costello not Presley) duet with the man.
Overall a very pleasant hour and a half to watch and listen to.
Please enter freebie on main board and if you win share your thoughts with us on this very good Dvd.

Reviewed by babbling on 16th August 2005

This show, in case you didn't already know, is exactly and absolutely brilliant. I try to avoid 'ranking' NET shows, because they're so different in and of themselves, but this is an obvious classic. The acoustic set will absolutely blow your mind-- gorgeous "Tambourine Man" and "Masters of War" with Bob crooning them out sans microphone, and then a spine-tingling "Love Minus Zero". There are no disappointments here-- "4th Street", a song rarely done well, gets a great airing here, "I Believe in You" is lovely, and so on and so forth. Also, Dylan does several songs without guitar, holding the mic in his right hand and using his left to pull the cord along and gesture about uncertainly. The croon in his voice somehow makes this all the more appropriate.

Now, all that goodness aside, this video isn't that great. It is steady, it is consistent, but unfortunately it is pretty dark. It seems to fade darker and darker until something happens to the camera and it gets watchable again (only to begin the cycle all over again). Granted, this cycle only happens a few times over the course of the show, but it's still pretty dark. If not for that, this would be an all-time great DVD. Because of it, it's a four-star one that leaves you wondering what if Dylan had actually believed in lighting in 1995.

Oh, and on a technical note, "Every Grain of Sand" is clipped-- I believe the last verse was missing-- but otherwise this one is complete. The sound is quite nice, the video is steady and at a relatively nice distance, but it IS dark.


Reviewed by Joe1235 on 03rd April 2005

I now have this DVD and i think that the filmer could have done better (But i still give it 5 stars).
It was a surprise to see Elvis Costello in the preformance.
Down in the flood was a surprise to see a rare instrument-less Bob Dylan!!OMG!!
There are a few songs that Bob dosent sing with a Guitar.
The lighting is a bit shotty but overall it is a good show.

Ezzr

Reviewed by ezzr on 12th December 2004

Just watched this today for the first time. Great setlist, inspired performance with the double bonus of some songs with only mic and harmonica in hand and Elvis Costello on I Shall Be Released. The sound is great to not be an upgrade. The video is very dark, perhaps because I have the NTSC and not PAL version? Doesn't matter - crank the brighness and enjoy! Minimal obstructions and overall crowd interference. Highly recommended and just misses 5-stars due to the darkness of the picture.

Reviewed by mjbnc on 04th September 2004