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  • Full Frame
  • Dual Layer (RSDL 81:13)
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  • English: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
  • English: Linear PCM Stereo
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  Extras
  • Photo gallery
  • Behind the scenes footage
  • Interviews - Billed as a Bonus Commentary
  • Web access
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Cheap Trick - Silver
Warner Vision/Warner Vision . R4 . COLOR . 134 mins . G . PAL

  Feature
Contract

Cheap Trick is quite a band, with a respectable history and an extensive back catalogue. Silver, as the name might suggest, is their 25th anniversary performance filmed in their hometown of Rockford, Illinois, on August 28, 1999. And it is quite a show.

Cheap Trick is an unusual band, with essentially the same four members on board since forming 25 years ago (the bass guitarist did have a seven year hiatus, but he's back). They have never been involved in any drug scandals, are obviously still good friends, and are not jumping on the reformation bandwagon - because, well, they never broke up.

Fans will already know that Cheap Trick are a no nonsense band who know how to look after their fan base. They are basically a drum, bass and guitar band with a fine lead singer and just a touch of flamboyance in their performance - zany beards, wild hair and literally hundreds of plectrums to throw, you know the kind of thing. Robin Zander still has an instantly recognisable voice, Rick Nielsen still plays a different guitar for every song (including an amazing five-neck model that looks just about unplayable), Tom Peterson still plays his self-invented 12-string bass, and Bun E. Carlos is still pounding out the beat. Throw in some crunchy guitar riffs, a few killer choruses, and a few big ol' ballads and you have the recipe for their success.

The Silver performance does have a few interesting additions that give it that something extra. There are many guests throughout the show including family members, Billy Corgan (ex-Smashing Pumpkins), that blonde guy from Everclear (editor's note: that would be Art Alexakis...), and Slash having a bad hair day (hang on, that's every day!) Other guests include the Rockford Symphony Orchestra, the Harlem High School Choir, the Phantom Regiment Drum Corp, and a couple of their fill-in bass players. Phew!

The show itself features 29 tunes including at least one from each of their 15 albums. The hits such as If You Want My Love, I Want You To Want Me, Dream Police and The Flame are all here, but don't expect to hear their hit version of Elvis' Don't Be Cruel. Apparently, they didn't like it and never wanted to release it - damn the record company for knowing a hit when they hear one. The remaining songs range from good to just plain awful (apologies to any fanatical Cheap Trick fans) but only one or two would earn 'skip' status upon repeat viewing. Still, in a show that runs for 134 minutes, skipping a song or two is probably to be expected.

Track Listing

Ain't That A Shame
I Want You To Want Me
Oh, Candy
In The Street (That 70's Song)
Voices
If You Want My Love
She's Tight
Can't Stop Fallin' In Love
Gonna Raise Hell
I Can't Take It
Take Me To The Top
It All Comes Back To You
Tonight It's You
Time Will Let You Know
World's Greatest Lover
The Flame
Stop This Game
Dream Police
I Know What I Want
Woke Up With A Monster
Never Had A Lot To Lose
You're All Talk
I'm Losin' You
Hard To Tell
Oh Claire
Surrender
Just Got Back
Day Tripper
Who D' King

  Video
  Audio
  Extras
Contract

Silver is presented in full frame and as such is not 16x9 enhanced. The concert is essentially a videotaped recording with some 8mm footage inserted throughout. The 8mm film footage is of particularly bad quality and suffers from grain and poor detail, however I think this is inentional. It's as if a fan has been a given a camera and asked to film what they want. These clips are short, and intended to be viewed as 'backstage-cam'.

The main footage, while better, is still not of the highest quality. There is much grain apparent, especially in the stage's curtain backdrop that often leads to pixelisation (121:06 is a good example). This is more obvious when the camera pans across the crowd. The image is very soft and not well defined, especially in the long shots where detail suffers greatly. Shadow detail is also poor, and while this can be partly attributed to the stage lighting, there are occasions where a band member is virtually performing in darkness. Black levels vary greatly and low-level noise is apparent in many of the long shots. The colours also vary markedly, but again, some of this can be attributed to the stage lighting. There are several instances of colour bleeding, especially under blue and red light, and chroma noise can be detected, especially in the curtain backdrop.

Another frustrating element is the overexposure that plagues the show, often resulting in glare totally overpowering the screen and there are numerous instances of aliasing where you might expect it, such as guitar strings and the bass player's jacket. There are also quite a number of shots that are slightly out of focus. The layer change is at 81:13 and is well placed between songs.

Reading this, you might think it sounds like the worst quality release ever, but it is far from it. There are no video artefacts, and unless you like your transfers to be of pristine quality, then you should find that it does not really detract from the enjoyment of the performance. The music is honest and raw, and so is this transfer. Somehow, I found that acceptable.

There is better news when it comes to the audio transfer. Typical of concert DVDs, the music is very much focused on the front speakers, but good use is still made of the surrounds for crowd noise, and several vocal and lead guitar effects. Not exactly what you would hear if you were standing in the audience, but rather neat all the same. Vocals are mostly clear except in some of the louder and faster songs when the instruments tend to drown Robin Zander out a little. There is some between-song banter that is always clear.

The subwoofer is kept busy and low-level sounds are good and strong, especially on the Linear PCM track. I would still recommend the Dolby Digital 5.1 track though, as it allows for more space in the music. This is quite important in this show as the middle set of songs feature acoustic guitars, and while not exactly "unplugged" (has that been done to death or what?), still require space to shine. It is a nice change of pace and the sound is clear and well balanced. The choir and orchestra both sound great and help maintain interest levels by providing musical variety.

The show is essentially in three sets, with a fade out separating each. Audio is occasionally out of sync which can be a little distracting.

The extras on offer are rather good and increase the overall value-for-money factor. There is a self-navigating Photo Gallery which is a collection of 32 stills from the show. You get a well-presented Discography that lays out all Cheap Trick's albums on one screen, and if selected, the song list from the chosen album is displayed. There is a Fan and Management Information section which is just a page of text, and the Website extra gives the official Cheap Trick website address.

Of slightly more interest is Behind the Scenes, which is 3:47 worth of short clips that run while a Cheap Trick song plays over the top. It is in Dolby Digital 2.0 and is full frame.

Lastly there is a 26:50 Bonus Commentary that is actually a short documentary/interview piece with the members of the band discussing their songs, their history and the Silver show. It is also in Dolby Digital 2.0 and full frame. It is quite interesting and shows that the band members still have a sense of humour and appreciate the contribution that each has made to the success of Cheap Trick.

The last mention must go to something I have not seen before (but I think I liked). At the start of each song, its name was subtitled on the bottom of the screen with a small picture of the corresponding album. Does this count as subliminal advertising?

In all, this is a treat for fans, something of interest to those who have liked what Cheap Trick have done in the past, and entertaining enough for the average music fan to enjoy.


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  •   And I quote...
    "With Silver, it's back to rock and roll basics as Cheap Trick celebrate 25 years of hits (and misses). Now for Gold..."
    - Terry Kemp
      Review Equipment
    • DVD Player:
          Akai
    • TV:
          TEAC CT-F803 80cm Super Flat Screen
    • Receiver:
          Pioneer VSX-D409
    • Speakers:
          Wellings
    • Centre Speaker:
          Wellings
    • Surrounds:
          Wellings
    • Subwoofer:
          Sherwood SP 210W
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