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  Directed by
  Starring
  Specs
  • Full Frame
  • Dual Layer (RSDL 64:30)
  Languages
  • English: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
  • English: Linear PCM Stereo
  Subtitles
    English, French
  Extras
  • Cast/crew biographies
  • 2 Music video - Copperline. Enough To Be On Your Way
  • Interviews
  • Discography
James Taylor - Live at the Beacon Theatre
Sony Music Video/Sony BMG . R4 . COLOR . 110 mins . G . PAL

  Feature
Contract

Fellow music lovers, if you have children you should do one of two things before settling in to enjoy the treat that is James Taylor Live at the Beacon Theatre. The first option is to banish them to their rooms. The second, which will require more immediate work but will ultimately be more rewarding, is to tell them to sit down, shut up and learn. What will they learn? Let's explore.

If you have selected option two, the first thing you should explain is that James Taylor did not become a music legend from looks (he's not ugly mind you, he just isn't going to grace the cover of GQ magazine anytime soon). Neither is he successful because he has rippling abdominal muscles, or because he relies on cheap gimmicks such as wearing silly hats and sunglasses with strange coloured lenses to sell records (explain these to your children). You see, James Taylor is actually a musician (get your children to repeat that word back to you). Oh, he doesn't dance around half-naked either, exposing generous portions of mid-rift, and doesn't rely on skimpy girls or boys in the background doing that either. At this point your children will probably be quite bored by the lack of shiny things - but tell them to persist, damn it!

Next, explain to your children that the strange thing around his neck is an acoustic guitar (one of many musical instruments that seem superfluous in much of today's music). Explain that what they are hearing are called lyrics and that, yes, they can actually make out what it is he is singing and that he wrote a lot of the words himself.

Finally, you can tell them that it's okay to enjoy music older than they are. It's not all crap you know. As a very last desperate attempt to educate them, you can tell them that James Taylor has been in The Simpsons, so there must be a 'cool factor' in there somewhere.

If you opted for option one, then all you need to know is that James Taylor is a damn fine singer/songwriter who is still knocking out Grammy award winning songs and has done for 30 years. He has worked with so many other successful artists it is staggering. He has an incredibly smooth and melodic voice and tells wonderful stories in song. The musicians with him are all damn fine players also, and if you have ever listened to FM radio (and I don't mean those kiddie countdown stations), you will know many of the tunes. Along with his original tunes, are some fine covers delivered James Taylor style.

Track listing...

You Can Close Your Eyes
Another Day
Daddy's All Gone
Everyday
Mighty Storm
Only A Dream In Rio
Don't Let Me Lonely Tonight
Your Smiling Face
Jump Up Behind Me
Shower The People
How Sweet It Is
Fire And Rain
Me And My Guitar
(I've Got To) Stop Thinking About That
Handy Man
You've Got A Friend
Mexico
Little More Time With You
Line 'Em Up
Up On The Roof
Ananas
Steamroller Blues
Belfast To Boston
Wandering
Not Fade Away

  Video
  Audio
  Extras
Contract

What a treat. This performance, recorded at New York's Beacon Theatre on May 30 1998, was originally broadcast on PBS (America's SBS) and was the first to be broadcast nationwide. As such, this is a full frame release and it's not 16x9 enhanced. The DVD release contains three tracks that were not seen in the broadcast and this pushes the show out to 110 joyous minutes. The beauty of this show is that it was planned as a commercial release and therefore some effort has been put into reproducing quality sound and vision.

As for the specifics, colours are good with some oversaturation evident. The image is clear and detail is good. Shadow detail is also great and there is no evidence of video noise. There has been some thought put into stage lighting and there is little to no glare or colour bleeding. Black levels are also great and no low-level noise is apparent. The transfer itself is nice and clean and there are almost no instances of artefacts. There is some aliasing from the usual offenders such as guitar strings.

The layer change is at 64:30 and occurs between songs.

With two audio tracks to choose from, everyone is a winner. There is a Linear PCM 48/24 track which is better than CD quality stereo. There is a crispness to the sound and all vocals are clear and instrumentation is balanced. Please note; the case itself says Dolby Stereo.

The other track is Dolby Digital 5.1 and is also well presented. The bass tends to come through a little strongly and this keeps the subwoofer busy. All other instruments are clear and nicely balanced. Lead vocals are mainly from the centre speaker and the multi-layered harmonies are nicely placed in the left and right front speakers. The rear speakers are used mostly for crowd noise and some subtle music overflow.

James Taylor is not shy of a little crowd chitchat and comes across as a humble kinda guy with a dry and witty sense of humour. All vocals are clear and audio-sync is good.

Not a bad selection of extras here, folks. There is an eight minute Interview with the man himself. Well, an interview of sorts, for questions pop up 'flash card' style and James Taylor answers them back to the camera. Recorded just before show time, it is informative but somewhat short.

Also included are two Video Clips for Copperline and Enough To Be On Your Way. Both are full frame and Linear PCM 48/16. They are a nice addition as James Taylor videos are a rare thing - I've never seen one on Smash Hits, that's for sure.

Cast Biography is a series of text only pages introducing most of the band.

The last extra is a Discography which covers album releases and includes track listings and guest performers - and there are plenty of them.

Lovers of quality music (which after watching this should include your children) will almost certainly be glad they checked out James Taylor Live at the Beacon Theatre. It is technically pleasing and a smooth-ride from go to whoa. Sure, this is not a “dancing in the aisles’ type gig, but there are more than enough rollicking tunes to get the feet tapping and the remaining songs are heartfelt and beautifully delivered. While there are no surprise guest appearances (thankfully – I have had enough of them), the number and variety of fellow artists who have played with James Taylor during his career is testimony to the man’s talents and abilities. Sit back and enjoy – you AND the kids.


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  •   And I quote...
    "A fine presentation, a quality performance and a talented artist – what more could you want?"
    - 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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