Mike Leiber and Jerry Stoller might be two names that don't sound familiar to most music lovers, but the list of the songs they have written should be far more recognisable. Along with those above, throw in Charlie Brown, On Broadway, Little Egypt, Loving You, Yakety Yak, Along Came Jones, Saved, I Who Have Nothing, Bossa Nova Baby and Kansas City to name but a few. These guys have a serious talent for song writing, not to mention a respectable bank balance, I'm sure.

Writing songs is one thing, however having artists sing them and turn them into hits is another. The list of artists that have sung and/or covered Leiber and Stoller songs is incredible and includes The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Elvis Presley, Peggy Lee, The Monkees, Bryan Ferry, Johnny Cash, Cliff Richard, The Coasters, Neil Young, Neil Diamond, The Mamas And The Papas, Bjork, Buddy Holly, and Ben E. King. No matter how you measure it, these guys have been incredibly successful.

Meeting in 1950, both aged 17, Leiber and Stoller began writing songs immediately, and given their blues and jazz interests respectively, it is no surprise that most of the songs they wrote are blues, jazz, rock, or a combination of these genres. Initially, most of the songs were given to black vocal groups such as The Coasters, and they are credited as one of the first song writing teams to pay black artists a performance royalty. As their success grew, so did the number of artists performing their songs, the most notable being Elvis Presley, who was responsible for giving them some of their biggest hits.

Still writing, albeit in semi-retirement since the 1970s, Leiber and Stoller were the recipients of this star studded London tribute show highlighting not only the quality of their song writing, but the variety and longevity of the songs. While many of the original artists such as Presley and Buddy Holly were not present for obvious reasons (they're dead, in other words), there are still some great names on the bill such as Paul Carrack, Dave "Pink Floyd" Gilmour, Leo Sayer, Chris Rea, Ben E. King, Tom Jones, Sam Brown and Heather Small (M-People).

Unfortunately, the world's pathetic love affair with boy bands means there are a couple of try-hard line-ups in Magnets, and Jelayiu. Both are crap. Other than them, there are a number of other unknown singers, and virtually all do a fair to great job. Performances are interspersed with pre-recorded snippets from the performers, or live stage introductions from one of several hosts. All in all it’s a good night’s entertainment, a suitably respectful and subdued audience, and generally fine performances. Leiber and Stoller themselves were there and they seemed pleased, so there is no reason why those buying A Tribute To Leiber & Stoller shouldn't also be pleased. Rock on I say!

Image have pretty much done it again. They have yet to release a dud, technically at least, and this transfer will please all but the fussiest of viewers. Presented in an aspect ratio 1.78:1 and 16:9 enhanced, we are served up another clean, sharp and detailed transfer. There is no evidence of video artefacts, and no sparkles or flares. There is some aliasing where you would expect (guitar strings, steps etc), but generally it is very mild. Colours have been slightly oversaturated, and are bold and vibrant. There is no evidence of colour bleeding or noise. Shadow detail is fair, affected by stage lighting that is a little sparse away from centre stage. Close up shots are extremely detailed as the performers are directly under the brightest stage lights. Black levels are very deep, with no evidence of noise.

There is a choice for audio between Dolby Digital 5.1 and Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo, with both being quite good. The 5.1 mix is front heavy, with main vocals from the centre speaker. Backing vocals are placed along the front and occasionally in the rear speakers. Most instrumentation is also placed across the front and there is not a great deal of separation. Vocals are clear, though a little too far back in the mix at times, and could have been pushed to the front more. They are still clear and audible, but just a little 'hidden' at times. Similarly, the whole mix could have had a few more 'tops', (treble) just to give the acoustic and percussive instruments a little more prominence.

The low-frequency sounds are generally even and deep, yet subtle. The two boy band numbers are bass'n'drums type tracks and the bass is too heavy. Fortunately, they are so crap you won't watch them more than once so it really doesn’t matter, believe me.

The Dolby Digital 2.0 track is very similar, with just a little less separation, and as this is more a show than a concert, I would think there will be folks out there who prefer this over the Dolby Digital 5.1. Lastly, both audio tracks seemed to improve with volume, so invite the neighbours over and turn it up to 11.

There are no issues with synchronisation, and the layer change is well placed at 77:43.

Extras you ask? Easy, none.

Overall I would say that this DVD would be suited to late night intimate viewing, simply because it is not a 'get up and dance' concert, and more of a cabaret show. Generally slick performances range from upbeat numbers such as Charlie Brown, smokin' songs such as I'm A Woman, and bluesy tunes such as On Broadway. It's a credit to Leiber and Stoller's versatility that the success of the show is due as much to the performances as the variety of styles. Be it jazz, blues, soul, rock'n'roll, or even bossa nova, these guys deliver the goods. Take the challenge and see how many of the songs you recognise, and you'll get bonus points if you don't puke during the two boy bands.