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  Directed by
  Starring
  Specs
  • Widescreen 1.78:1
  • 16:9 Enhanced
  • Dual Layer (RSDL 64:57)
  Languages
  • English: Dolby Digital 5.0 Surround
  • English: DTS 5.0 Surround
  • English: Dolby Digital Stereo
  Subtitles
  • None
  Extras
  • Photo gallery
  • Fact file
Heart - Alive in Seattle
Warner Vision/Warner Vision . R4 . COLOR . 103 mins . E . PAL

  Feature
Contract

Recent times has seen many bands from the ‘70s and ‘80s releasing concert DVDs of either reformation shows or concerts recorded at their height. Many have been disappointments, with overweight performers that should have quit while they were ahead. Most are also unable to reach the notes they could in their youth or play with any conviction. How do Heart stand up today compared to when they were at their peak? Quite simply, they sound better than ever.

Heart actually began life as an all-male vocal group in Vancouver in 1963, but quickly changed direction when the Wilson sisters joined in the ‘70s. They also made Seattle their home and quickly achieved chart success with singles such as Crazy On You, Magic Man and Barracuda. They also achieved chart success with albums such as Dreamboat Annie, Little Queen, Magazine and Dog and Butterfly and that was just in the ‘70s. The ‘80s saw a continuance of album releases with Bebe le Strange, Greatest Hits, Private Audition, Passionworks, Heart and Bad Animals with the band again achieving singles chart success with hits such as What About Love?, Nothin’ At All and the worldwide smash hit These Dreams.

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Looking good.

The ‘90s saw a further five album releases, including another greatest hits compilation and another worldwide power ballad hit with All I Want to Do is Make Love to You The sisters decided during this time to take a brief hiatus for other interests. This included the formation of acoustic quartet the Lovemongers who released an EP featuring a cover of Led Zeppelin’s Battle of Evermore which was included on the soundtrack for the film Singles. During this hiatus, Nancy also scored three films for her Oscar-winning husband Cameron Crowe, Jerry Maguire, Almost Famous and Vanilla Sky.

Although they never actually disbanded, Heart is well and truly back together these days. They toured the US in 2002 and the concert featured on this release is the final show at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle, a city they consider to be their hometown.

Track listing...

Crazy On You
Sister Wild Rose
The Witch
Straight On
These Dreams
Mistral Wind
Alone
Dog and Butterfly
Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters
Battle of Evermore
Heaven
Magic Man
Two Faces of Eve
Love Alive
Break the Rock
Barracuda
Wild Child
Black Dog
Dreamboat Annie

This outstanding show features most of their hits along with some new songs and a few covers. The concert is quite simply one of the best I have seen on DVD. Not only do the band sound terrific, but also the way this release is produced is commendable. The editing is superb with each camera angle used giving the viewer a visual account of the show that is wonderful.

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Who said Roseanne can't sing?

The band really hasn’t sounded better. Along with the amazing voice of Ann Wilson and the outstanding talent of her sister Nancy on vocals, guitar and many other instruments is an impressive group of musicians. Scott Olson on guitar, Mike Inez on bass, Ben Smith on drums and Tom Kellock on keyboards fit perfectly together. They put on one helluva show and fans will not be disappointed.

  Video
  Audio
  Extras
Contract

The picture is presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and is 16:9 enhanced. As stated earlier, this really does look wonderful. Many concert releases are riddled with grain, over saturation of colours and aliasing, but this one is practically problem-free. Colours are vibrant, skin tones are natural and blacks are deep. Shadow detail is also exceptional and there are no film artefacts. Put simply, this is of the standard that many feature film releases reach, quite strange for a concert presentation. There are no subtitles and the quite noticeable layer change occurs at 64:57.

Audio is supplied in a choice of three tracks. There is English Dolby Digital 2.0, DD 5.0 and DTS 5.0. All are terrific, but the DTS is the track of choice offering a slightly better quality sound than the DD 5.0 track. Now before you start crying foul that the low frequency channel is missing on the surround mixes, you would hardly notice as the oomph is still there. The overall mix is of such quality that if you didn’t read 5.0 in the audio menu you probably wouldn’t know any different. Vocals are crystal clear throughout and there is some terrific directional use of the surrounds for crowd noise and ambience. You really get the feel of being in the same concert venue during this performance. As stated before, the DTS track is the best here offering a fuller sound than the DD 5.0 and with having two such wonderful mixes to choose from, the DD 2.0 track really doesn’t get a look in. There is nothing wrong with it by any means, but unless you don’t have surround capability, why would you bother?

Extras are minimal for his release with the big exclusion being a discography. First up is a photo gallery consisting of 44 photos. Next is some liner notes consisting of eight pages of text about the band and the tour this show is taken from. Lastly is some credits which most won’t even bother looking at. The best extra is an Easter Egg featuring an interview with Ann and Nancy Wilson. Details on this can be found on our Easter Eggs page. So overall, a little disappointing on extras, but the concert feature is what it’s all about and that is outstanding.

Overall this is one of the best concert releases out there. It is technically excellent and whether you are a diehard fan or just someone with a liking for the band, you should add this to the collection immediately.


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  •   And I quote...
    "The resurgence of ‘70s bands continues, but can they still cut it? Too right they can!"
    - Adrian Turvey
      Review Equipment
    • DVD Player:
          Sony DVP-NS305
    • TV:
          AKAI CT-29S55AT 68cm
    • Receiver:
          Sony STR-DE685
    • Speakers:
          Sony SAVE815ED
    • Centre Speaker:
          Sony SAVE815ED
    • Surrounds:
          Sony SAVE815ED
    • Subwoofer:
          Sony SAVE815ED
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